What camera do you use?

[Karmalady]

I am looking for a new camera that is a point and shoot basically but takes great pictures. I see lots of great pictures pictures and am wondering if any of you have suggestions of a good camera to purchase that is not too expensive or difficult to operate? Thanks for your replies.

[agc291]

i just got a nikon coolpix l820 that we used last week and liked. It was 200 but i did see the red colored one at target a couple weeks back for 169. The camera was easy to use and had some cool settings to play around with

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/wb250f-14-2-megapixel-digital-camera/8162063.p?id=1218865165965&skuId=8162063&st=categoryid$abcat0401001&cp=1&lp=1

 

I have this Samsung, but in black. I like it because the Optical Zoom goes a great distance compared to most Point and Shoot cameras. It is also good at night time and with movement.

[forwardcabin]

I use a Sony DSC-HX9V with 16x optical zoom and 16mp. It was used to take this shot of DW and I at Tropicante beach in Costa Maya. Notice Carnival Magic in the distance over our shoulder? See next picture...

 

 

...and then I zoomed in from that same location and took this shot of the ship...

 

 

Here's hoping you find the right camera for your curise. Bon Voyage!

=Bob=

Edited February 9, 2014 by forwardcabin

[grumpyjr88]

I have an older Canon Powershot SX100IS that I just love. The Powershots come in all price ranges and are great for advanced users as well as novices.

[seashinesunshine]

I am looking for a new camera that is a point and shoot basically but takes great pictures. I see lots of great pictures pictures and am wondering if any of you have suggestions of a good camera to purchase that is not too expensive or difficult to operate? Thanks for your replies.

 

There are tons of options out there, your skill level and your price range are going to be big factors in what kind of camera can be recommended. My biggest bit of advice is; whatever camera you chose and no matter how much money you spend, just learn how to use it. Practice with it in many different settings and pay attention to what your settings are. When you take a photo look at things like your horizon line, is it straight. Is your subject in focus, are you over or under exposing etc. My husband is a professional and he can take a great picture with an ok camera, but I can't take his expensive camera and take a great picture. It's all in what you know HOW to do with what you have.

I would love to just have a camera that I don't have to do anything with and I will get great photos, but even with my easy to use POS, I still have to pay some attention to settings etc. There is no magic button to push to get great pics. The difference is in the details.

[MzMelissa26]

I'm looking for one too but also waterproof

[snc_cam]

There are tons of options out there, your skill level and your price range are going to be big factors in what kind of camera can be recommended. My biggest bit of advice is; whatever camera you chose and no matter how much money you spend, just learn how to use it. Practice with it in many different settings and pay attention to what your settings are. When you take a photo look at things like your horizon line, is it straight. Is your subject in focus, are you over or under exposing etc. My husband is a professional and he can take a great picture with an ok camera, but I can't take his expensive camera and take a great picture. It's all in what you know HOW to do with what you have.

I would love to just have a camera that I don't have to do anything with and I will get great photos, but even with my easy to use POS, I still have to pay some attention to settings etc. There is no magic button to push to get great pics. The difference is in the details.

 

 

Excellent advice. Also, there are three tiers of cameras. Point/Shoot, Bridge, (D)SLR. For the past 9 years, I've owned both Point/Shoot and Bridge cameras. The Point/Shoot are nice and compact, but I prefer my Bridge camera, which I upgraded a year ago. This is currently the Canon SX50 (50x Optical zoom). An excellent camera which has many capabilities similar to a DSLR but not needing the extra lens. There is a similar Nikon but I have been sold on Canon for well over 10 years now. The Bridge cameras do cost more than a Point/Shoot, but for my needs, which are mainly outdoor/landscapes, the Bridge is an incredible camera.

 

Steve

[lab2v]

I use a Nikon AW100 great pictures and video above and below water

[PegLuvsCrusin]

I just bought a Fuji XP60 tough at Sams club yesterday. Waterproof and came with a card and a case. Cant wait to use it in March. Very easy to use. :)

[Karmalady]

Thanks for all your answers. We have had several cameras including one that hub got for underwater pics. It does take underwater but seems to hesitate a few minutes to take out of water. You click and then ... ... ... it takes. As several of you have mentioned, it could very well be the photographer and not the fault of the camera. :eek: I was just thinking it might be time to try something different and knew the best place to ask was the expertise of the CC board. Thanks! :D

[EZ4]

I use a Nikon AW100 great pictures and video above and below water

 

I use one of these everyday for work. For a P&S, the shutter lag and flash recovery time is pretty good. Over 150,000 shots and it's been bullet proof. And it was a factory refurb to start with. I've been very pleased.

[mowrider]

I have an Olympus with underwater case, a Canon power shot sx120is for the multiple settings, and wife has a Nikon for general shipboard pix Got all of them on eBay for great prices ! Talk to someone with some experience for what you need !

[CruisinCrow]

I love my Nikon Coopix 8200. It does well inside without flash and has a great zoom for its size.

 

But I would really suggest going to a store and trying out the cameras. When I was looking for cameras, I thought I knew what I wanted until I tried it in the store. Then I found out that the camera I had been interested in was NOT user-friendly. I don't want to have to read a manual to use my camera - it should be intuitive. And some cameras were just too small for my clumsy hands. :)

[dclark]

The Olympus tg2 is the best p/s camera you will find for cruising. Cost around $300, very solid, more reliable than the Panny lumix (had two that leaked and were ruined- no more!).

It is waterproof, take drops of 6 ', does 1080p video. Picture quality is excellent. One thing that surprises is low light pics. It uses a large chip which gives great low light performance. For example, I took pics at night of the deck area with the low level lights and the flash didn't turn on, natural looking pics, with low noise. Sunset pics are also really good.Detail also real good, with no evidence of "electronic enhancement".

In addition, unlike other cameras, you expand its performance. if you scube dive, you can an optional water case. You can also get an attachment to allow you use filters too. Nothing like using a polarizer to bring out the blue in the carribean sea.

[awboater]

The Nikon P330 has just been discounted to $199 at B&H. In my view, there is no better or capable camera for this price - or even arguably double the price.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/936161-REG/nikon_coolpix_p330_digital_camera.html

 

This is perhaps by far the best camera you will ever get for that price, especially considering it originally sold for nearly $400 (I paid $300 for mine). The reason for the price cut is that it's successor - the P340 has just been announced. And really, there are only cosmetic differences between the two.

 

The biggest difference I can see is the P340 has built-in WiFi, while the P330 requires an optional adapter to do WiFi.

 

But if you can tolerate that difference, the P330 is going to be hard to beat. It has many advanced features - some of which (such as rear curtain sync) that are normally only found on DSLRs.

 

 

 

• 
  
• 40% larger sensor (than most compacts); 12Mp 1/1.7" Back Side Illuminated sensor.
  
• Continuous shutter release - up to 7 frames per second (limited duration).
  
• Magnesium chassis.
  
• Exposure bracketing.
  
• Exposure compensation.
  
• Flash exposure compensation.
  
• Program, Aperture & Shutter Priority and Manual (PSAM) modes, along with automatic and scene modes.
  
• User defined mode.
  
• Manual focus capability.
  
• Vibration Reduction.
  
• Mechanical/electronic shutter.
  
• fast f/1.8 lens (although it is variable to f/5.6 at the telephoto end); 24-120mm equivalent.
  
• 7-blade iris aperture.
  
• Matrix, center weighted, or spot metering and focusing.
  
• Background HDR.
  
• Dedicated command dial.
  
• Flash modes including red-eye, fill, slow-sync, and rear-curtain sync.
  
• WiFi remote capability via iOS or Android device (with the WU1a adapter).
  
• Ability to set Color Temperature (3850~10,000 deg K).
  
• Interval Timer for time lapse photography.
  
• GPS.
  
• Panoramic, selective color, Hi-key, Low-key, Sepia, Macro, 3D modes.
  
• Built-in ND filter.
  
• Separate movie button.
  
• Video PAUSE function.
  
• Stereo mic.
  
• full 1080p HD movie.
  
• low-light "stacking" mode.
  
• Programmable function button.
  

 

The big thing is the sensor is larger than most compact cameras (1/1.7"). There are only a handful of other compact cameras with the same larger sensor (Canon G16, Canon S120, Nikon P7800, Nikon P330, Nikon P340, and probably a couple others), so these larger sensor cameras should be considered high end compacts, and are the best you can buy in a compact camera. Simply put, a larger sensor collects more light, and results in better low-light capability, as well as usually a bit better contrast.

 

If I were buying a compact camera, I would not buy anything less than one with a 1/1.7" sensor - especially when you can buy the P330 for $199. This rules out 99% of all compact cameras as they typically have much smaller sensors (1/2.3" or 1/2.5").

 

The P330's low light capability is useable up to ISO 3200 (some older DSLRs struggle with that). Here is a photo I took in St. Thomas at ISO 3200. If you pixel peep it, you can see some noise - especially in the dark areas, but overall it is pretty darned good for such a high ISO out of a compact camera.

 

http://www.althephoto.com/cameras/p330fr.htm

 

For $199, I cannot see how you can go wrong. It is a pocket camera, and is my go-to camera when I cannot take the DSLR along.

Edited February 11, 2014 by awboater