Camera advice

Ford4000

Hey all, first time poster in ere lookin for some advice.

Im into vintage cars and tractors and when im not participating myself i like to take pictures of the runs etc.
Now at the moment i only have your average 150euro digital camera which takes a great pic but heres my problem....speed
When your taking pics on a moving run it takes the camera too long to process the pic untill your able to take the next one hence missing some vehicles
I would like a camera that there is no delay basically you could just go click.click.click in quick sucession
I have no idea how much this type of kit costs and as it will only be seldom used i dont want to spend a fortune.
Could some of ye advise me on what im looking for or if some one would have a second hand camera they are willing to sell possibly older but good spec? i know ye camera fans update regularily !
It would have to be digital with a memory card too as this leaves it easy for me to put pics on computer and share on forums!

All advise greatfully recieved

Regards
Dan

Thecageyone

How much are you willing to spend? That'll give suggesters a better idea of what to recommend.

A cheap, used dslr is what you need I'd say. Something like a Nikon D40, that will let you click, click, click and the Image quality will be better than a lot of newer point and shoot [slow] cameras, even though it's 6.1mp.

If you're not bothered about learning to use manual controls, just stick it into A-mode [Aperture priority] and on bright days just set the aperture nice and narrow, f/8 - f/11, keeping the ISO down much as poss, let the camera do the rest - or even Auto mode, would do the job for what you need.

Ford4000

Thanks for that lad, u see i dont know how much id need to spend as my camera knowledge would be fairly non existent, put it this way as little as possible, the smallest money for the job i want it to do !

punkindrublic

You could get a basic dslr for about €500 with a standard lens. I would recommend going into a camera store and checking out the models in person before buying. My first camera was a nikon and it was big and bulky, then I switched to canon which was easier to hold in my hands because it was much smaller. You could always get a second hand camera on adverts.ie too.

hbr

Ford4000 wrote: »

Now at the moment i only have your average 150euro digital camera which takes a great pic but heres my problem....speed

Has your camera got a burst mode hidden in it's settings menu? Maybe you can get more speed out of it by using different settings. If you can afford to trade resolution for speed, some cameras are much faster if you record the image at a smaller size. Maybe a faster memory card will help. Has your camera got a video mode? Capturing single frames from a video is a good way of getting lower quality images at a very fast frame rate, typically 30fps.

Some of the newer compact and bridge cameras have a high speed burst mode. A DSLR is probably the best solution. Have a look on adverts.ie for SH. New DSLRs range from €300-400 up to more than the price of a new tractor.

Thecageyone

My bridge camera had burst mode, but it would take a lifetime to process once it had done capturing, compacts are really poor at quick-firing in general, from my experience.


With a dslr, even an older, used model, you get quicker processing speeds so they're pretty much always ready to fire.

I'm sure I've seen D40s going for around €250, with basic kit lens - which is enough for the job.

Ford4000

Thanks for all that that people,
Now excuse the ignorance, terminology is evading me
Explain in brief for me please DSLR??

PCPhoto

DSLR = digital Single Lens Reflex

SLR = interchangable lenses and full control over settings (ie shutter priority, full manual exposure settings)

EDIT: Wiki:

A single-lens reflex (SLR) camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system which permits the photographer to sometimes see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly different from what was captured on film

A DLSR according to wiki: A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that uses a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera.
The basic operation of a DSLR is as follows: for viewing purposes, the mirror reflects the light coming through the attached lens upwards at a 90 degree angle. It is then reflected twice by the pentaprism, rectifying it for the photographer's eye. During exposure, the mirror assembly swings upward, the aperture narrows (if stopped down, or set smaller than wide open), and a shutter opens, allowing the lens to project light onto the image sensor. A second shutter then covers the sensor, ending the exposure, and the mirror lowers while the shutter resets. The period that the mirror is flipped up is referred to as "viewfinder blackout". A fast-acting mirror and shutter is preferred so as to not delay an action photo.

Thecageyone

Or a 'proper camera' as I used to refer to them long before I ever had one

ED E

If my phone can take 9 5M frames in 2.5s then I think you should be able to get what you need for cheap enough:D

If you do a little googling there are plenty of pages of info on fast shooting cameras.

Ford4000

Lads if some of ye have time could ye post up a wee list of a few makes and models i could be lookin out for second hand or new.im still going round in circles as regards what i should be lookin for as most guys list out a pile of features i dont know what they mean,id say about 300 would be max budget if this dont get me anything i suppose l have to wait a while

Thecageyone

Look for used Sony dslrs, you should find one for around €300, I bought mine used and got a bunch of extras with it.

Older dslr can be got for that price too -

Nikon D40, D40x or D60 [people sell D60s higher, but that is really all they're worth with just kit lens]
Canon 400D
Sony A100/A200/A230 should go under 300 used as they're less than 400 new.

Any of those will do what you want in auto mode until you learn some more advanced controls.

twowheelsonly

As a Nikon user I would also recommend a used D40 as being ideal.
You'll pick one up for the same or even less than a good compact and it will do all you want it to do.
Bang it in Auto mode for a while and you'll see how good it can be. You can always learn about all the other settings/lenses/accessories as you go along should you ever need to.

Thecageyone

I'm not even a Nikon user but would strongly advice something like the D40 over what appear to be snazzier compacts around the same price.

P&s/compacts just don't cut it when it comes to speed. My bridge cam claims to be quick at continuous shooting but -

"S1000fd's continuous modes are pretty snappy, but the AF and exposure systems can't keep up, making the camera almost useless for moving subjects or rapidly changing lighting."

something major to consider. A compact shooting at speed may seem impressive, but is it actually delivering the shots you want at that speed? With a dslr on the right settings, you get exactly what you shoot each frame. No horrific lag like compacts give and better Image quality overall.

If compacts were a match for dslrs in terms of quality and speed, then you'd see sports photographers use them at games.

Borderfox

As an alternative on the camera you have you can do videos and post them up on the web, no problems with frame rate or buying a new camera?