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Next step camera - good family all rounder, moving kids, indoor parties, holiday snaps etc

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Tam Tamato

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Hi everyone,

I'm ready to move on from my point and shots . I have had various Canon powershots and ixus. I am now looking at bridge cameras as I want to move on and develop my photography skills, but don't wish to carry a big dslr and all the gubbins around.

i am looking for a camera that will be a good all rounder for taking shots of my young family,
  • Take great photos of moving kids - indoors and out
  • take indoor shots of people at family parties, weddings etc
  • holiday pics, landscapes etc although this is less a priority than the points above.
  • can record video (although not an absolute must)
  • If possible - take to Lapland to photograph a family trip to meet Father Christmas and if we are lucky, the Northern Lights!
i have up to £300 to spend. Don't mind going 2nd hand route for an older camera that is a good all rounder.

I have been reading various reviews and the Canon sx40. (Did look at at sx50 but don't think it suits my needs) and panasonic fz200 look like they might tick enough of my boxes,

what do you think? Any camera suggestions? Or should I just buy a very good point and shot?
 
Tam Tamato said:
Hi everyone,

I'm ready to move on from my point and shots . I have had various Canon powershots and ixus. I am now looking at bridge cameras as I want to move on and develop my photography skills, but don't wish to carry a big dslr and all the gubbins around.

i am looking for a camera that will be a good all rounder for taking shots of my young family,
  • Take great photos of moving kids - indoors and out
  • take indoor shots of people at family parties, weddings etc
  • holiday pics, landscapes etc although this is less a priority than the points above.
  • can record video (although not an absolute must)
  • If possible - take to Lapland to photograph a family trip to meet Father Christmas and if we are lucky, the Northern Lights!
i have up to £300 to spend. Don't mind going 2nd hand route for an older camera that is a good all rounder.

I have been reading various reviews and the Canon sx40. (Did look at at sx50 but don't think it suits my needs) and panasonic fz200 look like they might tick enough of my boxes,

what do you think? Any camera suggestions? Or should I just buy a very good point and shot?
Click to expand...
to do shots of indoor weddings w/o flash (church ceremony) you really need to be shooting at least at ISO 1600 with an 80mm full frame equivalent field of view f/2 or faster lens to have a high enough shutter speed (1/60 or 1/125) to avoid subject motion blur. I don't think any point n shoot can do that. The mirrorless micro four thirds cameras are just capable of that because they have some nice fast lenses with good DOF wide open. Crop sensor DLSR's that have clean ISO 3200 can do it even with slower f/3.5 lenses.

Take a look at my Gallery for some wedding albums shot with an old 12mp micro four thirds sensor. That camera was operating at its limits. The newer 16mp sensors cameras would be fine with a fast lens.

TEdolph
 
You need to up your budget I think realistically. Most bridge cameras have the same sized sensor as the Ixus etc so low light, depth of field etc will be an issue.

the Sony RX10 may suit at around £570 or look at something like the Canon Eos M. APS-C sensor, can change lenses, reasonable focusing speeds with the latest firmware and can be had brand new off ebay with the 18-55mm lens and flash unit for around £270.

personally that is what I would go for on your budget...
 
dannybgoode said:
You need to up your budget I think realistically. Most bridge cameras have the same sized sensor as the Ixus etc so low light, depth of field etc will be an issue.

the Sony RX10 may suit at around £570 or look at something like the Canon Eos M. APS-C sensor, can change lenses, reasonable focusing speeds with the latest firmware and can be had brand new off ebay with the 18-55mm lens and flash unit for around £270.

personally that is what I would go for on your budget...

--
Shoot lots...
http://www.dannybowerphotography.co.uk
Click to expand...
an incredible value if you can be satisfied with only the 22mm lens. That combination has very good IQ for the price, and it works reasonably well with that lens. Once you start adding other lenses not so much, especially if they are longer focal lengths (no viewfinder, slow AF). And, it looks like Canon may be abandoning that system.

Tedolph
 
tedolf said:
dannybgoode said:
You need to up your budget I think realistically. Most bridge cameras have the same sized sensor as the Ixus etc so low light, depth of field etc will be an issue.

the Sony RX10 may suit at around £570 or look at something like the Canon Eos M. APS-C sensor, can change lenses, reasonable focusing speeds with the latest firmware and can be had brand new off ebay with the 18-55mm lens and flash unit for around £270.

personally that is what I would go for on your budget...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
dannybgoode said:
tedolf said:
dannybgoode said:
You need to up your budget I think realistically. Most bridge cameras have the same sized sensor as the Ixus etc so low light, depth of field etc will be an issue.

the Sony RX10 may suit at around £570 or look at something like the Canon Eos M. APS-C sensor, can change lenses, reasonable focusing speeds with the latest firmware and can be had brand new off ebay with the 18-55mm lens and flash unit for around £270.

personally that is what I would go for on your budget...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
tedolf said:
Tam Tamato said:
Hi everyone,

I'm ready to move on from my point and shots . I have had various Canon powershots and ixus. I am now looking at bridge cameras as I want to move on and develop my photography skills, but don't wish to carry a big dslr and all the gubbins around.

i am looking for a camera that will be a good all rounder for taking shots of my young family,
  • Take great photos of moving kids - indoors and out
  • take indoor shots of people at family parties, weddings etc
  • holiday pics, landscapes etc although this is less a priority than the points above.
  • can record video (although not an absolute must)
  • If possible - take to Lapland to photograph a family trip to meet Father Christmas and if we are lucky, the Northern Lights!
i have up to £300 to spend. Don't mind going 2nd hand route for an older camera that is a good all rounder.

I have been reading various reviews and the Canon sx40. (Did look at at sx50 but don't think it suits my needs) and panasonic fz200 look like they might tick enough of my boxes,

what do you think? Any camera suggestions? Or should I just buy a very good point and shot?
Click to expand...
to do shots of indoor weddings w/o flash (church ceremony) you really need to be shooting at least at ISO 1600 with an 80mm full frame equivalent field of view f/2 or faster lens to have a high enough shutter speed (1/60 or 1/125) to avoid subject motion blur. I don't think any point n shoot can do that. The mirrorless micro four thirds cameras are just capable of that because they have some nice fast lenses with good DOF wide open. Crop sensor DLSR's that have clean ISO 3200 can do it even with slower f/3.5 lenses.

Take a look at my Gallery for some wedding albums shot with an old 12mp micro four thirds sensor. That camera was operating at its limits. The newer 16mp sensors cameras would be fine with a fast lens.

TEdolph
Click to expand...
Thank you, that is most helpful. This is a whole new world to me, so at least now I have a better idea of what to look for technically other than reviewers saying "this camera is great".
 
dannybgoode said:
You need to up your budget I think realistically. Most bridge cameras have the same sized sensor as the Ixus etc so low light, depth of field etc will be an issue.

the Sony RX10 may suit at around £570 or look at something like the Canon Eos M. APS-C sensor, can change lenses, reasonable focusing speeds with the latest firmware and can be had brand new off ebay with the 18-55mm lens and flash unit for around £270.

personally that is what I would go for on your budget...

--
Shoot lots...
http://www.dannybowerphotography.co.uk
Click to expand...
the Eos does look good for the money but the lack of any flash puts me off! I know inbuilt flashes are not great and I can still add a flash...
 
tedolf said:
dannybgoode said:
tedolf said:
dannybgoode said:
You need to up your budget I think realistically. Most bridge cameras have the same sized sensor as the Ixus etc so low light, depth of field etc will be an issue.

the Sony RX10 may suit at around £570 or look at something like the Canon Eos M. APS-C sensor, can change lenses, reasonable focusing speeds with the latest firmware and can be had brand new off ebay with the 18-55mm lens and flash unit for around £270.

personally that is what I would go for on your budget...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Do you really need that mega-superzoom? If you don't you can get a lightweight, yet very capable camera, a mirrorless system camera. These are way, way better than any "bridge" superzoom fixed-lens camera in low light conditions, which you will apparently face very often.

The Sony NEX-5T is an option that comes to mind.

If you're going to Lapland, you must, must, must, MUST have a tripod!
 
Ido S said:
Do you really need that mega-superzoom? If you don't you can get a lightweight, yet very capable camera, a mirrorless system camera. These are way, way better than any "bridge" superzoom fixed-lens camera in low light conditions, which you will apparently face very often.

The Sony NEX-5T is an option that comes to mind.

If you're going to Lapland, you must, must, must, MUST have a tripod!
Click to expand...
hi Ido,

I don't think I will be making much use of a super zoom either.

I mostly want something for day to day recording of family life and special events, (usually these happen indoors in the UK) and the odd holiday landscape. It would be nice to have the option to experiment with other photography types, but not at the expense of good lowlight shots.

thank you for your advice regarding a tripod for Lapland. Have found a few useful posts on here with some great tips. Will seek one out before we go.
 
Tam Tamato said:
Tam Tamato said:
the Eos does look good for the money but the lack of any flash puts me off! I know inbuilt flashes are not great and I can still add a flash...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
The kit I link to in my other post includes a flash.

Honestly, if I had £225 spare I would be pressing that buy it now button just to have a take anywhere, decent IQ camera with me that I didn't mind too much if my 2 year old got hold of it and destroyed it.

I think my late father's widow would be somewhat upset if he destroyed the Canon 5D3 she kindly gave me...
 
dannybgoode said:
tedolf said:
dannybgoode said:
You need to up your budget I think realistically. Most bridge cameras have the same sized sensor as the Ixus etc so low light, depth of field etc will be an issue.

the Sony RX10 may suit at around £570 or look at something like the Canon Eos M. APS-C sensor, can change lenses, reasonable focusing speeds with the latest firmware and can be had brand new off ebay with the 18-55mm lens and flash unit for around £270.

personally that is what I would go for on your budget...

--
Shoot lots...
http://www.dannybowerphotography.co.uk
Click to expand...
an incredible value if you can be satisfied with only the 22mm lens. That combination has very good IQ for the price, and it works reasonably well with that lens. Once you start adding other lenses not so much, especially if they are longer focal lengths (no viewfinder, slow AF). And, it looks like Canon may be abandoning that system.

Tedolph
Click to expand...
No need to make do with the 22mm. The kit I have seen comes with the 18-55mm EF-M STM and the flash unit:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-SEALE...Cameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item2c885e5667

£235 for new sealed and plenty of sellers with similar offers...

--
Shoot lots...
http://www.dannybowerphotography.co.uk
Click to expand...
does look a great deal. Do you think it would be a good bet for Lapland?
 
No idea I am afraid - best to ask in the Eos M forum. Don't see why it would be an issue but I do not know enough about the system to say for sure and seeing as it is a holiday of a lifetime check there first...
 
Forget the superzooms and ultrazooms. They are available because of their range. The sensors are tiny to keep size and weight down. This keeps also the IQ very low.

The cheapest alternative would be a dSLR with a decent walk around lens (i.e. 28-140 mm in 35 mm equivalent). Next good thing would be a real bridge camera like Olympus E-PL5 or Sony A5000. I don't know if you have available a lens in that range for them, though.

So my recommendation would be a Nikon D5100 + Nikkor 18-105 mm VR. The next best thing would be Olympus E-PL5 with Zuiko 14-42 mm.

Have fun!
 
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