| Non-motoring > Photography - Camera Thoughts | Miscellaneous |
| Thread Author: zippy | Replies: 25 |
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Sun 23 Feb 25 23:38
Photography - Camera Thoughts - zippy
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Now that I have more time on my hands and the weather is getting better I thought about re-kindling my love of photography. All my old cameras have gone, either sold or passed to the kids years ago. I have been looking at new cameras and notice that they are very expensive compared to what I was used to 20 years ago - no surprise there. I also notice that digital SLRS are very rare and there seems to be these mirrorless DSLRs. Does anyone have any experience of them or indeed any recommendations? |
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Mon 24 Feb 25 08:56
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Bromptonaut
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| What do you want to take pictures of? |
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Mon 24 Feb 25 09:28
Photography - Camera Thoughts - CGNorwich
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Unless they are serious photographer most people now use their phones, I can achieve far better photos for the best part with my iPhone 16 Pro than I ever did with my SLR or compact camera which now languish in a draw. If you want to go down the camera route I would say second hand is the way to go. You do, as has been said, have to decide what you want to photograph and how much you are prepared to spend. |
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Mon 24 Feb 25 09:35
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Bromptonaut
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>> Unless they are serious photographer most people now use their phones, I can achieve far >> better photos for the best part with my iPhone 16 Pro than I ever did >> with my SLR or compact camera which now languish in a draw. That's pretty much my experience too. The exception is wildlife or similar, in my case it was birds on Harris, where a telephoto lens is needed. Zoom doesn't cut the mustard. Macro on the other hand is excellent for getting up close to flowers in the Machair. Cheap(ish) Motorola. No idea if things like a Pixel or more costly Samsungs are any better. Last RSPB shop we were at had telephoto/tripod combos to use with phones. |
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Mon 24 Feb 25 10:26
Photography - Camera Thoughts - tyrednemotional
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I think the saying in photography circles is that "the best camera is the one you have with you". Which is why 'phones are a favourite choice of many. I have had, long term, a mirrorless micro 4/3 Panasonic Lumix with interchangeable wide-angle and telephoto lenses. It replaced an Olympus SLR, and got quite a bit of use after purchase (and does take very good pictures) but as a kit it is unwieldy and heavy for my general outdoor pursuits (and so tended to get left behind). Over time became obvious that the better compact cameras were beginning to approach that quality, and I eventually bought a Sony RX100 iii (after replacing SWMBO's compact with the RX100 base, and being impressed). Its performance, and variety of control, is on a par with the Lumix, bar the ability to use a very long lens - which, given most of my photos are landscape, is not that much of an issue. The great advantage is that it easily fits in a jacket pocket, so tends to be carried on our outings. Certainly, 'phone cameras have come on leaps and bounds and of course I use mine for the "rapid" shot. I also have a Motorola which has acceptable if not exciting results. I can't speak for the iPhone, but SWMBO's Pixel is a significant step-up in quality of photo. I still use the Sony, however, as I find it easier to hold when composing a shot, and easier to adjust the various settings to what I want (and it also takes better pictures than the Motorola). |
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Mon 24 Feb 25 11:09
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Manatee
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I'd start taking photos now with whatever you have, even a phone. You'll soon have a better instinct as to what you want/need. If you want to do serious wildlife photography start saving now! Some pros I believe are now using mirrorless. Critical thing I suppose must be the viewfinder. You'll find loads of reviews/comparisons on dpreview.com. I lost some stuff in the fire, and bought a Nikon D750 (since replaced in the range by D780). TBH I don't get the value out of it, although it's good and built to last. It's full frame but not actually huge. I have a decent portrait lens, Sigma 100mm, a Nikon f1.8 50mm, and a Nikon 300mm zoom (from the poverty end of the range, i.e. slow). I'm on the lookout for a wider 'carry around' zoom, meanwhile I have a couple of older Nikon kit lenses I bought on ebay for little money. I intended to spend significant sums on lenses (£1000 for a body is just a down payment, it's the lens that takes the picture) but I find I most of my photos are not taken on specific photo expeditions and I don't usually find it convenient to cart it around and more often than not I'll have just a phone or a 15 year old Panasonic LX3. The best camera, as they say, is the one you have with you. I'm not brilliant but I can take reasonable pictures with whatever is at hand. The one job I will always get the SLR out for is people - formal or candid - for the shallow depth of field. Also so I can use the best single thing you can have IMO to improve portraits, which is TTL flash. Landscape/buildings etc the phone or Panasonic do very well, within reason. Current phone has surprised me by how sharp it can be (Mororola Edge 40). My daughter solicited a Panasonic G7 for her birthday when her children were small. It came with 2 kit lenses which she has augmented. She's found it a good compromise, it's much easier to cart around that's for sure. And she has a decent flash. I am not a real photographer, obviously, and the D750 could take me well beyond my current needs if I knew what to do with it! Last edited by: Manatee on Mon 24 Feb 25 at 11:11
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Mon 24 Feb 25 11:30
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Zero
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20 years ago? a lot has changed. SLR's, a bag full of lenses and filters are dead for all but the high end pro's and die hards. If you want to be semi pro, and spend a few quid, then you go for the best glass up front (known lens names) with the best sensor at the back, this is graded by size, larger the sensor better it is. As always in the photography game, its what you can afford. Because its all now digital, you'll need a good photo studio suite on your PC, and you'll need to mug up on shooting in RAW format. In short its now all about how much you dont loose in compression and conversion. The less you loose, the more you can do with it in processing/enlarging etc. Quality is Glass, Sensor, Compression format. As everything is digital, it all gets stored on hard disks, so you might need another, they quickly bloat. As always, as mentioned, the best camera in the world is the one you have with you when you need it. For interest, I have a go-pro, a panasonic video camera, drone, Pixel phone, and a panasonic DCTZ200*. Of all of them, the phone gets most use, as you would expect. *Pocket camera. www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_tz200_review |
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Tue 25 Feb 25 11:51
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Dog
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I first got into photography back in the 70s with my Pentax SLR with all the lenses, filters etc. etc. I've gone down the route of mirrrorless and DSLR over the years and now have a Lumix 'superzoom' pocket/travel camera, an olde-but-excellent Lumix FZ200 bridge camera, and a mighty Nikon P950 bridge camera which has an 83x zoom lens equiv. to 2000mm! 16MP 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, OLED EVF 2360k-dots and 4K video. I've tried getting on with taking pics with my 'smart' phone, but prefer a proper job camera. |
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Tue 25 Feb 25 19:14
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Robin O'Reliant
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>> >> >> I've tried getting on with taking pics with my 'smart' phone, but prefer a proper >> job camera. >> I feel the same, never really got on with phone cameras. I use a Kodak bridge camera and it ticks the boxes for me, though I have no doubt an enthusiast would find a few flaws. In the end, if you are pleased with the results you get yourself that is all that matters. They're not going to be hung in a gallery. |
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Tue 25 Feb 25 20:33
Photography - Camera Thoughts - tyrednemotional
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>> They're not going to be hung in a gallery. >> Well yours might not be but m....... (no!) I have a friend and ex-works colleague who took up early retirement, embraced his hobby of photography as a profession, and opened a gallery with his wife (his works are widely displayed locally, and are available online). He also took to running photography courses which have been well received and attended (and apparently remunerative). He has slowly migrated over the years to his main device being an iPhone (13 Pro the last I saw). Not for me as a device, but he gets some stunning shots. |
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Tue 25 Feb 25 21:22
Photography - Camera Thoughts - zippy
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>>Hung in a gallery... Not quite a gallery, but I know of a bloke that makes a decent living going to the MACH Loop in Wales and photographing low flying aircraft. |
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Tue 25 Feb 25 22:19
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Zero
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>> >>Hung in a gallery... >> >> Not quite a gallery, but I know of a bloke that makes a decent living >> going to the MACH Loop in Wales and photographing low flying aircraft. Yeah, I tried that, in hindsight using the drone may have been a mistake......... |
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Tue 25 Feb 25 23:00
Photography - Camera Thoughts - John Boy
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For most of my life photography has been a major passion. It was part of my job and a serious hobby too. Some of it was street photography, but that has become a tricky thing to do for various reasons. Now that every man and his dog tends to photograph or film everything that moves, I prefer to just experience events rather than record them. I would admit, however, that a reduction in personal mobility is a factor in that. In my personal opinion, how you frame a photograph is more important than anything else. It's possible to learn about composition, but most good photographers seem to have an innate ability in that respect. You should, Zippy, be able to work on that with just your smartphone. Hopefully that would tell you what kind of photography you really want to do. Incidentally one of my neighbours has a stunning collection of bird photography taken with a simple point-and-shoot camera. He's also an angler and I think his success with bird photography is due to being able to sit really still in nature. I can tell that he enjoys showing his photos to other photographers who try to do the same laden down with kit. |
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Tue 25 Feb 25 23:24
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Manatee
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| I agree 90% of it is composition. |
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Tue 25 Feb 25 23:22
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Manatee
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The fixed zoom bridge cameras are amazing really, but of necessity they use very small sensors so can't match the image quality or noise performance/low light performance of 4/3, APS-C or full frame cameras. Some phone cameras actually have bigger sensors than the superzoom bridge cameras. My Mid range Motorola phone has a 1/1.5" sensor, cf. the Coolpix P950 with a 1/2.3" one. A 60-80 x zoom is an amazing lens, but inevitably has loads of distortion, barrel at the short end and pincushion at the long end. Cameras like the Coolpix P950 actually correct this distortion in camera while they are processing the shot so that you don't see it in the image. Sadly bridge cameras are going out of fashion. The better ones aren't cheap although what they do is amazing, but for what most people do most of the time phone cameras have got so much better that they can satisfy for the family and scenery snaphots that make up 90% of photos. Apologies. I've only just discovered that bridge cameras have nearly died out. Very few new ones have come out in the last few years. |
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Wed 26 Feb 25 08:13
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Dog
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>>My Mid range Motorola phone has a 1/1.5" sensor, cf. the Coolpix P950 with a 1/2.3" one. Which explains why I'm always surprised at the photos my wife has taken on her mid range Moto! >>Cameras like the Coolpix P950 actually correct this distortion in camera while they are processing the shot so that you don't see it in the image Interesting, I didn't know that. I have taken some quite pleasing wildlife photos at 2000mm, mounted on a tripod of course. At the other end, I've taken some pretty stunning closeup photos using macro. |
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Wed 26 Feb 25 08:27
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Manatee
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>> Interesting, I didn't know that. I have taken some quite pleasing wildlife photos at 2000mm, >> mounted on a tripod of course. >> >> At the other end, I've taken some pretty stunning closeup photos using macro. I'm not knocking them, they're very impressive beasts. But I can see why the sales have dropped so much. Challenge her to a moon snapping competition. I think they did once make a 2000mm Nikon mirror lens for 35mm. It was the size of a 5 gallon oil drum. I won't be buying this 600mm f4: www.wexphotovideo.com/nikon-z-600mm-f4-tc-vr-s-lens-3074804/ |
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Wed 26 Feb 25 08:59
Photography - Camera Thoughts - smokie
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I know a couple of semi-pro motor sport photographers. They both have lenses worth thousands, one of them had £22k worth of kit stolen from his car boot at Spa. They both took stunning shots of high speed action, which takes some doing, and were on occasions commissioned by teams or drivers for portfolios. However both said that with the advent of digital photography, bridge cameras and better phone cameras and every Tom Dick & Harry able to get good (not great) shots with very little outlay the market for their pics had taken a dive. I feel photography would be quite a satisfying hobby though I barely ever look at the few hundred pics I have now let alone the 3000+ those guys would take over a race weekend. |
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Wed 26 Feb 25 09:25
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Zero
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>> I know a couple of semi-pro motor sport photographers. They both have lenses worth thousands, >> one of them had £22k worth of kit stolen from his car boot at Spa. >> They both took stunning shots of high speed action, which takes some doing, and were >> on occasions commissioned by teams or drivers for portfolios. It all about light, zooming in at the high shutter speeds needed for moving objects you need more light, more light means a big window at the front, big window at the front means a longer lens, as Da Vinci set out. Its the one thing camera phones fall* down on, teeny tiny windows, so were poor for zooming. and getting light to the sensor. * or rather fell down on, with all the CPU power and remote AI image processing phone cameras do now, they stitch pre and post shutter images together and re-invent the still. However, it has to be said, with the right composition, and a gift with light and shadow, nothing beats a black and white image shot on film and developed on paper. It has mood. |
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Wed 26 Feb 25 11:46
Photography - Camera Thoughts - zippy
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I want this lens: www.youtube.com/shorts/KNpRAUKiC-s Of course I would need to hire some Sherpas to move it around for me. |
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Wed 26 Feb 25 13:32
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Dog
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I've been joined at the hip to my mid range Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 for 3 months while Openreach get around to installing full fibre here. The 'phone' has a 50 MP (Samsung) main sensor, an 8 MP ultra wide angle lens and two 2 MP sensors for macro. I should really try to use the camera system more but, there's no substitute for having a viewfinder IMO, especially when the currant bun is out. |
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Fri 28 Feb 25 10:48
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Manatee
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Zippy, if you do get back into your hobby-photography you could do worse than to look at www.mpb.com/en-uk for kit. I've just bought a lens from them and couldn't be happier with it. Described as "as new" and it is. £280 vs. £400-£500 new. For reviews, Ken Rockwell's are informative and funny. When you've read a few you can tell when he's being satirical/mischievous (I hope). For example, the glowing review of the lens I have just bought includes the following gem under the heading "Survivability": "Since the electronics are made with lead-free solder, expect this lens to die in about ten years due to tin whiskers forming." kenrockwell.com/nikon/24-85mm-vr.htm#comp Tin whiskers are real of course, and have brought down a few satellites, but I can't find any reports of them killing camera lenses. Regarding mirrorless, Ken's not yet a fan judging by the comments here in his review of the Nikon D780. I'm not getting any FOMO reading this, and would buy my (discontinued) D750 again - the replacement D780 has lost the built in flash and gained some stuff that's not important to me, the 750 already being way more capable than I am. kenrockwell.com/nikon/d780.htm If you want anything from MPB I'll send you a link for £20 off. |
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Fri 28 Feb 25 13:26
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Dog
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| I sold a Lumix mirrorless camera to MPB and received an excellent price for it a few years back. |
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Sun 9 Mar 25 20:53
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Manatee
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I don't know if you've solved or shelved this 'problem' Zippy, but I have just ordered a Nikon D5500 (APS-C DSLR) and the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR zoom (28-210 in old money) for the boss who wants to get back into photography herself. Both "as new" cosmetically from MPB for a total of £438. The camera only has a shutter count of 6,000. In truth I should probably have bought this outfit myself and saved a lot of money. It will do nearly everything and take excellent pictures. She has small and now somewhat arthritic hands and can't manage my 800g full frame camera and a 700g lens, The D5500 is small-bodied and probably Nikon's lightest at 420g. The 18-140 is maybe 490g which I am hoping is manageable for her. I have also ordered the 18-55 (28-80 equivalent) as the best version of this, the AF-P VR, can be had for £40 in excellent condition and will give her a very light outfit if she is lugging it all day on a gardens expedition for example. She asserted that she definitely wanted an SLR, it's something she's familiar with, she likes a proper viewfinder. I think there's an element of nostalgia involved but I can't argue. Well, I could...but I won't. Incidentally a second lens I bought from MPB arrived last week. It was, as claimed, in excellent condition but the hood it came with had had two of its petals sawn off! I politely drew this to their attention and they are sending me one by DPD without any argument. Last edited by: Manatee on Sun 9 Mar 25 at 20:54
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Sun 9 Mar 25 22:30
Photography - Camera Thoughts - zippy
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Thanks Manatee! It's something I want to do. Time is always the issue. I will get there eventually. Thanks for the heads up re MPB I will be browsing for bargains! |
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Tue 11 Mar 25 14:44
Photography - Camera Thoughts - Manatee
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For completeness I will say the D5500 arrived this morning and I was right. I am now suffering FOMO. I took a few dozen test shots to make sure it's all good and it is, the 18-140 being sharp from end to end and certainly not inferior to the 18-55 in that range. If Henri Cartier Bresson could manage with one 35mm camera and a 50mm lens, she should have no problems with just the 18-140, or the 18-55 if she doesn't want to lug the heavier one. The body is tiny, and very light at 420g. Fully articulated touch-screen. It came with paperwork dated November 2015 but has hardly been used, is in perfect condition, and had been updated to the latest software and lens data (for in-camera distortion control) which I checked because one of the lenses I bought came out after this camera was sold. Were I looking at mirrorless I'd probably be thinking Nikon Z50 and the Z mount version of the 18-140, which is not the same less but also well reviewed by Rockwell. The outfit would 850g vs. 910g for the D5500+18-140, so not materially lighter. The Z50 body is actually heavier than the D5500. |
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