The MLP Arena

Pony Talk => Off Topic => Topic started by: True on November 01, 2016, 06:54:31 PM

Title: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: True on November 01, 2016, 06:54:31 PM

I am tired of relying on my phone to take pictures!

And now that I'm doing customs again, I really would like to take pictures that are actually presentable.
I don't know anything about cameras though, and I cant really afford something suuuper big and fancy.

Honestly probably looking at the $100 range. I am no photographer, and this camera does not need to be something super fancy and technical. I just need it to take pictures that are at least an OK quality.

Last time I had a camera it was a kodak easy share xD and that worked pretty good. But that was at least 10 years ago, and I have no idea what's out there now?

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: LadyMoondancer on November 01, 2016, 08:07:40 PM

The only thing I have to say is I've found Canon to be a very reliable brand! :)

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: Taxel on November 01, 2016, 09:20:01 PM

I haven't gotten a new camera in like 5 years so I don't have any camera advice to give, but honestly photo quality depends a lot more on lighting than it does the camera! Obviously a better camera will help but if the lighting is poor camera photos can still look like cell phone shots.

I'd suggest building a small lightbox once you get your new camera (really cheap & easy; I used a box, tin foil, white paper, and a simple lamp). It'll do wonders for how good your indoor photos turn out :)

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: Sebby6 on November 02, 2016, 12:06:18 PM

In my opinion you can't go wrong with a Sony cybershot. My last one lasted over ten years and I only got a new one because they don't do that type of memory sticks anymore.

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: ghouldilocks on November 02, 2016, 12:52:04 PM

We're a big Canon family - if you're just looking for something basic for pony photos, a lot of brands make really decent point-and-shoots these days. I've had a Nikon point-and-shoot before that was alright too.

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: banditpony on November 02, 2016, 05:56:58 PM

Quote from: Taxel on November 01, 2016, 09:20:01 PM

photo quality depends a lot more on lighting than it does the camera!

This!
Lighting is so important.

With that said, I think all cameras in the $100 price range are going to be the around the same quality. What may be more important is how the camera feels in your hand/press the shutter-- or how fast it responds when you want to take a picture.

I believe if you are strictly looking for quality-- look a camera that has a bigger sensor... but they might not differ too much in the ~$100 price range. But the holidays are coming, so you might be able to score a good deal on something!

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: True on November 02, 2016, 07:07:31 PM

Yeah lighting IS an issue in our house, so ill probably have to look into making a light box of some kind.

But theres also only so much I can do with my phone, which at the moment, is my only camera, and its just not doing the trick. Back when I had a point and shoot cam, I had decent luck with it. Like i said, Im no photographer, but for the random still life sorta things I would need it for, it does the trick well enough lol. Ill take a look at some of these. Thanks as always, for the help!

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: Pokeyonekenobie on November 02, 2016, 07:20:42 PM

I have a Cannon Powershot SX 530.  It's quite a bit more than you want to spend (closer to $300) but there might be a good Black Friday sale that could knock it down to your price range.  I like it because it has the option of changing what your priority is and adjusting all the other settings for you based on the current lighting.  For example, if I want fast shutter speed and the lighting is low, I can put it on that setting and it will automatically adjust the aperture.  Or I can specify the aperture that I want and it will adjust the speed and other related settings for me.  It's also fairly lightweight so I can take it on vacation with me.  I bought it as a vacation camera because my Nikon D40 was just too heavy to carry around all day.  It also has built in Wi-fi capabilities so you can set it to send the pictures to your phone if you want.

I will say that I bought extra batteries for it because when I'm on vacation I tend to use it pretty heavily and the single battery just didn't last all day. 

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: PetSounds on November 02, 2016, 11:40:48 PM

The Kodak PixPro has gotten some good ratings, you can get one for $75 on Amaszon.
If you end up getting a nicer camera, I'm a big fan of the Panasonic Lumix line , a little more expensive but I'm not sure where they start pricewise. They are made with Leica lenses and cost about so much less than Leicas! That being said....
I have an iPhone 6 and shoot full professional film on there - WITH the right lighting. I recommend some cheap ring light type things, sometimes LED lights are on sale at Home Depot or Lowe's, I've used those for so many video and photo shoots. A light box is a great thing to have and it's very easy & cheap to make one. :) Can't wait to see your customs!

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: Mkia on November 04, 2016, 07:52:10 AM

Definitely a light box will help! If you can afford it, Ottlite makes great lights that don't look yellowed like others do. They can be a bit pricey, though. If you have a Joanns near you, they sell Ottlites and you can use coupons :).

As for the camera, I agree that most in the $100 are probably similar. Maybe look on Amazon and compare the features of a few in that range to see what you like?

Title: Re: Im looking for a Camera, I need advice
Post by: lolaandbean on November 04, 2016, 12:04:29 PM

I'm all for Canon. When I got a new camera I gave the old one to my son who was 5 at the time. It's been dropped a million times and still works.