777KIWI From New Zealand, joined Oct 2011, 16 posts, RR: 0 Posted (1 year 7 months 2 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 3561 times:
I am looking at a new camera and this one seems to be a good option. My previous camera was a lumix. I would be greatful if someone who knew about this camera could tell me rather than some bloke just trying to get his commision. Is the 35X optical zoom enough? It is on sale right now for AUD500 is this a good price?
A bad day spotting is better than a good day at work.
JakTrax From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2005, 4738 posts, RR: 8 Reply 1, posted (1 year 7 months 2 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 3545 times:
35x zoom is overkill and I personally wouldn't trust a lens that covers such a vast focal length range.
Quite how effective Canon's new HS (high sensitivity) sensor is I don't know, but I can't see it being worse than the current Digic IV when it comes to noise control.
RonS From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 761 posts, RR: 24 Reply 3, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 3490 times:
500 Aussie Dollars should be able to buy you a nice used DSLR. I would sell my 40D for that right now. I much rather have a used 40D or D90 or something like that, and save up for some lenses to meet my needs than any P&S.
I don't know anything about the camera you mentioned though.
All opinions expressed by me are my own opinions & do not represent the opinions in any way of my employers.
ArospcAirAvitin From United States of America, joined Mar 2011, 12 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 3490 times:
Cannon is great for capturing vids and pics...
Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta, United Airlines, Qatar, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Etihad, or
JForbes From United States of America, joined Sep 2011, 27 posts, RR: 2 Reply 5, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 3473 times:
The camera is good for a point and shoot.
You don't need an OMG MEGA HUGE zoom to shoot airplanes. If you're so far away that you must have a 900mm lens to shoot an airliner, then you need to get closer. Something that gives you a 300-450mm equivalent long zoom is plenty. If something is very far away, you're going to run in to atmospheric issues that degrade image quality - heat haze, UV haze, and anything between you and your subject can affect quality.
Next - the superzoom cameras everyone sells have tiny little image sensors - the size of your fingernails. This is not good. Image quality in anything but bright light takes a serious hit when compared to an SLR. It will be good enough to get good results in good conditions, but it will not be great. You will be significantly more limited in acceptable shooting conditions with a P&S. An SLR will let you shoot in lower light with better image quality, and give you more control over the appearance of the image, too. Image quality at the pixel level is also much better with an SLR, so you will be able to crop images more.
SLRs are much easier to shoot with, too. Because you're looking through the lens, you willl be holding the camera in a better way to get sharp photos - you will also truly be able to see what is going on, you won't be waiting on a laggy LCD to catch up to the real world. They also shoot faster - the P&S will run out of steam LONG before the SLR does!
Getting an SLR will give you better results with practice, just be aware that the outlay at the beginning may be a bit more. As has been noted, you could get a Canon 40D level body for about the price of a superzoom camera. But that doesn't include any lens at all. If you get a Canon, a good starter lens for aviation is the 55-250mm IS lens. It's not great, but it is great for the $200US or so that it costs. Just keep in mind that if you want to shoot other stuff, you will need another lens.
The picture of the Texan has quite a bit more detail - I was much closer to the plane! Environment, light, and circumstances matter more than a better lens will.
If you have more budget for the lens, look at a Tamron 70-300 VC or Canon 70-300mm IS, or Nikon 70-300mm VR if you go Nikon. A step up from that is the Canon 70-200mm F4L., though it is a shorter lens than the others - but now we're hitting $500+ for used lenses.
But if you only want to deal with a P&S camera, the one you're looking at is a good choice. Just be aware of its limitations, and you will be able to enjoy the results.
777KIWI From New Zealand, joined Oct 2011, 16 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 6 days 12 hours ago) and read 3460 times:
Im in new zealand but that was the price (this camera is not available in nz yet) the 40d and d90 bodies are around 750 - 950 for a body. I am only fifteen so i will buy one of those cameras next holidays(I have a holiday job in aussie) thanks for the recomendations ronS and thanks for the comprehensive description JForbes. Might have to hold out till xmas and buy a cheapy in the meantime. Olympus sp 600uz maybe.
A bad day spotting is better than a good day at work.
This one contains 2 lenses which means that you should be able to take pictures of most planes around the airport. Either way, I don't see a point in buying a cheap compact if your sights are set on a DSLR and you're short in funds.
JForbes From United States of America, joined Sep 2011, 27 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 3423 times:
I agree with epten: if you can't afford a 2 generation old prosumer body, get an older consumer body. Canon 350D/Rebel XT. So fine, it's only 8 megapixels. It doesn't matter.
If you want to get a P&S, get something that will fit in your pocket, and don't bother to attempt to plane spot unless you can get very, very close. Superzooms combine the image quality of small point and shoot cameras with the size of, well, something that won't fit in your pocket. They're not very good tools.
Let's put it this way:
If you remove aviation stuff from your list of stuff to photograph, what else would you use the camera for? We can probably point you at a P&S that will be fine for general usage and be useful for aviation stuff in a pinch, at a lower price and more convenient size than a superzoom will ever be.
777KIWI From New Zealand, joined Oct 2011, 16 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 3401 times:
Well at the moment i am using an fz20 with 12 or14X zoom on it. Would an aftermarket lens be a good idea or is this camera just a bit outdated for all of this kind of stuff.
A bad day spotting is better than a good day at work.
JForbes From United States of America, joined Sep 2011, 27 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 3395 times:
Its not outdated. All point and shoot cameras are pretty limited. A third party lens will not help you make good images. A new cpoint and shoot camera will be a slight improvement over an old one. It will not be night and day. Even a very old digital slr will produce better images.
If you feel like you need more zoom than you have with an fz20 to make good pictures, you're going to be in for a big surprise when your new camera isn't much better. Find good subjects in good light and get closer to them. You'll do a lot better practicing the craft than you will be wasting money on junk cameras.
777KIWI From New Zealand, joined Oct 2011, 16 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 3384 times:
I will buy a used dslr now after seeing all of your comments. 40d d90 350d which is the best second hand dslr and i need. A lens size please. Savings + sold ipad = new camera
A bad day spotting is better than a good day at work.
Well take a(nother) look at that trademe link I posted - it has 2 lenses. 18-55 and 75-300mm. No idea what taking pics at ROT is like but that's sufficient for AKL.
Out of those 3 above, the 40D is the best but it's in a category of semi-pro rather than entry level. You'd be fine to start off with a 400D, 1000D or D90 (or 80 or 70) and at least these ones are lighter than the 40D.
RonS From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 761 posts, RR: 24 Reply 14, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 3368 times:
777KIWI From New Zealand, joined Oct 2011, 16 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 3358 times:
Thanks alot guys thats the plan now. I wont be able to get a new camera straight away (probably sell the i pad first).
To take photos at Rot is easy as pie. Nearly the half of the south side is accessible through empty paddock and the whole north side is available due to my father owning a boat. The boat makes it really easy.
Hopefully once i get a new camera i can build up some skill and eventually get a photo on A.net i upload to pinkfroot at the moment so that my photos get put on the app plane finder. Here are a couple of photos that have not been edited yet , i took them earlier today at the sunshine coast airport. ( I need to sharpen and crop) Any tips ?
ROT commonly has the ATR 72-500 Q300 And 1900d Land every hour or so And one A320 per week (all Air New Zealand)
Thanks for all the help. I was expecting a bit of a negative vibe to the replies to me a newbie but no such thing happened. Once again thanks heaps
A bad day spotting is better than a good day at work.
Well you got the DJ one centered and relatively level.. Making them centered and level from the beginning makes your job much easier. It is extremely hard to get a shot up onto A.Net without editing them.
Taking pictures might be easy but getting them to a quality of this website could be a completely different story. Don't be disappointed if you don't get any pictures up here soon after getting your gear - it took me 5 months from getting my DSLR to my first up here.. And that was only a window shot. Then another 13 months from that shot to get my second.
JForbes From United States of America, joined Sep 2011, 27 posts, RR: 2 Reply 18, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 3319 times:
RonS From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 761 posts, RR: 24 Reply 20, posted (1 year 7 months 1 week 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 3267 times:
Quoting epten (Reply 8): That camera is not good for planespotting. The sensor is too small an too noisy and the glass (which you cannot change) is also not good enough.
He's talking about the SX40hs I'm guessing. The 1000D is fine!
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