Camera Question

[Kforoz]

Hi there...We want to upgrade our point and shoot camera (though it still takes good pictures) before our Disneyland trip in December since it will be our first trip with our 2 boys. Any recommendations for a camera that's a bit more than a point and shoot but not so fancy that it requires a lot of focusing or lens changing? Thanks for the input!

Karla

 

[RichP1269]

Nikon CoolPix P520.

Not a point and shoot but not a DSLR either. It's what is called a bridge camera.

 

[mlnbabies]

We have a Nikon 5100 and a coolpix 7700. The coolpix is our point and shoot and we love it as our "little camera". We have have 2 Olympus TG's the 1 and 2 for our durable waterproof cameras.

 

[Geemo]

We have both a Nikon 7000 series point and shoot and a DSLR D90.

While I've taken great pictures with both cameras, for special times I'll pack the DSLR D90.

The D90 will shoot up to 4 frames per second. The recovery time between shots has never been an issue with this one.

When I take a picture with the point and shoot camera, the recovery time before I can take another picture is SLOW! For scenery and an occasional person pic it's okay.

When I used the point and shoot at Disneyland on one of our trips, I really had trouble getting those candid shots of the grandkids with the characters. There as a sizable amount of time in between one shot and the next.

I'm sold on packing the D90 around for the day, after I saw the pictures from a Disneyland trip. With the shutter setting on high speed (4frames/second) the character interaction picture were FANTASTIC!

I have no idea of what's on the market these days....
However, to me a camera for Disneyland really needs to have a fast recovery time. Especially for catching those memories of the parks with kids.

Digital cameras are so nice!

Geemo

 

[whoever]

We have both a Nikon 7000 series point and shoot and a DSLR D90.

While I've taken great pictures with both cameras, for special times I'll pack the DSLR D90.

The D90 will shoot up to 4 frames per second. The recovery time between shots has never been an issue with this one.

When I take a picture with the point and shoot camera, the recovery time before I can take another picture is SLOW! For scenery and an occasional person pic it's okay.

When I used the point and shoot at Disneyland on one of our trips, I really had trouble getting those candid shots of the grandkids with the characters. There as a sizable amount of time in between one shot and the next.

I'm sold on packing the D90 around for the day, after I saw the pictures from a Disneyland trip. With the shutter setting on high speed (4frames/second) the character interaction picture were FANTASTIC!

I have no idea of what's on the market these days....
However, to me a camera for Disneyland really needs to have a fast recovery time. Especially for catching those memories of the parks with kids.

Digital cameras are so nice!

Geemo

My thoughts exactly. 6FPS and RAW with large sensors and quality glass is where its at. The key to having good pictures with any dynamic situation is to take A LOT of pictures.

 

[SplashMo]

SONY RX100 P&S camera. Version one is in the $330 range. Very nice camera. and best P&S available (however Version 3 is slightly better).

Solid choice...

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

SONY RX100 P&S camera. Version one is in the $330 range. Very nice camera. and best P&S available (however Version 3 is slightly better).

Solid choice...

LOVE my Sony RX100 ii!! It is takes the best low light pictures for a point and shoot and is super easy to use I have had it on the easy setting since I got it and have only done the manual setting a couple of times playing around. It is by far the best Camera purchase I have made. I got mine on sale at Costco and it came with a lot of extra's.

 

[Nhebron]

LOVE my Sony RX100 ii!! It is takes the best low light pictures for a point and shoot and is super easy to use I have had it on the easy setting since I got it and have only done the manual setting a couple of times playing around. It is by far the best Camera purchase I have made. I got mine on sale at Costco and it came with a lot of extra's.

I also have this camera. It was a bit pricey, but I used it more than my DSLR during our last Disney trip.

 

[Vintage Mouseketeer]

Sony NEX-5T !!

It is great for someone who wants DSLR quality, but not bulk or price tag. It is very easy to use for a beginner, 10 FPS, which is awesome when photographing kids in those special moments. Works well in low light. The auto setting is decent, but you have the choice to shot manual and change lenses. I also love the Wifi feature . The price is not bad either. We're happy with our Sony

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[jennilouwho]

I love my sony rx100 as well! Great camera that isn't a pain to take everywhere! Well worth the money!

 

[mcjingles]

I love my sony rx100 as well! Great camera that isn't a pain to take everywhere! Well worth the money!

I agree bought one before WDW last year and it's awesome.

 

[Fivers]

I'd look at either mirrorless cameras (like SLRs in that you can change lenses, but significantly smaller, will have full auto settings, and they're super fast to autofocus, especially the newer models), or a high end compact, ie. Sony RX100, Canon G16, Nikon P7800.

The mirrorless cameras are much smaller than an SLR, but still often bigger than a P&S (except the Panasonic GM1, that thing is tiny!). Most of them offer significantly better image quality than a point and shoot will in a fairly small package, but unless you want to get a bigger lens, your zoom will be limited to about 3x. If you really want something small and don't mind limited zoom, take a look at the Panasonic GM1, you'll be surprised by the size! Other good options are Olympus (E-M10 is a really popular entry level, or the E-PL or E-PM series) and Sony (the NEX-5 series are older, but super popular, the newer model is the A6000).

If even the possibility of switching lenses is not for you, a high end compact works really well for Disney. Gives you better low light performance than most other P&S cameras, but still stays small. Your zoom is still usually limited to around 5x, but I find for Disney that you really don't need more than that. I personally got a Canon G16 for the parks when I don't want to bring my SLR. The best of the best is the Sony RX100 series. The newer ones are slightly faster to autofocus, added Wifi in, tilting screen, etc., but as a PP said the original (if you can find it), is still a great camera! I personally find Sony menu systems a little frustrating, but if you're most shooting auto or scene modes, that probably won't be a problem. The Nikon P7800 is a good camera as well, although not as popular as the Canons for whatever reason. My other recommendation would be the Canon S120 (or a previous model). Very small camera, doesn't have as good of a lens as the G16, but is much smaller, and if you're mostly shooting in auto you won't miss anything else that the G16 has. My friend has one and really likes it.

If you like doing your own research and comparison, check out Digital Photography Review's website (just google that). They're an independent reviewer, and should have reviews up for all the cameras everyone has mentioned. My other suggestion would be to go to a camera store, and try them out! Some will just feel better in your hands, and be more intuitive. If you haven't guessed by now, I work in a camera store, so if you have any little nitpicky detailed questions about any of the cameras out there, I'd be more than happy to see if I can find an answer for you. Happy camera hunting!

 

[Poohs100AcreWood]

I agree with the mirrorless cameras. I have a Sony NEX-5, which is DSLR quality without being the huge size of one. You could also do a Nikon 1, which is similar. I have done both the Sony and a Nikon D40 in the past, and the Sony is amazing quality.

 

[cmpeter]

I went with the Canon G16. My DSLR is also a Canon and I like keeping with the same brand. I just got it last week and will use it at DL next week, so I can't really review it yet.

 

[ScottyK86]

I got the RX100 mk2 for our last trip, was a very good camera, much nicer pics that my S100 and much lighter than taking a full sized SLR. I can post some sample pics if you would like to see?

 

[Kforoz]

Thank you so much for the responses so far! I have been checking out a few of the mentioned cameras and realizing how much I DON'T know about current cameras on the market!

Fivers--I will google that review website. Sounds like it may be a great starting point.

ScottyK86--I would love to see a few sample pictures! It seems like that Sony is a popular choice!

Karla

 

[ScottyK86]

ScottyK86--I would love to see a few sample pictures! It seems like that Sony is a popular choice!

No worries.

 

[taffy]

I have a Fujifilm x-e2 but you may also want to look at the x-m1 or x-a1.

They will give you a much butter picture and for flexibility when shooting things at disney like low light. fireworks ect.