Camera shopping, help?

uglybug

uglybug

New member
So I have had it with my old compact Olympus stylus 760. It's great for vacation shots but not cutting it for mini photos. Played with lots of different settings and but low light macro is not its strong point. Now I know I could do a better photo booth for better pictures but that's not the only place I want to take pictures.

I would like my next camera to be able to take great photos of minis when I go to shows too. As most of you probably know we often have less then ideal light available and can't always use a tripod because of crowds. And those tiny tripods that can be used anywhere are not an option since there is not enough room between the edge of the table and the mini.

I put a price limit of $400. I may be able to go a little higher or wait it out for a sale, next mini show is in November.

So far the canon g12 looked like the winner based on opinions here from other threads and some write ups. Then I found the Nikon Coolpix 7000, lots of write ups and customer reviews said it was so close to the g12 for $150 less. Of course nobody was comparing it as a macro or for mini photography.

Then of course I see the talk about going with a lower price DSLR camera since some of them can be found in the $500 range for something like the canon rebelXs of course I have no clue about what lense to go with either.

I really don't know anything about the fine details of photography so it would be better if the camera could do the work for me, I can try and learn more as I go of course.

Thanks for your help and input.
 
paedia

paedia

New member
The problem that you run into with going into the realm of a DSLR is that in addition to the body, you will need to get a good macro lens, which will be another few hundred at least. I would go to a store and hold the g12 and the coolpix to see which one you like the feel of better. Then, I would use the money you might have spent to go up to the DSLR to get some sort of light tent (something like this: http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-...ASTG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338319969&sr=8-1). The light makes as much or more difference as the camera IMHO. Good luck!
 
T

turkishproverb

New member
True, Paedia, to a degree. Lighting is very important, and not everyone needs a DSLR, which is why I listed a non DSLR.


However, a coolpix is fairly low grade and wouldn't do nearly as well as the models I listed due to configuration, especially for an experienced photographer. In addition, it's a lot easier to mcguyver together a light-tent and good lighting than it is to put together a better camera in one's own home.
 
paedia

paedia

New member
Hi Turkishproverb, I actually didn't see your reply before I posted. I do think that the P510 would be a good choice, but I think that the P7000 (mentioned in the original post) or P7100 (all 3 cameras are "coolpix" branded) would be more analogous to the g12. It has a hotshoe, manual controls, and outputs RAW files - all features reserved for the "serious enthusiast" market. The P510 has more megapixels, but that can actually harm lowlight performance (as each pixel is smaller to accommodate more pixels in the same size area. The nice thing about the "serious enthusiast" models is that you can start practicing techniques like manual control, off camera lighting, and RAW processing and then be ready to jump to a dSLR if your interests take you there. Note that many professional photographers have a g12 or p7100 that they carry around when they don't want to lug their heavy equipment around (see: David Hobby of the Strobist blog).

I would still say, if picking between the Canon "serious enthusiast" (i.e. g12) or Nikon "serious enthusiast" (i.e. P7100), go to the store to see how they feel. Either will give you the performance to meet the stated needs, it just comes down to whichever is more comfortable and natural for you.
 
uglybug

uglybug

New member
Thank you for your inputs. The one thing that I was hesitant about the Nikon is when I was looking at it on amazon they didn't really mention anything about the macro abilities, I'm sure it has a macro but the canon was really tooting their own horn when it came to talking about its macro.
 
C

Carsen

New member
I know this reply is late as it's now December.
However just for the record, I would recomend buying something bigger... like the previous suggested D3100..
You should be able to find a used one for a very low price and then buy yourself a 50mm 1.5f lens. I just can imagine that you would not be pleased with the results this would give you.
 
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