Cameras

[snowman.022851697]

I have an ixus i30… its quite good but I can never get the shutter to be above 1/650 which I need to shoot speeding buses and i’m not good with panning. I’ve gotten 1/1250 once though. Video quality is not what i would call nice; its a bit blurry for such a huge file size (took me 30mins to upload a 10second video onto facebook) but the recorded audio quality is very good. Take note that when recording videos, you can use the optical zoom before u start recording but once its recording, only digital zoom is available, which makes the quality even worse.

[Brainkid]

Hi All,


Thanks thanks!!

Mrs wongtuition: Whats the Canon and Panasonic model u r refering to?

Is point shoot camera able to take those kind of pics that can focus on my boy while the background looks blury?

I have to declare I am NUTS when it comes to camera…pls advise.

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[Brainkid]

Eagle-Ladybird:

dear brainkid, what you need is really a camera that gives you shutter speed priority. Yes, DSLR is one solution. Most point-and-shoot cameras has a sports mode, which should adress your need as well (any speed above 125 should be sufficient to capture your toddler home bound activities).


Besides those stated by other, I would like to recommend that you invest in a videocam. Capturing moments in live video with sound and expressions, is never the same as what still pictures could offer.

I thought most point shoot camera comes with a video function? What is the real difference between that and a videocam?

[jtoh]

Brainkid:

Hi All,


Thanks thanks!!

Mrs wongtuition: Whats the Canon and Panasonic model u r refering to?

Is point shoot camera able to take those kind of pics that can focus on my boy while the background looks blury?

I have to declare I am NUTS when it comes to camera...pls advise.

[/list][/list]

[/quote]

No it can't. For photos with good bokeh, that is where the background is out of focus, you need a lens with a wide aperture. If this is what you're looking for, go for a DSLR. Some of the kit lens will be able to give you a nice bokeh. Alternatively you can purchase an additonal lens with a wide aperture.

[verykiasu2010]

to achieve sharp picture of your subject with the background blurrr:


you can achieve the above with minimum "depth of field" for the image

in camera and lens talk, depth of field means the distance in front and behind the subject that are in focus that will make the subject looking sharp in the picture. if the subject is out of focus, it will be blurr

hence when you want to achieve the shallowest / minimum depth of field, you only want the subject’s face to be in focus, anything immediately in front / behind the face will be out of focus / blurrr.

now in come physics / optical studies : if the aperture of the lens is large, more light will get in, hence you need faster shutter speed to control the "right" amount of light to give you a correct exposure for the ideal picture. a large aperture will result in shallow depth of field while a small aperture will result in deeper depth of field = more distance in front / behind the lens opening will be in sharp focus. make a simple pin-hole camera and you will observe the effect of the large hole versus small hole, illustrating the meaning of "depth of field"

hence for portrait, because your attention is on the face, not the background, the picture looks nice when the background is blurr while the face is in focus = this calls for large aperture / fast speed; while for scenery, you want to see the whole expanse clearly - water, sea, sand, mountains, etc hundreds of meters in front and behind…to be in sharp focus…and you need small aperture to get maximum depth of field. the speed of the shutter will depend on the lighting condition then

this is all playing with amount of light reaching your camera sensor (old day = negative films) and you learn to control the amount of light to achieve the various effects for your pictures.

with the advent of DSLR, you can play around with the various aperture settings to see the various effects on the same subject / scene. It is almost free to play around…not like in the old days, a roll of 36 exposure film will cost $20 to buy, develop, & print…and hopefully all shots are good shots and cannot afford to trial and error with photo-shooting

[Brainkid]

Hi,


Thanks for all the recommendation. After reading the comments and viewing the website, I am going to check out the Sim Lim Square this weekend! Too bad IT shows are over.

I am really gian to buy DSLR.. :love: hahaha..but I am sure dh will reject due to bulkiness. He will be the one paying so.... :xedfingers: Need to plot to buy him over.

For DSLR, I will streaming down to these 2 models:
1) Nikon D3100
2) Canon EOS 500D

For point & shoot,
1) Canon S95
2) Panasonic Lumis DMS-LX5

I will remember to shake the camera and most importantly let my boy be my model. :lol:

Will let update what I buy. Hopefully if I buy a DSLR, its not too difficult

[jtoh]

Hi Brainkid,


I strongly recommend that you go for the DSLR rather than the other two models. I know what kind of photos you want and the DSLR will give you the satisfaction you want. If you're unsure of how to use the manual function, use the auto or program modes first. For the bokeh shots, use the Aperture priority and set it to the widest aperture. The camera will take care of the Shutter setting for you. Experiment! And go for classes. It helps to get the most out of your camera. Or ask your friends who are familiar with using manual cameras.

Do let us know your choice.

[jtoh]

As for bulkiness, you'll get used to it. The Nikon 3100 is not that bulky or heavy compared to the other models. Of course cannot put in handbag lah. Later on you'll appreciate it even more when you take pix of your son at kindy performances etc.

[smurf]

Is still image better for keepsake or video better? I thought video is betterr coz can see movement?? :?

[jtoh]

smurf:

Is still image better for keepsake or video better? I thought video is betterr coz can see movement?? :?

Be kiasu. Take both. Mother take photos, father take videos.