wunderlong88
Active member
I'm new to the bird watching hobby and finally purchased a decent pair of binoculars (Monarch 5, 10x42, yea!) and now would like to purchase a camera. I have done some research and am hoping you guys can point me in the right direction.
I want a camera that will take decent pictures of birds but I plan on using it for travel (particularly outdoor shots). I don't want a super huge camera but am prepared for larger than compact. I want point and shoot, with best quality I can get for what I want to pay ($500 or less). I'm not trying to be a National Geographic photographer but would like nice decent bird photos for uploading to Ebird and for id and to just enjoy looking at. I need convenience to some degree or I will not take any pictures or use it, hence not too large to carry and not too hard to use (auto would be nice but I would be willing to learn some basic skills to operate the other functions of the camera for better pictures).
What I think I want:
Price - $500 or less
Zoom - 40x or more
Image stabilization
Megapixels - 16x or more
Wifi
Size - larger than compact is ok but not huge. Something I can carry easily and have out ready to use a lot when traveling.
Viewfinder
Decent battery life/usb charging.
Auto will produce good pictures for most circumstances.
Video is secondary and although nice to have not an important factor.
Good for bird pictures from quite a distance and good for outdoor pictures while traveling of sights/buildings and still take a decent photo of friends/family when needed. This will be my only camera other than my Samsung Galaxy s7 phone camera (which doesn't really impress me most of the time)
I looked at Nikon Coolpix 900 and it looked really big. Canon Powershot SX70 seemed better but was a bit more than I was hoping to spend. Not sure I need all that it offers. But it is an option.
I am a total newbie and flexible in what I want. Just trying to help narrow down the options for you all.
TY,
Linda
I want a camera that will take decent pictures of birds but I plan on using it for travel (particularly outdoor shots). I don't want a super huge camera but am prepared for larger than compact. I want point and shoot, with best quality I can get for what I want to pay ($500 or less). I'm not trying to be a National Geographic photographer but would like nice decent bird photos for uploading to Ebird and for id and to just enjoy looking at. I need convenience to some degree or I will not take any pictures or use it, hence not too large to carry and not too hard to use (auto would be nice but I would be willing to learn some basic skills to operate the other functions of the camera for better pictures).
What I think I want:
Price - $500 or less
Zoom - 40x or more
Image stabilization
Megapixels - 16x or more
Wifi
Size - larger than compact is ok but not huge. Something I can carry easily and have out ready to use a lot when traveling.
Viewfinder
Decent battery life/usb charging.
Auto will produce good pictures for most circumstances.
Video is secondary and although nice to have not an important factor.
Good for bird pictures from quite a distance and good for outdoor pictures while traveling of sights/buildings and still take a decent photo of friends/family when needed. This will be my only camera other than my Samsung Galaxy s7 phone camera (which doesn't really impress me most of the time)
I looked at Nikon Coolpix 900 and it looked really big. Canon Powershot SX70 seemed better but was a bit more than I was hoping to spend. Not sure I need all that it offers. But it is an option.
I am a total newbie and flexible in what I want. Just trying to help narrow down the options for you all.
TY,
Linda