Best Camera for Cruising

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Chipg

Lots of good suggestions here but I think the ideal camera kit is a small cheap waterproof pocket type camera (because getting the shot is better than not getting the shot), and a larger pro type camera.

My suggestion for the larger more pro type cam would be something you already touched upon, a panasonic 4/3rd's gh2. The body only cost around $700 but since it is such a hot cam most places are sold out and there is a 30 day wait to get one.

The benefits of the panasonic gh2 (not the gh1):

About half the size of a cannon 5d dslr

Almost any lens will work on the gh2 with an adapter, canon, nikon, zeiss primes, even $20k arri primes, the options for lenses are about the best it gets, this let's you buy all sorts of lenses used on eBay at decent prices.

The video is awesome on it! I know you main concern is stills but the video on the gh2 is awesome for a $700 cam body, much better than on the $2500 canon 5d. Now that I said that, the still images on a 5d are better but not by much and the gh2 is 1/3 the price.

I have a lot of experience with a gh2 and really like it, at $700 for the body only you will have $300 left over for your small waterproof pocket camera.

Actually for a 4/3rd I was leaning toward the gf2 or a Sony Alpha Nex-5. How would you compare the gh to the gf? Be kind, I'm a novice here.

[Chipg]

Originally Posted by Doodles

Actually for a 4/3rd I was leaning toward the gf2 or a Sony Alpha Nex-5. How would you compare the gh to the gf? Be kind, I'm a novice here.

The gf2 is also a great cam for the money, it's basically a smaller scaled down version of the gh2 but since video is not your #1 priority it might be the cam you need, only you know the answer to this.

Hopefully this will help you make your mind up: Panasonic G2 vs. GH2 vs. GF2 | Computer/Electronics

[Chipg]

The stills image quality is prob 10-15% better on the gh2 vs gf2, its not a night and day difference, they are close. The gh2 has a better sensor, one thing I really like about the gh2 is the flip up/around LCD screen, this allows you to frame shots in ways you can't with the gf2, I like to shoot from the hip a lot and put the camera on the ground looking up, with the rotatable LCD on the gh2 it makes those shots really easy.

Your not going to go wrong with either cam btw.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by Doodles

You obviously do understand about a man's need for a new toy every now and then. Besides, I have a birthday soon.

Doodles,
Birthdays are overrated. You get to the point where you've just had way too many. I'd be happy to simply keep re-using my old ones

[VirtualVagabond]

I'm a bit of a dinasaur when it comes to highly technical gear, so I also tend to ask questions and follow what makes sense to me.

I saw 2 blogs that really impressed me with the quality of their photography. I emailed them and both said it's really easy of you have a decent camera.
Coincidentally, both are using Cannon EOS cameras. One was using a 550D, and they raved about it's it's video quality as well as stills. The other was using an earlier model EOS. Take a look.
bumfuzzle.com and The World Tour - Alex and Taru sailing around the world - Hallberg Rassy 352 - Caribbean

You can get a lens kit package with 18-55 and 55-250, for under $1000 online.
Vic

[Khagan1227]

I'm with Charlie, I got an Olympus Stylus 710 for work a few years ago. I needed a tough waterproof camera that didn't mind getting wet and dirty.
I took it to several islands and posted the pictures on Tripadvisor and was contacted by Dominica's Department of Tourism for permission to use the photos in their advertising.
4 years later and the camera is still working fine, but it is time to upgrade the resolution to 12 MP, and I plan to get the Olympus 1210. If I ever need a better camera, I'll look for a DSLR or similar.

[Chipg]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

I'm a bit of a dinasaur when it comes to highly technical gear, so I also tend to ask questions and follow what makes sense to me.

I saw 2 blogs that really impressed me with the quality of their photography. I emailed them and both said it's really easy of you have a decent camera.
Coincidentally, both are using Cannon EOS cameras. One was using a 550D, and they raved about it's it's video quality as well as stills. The other was using an earlier model EOS. Take a look.
bumfuzzle.com and The World Tour - Alex and Taru sailing around the world - Hallberg Rassy 352 - Caribbean

You can get a lens kit package with 18-55 and 55-250, for under $1000 online.
Vic

I can tell you this right now, the glass that Alex & Taru are using on their camera is more expensive than the camera, they def spent some money on a few lenses, a friend put a $1700 lens on an old dslr body I had years ago and I was blown away, it was a newcam. Invest in nice glass, I have always said that and always will.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Chipg

I can tell you this right now, the glass that Alex & Taru are using on their camera is more expensive than the camera, they def spent some money on a few lenses, a friend put a $1700 lens on an old dslr body I had years ago and I was blown away, it was a newcam. Invest in nice glass, I have always said that and always will.

from Alex & Taru's blog:

I am photographing with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and used are lenses such as: Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 II, Canon EOS 70-200 mm f/2.8 L IS USM and a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.

The 5D is a bit out of my budget, maybe a 550D. That way I'll have more for the glass.

[NorthPacific]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I swear by my Canon SD series (the SD1400 is the current model). They make waterproof enclosures that you can use for diving as well (they're almost the same price as the camera). Really high quality, nearly every shot is perfect, and they take great videos.

This is newer than mine but it's the SD model:

Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black): Camera & Photo

Have to concur. I Bought one after a friend lent me one for a trip to thailand. Bought one on my return. Destroyed it from not loking after it, bought a new one and a$5 pouch had it for ayear and it is great at video is good as well. Let my Mrs use my expensive digital slr. I have my camara in my pocket evryday and get great pics every time.

[Chipg]

Originally Posted by Doodles

from Alex & Taru's blog:



The 5D is a bit out of my budget, maybe a 550D. That way I'll have more for the glass.

Remember they also did color correcting in post for some images, more than likely they used photoshop, its the #1 goto photo software for image manipulation but there are others.

I'm surprised to see the 50mm was an f1.8 I would have bet money on it being a f1.2 or f1.4, they must have added blur in post to make depth of field more shallow because that camera is not a full frame camera.

EDIT: whoops, it is a full frame 5d, that explains the f1.8, I could have swore someone else said, it was a 550d which is not a full frame camera.

A lot of how your images are going to turn out has to do with how your cam is set up, for testing like on dpreview.com all the cameras are set to neutral or how they came from factory, want your images to pop a little more then turn up the chroma (you can also do that to a point with photoshop btw, you'll have more manipulation leway if you shoot in raw), also I recommend a good high quality polarizer for anyone shooting outdoors, the suns rays reek havoc on digital camera sensors.

[Chipg]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

I'm a bit of a dinasaur when it comes to highly technical gear, so I also tend to ask questions and follow what makes sense to me.

I saw 2 blogs that really impressed me with the quality of their photography. I emailed them and both said it's really easy of you have a decent camera.
Coincidentally, both are using Cannon EOS cameras. One was using a 550D, and they raved about it's it's video quality as well as stills. The other was using an earlier model EOS. Take a look.
bumfuzzle.com and The World Tour - Alex and Taru sailing around the world - Hallberg Rassy 352 - Caribbean

You can get a lens kit package with 18-55 and 55-250, for under $1000 online.
Vic

Just to add a note, Alex and Tura are using a canon 5d mkii which is the latest version of the 5d as doodles copied from their blog. I didn't want people wasting their money expecting to get image quality like they have and be dissapointed, the 5d mkii is $2500 ish for the body only, I have seen sales as low as $2100 for it but rummor has it the mark 3, mkiii will be out this fall.

[VirtualVagabond]

Yeah... I think it was the Bumfuzzles with the 550D, possibly marketed as a Rebel in USA. It's marketed as a Kiss in Japan.
I suspect Alex and Taru may have upgraded too, since I emailed them close to a year ago.
I also think she is a graphic artist by training, so the photoshop is almost a given.

[Chipg]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

Yeah... I think it was the Bumfuzzles with the 550D, possibly marketed as a Rebel in USA. It's marketed as a Kiss in Japan.
I suspect Alex and Taru may have upgraded too, since I emailed them close to a year ago.
I also think she is a graphic artist by training, so the photoshop is almost a given.

Makes sense because there are a lot of lower quality pics on their site as well.

[Sparohok]

One other thing to keep in mind... with Japan's current difficulties affecting the global supply chain, a lot of camera equipment is in short supply and prices have risen considerably. For example some of Panasonic's micro 4/3s lenses are almost twice as expensive now than they were at the beginning of the year, if they are available at all. Use a site like camelcamelcamel.com to check that you're getting a good price.

Martin

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Chipg

Makes sense because there are a lot of lower quality pics on their site as well.

Good catch ... look like you are right on that.

From Alex & Taru's blog:

The old camera which is the one used for all photos featured in this blog before September 2010, is a more simpler Canon camera. The Canon EOS 450D (called Digital Rebel XSi in the US) is the one I would like to recommend to anyone who are in the thoughts of beginning to understand the difference between a compact digital and a digital SLR camera. To this one I used the standard lens which came with it and also sometimes a great macro lens, the Canon EF-S 60 mm f/2.8.