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Need camera advice

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by Belray, Dec 25, 2014.

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  1. Belray

    Belray Newbie

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    Hey guys, I see so many great pictures on VMB, even through windows and at night. Maybe you can advise me on a good digital camera, $400-450 range, for my April trip. I liked my Sony but it wore out. I tried a Nikon Cool Pix but didn't care for it and am returning it. Appreciate your help.
     
  2. SH0CK

    SH0CK Stylin' and Profilin' Quasi Tech Admin

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    I think most of the pictures posted on the board are made with the cameras on cellphones. I've got a Galaxy S4 and it takes really nice pics. Not professional grade, but it does a good job.
     
  3. lotso-bear

    lotso-bear VIP Whale

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    I agree with SH0CK that most people most likely used their phones to take photos. In my experience, Samsung's Galaxy phones have good cameras if you're looking for a smartphone to take pictures with... If you're looking for a regular camera, I recommend Sony's NEX 5. Nothing but good things to say about it....
     
  4. Piggylane

    Piggylane Well-Known Member

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    The camera on the iPhone 5s I use sucks but I hear the iPhone 6 and 6 plus is better. If you are looking for a PhD camera (Push Here Dummy!) I have two suggestion.

    1. Fuji XP. I use this every week for professional pictures. Its small, cheap, easy to use, takes decent pictures, good for as deep as 20 feet underwater if that's your thing. I'm always. Taking pictures for professional presentations with it.

    2. Polaroid cube. At $99 it's the cheap alternative to the GoPro. A 6 megapixel camera and fits in my shirt pocket. I just got it a couple days ago. It will store up to 90 minutes of video so of you hit 617 free games on China Mystery you can record them all! Or just take the Mystery Prize.

    The PhD cameras are going away eventually I think because the cellphone cameras are so good. I may soon buy a couple more just in anticipation.

    Good luck!
     
  5. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    Before I might even start to suggest any particular cameras, what do you want to take photos of? (I assume sights and scenes of LV, but ...)

    Do you want to take night shots? Daytime touristy or scenics? Indoor without flash? (LOL, gaming tables?) :) :) Action shots? People shots? Any specific or unusual requirements?

    Unless you have some very demanding requirements, you should be able to get a very nice camera well under $400. For example, the two cameras I've used for the recent LV blog posts (both no longer made) retailed in the $100-$300 range. Here's a shot I did just a few days ago:

    [​IMG]

    The camera that shot this retailed just over $300 in 2012. That shot is of the quality (other than the diffusion from the dirty window) that would do a flawless 11x17 print.

    And, in my not so humble opinion, taking a serious photo with a cell phone makes about as much sense as making a phone call with a Pentax K-1000! :) :) :)
     
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2014
  6. bswim

    bswim High-Roller

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    Took my gopro hero 3 black to Vegas last April. used the suction cup mount and time lapse setting to make this. Just stuck it to the window. Would have been better if I'd had a better room but it it is what it is LOL
    [video=youtube;nHdDUQ0BTYM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHdDUQ0BTYM&list=UUh_KGsplqR3ZmQjthMh10Hg[/video]

    I've got some other videos here, wish I had more. Need to get on that
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh_KGsplqR3ZmQjthMh10Hg/videos
     
  7. NickyDim

    NickyDim Hockey is life

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    I swear by the Canon G15 (now the G16, newer version). It's fast and takes great low light photos at night, and most of the time you don't even need a flash inside, but comes with an adjustable one anyway. It's lens is very sharp and it's sensor larger than most pocket cameras. It has the same DIGI processor and all the settings as a Canon EOS DSLR, but fits in a pocket and is point and shoot, also gives you full manual control of any setting. I've had it almost 2 years now and very very happy with it. It's right in your price range or cheaper if you can still find a G15 new (there was practically no upgrades when the G16 came out). It's got a great 100K HD big screen on the back you can see in sunlight and it also takes both 720p and 1080p crystal clear video in stereo.

    Here are two pictorial TR that I did using the camera.https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?100985-How-about-TR-report-with-pictorial and https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?106585-Pictorial-Trip-Report-April-27th.

    Good Luck. Remember, a picture is forever, so make sure you get the best shot.

    Took this two weeks ago at Ground zero of the Freedom Tower with that camera
    [​IMG]
     
  8. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    can you tell us why you didn't care for the Coolpix? That will make a difference in suggestions. Canon also has some nice point and shoot similar to Coolpix cameras but not sure what you want out of your camera.
     
  9. lotso-bear

    lotso-bear VIP Whale

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    Great photo! Did you edit the photo?
     
  10. thoots

    thoots Low-Roller

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    100% agreed with you on this -- I was going to make the exact same recommendation. Either camera would be fine -- the G16 has some slight improvements over the G15 (primarily it just shoots faster, shot to shot), so I would recommend the G16 if the price is OK. Or, if you (actually the OP) can find the G15 for something more comfortable within your price range, that would be just fine, too.

    Seriously, I would recommend the G15 or G16 above EVERYTHING else around that price range -- they are very "mature" cameras, as Canon has been improving them generation after generation, they have very "fast" lenses for good low-light image quality, and they have versatile zoom lenses that will give you good wide-angle shooting to enough of a long zoom to get what you want. And I think most people would be very happy with their image quality -- the color they produce is just absolutely excellent. If you want a good, versatile camera around this price point, the G15 and the G16 are the ones to get -- it's as simple as that.

    Good luck!
     
  11. NickyDim

    NickyDim Hockey is life

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    Using picasa, a touch of boost.(about 5%). But the sharpness, color balance, contrast are all untouched.
     
  12. NickyDim

    NickyDim Hockey is life

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    Agreed:thumbsup:
     
  13. bswim

    bswim High-Roller

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    I'm not at all happy with this thread. I'm now stopping at the Best Buy down the street and picking up a G16 on my way to the airport in about 8 hours. LOL
     
  14. Royal Flusher

    Royal Flusher Savvy Gambler

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    Just stopped by to recommend the Canon G16. I got the idea from NickyDim I think it was with his G15. I don't actually own the G16, Jimmy Poon got me a Cameron G16 Powershod for about a third the price, but it pretty much works as well.
     
  15. Aces and Eights

    Aces and Eights VIP Whale

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    The suggestions on here will vary quite a bit depending on what you want to do with the camera. If you want to set the aperture for depth-of-field, shutter speed for quickness, focal length for zoom and wide angle shots, and many other parameters, then a DSLR is the way to go. If you want a simple point-and-shoot camera, and the Nikon Coolpix isn't doing it for you, I'm not sure what other point-and-shoot cameras will have that is different. YouTube probably has a lot of reviews, even from professionals, that can give you an idea of what might fit you.
     
  16. bswim

    bswim High-Roller

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    Alight you bastards LOL
    Had to stop on the way to the airport lol
    [​IMG]
     
  17. NickyDim

    NickyDim Hockey is life

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    Congrats. You won't be sorry.
     
  18. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    This is one thing that kind of irks me, and I hope I don't come off as a total b*tch here! This is a pattern which seems to repeat on various boards and on-line media.

    The OP will ask for suggestions on what kind of a camera to buy. This is then followed by a chorus of "One like mine, of course" responses including makes and models and such.

    The problem is that they are making brand and model recommendations without even hearing things like what the OP wants to do with the camera!

    In project management, we call this approach the "Ready Fire Aim" model. (Google that term, you'll get lotsa hits!) It's where the solution is decided upon before the problem (or the needs) have been defined. An old analogy is if you would go to the doctor and he hands you a prescription before you tell him where it hurts. We see this in business too, often where a client gets involved with a pushy vendor who has a pet solution ready to push to the client.

    But back to cameras, I've seen this "buying the most enthusiastic suggestion" totally fail in a number of cases. A couple cases I can remember very recently were where they wanted to take a lot of outdoor shots and bought a model with no viewfinder and had to (try to) compose with a dim screen with the sun to the back!

    Then there are those who would be perfectly fine with a point-and-shoot who take advice and buy a kilobuck-plus DSLR only to, you guessed it, leave it on full auto and use it as a point-and-shoot! (LOL, anyone's ears burning on that one?) :)

    I've also seen it where someone states they want to get more into serious photography and buy a high-end DSLR only to get overwhelmed and frustrated with settings and buttons and such and, yeah, again, just leaving it on auto.

    I just re-read this thread, and I didn't see the OP responding to any questions about what he (she?) wants to take photos of or any other requirements. In my not so humble opinion, it's far too early to even mention any specific camera types, let alone brands or models.
     
  19. thoots

    thoots Low-Roller

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    Well, hang on for a minute. I made my recommendation based upon my experiences with a lot of cameras, along with the price range that the OP mentioned. I have taken a few pictures in Las Vegas myself, and I figured that the OP would be trying to take the same kind of pictures that most of us have taken while in Las Vegas.

    I would never recommend a DSLR or anything other than a typical "point and shoot" camera to anyone who was asking for such a general recommendation -- going to a DSLR or other interchangeable lens camera takes some very specific knowledge and experience that someone asking for such a general recommendation wouldn't have.

    So, within the price range the OP mentioned, I truly do believe the Canon G15 or G16 is the best choice for just about anyone -- it has a "fast" lens that will allow for better low-light shooting, it has a "versatile" zoom lens that goes from a useful wide-angle to quite a bit of zoom, and I truly do believe that Canon's usual image quality is something that just about anyone would be happy with. And it also has an optical viewfinder if that might help the user get some shots that might not be possible via the LCD screen. It is an excellent all-around camera that can meet many needs from fully automatic shooting to full manual shooting, and everything in between. I truly wouldn't recommend any other camera over the G15 or G16 in this price range.

    Finally, I might as well provide links to some of the pictures I've taken in Las Vegas:

    From 2010: http://www.pbase.com/thoots/las_vegas_2010

    From 2005: http://www.pbase.com/thoots/las_vegas_2005
     
  20. M_ILIS

    M_ILIS VIP Whale

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    [​IMG]IMG_3050 copy by itslikeimsayin, on Flickr

    I took this in March of last year with my Canon Powershot SX150 IS and a tripod from our room at Mandalay Bay. Unfortunately my wife got a little overzealous trying to take a picture of a hermit crab in Ixtapa last summer, and now there are grains of sand on the lens inside the camera. I'm currently considering a replacement myself, preferably in the same $150 price range. Canon already discontinued the SX170 (although it appears amazon.com still sells it for $150) and replaced it with the SX400, which I've heard is totally stripped down without all the features that made my SX150 so attractive to me. Anyway, my point is that I feel my SX150 IS allowed me to take some decent pictures at a price point that was well below what the OP was looking to spend, so maybe $300-400 is unnecessary unless he/she really wants that higher end camera.
     
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