Investing in a quality camera

Fellow Hunt Talkers

I would like to find a nice camera to start off with mainly for hunting and scenery photos. I've never spent any kind of money on a camera and would like to get into it a little more. My question is what would be a good starting point for a camera and lens any suggestions are welcome

Point n Shoot, DSLR, mirrorless?

If you want to get into a DLSR, I would suggest either Canon or Nikon. I have a Canon T2i. It's a few years old, but still more of a camera than I know how to use. It's an entry level Canon DLSR, and I've been quite happy with it. It was under $1K new for body and lens. I know there are several Nikon fans on here as well. Our family has been through several Nikon and Canon Digital cameras, and have 0 reservations about either brand.

If you are looking for one to throw in your pack for about 100.00 bucks get a Sony cyber shot with 20.1 mega pixels and a 5x zoom. You will be happy.

If you want a point and shoot try the cannon sx50. Lots of zoom for not too much cash.

mtmiller said:

Point n Shoot, DSLR, mirrorless?

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Schaaf,

Were I in your boots... I'd trust this guy's advice...

MKotur325 said:

Schaaf,

Were I in your boots... I'd trust this guy's advice...

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No kidding, every picture I've seen of MTMiller's has been top notch. Thanks for the input everyone!

mtmiller said:

Point n Shoot, DSLR, mirrorless?

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Really not leaning one way or the other. I'd like to get more and more into it as time goes on. I'd imagine a DSLR allows for me to keep growing into it?

Schaaf said:

Really not leaning one way or the other. I'd like to get more and more into it as time goes on. I'd imagine a DSLR allows for me to keep growing into it?

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If you are really not sure where you want to be, I'd recommend getting one of the Nikon or Canon superzoom point and shoot cameras. Most of them have decent glass, optional manual control so you can learn that aspect, and can still zoom in to animals far away. Most of these are not horribly expensive, like around the price you'd pay for a lower-end lens on a DSLR. Don't get me wrong, I love having a DSLR but for pictures of living animals, the necessary DSLR lenses are huge, expensive, and very heavy. The superzooms are light, have bigger and better sensors than most point and shoots (though are larger than those P&S cameras), and can still get acceptable pictures of game that's kind of far away.

If you want a camera for only things like family portraits and landscapes, DSLR and mirrorless cameras both will take beautiful pictures, and will do so with much more affordable lenses than the aforementioned expensive telephoto lenses (though if you really want you can still spend a small fortune on macro, portrait, or wide angle lenses).

Keep in mind that a lot of what makes people think a picture is "good" comes from skill behind the camera. There is a video series online where they give professional photographers really awful cameras and they still manage better photos than I can get with my DSLR.

The possibilities for cameras are endless as I'm sure you know. Figuring out exactly what you intend to do with a camera before you buy can help a lot in making the decision which one is right for you. If you are sticking with still shots for hunting and scenery I'd go with a point and shoot superzoom like Cornell2012 suggested. Most of them take decent video as well.
It may be cheaper to pick up a $300 point and shoot now and see if you want to upgrade in the future rather than investing $1,500 for DSLR. I own a Sony p510 and loved it. Then I bought a Canon 7D and LOVE it. Now I want better lenses so that my camera can be used to its full potential. Good lenses start a $1000 and go up from there but it's just like rifles. If you want to get by there are tons of options. If you want the best there are still tons of options, but its going to cost money!

As a photographer, I have lots of cameras. Pro video, Canon DSLR's(5DIII's) and a Canon G16 point and shoot. They all are capable of great image quality.

Last fall in MT I brought several cameras and used them all. (I recently posted a video here from those trips). It depends on the situation. The G16 was always in my pack. It's compact,light, fast and easy to use. Video and stills. Image quality is terrific. So, that would be my first choice. It takes up less space in the pack and that is important.

If I am shooting with a purpose, then it's a DSLR with 2-3 lenses. Add a tripod and the pack situation changes dramatically. Frankly, the hassle situation changes too because of bulk and the increased difficulty of operation. The DSLR's are capable of a greater range and more creative techniques. For the average person that only uses the camera on occasion, it's common that they don't learn how to utilize the benefits of the camera. Like shooting a bow, if you don't practice with some frequency the performance tends to suffer. For that reason, I tend to recommend the high end point and shoots to friends when they ask.

The point and shoot is so easy I almost feel like I am cheating when I use it. Set it on "P" for professional and make pictures.

Bokeh said:

The point and shoot is so easy I almost feel like I am cheating when I use it. Set it on "P" for professional and make pictures.

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Do you mean Program?

I have 2 Cannon p&s and they take some good shots. But I can not figure out how to zoom in on an animal,and have it come out clear. They come out fuzzy,whole scene/background looks fine.Seems like it used to be clearer.
Have I wrecked the image stablizer by dropping?
They are just about bullet proof otherwise,and very light hunting.

I don't think anyone above has mentioned a waterproof camera but that's something you may want to consider? I would suggest a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3. It takes fantastic photos and video. In fact, the video is 1080 and a lot better than video my Gopro. Another plus is it is small enough that it fits in a pocket. I am sold on waterproof cameras after ruining several over the years getting wet. I use my TS-3 for fishing pics. It even takes great underwater pics and video.

hank4elk said:

I have 2 Cannon p&s and they take some good shots. But I can not figure out how to zoom in on an animal,and have it come out clear. They come out fuzzy,whole scene/background looks fine.Seems like it used to be clearer.
Have I wrecked the image stablizer by dropping?
They are just about bullet proof otherwise,and very light hunting.

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I used to sell digital cameras. Biggest tip I can give, is after zooming make sure to use the half press for autofocus before just taking the picture. Press the button to take the picture halfway and the camera will autofocus (as long as the autofocus is on) then make a faint beep when it's ready to take the picture.

I have an old Panasonic digital with only 3.1 megapixels that takes great pics. The best part is that is so small. It measures about 3x4x1. You can still get similar cameras for a couple hundered bucks. You're not going to want to pack a big, heavy $1000+ camera and $1000 lenses around in the mountains.
Plus you take lots of pics if your camera is handy in your pocket and don't have to stop, take off your pack and get your camera equipment out and put it together.

hank4elk said:

I have 2 Cannon p&s and they take some good shots. But I can not figure out how to zoom in on an animal,and have it come out clear. They come out fuzzy,whole scene/background looks fine.Seems like it used to be clearer.
Have I wrecked the image stablizer by dropping?
They are just about bullet proof otherwise,and very light hunting.

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Another suggestion, I seem to get better long distance shots by staying out of the digital zoom. I take them with the optical zoom and then zoom in more on the computer.

Couple thoughts on cameras: First, full disclosure, I'm not a pro of any kind, just an enthusiastic amateur photo buff.

Second, you titled the thread "Investing in a quality camera" so I'm assuming that means you are at least open to the possibility of buying a DSLR+lenses, so I'm gonna ramble on about them for a minute.

DSLRs are nice because you have more room to grow. If you get a DSLR, I'd recommend either Canon or Nikon, as others have mentioned. The other thing to know about DSLRs is that the quality of the glass available in the lenses is so much higher than any other type of camera you're going to buy (the obvious exception being rangefinders like Leica). So buying a DSLR means that once you've invested some money into a couple of high quality lenses, those lenses will last for years and give you thousands of tack sharp photos.

If you get into photography, you will probably find yourself cycling through cameras every few years, but the lenses tend to hang around. I have a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR, a very nice lens, that I got as a graduation present from college almost ten years ago, and it takes incredible pictures. In that same space of time, I've had 3 different DSLRs, each of which was orders of magnitude better than the previous one. In essence, the curve in the improvement of the technology has been pretty steep in the DSLRs, but it is much lower in the lenses that these cameras use. Good quality lenses will depreciate less over say, 5 years, than a DSLR will. Just something to be aware of.

The other upside of a DSLR is that (this one is just my opinion) if you want to learn how to take good photographs, this type of camera is going to facilitate that much more than a point and shoot will. A DSLR has controls that are designed so that the camera can be used in Manual, Shutter priority, or Aperture priority much easier than other types of cameras. Learning to operate your camera on the Manual setting will make you choose the shutter speed and aperture of each frame, and learning to make the right choices about these two things will improve your skill with the camera more than anything else (just my opinion again). A camera that makes this process feel natural with all the buttons and dials right under your fingertips makes the process more intuitive.

However,if you just want to take some pictures now and then, and not deep dive into photography, then a DSLR is not a great investment.

Weight is also a consideration, DSLR gear gets heavy real quick. I have a whole camera backpack full of crap, plus the tripod, and it all must weigh 15-20 lbs. When I go hunting, I take a Panasonic Lumix LX7 which is a compact but very good camera. The image quality is nowhere near as good as my Nikon DSLR, but it also only weighs 10 oz and fits in a pocket.

The Lumix has manual control settings, but I don't think much of them, and tend to use it in Program mode most of the time. If someone wanted to buy their first camera and was interested in learning how to take quality photos, I would not steer them towards this camera, because it does not facilitate actually learning how to take good pictures. But if they just wanted a nice camera, I'd put it near the top of the list.

I hope this helps you sort through your decision making process a bit. Photography is a great hobby. Have fun.

MKotur325 said:

I used to sell digital cameras. Biggest tip I can give, is after zooming make sure to use the half press for autofocus before just taking the picture. Press the button to take the picture halfway and the camera will autofocus (as long as the autofocus is on) then make a faint beep when it's ready to take the picture.

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I found a manual and it say's just what you did.
I guess I am trying to hurry after getting it out...

The only quality cameras I've had were 35mm slr's and box cameras...can't find film anymore. Too expensive to use.
Would like a gopro but pricy as most things are these days.
I'm lucky, most days I see elk here.

I have a nice DSLR camera and 3 lens. Awesome pictures. Good video.

Heavy.

Do you backpack? If so, ask yourself if weight is an issue. I can fit my camera in a gallon Ziploc then wrap in a shirt for backpacking. Each extra lens goes in a ziploc. Takes up as much room as a medium weight jacket.

I use my camera several times a year to take pictures of family and hikes. When I hunt, the camera weight and size becomes a factor.

I went through hundreds of pictures I have taken on hunts and selected about 30 to put in an album to share with friends at a recent school reunion. Time distills out what is really important.

Things change, too. I used my iPhone for pics on my recent mountain goat hunt and only took our the big DSLR when were stopped to glass or as I was tagging the billy. I could send the iPhone pics as soon as back in cell coverage so those are the pictures friends saw. I had plenty of room in my pack since were three of us on the hunt so I did not have to carry many of the items I would if a solo hunt.

My 2 cents about what you might consider.