Unless we intend to make a second visit to a particular site \ area the photo's we take first time around will be the only long term memories we have to view in the future ............so its worth taking a few moments to consider the best way to take them.

1 st as an old technophobic mobile phones have always seemed a waste of money to me but technology marches on and built in camera's seem to get better and better ................indeed I recently saw a review where the proudly announced it also makes phone calls

For poor old mobile phone-less me (will I be the last one in the UK?) a bridge camera has long been the way
At one stage I thought a dedicated DSLR was the way to go and spent a fortune on Nikon gear to photograph my cactus plants and failed to grasp the technicalities of such complicated equipment

What I needed was a bridge camera

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_camera

Something that would take pics without a PHD in photography and the secret seemed to be to take loads of images and then delete the bad ones .............



Ok so how to take good ones? the usual answers apply camera shake in low light conditions will scrap your images ect you know the regular answers including using a tripod to steady the camera

P1320825.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)P1320824.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

So you want a pic of yourself and \or your partner and there is one-to-one take the shot
P1320270.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)P1320494.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
Don't be afraid to put a camera on a tripod even if it looks like a pimple on the tripod ........I'm currently working on a way to attach a spirit level to my tripod as one of my problems is my shoulder injury stops me holding the camera level ..........the expensive tripods have a level built in,

The basic message is take loads of pics and be prepared to delete most of them and don't be afraid to use a tripod even with a small camera it may look silly but it will get results

Travelling solo its the only way to show yourself on photo's
P1320270.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Quote: Randa france wrote in post #2

---

Zitat

---

Quote Hob:- What I needed was a bridge camera

---

Think I've got one of those.....

---

No, looking at that bridge picture it appears that you only have a 3/4 bridge camera.

The camera that hob is showing is the Panasonic Lumix FZ200, a so-called Bridge Camera. I own the same model, but with lens hood permanently fitted LOL, and the images/videos posted in my recent Yorkshire Dales report were mostly taken with it. Yes, it can be used in the fully automatic mode in which case you've essentially got yourself a posh point and shoot camera. In addition to the usual Av, Tv and P modes found on most cameras nowadays, the camera can also be used in a fully Manual Mode where the user sets the desired Aperture and Shutter speed. Alonside that, there is also the ability to off-set the exposure (+/-) in difficult lighting conditions along with viewing through the lens or fold out monitor on the back of the camera.

So yes, in one respect it's a point and click camera with a good lens but with the handling and features of a dSLR that can capture images in either RAW or JPEG formats along with full HD or SD (incl slow mo) videos. In ideal lighting conditions my wife can produce equally good JPEG images with her Fujipix F600 point and shoot camera. But it's when conditions are not ideal that the Fuji falls by the wayside.

It has to be said though, and this is just my opinion of course, that for those with absolutely no interest in photography in itself and simply want to capture some pictures to record the event/place, and OK, the sky wasn't really that blue but who cares lol, then the cost of a camera like the FZ200 (approx £340 looking at Amazon) just isn't worth it. On the other hand, for the more discerning of users, and for those who do a lot of hiking where a full blown dSLR with various lenses would be far too heavy (like my Canon 7D) a Bridge Camera might just be the answer. It certainly has for me and I've yet to use any of the automatic modes with the FZ200.

I now use my i-pad more often than not. It takes very good pics and video and has the advantage of small size and weight. It has even taken a good picture or two of bridges.

I'm with Aaron on this - a good quality Compact camera, like his Panosonic, with excellent "point and shoot",coupled with the ability to use fully manually for difficult lighting conditions, is the way to go. Compact and easy to use.

For my "serious" work I have a choice of a couple of Nikon dSlrs plus appropriate lenses. Not the sort of kit you want to carry around on Holiday etc For general use I have a Fuji X 10 compact, I almost always use it on automatic and the results are very acceptable.

Wenn Sie hier auf Links zu eBay klicken und einen Kauf tätigen, kann dies dazu führen, dass diese Website eine Provision erhält.

Quote: Aaron Calder wrote in post #5

---

Most of the time the camera is set to 'landscape' mode or 'program' mode. Why buy a camera with automatic features and not use them?

---

I use a slightly older version, the Lumix DMC-FZ50, albeit with a Leica badge on it, when I want reasonable quality combined with digital simplicity. Before I retired I used it to illustrate the stories I worked on, and it was perfect for that: high enough resolution and good enough image quality in RAW format to give an A4-sized magazine page, with the portability and convenience of an uncomplicated point-and-shoot.

Where bridge cameras (those cameras that "bridge the divide" between the old-fashioned amateur and professional designations) have a problem is that they are usually limited to one lens, usually a zoom, which is an immediate compromise; these lenses are not especially "fast" (from memory, mine opens up only to f3.2), so selective focusing is less easy to achieve; even Leitz's Vario-Elmar lenses as used on these Panasonic Lumix models tend to go a bit soft and dim in the corners; and there is usually a significant shutter lag, or delay between pressing the shutter and recording the image, which sometimes means the magic moment is lost. However, none of these need be a barrier to taking great pictures, you just have to be a bit selective about your subjects.

In the final analysis, though, the camera is just a tool; it takes a great photographer to make a great picture. And I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a great photographer. So the bridge suits me just fine.

Martyn

Absolutely right.
I saw the book and it was very impressive.

TonyP (DMC TZ40)

Quote: Wordspace wrote in post #9

---

I use a slightly older version, the Lumix DMC-FZ50, albeit with a Leica badge on it, when I want reasonable quality combined with digital simplicity. Before I retired I used it to illustrate the stories I worked on, and it was perfect for that: high enough resolution and good enough image quality in RAW format to give an A4-sized magazine page, with the portability and convenience of an uncomplicated point-and-shoot.


Martyn

---

Buy yourself a monopod, or a hiking pole and rest the camera against it.
I use a DSLR and a Fuji X20 with a heavy Benbo Tripod for some shots
but a Gittos 3290 Monopod is a lot easier to carry and can double as a
walking stick (with some types) https://photographylife.com/how-to-use-a-monopod
http://www.7dayshop.com/products/7daysho...essories-DS-044
A simpler job would be one of those plastic "canes" from a garden centre,
I use it with a two inch piece of plywood with a hole drilled in it just slightly
bigger than the diameter of the cane. This will allow it to move up and down
the cane but to lock when you rest your camera against the plywood platform.
Very good for macro work.

Quote: crow wrote in post #13

---

Buy yourself a monopod, or a hiking pole and rest the camera against it.

---