Help to buy or not to buy

[irishtigger]

So I am on the fence about whether or not I should purchase a DSLR camera. I love taking picture especially when I am in Disney my last trip in May I took over 2200 on my own. My problem is I am worried about how heavy the camera is going to be and if I want to haul it around all day. I go on all the rides and I carry a book back which I figure I could put the camera bag in there on rides. I have a great canon point and shot but I feel like it just doesnt give me all I want in a picture especially at night and far away. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.



Thank you!

 

[photo_chick]

Where is it that the camera is coming up short for you? There are a lot of options out there and you might find a non-DSLR camera that meets your needs. Like the mirrorless... they give you many of the advantages of a DSLR but are much smaller. Or a high end bridge point and shoot like the Canon G12.. it's a full featured camera that delivers great results and is a good compromise between the average p&s and a DSLR. Or it may be that learning to use the modes on a point and shoot will serve you better than anything, after all, most of getting the shot is the photographer and not the camera.

So where is your current camera not doing that you want it to do? If it's just at night and far away then you need a longer zoom and good low light performance. The longer zoom is easy. The low light performance is trickier. Some will say to go DSLR, but I don't think it's always necessary if you really understand how your camera works. what kind of low light are we talking about?

 

[bob100]

So I am on the fence about whether or not I should purchase a DSLR camera. I love taking picture especially when I am in Disney my last trip in May I took over 2200 on my own. My problem is I am worried about how heavy the camera is going to be and if I want to haul it around all day. I go on all the rides and I carry a book back which I figure I could put the camera bag in there on rides. I have a great canon point and shot but I feel like it just doesnt give me all I want in a picture especially at night and far away. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

Thank you!

go to a store and check them out, some models are lighter but a DSLR will take up space and weight. There are lighter but optically good non-DSLR cameras which don't use a mirror and prism system, e.g.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrorless_interchangeable-lens_camera
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Thirds_system

 

[BigGreen73]

So I am on the fence about whether or not I should purchase a DSLR camera. I love taking picture especially when I am in Disney my last trip in May I took over 2200 on my own. My problem is I am worried about how heavy the camera is going to be and if I want to haul it around all day. I go on all the rides and I carry a book back which I figure I could put the camera bag in there on rides. I have a great canon point and shot but I feel like it just doesnt give me all I want in a picture especially at night and far away. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
Thank you!

Okay, you are me a few months ago. I was going through the do I or don't I want to get a DSLR, Do I want to carry something so bulky around the parks, which camera should I get phase.

I posted and read alot of posts on the Dis as well as read all the reviews on store websites, DSLR review websites, Amazon and the list goes on. I settled on the Sony A55 about a month ago and am so glad that I did. It's a great camera for the following reasons:

1. Light and more compact than other DSLR's. I have 5 lenses so far and I have gone out shooting and carry the bag w/ all of them. Not heavy at all. I would say 5 LBS at most. I have been taking a lot of pics with the camera and 75-300MM telephoto which is the heaviest lens. Not a problem at all, weighs more than a P&S but still relatively light.
2. Takes better pics than a P&S even with the "kit lens" that came with it out of the box just on auto settings. Richer colors, faster shooting, better low light etc.
3. Tons of features and easy to use.
4. And you get more creative freedom the more you learn the camera.
5. Auto focus & image stabilization built into the camera.

The bottom line is that if you are thinking about it, then you do want to take that next step. Go to a store and handle some cameras, read some reviews and see which DSLR may be right for you. The Sony A55 was the right choice for me and I love it!