point and shoot digital cameras

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hq38sq43
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point and shoot digital cameras

Post by hq38sq43 »

Any advice on moderately priced point and shoot digital cameras?
Harry at Bradenton
supalong52
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by supalong52 »

How about the Sony RX-100 I or II? What situations do you need it for that your smartphone can't otherwise handle?
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Watty
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by Watty »

What are you going to use it for? What do you consider to be a moderate price?
tibbitts
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by tibbitts »

More information is needed. P&S cameras are becoming rare as phone have increased their photo capability so much - but only if you have a fairly sophisticated phone.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by PFInterest »

iPhone X
mikepru
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by mikepru »

I've always liked the Canon products. The Elph, etc. Very nice pix and usually easy to work right out of the box. The Nikon and others always seem to have too much red in the pix. Also, I've used an Olympus underwater camera which takes excellent pix and video.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by midareff »

The first thing is to determine what your primary use will be... is it to do snaps of the kids or grand-kids, travel or landscape photography, or so forth. The next thing is to determine whether or not you want it to be pocketable, or a neck wearer. I've been doing travel and landscape photography for a couple of decades and as I got older the size and weight of the gear I was willing to carry has decreased dramatically, but at the end of the day when image quality is at the top of the list my Fuji mirrorless interchangeable lens set-up gets to go. For most travel photography I use a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge with Samsung's own two lens set, which provides 16mm, 26mm (native) and 52mm reaches. Indoors and street scenes the set up is ideal the only issue being the 52mm top lens magnification (2X). I've tried supplementing that with the Sony RX 100 m3 and m4, the Panasonic DMC-ZS100 (24-250mm) and a few others that either weighted too much or were unsatisfactory from an image quality standpoint. I sold the Sony's, am in the process of selling the Panasonic since I am unhappy with the image quality. The next tweener I am going to try is the Canon G 7 X MKII with a reach of 24-100mm and it is pocketable.

Having said all that with limited zoom range the Sony RX100 models are excellent, so are the Canon ELPHs and shorter zoom Panasonic Lumix models as long as you stick with the shorter zoom models since far too many sacrifices have to be made to get greater zoom and most likely the pictures will be very soft.

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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by Sandtrap »

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

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I"ve found Canon Power Shots to be easy, reliable, and not too expensive. My current one is an ELPH model, but things have probably changed since I bought.
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gasdoc
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by gasdoc »

tibbitts wrote: Sat Sep 16, 2017 10:37 pm More information is needed. P&S cameras are becoming rare as phone have increased their photo capability so much - but only if you have a fairly sophisticated phone.
I like my underwater Canon point & Shoot. I use it when I am boating or snorkeling or taking casual photo's in wet or otherwise unhealthy conditions (unhealthy for my iPhone or my SLR.

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climber2020
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

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hq38sq43 wrote: Sat Sep 16, 2017 6:52 pm Any advice on moderately priced point and shoot digital cameras?
Here are some good ones that will fit in your front pants pocket:

Sony RX100 - any of them. They come at different price points with slightly different options. The best value for the dollar is probably the m3 version. It's going to provide better image quality that any cell phone, and you can make decent prints up to about 16x20.

Ricoh GR II - this is what I use. It has the same size sensor used in most DSLRs, is cheaper than most of the RX100 models, and in terms of usability and pure image quality, it blows the pants off the RX100. I've made great looking 20x30 posters with photos shot from this camera. The only downside to most casual photographers is that it doesn't have a zoom lens. I prefer primes, so not a big issue for me.
gpburdell
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by gpburdell »

Another vote for Sony RX100. I have the 3rd generation model and it's been great.
wrongfunds
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by wrongfunds »

Most good P&S costs as much as good cell phone camera! Heck, iPhone7+ takes almost as good as expensive mirror-less camera with standard kit lense(s).

This topic is very popular on BH and answer has been good cellphone for a while now.
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hq38sq43
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by hq38sq43 »

Many thanks, everyone. DW did her own research and decided on a camera she believe meets her needs.

Warm regards,
Harry at Bradenton
DSInvestor
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by DSInvestor »

What did she decide to get?

FWIW, I have a canon powershot and an iPhone 5S. I hardly ever use my powershot. I use the iPhone camera daily and the pics are great. My daughter switched from her iPhone 4S to a low cost android phone and she said the camera is not as good as her old iPhone 4S. If one's phone includes a decent camera, there may be little need for a separate point and shoot camera.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by CardinalRule »

The camera on my iPhone 6s is sufficient for almost of my purposes, and my future iPhone 8 will be even better.

But after a lot of research, I bought a point and shoot camera before a trip to Alaska this summer. The powerful optical zoom (50x) on my Canon SX 530 is pretty cool and you can use manual settings if you are so inclined (capturing the aurora borealis is one of my goals this year). So far I am having fun with it (and my tripod). I am interested in learning more about photography, but I'm not interested in investing in an expensive DSLR. :wink:

The camera I bought: http://a.co/5rSBABQ
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hq38sq43
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by hq38sq43 »

DSInvestor wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2017 11:22 am What did she decide to get?

FWIW, I have a canon powershot and an iPhone 5S. I hardly ever use my powershot. I use the iPhone camera daily and the pics are great. My daughter switched from her iPhone 4S to a low cost android phone and she said the camera is not as good as her old iPhone 4S. If one's phone includes a decent camera, there may be little need for a separate point and shoot camera.
SONY DSC-W830, purchased today at Best Buy. I know nothing about cameras, so I can only hope she's right about this one meeting her needs.

Thanks again,
Harry at Bradenton
wrongfunds
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by wrongfunds »

Given the stringent physical limitations imposed on a cellphone camera, I am always shocked at how a good cellphone camera such as iPhone7+ stomps all over most moderately priced P&S cameras in terms of picture quality. So technically, it should have been very easy for a *real* camera manufacturer to deliver better than cellphone camera at $200 price point.

Unfortunately, "real" camera manufacturers have become boutique "buggy whip" makers and are on their accelerating death spiral.

Yes, it is one of my pet peeve.
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SmileyFace
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by SmileyFace »

hq38sq43 wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2017 6:23 pm
DSInvestor wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2017 11:22 am What did she decide to get?

FWIW, I have a canon powershot and an iPhone 5S. I hardly ever use my powershot. I use the iPhone camera daily and the pics are great. My daughter switched from her iPhone 4S to a low cost android phone and she said the camera is not as good as her old iPhone 4S. If one's phone includes a decent camera, there may be little need for a separate point and shoot camera.
SONY DSC-W830, purchased today at Best Buy. I know nothing about cameras, so I can only hope she's right about this one meeting her needs.

Thanks again,
Despite the fact that camera has now been out for a few years - it looks like a decent one.
A lot of folks say "why not a smartphone camera" - well you don't get optical zoom with a smartphones which can make a huge difference.
xkunalx
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by xkunalx »

After a lot of research and recommendations by a photographer friend, we ended buying this one for our safari trip to South Africa:

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSCHX80-Poi ... B01CQEN2U2

Works like a charm. Tons of features, easy to use.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by TN_Boy »

wrongfunds wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2017 9:28 am Given the stringent physical limitations imposed on a cellphone camera, I am always shocked at how a good cellphone camera such as iPhone7+ stomps all over most moderately priced P&S cameras in terms of picture quality. So technically, it should have been very easy for a *real* camera manufacturer to deliver better than cellphone camera at $200 price point.

Unfortunately, "real" camera manufacturers have become boutique "buggy whip" makers and are on their accelerating death spiral.

Yes, it is one of my pet peeve.
Well, part of the reason the iphone 7 camera (and those in other smartphones) can produce good results is that they have a lot of CPU available which can be used for things like post processing.

I kinda skimmed this article, but it talks about some of the technology Apple is using:

https://www.dxomark.com/apple-iphone-7- ... than-ever/

As I read the article, the phone is merging multiple raw images to produce its jpg.

That said, while I haven't personally handled an iphone 7, I've read some reviews and looked at their sample photos, and if I cared a lot about photo quality I'd pick a compact or bridge camera with a 1" sensor over any existing smartphone. The combination of the much bigger sensor and shooting in raw mode is going to get you better pictures, sometimes a lot better depending on the situation (and that's not even taking into account the longer optical zoom you get).

And obviously moving up to a good dSLR over a camera with a 1" sensor would kill the phone in terms of image quality. Those big sensors and lens do make a difference.

But the smartphone is compact. And most people carry one all the time. And a lot of people take pictures and look at them mostly on phone screens, which are small.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by wrongfunds »

But those P&S or bridge cameras with 1" sensor costs almost as much as the good cellphone camera!

Imagine if Apple wanted to make a DSLR or mirror-less compact using the technologies used in their iPhone for processing power using clever algorithms and decided to partner with good glass maker. It will put the legacy camera manufacturers on even steeper slide towards their demise. They have essentially given up on P&S market. They think DSLR/mirror-less will keep them afloat but once Apple/Samsung decides that they want the slice of that market, Nikon/Canon of the world are dead meat. This assertion is based upon my previous comment that Apple/Samsung have already achieved while staying under the severe constraint of the lens and sensor size. My own experience with Sony mirror-less and iPhone7+ shows that they are frighteningly close in picture quality in many different lightening conditions
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by TN_Boy »

wrongfunds wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2017 2:32 pm But those P&S or bridge cameras with 1" sensor costs almost as much as the good cellphone camera!

Imagine if Apple wanted to make a DSLR or mirror-less compact using the technologies used in their iPhone for processing power using clever algorithms and decided to partner with good glass maker. It will put the legacy camera manufacturers on even steeper slide towards their demise. They have essentially given up on P&S market. They think DSLR/mirror-less will keep them afloat but once Apple/Samsung decides that they want the slice of that market, Nikon/Canon of the world are dead meat. This assertion is based upon my previous comment that Apple/Samsung have already achieved while staying under the severe constraint of the lens and sensor size. My own experience with Sony mirror-less and iPhone7+ shows that they are frighteningly close in picture quality in many different lightening conditions
Yes, you do have to pay something for the bigger sensor and glass. Don't forget that the phone makers benefit from economies of scale -- awful lot of smart phones get sold. If Samsung or Apple made serious "real" cameras, their pricing might or might not be so aggressive, since they have no competitive advantage in the optics (high quality big lens). Or the physical controls.

Like I said, I haven't personally handled a 7. Based on what I've seen in reviews, I still think "real" cameras do a better job. But I also shoot in non-automatic modes (aperture priority or manual typically) and post process. Shooting even a better camera in fully automatic mode and comparing to a cell phone shot in full automatic mode means you are crippling the good camera -- part of what you are comparing is in-camera post-processing, and cell phones actually have a potential advantage there (in some ways). Which is another reason many people are as well off with a smart phone (except for the lack of zoom, which would actually kill me given the huge number of pictures I take where I use at least moderate zoom). If you shoot in full automatic mode all the time, you're not using the full capabilities of a better camera.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

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midareff wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2017 7:51 am The first thing is to determine what your primary use will be... is it to do snaps of the kids or grand-kids, travel or landscape photography, or so forth. The next thing is to determine whether or not you want it to be pocketable, or a neck wearer. I've been doing travel and landscape photography for a couple of decades and as I got older the size and weight of the gear I was willing to carry has decreased dramatically, but at the end of the day when image quality is at the top of the list my Fuji mirrorless interchangeable lens set-up gets to go. For most travel photography I use a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge with Samsung's own two lens set, which provides 16mm, 26mm (native) and 52mm reaches. Indoors and street scenes the set up is ideal the only issue being the 52mm top lens magnification (2X). I've tried supplementing that with the Sony RX 100 m3 and m4, the Panasonic DMC-ZS100 (24-250mm) and a few others that either weighted too much or were unsatisfactory from an image quality standpoint. I sold the Sony's, am in the process of selling the Panasonic since I am unhappy with the image quality. The next tweener I am going to try is the Canon G 7 X MKII with a reach of 24-100mm and it is pocketable.

Having said all that with limited zoom range the Sony RX100 models are excellent, so are the Canon ELPHs and shorter zoom Panasonic Lumix models as long as you stick with the shorter zoom models since far too many sacrifices have to be made to get greater zoom and most likely the pictures will be very soft.

www.martindareff.com
**Reviving the old thread**

Have you been able to try out Canon G7X MKII? Any feedback and recommendation about it?

I am looking for a point & shoot camera for DW - the primary use case will primarily be travel outdoor photography - portraits, landscape, late evening shots, street scenes and occasionally indoor photography. It has to be a lightweight camera as she is not willing to lug around DSLRs. I have Canon 5D MKIII w/ 24-105mm kit lens and and old Rebel T1i w/ 28-135mm lens - these are too big for her. Pocketable is not a must but pocketable is going to be lightweight so that just adds to the appeal. The zoom range for the current lens we have is good - don't necessarily need greater zoom range. She is in creative field so image quality like sharpness etc are critical for her - she is a master in post-processing. She wants to be able to sell some of the shots on stock agencies as well.

From all the reviews thus far, it seems the choice falls down to these 3 cameras:
- Sony DSC-RX100
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100
- Canon G7X MKII
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by whodidntante »

Sandtrap wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2017 8:17 am Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V
A little pricey for what you get, but pretty solid. OP, a lot of cameras can take an OK shot in ideal lighting. But when the lighting is less than perfect, like indoors, at dusk, or "gasp!" at night, that is when sensor size will gain you a lot of equity. The camera Sandtrap recommended has a 1" sensor, which is best of breed for a point and shoot that will fit in your pocket. If it's too expensive, opt instead for the Canon G9X or G9X Mark 2, which will give similar low-light performance at a lower price. It has a few downsides compared to the Sony, but nothing that would scare me off.

*just noticed I posted to an ancient thread* [kicks rocks]
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by Sandtrap »

whodidntante wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 8:27 pm
Sandtrap wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2017 8:17 am Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V
A little pricey for what you get, but pretty solid. OP, a lot of cameras can take an OK shot in ideal lighting. But when the lighting is less than perfect, like indoors, at dusk, or "gasp!" at night, that is when sensor size will gain you a lot of equity. The camera Sandtrap recommended has a 1" sensor, which is best of breed for a point and shoot that will fit in your pocket. If it's too expensive, opt instead for the Canon G9X or G9X Mark 2, which will give similar low-light performance at a lower price. It has a few downsides compared to the Sony, but nothing that would scare me off.

*just noticed I posted to an ancient thread* [kicks rocks]
not so ancient now. . . .

For low light, move up to the Sony A6500 with a fast lens.
APS-C sensor. High tech.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by GKSD »

Another thing to add, the primary use case is still photography and not the videos.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by midareff »

GKSD wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 8:09 pm
midareff wrote: Sun Sep 17, 2017 7:51 am The first thing is to determine what your primary use will be... is it to do snaps of the kids or grand-kids, travel or landscape photography, or so forth. The next thing is to determine whether or not you want it to be pocketable, or a neck wearer. I've been doing travel and landscape photography for a couple of decades and as I got older the size and weight of the gear I was willing to carry has decreased dramatically, but at the end of the day when image quality is at the top of the list my Fuji mirrorless interchangeable lens set-up gets to go. For most travel photography I use a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge with Samsung's own two lens set, which provides 16mm, 26mm (native) and 52mm reaches. Indoors and street scenes the set up is ideal the only issue being the 52mm top lens magnification (2X). I've tried supplementing that with the Sony RX 100 m3 and m4, the Panasonic DMC-ZS100 (24-250mm) and a few others that either weighted too much or were unsatisfactory from an image quality standpoint. I sold the Sony's, am in the process of selling the Panasonic since I am unhappy with the image quality. The next tweener I am going to try is the Canon G 7 X MKII with a reach of 24-100mm and it is pocketable.

Having said all that with limited zoom range the Sony RX100 models are excellent, so are the Canon ELPHs and shorter zoom Panasonic Lumix models as long as you stick with the shorter zoom models since far too many sacrifices have to be made to get greater zoom and most likely the pictures will be very soft.

www.martindareff.com
**Reviving the old thread**

Have you been able to try out Canon G7X MKII? Any feedback and recommendation about it?

I am looking for a point & shoot camera for DW - the primary use case will primarily be travel outdoor photography - portraits, landscape, late evening shots, street scenes and occasionally indoor photography. It has to be a lightweight camera as she is not willing to lug around DSLRs. I have Canon 5D MKIII w/ 24-105mm kit lens and and old Rebel T1i w/ 28-135mm lens - these are too big for her. Pocketable is not a must but pocketable is going to be lightweight so that just adds to the appeal. The zoom range for the current lens we have is good - don't necessarily need greater zoom range. She is in creative field so image quality like sharpness etc are critical for her - she is a master in post-processing. She wants to be able to sell some of the shots on stock agencies as well.

From all the reviews thus far, it seems the choice falls down to these 3 cameras:
- Sony DSC-RX100
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100
- Canon G7X MKII
OK, well here we go with an update... :D First, I doubt (different than can't) you will be able to sell stock to any agency when taken with a camera using a 1" sensor, as all three of those are. Let me take last camera first.. I had the G7X MKI and the lens just wasn't sharp enough for me at the extremes, sold it. As far as I know the MKII uses the same lens so no help there. Had the DC-ZS100 and between weak IS and s00 slow effective aperture the keeper rate make it just impractical to carry. Now, on to the Sony... they are up to the RX100 m6 now which has a 24 - 200 lens that , from samples posted and the few in the UK that have it already is tack sharp throughout the range, perhaps amazingly so for what it is. As I recall it's 2.8-4.5 so it will work for my travel photography for ground excursions and give me good raw to work with in LR although the out of camera jpegs seem excellent +. It also has 4K video and can shoot 24 frames per second. I ordered mine the day after USA release announcement, the only drawback being the $$$ (besides no electronic ND). Insane expensive but if you want those kind of specs you have to pay the piper. FWIW, I had the 5DMKII, the 24-105 (among a bag full of big whites), a T2i and can relate to what you wife doesn't want to carry. I went to the Fuji for smaller, lighter and same camera IQ. ... I say that knowing Fuji glass are not as good as Canon L whites. For my latest I plan on selling the Fuji gear since it's use to me is ship to shore for castles and general landscape, and the 55-200 (on a 1.5 crop) is just not long enough to give me what I want and I don't want to carry it around all day on ground excursions. At this point in life I want my hands free except when shooting and I don't like it banging against me even with a Black Rapid and I don't like it hanging around my neck either. I'm going to replace it with the Sony RX 10 m4, which also seems to be razor sharp 24-600, has the same 24 per second abilities and so forth... weighing only 100 grams more than the Fuji with the 55-200, and that will be my ship to shore cam. BTW, we just got back from the Ukraine and that album should be edited and online by Monday in case you are interested. https://www.martindareff.com/Internatio ... a-to-Kiev/ Most of it was taken with a cell, and some street scenes through a bus window as well. Lots of LR use in post, The best camera you have is the one with you.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

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I love my Panasonic FZ1000. Loads of features, great price point, versitile and in the end, get great shots. As a bonus I can bring it into concerts when they say "professional cameras not allowed", sit up in the cheap seats and still get sharp, clear pix.

http://shop.panasonic.com/cameras-and-c ... Z1000.html
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

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Thank you all - after more reviews I have decided to abort looking for Point and Shoot camera. One of the key requirement is for the image quality to be good for stock agencies. Looks like with point and shoot cameras today, this will be hard to accomplish. For now, I have started to look into mirrorless cameras, may be something in that category can meet most requirements and does not break the budget.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

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GKSD wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 4:05 pm Thank you all - after more reviews I have decided to abort looking for Point and Shoot camera. One of the key requirement is for the image quality to be good for stock agencies. Looks like with point and shoot cameras today, this will be hard to accomplish. For now, I have started to look into mirrorless cameras, may be something in that category can meet most requirements and does not break the budget.
Glad you specified "stock agencies". That makes a huge difference in your "point and shoot" question.

Image quality for stock agencies such as Shutterstock, I Stock, Adobe, Alamy, etc. =
At a minimum. APSC sensor size with the best glass you can get. For Canon, not EF-S lenses but EF or "L".
At best, Full Frame Nikon or Canon with fast "L" glass or equiv. Nikon or Canon brand.
For the newer full frame Sony mirrorless, Zeiss glass, fast, or better. Get the best glass you can get.
DSLR's will give you the most latitude and control over image quality as these agencies demand perfection. (Shutterstock reviewers are legendary as for being brutal and unforgiving). Stock reviewers supposedly inspect pics at 100% resolution but IMHO they go down to 300% if they are having a bad day at work.
And, continuing with the chain of quality from raw shot to post processing. The best of post processing software and hardware (incl. photo quality monitors). This means Adobe Raw and/or Capture One >> then to Photoshop CC or CS6 or other full version for image cleanup.
A "Point and Shoot" with an APS-C sensor (Sony A6500, etc) or Full Frame sensor, is already knocking on the door of Full Frame DSLR's for not much more.

Some thoughts.
DW and I have shot professionally with the stock agencies for many years.
j

*suggest go to the stock agency contributor image guidelines. Make sure your gear and post processing software (skills assumed) enable you to achieve their image quality guidelines. There are sub-categories for cell phones, compact cameras, etc. But the upper tier is for the most part full frame or better. In the image statistics, it will be mostly full frame Canon and Nikon.
Last edited by Sandtrap on Sat Jul 07, 2018 9:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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pennylane
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by pennylane »

Don’t waste your money. Use an iPhone.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by TomatoTomahto »

And obviously moving up to a good dSLR over a camera with a 1" sensor would kill the phone in terms of image quality. Those big sensors and lens do make a difference.

But the smartphone is compact. And most people carry one all the time. And a lot of people take pictures and look at them mostly on phone screens, which are small.
I have a Nikon D4 with a big honking sensor that works wonderfully in all sorts of lighting situations. I have great f2.8 zoom lenses that weigh a ton because of the great glass in them. I have tethering hardware and software for the camera. I use this camera when I’ve got the time and energy.

Most of my photos I take with an iPhone X. The portrait mode on this phone is stunning. Seriously.
I get the FI part but not the RE part of FIRE.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by jfave33 »

pennylane wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:08 pm Don’t waste your money. Use an iPhone.
Don't waste your money. Use a google pixel 2 or a samsung S9.
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by GKSD »

Sandtrap wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:04 pm
GKSD wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 4:05 pm Thank you all - after more reviews I have decided to abort looking for Point and Shoot camera. One of the key requirement is for the image quality to be good for stock agencies. Looks like with point and shoot cameras today, this will be hard to accomplish. For now, I have started to look into mirrorless cameras, may be something in that category can meet most requirements and does not break the budget.
Glad you specified "stock agencies". That makes a huge difference in your "point and shoot" question.

Image quality for stock agencies such as Shutterstock, I Stock, Adobe, Alamy, etc. =
At a minimum. APSC sensor size with the best glass you can get. For Canon, not EF-S lenses but EF or "L".
At best, Full Frame Nikon or Canon with fast "L" glass or equiv. Nikon or Canon brand.
For the newer full frame Sony mirrorless, Zeiss glass, fast, or better. Get the best glass you can get.
DSLR's will give you the most latitude and control over image quality as these agencies demand perfection. (Shutterstock reviewers are legendary as for being brutal and unforgiving). Stock reviewers supposedly inspect pics at 100% resolution but IMHO they go down to 300% if they are having a bad day at work.
And, continuing with the chain of quality from raw shot to post processing. The best of post processing software and hardware (incl. photo quality monitors). This means Adobe Raw and/or Capture One >> then to Photoshop CC or CS6 or other full version for image cleanup.
A "Point and Shoot" with an APS-C sensor (Sony A6500, etc) or Full Frame sensor, is already knocking on the door of Full Frame DSLR's for not much more.

Some thoughts.
DW and I have shot professionally with the stock agencies for many years.
j

*suggest go to the stock agency contributor image guidelines. Make sure your gear and post processing software (skills assumed) enable you to achieve their image quality guidelines. There are sub-categories for cell phones, compact cameras, etc. But the upper tier is for the most part full frame or better. In the image statistics, it will be mostly full frame Canon and Nikon.
Thanks Sandtrap. I already have Canon 5D MKIII with 24-105mm F/4 L lens. DW is a professional visual/graphic designer with top-notch design skills. She is an expert in Adobe Creative Suite SW (Photoshop included). We have been submitting to various stock agencies (irregularly though) for last 7-8 years but it is primarily me who is photographing as a hobbyist and then asking DW to help out making those shots nicer in post processing. On all our travels, DW is stuck with her iphone camera while I play around with 5D. But now we would like her to use a pro-camera also and photograph on her own - so we both could be photographing the same scene but may be approaching it differently - different composition etc. DSLRs are too heavy for her and that is why need a lightweight solution.
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Sandtrap
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Re: point and shoot digital cameras

Post by Sandtrap »

GKSD wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 11:30 pm
Sandtrap wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:04 pm
GKSD wrote: Sat Jul 07, 2018 4:05 pm Thank you all - after more reviews I have decided to abort looking for Point and Shoot camera. One of the key requirement is for the image quality to be good for stock agencies. Looks like with point and shoot cameras today, this will be hard to accomplish. For now, I have started to look into mirrorless cameras, may be something in that category can meet most requirements and does not break the budget.
Glad you specified "stock agencies". That makes a huge difference in your "point and shoot" question.

Image quality for stock agencies such as Shutterstock, I Stock, Adobe, Alamy, etc. =
At a minimum. APSC sensor size with the best glass you can get. For Canon, not EF-S lenses but EF or "L".
At best, Full Frame Nikon or Canon with fast "L" glass or equiv. Nikon or Canon brand.
For the newer full frame Sony mirrorless, Zeiss glass, fast, or better. Get the best glass you can get.
DSLR's will give you the most latitude and control over image quality as these agencies demand perfection. (Shutterstock reviewers are legendary as for being brutal and unforgiving). Stock reviewers supposedly inspect pics at 100% resolution but IMHO they go down to 300% if they are having a bad day at work.
And, continuing with the chain of quality from raw shot to post processing. The best of post processing software and hardware (incl. photo quality monitors). This means Adobe Raw and/or Capture One >> then to Photoshop CC or CS6 or other full version for image cleanup.
A "Point and Shoot" with an APS-C sensor (Sony A6500, etc) or Full Frame sensor, is already knocking on the door of Full Frame DSLR's for not much more.

Some thoughts.
DW and I have shot professionally with the stock agencies for many years.
j

*suggest go to the stock agency contributor image guidelines. Make sure your gear and post processing software (skills assumed) enable you to achieve their image quality guidelines. There are sub-categories for cell phones, compact cameras, etc. But the upper tier is for the most part full frame or better. In the image statistics, it will be mostly full frame Canon and Nikon.
Thanks Sandtrap. I already have Canon 5D MKIII with 24-105mm F/4 L lens. DW is a professional visual/graphic designer with top-notch design skills. She is an expert in Adobe Creative Suite SW (Photoshop included). We have been submitting to various stock agencies (irregularly though) for last 7-8 years but it is primarily me who is photographing as a hobbyist and then asking DW to help out making those shots nicer in post processing. On all our travels, DW is stuck with her iphone camera while I play around with 5D. But now we would like her to use a pro-camera also and photograph on her own - so we both could be photographing the same scene but may be approaching it differently - different composition etc. DSLRs are too heavy for her and that is why need a lightweight solution.
1" sensor>> Sony DSC RX100 MK VI
APSC sensor >> Sony A6500 with Zeiss zoom.
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