Camera for Marketing - Unrealistic expectations

deisedude

Hi there, I work in marketing and I need a camera with wifi that I can take a picture and upload immediately to facebook, twitter or dropbox.

Currently using my own personal phone to take photos on the go but would prefer better quality photos for putting online.

Ideally a camera I could pick up in the likes of Harvey Norman or PCWorld

*** Mod Edit ***

Moving this into it's own thread

cnocbui

Panasonic LX100 or similar as per my link above - but the HN price is 40% more than Amazon.

How about a camera with an attached phone - Panasonic CM1 - though HN likely isn't the place for that.

if you don't need an optical zoom, then one of the latest high-end phones like the Samsung S7 have pretty decent cameras.

JohnBoy26

deisedude wrote: »

Hi there, I work in marketing and I need a camera with wifi that I can take a picture and upload immediately to facebook, twitter or dropbox.

Currently using my own personal phone to take photos on the go but would prefer better quality photos for putting online.

Ideally a camera I could pick up in the likes of Harvey Norman or PCWorld

If you want something that takes better quality photos than your phone you will need to get something with a bigger image sensor. Most phones and compact cameras take the same quality(or lack of) photos as they have a similar size (very small)sensor.

In your case I recommend the gx7. It's a few years old at this stage but it's still a great camera and nowadays it's not too expensive. It has a much larger micro 4/3 sensor compared to what's in your phone. It also has WiFi and NFC plus the camera itself is very compact and most lenses are compact compared to bigger systems and most of them have very good optics.

Here is a gx7 with the excellent 20mm f1.7 lenses.

https://www.panasonicstore.ie/product/cameras-and-camcorders/dmc-gx7cebs-lumix-compact-system-camera-with-20mm-lens/

CabanSail

deisedude wrote: »

Hi there, I work in marketing and I need a camera with wifi that I can take a picture and upload immediately to facebook, twitter or dropbox.

Currently using my own personal phone to take photos on the go but would prefer better quality photos for putting online.

Ideally a camera I could pick up in the likes of Harvey Norman or PCWorld

I am not really sure what you mean by better quality.

The resolution of phone cameras is way in excess of the image size of web applications and has been for many years. So that is not an issue.

If you mean that you want the images to look better and have more impact then that is more down to you and how you set up the shots and how you use light. If you want them to look polished then that is where post production comes into the equation at the cost of immediacy.

deisedude

CabanSail wrote: »

I am not really sure what you mean by better quality.

The resolution of phone cameras is way in excess of the image size of web applications and has been for many years. So that is not an issue.

If you mean that you want the images to look better and have more impact then that is more down to you and how you set up the shots and how you use light. If you want them to look polished then that is where post production comes into the equation at the cost of immediacy.

Have an unreasonable boss who isn't happy with the quality of some shots taken on camera phones. Wants quality and immediacy and I'm trying to figure a solution.

Mike Litoris

deisedude wrote: »

Have an unreasonable boss who isn't happy with the quality of some shots taken on camera phones. Wants quality and immediacy and I'm trying to figure a solution.

Bear in mind that a good camera in the wrong hands will still yield bad results. Photography isn't easy and it sounds like your boss doesn't understand this concept. Given that its marketing too a camera phone may be way out of its depth for what you're doing.

With that said a big ol' DSLR with a kit lense will be even more forgiving than the GX7 mentioned above. Maybe this is what you need. Even on auto the results can be way more pleasant than a compact/phone camera. I'm not that well up on modern gear so maybe someone could recommend one with wifi.

cnocbui

deisedude wrote: »

Have an unreasonable boss who isn't happy with the quality of some shots taken on camera phones. Wants quality and immediacy and I'm trying to figure a solution.

It really would help to know what the subject of the photos is. Shot's of products, people, cityscapes?

Your boss might have in mind razor sharp product shots with a shallow depth of field and a blurred background that are more the province of an interchangeable lens camera with a wide aperture lens.

Here is what can be done with a high-end camera phone: https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=lumia%201020

JohnBoy26

Mike Litoris wrote: »

Bear in mind that a good camera in the wrong hands will still yield bad results. Photography isn't easy and it sounds like your boss doesn't understand this concept. Given that its marketing too a camera phone may be way out of its depth for what you're doing.

With that said a big ol' DSLR with a kit lense will be even more forgiving than the GX7 mentioned above. Maybe this is what you need. Even on auto the results can be way more pleasant than a compact/phone camera. I'm not that well up on modern gear so maybe someone could recommend one with wifi.

Tbh I don't think it will be. Don't get me wrong the right DSLR with the right lens will for sure but a cheaper DSLR with a kit lens won't imo.

The kit lens on a DSLR will be more versatile but it's no where near as sharp as the 20mm on the gx7. Also cheap dslr's haven't got great AF systems and can suffer from back or front focus issues and there is no AF fine tune on cheaper dslrs to correct for any focus errors. Sure you can use live view for accurate af but that is slow and you won't have the use of the view finder.

You will not have to worry about focus errors on the gx7 or other mirror less cameras with contrast detect AF. The AF is also very quick on the gx7(not sure that this will matter to much in this case) and can function down to -4ev. You also have full use of the electronic viewfinder, which is bigger and brighter than the small and dull optical viewfinders found on cheap DSLRs.

There are other good micro 4/3 cameras out their too. If the op wants to spend a little extra an Olympus em10ii is a good camera and is newer than a gx7, a Panasonic g7 would be another good option but it's more expensive again.

CabanSail

deisedude wrote: »

Have an unreasonable boss who isn't happy with the quality of some shots taken on camera phones. Wants quality and immediacy and I'm trying to figure a solution.

They may well want an inner city apartment for €5000 too but they are unlikely to get it.

Sounds like you need a new boss rather than a new camera.

deisedude

cnocbui wrote: »

It really would help to know what the subject of the photos is. Shot's of products, people, cityscapes?

Your boss might have in mind razor sharp product shots with a shallow depth of field and a blurred background that are more the province of an interchangeable lens camera with a wide aperture lens.

Here is what can be done with a high-end camera phone: https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=lumia%201020

I work for a hotel group so it could be pictures of people, food, exterior of a hotel, event shots.

I told my boss first of all it was a bit much to expect quality pictures off my own personal camera phone and that I have no photography experience nor ever claimed to have. I was told to read 2 or 3 articles on photgraphy and then I'll be fine!!!

Unreasonable doesn't even begin to describe it!

Mike Litoris

deisedude wrote: »

I work for a hotel group so it could be pictures of people, food, exterior of a hotel, event shots.

I told my boss first of all it was a bit much to expect quality pictures off my own personal camera phone and that I have no photography experience nor ever claimed to have. I was told to read 2 or 3 articles on photgraphy and then I'll be fine!!!

Unreasonable doesn't even begin to describe it!

Dude, thats shocking! What kind of budget have you got?

CabanSail

deisedude wrote: »

I work for a hotel group so it could be pictures of people, food, exterior of a hotel, event shots.

That is a set of subject which would challenge many photographers. Just getting a different camera will not make the difference he wants.

He would be better off letting you do your own job and using a photographer.

The other option that seems prevalent these days is to have Photo Competitions where some prize is offered to the punters. A free meal or a few drinks will get the crap photo's flooding in.

ED E

As above, your problem isnt a camera problem, but if you'll be shooting parties etc with crappy lighting a smaller sensor may really struggle.

Something like a 600D + eyefi.com SD Card will allow you to sync on the spot to a hotel computer, preview and post. It would be a decent start anyways.

ValueInIreland

deisedude wrote: »

I work for a hotel group so it could be pictures of people, food, exterior of a hotel, event shots.

I told my boss first of all it was a bit much to expect quality pictures off my own personal camera phone and that I have no photography experience nor ever claimed to have. I was told to read 2 or 3 articles on photgraphy and then I'll be fine!!!

Unreasonable doesn't even begin to describe it!

I'v been in a few hotels, I think I could manage one!

fret_wimp2

For quick, just use your phone, its the absolutely quickest way to get a picture taken and online in seconds.

If you want high quality polished image, then regardless of camera you will need some basic processing. For high quality images to show a hotel in its best light some sharpening, exposure, contrast and maybe cropping in Photoshop is necessary. all images need this, regardless of how well they are taken.

So for quick go with the phone, for professional quality, get a good large sensor camera and a laptop with Photoshop and put in a little time.