School Me On Cameras

[gen3flygirl]

My parents said they are willing to buy me am early Christmas present to take over to Saipan so school me on cameras. I want to get into taking armature digital photography so I am thinking something along the lines of a cannon, Nikon, or sonny. It's either that or getting a gopro with some different attachments so I can take some dive photography.

[ScubaCinci]

I didn't know you were a diver

 

Tough to really give you a good answer without knowing how you plan to use it long term and how in-depth you want to go in your learnings.

 

The great thing about point and shoot (p&s) cameras is that they are small and light and are easy to travel with. Many have manual settings just like a big DSLR. If you do your research, there are quite a few that take very nice images. The down side is that you are stuck with the focal length and aperture that comes with the camera. Flashes are generally only good for relatively close portraits unless it has a hot shoe. There are some p&s now that come with changeable lenses but I honestly haven't looked at them too closely.

 

DSLRs are highly flexible with lenses to change focal length/aperture. However, they are more expensive (especially the nicer lenses) and they are big and heavy. They can be a real drag (literally) to haul around on vacation - especially with larger lenses.

 

The latest thing in cameras that are becoming very popular are mirrorless cameras with detachable lenses that give you the flexibility of the DSLRs but the lighter weight and smaller form factor of a p&s. I believe Samsung and Sony are 2 of the leaders here. The downside is the cost of the cameras and lenses and generally they have smaller sensors than the DSLRs so image quality will be not be as good – especially in lower light situations.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Mirrorless-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B00A3I5V0S

Edited September 18, 2013 by ScubaCinci

[jporter12]

Hit up RFM.  Probably have to get him over on Facebook though.

[ScubaCinci]

BTW, if you want underwater images/pictures, the GoPro is going to be one of the cheapest solutions while still giving very good quality unless you are doing macro shots. I used to do underwater photography but realized I was missing a lot of dives because I was too busy fussing with the camera. Now I mount a GoPro on my head and just record what I see. I've caught some good stuff.

[gen3flygirl]

BTW, if you want underwater images/pictures, the GoPro is going to be one of the cheapest solutions while still giving very good quality unless you are doing macro shots. I used to do underwater photography but realized I was missing a lot of dives because I was too busy fussing with the camera. Now I mount a GoPro on my head and just record what I see. I've caught some good stuff.

Good to know, I actually stopped by Midwest photography today and put a gopro and red filter on hold. Waiting to see how fat Santas wallet is to see if I can swing a DSLR as well. I travel too much to not have a good camera. Really wish I would have gotten into it at a younger age.

[ScubaCinci]

Check out factory refurbished DSLRs at reputable places like Adorama. I've bought my last 3 Canon bodies that way and saved a bunch of money. IMO refurbs are better than new in that new items only get a certain percentage of quality checks while refurbed products need to pass every single manufacturing quality test. I buy a lot of electonics this way when I can from Apple, Dell, etc and have yet to have a single problem with any one of them.

[Limenine9r]

I have an out dated Canon rebel T3i Seen here with my Sigma f5-6.3. 150-500mm lens (one of the 4 lens I use)

I'm obsessed with photography and motorcycles, if I didn't have motorcycles my camera gear would cost nearly as much as a decent motorcycle.

Too many hobbies, my camera gear is entry level DSLR and generic lenses.

This is what I use while shooting birds - hand held at 5lbs = not a very long day birding cuz arm hurts - lol. Tripods and monopods cause too many missed shots at my skill level.

I also have an outdated CanonSX120 point and shoot that gets lots of use on motorcycle adventures.

Edited September 20, 2013 by Limenine9r