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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 25, 2012 14:51:20 GMT
Thanks, Mossie -- another reason for me to keep that camera in the running. And Bjd, your common sense guidance is a real help in narrowing down to the final choice. I did look up both of those cameras you considered & I'd say you definitely made the right decision. Here's the review's conclusion page on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 & ditto on the Fujifilm X-S1.Casimira & Bjd ~~ so right about # of pixels. As far as I can figure, it's the size of the pixels that matter, not exactly how many. Bigger pixels are better. I've promised myself not to burden you all with every article I find interesting, but this one addresses that issue. And thank goodness for the internet! I can't imagine trying to run down all this info through magazines and word of mouth. One last link -- do you all know about Pocket? It's been very useful for me in this search. getpocket.com/I'm down to the wire here, timewise, so eagerly await the answer to Htmb's question to the TZ25 guys. Regardless of what I decide, I hope others will keep this thread going. There are quite a few people who post pictures on this forum whose input I'd love to have.
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Post by mossie on Jul 25, 2012 18:32:36 GMT
It is impossible nowadays to recommend one camera over another, they all have good and not so good points. Most compacts now do not have a seperate viewfinder, one has to relay on the screen on the back. In sunshine these can be impossible to see, you can buy a folding sunshade which sticks over the screen but they are not the complete answer. So one just has to wave the camera in the right direction and hope, a bit like gunnery really ;D.
The best advice re buying a new camera that I can offer is this. Go to your camera store and play with models which take your fancy and have the specification that matches your needs. Like cars or ladies, they are all good nowadays, only some are gooder than others.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 25, 2012 22:12:15 GMT
Thanks, Mossie.
From what I've been reading, some of the newer cameras sport viewfinders that are inadequate. Thus they get credit for having them, but the people buying the camera wind up using the screen by default. This extends even to quite expensive cameras, although others have hugely desirable & accurate optical viewfinders.
Your advice about handling the camera is excellent & echoed by all the responsible photography sites. My problem is that I'm in Mexico. There is very poor selection of cameras in my city, plus they cost far more than they would in the States. I have a friend returning to Mexico in the next few days who is willing to pick up a camera for me in Austin & bring it back. Thus, I'm truly cramming & trying to make a decision, then hope that the chosen item is available in her area.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2012 11:05:32 GMT
Good luck with your decision Bixa. I'm sure your research and the invaluable input from others will be useful, it certainly was to me. Whatever choice you do make, given your proven skill with whatever camera you have been using, I'm sure you will produce some fantastic pics. I have seen so many fabulous pics posted by you and it proves to me that having a really good eye, and decent equipment, one can be a fabulous photographer. My husband has proven this over and over. Even with the crappiest camera, he can take fantastic photographs.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 27, 2012 19:29:45 GMT
Oh, THANK YOU, Casimira! I really needed to read that right now, as I'm whimpering and gibbering from all the reading and trying to make a decision.
So true about T's innate eye & talent, but you're got that as well. I'm not just talking about what you've posted here, where every day you show that you grow in strength as a photographer, but also remembering such triumphs as your da-da shot of the cafeteria ladies.
I'm really out of time as far as making this decision goes. It's down to two possibilities right now, after exhaustive reading & comparison. What will be the tilting factor is size. The full range of goodies means bulk and weight.
pee ess ~~ I went downtown yesterday & took 250 pictures with my present camera. It was so many because quite a few were duplicates to compare results. I mostly wanted to apply some of what I've learned in all this recent reading about cameras & also to put the little guy through its paces re: Casimira's remark about having a big & a little camera. It's the Panasonic DMC-FH20. I've gotten tons of use out it & have to say that Panasonic makes a very, very nice camera.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 7, 2012 19:34:23 GMT
I know you all are on tenterhooks. "What did she get?! What did she get?!" My friend is back from the States ................ in bed with the flu. The sad face is for me, not for her. I want my camera! The way I finally made my decision was on the aforementioned picture-taking trip downtown. I ran into several people using some of the mega-zooms or entry-level dslrs I'd considered. All of them were men, some of them quite tall, and all of the cameras looked so BIG on them. After some hard thinking, I realized that I wouldn't be casually scooping up anything that size as I went out the door, just on the off chance that I'd see something worth photographing. Also, a friend with a nice big fancy camera was most intrigued by my little Panasonic DMC-FH20. She is a world traveler & loves her biggy for its telescopic range, but says it's bulky & too obtrusive for those discreet shots one so often wants. Anyway, it seems my choice is the camera for this summer. I got an immediate 50 bucks off the price at Best Buy plus a nice free memory card. I see that, since then, as summer wears on, it's gone down another 20 dollars in price. shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/DMC-ZS19KThe crucial point for me was image quality. Most reviews give this camera high marks for that, but we shall see.
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Post by htmb on Aug 7, 2012 19:42:58 GMT
I was just looking at this camera the other day. I can't wait to hear how you like it, bixa.
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Post by bjd on Aug 7, 2012 20:07:03 GMT
I hope you will enjoy using your new camera, Bixa. I have just started using mine but haven't tried playing around with it much yet.
re: optical viewfinders. From what I learned while looking for one, they are becoming extremely rare on point & shoots. Even most bridges have lousy ones. However, one of the cameras I looked at -- a Fuji Finepix bridge -- had a very good viewfinder. I tried it in the store. And its great advantage was a manual zoom -- so, more accurate than when it's electronic and much better on battery use. But it cost 200€ more.
The pics I took in Nantes are the first I used my camera for -- I did nothing with them but upload to Photobucket, but they can be taken in RAW.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 7, 2012 20:33:54 GMT
Yours was the one I almost got, Bjd. It gets super grades all around, & I did want the RAW feature. Re: Fuji, it gets good marks right up until talking about image quality, where sometimes it doesn't do nearly well enough to justify the price. I used this tool quite a lot when making up my mind: www.2cameraguys.com/camera-image-compare.cfm#109-97-200/102-75-200If anyone is interested, I'll be happy to go through all the steps of the decision making. Someone told me I was "over thinking" it, but I don't agree. Now if I could only get my paws on the damned thing!
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Post by htmb on Aug 7, 2012 23:38:52 GMT
Take your friend some chicken soup
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Post by fumobici on Aug 8, 2012 0:08:14 GMT
Looks positively deluxe! Far more than my little pinhole jobby.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 8, 2012 18:06:03 GMT
;D, Htmb ~~ you're the second person who's told me to do that. I'm going up there now, bearing plants. Fumobici, I've seen the products of your "little pinhole jobby" and they look positively deluxe. Actually, that's my anxiety ~~ that I will have spent $ to get essentially what I already have + a touch screen that I know I won't use. Even middle-case scenario would make me happy, i.e., that more pictures would come out of the camera with little or no need of editing. Best case would be that, plus better richness and depth than the present camera delivers.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 9, 2012 7:19:54 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2012 12:56:14 GMT
Looks like you might want to keep it.
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Post by mich64 on Aug 9, 2012 15:33:07 GMT
Brilliant Bixa! These new photos really show the detail in that woven fabric on your chair. It shows beautiful depth and color of the weave. We can expect some exceptional photos in future!
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Post by mossie on Aug 9, 2012 19:35:03 GMT
Looking forward to some more shots from your new toy Bixa
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 11, 2012 2:05:27 GMT
Aww, you all are so nice & supportive ~~ thanks! It's been steadily raining here for two days, so I haven't been able to get out & put it through its paces. While trapped inside today, I went through some of the Img Bnk threads. It honed my appreciation of what I like in the pictures others take & why I felt the need for a better camera. It'll be a chastening experience if my pics come out more or less the same!
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Post by htmb on Aug 11, 2012 2:48:44 GMT
Me, too. I'm looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts as you put the camera through its paces. Are you getting rain from Ernesto, bixa?
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 11, 2012 4:07:17 GMT
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Post by Don Cuevas on Aug 11, 2012 14:39:33 GMT
Soaking here, too. I am making Churipo/Mole de Olla to warm our bones.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Aug 12, 2012 15:49:35 GMT
Well that looks good Bixa ;D I got a Panasonic Lumix TZ10 a couple of years ago, the idea being to upgrade from my TZ5. I was looking for a higher optical zoom *for my bee pics I gave my OH my old camera, but even though the TZ10 was supposed to be higher spec I didn't get on with it and have gone back to my TZ5 (OH loves the TZ10 but imo the images are not much better than the ones I get in the older model) I'll be interested to see how you get along with your new camera...as no doubt I'll be on the lookout for another one in the next few years. ;D
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 28, 2012 22:32:11 GMT
Cheery, the TZ10 was supposed to be the latest & greatest when it came out. People who bought it because they'd used and liked the older versions were extremely disappointed in the performance. The upside was that apparently Panasonic bent over backwards to do better with subsequent models. I just came across something by accident & immediately thought of what Fumobici wrote earlier in this thread: I love my tiny little Canon SD-1000 Elph. It was dirt cheap too. I think it takes amazing photos. Whatever the current equivalent is is probably better and likely cheaper as well. I wish it had a manual focusing lens but that's about all I have for complaints. I don't think it's necessary for most of us to spend much to get a far more than adequate digital point and shoot camera. How 'bout this ~~ The 'point & shoot' camera we're using right now is a Canon PowerShot ELPH 300HS that cost all of about $149 from Best Buy. We don't know whether to laugh or cry, but it takes better photos than the Nikon D-1s we paid $5,000 for when high resolution — for then — digital cameras first came out. This little guy shoots photos at up to 12 megapixels, which means it's capable of stunning 16" x 20" prints, and has a zoom equal to 24mm to 120mm. And it has about a dozen settings for things like portraits, sports, nighttime, landscape and so forth. It's smaller than a pack of cigarettes, which makes it good for slipping into a shirt or pants pocket, meaning you never have to be without your camera. However, some have found it a little too small.sourceThe paragraph above was followed by a mini review of the camera I just bought. There are some other interesting comments about cameras in that section as well. Use the Find feature to go to it clicked with me and read the answer to that post.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 16, 2012 2:19:19 GMT
Brilliant Bixa! These new photos really show the detail in that woven fabric on your chair. It shows beautiful depth and color of the weave. We can expect some exceptional photos in future! Well, you know ~~ that's true! Since you all know I have this new camera, I imagine you're dying to see how the photos come out. Rather than make you look all over the forum for examples, I want to show you an sample of my artistry right here. Please know that except for resizing, this picture is exactly as I took it. I am so proud!
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Post by htmb on Sept 16, 2012 2:25:52 GMT
;D ;D ;D
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Post by lugg on Sept 16, 2012 5:14:05 GMT
Wow Bixa - fantastic colours , I love the way you have ensured we notice the centre of interest.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 19, 2013 20:28:27 GMT
Belatedly thanking you for your acknowledgment of my stunning artistry, Lugg and taking this opportunity to ask what kind of camera(s) you use. Besides your perfect sense of composition, I always admire the beautiful clarity of your photos.
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Post by lugg on Feb 13, 2013 9:18:39 GMT
Sorry Bixa only just seen your response ...cos I gave up waiting Thank you for the compliments though, they were worth waiting for Currently I use 3 cameras mostly 2 Panasonics - one is the FZ45 , not a compact camera so I also use the FT2 which is tough, great for snorkelling pics as it is waterproof to 10m but no good at all at night and finally I borrow my daughter's Canon Powershot when she lets me and a need a compact that will take good night shots.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 20, 2013 15:45:33 GMT
Ooo ~~ just read the review on the FT2, & it's a nifty little thing! The FZ45 is highly desirable & really not all that large, although not compact either. How is it in low light?
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Post by onlymark on Feb 20, 2013 19:38:28 GMT
In low light, because it is black, it's difficult to find if you forget where you put it.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 10, 2014 21:05:38 GMT
Hope no one finds the following recommendation inappropriate. I certainly have nothing to gain by it, but it's possible there are people here who will be interested. Back in my thread on the Etlas, NYCGirl not only gave me some lovely compliments, she also said: Your camera served you very well. I wish I had a really good small camera because it's a pain and a little embarrassing to lug around a big one. To which I answered: Huge thanks for your comment on the pictures. I really have to plug my little camera. It's a Sony RX100, and the more I use it, the more I like it. I read a zillion reviews before purchasing it (Nov. of last year). My only reservation was the limited zoom on it, as I was used to the big zoom on my Panasonic. It's a homely, small camera, very portable & great for street shooting as people think it's just a little point & shoot. Obviously you all have seen my photos, which is somewhat unfair to the camera, as it has no responsibility for unread instructions, impatience with focusing, clunky composition, etc. What makes this camera shine is its fidelity to correct color and, I think, a certain depth & richness of image that I associate with more expensive, fancier cameras. Thus it is that I pass on this deal I just found online with a nice little savings over what I paid. (I did not pay the msrp -- who even believes in that? ) www.ebay.com/itm/301304459039
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