Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Photographers please Help
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mirth |
I think this one turned out ok. |
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missmolly |
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andym |
The drawback is that it uses a smaller sensor than a full DSLR and so it does get noisy at low light settings, especially if handheld. You could do longer exposures on a tripod to try and improve on that issue. So, it is great for some uses and not as good for others. But it fits the budget and at that price and weight she always has it out. |
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NotLight |
The "problem" with DSLR's is that to take full advantage of them you really have to have the right lenses, not just the "kit" lens that comes with the camera. This adds hundreds to thousands of dollars to the price. The other "problem" in choosing a camera is that cell phone cameras on the newest cameras are very very good. If you have an older cell phone, a better decision than buying a camera might be to get a newer water resistant cell phone with an upgraded camera - like iphone 8 or Samsung. Here are a few choices in your price range if zoom/wildlife is your priority (already mentioned): Canon SX60 - $430 Panasonic FZ80 - $350 Panasonic FZ300 - $450 (less zoom but better lens) Here are a couple choices in your price range if low light/stars/landscapes are a priority: Canon G5X refurbished - $450 Canon G1X II refurbished - $399 (better low light but no viewfinder) Here are a couple "micro 4/3rd's" cameras a bit above your price range. They have interchangeable lenses, unlike the cameras above. So you could add lenses over time to add zoom/low light/etc. Panasonic G7 (4k video) - $497 Olympus OM10 - $550 Here is what I would buy right now as entry level DSLR, and extra lenses. There are cheaper options, and many, many, many other alternatives. But to give you an idea what happens to the cost and weight of a DSLR if you add lenses (and these aren't really expensive lenses): Canon SL2 - $599 Manual focus atrophotography/landscape lens - $319 Wildlife lens (2lbs) - $700 Cheaper wildlife lens (less heavy, less zoom) - $450 I now carry 2 cameras - a tiny Canon mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with a wide angle/low light lens, and a cheaper used DSLR with either a cheap/light wildlife zoom lens, or once in a while a heavier zoom lens. If you get a DSLR, you want to put the money into the lenses, the camera body is generally much less important. my Canon mirrorless refurbished (no lens) - $330 one of my mirrorless wide angle lenses - $399 (i got mine used) Cheap DSLR (but very nice) - $99 Refurbished wildlife lens - $239 (I got mine for $130) |
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missmolly |
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NotLight |
quote missmolly: "I'll be replacing my Canon SLR with a zoom lens with a GoPro. I've sold many photos over the years, but a more knowledgeable pro thinks I can get by with the convenience of a GoPro and after seeing many of his GoPro shots, I agree. " Agree, or just use your phone. Phones are getting very very good. |
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yellowcanoe |
Its a bridge camera.. Not point and shoot though you can do that. It can be set to Auto or fully Manual or Shutter or Aperture Priority. It is what they call a superzoom camera. It goes to 65x optical but frankly I don't go much above 20 because of camera movement in a canoe. A decent lens. Not a low light astrophotography lens and has limited f stops ( closing of the lens openings) but has the capability to do bracketed exposures which I find extremely useful in high contrast situations. Like you find on canoe trips. I keep reaching for it though I have a full frame Canon 6D Mark II also. The little Canon is a lot less to worry about than the kit I have with the 6D that amounts to more than two canoes cost. And its WAY more portage friendly Cleaning kits cost about five bucks. You need a dry bag.. you can get those inexpensively. A spare battery is very handy. If you find bundled kits with all sorts of accessories chances are most of the accessories are junk. I got the 6D with accessories.. All I wanted was the extra battery and 128 GB sim cards which alone would have been worth more than the fifty dollars extra that the accessory bundle cost. I threw out the useless wireless remote and the garbage tripod and monopod. |
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mirth |
Basically you prepare a special SD card and the camera boots from it, overriding the factory firmware. Want to go back to the factory firmware? Just replace the CHDK sd card with one without it on it. Many Canon point & shoots, especially towards the high end, share the same imaging & processing engine as the DSLRs. This enables those features that you'd otherwise have to spend $$$ to get in a different camera. RIP my SX20. I got some pretty good night shots with it, with infinite control over shutter time & aperture. |
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boonie |
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lindylair |
The image quality gap between a good quality superzoom and a low end DSLR is still there but that gap has closed some in the last several years. Good cameras in this class take very good photos and you will have to look closely to see the difference. But there is SO much more in the way of features and flexibility that she will probably find herself actually using it more and missing less shots because you have to change lenses. Imagine canoeing down a beautiful lake and taking some nice scenery pictures with a wide angle lens on your DSLR. All of a sudden there is a Bald Eagle perched in a tree across the lake, or a moose in the shallows in the next bay. With that wide angle lens you will not likely get a very good shot and the subject will be a tiny part of the frame. And by the time you change lenses, if your brave enough to try it in the canoe, that eagle or moose may be gone. With a superzoom you always have the right lens on so you get more shots and you are less hesitant to take shots because you don't want to hassle with changing the lens...again. Don't get me wrong, there is a definite time and place for DSLR's and still a quality advantage in many situations. But like others, I still turn to my superzoom on occasion if I am going on a hike , for example, and want to be ready for scenery shots, wildlife, and bird shots all at the same time. Another bonus, they generally do an excellent job with macro photography, better than DSLR's in some cases unless you spend the money for a good macro lens. If your wife likes to take close up shots of flowers or mushrooms or insects you can get very nice results with a good superzoom camera. Another nice thing is that good bridge or superzoom cameras have full manual capabilities so you can have some creative control over the shots you take. If she continues to have a passion for photography the next step might be a DSLR at some point. There are some good reasons to go that way as well but at the price point you are looking I think you would be disappointed. I have hundreds of photos on this website of my outdoors adventures, most in or near the BWCA. I would say that about 90% of them have been taken with a superzoom camera and I think there are some pretty nice shots (at least a few). |
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hunt3r |
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Ausable |
My personal cameras are Pentax, but there is nothing in that brand at your price point. You might also look at KEH.com for used cameras and lenses. |
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offroadjeeper |
You have plenty of functions you can fiddle with and you can change out the lenses also. There are several cameras to choose from in the rebel series. |
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mc2mens |
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