[Deacon.dog]

Hello!

I love taking photos of my dogs, I was wondering if you have any sort of tips? I love creative photos, so tips for that would be nice.

I am also curious about a camera, in the 200-300 dollar range. Good for portraits & action shots.

 

[pandora]

Im no expert but are you looking for compact , bridge or a full DSLR?

I love taking photos of my dogs and I use a bridge camera just because it gives better results than a compact but isnt as complicated as a DSLR I hold the dog with one hand and take photos with the other,,
Ive had the Nikon b700 and now Im on a canonSX70HS but if I had to pick one Id go for the Nikon every time.

My son uses a sony and he gets great shots with that. So I think its all about what you need/want balanced against what you can afford ..

As for editing programs Gimp is about the best free one around.
This was Murphy today, nothing special just running about..only adjustment was to the lighting.

 

[Deacon.dog]

I have no idea what any of those terms mean.. I was hoping to choose a more beginner camera, and learn about that specific camera once i pick it out.

I'm really just looking for higher quality photos, my samsung Galaxy S8 takes ok photos -

But it doesn't even compare to the photos taken by my friends Cannon Camera (no idea what Kind it is) -

I love the blur, the focus, the DETAIL that my phone could never pick up on.

 

[pandora]

ok a compact camera is the small flat type you could put in your pocket there are several canons and the Nikon w150 which fit in this category they have limited zoom and often a smaller sensor so you won't get as much depth or detail.
The bridge cameras are much more bulkier fair usually weighing about a pound. The Nikon b500 is an older model but still a good choice and in your price range the Sony h300 is the one my son used and I must say he had very good photo results from it this also is in your price range.Both the Sony and the Nikon will allow you to take shots of running / moving dogs and get clear crisp photos.
A DSLR would most likely be out of your price range unless you were going to look at second-hand.

 

[Deacon.dog]

Awesome,

I have a canon powershot right now and the quality is not even as good as my Phone- pretty much the whole reason I wanted a camera.. to have better photos than what my phone can take... But! the pro is that it taught me how to take photos!

Day 1 with power shot -

After two Months -

Clearly, I learned something.. XD...

 

[Shell]

If you keep a close eye on sales and maybe stretch the budget to $350, consider a manufactured refurbished Canon Rebel with interchangeable lenses. You can add a second lens later when money allows to get long distance or super close options.

 

[LeoRose]

Your powershot is a point and shoot. If you are just wanting to take snapshots, then a higher end point and shoot (usually small, flat, and have a wide to moderate zoom lens) or a bridge camera (looks like a SLR, but smaller and may not have interchangable lenses) would be a good choice. If you want to get more serious, then a single lens reflex camrea with interchangable lenses is your best option. You might be able to find a refurbished DSLR in your price range if you check places like Adorama or B&H.

 

[Deacon.dog]

Yeah, here it is.

I'll look around for some DSLR Cameras.. Used will def. have to be the route I take. I don't care for my camera.. the point and shoot.. I want a multi use camera.

 

[RonE]

The biggest problem with most point-and-shoot cameras, when you're wanting to shoot action, is shutter lag. What that means is there is a momentary lag between the time you push the shutter release and when the picture is actually taken. It may be just a fraction of a second, but that can be significant when you're shooting pictures of something that's moving as fast as our dogs sometime do. What you end up with is lots of pictures of an empty space where something interesting was happening when you pushed the shutter, but was gone when the shutter actually opened.

I studied photography at Brooks in Santa Barbara (in the olden times when people used film,) did photography professionally for a time, then taught classes and sold cameras. I sucked as a camera salesman because I would talk people out of buying a bunch of lenses before they even knew what they needed.

The lens is more important than the camera itself, so get a good, short zoom - maybe in the 35-105 mm range - and get really comfortable with it before you even think about getting another lens.

 

[Deacon.dog]

yes, the shutter speed sucks, as well as the overall picture.

The two things i'd really like is fast shudder speed, clean crisp photos.

Thank you for the advice, I'll remember that.

 

[RonE]

And, while the lens is more important than the camera, the operator (the photographer) is more important than either one.

Ansel Adams could take outstanding photos with an oatmeal box. If your friend is getting better picture than you are with his Canon camera, the difference might be that he's read the manual and practiced a lot.

 

[LeoRose]

It's not so much that a PS camera isn't capable of having a fast shutter speed, its the amount of time it takes between your pressing the shutter button and the camera going "oh, yeah, take the picture". That's shutter lag, and it can be darned annoying. Even my DSLR (a rapidly aging Nikon) has shutter lag when I shoot on live view, while I've not noticed it when using the viewfinder.

 

[Deacon.dog]

hmm, lots of information.

I've done quite a lot of practice with my camera, as pictured above.. I don't know about you but I see a huge difference..

clearly it takes a great person behind a great camera to make a different though

 

[LeoRose]

Learning how ISO, shutter speed, and aperture work together to influence how pictures look will help a lot. There are lots of videos on YouTube, or you can check out book from the library.

I'm not as educated in photography as Ron, but having cut my teach on totally manual film cameras back in the day, I appreciate the ease of digital. (You'll take my Minolta SRT101, aka "the best camera ever" away when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers. )