# Camera Recommendations



## psych (Jan 7, 2013)

First - I'm not sure if this is the place for this, but I wanted it to get the most exposure from hobbyists and I wasn't sure if the lounge would be the right place. For that, I apologize. 

My wife and I are going on a cruise/honeymoon to Alaska, the first since we got married. I'm pumped and ready to make some great memories, but wanted some assistance. 

See, the thing is, I've really only owned a point and shoot (Canon SD 850 IS, if I recall) which took what some decent pics (or so I thought), but it unfortunately got destroyed by someone who took a picture for my family and I some years back.

Since then, I've only owned cameras embedded in the cell phones I've bought. I would like something better for this trip. 

My requirements? Not much - I mean, you see what I'm working with. Something reasonably compact would be appreciated since I'll be lugging it through Alaska. And ideally be able to go a day on a charge if it was a rechargeable kind of battery like my sd 850. Sturdiness is also appreciated. I'm, umm, a clutz. 

I don't even know what specs to look out for. 

So, if you don't have any specific recommendations - think of this as a guiding exercise to tell me what to look for in a camera that doesn't suck. 

I'm not sure what a reasonable budget should be - aside from vacations, getaways, or outings with friends & family, I'm not likely to be using it much. I would expect I can get something reasonable for $2-300, so I'll say that. Your guidance is appreciated by both my wife and especially myself.


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## phluid13 (Mar 24, 2015)

If you're looking for more of an enthusiast camera that has the bells and whistles of adjusting depth of field and you want to learn a bit about photography but also have the ability to dial it into an easy point and shoot then I have a suggestion for you. I have one myself and love it when I don't have my dSLR with me. It's called the Fuji X20. There is a newer model that has since come out called the x30. But honestly you'd probably be able to do fine with the x20. It has the flexibility to turn it into an easy point and shoot when you want to hand it to a family member to snap a shot that doesn't know much but has the bells and whistles of a dSLR to adjust aperture, shutter, exposure, etched when you want to learn them. You can look up reviews on YouTube. It's pretty stylish and compact. It packs quite a punch. 


pHluid13


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## psych (Jan 7, 2013)

This is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for - something I can learn with but can also use as a point and shoot. Excellent recommendation, thank you.


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## Zoomy (Sep 13, 2014)

Similar to what phluid recommended would be the Canon G16. It does a lot of what I can accomplish with my DSLR. It doesn't do sports/fast as well, but it's a LOT more portable. I can still shoot RAW, which is nice. And it's really nifty if you want to do any underwater photos. I shot this in early April in Key Largo (conditions weren't great -- 2-3 foot waves and somewhat cloudy visibility, but the camera still did an even better job than I expected. It was my first time ever snorkeling, much less dabbling in underwater photography):









All that took was a DiCaPac (I think that's the brand) glorified ziplock bag off of Amazon. I set it to underwater color balance, auto ISO, and aperture priority 2.8 (IIRC). You could probably set the color balance and full auto for the rest just fine, too.


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## phluid13 (Mar 24, 2015)

Here's what it looks like. Plus you can read reviews for the cameras people suggest at http://www.dpreview.com. The two suggested ones so far are linked below. 

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilm-x20

http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_g16



pHluid13


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## toadpher (May 25, 2015)

I'm late to the party, but the Canon S100 is a decent point n shoot, my only gripe is the battery life when shooting video, otherwise it will last all day. The Sony RX10 is one of the best consumer point n shoots, but you pay for it. Entry-level dslr's would be Nikon D7000, D3100/5100, D700 if you really want to get serious, but keep in mind the 700 doesn't have preset modes, so you need to know what you're doing. The 3100/5100 shoot high quality video and are light compact and easy to use. There are a ton of cameras out there and with that comes a lot of garbage and a lot of hidden gems. Feel free to ask me any photo related question via pm. I'm a professional photographer with a BFA in photography and over 10 years (15 if you include my younger years) experience. If you go dslr, my recommendation would be invest in lenses and don't worry about the body so much.


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## psych (Jan 7, 2013)

Never late! With my cruise just over 2 1/2 weeks away I'm feeling the pressure. Your recommendations are appreciated.


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## fischman (Feb 22, 2010)

I love my Sony NEX-5T. Can be found for a good price and adds interchangeable lenses if you decide to get deeper into your photography.


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## MEandYouPhoto (Jul 1, 2014)

+1 for the G16. 

Those are really solid cameras and are pretty much your basic DSLR without the interchangeable lenses. They are a little pricey at $400 (on Amazon) but they are still an amazing camera.


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## philipraposo1982 (Mar 6, 2014)

like you I always had my camera built into my phone. I recently got my first real camera and while its not the most advanced it has a ton of features that a guy like me can enjoy. 

- underwater up to 50'
- shock proof
- cold resistant
- dust proof
- crush proof
- easy to use
- shoot in raw
- amazing macro for a small camera (super fast lense f2.0)

Olympus tg-4, check it out. Here are some pics i have taken since I got it, keep in mind I am total photography noob.


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## zetvi (Jun 12, 2013)

very nice shot! gonna check it out!


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