Hi all,
Camera advice needed. I'm looking for a DSLR that is no more than £500 without lens etc, any recommendations? Or is it actually worth spending the money, and instead should I just stick with the iPhone as it tends to produce pretty good snaps already.
Looking for something that is good for landscape photography and climbing shots.
Many thanks.
My very nice DSLR which I bought about 5 years ago after much debate and research has been used about a dozen times.
It takes very nice images but so does my iPhone. The DSLR is a pain in the butt to carry, especially when climbing, needs a spare battery , a case, lenses, etc and then I have to find a way to display the photos.
The phone has none of these drawbacks.
Unless you’re really into you photography I wouldn’t bother.
The 2 main advantages of an SLR to occasional photographers are the ability to zoom long (and to a lesser extent wide) and depth of field control.
Depth of field will still be an issue, although software is getting much better at simulating the effect. Long lenses are still a huge bonus when it comes to wildlife, but for most uses the absurdly high pixel count in recent phones means that digital zoom is often a very acceptable substitute. And Wide angle shots can often be achieved by panoramic scanning.
In short, unless you're quite keen on taking photography quite seriously, a good phone should be able to do most of what you want to achieve, although some extra photo app software might help.
Have a look at the ongoing budget DSLR thread - very similar question with lots of useful replies.
Going from a phone to a DSLR will be a shock, size and weight for a start
I would buy a second hand Olympus OM-D EM-5 and a lens of your choice, weather sealed, tough, small, takes great shots.
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-photo-and-video/used-compact-...
Get a good quality compact instead, one that can save images in RAW format will give you a lot more flexibility for good images
> Hi all,
> Camera advice needed. I'm looking for a DSLR that is no more than £500 without lens etc, any recommendations? Or is it actually worth spending the money, and instead should I just stick with the iPhone as it tends to produce pretty good snaps already.
Most flagship and midrange phones take great snaps and in the hands of a competent photographer, excellent and well composed images. However for most of the time, phones are primarily used for taking snaps or recording the spontaneous moment.
Using a camera, is an event that you build up to. You actively choose to bring a heavy clunky device with you, in comparison to a phone. And provided that you don't put the camera into Full-on Auto, then you get to choose a myriad of options which can be altered and affected by shutter speed and aperture size.
A climbing analogy could be explained as with bouldering, you take a mat and chalk. With Trad, you take all sorts of kit. You are still climbing, its just that you are experiencing the event in different ways with different tools.
Thanks all for the advice.
I had an SLR many moons ago (with film!) so the weight and use of it etc isn't a worry. Just contemplating whether to buy another when the iPhone will produce similar results anyway (despite rubbish battery life). Or a compact may be the answer
It really depends...
The iPhone will take really good scenery photos. And reasonably good climbing pics, provided you can get close enough.
A proper dSLR (or mirrorless) camera will naturally offer more control for framing (even wider lenses or longer) and for depth of field and so on... But then you'd need to learn how to use it properly to get the real benefits (fun, but perhaps nor your thing). Also added stuff to lug around.
While I do like my (gettin' old and worn) iPhone, it really isn't the best for taking pics... mainly due to worn out battery (I prefer to have a working phone when climbing) and also when roped climbing the fear of droppin' it.
So I either lug around a mirrorless camere of sorts (for single pitch panasonic GH4, for multi pitch and to be carried when climbing pany GX800). The smaller mirrorless cameras are a rather good compromise I think, small enough to carry around and more options than just the phone (e.g. GX800, GX880 or older models GM1/GM5, some offerings from Sony and I'm sure from Oly as well). The main advantage of these smaller mirrorless cameras over a compact camera is the fact that you can change the lens... with the cost of slightly larger size... I've managed to break those compacts that have that telescoping lens (ala Sony RX100 or what ever that model was) and the non postruding lens though cameras had horribly IQ.
Another thing to consider is whether or not having a viewfinder will transform your experience of taking photos (and possibly the actual photos).
these would be good for your budget
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/panasonic-lumix-dmc-fz1000-digital-camera-155...
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/canon-powershot-g5-x-digital-camera-1583742/
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz200-digital-camera-silv...
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/sony-cyber-shot-rx100-iv-digital-camera-15752...
I'm an (unfashionable) fan of compact cameras; I bought a tiny Sony compact with a pop-up view finder and RAW capability. It's so small I tend to take it with me, whereas the DLSR only comes out rarely. It's in a different league from a phone camera - miles better.
Likewise. I have a little Sony compact and it's fantastic. It's small enough that I'll actually take it out and use it and it takes much better pictures than my phone.
I have the ProCam app on the iPhone.
ProCam 7 by Samer Azzam
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/procam-7/id730712409
Try viewing an image on a mobile when the sun is behind your shoulder, can't see a thing. What about selective focusing or night photography, very fast movement etc. The mobile is a replacement for the Kodak instant camera, consequently 'snaps' is not 'photography' despite what people might argue.
Modern phones really are pretty damn good now. I have fairly big enlargements of landscape images from my Pixel 1 and my Leica M8 next to each other on the wall - whilst they look different, you couldn't pick out which was the phone shot. But the SLR will give you much more control; for some shots it won't make much of a difference and for others that will be crucial.
My Pixel 3a is breathtaking when it comes to taking photos, especially in nighttime mode.
If I used my Panasonic GH4, then I'd need a tripod and ask the surrounding world not to move for several seconds at the very least.
> The 2 main advantages of an SLR to occasional photographers are the ability to zoom long (and to a lesser extent wide) and depth of field control.
An alternative way to go for the long zoom at least might be a cheap second-hand 'bridge' camera. I currently have a Panasonic DMC-LZ30 that cost me all of about 50 quid.
It certainly won't do everything an SLR will do (and it lacks a viewfinder), but it's a *lot* more capable than a phone. It's also a lot more capable than me - the thing that limits the quality of my photos is my own eye and (lack of) talent, so there would really be no point me having anything better. A significant bonus for using it during erm.. 'outdoor adventures' is that I don't have to worry too much about breaking it.
Obvious answer is both. Unless you are planning to dump your phone?
What is the problem trying to solve? If it’s snaps to print out and stick on your wall, on your FB or IG then stick with a phone camera. I would only bother with a DSLR if you are interested in trying to do something your phone can’t, this comes at a price in terms of equipment, software, time and energy and putting up with the learning curve that will mean you will utterly suck at it for years.
When I'm out with my proper camera and big lens on I will often snap a landscape or quick macro shot on my phone rather than swap a lens if I'm out birdwatching or looking for wildlife, but if I'm out to take landscapes and such then I'll take my SLR and a suitable lens.
When the light is kind a phone can take some great shots, but they are never as sharp as on my SLR
> this comes at a price in terms of equipment, software, time and energy and putting up with the learning curve that will mean you will utterly suck at it for EVER.
FTFY
Taking photos with a "proper" camera with a viewfinder can be a real pleasure cannot be replicated with a phone however good the quality. I have a top end compact which can take great photos, but the actual taking of them, peering at a screen and having to faff with menus in order to do anything other than point and shoot is a rubbish experience in total contrast to the pleasure of using my "proper" camera.
> I would only bother with a DSLR if you are interested in trying to do something your phone can’t
> Hi all,
> Camera advice needed. I'm looking for a DSLR that is no more than £500 without lens etc, any recommendations? Or is it actually worth spending the money, and instead should I just stick with the iPhone as it tends to produce pretty good snaps already.
Might seem obvious but what about a quality compact - I am currently using a Panasonic TZ100 and it is much better than a phone, much cheaper and more portable than a DSLR,
Chris
smartphones are just too convenient these days - but is this really true on the crag ? they are so slippery ! what means is there of securing them ? They must get dropped too often ??
You could always drill a hole in the corner and attach a lanyard to the phone.
> Depth of field will still be an issue, although software is getting much better at simulating the effect
The newest iPhones are almost unbelievably good at it. It’s not just software but stereoscopic and dot projector 2D ranging (depending on which camera).
> smartphones are just too convenient these days - but is this really true on the crag ? they are so slippery ! what means is there of securing them ? They must get dropped too often ??
In the past three days I have seen two people 'drop' their phones while climbing - fell out of a back pocket in both cases. One survived one didn't.
Chris
Long live the Rockfax app.
Edit : so my reply. To the op....get a camera !
Have I bored everyone to death yet?
Which advice from this thread did you follow, if any?
Added to which there are some pretty powerful zooms on the better compacts.