Help Me Find a Camera
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: Brotsky
11-Jan-18
After this past year and some of the adventures my family went on I realized that my crappy I-phone pics just are not cutting it anymore. I see so many cool things out in the woods and mountains that I want to take pics of and am just not satisfied with what I've gotten. I celebrated 20 years with my company this past week and as a thank you they give me a gift of pretty much anything I choose up to $500 which is pretty cool. I figured this is a great opportunity to get a decent camera to start improving my photo game. A couple I've been considering are the Panasonic FZ300 and The Canon Powershot SX60 HS. I'm open to suggestions! I'm not totally opposed to a DSLR either but I know in my price range my options are very limited. Please let me know your thoughts and ideas and help me spend my $$! Thanks guys!
From: Rob in VT
11-Jan-18
Canon is always a great choice and they have a very good reputation. I have a DSLR but it is more than $500. They are also bulky so not fun to pack in the mountains. The upside is they take incredible photos and you can get a wide variety of lenses for them.
From: stick slinger
11-Jan-18
There are newer (relatively) mirrorless digital cameras that are smaller than DSLR, but take great photos and you can exchange lenses on them. May be tough to find at $500. You could maybe buy the camera and have them buy a lens or two for you.
From: pa bowhunter
11-Jan-18
pa bowhunter's Link
For what your looking for I would go mirrorless, there are some great mirrorless at a good price, I shoot a dslr canon 6d, my wife picked up a samsung mirrorless on sale with a tablet for like $300.00 and it amazes me at the pictures we can get from this camera, remember that the format you take the picture in are just as important as anything, IE jpeg large or raw, raw will give you the ability to fully edit your photo as were jpeg is pre processed but you can do limited editing, when we use her camera I set it to shoot in raw/large jpeg so we can share photos quick and still be able to have the Raw file for full editing, I put a link up from B&H photo of a few mirrorless in your range, so you can check them out and the reviews, I hope this helps a little bit..
From: Brotsky
11-Jan-18
Good stuff guys, I know very little about photography. Your input is a big help!
From: pa bowhunter
11-Jan-18
pa bowhunter's Link
This might help also.
From: SixLomaz
11-Jan-18
SixLomaz's Link
Take a look at Nikon 1 J5. Powerful in a small package. Whatever camera you decide to purchase make sure the exterior is colored in flat black. Anything else could distort color as it will reflect with light especially in bright sun light.
From: SixLomaz
11-Jan-18
SixLomaz's Link
Definitely add lens protection to your camera with a Tiffen 405UVP 40.5mm UV Protection Filter (Clear) if possible. See the link above for an example. To store your pictures you need a Sandisk Ultra 64GB Micro SDXC UHS-I Card with Adapter - 100MB/s U1 A1 - SDSQUAR-064G-GN6MA. General protection can be had with a echCare "Ever Ready" Protective Leather Camera Case Bag for Nikon 1 J5 Digital Camera with 10-30 mm. Lens (Black), Nikon 1 J5 case or any other similar encasing.
For low light quality pictures you can expand your gear with a Nikon 1 NIKKOR 18.5mm f/1.8 (Black) prime lens depicted at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0099XHCOG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
From: WFG in NM
11-Jan-18
Took this picture with a lowly Nikon Coolpix S9600 set in auto mode out at about 30 yards.
--Bill
From: learnshare
11-Jan-18
Lumix FZ300
Lumix FZ300
learnshare's Link
You know already all features the FZ300 has, so If you're looking for a 4k with best value for the money, the Lumix FZ300 is probably the choice to make. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ZJQj98WEA
From: Dutch oven
11-Jan-18
The Olympus Tough camera is all you need. About $400.00 I believe. They're a great, compact camera.
From: Backpack Hunter
11-Jan-18
The Sony NEX series is very nice.
From: Irishman
11-Jan-18
We have a couple of really nice cameras, but I always end out taking a small Nikon camera with me when I go hiking or hunting. So I would recommend a good quality small camera with a powerful zoom. The camera I would buy would be a Lumix DC-ZS70, 30x zoom, and 4k HD video. It's about $400.
From: trkyslr
11-Jan-18
New g7x!!!
From: Charlie Rehor
12-Jan-18
How about a combo that also does video?
From: APauls
12-Jan-18
Not sure what pricing you can find on a Panasonic DMC-G7 BHphoto has an open box for $525. Essentially same size as your other options but far superior camera imo. Plus you're into the micro 4/3 format which is awesome. I have the G7, and love it. Started with a G6 on recommendation of another hunter. For a novice the micro 4/3 format you can think of it essentially as a DSLR in a smaller package. Lens choices are very broad and expanding, but the best thing is that a 100-300mm lens in only like 6" long. Problem with the Nikon J1's is that lens choices are VERY limited, and I think going the way of the dodo. micro 4/3 may be the way of the future. A G7 also gives outstanding video feature, 4K all the rest of it.
From: Brotsky
12-Jan-18
Thanks for your feedback guys! A couple of things I've had issues with in the past is the aperture on the superzooms becomes an issue at longer zooms and the light gathering especially when critters are most likely to be active, is terrible resulting in crappy shots! I really do like the FZ300 for that reason with the fixed F2.8 Aperture. My only concern with that camera is the sensor/processor size. Is that a big deal? That camera will also do 4K video. I also have experience with the Panasonic's as I have an old FZ18 I used for quite awhile. That size is not really a concern for me. I like the option Chris listed alot but would like a little more zoom. Thanks guys!
From: SteveB
12-Jan-18
From: SteveB
12-Jan-18
I second the Sony NEX series
From: APauls
12-Jan-18
Brotsky, precisely why I like the micro 4/3 format. You have a different lens and now you're in control. If light is the issue choose whether you want to sacrifice shutter speed, zoom, or ISO. prob doable in different cameras, but not to the same degree. You can't swap a lens for more zoom. Another big reason for the micro 4/3 mirrorless for me was the quiet shutter. On a DSLR you are flipping the mirror which makes noise. The mirrorless options like a Lumix G7 have an option to go 100% quiet.
From: buckhammer
12-Jan-18
I could start a thread with this title but it would be about the trail cameras I place in the woods and then 2 weeks later rolls around and I forget where I hung them
From: Buffalo1
12-Jan-18
I would suggest a Nikon Coolpix S9900 for the following reasons:
1. Nikon is a very reputable brand camera/picture quality 2. Very compact size (can easily fit in pockets or a backpack 3. Easy to operate 4. Offers 30x zoom capabilities 5. Offers photo or video capabilities
Can probably get a good deal on a used one that is in "like new", or "excellent" condition from KEH Camera which would include camera, battery and charger. I've had mine a couple of years and have throughly enjoyed it and have been impressed with its performance and picture quality.
From: txhunter58
13-Jan-18
If you decide on a non DSLR camera, remember that optical zoom is prob the most important thing. My current Panasonic has 30X optical. No it isn't really the most important thing, but once you narrow your choice to brand and model, it becomes important. More optical is what allows you to get clearer pictures at the distances you will be seeing most wildlife. At 30 yards, it probably doesn't matter much. But at 100 plus yards, it makes a big difference.
