Recommend a good compact camera for a mobile journalist

NewsGirl · Jun 7, 2012

Hello.

I'd really like your recommendations for a camera that would meet my needs. Can anybody help?

I am a print journalist who wants to start shooting photos of good enough quality for newspaper and news website publication. I'm not a photographer by any means so I'm looking for something pretty easy to use. I have been told I'm good at composing shots, and some photojournalist friends are willing to help me learn very basic stuff about camera settings etc., but mostly I suspect I'll be pointing and shooting.

So, first I'm torn about whether it's worth it to invest in an entry-level SLR or if that's too much camera (and too much cost) for what I need.

Here's what's important to me in a camera:
1.) Lightweight and not too bulky. I basically carry my office on my back (netbook, ipad, notebooks, digital recorder, etc) and it's heavy enough already.
2.) Easy to use.
3.) Easy to transfer photos via netbook. (Or, even better, iPad. ... Is there a way to do that?)
4.) Decent zoom.
5.) Image stabilizer
6.) I feel like 8-10 megapixels would be enough for my purposes, but not sure.

Are there any other features/factors I should be considering?

Do you have any recommendations for a good camera for me. I would like to spend not more than $500, but if somebody makes a really good case for a camera that costs a bit more I might consider it.

Someone suggested the Canon G12 to me, which is not a SLR. It seems like it would fit the bill except that the zoom is only 5X and I think I want more than that.

I'll appreciate any advice you would be kind enough to offer.

Thanks.

manny212 · Jun 7, 2012

I have a Panasonic Lumix lx-5 as compact. Great little camera, you should have a look at it. I'm sure many others will chime in shortly.

fjrabon · Jun 7, 2012

manny212 said:
I have a Panasonic Lumix lx-5 as compact. Great little camera, you should have a look at it. I'm sure many others will chime in shortly.

I have and love that camera as well, but it sounds like it's not enough zoom for the OP's needs. It's a max 3.8X zoom (90mm equivalent on a full frame)

NewsGirl · Jun 7, 2012

I think I want more zoom than that, but thanks for the suggestion.

Also, forgot to mention that I want something without too much shutter lag. My last two cameras (a cheap Vivitar and a $400 compact Olympus) had a lag time of 2 or 3 seconds. Ridiculous.

Solarflare · Jun 7, 2012

Then maybe you should specify how much zoom you want to have ?

Because "decent zoom" to me isnt more zoom than that.

Village Idiot · Jun 7, 2012

NewsGirl said:
Hello.

I'd really like your recommendations for a camera that would meet my needs. Can anybody help?

I am a print journalist who wants to start shooting photos of good enough quality for newspaper and news website publication. I'm not a photographer by any means so I'm looking for something pretty easy to use. I have been told I'm good at composing shots, and some photojournalist friends are willing to help me learn very basic stuff about camera settings etc., but mostly I suspect I'll be pointing and shooting.

So, first I'm torn about whether it's worth it to invest in an entry-level SLR or if that's too much camera (and too much cost) for what I need.

Here's what's important to me in a camera:
1.) Lightweight and not too bulky. I basically carry my office on my back (netbook, ipad, notebooks, digital recorder, etc) and it's heavy enough already.
2.) Easy to use.
3.) Easy to transfer photos via netbook. (Or, even better, iPad. ... Is there a way to do that?)
4.) Decent zoom.
5.) Image stabilizer
6.) I feel like 8-10 megapixels would be enough for my purposes, but not sure.

Are there any other features/factors I should be considering?

Do you have any recommendations for a good camera for me. I would like to spend not more than $500, but if somebody makes a really good case for a camera that costs a bit more I might consider it.

Someone suggested the Canon G12 to me, which is not a SLR. It seems like it would fit the bill except that the zoom is only 5X and I think I want more than that.

I'll appreciate any advice you would be kind enough to offer.

Thanks.

Do you know what the range of focal lengths were? 10mm-50mm isn't a very big as it goes from wide angle to normal viewing distance where as 25mm-150mm covers wide (not as wide as 10mm granted), standard, and telephoto distance. Both are 5x zoom.

Are you opposed to used? Do you want a camera with an integrated lens or do you want the option to change lenses. A camera with interchangeable lenses gives the biggest flexibility, but will end up costing more in the long run. The new crop of mirrorless cameras may be something to look at. The Olympus Pen series, Panasonic G series, Sony Nex series, and other offer alternatives to a DSLR that will let you swap lenses and have pretty good image quality. I hear an Olympus E-P2 can be had for a very good price used if you look in the right spots.

Anyways, the mirrorless cameras usually offer HD video recording and other neat features with the ability for some of the smaller ones to fit in a pocet, provided you don't have a large lens on it.

A thread on here about them:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...s/284092-everything-evil-you-comes-out-2.html

Looks like the PEN minis are going for $400 with 14-42 on B&H.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=PEN+mini&N=0&InitialSearch=yes

You'll not have some of the features and controls with the cheaper cameras though; that's why used may be a better option. If you do go used you can get a camera with the controls and features for the price of a cheaper camera.