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Cameras and SV photography

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Dantes

Guest
For some reason I think I asked this before but seem to have lost the info. I was soooo frustrated taking pics of Duma the last couple of days, and I know there are more than a few people here that are great photogs. Maybe you can give me some advice?

My current camera is a Panasonic DMC ZS3 point and shoot. I originally got it because it recorded with stereo sound, and at the time I was doing lots of snippets of dancing, and it takes really decent videos for a camera. The pictures I get out of it are really awesome, too, I'm not sure if that's because of the lens or the autofocus or what, but when I get the shot I want it always looks great.

Before the Panasonic I always had Canon Elphs, but I find the Panasonic to take better pictures. I also have an Olympus OM/G but don't fancy spending so much money on film development--can you still buy film?--or carrying all that gear around. The lens alone is too much for my poor RSI arm. Does anyone even use these things anymore? I wish I could just sell it or give it away lol

But the trouble with photographing cats is completely different than other photography, and I find the lag between pressing the shutter and getting the shot is not only waaay too long, but also waaay unpredictable, so mostly I get pictures of Duma landing after having taken a jump, or closing his eyes or otherwise not doing what he was doing that was so cute. I also get mixed results with the eye reflection, whether flash on or off it never seems to be quite right.

Can you recommend a camera to me, or at least suggest what you use to take pictures? I can't really spend a fortune on a camera and I need it to be at least somewhat portable. But I'm willing to spend some money to end my misery lol and will sacrifice a little more portability if it means getting those shots...

Thanks! :)
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
I have two canons...a Rebel XT, which is a fantastic camera and an EOS 60D (canon)...The EOS is way more expensive than the Rebel, but my Rebel always did a great job with little effort and good shutter speed.

I thought I lost the Rebel because I rarely used it and couldn't find it, so I bought the EOS 60D...then I found the Rebel XT a couple of weeks ago...if anyone wants a great camera, the Rebel would work well...but it is not cheapie camera either...

I took a couple of photography lessons from my local camera shop...
 

JOSHardson

Savannah Super Cat
Yeah, you're gonna want to go to a camera with a larger lens that lets in more light so you can take a faster picture. Auto focus is probably also getting in your way. You'll probably want a DSLR like the ones described above. I use a Canon 7d, but it's out of the price range of most. The cheapest Canon DSLR these days is the T3 at around $500 with a lens. I'd love to answer any more photography questions. It's one thing I actually know about.
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
Thanks Josh! I am sure there will be lots of questions for you ;) I couldn't decide between the 7D and 60D, but decided I did not need the 7D for what I do...it is a great camera though...
 

Brigitte Cowell

Moderator
Staff member
We have the Nikon D-300 here for those action shots and it does well...but I know that many have the Canon Rebel and love it :)

In terms of portability, I got JN the Nikon V1 for Christmas...it's a compact camera you can change lenses on and it's pretty fast although not nearly as immediate as the D300...but much smaller.
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
The Nikon looks like a good one as well...sort of on par with the Rebel as far as portability...
 
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Dantes

Guest
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Unfortunately, I think even the Rebel, although around $500 (compared to the Nikon at $3k--yikes!) is more work than I want for a camera at this point. I remember dealing with all those lenses and such, I just want to point and shoot! I don't want to be a photographer, sadly. I'm getting old, my eyesight is going, and I don't want to lug a big bag of equipment with me wherever I go. (the opposite being that if I don't lug a bag of equipment with me and use the camera, then it was a waste of money)

Maybe in a few more years there'll be a point and shoot that can capture Duma's leaps? :cat:
 

JOSHardson

Savannah Super Cat
Wish for a piece of tech today and you'll likely have it in a couple years. Part of the reason it's so fascinating to me I guess.
 
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Dantes

Guest
Wish for a piece of tech today and you'll likely have it in a couple years. Part of the reason it's so fascinating to me I guess.
What's even more fascinating is that once we get there, there will be even greater demands for the tech to do even more things that we can't even imagine today (and are probably not possible then). Humans are insatiable.
 
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Dantes

Guest
Sorry to pull up an "old" thread but I'm still thinking about this, and this camera came out recently: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSC-RX10...TF8&coliid=I1QEDMNBL3QMAQ&colid=2F1PWWC5DO6ZL

I was wondering if the experts here might provide some feedback as to what features in particular I'm looking for to make sure a camera is "Savannah-friendly"? For example, is it frames per second I'm looking for? (in comparison, this camera purports to take 11 pictures per second: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC...UTF8&coliid=IID5UF23OE67O&colid=2F1PWWC5DO6ZL) or are there other things I need to be looking for?
 
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