Recently spent a fortnight in Ireland (had an ace time) and whilst the simple point and shoot compact camera has preserved some great memories, the quality of the pictures could have been better and there were times, particularly when trying to get a picture of some wildlife, when I missed some potential great shots due to the lack of zoom.
It feels like it’s time to upgrade and get a decent camera but I’m no expert so was hoping for a bit of advice. I would like it to be fairly compact as I tend to do loads of walking when I’m away so don’t want to be carrying something big and bulky around, but, probably to the contrary, would also like something I can attach a zoom lens to so I can get the close ups of distant wildlife. I definitely want a viewfinder (can’t be doing with trying to frame photos using the screen on the back of the camera) but, other than that, a half decent general all-round smallish camera is what I’m after.
Would be happy to pay a few hundred quid but would be prepared to pay a bit more if there’s something out there that’s worth it.
Any suggestions folks.
Canon do a dinky DSLR http://www.techradar.com/reviews/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/digital-slrs-hybrids/canon-100d-1139215/review which a guy at work uses and says it’s great, especially for walkers.
I use Canon (6D and 7D) and the 100D is a good entry level body. Pair it with a second hand Sigma 150-500 for decent wildlife shots.
http://www.clivetemple.com
Superb portraits, Clive.
Really excellent portraits. Loved them.
Thanks very much… off to Cambodia tonight so check back for updates.
Echo the above, great work.
I use Canon gear for the sole reason that the first decent camera I could afford was a Canon, since then I’ve been through several bodies and amassed a load of lenses.
If you go SLR I’d recommend that you don’t skimp on the glass, a good lens on an average body will give you better results than an average lens on a good body.
Apologies for plugging my old site again (second time in the last few weeks!)
http://ndbfc1.wix.com/dysonwildlife#!home/mainPage
Some wonderful photos there too Neil. A really ggod site you have too. I gave up travelling about ten years ago when I moved out to the countryside, a) cos I really hate long flights, b) cos I don’t like being away from my fridge and c) cos I can just look at sites like yours instead.
Great stuff. Didn’t you go to the Antarctic?
I did, new website planned for October which will have some cool penguin shots and the results of my forthcoming trips to Alaska and Kamchatka.
We’ve got Antarctica booked for 2017 and Kamchatka is on our list, if the money lasts.
Just back from Cambodia and I’ve put some snaps on my FB page
https://www.facebook.com/clivetemplephotographer
I can’t be arsed to carry a camera these days but we have a Panasonic TZ10 which is brilliant for something so small. The current model TZ70 has a 30x optical zoom which may fit the bill for you.
http://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/cameras-camcorders/lumix-digital-cameras—point-and-shoot/superzoom-cameras/dmc-tz70.html
A second from me for the Panasonic TZ range
Just bought a TZ70. Hasn’t arrived yet, fingers crossed. Got fed up with carting the SLR and 3 lenses about – and even the longest zoom has only 1/3 of the reach the Lumix has. We’re going on a whale watching trip in a few weeks, and I couldn’t bear the thought of stressing about which lens to use.
iPhone?
Ok well I would ask the following questions:
Are you happy to carry half a kilo either on a strap or in your bag?
Do you think you’ll need to switch lenses or want to have the capability?
Happy to take auto off and think about aperture priority, ISO and things like this…
Then go with a DSLR – possibly used – I got a Nikon 3200 and nikkor 18-55 lens from good dealers for £250 last year – as in time you’ll be glad you got the flexibility and creative potential
Want to keep auto on.
Really concerned about weight and size – need to travel light.
Then I’d go with a bridge camera – you can get great zoom lenses built in and you should get great results.
Yes, fed up with lugging a DSLR and the quality of my crappy point ‘n’ shoot, I bought a bridge camera (Nikon Coolpix L330). It’s great – a decent lens and fits in a coat pocket. Models higher up the range have a proper viewfinder.
The FPO bought a Canon SX280HS which is like a point ‘n’ shoot on steroids (or a scaled-down bridge).
I’m a happy Canon D user too (an old 350D w/Sigma 18-200), and got a Canon SX600 HS compact in the sales earlier this year for a very reasonable price. I like it as a great compromise on image quality, flexibility (high ISO and settings) and 18* zoom. The SX700 gets you 30* zoom but was a lot more dosh at the time.
Only quibbles have been video recording when the file hits the 2GB FAT file size limit and stops recording without warning (15 mins on full 1080 HD, or 30 mins on mid-level 720 HD, which is annoying when I record the kids’ soccer games), and some very stupid features to bugger up pictures as you take them rather than in the comfort of your own picture editing software at home. Never used those once I realised what they did. Complete waste of button space.
I know sweet FA about photography so I went and got a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 and I still know sweet FA about photography so I enrolled for an on-line course. This cost £19 was supposed to cost £499.99 (utter bollocks), this starts in September and consists of 8×1 hour live sessions (seems good value for £19) so after completion I will supposed to be able to take top notch photos of anything/everything, any time, any where.
At thise present time I know how to turn on and press the photo button…….to be continued.
I bought a Nikon P7100 about 3 years ago and I’ve found the results have exceeded my expectations. It has the flexibility of being small(ish) and adaptable. There are full manual controls, a proper viewfinder, a reasonable optical zoom and focusing down to about 1 cm. Yes I still yearn for an SLR, but this camera has been superb.