New camera time

[Foxfire]

Hola!

 

So it was our anniversary today and the wife gave me some money for a camera, which was a bit of a surprise. Now I'm having to do lots of research! (I broke my last camera by trying to use it in temperatures of -30C, it may have just been the battery that broke, but anyways).

 

I'm not really knowledgeable about all these sorts of things and I've been doing some research and figured I'd ask you guys before going and blowing my wad of cash on something inferior that has been marketed as better than it is.

 

What I'm looking at, for the moment is the following two cameras and I'm open to recommendations for things in a similar price range (keep in mind, I'm Australian so we naturally have to pay more for everything).

 

I'm not after a DSLR as the camera and lense will be far too expensive for my amaturish nature. Not to mention there's kickstarters kicking around I need to get in on :D

 

 

 

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/canon/powershot-sx280-digital-camera-black-sku-406030/

 

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/canon/powershot-sx510-digital-camera-black-sku-449053/

 

[Doug Sundseth]

The best camera review site (IMO) is this one:

 

http://www.dpreview.com/

 

Actual photographs and in-depth discussion of features of everything they review.

[Wren]

I'll second the recommendation for that site, it's been invaluable to me the last few camera purchases I've made.

 

If you're willing to poke around a bit, consider looking for a camera from a previous generation or two. You'll be able to get something from a bracket or two higher than your money could buy if you look at this generation's offerings. I'm not sure that made sense, I'll start again. The camera companies roll out a new set of cameras every year or two. So a new set of pocket cheapies, mid-range, high level, etc. If you look around for the remaining stock of older generation cameras that's been put on sale to clear it out, your low-mid-range budget might be able to snag an upper mid range quality camera. That review site keeps all their old reviews, so it can still help you in doing comparisons.

 

Don't get too seduced by megapixels. The difference between 10 and 14 or 16 and 21 or whatever is not going to make that much of a difference in your experience unless you want to print out large photos. Instead, also compare the camera sensor. Larger sensors generally equal better image quality.

 

For the best experience taking pictures of miniatures, you need more than just macro. You need to be able to manually control the aperture/f-stop. It can also help to be able to set custom white balance.

 

Don't overlook your camera needs other than miniatures. If you have kids or pets or other things you want to take action shots of, that's a different set of features that you might want to check for. If you primarily take pictures indoors, you'll want a camera that does better in dim lighting.

 

Since starting to paint miniatures (about 10-11 years ago now), I've gone through/tested several cameras. I've had two mid-range cameras, probably a small step up from what you're looking at. Lots of automatic features, but the ability to switch to manual controls to fiddle with settings for miniatures, but no ability to swap out lenses and standard digital build. Those worked pretty well. You could probably get something like that with your budget if you go one generation back. I've tested a good quality pocket camera (MSRP $200 when I bought it). I could get in focus pictures, but the picture quality was poor. My iPhone 5 takes better pictures, and for people unwilling to pay more than $200 who also have smart phones, I'd say just go with your phone.

 

A year or so ago I purchased a Sony NEX-F3. This is one of a new kind of camera, called a mirrorless. DP Review should have a section on those, though I don't know if they've updated it since they first came out. It's kind of like a DSLR lite. Full auto features, but also the manual features needed to take better mini photos. I can buy new specialized lenses and swap lenses, but I haven't felt the need to. (One area where it does not compare with standard consumer digital cameras is that it's only got 2x zoom, so if I ever have a bucket of cash I might get a telephoto lens. I do not need any lens other than what it ships with to take fine pictures of miniatures.) I have been blown away by the quality of the photos of this camera in comparison. It takes better pictures indoors with no flash than my old camera in perfect lighting. I'm sure a DSLR takes better quality pictures again, but for a balance of price, weight/size and ease of use, this strikes the perfect balance for me.

 

I saw one of these on Amazon for $360 or so, as this model is now being replaced by newer ones, and the model I have is actually from the second generation of this camera type. Other companies make similar cameras, so you might find better deals again. I'm not saying this is the perfect camera for anyone. I'm more just recommending that you take a look at the mirrorless camera style in general. (Unless zoom out of the box is a key feature for you.)

 

Whatever kind you get, remember that you're going to have a learning experience getting the best out of it, especially when it comes to taking pictures of miniatures. Getting good mini photos also requires a decent set-up for lighting, and tends to work best with a flat background, preferably gray or another neutral colour as opposed to stark white or black. (A sweep of paper or cloth.) Playing around with those elements can make as much of a difference to the quality of miniature photos as a different camera.

[Doug Sundseth]

One thing to watch out for is that camera sensor technology went through (or possibly "is going through") a huge advance over the last 5-10 years. There really is a big difference in image quality between a camera from 5 years ago and a camera targeted at the same market built this year. Using DSLRs as an example, 5 years ago, Nikon's high-end enthusiast camera was the D90. Currently that niche is filled by the D7100. The D7100 is much better at basically everything than the D90. Frankly, the D3200 (the bottom-end DSLR right now) is better at almost everything than the D90. (There are a few specific features that the D90 has that aren't replicated in the D3200.) The same thing has been hitting the consumer-grade point and shoot niches.

 

DPReview keeps old reviews, though, so you can do a fairly direct comparison.

 

BTW, the acronym for mirrorless, interchangeable-lens cameras is EVIL -- Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens. The price point is nice and the image quality is great, though there's still significantly more shutter lag and image lag than there is in a DSLR (mostly important for action shooting).

[Hibou]

As much as i like EVIL i think ILC, which stands for interchangable lens camera, is a bit more likely to gain acceptance in the camera industry.

[Doug Sundseth]

As much as i like EVIL i think ILC, which stands for interchangable lens camera, is a bit more likely to gain acceptance in the camera industry.

 

Already has a meaning that includes SLRs and DSLRs. I don't expect camera manufacturers to use it, of course.

[cmorse]

In regards to the two options you are looking at personally I'd avoid cameras with huge zoom ranges unless you have something in mind where you might need it. They'll have the smallest sensors and the most compromised lenses.

 

On that website at the $300 price I'd probably pick this one, it would have better image quality than the two canons you were looking at but 5x zoom instead of the 20-30x

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/canon/powershot-s110-digital-camera-black-sku-90679/

 

If you wanted to push your budget up to $400 I'd consider looking at this one.

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/sony/e3000-compact-system-camera-sku-448945/

 

 

 

 

 

 

As much as i like EVIL i think ILC, which stands for interchangable lens camera, is a bit more likely to gain acceptance in the camera industry.

 

Already has a meaning that includes SLRs and DSLRs. I don't expect camera manufacturers to use it, of course.

 

 

Most places seem to have settled on either Compact System Camera or Mirrorless System Camera.

[Doug Sundseth]

In regards to the two options you are looking at personally I'd avoid cameras with huge zoom ranges unless you have something in mind where you might need it. They'll have the smallest sensors and the most compromised lenses.

 

On that website at the $300 price I'd probably pick this one, it would have better image quality than the two canons you were looking at but 5x zoom instead of the 20-30x

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/canon/powershot-s110-digital-camera-black-sku-90679/

 

If you wanted to push your budget up to $400 I'd consider looking at this one.

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/sony/e3000-compact-system-camera-sku-448945/

 

 

 

 

 

 

As much as i like EVIL i think ILC, which stands for interchangable lens camera, is a bit more likely to gain acceptance in the camera industry.

 

Already has a meaning that includes SLRs and DSLRs. I don't expect camera manufacturers to use it, of course.

 

 

Most places seem to have settled on either Compact System Camera or Mirrorless System Camera.

 

And Nikon calls their macro lenses "Micro" lenses. Everyone else still calls the Nikon lenses macro lenses, though.