Canon/Nikon camera reviews, please

[Kassaundra]

Here's the pic (on maximum zoom, keep in mind the bird was about 4 ft away from me) and the cropper version:

View attachment 3654 View attachment 3655

It blurred when I cropped it, which is a pain I tried taking pics on a higher resolution and then crop it, but it didn't work very well. I really need a camera that can zoom properly.

I always take pics in high resolution, my camera has other choices, but that really limits what your able to do. How many mega pixels in your current camera???? In high res you should be able to do some serious cropping w/o affecting the way the pic looks on the screen (computer)


Are you wanting a camera that has a fixed lens or one that has exchangeable lens?

 

[JimWWhite]

I have an older Minolta 5D which has been a really good camera but there's a few things going wrong here and there. The focus seems to be off for one thing. Since they sold out to Sony a few years ago no one works on the Minoltas anymore which is a shame. But when it goes out completely I'm going to get the Sony A300 something or another. The reason is that I have a small arsenal of Minolta auto-focus lenses that will still work perfectly on the Sony. And I can buy some really, really top of the line older lenses for the Minolta and use them. I have something called a 'Beercan' which is one of the finest lenses made by Minolta and it is a great 70-210MM lens. I bought it for $100. And my 24-105mm Minolta zoom is another great find that I picked up for $100. Both were like new condition. I think most people are probably Canon, Nikon and Sony, probably in that order as far as allegiance goes. Canon has the lion's share of the market but there are rabid Nikon and Sony (Minolta) owners out there too.

 

[Lavender2]

I have a Canon SX130 - 12X zoom. I've had it a few years so it's probably an antique in tech years. I like it a lot, but would like a greater zoom. I'm not stuck on Canon, but there are SO many choices out there it's difficult, shopping around and checking reviews is a good idea. I'm doing that also, looking for a good camera without a lot of bells and whistles I most likely will never use.

I am just a 'picture taker', but I think photographing outdoors can be a challenge.

 

[Nyboy]

Lavender I am looking for same type of camera, plain and simple.

 

[sumi]

@Kassaundra we can set it to 10 mega pixels max, but then the file sizes are too big. For general use we keep it in VGA or 3.

@Lavender2 That is the problem. I take most pics outside and I'm an avid ruin photo-explorer. I've shared some of my pics here: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/732027/castles-ruins-and-gatehouses-pic-heavy/0_30 You can tell with some of the pics up there how I battled in low light etc. I'm planning to move back to Ireland soon and I'd like a decent camera to take pics with when I move around there.

 

[Lavender2]

@Lavender2 That is the problem. I take most pics outside and I'm an avid ruin photo-explorer. I've shared some of my pics here: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/732027/castles-ruins-and-gatehouses-pic-heavy/0_30 You can tell with some of the pics up there how I battled in low light etc. I'm planning to move back to Ireland soon and I'd like a decent camera to take pics with when I move around there.

Wonderful photos, sumi! I'm not sure how much can be done with darker objects and low light/shadows, if they can be lightened a bit with an edit program and show detail.. ? Still, nice photos, I enjoyed seeing them!

My camera is amazing at light objects in very dim light, and photos taken in shadows usually come out lighter than it appeared to be (without flash). You are also dealing with distance, as you would have to be back a bit to get a large structure. I should probably learn more about ISO and pixel stuff, huh, just seems so confusing.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Sumi, i might try adding memory (external or internal) to the computer you're using for your picture storing and editing. If your camera has the capacity for 10 mpix then you've got the ability to get much better pics with the camera you have. Plus, memory is way cheaper than a new camera! For instance, if you had taken that bird pic at the higher setting, you would have been able to crop it way down and it wouldnt be grainy (blurry). We had to get an external hard drive (simple install, plugs right in to a USB port) for my pics when i got the canon sx50 but it wasnt that much $, maybe $60? And was well worth it. So i shoot the majority of my pics in RAW (high megapixels with the greatest ability to edit later) and use the software that came with my camera to edit them (lots and lots of latitude to do that with RAW - even "lightening up" things that are too dark) and then save them as JPEG once i get them looking the way I want. That way i get them looking the way I want, and they go from about 12 mp to around 2 or 3 mp, so they dont take up so much room on my computer. If i dont feel like its a "fabulous" pic that i may want to come back to, i'll delete the RAW pic after i'm done making the jpeg to save room on my computer. Plus then i can share them via email, facebook, here - you cant do that with RAW images but its well worth all the extra detail and editing ability you have to shoot in RAW. I didnt find it hard to learn to use the photo editing software either, i had a lot of fun playing around with it this winter when i got my camera.

 

[NwMtGardener]

Just looked at your castle pics, GORGEOUS! If you shoot in RAW you can adjust those dark areas so much to get all the cool rock and moss detail. Also, i would recommend a tripod or getting used to setting your camera on a convenient rock or wall, and using HDR for those bright/dark areas pictures. It takes 3 pictures at different settings and combines it into one pic, so you get detail in the bright areas AND the dark areas (like that one where you have the bright light from the windows splashing across the totally dark stone wall of the castle). Good luck!

 

[Kassaundra]

@Kassaundra we can set it to 10 mega pixels max, but then the file sizes are too big. For general use we keep it in VGA or 3.

@Lavender2 That is the problem. I take most pics outside and I'm an avid ruin photo-explorer. I've shared some of my pics here: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/732027/castles-ruins-and-gatehouses-pic-heavy/0_30 You can tell with some of the pics up there how I battled in low light etc. I'm planning to move back to Ireland soon and I'd like a decent camera to take pics with when I move around there.

File size is to big for what at 10 mp????

As for light issues, POST EDIT SOFTWARE, can't say enough about it. I love PSE, but there are many free ones out there. My Nikon D60 has some editing options in the camera, but I never mess w/ it since I work w/ pse for nearly all editing. (pse is photo shop elements)

 

[Kassaundra]

Castle and window pics are very nice.