Camera Advice Needed (<$500)

Just to reassure all of the Nikon, Canon, etc. fans, I am not putting down your camera choices. The Lumix is a new camera for me. I am taking it on a Panama Canal cruise because I don't want to have to drag my Canon SLR or my Nikon D5100 DSLR with its lenses through trials of tendering ashore and the heat and humidity and all the other adventures one goes through when on a cruise. My Olympus while compact did not have all of the capabilities that I wanted for this trip. It did quite well at the Alhambra in Spain and the medina in Tangiers, but I wanted a camera that would do most of what my DSLR would do without the weight. When I found that some pro photographers have found the camera to be a good choice for the same application, I decided to go for it. So take pot shots and whatever. If I remember and the thread is still active, I will let you know how it all worked out when I get back in October.

Steve, I agree with you about the weight and bulk issue. It is why I have a "bridge" camera and not a DSLR. The SX50 gives me a lot of the capabilities of a DSLR but not the weight and bulk.

And agree, we each have our own choices and why we do them. Hope the Lumix gives you great shots on your upcoming cruise.

Steve

Most cameras under $500 are not very good at taking pictures of moving objects, if you mean airplanes near you, cars zooming by, and so on. If you are talking about taking pictures of grandkids playing, you many not get a good a picture as you hope due to speed of autofocusing (most people call it shutter lag). Most of the bridge cameras have gotten better, but they still lag behind DSLR's especially in non-sunny weather, but seem adequate in sunny weather. PS Taking good pictures of moving objects is also good technique - good cameras doesn't always guarantee good pictures. Also, how big a camera do you want? A big camera could become an albatross around your neck, while a tiny camera could be a source of fustration because your fingers are too big. You should use a camera that feels comfortable in your hands. That means trying it our or at least holding it in your hands before buying.

Love our Nikon600, especially the built in wifi. Thinking about Nikon Coolpix waterproof. Anyone have one?

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I'm wondering if I should leave my Nikon D3300 home and buy the water proof for the Caribbean. I just got the D3300, and don't know about the humidity. Any suggestions?

Shirley, I've taken a non-waterproof camera on cruises for a number of years now and have never had a problem with it due to humidity. Plus, I've seen many others with expensive DSLRs on the same trips. Take your 3300.

OP in May I just purchased the Canon SX50……I am very happy with it. My previous camera is a Canon SX260 which is a pocket point and shoot.

The SX50 has the auto feature to fall back on but it also had sports mode or action mode. I was able take consecutive shots of whales breaching and glacier calving while on our Alaska cruise.

If I can figure out how to post photo I will.

OP in May I just purchased the Canon SX50……I am very happy with it. My previous camera is a Canon SX260 which is a pocket point and shoot.

 

The SX50 has the auto feature to fall back on but it also had sports mode or action mode. I was able take consecutive shots of whales breaching and glacier calving while on our Alaska cruise.

 

If I can figure out how to post photo I will.

Great! I have always had Canons, my current little point and shoot is a Powershot SD 1400 IS. It's six years old and taken quite a beating. Even submerged in water twice due to my toddler. Still works, but its slow and I am ready for the next "level."

We've settled on the SX50 and I can't wait to order it :)

I'm wondering if I should leave my Nikon D3300 home and buy the water proof for the Caribbean. I just got the D3300, and don't know about the humidity. Any suggestions?

IMHO it is more a question of how much weight you are willing to carry rather than the humidity. I just take my point and shoot in a small sealed plastic bag from the air conditioned ship to the humid air. Once the camera has warmed up I take it out of the bag and do my shooting without having to worry about fogging. This will work for wet environments too as long as you keep the camera in the sealed bag and are not shooting where there is water being splashed about. Take a waterproof, if you are going to shoot in wet environments or while snorkeling.

Great! I have always had Canons, my current little point and shoot is a Powershot SD 1400 IS. It's six years old and taken quite a beating. Even submerged in water twice due to my toddler. Still works, but its slow and I am ready for the next "level."

 

We've settled on the SX50 and I can't wait to order it :)

These were taken with the Canon SX50 …..I purchased for our Alaskan cruise in July. I don't think they came out too bad considering I am not a photographer, we were on a small boat bobbing up and down in the water and the whale was also moving. I did crop the photos and photo enhanced them to use in my digital photo scrapbook. I wanted all the whale photos to be similar in size and I like the blue color since it makes the whales pop more.

http://s989.photobucket.com/user/dragonfly94-2010/media/IMG_2482.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

http://s989.photobucket.com/user/dragonfly94-2010/media/IMG_2483.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3

http://s989.photobucket.com/user/dragonfly94-2010/media/IMG_2484.jpg.html?sort=3&o=8

http://s989.photobucket.com/user/dragonfly94-2010/media/IMG_2486.jpg.html?sort=3&o=4

http://s989.photobucket.com/user/dragonfly94-2010/media/IMG_2487.jpg.html?sort=3&o=6

http://s989.photobucket.com/user/dragonfly94-2010/media/IMG_2489.jpg.html?sort=3&o=7

The camera has a 'sports mode' it's the picture of a person running on the dial….it takes about 10 consecutive shots….but be warned it takes a couple of seconds to write the pictures to the memory card once the 10 shots are done before you can take another picture.

Here is what one of the above photos looked like before I cropped and enchanced the color. The color in the photo is exactly what the day looked like, it was foggy, cloudy and drizzling out….just all gray out.

http://s989.photobucket.com/user/dragonfly94-2010/media/IMG_2486-1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=5

Starfish, it is about a 4-second lag to write out the 10 images. But you can slow down the picture taking from 13 frames/sec to 4 frames/sec by turning on AF in the "burst" mode. Gives you a 2.5 second time range instead of a fraction of a second for the pics.

Great photos... for the price of this camera, it has some amazing features.

Steve

Great! I have always had Canons, my current little point and shoot is a Powershot SD 1400 IS. It's six years old and taken quite a beating. Even submerged in water twice due to my toddler. Still works, but its slow and I am ready for the next "level."

 

We've settled on the SX50 and I can't wait to order it :)

I really think you'll be happy with the SX50, it is a good bit of gear, but won't slip in your pocket.

If you want a slightly better quality but willing to take a smaller zoom the G16 or G1X are Great.

Starfish, it is about a 4-second lag to write out the 10 images. But you can slow down the picture taking from 13 frames/sec to 4 frames/sec by turning on AF in the "burst" mode. Gives you a 2.5 second time range instead of a fraction of a second for the pics.

 

Great photos... for the price of this camera, it has some amazing features.

 

Steve

Steve, thanks for that info. It was the first time I used the camera for vacation.

Also the first time I tried something besides 'auto'. Still have a lot to learn.

In the past if I tried to take a moving shot all I got was a blur.

If you want a slightly better quality but willing to take a smaller zoom the G16 or G1X are Great.

I looked up the specs on these two cameras... VERY nice... However, one of the reasons I bought the SX50 was for the zoom lens. I do like the lower f-stops of the G16 but since I do mostly outdoor/daylight photography, the SX50 is a great camera. But always looking for new capabilities when I need to replace. Which is why I am looking at the Olympus and Pentax waterproof cameras, they both have a very low f-stop.

Steve, thanks for that info. It was the first time I used the camera for vacation.

Also the first time I tried something besides 'auto'. Still have a lot to learn.

In the past if I tried to take a moving shot all I got was a blur.

I've had mine coming up on two years now. Still learning some things but if you have questions, I am willing to share what I know... You can reach me at

snc_cam at hotmail

I looked up the specs on these two cameras... VERY nice... However, one of the reasons I bought the SX50 was for the zoom lens. I do like the lower f-stops of the G16 but since I do mostly outdoor/daylight photography, the SX50 is a great camera. But always looking for new capabilities when I need to replace. Which is why I am looking at the Olympus and Pentax waterproof cameras, they both have a very low f-stop.

And you won't go far wrong with either which models are you looking at I think they have a couple of waterproofs.

WG-3/4 for the Pentax and TG-2/3 for the Olympus. I currently have a Canon A560 with a DicaPak which does ok and have some great shots with it. Just have some issues with the DicaPak since it isn't such a great fit with the camera. But it does keep it dry :)

Personally I really like the TG-3.

why. they both have similar specs with the pentax being faster to take a picture but the olympus having a better battery.

The battery life, the depth, 5m v 15 from memory.

But most of all it appeared to me, in use, that the IS on the Olympus was better.

I agree about the battery, the depth isn't an issue since I am a surface snorkeler. Nice to know about the IS. I've seen both good and not so good reviews on the WG-3 and the specs on the WG-4 were almost exact to the WG-3.

Olympus has 2.0 lens at wide angle. Good for low light eg underwater

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