WWYD? Should I get a DSLR?

[Tiger926]

TeachLuvsDisney

My answer is yes yes yes.

Unlike the OP, you seem to have the interest and the background and willingness to join us digital junkies. Once you go there you will never go back!

Go to your local camera store and play. Figure out what you want to spend and look at the "kits" that are available. I will lead you to Nikon, others will to Canon, etc. While we all can tell you why ours is better, the bottom line pick one you like the feel of, you feel you understand, and go for it. The kit lens will get you by in the beginning but as you get better at it you will want better glass (lens). Keep in the back of your mind that once you pick a brand you will probably stay with it. Once you decide on the brand, if it is not ours we will be more than glad to tell why you should have picked ours!!! LOL. Seriously pick the one YOU like because you will use it more!

GO FOR IT!

As the OP, I'm confused as to how you ascertained this about me based on my thread? I want to get an DSLR, but not sure if it will be the right fit for us at this time due to weight issues, extra lenses, etc. Since I already have a bridge camera and spent a lot of money on that, and have had lots of fun tinkering with it over the past 3 years, I would say that I definitely have the interest and the background to move to a DSLR. Our Panasonic camera is as close to a DSLR as you can get, without the actual lens being taken off - we've worked with the manual controls, shutter, etc. We are extremely tech savvy around here - 3 computers, multiple cameras, print my own photos, etc.

I guess I missed something in my posts that led you to this conclusion, just wondering what that was?

Tiger

 

[YesDear]

Tiger:

I meant no offense if you took any. Your main concern was the size and you seemed to express little interest in having to deal with the extra stuff. A changeable lens DSLR does provide many more options in many ways but with those options comes more stuff. To be honest if you felt your bridge camera was heavy with your physical circumstances a DSLR with a zoom lens on it would probably be way too much for you. It had nothing to do with your skill or desire, but I saw a real physical limitation. I have some family members with arthritis and understand your discomfort. My camera bag full for a trip to Disney is probably 40 lbs. I do not take that to the park and I am serious about this stuff but it is what it is.

You just kept referring to the size and weight as a main consideration and you are probably doubling the size and weight with a DSLR. (I hope I do not get a response from someone comparing actual weights of a given model because my opinion was based more on belief that fact.)

If you want to try one then I would give the same advise. Go try some out and see what you think.

There are many references by moms on this board who are really into Digital and bemoan the extra stuff they take with small kids as well. That is a real consideration. My son is 26 and we carry each others gear!

Once again please accept an apology if you thought I was limiting you interest or ability. Just based on what you had expressed, those were my thoughts.

 

[Tiger926]

Tiger:

I meant no offense if you took any. Your main concern was the size and you seemed to express little interest in having to deal with the extra stuff. A changeable lens DSLR does provide many more options in many ways but with those options comes more stuff. To be honest if you felt your bridge camera was heavy with your physical circumstances a DSLR with a zoom lens on it would probably be way too much for you. It had nothing to do with your skill or desire, but I saw a real physical limitation. I have some family members with arthritis and understand your discomfort. My camera bag full for a trip to Disney is probably 40 lbs. I do not take that to the park and I am serious about this stuff but it is what it is.

You just kept referring to the size and weight as a main consideration and you are probably doubling the size and weight with a DSLR. (I hope I do not get a response from someone comparing actual weights of a given model because my opinion was based more on belief that fact.)

If you want to try one then I would give the same advise. Go try some out and see what you think.

There are many references by moms on this board who are really into Digital and bemoan the extra stuff they take with small kids as well. That is a real consideration. My son is 26 and we carry each others gear!

Once again please accept an apology if you thought I was limiting you interest or ability. Just based on what you had expressed, those were my thoughts.

No offense taken at all - I just thought maybe you saw something within my posts that I was missing in regards to helping me figure out what would best suit our needs. Thanks for the responses and info, as I greatly appreciate it!

I just used my Panasonic for the first time in awhile, and oh, how I have missed that camera! I got some awesome candid shots of my DD with her favourite performing clown - they turned out beautifully! I don't think our little Nikon would have allowed me to capture so many shots in quick succession as there always seems to be a delay, as that is the nature of P & S cameras, it seems. Hubby and I have re-committed to our Panasonic, and will start using it as our main camera again and will use the P & S as back up.

Hubby and I have gone through this thread, as well as tons of Internet research, and we agree with you all who said a DSLR is probably not a good fit for right now. It will be heavier, and more cumbersome, and with 2 small kids, that's not a good thing! As well, it will cost a lot more - we can get a pretty good P & S for between $300- $450 CDN (the Canon G10 looks great, but it is $599.00 CDN plus tax, plus a new camera bag, so that's close to $700.00. Ouch!), whereas DSLRs start at about $500 (body only) and go way up here in Canada depending upon lenses, and other accessories. Lots of things to consider, so we wouldn't want to make a rushed decision in regards to a new DSLR, so buying a new P & S, if we need to, will be a much easier, and cheaper alternative at this point in time.

Thanks again for your kind and helpful words as we work through this frustrating situation, Tiger

 

[wenrob]

To add to YesDear's thoughts, for family events (where I have DH as a helper)or specific photo outings I always take the D90 but if it's just me and the kids and I have to haul gear for them as well then I take the Canon S2 IS (bridge) camera. With three kids, two of them little the D90 and accessories can be a huge pain in the butt, lol.
Christmas at sister's house=DSLR
Youngest DD's 1st haircut with all three kids in tow (12yr old and two 3yr olds)by myself=Canon Bridge

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

The Canon SX1 IS and the SX10 IS are the 2 newest bridge cameras in the S series. They are supposedly really good. Several people here have bought or were given the SX110 IS P&S camera and they liked it as well. These are the cameras I ws looking at if I wanted to lighten the load and get a P&S or Bridge camea. The SX1IS does HD video too. That one is about $589 or so on Amazon. The rest were $250-399 ish on Amazon.
Knowing what you wrote about weight being an issue, that's the biggest reason I recommended you get another bridge camera. Theoretically, you would be the ideal type of person to upgrade to a DSLR because of your extensive background w/ the bridge camera. The other person said weight is not an issue and that they know they have a lot to learn and are willing to learn it, so they sound like they might be well suited to upgrading to a DSLR too.

 

[Tiger926]

Update

I heard back from Nikon via the camera shop and they will not be covering my repair as they said they found "visible external body damage" which is bogus as there is no damage at all. In fact, store even wrote on repair form that camera is in pristine condition with no body damage whatsoever.

I am very sad and frustrated with the camera shop, but moreso with Nikon. We have decided to get another P & S, and will be steering clear of Nikon more than likely, as this experience has really saddened us toward Nikon. My camera was a great little camera, but it has a malfunction that they will not cover.

I will more than likely go back to Canon - my friend who takes more photos than me (between the two of us we take thousands upon thousands of photos each year), has the Canon IS, and she loves it, so that is what we will look at, as well as a few other Canon models.

We are very sad with this situation, so thanks to all for helping us work through our decision making process as to whether to buy a DSLR or not. Incidentally, I used our Panasonic camera all weekend at a school open house, wedding and piano recital and it rocked!

Thanks to all, Tiger

 

[tyedye]

I own a Panasonic FZ20 which is a few years older than your FZ50 and I too am looking to maybe move up to a dSLR but have concerns about the lens changing, carrying more camera stuff, and honestly I'm concerned about the learning curve. I have not used my FZ20 on manual enough to feel comfortable plus my kids don't want to wait for me to change settings, they just want the pic taken and over with.

I also own a Canon powershot A620 http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/a620.html that I carry around with me when I don't want to bring the larger one. So if you have decided not to upgrade to a dSLR then perhaps check out the Canon powershot series.

I like using the viewfinder and many camera's have eliminated that so if that is important to you then you'll need to look at that, although the size and clarity of the lcd screen today is much better than 4 yrs ago. My A620 uses 4x AA batteries and that adds to it's weight, most of the powershots use a rechargable or only 2x AA.

Other camera's I'm looking at right now are the Canon SX10 (20x zoom) and the Panasonic FZ28 (18x zoom) as I'm looking to get something with a longer zoom than 12x. The Panasonic is much smaller and lighter than the Canon but I think both are smaller than my FZ20.

There are plenty of options available right now and w/technology it seems like every few months there are newer ones.

 

[jmskinner]

I own a Panasonic FZ20 which is a few years older than your FZ50 and I too am looking to maybe move up to a dSLR but have concerns about the lens changing, carrying more camera stuff, and honestly I'm concerned about the learning curve. I have not used my FZ20 on manual enough to feel comfortable plus my kids don't want to wait for me to change settings, they just want the pic taken and over with.

I'm still on the learning curve with my DSLR, the Canon XSi, but it has the options of a standard camera so you still have the capabilities of just a point and shoot. I took a class that just taught the different settings and everyone keeps saying the class must have paid off because my pics are improving. They don't have to know this, but its the camera, not the user!

So, don't let the learning curve hold you back, there are DSLR's out there for us learners.

 

[zackiedawg]

Now that the DSLR issue is resolved for the OP...and Nikon won't be repairing that camera...the Panasonic has come back for regular use and I think will suit the OP's needs just fine.

So my advice now has to do with the second, smaller camera purchase. My advice is: get something ALOT smaller. You've got the FZ30, with a bigger sensor, good resolution, excellent lens, and huge zoom range. To me, a purchase of one of the smaller bridge cameras or ultrazooms seems to overlap too much with the FZ30 to make it worthwhile to purchase...It'll be a bit smaller, with the same lens range, is a bit lighter...still kinda square-shaped. Why not let the second camera free you completely, and fill a gap in your arsenal that you don't have covered at all: A slimline ultra-compact camera. Even better if you can score one that has a wider angle than 36mm, since that's where your Panasonic stops. Consider the Canon SD880IS, Sony W170, Fuji F200EXR, or Panasonic FX37...all of which are slim enough to slide in a pocket, and start at 28mm on the wide end with 4x or 5x zooms? That gives you a true alternative for when you don't want to bring 'the big guy', and also gives you the 28mm to 36mm lens range you don't get with the current Panasonic.

Also, as mentioned, memory cards cost almost nothing now - so I truly wouldn't let that decide the camera model. Whether XD, SD, CF, or MS, you can get 4GB for around $25...so it's really a non-issue. And also note that there are different types of SD cards - if you've got some older cards, they may not be compatible with newer cameras, or may not give you the speed advantages inherent in the camera as they require the newer, faster cards to get the most out of.

Just a few ideas to consider! I have a DSLR, but also a very very slim Sony T100 as a 2nd camera - it's everything the DSLR is not - super small, super light, super compact, and allows me to still have a camera on me wherever I go, even when I don't feel like carrying a camera. It's so small, I don't even think about it, but it's there if I need it - and that really does give you a sense of freedom and fun!

 

[Tiger926]

Now that the DSLR issue is resolved for the OP...and Nikon won't be repairing that camera...the Panasonic has come back for regular use and I think will suit the OP's needs just fine.

So my advice now has to do with the second, smaller camera purchase. My advice is: get something ALOT smaller. You've got the FZ30, with a bigger sensor, good resolution, excellent lens, and huge zoom range. To me, a purchase of one of the smaller bridge cameras or ultrazooms seems to overlap too much with the FZ30 to make it worthwhile to purchase...It'll be a bit smaller, with the same lens range, is a bit lighter...still kinda square-shaped. Why not let the second camera free you completely, and fill a gap in your arsenal that you don't have covered at all: A slimline ultra-compact camera. Even better if you can score one that has a wider angle than 36mm, since that's where your Panasonic stops. Consider the Canon SD880IS, Sony W170, Fuji F200EXR, or Panasonic FX37...all of which are slim enough to slide in a pocket, and start at 28mm on the wide end with 4x or 5x zooms? That gives you a true alternative for when you don't want to bring 'the big guy', and also gives you the 28mm to 36mm lens range you don't get with the current Panasonic.

Also, as mentioned, memory cards cost almost nothing now - so I truly wouldn't let that decide the camera model. Whether XD, SD, CF, or MS, you can get 4GB for around $25...so it's really a non-issue. And also note that there are different types of SD cards - if you've got some older cards, they may not be compatible with newer cameras, or may not give you the speed advantages inherent in the camera as they require the newer, faster cards to get the most out of.

Just a few ideas to consider! I have a DSLR, but also a very very slim Sony T100 as a 2nd camera - it's everything the DSLR is not - super small, super light, super compact, and allows me to still have a camera on me wherever I go, even when I don't feel like carrying a camera. It's so small, I don't even think about it, but it's there if I need it - and that really does give you a sense of freedom and fun!

UPDATE

I totally forgot to update this thread as it's been very busy around here with Easter, son's surgery and needy students to tend to.

Nikon came through and is repairing my camera free of charge! I didn't really have to say much, as the corporate office of the camera shop dealt with Nikon in this respect. This is good news, but we decided to purchase a Canon G10 and it's fab! We have been using our Panasonic a lot - took some gorgeous Easter photos last week, but the G10 is great as it's so much lighter, and it also takes beautiful photos.

We contemplated returning the G10 since we heard from Nikon 2 days later that they were going to pay for the repair (they changed their minds after a a more thorough look at the camera), but we decided to keep it as the Nikon is slow. With the G10 and the Panasonic, and the Nikon as back up, we are now all set!!

Thanks so much for all suggestions and help with this, Tiger

 

[Angrypenguin]

Sounds great! The G10 is a fantastic little camera.