Anyone any good with a camera?

[EricMark]

All cameras are a compromise, there is a good reason for not having interchangeable lenses, there is less chance of getting dust into the camera, however I would still want the screw thread for filters, and want the ability to take pictures in RAW format.

As to mega pixels, I find in the main I reduce them so to digitally display 2 Mp is ample, to print it depends on size, but unless turning into wall paper, 10 Mp is ample, the higher the mega pixels the more you can crop the picture, the lower the mega pixels the less light you need to take the photo, assuming same size and type of sensor.

So there are three reasonably standard sensors, full frame is same size as a 35 mm film would be, normally we have a smaller sensor to that, varies camera to camera, but cropped sensor normaly around 3/4 size of full frame, this means smaller lenes can be used, but can still use full frame lens so a 400mm full frame lens is a 600 mm approx when used with a cropped sensor.

Because an DSLR needs to move the mirror, lens starts quite a distance from sensor, and making them smaller is not really possible with that mirror, however there is no longer a need for a mirror, as with your phone you can use a digital display, bringing the lens closer to sensor really reduces the lens size, so the micro 4/3rds camera was born, it has interchangeable lens, but far smaller in size. Now we are also getting full frame cameras without the mirror but these are very expensive.

An f 1.6 lens is expensive, with 400 ASA (now called ISO) film you needed all the light you could get, but today you can get cameras with an ISO of over 400,000 the bigger the ISO the lower the Mega Pixel also the larger the f stop the greater the depth of field, so at f8 you can get a massive focal range, so low mega pixel but high ISO is in the main good, it means you need less concentration on the settings, you simply concentrate on your artistic talent.

There are specialist areas, macro, and telephoto need diffrent options to standard, my 18 to 280 mm lens is very slow to focus, it would be no good trying to take pictures on the Mac loop of the fast jets, but it is ample for general photography. Daughters 80 to 300 mm is far faster, but she needs to swap the lens to take pictures inside churches for example, and swapping a lens gives chance of dust.

Ability to take three photos one standard one two stops over and one two stops under in RAW format allows you, (normally with tripod) to capture a high dynamic range, the photo shown is not everyone's cup of tea, but without taking three images in RAW you don't really have the option, so you want the ability to take bracketed photos and in RAW format, Pentax RAW is 12 bit, Nikon RAW is 14 bit, Jpeg is 8 bit, so with Jpeg you can't correct errors, with RAW if you have not set the exposure spot on, to have a better chance of recovering from the error.

 

[Lou]

Thanks guys for all your help and advice

 

[andyb]

If you think you may go on to get a little more serious about your photography Lou I'd give this one a miss as you'll out grow it very quickly. I wouldn't even call it a bridge camers with no manual control or the ability to shoot in raw.
Take a bit of time to look into bridge cameras, you need a camera you can grow into and devolope your photography.

 

[Jim_e_Jib]

Nikon is definitely a good brand-one of the best camera manufacturers around.

Reading a couple of reviews, they suggest this camera has smart phone image quality but with the benefit of a flexible zoom lens that goes from pretty wide to very long. If you just want to take a few snaps, you'll likely be happy but if photography becomes more of a hobby, I reckon the poor image quality and lack of manual control for exposure will become frustrating.

If funds allow, as andyb says, perhaps look at something a few models up?

 

[Carl S]

Earlier Sony Alpha cameras can take manual focus AF mount Minolta lenses. You can pick the camera and lenses up at a reasonable price.



What do you want a fashion item or something practical?

 

[Lou]

Practical, but easy to carry around

 

[telectrix]

there's a brilliant camera shop in Chester. does 2nd hand stuff as well as new. might be worth having a look in there, ask advice whatever. it's Camera Solutions. google them. I swear by my Canon 40D. bit it's a fair lump to carry, what with the battery pack extension and additional lenses . I have a prime lens 400mm, and that's a handful on it's own.

 

[andyb]

there's a brilliant camera shop in Chester. does 2nd hand stuff as well as new. might be worth having a look in there, ask advice whatever. it's Camera Solutions. google them. I swear by my Canon 40D. bit it's a fair lump to carry, what with the battery pack extension and additional lenses . I have a prime lens 400mm, and that's a handful on it's own.

What's the max aperture on your prim 400 Tel? Whatever it is I'm guessing it's a beast of a lens. Are you sure you should be lifting that at your age?

 

[telectrix]

it's only a modest 5.6. i'd like a 2.8 but £3000 is out of my budget.

 

[GMES]

Yeah I recently got back into photography but I'm a Canon man myself. My main lens at the moment is a 600mm which I try and keep on the tripod and then have either my 55-250mm or 18-135mm on my other body.

 

[GMES]

Here are a couple I took recently, don't laugh too hard ya buggers.

 

[telectrix]

Yeah I recently got back into photography but I'm a Canon man myself. My main lens at the moment is a 600mm which I try and keep on the tripod and then have either my 55-250mm or 18-135mm on my other body.

which model Canon? i still have 3 x EOS film bodies , unused for over 20 years, but still working order.

 

[EricMark]

It is surprising what you can take with a phone. The market leader is Sony, most the others buy the sensors from sony so no real way anyone else can be better, but the price does reflect this, the whole thing today is moving away from the DSLR the whole idea of a mirror flicking up before you take a photo is old hat and not required, remove the mirror and the lens can be closer to the sensor so vastly reducing lens physical size and weight, the option is a balance between light gathering and number of pixels, the more pixels you have the more light is required to take the photo.

In the main we select the make of camera so we can continue to use old equipment, I still use old Pentax lenses, the old 400 mm is a 600 mm with the cut down sensor, so still use Pentax although also have more modern Nikon.

The faster speeds do mean you can get away with smaller aperture, however the lens is the expensive bit, my Nikon has a 18 - 270 mm, my daughter got a 90 - 280 I think, same make and not much in the price, but what a difference, my Tamron is so slow to focus compared to hers, if I go to the Mac loop it would need to be on manuals focus.

 

[GMES]

which model Canon? i still have 3 x EOS film bodies , unused for over 20 years, but still working order.

Morning Tel, I've got the 70D and the new 90D,

 

[buzzlightyear]

Me to canon man trying to get best shot yet
Boy it's hard to get that big round shot in it,. Lol still have the 1000 noise less and others. Film body and lens, just recantly sent off of the grandsons uv lems and try to help him on photo taking plus he went and bought a Canon 40d and lenses , I will hope to get back to it my self one day.