Upcoming vacation - which small camera?

[greybeard]

Give this a look.

Recommended Cameras

 

[jtyson]

For a candid shot, beyond turning the camera on, I would have to adjust shutter speed, or aperture, or ISO instead of just pushing the button. Moment is gone. If auto worked, then I'd have the picture.

 

[Microbois]

For a candid shot, beyond turning the camera on, I would have to adjust shutter speed, or aperture, or ISO instead of just pushing the button. Moment is gone. If auto worked, then I'd have the picture.

In all due respect, your reply shows that you do not understand photography at all. No kidding, there's no such thing as an auto mode that covers all possibility. The various auto mode will still have to be selected properly in order to provide the result you are expecting. Sometimes it's important to pick a higher shutter speed, other times, a specific aperture is critical. I mean, how an auto mode in a camera can decide that for you? A camera doesn't have a brain, and it can't see nor understand anything, it's just a box that will capture an image at a specific shutter speed, aperture, and ISO setting. It's been like that for more than a century, and it's not any different in the digital age.

What you want from a camera, is just as silly as asking if there's a guitar you can buy that will make you play like Joe Satriani, but will spare you from learning anything. Obviously, there isn't such guitar, just as there is no camera with an auto mode that will figure out the best settings in all situations. Suggesting cameras in your case is a futile exercise as ALL consumer and prosumer cameras have full-auto, semi-auto, and special programs to do exactly what you want. With this out of the way, just buy any camera that fits your budget and your pocket and be done with it...

Just be aware though, that with any camera, you will still have to pick the right program... How many cameras will you buy until you realize that if you want better pictures, you'll need to learn how to make them in the first place? Oh ya, learning can be tough sometimes, but if you don't want to learn, maybe it's because you are not that much interested in photography afterall.

 

[jtyson]

Why do I bother coming here? Obviously some cameras are better than others. One camera's auto focus may be faster than another. One may perform better in low light than others. But camera snobs don't want to talk about equipment. They want to lecture on ability and passion and expertise.

I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER. I DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO DEVOTE TO LEARNING EVERYTHING. I DO NOT WANT TO BE LECTURED ABOUT HOW I COULD DO MORE WITH LESS. I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHICH CAMERAS ARE MORE LIKELY TO FIT THE NEEDS OF MY SITUATION.

And I am more than tired of hearing that they don't exist. BS. So many people out there taking good pictures, no way all of them are experts.

Seriously, if you don't have some input on hardware, don't give me any input. I know I would be a better guitar player if I quit my job and practiced 24/7. It isn't going to happen.

 

[Microbois]

And I am more than tired of hearing that they don't exist. BS. So many people out there taking good pictures, no way all of them are experts.

Then, by all means, if we are all a bunch of snobs incapable of telling you which camera you need, why don't you just go ask those soccer moms what kind of cameras they use to take those beautiful pictures? They must know much better than us, huh?

 

[Light Guru]

Why do I bother coming here? Obviously some cameras are better than others. One camera's auto focus may be faster than another. One may perform better in low light than others. But camera snobs don't want to talk about equipment. They want to lecture on ability and passion and expertise.

I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER. I DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO DEVOTE TO LEARNING EVERYTHING. I DO NOT WANT TO BE LECTURED ABOUT HOW I COULD DO MORE WITH LESS. I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHICH CAMERAS ARE MORE LIKELY TO FIT THE NEEDS OF MY SITUATION.

I don't think you understand the type of people you are asking your question to. You are asking people that care more about how good the final image is then how easy it is to get the result. It's kinda like you are asking a bunch of NASCAR mechanics and drivers what car you should get to drive to work in the morning.

And I am more than tired of hearing that they don't exist. BS. So many people out there taking good pictures, no way all of them are experts.

Again consider you you are asking. Have you considered that the people here DONT consider those pictures to be any good. That's why I and others say say why not just use an iPhone because we see the any big quality difference in the end image if you are using a point and shoot or an iPhone.

 

[LakeFX]

Why do I bother coming here? Obviously some cameras are better than others. One camera's auto focus may be faster than another. One may perform better in low light than others. But camera snobs don't want to talk about equipment. They want to lecture on ability and passion and expertise.

I DO NOT WANT TO BECOME A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER. I DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO DEVOTE TO LEARNING EVERYTHING. I DO NOT WANT TO BE LECTURED ABOUT HOW I COULD DO MORE WITH LESS. I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHICH CAMERAS ARE MORE LIKELY TO FIT THE NEEDS OF MY SITUATION.

And I am more than tired of hearing that they don't exist. BS. So many people out there taking good pictures, no way all of them are experts.

Seriously, if you don't have some input on hardware, don't give me any input. I know I would be a better guitar player if I quit my job and practiced 24/7. It isn't going to happen.

Which car will do the best job of driving from Germany to France without me learning how to drive?

This is essentially the level of question that you are asking. Faster auto focus or better automatic white balance won't solve the issues that you are having. I bet most of those soccer moms are shooting in a sports auto mode, which still requires learning enough about the camera to change to that mode. My cell phone even has that mode. But, guess what, it won't change to that mode for me. No camera will do that right now.

You want a technology solution to an educational issue. This is like asking what calculator will do your math homework for you.

 

[jtyson]

If there were somewhere to ask people who aren't as passionate about this, I would gladly go there. They would give me the simple answers they have, for the simple questions I'm asking.

The analogies are fantastic, but all extreme ends of the spectrum. I know how to take a picture. I know how to drive a car. I know how to work on cars. I am not a camera or photography expert. I am not Mario Andretti. I am not a Nascar mechanic. There is such thing as a middle ground folks.

I have a basic understanding of a handful of photography terms, and even a slight grasp on practical application. I understand that shutter speed is how fast the picture is captured. I don't entirely understand it in relation to clarity, but I'd assume, the faster it is, the less time for exposure, so the less likely it will be clear. I understand what an aperture is. A hole. In cameras, the bigger the hole, the more light. Obviously in low light, more light being captured is better, therefor a larger hole>smaller hole. As for ISO, I understand the definition and have a vague understanding of noise in relation to ISO, but I don't really understand sensitivity of any sort. Ask all my exes for confirmation on that one.

So look at me now, I've learned how to play Smoke on the Water, Fix my Ford Taurus, and drive down the road. I'm not quite Hendrix, but I never will be. I'm never gonna be on a pit crew, and I'd surely love to learn how to get from Germany to France, but I'm afraid I can't ship my car that far.

I'm guessing, you all weren't born as God's gifts to photography, but probably started at the bottom and crossed that middle ground somewhere in your life. Maybe in the recent past, where you might have relevant suggestions for someone who isn't looking to become the Stephen Hawking of photography. There have been other people in this thread who have made suggestions. Why do you feel the need to drill me about learning the intricacies of something I don't want to become an expert at?

Yes I'm looking for a technological solution to an educational problem. And they make it. Otherwise we would still be painting what we see. Or worse yet, chipping it in stone. Now we can take pictures. Evolutionary proof in the making.

If it is a standards issue, lower yours to imagine mine. When you go through the last 10k photos you took, and like 15 of them, pretend you are thinking like me, and I would probably like 3,000 of them. Here, everyone can gag on this one too....I have no desire to do post production editing of my pictures either, beyond a crop.

 

[Light Guru]

There is such thing as a middle ground folks.

But you are asking people who NEVER spend time in that middle ground. We are ether trying to make the best image possible or we are just taking a snapshot so a cell phone will do fine. Because we don't spend time in that middle ground we tend not to know the gear that you might want for that middle ground.

 

[jtyson]

There is such thing as a middle ground folks.

But you are asking people who NEVER spend time in that middle ground. We are ether trying to make the best image possible or we are just taking a snapshot so a cell phone will do fine. Because we don't spend time in that middle ground we tend not to know the gear that you might want for that middle ground.

And you never spent any time there? You can't recognize it? Everything is either perfection or trash?

And do you truly believe every single person on this forum is here to achieve perfection? Nobody is here to just have fun and get some cool pictures from time to time?

 

[LakeFX]

Yes I'm looking for a technological solution to an educational problem. And they make it.

Actually, no they don't make it. That's what we are trying to tell you.

Most point and shoot cameras have an intelligent auto mode, or whatever that particular brand chooses to call it, but none of them work well at this point. They are working on it, but it's not there yet. It's at about the same point of development as autonomous cars, which is kind of working, but not really.

The closest to a technological solution that I can give you is to find any camera that has a physical mode dial with sports, landscape, and portrait modes on it. You will still need to switch modes between subjects and you probably won't be much happier with the results than you are with your phone, but that is the closest that exists.

For what it's worth, I'm no professional photographer, but I am a professional educator and I encounter people with your attitude all the time. Some day you may decide to spend the effort to learn how to take the photos you want and we'll be here to help. You'll even find that it will take less time to learn than you have already spent on here insisting that you don't have time to learn.

 

[Light Guru]

And you never spent any time there? You can't recognize it? Everything is either perfection or trash?

And do you truly believe every single person on this forum is here to achieve perfection? Nobody is here to just have fun and get some cool pictures from time to time?

Not every photo has to be a master piece. But for me I'm ether going for a image to be printed big for the wall using my 4x5 film camera or I'm ok with a simple photo taken by my iPhone that I may or may not post to Facebook.

I think most people on this forum are honestly trying to improve their photography by learning how to take better images instead of just accepting what they get from auto mode.

 

[jtyson]

And you never spent any time there? You can't recognize it? Everything is either perfection or trash?

And do you truly believe every single person on this forum is here to achieve perfection? Nobody is here to just have fun and get some cool pictures from time to time?

Not every photo has to be a master piece. But for me I'm ether going for a image to be printed big for the wall using my 4x5 film camera or I'm ok with a simple photo taken by my iPhone that I may or may not post to Facebook.

I think most people on this forum are honestly trying to improve their photography by learning how to take better images instead of just accepting what they get from auto mode.

I never mentioned my intended use for the pictures I take. I like to look at them on my iPad, phone, or computer. Occasionally, I like to put them on my TV, but I'm never happy with them at that size because it gets too pixilated. I believe that is where I would need a camera with a better sensor/MP ratio. But it probably also has to do with composition, because I am unteachable.

Truth is, I would like to improve my pictures. That is why I came here. Originally, I wanted to be serious about it, but I had an issue with being the cameraman. I like doing things. I don't like taking pictures of doing things. So, ultimately, I'm looking to capture memories, in photographs that are of a good quality, by normal folk standards. Not by hobbyist or professional standards.

Yes I'm looking for a technological solution to an educational problem. And they make it.

Actually, no they don't make it. That's what we are trying to tell you.

Most point and shoot cameras have an intelligent auto mode, or whatever that particular brand chooses to call it, but none of them work well at this point. They are working on it, but it's not there yet. It's at about the same point of development as autonomous cars, which is kind of working, but not really.

The closest to a technological solution that I can give you is to find any camera that has a physical mode dial with sports, landscape, and portrait modes on it. You will still need to switch modes between subjects and you probably won't be much happier with the results than you are with your phone, but that is the closest that exists.

For what it's worth, I'm no professional photographer, but I am a professional educator and I encounter people with your attitude all the time. Some day you may decide to spend the effort to learn how to take the photos you want and we'll be here to help. You'll even find that it will take less time to learn than you have already spent on here insisting that you don't have time to learn.

Maybe they haven't perfected it. But I'm sure the Auto function on a 70d is superior to that of the auto function on the EOS 30d. Again, middle ground. I don't expect something that plugs into my brain and records the world as I see it to perfection without any work on my part. You are correct that I wouldn't be happy if I had to switch modes and adjust settings for every subject. I could make an exception for the difference between daytime and nighttime, but beyond that, I'd like something adequate at choosing relatively decent settings on auto. Maybe I wouldn't be happy with the results. Maybe you guys assume my standards are much higher than they are. A few months back, I posted some pictures I thoroughly enjoyed on here that I took on vacation last summer. I had them torn apart by pros that thought they were a low level of mediocre. I thought they were awesome. Gotta love perception eh?

Makes sense that you are an educator. Teachers always hated me. I did things different than everyone else, and didn't read the instructions. After a while I stopped asking for help because they would always get mad at me for not doing it their way. No surprise that our interaction has been was it has.

I have time to learn. I don't have time to practice and perfect. Knowledge is useless without application is it not?

 

[Tinderbox (UK)]

If you just want a camera to take photo`s in Auto which i use most of the time as i like street photography get an Nikon 1 system camera and leave it on auto and you will get some of the best sharp, well exposed, accurate white balance and it has an 1" sensor, but it`s a little chunky as it has removable lenses which means it`s easy to clean dust off the sensor, unlike fixed lens camera`s have a look at a few reviews.

I have had virtually every brand and type of camera compact camera, and the Nikon 1 system gets it right more times than any other.

John.

Watch the video below, it`s on the V2 but the entry level versions take just as good photo`s they just dont have an evf and 1/250 flash sync

 

[Microbois]

To the OP, I think I see where is the misunderstanding. While everything that has been said by myself and others (Light Guru and LakeFX) is still the implacable truth, maybe our analogies misguided you into thinking that we wanted you to become a professional photographer (Joe Satriani, Nascar mechanics, etc.). Well, if so, you are missing our point, and all we tried to explain is that all cameras have pretty much the same auto modes (S, A, P, full Auto). Truth is, the auto mode on a 7000$ camera is not any better than the one on a 200$ camera. In fact, every camera has a built-in light meter, and depending on which auto mode you select, it will do the rest for you based on available light. What we are trying to explain is that even though you have all those auto modes, you still need to have a basic working knowledge of photography in order to select the correct mode for each situation. So yes, you will still need to turn dials, or select programs in the menus to pick what you want. As of today, there's NO CAMERA that can be turned on in a unique auto mode and will take good pictures in all scenarios. We are not talking about any "professional" results here. Just take the following everyday situations for example :

- Photos at the beach by a sunny day
- Photos outside in winter with a lot of snow by a sunny day
- Photos of fireworks
- Photos at a concert
- Photos at your kid's hockey or soccer game
- Photos of your dog running to catch a frisbee

All those examples will require different semi-auto mode (S or A) but you will still need to dial in at least one correct value (speed or aperture). Do you know which one for each scenes? Even some situations will need manual compensation because the light meter will be fooled by too much light reflecting off the sand or the snow. You will not get acceptable results for any of those situations if your camera is set in full auto mode, regardless if it's a 200$ camera, a 500$ camera, a 1000$ camera, or even a 7000$ camera. And I'm dead serious!.

So, this is why we say that you can purchase ANY camera that fits your budget and the form factor you're looking for. Maybe then you should concentrate on image quality, or zoom span instead. If so, then we can point you out to some interesting models. But if all you want is a camera that has great auto modes, well, they all do, so ANY camera would be fine.

That being said, and you admit yourself of being stubborn, I honestly don't see the interest for you to get a camera. You don't enjoy taking pictures since you prefer to be in front of the camera... You don't want to learn anything, even the most basic elements of photography, but then you come here and give us grief because we don't tell you which camera to buy. Do you expect us to suggest cameras when the elephant in the room is your obvious lack of knowledge and interest in photography?