newcastlemam Posted November 15, 2016 #1 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Just returned from a 3 week holiday starting on Harmony for the TA then a week on NCL Getaway I used mainly my iPhone for pictures aswell as my go pro for action shots. I have decided my iPhone is not good enough to capture properly the beauty of places and as we are planning Alaska for 2018 I really really want a good camera. My hubby has said I can have one off Santa so I need some help from the experts have around $400 or £350 to spend wanting something that will take great photos in all light as some of my pictures are very dark due to the suns position would love it to also be waterproof or at least resistant and not to heavy and ideas oh and large memory ofcourse. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamloops50 Posted November 15, 2016 #2 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Personally I use a Point and shot camera. The last one I bought is a Canon SX40IS . It has a 30 to 750 MM lenses built in . It has enogh features to shot manually or just use in an automatic mode. It also takes good quality video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare havoc315 Posted November 15, 2016 #3 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Pictures will be dark with any camera, if you don't set it correctly. No camera will magically produce better photos. A newer iPhone's camera is as good as most $200-$400 P&S cameras, but with less zoom range. In low light, the iphone is superior to most such cameras. There are very very few cameras under $400 that I would recommend as being better than an iphone. There are a bunch that can produce similar results, but with more zoom. The only thing in that price range, that will give better low light performance, would be the original Sony RX100 which recently fell under $400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcastlemam Posted November 15, 2016 Author #4 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Pictures will be dark with any camera, if you don't set it correctly. No camera will magically produce better photos. A newer iPhone's camera is as good as most $200-$400 P&S cameras, but with less zoom range. In low light, the iphone is superior to most such cameras. There are very very few cameras under $400 that I would recommend as being better than an iphone. There are a bunch that can produce similar results, but with more zoom. The only thing in that price range, that will give better low light performance, would be the original Sony RX100 which recently fell under $400. I have the 6s but am getting the 7 plus so maybe I should wait and see if that's better first thanks Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare havoc315 Posted November 15, 2016 #5 Share Posted November 15, 2016 I have the 6s but am getting the 7 plus so maybe I should wait and see if that's better first thanks Sent from my iPhone using Forums The 7Plus is better than most P&S cameras in terms of low light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety3 Posted November 16, 2016 #6 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Faces will be dark if the subjects are completely back-lit. The fix is to use a flash that's strong enough to light them while competing with full sun. Using flash usually introduces certain trade-offs with how the settings are managed, so it's tricky to summarize how to measure what it can/can't do. I doubt an iPhone "flash" is enough though, and I'd probably guess about the same with a point&shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOldBear Posted November 16, 2016 #7 Share Posted November 16, 2016 Just returned from a 3 week holiday starting on Harmony for the TA then a week on NCL Getaway I used mainly my iPhone for pictures aswell as my go pro for action shots. I have decided my iPhone is not good enough to capture properly the beauty of places and as we are planning Alaska for 2018 I really really want a good camera. My hubby has said I can have one off Santa so I need some help from the experts have around $400 or £350 to spend wanting something that will take great photos in all light as some of my pictures are very dark due to the suns position would love it to also be waterproof or at least resistant and not to heavy and ideas oh and large memory ofcourse. Sent from my iPhone using Forums All cameras are compromises - the closest to a 'one size fits all' are some of the super zoom 'bridge' cameras like the Panasonic FZ200. There is a dedicated thread on this forum. My much older FZ50 camera has proven to be a travel workhorse for everything from scenic landscapes to portraits. The downside is that it is far from pocket/purse size. My FZ50 is almost the size of a film SLR camera. The other main choices are 'travel zoom' cameras and 'tough' cameras. Travel zooms have a moderate size lens and sensor, but an extreme zoom range. The Fuji F900EXR is a typical example. 'Tough' or waterproof cameras are similar size, but with a reduced zoom range so everything is in a rigid waterproof housing. I would not recommend getting an interchangeable lens camera - your budget does not include getting multiple lenses. I would recommend getting a spare battery and several memory cards - and not erasing the cards until you have copied all the 'keeper' pictures onto your home computer. A resource you may want to visit is the DPReview 2016 Roundup: Consumer Long Zoom Cameras Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyer55 Posted November 18, 2016 #8 Share Posted November 18, 2016 I've been to AK 6 times agree that you need something better than the camera in your phone, and phone cameras are usually better than inexpensive point and shoot cameras. While it is hard to get a "great camera" in the price range you are looking at you can get some very good ones. Chances are you don't need all the bells and whistles you can get with a great DSLR or mirrorless camera and will be happy with the results you'll get with some of the custom auto settings on the better long zoom point and shoot cameras. I took as many pictures as I could to sort through when I was at Hubbard Glacier. To my surprise, a Fuji Finepix F750EXR revealed details (seals on ice) that among the 4 cameras my wife and I used only showed up in detail on a Canon T3i with a stabilized 55-250 lens. The drawback to this camera is that besides being discontinued, it didn't have 1080p video. The F850EXR is the same except of upgraded video capabilities, and is still available at Amazon for under $200. Another still available but discontinued camera in your price range is the Panasonic FZ70 which has 60X zoom. This summer it was the only camera we had that could reach out and get some passable pictures of a Grizzly on our Kantishna Road House tour at Denali National Park. It also has a wider angle of view at the lowest magnification. It has taken some really good landscape pictures and has enough resolution for enlargements. If you want a "great camera" for AK, I suggest renting something like a Canon 7D Mark II and pairing it with a Tamron 16-300 lens. It won't be like renting a Canon L series lens, but it has the largest zoom range available in a decent lens. I used this lens and a Canon T3i on the sport setting to capture multiple images of a breaching whale and bubble net feeding last summer. The image quality of the breaching whale was good enough that I had a framed 36x30 print made from one. It was nice to not have to carry multiple lenses or need a monopod on excursions. I could concentrate on looking for photo opportunities and not have to worry about having the right focal length lens. The camera phone is fine for shots around the ship and in town, but when you are taking excursions that you may never get to repeat you want the best quality "memories" you can afford and still be able to enjoy yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcastlemam Posted November 18, 2016 Author #9 Share Posted November 18, 2016 I've been to AK 6 times agree that you need something better than the camera in your phone, and phone cameras are usually better than inexpensive point and shoot cameras. While it is hard to get a "great camera" in the price range you are looking at you can get some very good ones. Chances are you don't need all the bells and whistles you can get with a great DSLR or mirrorless camera and will be happy with the results you'll get with some of the custom auto settings on the better long zoom point and shoot cameras. I took as many pictures as I could to sort through when I was at Hubbard Glacier. To my surprise, a Fuji Finepix F750EXR revealed details (seals on ice) that among the 4 cameras my wife and I used only showed up in detail on a Canon T3i with a stabilized 55-250 lens. The drawback to this camera is that besides being discontinued, it didn't have 1080p video. The F850EXR is the same except of upgraded video capabilities, and is still available at Amazon for under $200. Another still available but discontinued camera in your price range is the Panasonic FZ70 which has 60X zoom. This summer it was the only camera we had that could reach out and get some passable pictures of a Grizzly on our Kantishna Road House tour at Denali National Park. It also has a wider angle of view at the lowest magnification. It has taken some really good landscape pictures and has enough resolution for enlargements. If you want a "great camera" for AK, I suggest renting something like a Canon 7D Mark II and pairing it with a Tamron 16-300 lens. It won't be like renting a Canon L series lens, but it has the largest zoom range available in a decent lens. I used this lens and a Canon T3i on the sport setting to capture multiple images of a breaching whale and bubble net feeding last summer. The image quality of the breaching whale was good enough that I had a framed 36x30 print made from one. It was nice to not have to carry multiple lenses or need a monopod on excursions. I could concentrate on looking for photo opportunities and not have to worry about having the right focal length lens. The camera phone is fine for shots around the ship and in town, but when you are taking excursions that you may never get to repeat you want the best quality "memories" you can afford and still be able to enjoy yourself. Thanks so much for the help I will look into all of these things Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOldBear Posted November 18, 2016 #10 Share Posted November 18, 2016 One option is renting a camera or camera package for the trip. The principal downside is that you will only have limited time to practice with the camera and accessories before the trip. One possibility is a kit similar to https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/wildlife-package-for-micro-4-3 This includes Olympus 'Pro' level weather sealed lenses and camera body. Lensrentals also has a large sensor fixed lens camera [Panasonic FZ-1000] that would likely be quite suitable for an Alaska trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyer55 Posted November 28, 2016 #11 Share Posted November 28, 2016 Since I posted my recommendations I ran across this. https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cameras/refurbished-eos-digital-slr-cameras The SL1 bundle is definitely in your price range and is a better camera than I've ever taken to AK. You should have no trouble with vibration/camera shake using the 75-300mm lens if you shoot in the sports setting (faster shutter settings) and the high ISO performance of this camera is good enough for outdoor use in cloudy conditions (It is AK). I wouldn't hesitate to purchase refurbished directly from Canon. They have a 1 year warranty just like new. I've just purchased a 55-250 IS STM lens and the 80D camera body from them. You could not tell the items from new and they work just as designed. Canon refurbished is a great way to get into the DSLR game without spending a lot of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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