Need advise on camera purchase.

ArlyA · Dec 24, 2020

gsganzer said:
I don't have personal experience with it, but folks on hunting forums and those who do field work seem to really like them for the durability. It also has an option for a special lens barrier/protector. The lens has usually been the issue for me, I had a nice Canon that got a scratch on the lens, created a slight blur on every photo. I had another (also Canon), that the mechanics for the zoom quit working. It seems none of them can be repaired after a year or so, pretty much disposable.
I have a hunting trip to Spain next November and will probably buy a TR6, based on other folks recommendations. Day to day I usually just use my cell phone for photo's, but for traveling and special trips I like something a little more versatile for special photos.

Seems that canon does not have a lens cover and its waterproof, so it might not be model best for us. We have liked our Lumix cameras very much and used them for many years, like over 14. Nonetheless, we are hard on there lens shutters.

gsganzer · Dec 24, 2020

ArlyA said:
Seems that canon does not have a lens cover and its waterproof, so it might not be model best for us. We have liked our Lumix cameras very much and used them for many years, like over 14. Nonetheless, we are hard on there lens shutters.

I've had a Lumix too and it was one of my better camera's. In fact I had never heard of that brand and only bought it from the recommendation of Doug at CameraLand NY. I'd recommend you give Doug or Joel at Cameraland a call and tell them what your needs are. They've always given great advice, pricing and stand behind what they sell. I give all my optics business to them.

PILOON · Dec 24, 2020

I was very into photography years back, darkroom and all and liked doing B & W a lot.

As long as U stay with Cannon, Nikon (and maybe Olympus) you will be in good shape.
Maybe also Sony.
I like Canon an Nikon mainly as most older lenses can be used on their modern digital platforms.

Today Cellphones have come so far that they have replaced the need for the 'point and shoot' variety of camera so you should also take that into consideration.

Good lick, have fun.

gsganzer · Dec 24, 2020

gsganzer said:
I've had a Lumix too and it was one of my better camera's. In fact I had never heard of that brand and only bought it from the recommendation of Doug at CameraLand NY. I'd recommend you give Doug or Joel at Cameraland a call and tell them what your needs are. They've always given great advice, pricing and stand behind what they sell. I give all my optics business to them.

I was mistaken, it wasn't a Lumix, it was surprisingly a Casio Exilim that CameraLand had steered me to. It was relatively cheap, but took surprisingly good low light photo's, the pre-configured "scenes" worked very well and it had a huge optical zoom for the time (probably 10+ years ago). It wasn't a camera or brand I would have considered, but CameraLand definitely hit the nail on the head for what I was looking for in a "point and shoot" shirt pocket camera.

Oaktree · Dec 24, 2020

TractorGuy said:
I have a out of production Canon SX530HS that takes killer photos both close and zoomed. I especially like the zoom feature and quality. Bought it used off eBay. I was skeptical about a camera with a proprietary battery so I ordered some spare generics. The battery lasts for a super long time so I rarely have to load one of the spares.

I have a Canon SX 160 I bought 5-6 years ago and am pleased with it. The zoom was a big factor, as well as the fact that it used AA batteries and not some proprietary rechargable. I have not had good luck with rechargeable batteries in cameras, best luck is with lithiums which last a long time. Alkalines, not so much.

There's probably a way to do it, but I haven't figured out how to take night photos (moon, etc.). It does quite well in low light though.

KennyG · Dec 24, 2020

I'm not sure how much you want to spend, but I have been very happy with my Canon G7x. It's a step above the average "point and shoot" camera because it has a larger sensor, which allows larger pixels and a cleaner picture. It also has a wider wide angle end of the zoom range which is important to me. The weak point of all these cameras is the zoom/retract mechanism which is probably the biggest cause of early failure, but my Canon has been very reliable for about 5 years and thousands of photos so far.

oosik · Dec 25, 2020

For point & shoot - I recently upgraded from a Canon SX50 to a Canon G7X Mk lll.

For nature & close ups - Canon EOS 5D Mk 2. EF100mm f/2.8L. Macro IS USM

Citydude · Dec 25, 2020

I have an older Canon EOS Rebel XTI body and assorted lenses to go with it when I was into photography. The IPhone 11 shots I get are surprisingly comparable to the Canon.

Ken45101 · Dec 27, 2020

I've had great results with the Canon Powershot pocket models, specifically a SD780 (that's a dozen years old). I much prefer those with an eyepiece to look through, on a bright sunny day those without an eyepiece are hard to see the screen.

When we were visiting Utah Canyonlands years ago, I brought both the little Canon and a big Nikon Digital SLR with zoom lens (D70). I found the Canon took better photos than the big SLR! I cannot fault the pictures from the little pocket camera.

One advantage the big DSLR has is faster focusing and shooting. The pocket Canon Powershot is slower. If you are trying to get photos of a deer running past or someone riding up to you on a horse, the big camera does the job. The pocket camera takes too long to focus. IDK how the modern cameras are, mine are a dozen years old.

A more current camera I have is the Nikon Coolpix P900 with an 83x zoom range. It takes decent photos (not as sharp as the other two, but acceptable and many people would not notice the difference) and the zoom lens is incredible! I have nice shots of deer 800 feet away and full screen shots of the moon. It has good image stabilization. You can see and photograph more with it than you can see with 10x binoculars.

Ken