Ideal camera for baby pictures... in addition to iPhone!

Hi all,

I am expecting a baby in 3 months, and despite Wuhan Coronavirus scare, looking forward to it.

So, expecting more and more photos would be taken of the baby growing up, looking to see what digital camera might be suitable... IF NEEDED and if better than a good iPhone camera (like 11 Pro).

Currently, I have a Panasonic LX7, LOVE the form factor, and controls, it's a great engaging camera... BUT it has a very small sensor and I can't really take good portrait with good Bokeh. Hence, trying to see what and if a mirrorless, fixed lens, or DSLR would give me the best option for baby pics.

I am NOT a pro, but know the basics of photography, and could adjust some settings, but most likely would do most shots in Auto. So, the ideal camera would have to have great auto focus, fast and large sensor for quick shots, and as personal preference, engaging and good form factor. I also would like it to offer qualities and shots NOT possible on latest iPhones, I am still on 6S, but I understand latest iPhones have amazing photo qualities.

Budget would be under $1000, but during these hard times, lower the better. I do NOT care to have exchangeable lenses, as I've heard you may need to do more maintenance and cleaning on those cameras, but if more fun and versatile I don't mind.

Any advice is appreciated!

alexb76 said:

Hi all,

I am expecting a baby in 3 months, and despite Wuhan Coronavirus scare, looking forward to it.

So, expecting more and more photos would be taken of the baby growing up, looking to see what digital camera might be suitable... IF NEEDED and if better than a good iPhone camera (like 11 Pro).

Currently, I have a Panasonic LX7, LOVE the form factor, and controls, it's a great engaging camera... BUT it has a very small sensor and I can't really take good portrait with good Bokeh. Hence, trying to see what and if a mirrorless, fixed lens, or DSLR would give me the best option for baby pics.

I am NOT a pro, but know the basics of photography, and could adjust some settings, but most likely would do most shots in Auto. So, the ideal camera would have to have great auto focus, fast and large sensor for quick shots, and as personal preference, engaging and good form factor. I also would like it to offer qualities and shots NOT possible on latest iPhones, I am still on 6S, but I understand latest iPhones have amazing photo qualities.

Budget would be under $1000, but during these hard times, lower the better. I do NOT care to have exchangeable lenses, as I've heard you may need to do more maintenance and cleaning on those cameras, but if more fun and versatile I don't mind.

Any advice is appreciated!

Click to expand...

If you don't want to bother with exchanging lenses, you would be hard pressed to do better than the iPhone honestly. Spend your money instead on editing presets to get a really nice look (SLR Lounge is offering a set of Pastel presets for just under $100, which is a steal at this time). The latest iPhone can do fake bokeh.

BTW, now its just "coronavirus." It's moved on from being a scare to being an epidemic.

Just use your phone. Unless you're looking for a new toy to distract you from being a new parent.

Years from now, the image quality won't matter. What will matter is the kid will know you as the person who hid behind the camera.

It's no longer an epidemic, it's now a pandemic.

HRC2016 said:

Years from now, the image quality won't matter.

Click to expand...

Wrong, wrong, wrong. As a parent & now grandparent, I speak from experience: you'll be grateful for high quality images. Especially now that digital displays are so good and will continue to improve over the years. My pictures that display as a constant slideshow on my 2K computer monitor are a tremendous source of joy, especially when family pictures appear. Viewing photos on my 4K 48 inch TV is a delight too. Both are far more impactful than just viewing on a phone. You'll want a similar experience.

Children change so very quickly. (Newborns change by the week.) Their expressions are so fleeting, too. Enjoy your wonderful new baby and take LOTS & LOTS of photos. You can't take enough!

It's like the old Ringo Starr song: all I've got is a photograph and I realize you're not coming back anymore.

p.s. whatever you decide to get, make sure you're happy with its ability to shoot indoors. If a camera, then perhaps a small bounceable flash might be good to buy too.

alexb76 said:

Hi all,

I am expecting a baby in 3 months, and despite Wuhan Coronavirus scare, looking forward to it.

So, expecting more and more photos would be taken of the baby growing up, looking to see what digital camera might be suitable... IF NEEDED and if better than a good iPhone camera (like 11 Pro).

Currently, I have a Panasonic LX7, LOVE the form factor, and controls, it's a great engaging camera... BUT it has a very small sensor and I can't really take good portrait with good Bokeh. Hence, trying to see what and if a mirrorless, fixed lens, or DSLR would give me the best option for baby pics.

I am NOT a pro, but know the basics of photography, and could adjust some settings, but most likely would do most shots in Auto. So, the ideal camera would have to have great auto focus, fast and large sensor for quick shots, and as personal preference, engaging and good form factor. I also would like it to offer qualities and shots NOT possible on latest iPhones, I am still on 6S, but I understand latest iPhones have amazing photo qualities.

Budget would be under $1000, but during these hard times, lower the better. I do NOT care to have exchangeable lenses, as I've heard you may need to do more maintenance and cleaning on those cameras, but if more fun and versatile I don't mind.

Any advice is appreciated!

Click to expand...

It's not so much about an ideal camera, it's more about an ideal lens and any camera will do. I would suggest that you buy an APSC camera body and an inexpensive 50mm f1.8 prime lens. Normally a 35mm prime lens with an APSC body would give you an extremely flexible one lens solution called a "nifty 50" but babies being the size that they are, a 50mm lens is more convenient, has stronger bokeh and does the job perfectly. It also means that if you buy a second prime lens at a later stage, say an inexpensive 23mm f1.8 prime lens, you would have an amazingly flexible 2 lens solution that would work for most family situations and take wonderful and sharp images for years to come.

Most cameras would do the trick but I would suggest that you look at Fuji. An XE3 with a 50mm prime lens would be a small high quality solution that would fit your budget and then in the future you could consider adding a 23mm lens as well. This would be an ideal camera system for 10 years for sure.

If you wish to save money then almost any older Fuji body on the used market would do very very well and the lenses can be bought used in excellent condition. I still use a Fuji XT1 which meets all my needs despite being very old and inexpensive on the used market.

There is no issue changing lenses with cameras and in reality with this system you would rarely change them, as long as you take reasonable precautions like not changing lenses in a dust storm, you will never have a problem, I never have in 40 years of camera ownership.

Zoom lenses, whilst more convenient, are heavier, less sharp and have less bokeh and you have a very specific need that it well met by the camera setup I have suggested.

I may be wrong, but for what it sounds like you want to accomplish, full frame is what you would need. But for the effort and investment you want to put in, a phone camera is fine.



On a point and shoot zoom type camera, the sensor size and features on auto won’t be better than updating your phone.

I and my wife are using an Olympus em5 mark iii with a 12 40 f2.8 with satisfaction.

We use a lot continous af and burst shooting.

(maybe there is something in the Sony world with similar af performance and burst at lesser price)

You should not ovetlook video.

When I had a kid, I bought a camera a few months in advance. Nice, full frame camera, and a collection of top-of-the-line lenses (85mm f/1.4, f/2.8 zoom, and 24mm f/2). Whole setup was probably nearly $5000.

After I had a kid, that camera mostly sat in a drawer for 2-4 years. It's super-busy. There's no way I could both watch a kid, handle a full frame ILC, get the (now exploding list of) chores done, and keep my sanity.

80% of my photos from that period were with my phone, and maybe 15% with my RX100 (but boy am I glad I had that RX100). I can use the RX100 with one hand, and it has super-smart automatic modes. That left one hand and half-a-brain for managing the kid. I got a lot of great photos with that RX100, and I'm glad I had it. The autofocus system started to struggle around age 5, but fortunately, the RX100V came out with super-fast autofocus.

I did do a few photo shoots with the full frame, but was it really worth it? Probably not.

From what I've heard from older parents, I expect that at some point, I'll need more telephoto, which will push me either back towards big camera territory. So far, for school concerts, the now nearly decade-old full frame with an f/4 zoom has done fine. If I need more, perhaps I'll upgrade that to a newer full frame, or a 1" zoom like an FZ1000/RX10/G3X/RX100VI. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Lessons learned:

1. It's better to buy after the kid is born than before. You won't know what you need until the workload hits you.
2. Smaller, easier, and more automatic is better.

I'll mention modern phones take pretty good photos in good light. They'll take lousy photos in poor light (where a nicer camera will take okayish photos in poor light). One cheap upgrade is proper household lighting. That makes more difference than just about anything else. Your iPhone with good lighting will beat your full frame with poor lighting. You can do this cheap: track lighting is $30, and calibrated 5k dimmable bulbs for maybe a couple of bucks. Installed in each room of your home, you'll still spend much less than a camera, and you'll be able to have clean, bright, 5k light and control where it comes from. Add a catchlight, and you're golden.

For babies, a nice backdrop is also helpful. That can be a blanket, or a piece of flannel from a fabric store. It should be big, though. Here, we're talking $20 at Walmart.

Your shopping list, from most important / highest return-on-investment to least important:

1. Fixed lighting for each room ($30 track lighting is fine). Think through where you'll install it.
2. 5k high-CRI dimmable bulbs (Cree at Home Depot is cheap and works well)
3. Flannel blanket to use as a backdrop. Walmart runs these on sale for next to nothing.
4. Sony RX100V
5. If you really want a more manual camera, get a used Olympus OM-D (whichever model is cheapest) with a 45mm f/1.8 ($400 total at current prices). That's cheap, but a really excellent baby portrait camera. And if you really want to spend more, get a wider-angle lens of some kind (which give a nice baby perspective view). You may need to upgrade in 2-5 years, when your baby goes from flopping around to crawling to toddling to running to competitive sports, but by that point, a whole new generation of cameras will be out.

@alexb76 I'd definitely get a better camera, and I shoot more with an iPhone than anything these days, so I don't think I am biased. I have a 15 year old. I look back at baby pics and wish I had purchased a DSLR sooner.

If you are dead-set on non interchangeable lenses, and you want to purchase new, I'd go with the Fuji X100F. Under $1000, barely. If you don't mind used you can get a better deal.

But I'd definitely recommend going with an interchangeable lens camera. Used. Full frame. I'd look at Nikon D600 or D610 or Canon 5DMKII. Start with one lens, so you don't need to fool around with changing. The lens is the key. I'd go with a 50/1.4 option, or a 50/18 to save some cash. Either way you are well under $1000. You can add more lenses later, if you choose, or not.

Why this recommendation? Low light. In my experience, early days/weeks with baby were rarely in bright or good light, and flash photography was highly frowned upon. The full frame options + fast lenses almost allow you to see in the dark. The Fuji option is good, but certainly not as good.

Your needs will change though, and soon you'll be taking your baby/toddler out and about, and if you're like most there will lots of baby gear. The Fuji will seem way better than a large camera in those situations, but honestly I think your phone is the best choice. I think you need that dedicated "big camera" from birth to a year at most. Then you reconsider everything. But I strongly feel that the big camera is worth it for those early stay-at-home-in-dim-lighting days.

Last thing, buy the camera now. It's hard to even semi-master those full frame options, but not that hard to learn how to photograph a baby in low light. A couple of four hour sessions on the internet and you'll be ready to go. And you can practice on your wife now, if she's cool with that. Those last trimester pics are great to have as well.

Very last thing, as someone else said, don't forget video. Your phone is great for that. Maybe buy a table-top tripod to help. This one as an example: https://joby.com/us-en/griptight-on...MI1p32_uHO6AIVAV8NCh351wq8EAQYBCABEgJvdPD_BwE

No disrespect to those suggesting sticking with the phone but I wouldn't. The slightly wide angle nature of it is designed for close ups of groups (about the length of a teenagers arm) which isn't particularly versatile.

If you want to go down the SLR route, most are very good these days so I wouldn't recommend one in particular.

If you don't, I'd recommend considering a Sony RX10 MkII. It has a lens equivalent to 24-200 made by Zeiss with a wide 2.8 aperture - ideal for getting groups in in small rooms at the short end, and for getting nice out of focus backgrounds at the longer end. Used in the UK, they can be had with a 6 month warranty for £300.

contadorfan said:

HRC2016 said:

Years from now, the image quality won't matter.

Click to expand...

Wrong, wrong, wrong. As a parent & now grandparent, I speak from experience: you'll be grateful for high quality images. Especially now that digital displays are so good and will continue to improve over the years. My pictures that display as a constant slideshow on my 2K computer monitor are a tremendous source of joy, especially when family pictures appear. Viewing photos on my 4K 48 inch TV is a delight too. Both are far more impactful than just viewing on a phone. You'll want a similar experience.

Children change so very quickly. (Newborns change by the week.) Their expressions are so fleeting, too. Enjoy your wonderful new baby and take LOTS & LOTS of photos. You can't take enough!

It's like the old Ringo Starr song: all I've got is a photograph and I realize you're not coming back anymore.

p.s. whatever you decide to get, make sure you're happy with its ability to shoot indoors. If a camera, then perhaps a small bounceable flash might be good to buy too.

Click to expand...

Thanks, any option you recommend with bounceable flash?

Thanks to all the suggestions... based on recommendations, here's my take away:

- iPhone does great if one gets the latest. Will work on an upgrade

- Full frame maybe needed at some point

- Bounceable flash is helpful

- Easier to carry is good

- RX100 was good vs. a large camera with multiple lenses, etc...

So, based on the above, I am leaning towards a smaller, larger sensor, either fixed lens, or mirrorless that's easier to use. I am now leaning towards RX100 or even LX100 II which I'd be very familiar with form factor. Looks like LX100 could use a bounceable flash, and more versatile, but RX100 has better focus and video. I may also look into Fuji XT-30 in used market or similar model around my budget. Any pros and cons of the above?

For flash, I've been happy with a Godox 350 & the smaller of these diffusers:


We're "blessed" with 8 foot ceilings to bounce off of, & the smaller diffuser casts just enough forward light without blinding baby. I'd post examples, but my DIL doesn't want her kids' pictures online.

For cameras, someone here made the good point about parental busy-ness & bulky cameras --- it's all true. I'd look at DPReview's comparisons of a Sony a6100 & its competitors. Good smallish cameras, won't break the bank, & are cameras you can grow into over the years. You already have a decent iPhone & the Panasonic L7, so these cameras would make a nice complement.

The good news is that today's bottom of the line Interchangeable lens Cameras all are capable of taking great quality images. It's hard to make a bad choice.

My personal recommendation is that you should take a look at a Canon Rebel SL2 or SL3 DSLR.

Coupled with the standard 18-55 kit lens, you can capture some great images.

This camera is part of a Canon's rather large EOS camera system. If you decide you like photography, you have a lot of options for expanding your gear. One expansion you may want to consider is the EF-S 55-250 lens.

I would also recommend that you think about shooting RAW+JPEG. You'll probably use the JPEGs in the short term, but at some point in the future you may want to go back and re-work some of the early images of your kid.

Once you take a look at the Canon SL2, you can use that as your baseline. You can then compare to offerings from other manufacturers, or other options (for instance mirrorless) and decide what's best for your needs.

====

Let me give you one more piece of advice, that I think is far more helpful than your choice of camera; Go out and buy a good quality teddy bear. When your child is born, take a photo of your child with that bear. Every week for the first month, take another photo of your child with the bear. For the first year, take a photo every month (if your child was born on the 12th, take a photo on the 12th of each subsequent month). After than take a photo of the child with the bear on every birthday.

I did that, and I have a nice print of the first 13 photos. My kid is now in college, and we've kept it up. We still have the original "birthday bear". It's still in good shape. It was not a bear for him to play with, it is a bear only for the photos.

As a side note, my son suspects that somehow I started the pandemic as a way to get him home from college for a birthday bear photo.

alexb76 said:

Hi all,

I am expecting a baby in 3 months, and despite Wuhan Coronavirus scare, looking forward to it.

So, expecting more and more photos would be taken of the baby growing up, looking to see what digital camera might be suitable... IF NEEDED and if better than a good iPhone camera (like 11 Pro).

Currently, I have a Panasonic LX7, LOVE the form factor, and controls, it's a great engaging camera... BUT it has a very small sensor and I can't really take good portrait with good Bokeh. Hence, trying to see what and if a mirrorless, fixed lens, or DSLR would give me the best option for baby pics.

I am NOT a pro, but know the basics of photography, and could adjust some settings, but most likely would do most shots in Auto. So, the ideal camera would have to have great auto focus, fast and large sensor for quick shots, and as personal preference, engaging and good form factor. I also would like it to offer qualities and shots NOT possible on latest iPhones, I am still on 6S, but I understand latest iPhones have amazing photo qualities.

Budget would be under $1000, but during these hard times, lower the better. I do NOT care to have exchangeable lenses, as I've heard you may need to do more maintenance and cleaning on those cameras, but if more fun and versatile I don't mind.

Any advice is appreciated!

Click to expand...

Sony A6100 is perfect for your use. I would recommend the 16-50 kit lens for general use and a sigma 30 1.4 for low light use.

Michael Fryd said:

====

Let me give you one more piece of advice, that I think is far more helpful than your choice of camera; Go out and buy a good quality teddy bear. When your child is born, take a photo of your child with that bear. Every week for the first month, take another photo of your child with the bear. For the first year, take a photo every month (if your child was born on the 12th, take a photo on the 12th of each subsequent month). After than take a photo of the child with the bear on every birthday.
I did that, and I have a nice print of the first 13 photos. My kid is now in college, and we've kept it up. We still have the original "birthday bear". It's still in good shape. It was not a bear for him to play with, it is a bear only for the photos.

As a side note, my son suspects that somehow I started the pandemic as a way to get him home from college for a birthday bear photo.

Click to expand...

THIS - is an amazing and great idea! We know it's a boy and picking a specific Lion as his animal so would do that. Fantastic... love that!

If the goal is good photos, and not to avoid the responsibility of parenthood, why not turn the photographic duties over to your partner?

alexb76 said:

Thanks to all the suggestions... based on recommendations, here's my take away:

- iPhone does great if one gets the latest. Will work on an upgrade

- Full frame maybe needed at some point

- Bounceable flash is helpful

- Easier to carry is good

- RX100 was good vs. a large camera with multiple lenses, etc...

So, based on the above, I am leaning towards a smaller, larger sensor, either fixed lens, or mirrorless that's easier to use. I am now leaning towards RX100 or even LX100 II which I'd be very familiar with form factor. Looks like LX100 could use a bounceable flash, and more versatile, but RX100 has better focus and video. I may also look into Fuji XT-30 in used market or similar model around my budget. Any pros and cons of the above?

Click to expand...

Don't agree with most of your takeaways.

iPhone is simply not great, at least in some cases. Don't pretend otherwise.

If you're going to go full frame the time to do so is when baby is born. You won't need the benefits again for quite a while.

Bounceable flash is good idea.

Easier to carry is good. Big camera at home and iPhone to carry makes sense.

RX100 is not good vs a larger interchangeable lens camera. It's pretty good in good light. LX100 is better than RX100, but still challenged in low light.

Just two practical tips:

In the first few months, get something that can focus closer than a foot or so. Otherwise you won't be able to take pictures of your baby in your lap.

After that, kids run around a lot, so you'll need fast shutter speeds to avoid motion blur. A bright, wide-aperture lens helps a lot with that, especially indoors.

Lots of cameras can work. Links for lots of opinions -

Camera buying advice for parents

Start from the scratch..

Can not decide! XT30 or XT20 or Canon M50 for a beginner?

First time camera for indoor portraits and travel

Kelly Cook