Looking for a camera...

I have begun researching cameras, only to discover that there is an overwhelming quantity of choices, so I thought I would ask the question here.

My camera requirements, (must haves)
1. Ease of operation
2. Compact and easily stored
3. Around 20 Mega-Pixel
4. <$500.00 on the extreme outside, preferably <$250.00.

We enjoy taking a lot of photos whenever we are hiking and/or we are out-and-about. Most of our photos are of landscapes, or portraits. I also enjoy taking photos of old buildings, and cool modes of transportation (cars, motorcycles and such). I don't want a bulky camera like my old Nikon film camera, nor its digital counterpart.

I appreciate any leads in my search.

John - I just replaced my DSLRs and my search criteria was identical to yours. Here is the camera I ended up with:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HGE3C5I/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It has way too many wow features for me to run through them all so here are the most impressive ones for me.

1 - Weatherproof. I live in Florida and it rains here a lot and we have a lot of theme parks with wet rides. It is a blessing not to have to worry about water. It is not waterproof, it is weatherproof.

2 - 50 x zoom. That is 24 to 1200 mm. And it has a built in doubler allowing you to zoom to 2400 mm. A few nights ago I zoomed in on a full moon and it filled the frame. The moon was sharp, not as sharp as with great glass and a DSLR but good enough for me. At any other zoom level it is hard to tell it is not a DSLR by looking at the photos.

3 - Remote control from either a smart phone or the PC. You can use it for remote viewing and remote photo shooting.

4 - Built in Wifi so you can wirelessly transfer your photos to a PC, tablet or smart phone.

5 - Many interesting setting like HDR. But the one that really gets my attention is the mode where the camera takes two shots with one shutter push. One shot is with the flash off and one shot is with the flash on. I absolutely love this mode.

I paid $488 for the camera one month ago and today it is $414. Unfortunately Amazon no longer offers 30 day price matching.  But even at $488 is was a bargain. It is small, lightweight and solid. It doesn't feel like a bridge camera, it feels like a DSLR. The reason I bought it was because I am flying to California next month and I don't want to take along an entire DSLR system. 

SeilerBird said:

John - I just replaced my DSLRs and my search criteria was identical to yours. Here is the camera I ended up with:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HGE3C5I/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It has way too many wow features for me to run through them all so here are the most impressive ones for me.

1 - Weatherproof. I live in Florida and it rains here a lot and we have a lot of theme parks with wet rides. It is a blessing not to have to worry about water. It is not waterproof, it is weatherproof.

2 - 50 x zoom. That is 24 to 1200 mm. And it has a built in doubler allowing you to zoom to 2400 mm. A few nights ago I zoomed in on a full moon and it filled the frame. The moon was sharp, not as sharp as with great glass and a DSLR but good enough for me. At any other zoom level it is hard to tell it is not a DSLR by looking at the photos.

3 - Remote control from either a smart phone or the PC. You can use it for remote viewing and remote photo shooting.

4 - Built in Wifi so you can wirelessly transfer your photos to a PC, tablet or smart phone.

5 - Many interesting setting like HDR. But the one that really gets my attention is the mode where the camera takes two shots with one shutter push. One shot is with the flash off and one shot is with the flash on. I absolutely love this mode.

I paid $488 for the camera one month ago and today it is $414. Unfortunately Amazon no longer offers 30 day price matching.  But even at $488 is was a bargain. It is small, lightweight and solid. It doesn't feel like a bridge camera, it feels like a DSLR. The reason I bought it was because I am flying to California next month and I don't want to take along an entire DSLR system.

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Tom,
Thanks I'll look into it, that camera is being offered for $418.67 at Amazon right now and it is eligible for Amazon Prime too.

SeilerBird said:

John - I just replaced my DSLRs and my search criteria was identical to yours.

Click to expand...

Wow, impressive set of features, Tom!

I do like the feature list - and that's what seems to make a purchase of this camera a dilemma. Rather than freezing that 2:00AM while shooting the Blood Moon, I could have done it in my shorts inside my rig using my smartphone. 

I may rent one of these for a few days to see if it will do what I want in any camera -- produce a large print (11x14 or greater) with excellent image quality. So would add that to my list requirements. The reviews I've read so far seem to indicate that it is fine for small prints and screen images, but not for anything larger.

In order to get that kind of zoom in a bridge, the sensor had to be small -- really small. Each pixel is smaller than that with a larger sensor and packed with less info. One reviewer mentioned the RAW can only be read by Fuji SW vs. LR or PS (shades of Apple rip off strategy over the years). Unfortunately, my initial joy that HDR and auto Pano stuff was in my phone, tablet - and in a Canon 70D, it waned to out of sight when I discovered that any such built in firmware automatically moves the camera to the lowest res of the camera. For me it then becomes useless.

Here's a comment on image quality from this review,

http://www.neocamera.com/camera/fuji/s1/review

"While the 24-1200mm equivalent focal-range and F/2.8-5.6 maximum aperture is impressive, image-quality lets the S1 down. Even at its base ISO, it does not render fine-details. Noise-reduction only gets harsher on details as sensitivity is increased. The dynamic-range of this camera is also extremely limited which means that most scenes have either shadows or highlights clipped - or both."

And from the Pros and Cons summation by this reviewer,

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/fujifilm-finepix-s1-review-24220

CONS: "Disappointing image quality"

OTOH, we know how biased reviewers can be. So I prefer to make my own decisions on image quality with a rental or borrowed unit. I "did" see some shots of an Eagle on one website that looked about as sharp as I would ever need - but I would want to see my own stuff before selling my bag full of Canon stuff. I look at image quality level in the prints I get from my Canon 50D with a much larger sensor (APS-C) and would never want less. Most likely will never be able to afford a full size sensor, but one the size of my little fingernail reminds me of the film cameras that used 110 film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/110_film

So you're not driving to CA?

No, not driving to Cali, I am flying instead. I will be posting a few shots from the camera in a few days. I think a pixel peeper could find reasons not to like this camera, but I have been selling my Sony gear so that tells you how much I like the camera. It does shoot RAW but so far Lightroom and Photoshop have not supported it. They will in the future.

SeilerBird said:

No, not driving to Cali, I am flying instead. I will be posting a few shots from the camera in a few days. I think a pixel peeper could find reasons not to like this camera, but I have been selling my Sony gear so that tells you how much I like the camera. It does shoot RAW but so far Lightroom and Photoshop have not supported it. They will in the future.

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    Yep -- that's me, a pixel counter but not really a peeper as such.    Have been since I was 6 years old. My Mom gave me set of balloons on a birthday and we blew them up for decorations. I recall asking why the images painted on the balloons got duller and started to fall apart as the balloon got larger. She explained that the images were made up of the little dots that I could see coming apart - and that the larger the balloon got, the farther apart the dots became. That's why I never shot professionally with film smaller than medium format.

However, my friend, my current equipment including my favorite lens was purchased on your recommendation - so will look forward to your test shots. Hope you have one at a target of some kind if a bird is not handy at 400mm.

Where will you fly into? With the cost of gas would imagine flying anywhere is cheaper these days. We're edging close to $4.00/gal regular now in CA.

I am flying into SFO and my nephew will be picking me up. I will rent a car after the family reunion. I have two days reserved at a cabin in Yosemite. Then off to Las Vegas to visit friends and fly home. I hope I have a chance to have a lunch with you while I am around.

Bob:  Are you shooting Canon?  If so, I might have a real deal for you.

Ron from Big D said:

Bob:  Are you shooting Canon?  If so, I might have a real deal for you.

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Yes, Ron -- ever since that QZ you let me use your Canon Rebel (early version). I purchased a later model Rebel with a nice Tamron lens. Then moved to a 50D. The only area I haven't got covered with (in my mind) good glass for what I do is the 28 end of my EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM kit lens plus would like to be able to get closer when doing a group. Not a scenery shooter, but when I do, I prefer multiple shot stithed panoramas vs. lower res in camera firmware for wider stuff. My shooting subject preference has always been people - either studio or environmental in some form or other. Also have two other Canon lenses for portraits, birds, and other critters.

There is a 60 and 70D now so usage of the 50D is waning -- however there are tons of them out there with folks like me that feel newer models have more features, but if the feature list of my 50 was a yard long, I have only mastered about the 1st foot or so -- so far. I noticed yesterday on Flickr.com over 900 50D users uploaded over 60,000 images in the past 24 hours. 

I also have a Canon SX260 hanging on my belt most of the time that walks around with me. The OP may want to take a look at the SX280 by Canon - though it "is" a compact and "only"  a 20x zoom. The newer version SX600 has a lot of the on line stuff such as WiFi to communicate and allow control by a smartphone.

So that's what I've got and what do when I can -- and though poor, am always looking for a good deal. 

Oscar Mike said:

Tom,
Thanks I'll look into it, that camera is being offered for $418.67 at Amazon right now and it is eligible for Amazon Prime too.

Click to expand...

John, I would agree with Tom that this is a good sort of "all around" camera for the average person looking to take vacation shots and the like.  a 50X optical zoom is a very good selling point as typically these cameras try to bolster the zoom capabilities with a digital zoom that only works to diminish the picture quality.  My quibble with most cameras is the lag time between shots.  On this one, it is 1.3 seconds with the flash on, which is not bad.  Fuji has a reputation for making decent cameras, so it appears this is not a bad option. 

If you want additional input, I would suggest checking out CNet.com which has well thought out reviews at the following link:  http://www.cnet.com/topics/cameras/best-digital-cameras/. 

Happy hunting!!!

troyi said:

...a 50X optical zoom is a very good selling point as typically these cameras try to bolster the zoom capabilities with a digital zoom that only works to diminish the picture quality.  My quibble with most cameras is the lag time between shots.

Click to expand...

You have not seen the shots from this camera. Not as sharp as a dslr but definitely usable. And there is no lag time. It does ten frames per second just as good as my Sony does.

troyi said:

John, I would agree with Tom that this is a good sort of "all around" camera for the average person looking to take vacation shots and the like.  a 50X optical zoom is a very good selling point as typically these cameras try to bolster the zoom capabilities with a digital zoom that only works to diminish the picture quality.  My quibble with most cameras is the lag time between shots.  On this one, it is 1.3 seconds with the flash on, which is not bad.  Fuji has a reputation for making decent cameras, so it appears this is not a bad option. 

If you want additional input, I would suggest checking out CNet.com which has well thought out reviews at the following link:  http://www.cnet.com/topics/cameras/best-digital-cameras/. 

Happy hunting!!!

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Troy, thanks for the link, it made for some interesting reading. We really just need a camera for vacation/family shots with the occasional landscape/flower photo. I like the idea of a weatherproof camera, since we do a lot of hiking/off-roading.

Bob:  If you are interested, I have a Canon 5D body that I am no longer using.  It is a full sensor camera and takes wonderful images.  If I remember correctly, it is 12.5 megapixels. 

The camera has one small negative, but has not been a problem for me.  It has a slight defect along one edge of the sensor which is not noticeable at all unless that area of the image is very light.  It takes a second to eliminate it in post processing. 

Good price if you are interested.  If so, I'll quote it in a separate email.  Few extras to be included are:
Battery, CF Card, Manual, mini-tripod, Sunpak auto 30 DX Flash, strap, Bell & Howell 35mm camera.

I like canon and as you can see, if you ask ten different people what's the best camera, you'll get at least 8 or more answers.

This can be operated in a point and shoot mode or you can tweak on the knobs and get the professional look, or in my case, a blurry mess. Lol
Also notice this is a "kit" with two lenses . . .
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-camera-bundles/eos-rebel-t3i-camera-bundles

I enjoy reading from the many photo-philes here on this forum. The Bird takes some stunning photos. I'm sure many others here do too.
I have a Canon Rebel collecting dust in the drawer. Frankly, it's like a third grader attempting brain surgery- I simply don't know how to maximize its features.
My go-to camera (don't laugh) is an "Olympus Tough" point-and-shoot. 14 megapixel. Shockproof and waterproof to 10 feet. Not much of a zoom, but compensate with software. I bang this around with bicycle and motorcycle touring and don't need to worry about breaking it.
It does take some fine pictures, but nowhere near what y'all are taking about.

It does take some fine pictures, but nowhere near what y'all are taking about.

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You might be surprised. It's possible to get some mighty fine pix with a mediocre (or worse) camera, and it's possible to get some pretty sorry pix with the world's finest camera. Learning certain photo techniques, understanding about light and shadow (and lens and film/sensor responses), and taking the time to make a picture, rather than taking a snapshot, are the main ingredients in Tom's marvelous shots (and those of many others, too).

Granted that a top notch lens will improve clarity a bit, and that certain other camera features can be aids in accomplishing the shot, but Tom could have gotten shots almost as good (composition wise), with a Brownie, though there may have been a few obstacles to matching exactly with that particular camera.

Larry N. said:

You might be surprised. It's possible to get some mighty fine pix with a mediocre (or worse) camera, and it's possible to get some pretty sorry pix with the world's finest camera. Learning certain photo techniques, understanding about light and shadow (and lens and film/sensor responses), and taking the time to make a picture, rather than taking a snapshot, are the main ingredients in Tom's marvelous shots (and those of many others, too).

Granted that a top notch lens will improve clarity a bit, and that certain other camera features can be aids in accomplishing the shot, but Tom could have gotten shots almost as good (composition wise), with a Brownie, though there may have been a few obstacles to matching exactly with that particular camera.

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Thank you Larry. I have used a waterproof P&S in the past and I have used a cell phone with excellent results. It is just a matter of finding the strengths and weaknesses of a camera and working with it. You can't use a cell phone for birds in flight or birds roosting 200 feet away. But yet I see people taking impossible shots with a cell phone every day. At least they are trying.

X2 on the Tough, and I find it takes adequate pics. Certainly better than the pics from my wifes high end bridge camera that was Moabized (sand in the works) the second time we ueed it on a trail 

Ernie

X3 on the tough - had one for several years as my boat camera in Alaska and it was treated terribly and survived most and takes decent pictures - the zoom is not worth much but for portrait style pics on boat with customer and fish it worked great, right up until I dropped a hammer on the back screen - it cracked - thought it was supposed to be tough, anyway replaced it with a similar Panasonic Lumix waterproof and it does fine as well with about the same limitations.

I can carry it in my pocket as opposed to my DSLR which obviously takes much better pictures, but nothing wrong with the newer pint and shoots they all for the most part do a fair job.

Jim

John - I have just posted a bunch of photos taken with the Fujifilm camera I recommended:

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=74869.0