Camera Recommendations

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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Casscat, take a look at dpreview.com which is probably the best website for information at all levels from very basic to stratospheric, and has some of the best equipment reviews from people who actually know what they're talking about. They also have a forum..........

Also take a look at wexphotographic as a guide to what you need to pay (they're generally very competitive for officially sourced equipment) and some useful buying guides.

And if we don't hear from you on LMH for a few days, we'll know what's holding your attention!
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

johnandtahra wrote:I use a Canon EOS 5Dk2 with 16-35/4L lens, so not exactly a basic rig, but it's overkill for interiors.
Why? If you can afford such high-end equipment, it would seem (to me) to be the perfect lens for interior photography. Interiors are always the hardest nut to crack on any rental property shoot and the wider the lens, the more the pictorial opportunities that open up.

Worth remembering, too, that when you hire a pro photographer and gasp at their price, you're not only hiring that person's expertise, but also their (often highly expensive) equipment.

I'm also taken with the Lumix range of cameras (I've got a GX-7, which I think is terrific) and I'm amazed that companies who I once thought (Panasonic and Sony) made radios and toasters, now make some of the best photo equipment on the market. Panasonic have been clever, too, in fitting lenses designed and approved by Leica, one of the old lens masters (although some of the cheaper Lumix 'kit' lenses don't meet Leica's strict standards).
Jim
johnandtahra
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Post by johnandtahra »

Jimbo wrote:
johnandtahra wrote:I use a Canon EOS 5Dk2 with 16-35/4L lens, so not exactly a basic rig, but it's overkill for interiors.
Why? If you can afford such high-end equipment, it would seem (to me) to be the perfect lens for interior photography. Interiors are always the hardest nut to crack on any rental property shoot and the wider the lens, the more the pictorial opportunities that open up.
I really meant that it'd be overkill to buy such a rig just to shoot the interior of one's own properties. However, being lucky enough to have such a rig, it is more than up to the job, although a lens with perspective control might be better still - but they're *very* expensive and a bit quirky to use.
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

Well in spite of all your wonderful and well considered replies I went on to make a HUGE mistake and bought a Canon IXUS 275 HS. It appeared to fit the bill admirably, and indeed it does if you want a sleek piece of loveliness in your hand, a fabulously clear 3" screen and lots of promises as to what it can deliver, but disappointment lay ahead. I have taken a raft of photos, but I have one simple problem - I cannot actually load them from my camera to some useful media. I did actually succeed in sending photos to my iPad while I was in Spain, and more recently another small batch of photos conveyed to said iPad, but in spite of many, many frustrating hours in front of my previous and brand spanking new current PC I have hit a brick wall - no photos will transmit. The camera does not recognise my 'access point'. Tonight I tried to send to the iPad where I have managed to load photos before and again it failed.

My last Canon Ixus loaded photos via USB. This current one is only WiFi which is completely nuts - why not have BOTH as an option? That way you could load and view photos even if you were in a WiFi free zone.

I will revert to the retailer of my camera because it is not fit for purpose, but now I DEFINITELY want a camera which can transfer photos either wirelessly or via USB. I shall revisit your earlier recommendations, but if you have any further comments please lob them my way :mrgreen:
Essar
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Post by Essar »

The Canon IXUS 275 HS comes with a removable memory card - does your laptop/desktop come with a similar slot, so you can just plug and play?
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

I've no idea Essar - I shall go check forthwith! Shouldn't be necessary though given the WiFi transfer capability the camera is supposed to come with, but if it gets my current trapped pics onto my desktop then that's a result Image
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

Essar wrote:The Canon IXUS 275 HS comes with a removable memory card - does your laptop/desktop come with a similar slot, so you can just plug and play?
Failing that, there are inexpensive 'card readers' that accept memory cards and plug into your computer's USB sockets to transfer your data. I've got one called an Easyi for my Lumix's SH cards; works a treat.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_nos ... ard+reader
Jim
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

It's much easier to transfer photos using the memory card directly to your PC. I wanted wifi transmission originally but the vendor said it took ages and used up a lot of battery so at the moment it was better to continue just using the memory card.
JaneS
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Post by JaneS »

My camera is a secondhand Nikon D200 which transfers via USB; plug the USB bit into the computer and the other end of the cable into the camera. It is a very clever piece of kit, in fact sometimes a little too clever for itself. It takes all the manual lenses I still have too, some were expensive to buy which is why I kept them. I know it is not the most up to date on the market but it suits me. Purchased from Grays of Westminster.

I started taking photos young in my life with a Olypmus half frame camera - incidentally the D200 is a half frame, which means lenses are a quarter more in optical length to a full 35mm format - using a sungamo Weston exposure meter. I then progressed to black and white printing as my father was my tutor. Then my dad gave me a Canon FTb and lent me some of his lenses. Next was a Nikon FM2 with a MB12 drive. Loaded with Fuji Velvia rated at 100 ISO, slightly under expose it on the Nikon and processed by OH - OH worked at various professional photographic labs in London - who pushed it a stop in processing and wow the colours.

What do I find now? I spend as much time in front of the computer with various programmers as I did in the darkroom. But I still remember the thrill of seeing the image coming to life in the tray as the tray was rocked.

If it comes down to it, Nikon for me and a full 35mm format. I would buy it Grays of Westminster as their grading of equipment is very accurate and they post to France. Memory cards can hold a lot of photos and I do not have to change film which for some strange reason always happened at the wrong time.

Apologies for the ramble down my photographic memory lane.
JaneS
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Jimbo
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Post by Jimbo »

JaneS wrote:Apologies for the ramble down my photographic memory lane.
No need to apologise, Jane. Very interesting stuff.

Nobody could have been more a lover of silver-based photography than me, but technology marches on. Some of the new digital cameras and lenses are eye-wateringly good, considerably less expensive and much smaller and lighter than cameras from ten years ago.

My modestly-priced Lumix GX7 (which fits in my pocket) shoots impressive hand-held panoramic pictures, stitched together in camera. My first film-based panoramic camera, bought in 1985, needed to be set up with spirit levels on a sturdy tripod. The outfit weighed a ton and cost more than my car!
Jim
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