Need a camera - good for still and video for publication

[digicig]

Aloha
Need to source a camera that would be good for stills and video, and be good enough for publication in www.spinfuel.com.

I'm a doodler with words, more than a camera jockey, so as point and click as possible. The only camera i have is me phone, which can take decent pics and vid, but i have a tendency to get me thumb in an otherwise decent picture. Specs will do as i'm going to struggle to find a brand (or at least a genuine one over here) and the language barrier is going to be a killer too - but if i can show them specs and me budget then something might be possible. Speaking of budget - i really don't have that much to spend - even if (and i say if) i get reimbursed for it - maybe £100-150 spare at the mo (and there possibly goes Hong Kong).

I do have an old 8meg Samsung - but that isn't going to cut the mustard to be honest with the Spinfuel bosses. Oh and if possible i need to be shopping in about 10 hours as i'm meeting Sigelei at 2pm my time - so 12 hours!

Thanks in advance for any help/advice/suggestions

[Roscopecotrain]

For both i would say a hybrid camera. Take a look at the Panasonic G6 or newer G7, you should be able to pick up a G6 for your budget or if you have the money a GH4. Incredible camera.

[digicig]

Aloha @roscopcotrain - that was £100-150 spare - they look great but outside me budget

[catface26]

Hmmm hate to say it but your budget is a bit low if you're looking for something worthy of publication. £100-£150 is point and shoot territory.

[calnorth]

Its likely too late to comment. All cameras suffer from inadequate scene lighting. Focus and exposure impacted badly. A flashgun or flash head built in helps in some situations....awkward results sometimes.

I can often get v. good pics and particularly vids from a current £60 Windows phone (Nokia) than my new Nikon 3300 (£260). Both are point and shoot, the latter has to be selected to Auto. The Windows phone has no flash which is a problem under low light...daylight quality is good with fingers?

Where your work requires high quality I'd have to test a few cameras in budget and that should be done in good lighting conditions. For the ordinary person I don't think there is any so called "low light camera".

example:
I had a £450 Samsung GX10 (10 megapixel digital) for my business still pics which needed to picture cables and small electronic units with some very close up. Pics were usually taken indoors under common room lighting conditions + flash. So got some old power flash guns and have over time gained five. Three of them are off camera hammer heads...like old press camera flashes...not bulbs popping type. It was a real hit and miss game.

www.photographyattic.com/product-2389

I'd have been better off with mains powered building site flood lighting I think...and cooked myself slightly?

Close up work calls for special lenses and I didn't go there much. Silly money.

It often requires the use of camera editing software to get round common photo problems, but won't correct for poor focus and exposure effects. Its all about light really. And its useful to take at least 5 shots of the same subject and hope one is usable.

[calnorth]

I missed camera shake (DT effects).....so a camera needs to be on a tripod and should be controlled remotely. More money!

[digicig]

Like i said - i'm a doodler with words - the tech spec of photography is definitely more of a hobbiest/professional gig - and so i hadn't really thought about it, let alone budgeted for it.

My Note 3 will have to do if i can't find anything worthwhile - something like the Xiaomi Yi might be ideal - but probably won't have time to get to know it before i need it - which won't be until next week now!

[calnorth]

Jan 22, 2016 9:19:51 GMT digicig said:

Like i said - i'm a doodler with words - the tech spec of photography is definitely more of a hobbiest/professional gig - and so i hadn't really thought about it, let alone budgeted for it.

My Note 3 will have to do if i can't find anything worthwhile - something like the Xiaomi Yi might be ideal - but probably won't have time to get to know it before i need it - which won't be until next week now!

Interesting you mention Xiaomi. Its on Amazon UK and I forgot about those new mini actioncam types

www.amazon.co.uk/Xiaomi-Yi-Action-Camera-recorder/dp/B00UL2654C

I have similar...mounted on my car windscreen and is from Hong Kong. Originally aimed at the mini chopper flyers:

www.mobius-actioncam.com/

That has full english language and user(s) support with free PC software to manage it.

The picture quality of these cameras is excellent as is video. The camera is internally stabilised, so mounted in a car shows no road bounce/rumble etc. Sound is not bad either. Waving it around in your hand will be a problem though. On a cheap £10 tripod would be good.

Video resolution...1080p which is HDMI as in TVs. I use a lesser resolution (720p) which is good enough on the road and creates smaller PC files. 

Mine has to be configured on my laptop/PC...no external controls. Its very, very good though for about £50

This youtube link describe/demos my Mobius...and others: (if u can get at it?)



Again...light is all important.

[digicig]

Much appreciate all the help and advice calnorth - still awaiting what Spinfuel's preferred specs might be - but the Xaomi might be an option. Be good to show folk what the roads are actual like over here - cos seeing is definitely the only way folk back home would believe it!

I'm a basic point and click multiple times, and hope one good'un turns out kind of photographer - whereas the Chinese are Selfie mad!

Much better with an old style view finder than a screen to - but not that that is an option really these days

[Bobsbeer]

How did your trip to Sigelei go?

[digicig]

I rescheduled due to lack of taxi

The taxis in Shenzhen are zone specific and as it was raining anyway the drivers that stopped took one look at the address and decided they could make more money staying local

So having rescheduled, manage to work out where the nearest subway was (about a mile and a half) then i could've got a subway most of the way and a taxi at the other end - you live and learn (well hopefully)

[calnorth]

Jan 22, 2016 10:55:36 GMT digicig said:

Much appreciate all the help and advice calnorth - still awaiting what Spinfuel's preferred specs might be - but the Xaomi might be an option. Be good to show folk what the roads are actual like over here - cos seeing is definitely the only way folk back home would believe it!

I'm a basic point and click multiple times, and hope one good'un turns out kind of photographer - whereas the Chinese are Selfie mad!

Much better with an old style view finder than a screen to - but not that that is an option really these days

Just looking at one of Spinfuels vids and is 720p or selectable down to 144p. The former is HD as opposed to Full HD (1080p/i) on our TVs (Smart et al). The 144p is worse than old 405 line TV but guess its for mobiles?

The little action cameras will do 720p easily and still pics won't be a problem unless wielded by hand too much.

What should be ensured is that:

video is straight with good illumination (runs about 20mins). Steady slow scene scanning, not jumping about much.
sound is good



I'll shut up now!




No doubt they can cut it to add/remove stuff.

[digicig]

I'll have a lookie at th Electronics Market - if i can find it all by myself tomorrow. Last week it was Drone central with the ickle beggars flying around - very cool jet like one though that had me interested - and i'm not normally bothered. LoL

[digicig]

Well i probably bought the wrong thing - but got a Canon IXUS 160 - with a spare battery fo around £100 - point and shoot - no stabilisation though - but 720 vid and takes a 64Gb card - so with the spare battery that should do. Would have spent a bit more but without being sure if Spinfuel will chip in....

[Bobsbeer]

Stabilisation is more important for the video part than stills, so depending on what you plan to video a tripod with pan and tilt will help. Other than that Canon make good lenses so it should be fine. I would say you paid over the odds for it though. You can get one in the UK for around £60-£80 mark, so would have expected it to be cheaper over there.