Getting a camera

Photography Photography: Chat / Discussions
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Ok thinking about getting a camera , not one of these camera /phones things. How would I go about it? and make a choice?
Well what a question I have to ask myself, what do I want to photograph mainly? this could easily influence a decision.
My advice ,and that is my personal opinion is first to decide on a budget. This of course would have to include not only the camera but the lens and memory card (choosing a memory card is not straight foreward either)

Ok got a budget in mind so what about make? the choice is large from big manufactures to some of the smaller ones. Again not that easy do you go for a proper retailer or get one from the “grey” market. the Grey market ones are not offical retailers but often cheaper for the same camera with possibly less warranty.
Then there is the used market, this can be dodgy as it may look good on the outside but the guts worn out and reached end of life
Next decision is what type of camera, be if full frame- four thirds -micro four thirds or compact. do you want one easlly fitting into a pocket ?

Ok decision made decided to go for example for a full frame camera . So off toddling down to a local camera shop and hit the next barrier. Whatever you have decided on the salesman will try and sell you the next model up in the range as it has more features.

So do you stick with what you have decided on? no! one may be comfortable in the hand to get to the controls, another may have a more comprehensive menu. Which to choose? all cameras have an auto mode so one doesn’t have to use the features until getting used to the camera of choice
By now one starts to realise what a minefield it is in just getting a camera .
By this time you give up and walk out the shop or persevere with getting a camera.

Time for a coffee me thinks

After consideration your mind is made up this is the camera I want.Ooops hold on not so quick, what about a lens? a camera is just a brick without one.

Back to worrying about which to choose be it for macro work- landscapes- buildings- portraiture etc. The mind boggles let alone what a lens can offer, far too much to go into detail here.
Again as i mentioned before memory cards are again a subject all on its own.
Then there is the question of lighting, do you get a camera with built in flash or an extrnl flass gun.

Now you are starting to think do I want a camera or not or do I go kick the dog up the bum instead.

I hope this attempt to deciding getting a camera is of some help.
please ask if you have any questions I may./ may not be able to answer

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My daughter has a 360° camera. She was showing it to me, it comes with a mount stick - basically a pole with a quarter inch thread on one end and various attachments for the other.

Being stupid I said to her, " How do you keep it upright? Doesn’t it have a swivel?" She looked at me as is I was crazy, sighed and said, “Dad, it films 360 degrees in all directions it doesn’t have to be vertical”

Amazingly it also knows which way is up so the horizon always remains horizontal.

The shots taken on her motorbike are amazing, the Go Pro she used before was fixed to the bike so when she leaned over for a corner the horizon tilted, with this camera the horizon remains level so you feel like you are tilting at an incredible angle with the bike.

She has editors that can use any part of the video to produce a normal 16:9 video or 360 where the viewer can pan in any direction.

Tiny device but a lot packed into a small space I think it is one of these:

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One thing you can guarantee is that it will be the most expensive model - she and her husband are DINKs

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BTW I am travelling at the moment, I usually pack both my cameras both Panasonic compacts.

Unfortunately in an attack of oldtimers disease I forgot to pack my favourite, the LX10, so have been only using the TZ110, it has a smaller maximum aperture but a longer zoom and a camera I use very little normally as I prefer the wider angle lens of the LX (makes you get closer)

Once I got over the annoyance of forgetting I have got to quite like this camera, it doesn’t have a tilting screen but does have a view finder and all of the “electronic” features are the same. Takes good snaps.

These mid range compacts seem to have been killed off by phone cameras too, there are few available in the shops, maybe only one model per manufacturer I have to make mine last.

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I have the TZ95 with a tilting screen. The Panasonic G9 and the Panasoniic HC-X1500 camcorder both have swivel screens as well

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Does that do a spherical panorama?

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Sorry, absolutely no idea. I have had little to do with it other than see a couple of her videos, It amazes me that you cannot see the joins between the two lenses and the “stick” itself disappears.