los panda
10-16-2013, 08:25 PM
anyone a photographer? i don't know the first thing about cameras, i just spent about an hour googling and i am now more confused than when i started.
i know my gf wants a new camera, and her birthday is coming up. looking for a good all-around digital camera that is strong in low light in the $200-$300 range.
any help is greatly appreciated
What does she want to do with her camera?
I know.........but for instance, I bought my last cam for sports pics...primarily. It had to deliver 5-6 + frames per second among other things. "Point and shoots" typically deliver good results but "take pic...wait a second....take another and so on".
More expensive SLR's will offer more performance...no waiting for the next pic. More money as well. There are some pretty decent intro packages available at Sam's and Costco. Adorama online is good, etc.
The body of the cam is important. Lense is everything. As you have already mentioned ability to gather light is where it's at. A cheap lense will do fine in bright sunlight. Good lenses get expensive fast, but deliver in low-light shoots. Like 300-400% more expensive than there cheaper cousins. On that note, used is always a good option on lenses and can be had CLEAN for about 1/2 price of new..Anyway, check out Ken's site....Great stuff
Spend some time here and you'll get everything you need. Tremendous info!
KenRockwell.com: Photography, Cameras and Taking Better Pictures (http://kenrockwell.com/)
Actually you're in LA? I think Ken's in that area as well....
los panda
10-16-2013, 08:50 PM
thanks hog, i'll definitely spend some time on there in the next couple days.
i would say that most of her pictures are nature related. we love to sightsee around southern california, i would not place too much importance on sports pics/action shots.
Lotus
10-16-2013, 09:01 PM
I am a basic, no-frills, point-and-shoot photographer of everyday stuff and my frequent travels. I have a Sony DSC-H90 and I love it. I bought it for its long zoom for a point and shoot. It takes what are beautiful photos in my unsophisticated amateur eyes, even on long zoom. It works great on automatic but allows you to set things manually, too. It has done well in low light as long as I have remembered to set it for such. It has proven to be somewhat tough, too. I've had several digital cameras from Olympus and Panasonic but the Sony is the best.
Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/)
Try this. Virtually all pics today are enhanced to some degree
(cropped, colored, etc). This not PhotoShop, but it does a good fast...simple job of basic editing, storage posting etc for Free......
That Guy
10-17-2013, 03:06 AM
canon are good for the money. nikon is better at the high (high) end. most lower end digitals kinda suck in low light since their CCDs are a bit small.
as for editing, get GIMP, it's like photoshop, only free.
I stepped up from a basic point and shoot a few years ago
Amazon.com: Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS30K 18 Megapixel Digital Camera - Black: PANASONIC: Electronics (http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-ZS30K-Megapixel-Digital-Camera/dp/B00B3YSW5W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1382015273&sr=1-1&keywords=panasonic+lumix+dmc-zs30)
Nice zoom, shoots video in full HD
firstdown
10-17-2013, 02:47 PM
I stepped up from a basic point and shoot a few years ago
Amazon.com: Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS30K 18 Megapixel Digital Camera - Black: PANASONIC: Electronics (http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-ZS30K-Megapixel-Digital-Camera/dp/B00B3YSW5W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1382015273&sr=1-1&keywords=panasonic+lumix+dmc-zs30)
Nice zoom, shoots video in full HD
I have an older Lumix like this and its a great little camera. Had it about 6 yrs and I'm sure this one is even that much better.
Not sure if you're still looking......
Tech.Woot (http://tech.woot.com/)
Not sure if you're still looking......
Tech.Woot (http://tech.woot.com/)
Great deal, love Woot