What's a good camera to buy?

Shopping for cameras and I want to know which ones are good. I know my brothers camera a canon powershot sx720 took some really cool pictures of the solar eclipse. Like, is better to get the rebel with interchangable lenses, or just just a simple camera? Any help would be great. I want to out do him. lol Thanks.

Slideshow off the Eclipse
s1228.photobucket.com...

What is the experience you want to have with it? What features do you need?

Wait.

I am not qualified to answer anyway.
*runs around taking pictures with a three year old mobile, bc the camera inside is better than any camera I owned before*

a reply to: ManFromEurope

lol, don't feel bad, me too. However; the pictures are taking up my phone space. ;p

a reply to: Diabolical1972

All depends how much you are willing to spend and what you want to accomplish. Interchangeable lenses get expensive, but can be very versatile. Do you want to spend $400 or $4000

a reply to: Diabolical1972

Not much of a camera buff, but I really like the 3 Powershot A2300 I have. Several years back we bought cameras for my wife [ now ex ], daughter and youngest son, because the kids were going on school trips and/or just wanted good cameras that weren't bulky and weigh a ton .. and we wanted ones that were good quality, but didn't cost so much we'd have to take out a 2nd mortgage.
I know... they're a few years old, but they still work great and I'm not one to run out and buy the "new and improved" version, when the older ones work just fine.

a reply to: Diabolical1972

Get this one!

petapixel.com...

Basically, this camera can take you from a parking lot to the surface of the moon, because while its optical zoom maxes out a holy-crap 83x, the camera can keep going with digital zoom. The P900 features 166x ‘Dynamic Fine Zoom,’ putting the final equivalent focal length at a mind-numbing 4000mm.

originally posted by: Diabolical1972
Shopping for cameras and I want to know which ones are good. I know my brothers camera a canon powershot sx720 took some really cool pictures of the solar eclipse. Like, is better to get the rebel with interchangable lenses, or just just a simple camera? Any help would be great. I want to out do him. lol Thanks.

Slideshow off the Eclipse
s1228.photobucket.com...

I think that you need to take into consideration what you need a camera for. You also need to have a price that feels comfortable too. You may have intentions of being a famous photographer but later realize it was just a passing thing, so consider your passion, take those things into consideration and that will tell you what you need.

Canon is a very good camera, but so is Nikon, Sony makes some good ones as other companies do, most of the name brands are safe choices now days.
Personally I am a Canon user, I started photography in 1981 with a Canon and just stayed with them, but, my first digital camera was a Nikon (990) I loved that even if it wasn't a DSLR.
When I got into my first DSLR it was a Canon 450D, mainly because that was all that I wanted to spend at the time, because, like you, I didn't know what I wanted. Later, after a year or so I realized that I needed a camera with 'more' and also better lenses to do what I wanted. Immediately after buying that camera I knew that I wanted to do wildlife photography, there is no way that I could do what I wanted with my old Nikon 990, I needed a longer lens to do what I needed for what was in my minds eye.

For now, for the price if you aren't quite sure of what you need I would definitely consider looking at the Sony 900 (Like what was already mentioned above) because that is a really good price for what it does, and, it can give you some pretty good results without spending thousands to get there. It does very well but it is not perfect by any means, there is noise in the images when you look at it full-size, so that limits you to not giant prints, if that is what you had in mind. I have cameras (and lenses too) that costs thousands of dollars and I can also see some noise all depending on what settings I use, but I also use an aftermarket anti-noise filter in Photoshop that makes it all go away.

So my suggestion to you and anyone else that wants to get into a better camera as a beginner, start with one that does enough to get where you are somewhat satisfied, meaning, it's better than a phone camera, but maybe not a DSLR. Just because I want to drive fast doesn't mean I need a Corvette for my first car. Upgrading later will give you plenty of time between now and then to learn what you need and why without anyone trying to tell you.

Hopefully this helps some, I haven't been awake long enough to even make suggestions really, but I thought I'd give it a try.

a reply to: recrisp

Thanks. No I'm not going go pro. However, I do like taking pictures and after seeing what brother camera can do, I want one now. lol

originally posted by: Diabolical1972
a reply to: recrisp

Thanks. No I'm not going go pro. However, I do like taking pictures and after seeing what brother camera can do, I want one now. lol

I was not thinking that you really were trying to go pro, but I was going for the top to bottom.

A few years ago I bought my wife a Canon Powershot, (I don't remember which now) but I was really, REALLY disappointed in it, it needed a lot of light to take just an average picture. Maybe they have come a long way since, so I would definitely do some research first. Not long afterwards I sold it, I sure didn't need it, and she ended up not even being interested, so...

Whichever camera you feel you want go and do a search on Google and see what the reviews are like. I like to go to Amazon and read their reviews because not only do you get to actually see the camera, you see the price too, plus, if people hate it, or love it, they don't hold back, they will let you know. Of course, you need to read between the lines, some people are never happy no matter what.

Your main problem to overcome will be low-light situations and noise, noise comes from low-light for the most part, so a grainy shot is never good.

Another good place to go is Flickr, you can type in whichever camera you are interested in and see the results right there. Learn to understand what EXIF is, that is the internal settings that will show you what was used in a particular shot. Flickr has that on the right of each shot, that is, if the photographer allows it to be seen, some don't like that being shown, for some reason.
Here's a link to Flickr, play around on it when you have the time, you should learn a lot, plus, it may help you decide on what camera you might need by looking at other people's shots. Try to only look at any pictures on a computer, I wouldn't look at any on a phone, that will not let you see what you really need to see. All depending on what you are after, of course.
www.flickr.com...

Here's some shots I have that are on there if you care to see, they are not from a a bridge type camera such as what you probably want though.
www.flickr.com...@N07/
(It appears that the link to mine doesn't allow it to be shown here for some reason, it doesn't matter anyway, just use the first one and you can see a lot of people's stuff)

Personally, if I were just getting into a cameras I'd search for all of the information on the Sony 900 that I could stand, that is a really good camera.
Also, I have sold a LOT of camera equipment on Craigslist, (I don't where you are in the world though) Facebook also has a lot of places that you can buy a camera on too.
Personally I bought a LOT of new-ish camera stuff (cameras and lenses) on a Canon forum, you can buy good stuff that is at a really low price. You can save hundreds if not thousands (all depending) on stuff in a place where the people are known and won't rip you off. Although I have bought a lens on e-Bay before I don't feel at all comfortable doing it, I trust the camera forums a lot more. Not to say that there aren't people on forums that try and get you, there is, but it's few and far between, plus always buy from someone that has been there a while and has a good reputation.

It pays to take a little time and learn what to do, when to do it, and, where to do it, and asking here is like expecting a good cheeseburger bought at an Asian restaurant. Asking at a place that only deals with photographic information is the best way to go. (My opinion, of course!)



Good luck on whatever you end up with.

I have been an avid photographer for 3 decades. I have worked with both 35mm SLRs and medium format SLRs with film cameras... Nikon/Minolta/Pentax/Mamiya, as well as antique equipment.

My current DSLRs are both Nikons, D5000 series. The image quality is phenomenal, and Nikon glass is as good as it gets... as good as both Zeiss and Hasselblad.

(Many manufacturers rely on high resolution -megapixels as a badge of quality. A zillion megapixels will still look like crap, if shot through bad glass. Higher resolutions will also add noise to the photo with lower quality CCDs.)

Nikon makes damned fine DSLRs... so, I recommend Nikon.

Ultimately, you need to be comfortable with the equipment... an advanced DSLR can set you back a thousand bucks or more; don't waste money on features that you will never use.

Mirrorless is the future.

I have a Panasonic G7, and it's phenomenal. The Sony Alpha line of mirrorless cameras are fantastic as well.

originally posted by: Kettu
Mirrorless is the future.

I have a Panasonic G7, and it's phenomenal. The Sony Alpha line of mirrorless cameras are fantastic as well.

It still comes down to the optical quality of the glass. Panasonic and Sony both make very fine electronics, but the end product will always be dependent on good optics. I know that many advancements have been made on miniature lenses, but big, quality glass will always deliver a superior image.

Who is making the glass for the Panasonic and Sony cameras?

a reply to: madmac5150

Not sure off the top of my head, but it easily is at least as good as my D7200. I'm still using the kit lens with it, but I've taken some portraits that rival my 50mm prime on the Nikon.

I mainly got it for video though, as I have a lot more Nikon glass.

This was shot on a Panasonic G7:



Now, obviously they have a steadycam/gimbal setup (something I'm looking into).