CameraRec » flash

DSLR-like camera that won’t break the bank

toby — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:39:13 +0000

Received the following from Rachelle- I am looking for a camera. Not quite the price of a DSLR but the same type of look. I want a viewfinder as well as a LCD screen and manual focus as well as auto, and I like the forced flash too. Not too fussy huh? I bought the Fujifilm Finepix S2950 the other day but am not 100% happy with it. It has most of what I want/need but like I said, not 100% happy…..but I don’t want to spend a fortune, you know?? If there is something you can recommend that is not too heavy on price, but that can fill my wants, that would be great! Thank you for your time! So my charge is to find something DSLR-like with viewfinder, LCD, pop-up flash – further discussion revealed that the Rachelle is not happy with the sometimes grainyness of the Fuji and a disappointing Macro mode. The Fuji is a budget minded DSLR look alike with a serious 18x zoom. A budget camera with that zoom and something has to give, in this case it is image quality and in low light with higher ISOs you are going to get grainy photos, you are also more likely to get grainy(noisy) photos at the far end of the zoom when the aperture gets smaller and the camera compensates by increasing the ISO. SO lets look at some options #1 – Canon G12 10 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8 Inch Vari-Angle LCD - Recent price drop = $379 Not cheap, you lose a bit of zoom(a good bit actually) but it is going to give you fantastic results for a P&S, especially at the higher ISOs and it has an optical viewfinder plus the flippity-swively LCD screen. Loads of manual controls and physical dials make controlling this camera a breeze. Bonus feature – shoots RAW file format for greatest detail,also includes hotshoe for attaching an external flash. Macro mode is excellent #2 – Canon SX40 HS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 35x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-inch Vari-Angle Wide LCD. - Hard to find, sitting around $399 You get a load of zoom, pop up flash controlled via button, HS sensor that will give you very good low light image quality – similar to G12. Has LCD and viewfinder – viewfinder is electronic. Macro mode is OK. #3 – Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47K 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 24xOptical Zoom -$280 Zoom, popup flash(but no button to make it popup) but it does have an array of manual modes including manual focus. This viewfinder is also electronic. In general an impressive array of features at this price point but again sacrifices are made the cheaper we go and these photos are going to be noisier at the higher ISOs. Macro mode is very good. Consider these listed in order of my preference. If you are not Rachelle send me an email or find me on Facebook to get your own personalized camera recommendation. Find this post helpful? Use the links above to shop amazon or pass along a little tip using the PayPal button. Thanks!

Unboxing & Examples: Gary Fong Collapsible Lightsphere

toby — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 17:01:23 +0000

An unboxing with example shots showing the effect of bare flash vs the Gary Fong Collapsible Lightsphere Gary Fong GFLSC01 LightSphere Collapsible Diffuser

Lens List for Michael

toby — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:12:01 +0000

Michael is looking for a new lens setup for his Canon Digital Rebel XSi Wants lenses that are fast and a decent zoom too. Also asked about flash, filters and lens hoods

Michael currently has the Kit lens – on the early models, Rebel and Rebel Xt, the Kit lens was pretty atrocious, slow and quality was just nothing to get excited about. More recently the new version that includes IS, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS SLR Lens, is fine and suits 90% of the rebel users out there. I feel strongly that it is not worth replacing unless you frequently find yourself in low-light situations where a faster lens would help. If I was going to replace I would take a look at the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Lens Highlights: fixed f/2.8 Allows great bokeh throughout the entire zoom | Sharp – many photographers compare this lens to the “L” series canon’s professional lens that easily cost 2x-3x as much. | Comes with petal style lens hood.

You lose the IS but gain 2 stops which can help with both focusing and capturing w/o having to switch to a higher ISO. Higher ISO equals noisier images.
BUT! I think a much better next purchase would be an external flash like the Canon Speedlite 430EX II Adjustable and comes with a built in diffuser although you may want to buy Sto-Fen OMEW Omni-Bounce Diffuser This is going to give your indoor and even your outdoor pictures a whole new dimension and flexibility. My favorite technique with an external flash is too point it at the ceiling and let it fill the room with light. You subject will be well lit but not suffer from that flash blowout that happens when objects & people are directly lit by the flash.

To add a zoom I suggest the excellent Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras This is a nice lens at a great price.

About lens hoods and filters. Lens hoods should come with every lens and if they don’t it is well worth the ~$30 to buy. I have heard multiple stories of lens hoods taking the brunt of damage in a fall and protecting the expensive lens. UV Filters are a toss-up, if you have small kids it may be worth it to slap one on as little fingers like to touch and smudge your glass but otherwise it is just another piece of glass between your lens and the beautiful photo you want to capture. Now specific filters like a B + W 58mm Circular Polarizer is well worth the money for reducing reflections and increasing the color saturation in your photos. 58mm will fit on the kit lens and the zoom listed above.

Please let me know if you have any questions about these lenses, flash, filters or anything else you come across while shopping.

If you are not Michael and you want your own personalized recommendation