SignalOne From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (6 years 10 months 4 days 20 hours ago) and read 2809 times:
Hi there,
I am looking for a Digital Camera at the moment for Aviation Photography. I would like some advice from whoever can help! I would think this thread would be useful for others who are also looking for a Digital Camera like me, and can view this for some recommendations!
So then, I am looking for a Digital Camera with more than 4 megapixels, 10x or more optical Zoom, and under £220.
Here is what I have been looking at, and I would love to hear some of your opinions about these Camera's. I mean, its O.K reading the Reviews on the internet about them, but I would love to hear from people with experience using them for this kind of Photography.
UA777222 From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 3348 posts, RR: 16 Reply 1, posted (6 years 10 months 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 2777 times:
Can someone expand on Digital Zoom? As I understand it, Digital Zoom you loose quality the more you zoom...
Senorcarnival From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (6 years 10 months 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 2760 times:
Quoting UA777222 (Reply 1): Can someone expand on Digital Zoom? As I understand it, Digital Zoom you loose quality the more you zoom...
All Digital Zoom is the camera projecting an estimate as to how the picture would look if that was real zoom. It's much like if you open a file on PS and zoom in. It's not really a zoom, more of a magnification.
As far as cameras, I can vouch for the Minoltas, you'll find the anti-shake feature to be most helpful within certain shutter speeds, obviously, don't expect miracles if you're shooting at night with no flash. Their startup time is pretty quick too. Did you look at the Fuji FinePix S5100? It's pretty much along those lines and price range, too.
Although, most people's main gripe with KMs is their tendency to produce "soft" image, but that can be easily modified when you post-process shots. If you're going to be going mostly to your local airport, I'd recommend you take a recon trip and see what do you think of the distance. I think for the most part, a 200-300mm 35mm equivalent tele end will do the job, so either one would be fine. See if you can find a local merchant(s) that carries those cameras and go "test drive" them. Either way, have fun and good luck!
AeroWeanie From United States of America, joined Dec 2004, 1584 posts, RR: 54 Reply 4, posted (6 years 10 months 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 2726 times:
We researched this price range and ended up deciding on the Konica Minolta Dimage Z5. We ordered it from Buy.com (the day it was announced - March 28th) and it arrived (on April 9th). It seemed like a nice camera, but there was one problem - while all the menus showed up on the screen, I couldn't get an image to appear. I've sent it back and am waiting for a replacement.
I've just ordered the Canon Ixus 700 from there, to replace my Canon Ixus 500 that was recently stolen. The Ixus 500 is a nice little camera, and has come down in price recently - you might want to take a look at that, although it might just be a few pounds more than you want to spend. Worth considering though....
SignalOne From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (6 years 10 months 4 days ago) and read 2685 times:
Thanks for the Advice everyone!
On the Minolta Z5's, all I have heard as a bad about them is the Softness of the image (explained above) and the tendency for quite high noise at ISO. Can someone explain to me what noise is?
I like the Panasonic DMC - FZ5/20's, as they have image stabilization, and I find that important.
Also, are Kyocera ceasing Camera manufacturing?
Thanks for you help, and I will have a look at these Cameras!
AC_B777 From Canada, joined Aug 2000, 762 posts, RR: 12 Reply 7, posted (6 years 10 months 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 2666 times:
I just bought the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15 which is one step below the FZ20, and I am truly happy with my decision.
The 12X optical zoom is amazing and it feels like a "real" camera in your hand and is easy to use.
The FZ15 is 4 megapixal whereas the FZ20 is 5MP and has a few more features such as a hotshoe, but other than that, they are the exact same camera.
The mega optical image stabilizer is a great feature as well as the Leica lens. Also, the scene modes offer a wide range of picture modes, so your options on taking pictures are almost limitless.
I could not buy the FZ15 in Canada as Panasonic did'nt market it here, so I ended buying it off eBay. The FZ20 was about $200 CDN more expensive and I was'nt going to pay that for an extra MP and a couple extra's.
Either way, the FZ15/20's are great camera's. They come with a lens hood, battery charger (the battery charges in about 90-120 minutes).
I was in YYZ yesterday and was trying out the full manual functions and the manual focus, and the shots turned out pretty good. I just need to do some editing.
The features on the FZ15 were great for the price I could afford.
I think the FZ5 is in the same price range as the FZ15, but I don't know too much about it. From pictures I have seen, the FZ15/20 look "beefier" and fits your hand better. But I'm sure it's a good camera as well.
Good luck!
In life, some days you are the bug..... some days you are the windshield!
N864DA From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 259 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (6 years 10 months 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 2638 times:
I have the FZ3 and I do find it to be a neat little camera. It is the predecessor to the FZ5 but it can be had for $100 less. As stated, the optics are very good, the 12x optical zoom is more than enough for aviation photography and the image is also stabilized. It also delivers a constant f/2.8 aperature. The only drawback is that it is 3mp but with the zoom, you can fit the plane into the full frame even if you're quite far away. The AF is pretty good but you will have to set it to focus by using the shutter release button (as opposed to the focus button) or else focusing becomes a tricky operation.
Beware, the sensor does deliver a little bit of noise even at ISO 80. I was, however, pleased with the results when I ran it through Neatimage - a great deal of detail was still there and all the noise was removed. It does not feel too small in the hand at all and it is really light. If the FZ3 is still on sale, it will be in your price range, especially if you can live with the rather small limitations of 3 mp vs. the 5 mp of the FZ5. Good luck!
GPHOTO From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2004, 784 posts, RR: 32 Reply 11, posted (6 years 10 months 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 2576 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW HEAD DATABASE EDITOR
Ryan,
During the last year, I purchased a Konica-Minolta Z3 (predecessor to the Z5) and found it to be good - a long reach with that zoom, good battery life (4xAA batteries), small and handy, good image stabilisation. Also the speed and accuracy of the auto-focus is exceptional. Colours were a bit more vibrant than I was used to. On the downside, I did find the images a little on the soft side and it isn't very good at indoor shots at night (not really a problem for aviation photography but not so great for family events!). There is a little bit too much loss of fine detail in the images for my liking. It's still good, but if they could get that detail back it would be a real winner. I don't know if the Z5 has improved on this small (but important to us aviation photographers) flaw, but even so, I still have the Z3 camera and use it as my trusty backup for which I still have plenty of respect. If Konica-Minolta have kept all the good points of the Z3 and improved the bad, it should be a cracker.
At the risk of being a hit-seeker, here are a couple of my images taken with the Z3, if its any help:
I have several others from these two dates (13th November 2004 and 30 December 2004) which were taken with this camera.
I then fell in love with the Panasonic FZ-20. It certainly addressed what I didn't like about the loss of detail in the Z3. This camera captures fine detail very well. It is now my camera of choice. However it does have a couple of drawbacks for me compared to the Z3 - it uses its own special rechargable batteries (you do get one and a charger included in the box, you can get extra batteries but they are expensive) and the autofocus is much slower than the Z3 i.e. it operates at a more normal speed - the Z3 really does have an awesome autofocus.
I have been very happy with the quality of results with the FZ-20:
Dates of mine on which the camera has been used are 16 January 2005 and February 2 2005.
Hope these examples help you. Both the Konica Minolta Z3/Z5 and Panasonic FZ families have attributes that make them very suitable for aviation photography at an affordable price and wrapped in a convenient all-in-one package. Which is better for you depends on your preferences, but personally I prefer the Panasonic range - I think the extra fine-detail captured wins it for me.
About noise: this is a graininess inherent to digital camera sensors. In the much more expensive DSLRs the levels of noise are incredibly low, but there will always be much more noise in cameras at the price range you are looking at. I think the noise level of my Z3 and FZ-20 is perfectly acceptable for the price. Noise can be removed by tools found in many image editors such as Photoshop Elements or you can buy stand alone tools such as Neatimage (arghh! stop throwing things at me, everyone!) which work well if you use them with care and not aggressively. You can learn more about noise, how to reduce it and how to overdo it at www.neatimage.com . I have found it relatively easy to remove excessive noise from both the Z3 and FZ-20 without damaging the images and making them look 'plasticky'. The FZ-20 has the edge here again as it's excellent capture of fine detail seems to give less degradation when noise reduction techniques are used.
Mikephotos From United States of America, joined Oct 2000, 2923 posts, RR: 60 Reply 12, posted (6 years 10 months 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 2572 times:
How about saving a few more (not much) $$ for the new Nikon D50?
GPHOTO From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2004, 784 posts, RR: 32 Reply 13, posted (6 years 10 months 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 2568 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW HEAD DATABASE EDITOR
Matt,
Digital zoom is like using the magnifying glass tool on an image editing program. The camera doesn't use the lens to zoom in, it just uses its brain to expand the image it already has. As a result, the image decreases in quality dramatically. There are professional programs which can do digital zoom properly, but the one in your camera isn't one of these!
Although it can be useful on occasion, for aviation photography it is best to forget about digital zoom as a sales gimmick. Focus on how much optical zoom you can get from a camera and check out reviews from reputable websites and magazines to see whether the quality of that optical zoom is good or not.
SignalOne From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 14, posted (6 years 10 months 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 2569 times:
Hey Everyone
May I say a big thank you for your very detailed answers! I am very appreciative of this
On the Panasonic DMC-FZ15, I do really love this Camera (Just a level under the FZ20), but unfortunately, I cannot find this Camera in any shops in the U.K, if anyone has any help, this would be really good!
The Dimage's only concern does seem to be soft pictures, and I have heard the Panasonic series are a lot better on the whole.
Thank You Jim for your reply about the noise, I needed this, as I didn't have a clue about it!
The problem is, the Panasonics are about £260, and I do not know what my Parents are willing to pay, but as it is to be brought before August, I have time to see the prices go down a little.
The Olympus C-770 seems to suit me best at the moment, as it has Image Stabilization and the 10x Zoom. Its about £215 on Amazon. I would jump for a Panasonic, but I just am a bit short
I will have a look at the D50, but I have not seen many for sale.
I am very pleased with all the replies, and I am so happy people can be of help!
SignalOne From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 15, posted (6 years 10 months 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 2561 times:
Hey, my friends, I have one more question for you.
I have been looking at the Olympus C-770, which has Image Stabilization, but I have also seen the Olympus C-750, which has pretty much all the features of the C-770, apart from the Image Stabilization, and the C-750 is £100 less.
Now, I was wondering if there is Image Stabilization software on the market, and if you could tackle the problems the Image Stabilization function would tackle yourself?
This would save me quite a lot of money, and if its only about the Image Stabilization, maybe I could do the Stabilization myself. When I compared the C-750 and the C-770 on the Olympus website, they were identical Specs.
ITA350 From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2005, 158 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (6 years 10 months 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 2557 times:
I just purchased the Fuji finepix S5100/5500. It has a great feel in my hands. Can take pictures in RAW, fully manual. Personaly iam very pleased with it. It also features 10x optical zoom, the only problem is it doesn't have image stabilization. Although I rarely doubt not having the feature. I recommend getting it from http://ukdigitalcameras.safeshopper.com/ they have great prices.
Good Luck
GPHOTO From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2004, 784 posts, RR: 32 Reply 17, posted (6 years 10 months 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 2524 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW HEAD DATABASE EDITOR
Ryan,
If you would like the Panasonic rather than the Z5, then I recommend saving for it rather than going for your second choice. How about volunteering to do some extra jobs for your parents for the cash?
About Image Stabilisation. Well, you don't NEED it, but it is very useful. There is no such thing as Image stabilisation software. What happens is:
In the Z3 and Z5 little motors move the photographic sensor chip around in a way that counteracts the bluriness caused by your shaky hands or longer exposures.
In the FZ-20, the lenses (or one of them at least) is moved slightly, again to counteract the minute movements of your hands that lead to slightly blurry pictures.
It is marvellous technology either way and it really works, but it does have its limits - it can only correct small jitters, you can;t shake the camera around and expect sharp images! But it can make a big difference between having a sharp shot and a blurry one in many normal hand held situations. Works great when taking shots from the passenger seat of a moving vehicle from example. Of the FZ-20 and Z3 I have, I feel the Z3 technology is able to cope with more jitters.
If you don't have Image stabilisation, you can try using a tripod for static subjects or use a faster shutter speed for moving ones (but the lighting will need to be good otherwise the photo will come out too dark - for aircraft shots taken in sunlight, you would be ok to use fast shutter speeds but not so much on cloudy days).
Hope this helps.
I have used this company a few times - no problems with them and a helpful lady on the phone when I needed to re-arrange a delivery.
Willo From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2003, 1352 posts, RR: 16 Reply 18, posted (6 years 10 months 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 2512 times:
Quoting SignalOne (Reply 15): When I compared the C-750 and the C-770 on the Olympus website, they were identical Specs.
The C750 uses 4 x AA rechargeables, the C765/C770 uses a lithium cell. Other than that they are pretty much the same.
You should bear in mind that none of the above cameras (not just the Olympus) are that good at taking fast moving images, unless, of course you are an expert at panning
I have a C750 and have managed to get 250+ pictures past the screener's and into the db in the last year. There are a couple of users who have posted in another thread here today who have shots taken with the C750.
Senorcarnival From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 19, posted (6 years 10 months 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 2503 times:
Quoting SignalOne (Reply 14):
The Dimage's only concern does seem to be soft pictures, and I have heard the Panasonic series are a lot better on the whole.
I've found that the Dimage's softness can be easily fixed by using the "hard" sharpening setting.
GPHOTO From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2004, 784 posts, RR: 32 Reply 20, posted (6 years 10 months 22 hours ago) and read 2473 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW HEAD DATABASE EDITOR
Quoting Senorcarnival (Reply 19): I've found that the Dimage's softness can be easily fixed by using the "hard" sharpening setting.
Indeed you can, this was successful on my Z3. However, just beware that the more you sharpen, the more risk of introducing oversharpening problems. Again you can get round this by being selective about sharpening/unsharpening and using masks. This is what I used to do and it got round the problem well.
Still not as good on the fine-detail capture as the Panasonics though
Nowadays I have to worry about which to use - the Panasonic takes better pictures but the Z3 fast auto-focus is very useful for those flying shots.
ScottishLaddie From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2004, 2380 posts, RR: 11 Reply 21, posted (6 years 10 months 20 hours ago) and read 2469 times:
Quoting SignalOne (Reply 14): The Olympus C-770 seems to suit me best at the moment, as it has Image Stabilization and the 10x Zoom
I hate to disappoint you, but the C-770 doesn't have IS. If you're looking at that model, you'd be much better going for the C-765 and buying more batteries with what you have saved, for example. They are the same design, except the C-770 has a flash hotshoe and a better movie mode. I'm about to go for the C-765 myself actually I think.
SignalOne From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 22, posted (6 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 2340 times:
Hi there,
Well, I thought I would keep you updated, and I have decided on a Camera!
Its the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ15, with 12x Zoom and Image Stabilization. For the price of £226. I consider it to be a bargain! I look forward to showing you all a selection of Photos from when I take it to East Midlands with me, and I would just like to thank everyone who helped me with my buying decision, I appreciate it very much.
AeroWeanie From United States of America, joined Dec 2004, 1584 posts, RR: 54 Reply 23, posted (6 years 9 months 1 week 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 2254 times:
To give you an idea on what the Konica Minolta Dimage Z5 will produce, this picture was taken at 12X zoom (about 420mm) from the upper deck of a moving Washington State Ferry (the Sealth to be exact, which is old and vibrates a lot). The camera was on max resolution, but compression was set to normal. Other than resizing, the only processing done was Image>Adjustments>Auto Levels and Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen in PhotoShop. The sun was about 30 deg to the left of the airplane and low in the sky (it was about 4:30 pm). The camera was on auto.
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There are a couple of users who have posted in another thread here today who have shots taken with the C750. 
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