Digital camera recommendation for those in the market (non-DSLR)...

[Moze]

The primary services I offer are non-illuminated sign installation and surveys, so having a good camera is pretty vital, especially for surveys. When doing surveys in the past, there were countless times when whatever camera I had been provided with by my then employer just wouldn't give me the results I wanted. I mean if you're photographing damage to the sign cabinet of a 75' tall pylon, a 10x optical zoom camera doesn't quite do the trick. So when I started my business, I did a lot of research and wound up purchasing the Canon SX30-IS. Some of the key features that sold me were:

35x optical wide angle zoom
140x digital zoom
Swivel LCD display
Lithium battery (400 photos on one charge)
Image Stabilization

For surveying - those features made it a no-brainer. It sells on Amazon for just over $450.

Below are a bunch of photos showing its capability. I'm not a 'photographer' by any means, just thought these might help some folks out if contemplating a digital camera.

The first moon photo is at 35x optical, the second is at 140x digital.

The sign photos are all taken from the same spot, starting out with no zoom, then working in up to 140x optical.

The sparks and headlights are just for fun.

 

[J Hill Designs]

neat!

 

[signage]

kewl!

 

[sar bossier]

The jolly green giant still looks GOOD!!

 

[Colin]

Yes, these "Super Zooms" aka "Bridge" point & shoot cameras are a pretty good choice for the non-serious photographer. Panasonic and others make some good ones too. I have the older Panny FZ-18. You can't change the lenses, but the zoom ability is pretty impressive. They all have a limiting factor, which is the small sensors they all have, but again, they do ok for what they are.

Many people who want to upgrade from those, but don't want the size, weight and bulk of a full-on DSLR are opting for the new "Micro 4/3" cameras; they have much larger sensors than the Bridge cameras (10x the size), and only slightly smaller sensor size than a big DSLR. They are able to be much smaller and lighter than a DSLR due to the fact that they have had the mirror inside removed. Many are abandoning their big, heavy DSLRs (which often stayed at home due to their size) in favour of the Micro 4/3 cameras.

The big DSLRs will have an advantage for fast action (sports) and low light situations, but only slight.

I have the Panasonic G3, and with the "sweet" 20mm 1.7 prime lens, it is very small & light. I can have it around my neck all day without getting weary of it.


This was taken through glass:


.

 

[OldPaint]

you should checked out the FUJI HS20..........i bought one for the wifes birthday.
this convinced me)))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfnv9pRUJrU

 

[Moze]

Many people who want to upgrade from those, but don't want the size, weight and bulk of a full-on DSLR are opting for the new "Micro 4/3" cameras;

I have the Panasonic G3, and with the "sweet" 20mm 1.7 prime lens, it is very small & light. I can have it around my neck all day without getting weary of it.

I'm not familiar with the 4/3 cameras...what does the 4/3 indicate?

you should checked out the FUJI HS20..........i bought one for the wifes birthday.
this convinced me)))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfnv9pRUJrU

Man, that camera has some great features for the price!

 

[Colin]

I'm not familiar with the 4/3 cameras...what does the 4/3 indicate?

http://www.four-thirds.org/en/microft/

You can find gobs of information on the 'net.

 

[Moze]

Yeah, that thought occurred to me as I was typing my question lol....

They look like great cameras. I need to figure out how to convert the mm to optical on the zoom.

 

[Colin]

There's an entire section for M 4/3 cameras on the DP Review forum:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1041

 

[FatCat]

I've been using a Canon S5 for the past 3 years. Might be time for an upgrade? Lol.

 

[Colin]

Also, one of the things I disliked about the Super-Zooms, is the inability to achieve a really shallow depth of field (again, due to the small sensor). The 20mm 1.7 lens I have for my G3 does a nice job of this, and also does well in low light situations. I can take picture indoors with low light without a flash with amazing results.

 

[Moze]

Also, one of the things I disliked about the Super-Zooms, is the inability to achieve a really shallow depth of field (again, due to the small sensor). The 20mm 1.7 lens I have for my G3 does a nice job of this, and also does well in low light situations. I can take picture indoors with low light without a flash with amazing results.

Ah, gotchya. I don't do much that requires that kind of ability with the shallow depth of field. For me, the zoom is the main appeal. Sounds like a great camera though. I've never heard of them but it looks like they've been out for a few years?

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

I am Impressed thanks for sharing this info... I love my DSLR but find myself leaving it @ home more times than not simply because ,as stated, it is inconvenient bcause of the size...then I find myself unhappy with the mediocre quality of 'phone' pictures..so I have been shopping for a solution & this will go to the head of the list of the cameras I check out this week. Thank You!

 

[Colin]

I love my DSLR but find myself leaving it at home more times than not simply because, as stated, it is inconvenient bcause of the size.

Yup, that's the common scenario. The person who has the camera with them gets the shot(s), and the person with the big bad boy on the shelf at home gets squat.

 

[Custom_Grafx]

I have a dslr but yeah would love something decent but small. I have heard many good things about the Panasonic 4/3 cameras. Also one of my customers recently got the new Nikon 4/3 camera and was showing it off... to be honest... looked only so so... the Panasonics and Canons seem more feature packed. The Pentax 4/3 look pretty cool too.

But at the same time, I'm keeping my money to maybe one day finally get into full frame dslr. The D800 looks pretty dam fine.

 

[visual800]

canon s95 small point and shoot. This thing outshoots other point and shoot cameras and is still lightweight to tote around. All the pics below were taken by me with this camera

 

[Colin]

^^^ BTW, how was that blue NEUROLOGICAL CLINIC sign made? What material & finish?

 

[Moze]

My guess: 1" deep aluminum pan panel, automotive paint finish, white vinyl.

 

[houseofgrafix]

Love canons

Getting a s100 soon