Large Scale Central

Point and Shoot camera for Colorado trip?

Model Photography
#1

I am traveling to the west with a bunch of people from the NRHS in Vermont on Sept 6th.

I have a Sony DSC-H50, 9.1MP, 15X zoom, takes movies of a sort in 640x480

Sony RX-100 20MP

  • F1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens with control ring
  • 3.6x zoom

Used to take beautiful pictures, but now I am not so sure as some seem to be out of focus.

I am thinking since this may be my last trip out to CO that I should have the best P&S camera for such a trip.

Some of the possibilities are:

Nikon 9700, Sony 400V/B , Canon SX520 HS(Aug 31st), Nikon P600, Panasonic FZ1000, FZ200, FZ70, Canon SX50(gorgeous pics at DPREVIEW).

Suggestions and opinions please.

#2

Whatever one you can afford and feel comfortable using…:wink:

#3

Don I noticed my Fugi FinePix S5000 starting to take slightly out of focus pictures, but not consistently. I figured maybe it was time to replace the poor old thing. Then I cleaned the lens with a lens cloth and alcohol and its back to taking nice sharp pictures. I guess there was a haze, or film of crud, on the lens that I couldn’t see, but that would cause poor picture quality in certain lighting conditions.

#4

My P&S Walk-Around camera is a Panasonic DMC-ZS25. Small enough to fit in a shirt pocket and all the features that I need. Video at 1920x1080

Successor is the ZS40 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1024772-REG/panasonic_dmc_zs40s_dmc_zs40_digital_camera_silver.html

I didn’t want/need WiFi and GPS. I prefer to use the battery power for pictures.

#5

Don the Panasonic FZ 200 or FZ 1000 are both excellent cameras. Its really a matter of what you want to photograph. The FZ 1000 has a sensor 4x the size of the FZ200 If you do a lot of work with lightroom & photoshop or elements you will want the larger format of the FZ1000. Its also preforms better in low light. It is however significantly larger and twice the price.

#6

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the hints and suggestions.

I’ll try the lens cleaning, although I thought I had. BUT I had not used a solution of any kind so maybe that would be the answer.

ZS40 is within my NICE price range. I was just awed how well the ZS50 had done for a few on DPReview.

Stu, thanks for the FZ200 and 1000 discussion. I do not often fiddle with pics and do not have those particular pieces of software. Picasa and Irfanview have been my most often used ‘adjusters’

#7

Ken Brunt said:

Whatever one you can afford and feel comfortable using…:wink:

I agree with Ken.

#8

I was given a Kodak LS753 digital camera for my 60th birthday. 5.0 megapixels, shoots videos, (all 208 of my Youtube videos were shot with this camera) easy to use, etc, etc. It’s been on three trips overseas with me. I even bought one, used, on Ebay a few months ago to act as a backup or replacement if and when this one dies. Less than $20.00.

I dropped it last year and the battery detent snapped off. I found a non-working camera on Ebay for $5.00, and used the parts to repair my camera.

Now I have a smart phone that they say is more advanced, camera wise, than my Kodak LS753. Only problem is the phone is too smart for me.

#9

Dan Padova said:

…

Now I have a smart phone that they say is more advanced, camera wise, than my Kodak LS753. Only problem is the phone is too smart for me.

That’s why I still don’t have one, either.

(http://rhb-grischun.ca/phpBB3/images/smilies/4.gif)

#10

I’ve tried to use my smart phone as a camera. By the time I get the shot lined up just so, the phone shuts off to save the battery. Not very smart, says I.

#11

Steve, my “Smart phone” is so smart that it doesn’t focus on the subject, it has a crappy zoom, and when I hit the button there is a good one second pause before it “snaps” the picture. So if the subject is in motion, its out of the frame by the time the picture is captured. Yea, Brilliant.:wink:

#12

The only reason I have a smart phone is because I was qualified for a free upgrade from my flip phone. The free upgrade wasn’t so free when I got to the store. To get a newer version of what I had would have cost me more than getting a smart phone. And I am starting to text. Have you ever tried texting from a flip phone?

I think I’ll stick with my camera for taking photos.

#13

My smart phone is company issue. I wouldn’t even have a cell phone if it were my choice. The thing with having a device that does so many things is it doesn’t seam to be able to do any of them as well as a dedicated device. So when I want good pictures I use my camera.

#14

I bought the Sony RX100 to take high quality, high resolution (dpi >300) photos to publish in a book. I love this camera. Takes the best pictures of any camera I’ve ever had.

My grandson acquired one of the Canon Rebels, not exactly a point and shoot. It does take excellent pictures, but he commented the other day that it seems as though he gets his best pictures with his iPhone.

#15

Don, The Canon sx50 is the newer version of the camera I bought for my wife. Really good pics, Great zoom, But no raw format. Not very “Pocketability” but a compact format overall.

My carry around pocket camera is a Nikon S3600. A lot of the pics I posted from my time on and around D&RGW 315 were taken with the S3600. Great Pocketability, 20MP, and the video is 1080HD. Walmart for about $120.00.

#16

Art and Dave,

Thanks for the responses!

I’ll have to look into the Nikon S3600. I did not consider the Rebel as I think it uses changeable lenses and I did not want the weight and volume!

#17

Can’t you get those things professionally cleaned and serviced.