I need a photo camera to capture the family archives. So I though buying one without compromise for + 2000 euro. But it seems all those cameras still use moving parts. This means that they have to be revised every some hundred thousands of pictures.
Not that my family archives are so big, but I would have tried to shoot from the open side window of my car. I am really angry that my eyes see things that are invisible on a photo taken with my action cam.
Dear Filip, tried to send you a private message, but those can only be quite short. Will have to try another way, w/o posting publicly.
Try OSM, there I am philippec.
When choosing a camera and a lens you are always making a compromise. But using more expensive gear usually makes the compromise smaller.
The shutter of a modern DSLR is good for 100.000 - 250.000 pictures depending on the price and model. Unless you are doing daily pro photography or Mapillary, you will never reach this. Even if you does, the price of getting a new smutter is not that much compared to the total cost of the gear. Perhaps €200 - €300.
An alternative to the DSLR is the new mirrorles micro 3/4 cameras. They are smaller and cheaper, but delivers great quality for the size and money.
I use Canon cameras and lenses. In that world the Canon 5D series is a low end pro camera. The body itself it far more than €2000 and then you need a lens. The all round 24-70 mm is a bit more than €2000.
No matter what you will have to make a compromise. My general advise is to set a budget (€2000), get a DSLR or mirror less and spend more on lenses than the body. When upgrading the body you can use the lenses again and again and a good lens helps you in many ways.
An external flash is also adviseable, as the built in flash gives red eyes and cannot be pointed the ceiling (to effectively create a large soft light). For children and animals it is essential that the camera takes the picture as soon as you press the shutter button. Compact cameras have a delay - I don’t know about mirror less, but DSLRs are quick.
If you plan to use the camera for video, also look for that. The microphone is usually bad and I suggest an external from Røde, that can be mounted on the camera.
When it comes to brand, Canon and Nikon are most popular and will make it easier to buy and sell used. Pentax are known for giving a lot of video for the money. Many people love Sony. If you know someone with a camera, get one of the same brand, so you can loan lenses and get help. Else, go to the shop and try what feels good in the hands.
The question remains =
What is the best non-action camera ?
filipc, there no such thing as best, it all depends on your needs.
im a canon user for years. never had to replace shutter curtains, you can have an idea of the average shutter count that its needed Camera Shutter Life Database
if you only want to do stills, a entry level full frame DSLR is a good option, 6D or 6D MARKII. from there you can buy some cheap lenses like Yongnuo that for the price they are and what they offer are a bargain.
if you want to do video, Sony is the way to go, either a crop frame like the cheap A6300 or the A7 line (you can also buy adapters to use Canon lenses on those.
if you want to compare cameras check http://snapsort.com/ it does a pretty good job of summarizing the features and comparing models
Dear filipc / philippec,
Thank you for the question, which allows me to share considerations and experience with a recently bought so called tough-cam : the type which doesn’t have a protruding lens, is ready to use in what seems under a second and will survive both falls and a dive.
Come to think of it, the camera used is one of the least important aspects of a photograph. Whether you’re using a DSLR, a compact or a smartphone, you’d primarily be looking for the right expression, the right angle and the right illumination. As they say, you need to be in the moment, endeavour to take the best photo you can at that split moment.
In other words : don’t let the camera come between you and your subject.
The resolution of many compacts and smartphones isn’t much of a limiting factor these days : even a modest 12 megapixels can be overkill for social media and the family snap album.
Perhaps most importantly, having for years travelled with a heavy bag with camera body, prime lenses and zoom I found photography with a small camera refreshing and liberating. And now past my 60th, I don’t miss the weight and the bulk of a DSLR swinging around my neck when walking or bending over, nor keeping an eye on that bag with a collection of lenses.
Drawback of the smallest sensor sizes is their low-light performance, but my current tough-cam opens up to F2.0 at the wide-angle setting, has 12.800 iso sensitivity which when you take care will yield well exposed photos long after dark. And allows for a short shutter time when taking photos sideways from the window of a moving car if you pre-select a high iso-value.
No doubt a full-frame sensor will produce technically better images than a compact or a smartphone, but the resulting photographs depend much more on the hands holding the camera, and the perspective of the person releasing the shutter. In the end, it’s the photographs - not the camera - that matter.
The camera bought offers what the manufacturer terms ProCapture mode, which in effect records five ‘frames’ before, and 15 frames after you released the shutter, allowing to as-it-were travel back in time and capture that expression which made you take the picture in the first place. Other options are HDR and various macro and micro options, enlarging the viewed object on screen, and, building on on the multiple exposure ability used for HDR and ProCapture you can select a mode which offers extra depth-of-field for those very close-up photos - which you may or not desire.
On closing my contribution : as I wasn’t sure how well the camera would actually perform in real life situations bought it via one of those web shops which offer a 14- or 30-day money back guarantee ; despite an initial disappointment (lens flare when taking pictures with the sun just outside the picture, caused by the twin-pane lens protector) I’ve kept it, as - for my objectives, amongst which are Mapillary photos of specific situations for incorporation on OSM - there was no alternative.
May I mention which one, only to point you in a possible direction : an Olympus Tough! TG-5, but your requirements may cause you to opt for an entirely different camera,
With best regards,
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Koninklijke,
thank your for your quality pictures. They are great completion of my sequences.
I enjoy watching and tagging them.
Filip,
That’s good (that you tag them) to hear, as mouse tendonitis resurfaced for some reason, and although I’d be the most knowledgeable person to tag my photos, cannot even finish adding comments to photos likely to be useful.
Hope you can find the most suitable camera for your needs, and looking forward to reading what you eventually decided on, and how well it meets your requirements in practice.
K.
I’ll wait for a camera with Galileo.
I hope to see you in the next Antwerp OSM meetup.