I understand that a DSLR offer much bigger sensor size over compact cameras. However I like bridge camera's wide angle to super zoom facility and I am unlikely to manually adjust DSLR's settings.
So is there a camera which offers bigger sensors yet easy to operate like compact/bridge cameras?
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Do you want the advantage of changeable lenses as well? Sony's NEX cameras have the same size sensor as a DSLR in a more compact body for example. Samsung do similar cameras.
There's also larger sensors in the micro four third cameras from Panasonic and Olympus but the sensor is not as big as APS sized sensors in DSLR.
But if you want the wide angle and zoom capability of a bridge camera, then the larger sensor means a larger lens. So the micro four thirds maybe better for you. A 42-140mm lens on a Panasonic M4/3 camera is not cheap mind!
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I am point-n-shoot type person. Don't need changeable lenses.
My recent holiday photos were dull because of cloudy/overcast weather. Can having a DSLR improve pictures in such scenarios?
I think in bright sun, even cheapo compact cameras take excellent shots.
Last edited by: movilogo on Tue 21 Aug 12 at 17:02
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>> I am point-n-shoot type person. Don't need changeable lenses.
>>
>> My recent holiday photos were dull because of cloudy/overcast weather. Can having a DSLR improve
>> pictures in such scenarios?
>>
>> I think in bright sun, even cheapo compact cameras take excellent shots.
>>
I must admit the results from my Lumix travel zoom (TZ65) are well exposed and focused on the rare occasions I stick it on "intelligent auto", the camera manufacturers have obviously put much time and effort into these auto everything modes. A DSLR is likely to give worse pictures in most cases if left to work everything out for itself, as the photographer is expected to put more effort in - OK even that trend is changing on recent entry level DSLRs.
In terms of sensor noise I'd download some samples form possible purchases from Flickr, dpreview or wherever and make your own mind up.
Unfortunately huge zoom ranges and small sensors will always go hand in hand.
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Nikon have just released an 18-300 zoom lens for DSLRs - x16 zoom should cover most situations
"My recent holiday photos were dull because of cloudy/overcast weather"
You might want to explore some of the simpler post-processing programs - just some basic tweaks can liven up a dull photo
Last edited by: lancara on Tue 21 Aug 12 at 17:50
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If it was cloudy and the camera was not set correctly for the conditions, even a DSLR would have had problems. Maybe you need a camera with better intelligent auto. It's been mentioned on this thread already about the Panasonic intelligent auto. On my Lumix G2 it's actually very good.
On a couple of occasions I've tried to manually set the camera to get a particular result (e.g. for sunsets) and the iAuto setting got better results. It's doing more than just setting exposure, shutter speed, white balance etc. for sure.
But your dull photos might be rescuable using a photo processing application to fix it. Setting the photo to the right levels would be a starting point.
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This is the software that comes with certain Panasonic cameras:
www.panasonic.net/avc/lumix/silkypix/index.html
I was playing with it (the software!) over the weekend and was astounded with the results.
A fair few of us have the Lumix G2 which is quite a complicated camera but, as rtj70 says,
it can also be used as a point & shoot jobbie with great results - for idiots (like moi)
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As said above, make sure that you have set the white balance and speed appropriately. The colour temperature on cloudy days is different to that on a clear sunny day and you'll get washed out images with poor contrast.
You can check if it's a white balance problem by opening one of the images in something like Photoshop or Gimp and adjusting the colour temp.
Remember that no matter how good the auto white balance is on a particular camera, if there is nothing white in the scene it will make mistakes. So, if your camera allows you to set the colour temp manually, rather than just "Scene" modes, focus first on a white object and tell it "That's white". A business card or similar kept in your camera case is usually good enough.
My Sony HX9V compact has a handy feature that allows you to program the "Custom" button to jump straight to white balance setting if the camera is in programmable auto mode.
Last edited by: Kevin on Tue 21 Aug 12 at 19:56
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He should think about one of these:
www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/9025492/Kodak-moments-a-history-of-Eastman-Kodak-in-pictures.html?image=17
Seriously, has he looked at reviews on a camera website like Amazon's DPREVIEW.COM.
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>He should think about one of these:
Kodak, a sad story. Once the biggest name in photography they went into Chapter 11 and tried to litigate their way out of trouble. Now they're keeping the wolves from the door by selling off their intellectual property. Circling the drain I'm afraid.
>Seriously, has he looked at reviews on a camera website like Amazon's DPREVIEW.COM.
You can spend loads of dosh on something that gets great reviews but what's the point if it never moves from "Auto"? It's always trying to 'please all of the people all of the time' so the best results you are ever likely to get are average.
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Just re-read my earlier post and noticed that I forgot to mention exposure metering.
Multi-point average metering, which most cameras use in full auto mode, makes things worse in overcast conditions. Use spot metering on the portion of the subject that you want exposed correctly and, if your camera allows it, set it to bracket exposures by half or one stop either side.
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>> Kodak, a sad story. Once the biggest name in photography they went into Chapter 11 and
>> tried to litigate their way out of trouble
Indeed they did... and have lots of patents being bid for.
Although not in trouble at the moment, Apple once nearly went under and Microsoft played a part in investing.... roll forward and they are doing well. But that could change again.
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Buy a used Fuji HS10. All the camera you'll ever want/need.
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Small sensor though, Martin, which is where we came in.
I know long zooms in small bodies sell but I honestly don't see the point. Any 300mm lens is unusable without a tripod, and carrying one of those takes away the benefit of the compactness. Which also makes me question the value of that 18-300 lens; carrying a separate 300mm is no trouble on the days I know I'll be using it (and the tripod); the rest of the time the long zoom just impairs quality and light gathering.
I'm eager to try a Canon G1-X, which builds on the controllability of the G series but has a DSLR-size sensor for image quality. Not faultless, according to the reviews, but it ticks a lot of my wish-list boxes.
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>> Small sensor though, Martin, which is where we came in.
>>
>> I know long zooms in small bodies sell but I honestly don't see the point.
>> Any 300mm lens is unusable without a tripod, and carrying one of those takes away
>> the benefit of the compactness. Which also makes me question the value of that 18-300
>> lens; carrying a separate 300mm is no trouble on the days I know I'll be
>> using it (and the tripod); the rest of the time the long zoom just impairs
>> quality and light gathering.
>>
>> I'm eager to try a Canon G1-X, which builds on the controllability of the G
>> series but has a DSLR-size sensor for image quality. Not faultless, according to the reviews,
>> but it ticks a lot of my wish-list boxes.
>>
I find 300mm is perfectly usable without a tripod. You just need fast enough shutter speed. In body IS also helps with bridge cameras and sony/pentax dslrs. Canon/Nikon have in lens IS which also helps but you have to re-buy it with each lens.
I use 300mm all the time and on a crop sensor it is 450 mm equivalent. Generally with IS and a steady hand you can get sharp results easily. I never use a tripod.
I think the new panasonic bridge which is 500mm ish at the long end is also f2.8 throughout. Bridge cameras are moving things along quite fast. Even with their small sensors the speed of the lenses makes up for higher iso noise as you don't need the higher isos so much. Fuji even have a DOF faker so you can have the look of the larger sensor quite easily.
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can i tag an enquiry onto this thread please.
a neighbour is having some money troubles and is selling a NIKON P500 bridge camera 12months old. used once so in box and excellent condition.
he wants £150 for it but i haven't a clue if this a good price or a rubbish camera.
any opinion please?
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>>he wants £150 for it but i haven't a clue if this a good price or a rubbish camera<<
Sounds good to me:
www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=NIKON+P500&_sacat=0
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would this be a good camera for my wife to learn a little about photography before she buys a big SLR. can anyone recommend a photography magazine for her to read please.
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It's a 'bridge' between a compact and a full-blown D-SLR, so it's worth considering IMO.
Mags - have a peek at Practical Photography & Amateur Photographer.
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Readers' Wives may give some tips.
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looks like its worth a buy then for the money he wants. will pick up a few mags later and see if she likes any. i think she may want to take it up as a hobby so she can learn the ropes on this one and get a dslr later next year
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I've been saying "I'll get a DSLR next year" since I bought my Lumix FZ20 bridge camera (another one that holds f2.8 over the whole zoom range) in 2006 IIRC. But, given that I don't need the really fast autofocus or low noise at high ISO of an SLR, I haven't felt the need. You don't need an SLR to take "proper" photos.
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>> >> Small sensor though, Martin, which is where we came in.
>>
>> I find 300mm is perfectly usable without a tripod. You just need fast enough shutter
>> speed. In body IS also helps with bridge cameras and sony/pentax dslrs.
>>
Like they said. In film days I generally stuck to the old minimum shutter speed = lens focal length guide; but the IS on my Lumixes (not sure that's a real word) gains me 2 -3 stops without loss of sharpness, so I'm happy shooting at around 1/60 s at 300mm.
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My first camera is a nikon d5000, this is a midrange model, just been made obselete by the d51000, i bought a dslr as there is flexibilty in digital slr, you can change lens, upgrade the flash, change programs, i bought a top of the range nikon flash gun nikon sb900, resulting in stunning pictures.
Took some photos for a birthday party, people remarked that a professional person must have taken them.
With a normal camera there isnt any flexibilty in changing lenses, meant the pocket size one, the micro 2/3rd is interesting, but a bit more pricey.
Best thing to do is to goto a camera shop browse and review websites.
That what i did when i bought the nikon.
Probably upgrade the body to te nikon 5100
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You get what you pay for...:-)
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I know a couple of photographers who when introduced to the HS10 usually then left their expensive kit at home. It is a very capable bit of equipment.
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I was playing around with GIMP 2.8 but these software have steep learning curves. To properly use these photo editing apps, one needs to invest considerable time and effort.
I shot a landscape scenery under overcast cloud but now managed to look it much better. That took me half a day to R&D how to achieve that in GIMP.
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>>I shot a landscape scenery under overcast cloud but now managed to look it much better. That took me half a day to R&D how to achieve that in GIMP<<
And it'll take you arthur mo next time - that's what learning is all about!
:}
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>>
>> I shot a landscape scenery under overcast cloud but now managed to look it much
>> better. That took me half a day to R&D how to achieve that in GIMP.
>>
I figure if you've got an overcast, low contrast scene there's not much the camera can do about it, the only way of adding a bit of sparkle is as you've done, using 'curves' in one's favourite image editor.
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I'm a big fan of B+W having caught the bug after seeing Ansel Adams's stuff in the 70's. I've managed to rescue some really poor, flat, colour images by converting them to grayscale and dabbling with contrast and brightness.
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>> You get what you pay for...:-)
>>
Tricky bit is working out when you're paying for a solid design, and when you're paying for a big advertising budget/the badge on the front.
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got the Nikon p5oo bridge today and just in auto mode it takes love bright and clear pictures.
took it over to goodwood race course for high speed pics and is lovely and crisp even when the cars are going over 150mph.
read a few reviews and people seem happy with it.
there are mags on dlsr and one that is for beginners with compact cameras. which is better for advice on basics with a bridge camera do you think?
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I wouldn't bother buying magazines. There are some very good resources online.
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Maybe you could do what I did in the 1970's when I bought my first SLR camera, and buy a book nyx:
www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Photography-Step-Tom-Ang/dp/1405348194/ref=pd_cp_b_0
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thanks for the link. ive just ordered it and shes also on some digi camera forums so she can ask questions and get some tips.
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Well nyx, the next step is to upload some photos of Goodwood and Chichester harbour onto an image hosting site such as: www.flickr.com/ or photobucket.com/
It sounds daunting, but we'll guide you through it :)
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Ephotozine is quite a good site too, with tips and things, and also you get constructive criticism of your pics if you want it. They also have competitions and photo of the week type things as well, and well laid out.
But you do get emails from them a lot plugging stuff, if that bothers you.
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we are taking a walk around goodwood sunday and on the boat in the harbour later in the week.
we'll take loads of pics and mess with the settings to see what we end up with.
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Isn't ephotozine on the WADA list of prohibited substances?
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Camera question - rtj70
