UKBouldering.com
technical => photography => Topic started by: Stewart on May 06, 2021, 09:43:48 am
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Sorry, probably been asked a thousand times but..
I know zero about photography but I want to get good results of rock and climbers (for guides). I really don't want to go down the rabbit hole of learning a new hobby, especially not lots of editing afterwards.
Don't mind spending a bit extra to cover up for my own inadequacies..
Recommendations for a camera please?!
Thanks
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Budget?
A starter for ten.....
I don't have one but the Panasonic TZ100 seems to be well thought of as a do it all compact (I think it's marketed as a travel camera). Big (for a compact) zoom range, can shoot in RAW, good quality images.
I have a Sony RX100 (great little camera but expensive) and a Fuji X-T1 (interchangeable lens camera which I sense is a level of faff your are uninterested in!) but neither seem the right fit for you.
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Thanks, I'm happy to spend £500 but that's probably wasted on me if I'm not going to learn the skills. Ideally I just want to shoot a nice picture of a rock with a sunset in the background but the rock isn't completely dark, with minimum fuss. 😁
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And I appreciate photography lessons would be cheaper and probably more effective!
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Get a decent bridge camera. I find a Sony RX10MK1 brilliant for shooting guides. Bigger sensor than most, excellent lens, ~£200 used.
I want to get good results of rock and climbers (for guides). I really don't want to go down the rabbit hole of learning a new hobby
Unfortunately the camera only has the potential for good results. The operator is the bit that makes the photos good. You don't need to learn much but start with some basic rules of composition and aperture/ shutter speed/ iso. The RX10 is well-stabilized so I normally just use ISO 125, aperture-priority, f/4.5 and be there...
I just want to shoot a nice picture of a rock with a sunset in the background but the rock isn't completely dark
Ha! What your asking requires either some editing in post or auto-computation like on a phone. The sensor size will have have a big impact on dynamic range (retaining details in both highlights and shadows), but the key thing is to shoot RAW and edit in post.
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Something that will shoot in RAW and Lightroom will help.
And I appreciate photography lessons would be cheaper and probably more effective!
Some targeted reading might help. Dynamic range might be a good starting point:
https://www.adorama.com/alc/dynamic-range-photography-explained/
If you've got half an idea what the camera is trying to achieve in automatic or semi-automatic modes it will help you use them more effectively.
EDIT: what JB said (and I'll add that there are enough people who are good at these things on UKB and generous with their knowledge that it wouldn't take a massive amount of effort to vastly improve your understanding).
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By the sounds of it you just want to point and shoot and get good results... In that case a good smartphone should do a good job for you. I would argue for lots of people that don't want to get into photography a Google Pixel 5 that does the processing in camera using lots of clever algorithms will give better results than most point and shoot cameras even if they technically have larger sensor and better lens that should make a difference. For example in your climber at sunset scene the phone camera will take multiple exposures and assemble the HDR image in the phone giving better results than could be achieved without significant post processing using a camera that otherwise has a significantly higher dynamic range.