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The Water Cooler
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Digital Cameras - Need Advise!
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<blockquote data-quote="Sanford" data-source="post: 2209237" data-attributes="member: 27733"><p>Well ... I'm going to go a different direction. In SLR format, digital or not, it's all about the glass. A great camera with an average lens will not take as good pictures as an average camera with a great lens. Beyond that the biggest difference between less expensive and more expensive cameras is the feature set - and there's no reason to pay for a lot of "cool" features you'll never need or use.</p><p></p><p>There's really not a lot of difference in imagers these days, it's more about finding one you like the "look" of. Some have more saturated colors, some less. Some are more contrasty, some aren't. You can spend a lot of time tweaking to get the look you like, or you can get one that you like to start with and spend more time taking pictures.</p><p></p><p>The real advantage to SLR's is the ability to "tweak" all the many settings - aperture, speed, depth of field, etc. etc. etc. But the fact is that "most" people that buy SLR's end up leaving most of the settings on "auto" most of the time just because the cameras are smart enough that they'll usually make a good picture without having to go through all the various settings and menus for each different scene. The thing is - and here's the heresy - many of the simple point-and-shoot cameras are also smart enough to usually make a good picture, and they're a whole lot easier to carry around. </p><p></p><p>To copy a phrase that should sound really familiar, the best camera is the one you have with you when you need to take a picture. I've still got my ancient Nikkormat EL (one of the first electronic cameras) and lenses in a bag on the top shelf of the closet - it works fine, but I'd wager that I took a lot more pictures - and probably more good pictures as well - with a little instamatic that I carried in my pocket just because I had it when the opportunity for the picture presented itself.</p><p></p><p>My experience with digital cameras has been much the same, so I now lean toward the easiest ones to fit in my pocket. I'm especially fond of those that you just point and shoot without having to wait for a lens to extend, such as models by Olympus, Sony, and Panasonic. </p><p></p><p>So there's a bunch of opinion ... since you've already been to DPReview I guess I can skip suggesting it again ... but be sure to check out the various sample images and reviews of the cameras you're considering, as well as the Buying Guide that can help get you pointed in the direction of the type of feature set you're looking for.</p><p></p><p>Oh ... and you can also find some rather nice small video cameras that just by the way also take some pretty decent still photos, so don't forget to look at things from that angle too - especially if you think you may want to shoot very much video.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sanford, post: 2209237, member: 27733"] Well ... I'm going to go a different direction. In SLR format, digital or not, it's all about the glass. A great camera with an average lens will not take as good pictures as an average camera with a great lens. Beyond that the biggest difference between less expensive and more expensive cameras is the feature set - and there's no reason to pay for a lot of "cool" features you'll never need or use. There's really not a lot of difference in imagers these days, it's more about finding one you like the "look" of. Some have more saturated colors, some less. Some are more contrasty, some aren't. You can spend a lot of time tweaking to get the look you like, or you can get one that you like to start with and spend more time taking pictures. The real advantage to SLR's is the ability to "tweak" all the many settings - aperture, speed, depth of field, etc. etc. etc. But the fact is that "most" people that buy SLR's end up leaving most of the settings on "auto" most of the time just because the cameras are smart enough that they'll usually make a good picture without having to go through all the various settings and menus for each different scene. The thing is - and here's the heresy - many of the simple point-and-shoot cameras are also smart enough to usually make a good picture, and they're a whole lot easier to carry around. To copy a phrase that should sound really familiar, the best camera is the one you have with you when you need to take a picture. I've still got my ancient Nikkormat EL (one of the first electronic cameras) and lenses in a bag on the top shelf of the closet - it works fine, but I'd wager that I took a lot more pictures - and probably more good pictures as well - with a little instamatic that I carried in my pocket just because I had it when the opportunity for the picture presented itself. My experience with digital cameras has been much the same, so I now lean toward the easiest ones to fit in my pocket. I'm especially fond of those that you just point and shoot without having to wait for a lens to extend, such as models by Olympus, Sony, and Panasonic. So there's a bunch of opinion ... since you've already been to DPReview I guess I can skip suggesting it again ... but be sure to check out the various sample images and reviews of the cameras you're considering, as well as the Buying Guide that can help get you pointed in the direction of the type of feature set you're looking for. Oh ... and you can also find some rather nice small video cameras that just by the way also take some pretty decent still photos, so don't forget to look at things from that angle too - especially if you think you may want to shoot very much video. [/QUOTE]
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