Anyone have ideas on a decent camera?

[Best]

What's the best digital cameras at moment? By this I mean, semi pro, or maybe pro camera.
As we know, some camera phones take excellent photos, but for really good quality photos capable of being enlarged to at least A4 size & also taking snaps of fast moving things, like in sports or kids, etc, a quality real camera with large sensor is best.
Been looking at the Sony A6000 but wonder should I go full frame camera?

 

[Alex Knight]

What's your budget?

£500?
£5k

 

[villa_tom]

You need to speak to mike Jackson

he is really into his photography and when he's not talking about poo, he posts up loads of photos that he's taken on his camera

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

budget first as they range from a couple of hundred pounds to over £25K. I met a guy and saw his £25K Phase One camera, decent bit of kit but looked like it was not worth more than £1000 to me until I saw the pictures, stunning. You need to know how to use it though

 

[Mike Jackson]

You need to be looking at a DSLR. As others have said we need to know your budget. My kit set me back over 10 grand in total but you can get a reasonable kit for around £1000.

 

[Best]

My budget is, ideally about £600 - £1000, but I would consider going to a max of £1500.
I don't want to make the mistake of not spending enough & then regretting it.
Most DSLRs have APS sensors - even semi pro types, so I am thinking a smaller more portable APS camera like the Sony A6000 that may take equally good photos, providing the lens is good.
Problem is a good lens is very expensive & it would make the Sony about £1200 - close to more professional but larger SLRs.
I understand a good camera needs a fairly large sensor, top glass & good processing, but I have little knowledge tbh.

 

[Ermintrude]

My sister uses cannon and some horrifically expensive stuff too. But when u need expensive stuff they will give it to you if they think your good-enough to make an example.

I like Nikon as u can use a 35year old lense on a new camera. Unlike others. U can get old lenses really cheap I used to love the secondhand bit at LOndon camera exchange.

 

[Best]

I like Nikon as u can use a 35year old lense on a new camera. Unlike others. U can get old lenses really cheap I used to love the secondhand bit at LOndon camera exchange.

I was told that about Nikon cameras & Nikon do seem better spec than Canon for similar money.
I was originally thinking large SLRs are becoming a thing of the past for amateurs & many pros due to the large sensor smaller cameras catching up. I thought a medium sized compact camera would be a great all rounder, as not a burden to carry, fits in a large pocket & discreet plus I wouldn't miss a lot of photos because I hadn't wanted to bring a large DSLR everywhere.
Now I am uncertain. If I get a compact camera, with interchangeable lens, I probably need a physically long lens which makes the whole camera nearly as ***bersome as a SLR anyhow.
I think the scenario of me going to an event where a big camera is a burden & maybe frowned upon, a camera that fits in the pocket will be handy.

 

[Ermintrude]

I just use my phone. Balls to all that clobber. Look like a tourist

 

[Dotty]

I got a Pansonic Lumix. Does me ok.

Well, I say I got it, the mother in law got sent it by mistake by Argos. They didn't ask for it back, I went and gt what she really wanted for a scoreand swapped it for the £300 camera. Result!

 

[Best]

Panasonic are really top spec, extremely well built cameras, but most reviews say the picture quality isn't always the best. I have a compact Panasonic camera with Leica stabilised lens, metal body all Japanese and frankly the photos are not always sharp enough. Canon Ixus much better & has to be a lot to do with processor.

 

[Ermintrude]

Leica look really plush but same optics as Panasonic (apparently)

 

[Best]

Leica look really plush but same optics as Panasonic (apparently)

Think Leica is just a tad out of my maximum spend at several thousand quid a camera! :smile:
Looks like I will just have to spend my money & probably learn from my mistake.
If I had unlimited funds I would consider the Nikon D800 full frame 30 something megapixel SLR or/and the Sony RX1 compact full frame.

 

[solutions]

Unless you are going to print physical pictures at large sizes say over A3 you wont need massive resolution. A 5 megapixel camera will print just short of A3 in size before image quality is lost and who other than professionals regularly prints over A3? The only other reason you might need higher resolution is if you intend to heavily crop or edit your image. Whenever you crop you effectively discard resolution. so if you dont start with a high megapixel picture and you crop up to a distant subject matter in the shot then you will limit your print size to whatever the remaining resolution can achieve. I worked as a manager for Jessops for several years after uni as they road the digital camera revolution bubble before the camera phone burst it. They got a bunch of ex Dixons directors in to run stuff and customer service just dropped like a stone They started wanting stores to push whichever dirt cheap camera they had managed to buy in massive numbers and effectively lie to the customer about how good it was. That was my queue to leave. We used to have a target to sell additional accesories to 25% of the value of the camera hardware being bought. Thats a hell of a lot of camera bags, lens caps, memory cards, and extra batteries. Cant complain it tought me how to sell now I use it for boilers,magnetic filters and powerflushing. I got to use a modern fuji chemical print processor which was quite fun. Used to get some funny customer prints come through some pretty rude ones too. I dont think most customers realised that almost every print was checked by an actual person. Had to hand some over to the police once when some idiot thought he would use us to process pictures of his weed farm. They were waiting for him when he came to collect his pictures.

 

[Best]

Thanks Solutions for that! I was sceptical about high megapixel cameras & see a lot of professionals say 16 meg is more than enough usually.
Your comments about rude pictures has reminded me of a true story I heard -


This guy was on a beach on holiday, probably with his family & two young women were lying in front of him sunning themselves. These girls got up after a while & headed over to the sea for a swim, leaving their stuff behind. Suddenly two young blokes came over & one looked through the girls bag. This man was about to challenge them but the guy got the girls camera out & took a quick photo of his mate who quickly dropped his pants & bent over. Camera hurriedly back in bag & they scarpered.
Love to have seen the girls reaction to that photo in the middle of their holiday snaps! :smile: