Wifey wants a new camera..

I'm with you and yeah...my daughter recently asked where was I in a bunch of photos of them...I tried to explain I was taking the photos but yeah...need to enjoy also.

I have become more selective on when to shot photos. where I was taking 2,3,4,5,6 hundred photos a month, that has cut down quite a bit as they become more and more engaging and communicative. So yeah there is a balance, but the photos I do take, I want it to be the best quality.

 

I was being a little tongue in cheek, but your last comment hit a home run.

I was the dad with a camera/camcorder at all times when my kids were very young and I finally gave it up because of what you said, not enjoying the moment.

I finally figured out that the best camera was the one that my wife was using

Which brings us full circle to the OP's question.

 

and I'm with you on this, I learned my lesson at Disney, and as they still are young, I need to have hands available. That's why I use a Sony RX100 outdoors and the T3i indoors, but that also is where most of my photos are taken. Most of my buddies though treat their DSLR as an appendage, and can not be without it.

It's a balance.

 

I have my old FG sitting on the desk behind me along with and old F3 and 8008. DSLR's are the best, the mirrorless options are really really good. The canon G model are good too. I'm seldom happy with my iphone photos. Get a fast lens as Nemesis said for your indoor stuff. Or use a real flash that will light a room. The small flashes on the cameras are good for 4-5 feet and not much more. I put photos on an electronic photo frame. Add new images to an old CF card and that way it rotates through the years all the time. I carry a camera at least five days a week at work so it really does feel like an appendage at times.

 

DSLR, mirrorless... this is all antiquated technology... Light Field Photography

 

That tech will be cool once the bugs are ironed out. But that is a ways down the road. As for now I am a huge fan of micro 4/3 mirrorless cameras. I really feel that they are the best option in the mirrorless world. I am also a HUGE fan of what Panasonic is doing. The new GH4 is a great stills camera that has the ability to shoot 4k video. That is amazing at it's price point. The other G series cameras are great too.

 

IMHO, from my 1st hand experience, carrying a m4/3 and dslr is about the same. So I eventually got rid of the m4/3 and kept the DSLR. There is minimal difference in portability between the two because of the lens.

 

Not sure I can agree with that comment.

 

exactly. add a lens and they all stick out from around your chest the same, and get in your way of holding a kid all the same. and none of those fit in a pocket.

 

Yeah, you are right about adding the lens. I will say that Panasonic has a really sweet little pancake lens that is only like 14mm long. I like being able to use all sorts of old manual lenses on my camera, that is why I love the micro 4/3. Adapters are really cheap on ebay.

 

You are going to want something that is easy to use, takes great pics, and is flexible. I think if I was looking for something you are going to use it for I would spend a little more and get a Sony RX10. Smaller sensor than DSLR or even m4/3 but you are looking for great shots at the spur of the moment. If that is too much money then the smaller version and not as flexible is the RX100 (any of the versions) would be a great choice. I have one of these and it is a great camera that fits in my jeans pocket so I always have it but offers up really great shots.

 

GREAT outdoor shots, not very good in low light

 

The wide end at 1.8 and pretty good noise handling by the processor at higher ISO's makes it pretty good. The smaller sensor hurts it but it can hold it's own.

 

Same here, I've probably averaged around 4-800 pics per month of my daughter alone plus I also enjoy shooting other subjects and taking video/video editing. It can be highly time consuming going though all those pictures but I usually end up keeping around 10%. I took 400 pics of this past Easter morning and kept 50. I'm like you, I really try to get the best image quality or try and capture meaningful expressions. We have a ton of kids in our neighborhood and the parents love when I break out the camera, always good for sharing their kids pics on facebook. It's a hobby though and I'm always learning. Flash photography is something I still struggle with quite a bit.

 

That's precisely how I got started with the business side of things. I had so many requests for me to bring my gear to social events because folks would always say "I love your pictures on Facebook? Do you mind spending all your time at the *insert event here* behind the camera so I can have some nice pics.......you know, for free?"

Youth sports is where it really got out of control. Our local "sports" photographer only takes really shitty portraits of the kids in direct mid-day sunlight and sells them for a ridiculous fee. Some parents saw my pics of my kids online and said they wanted the same. Most were tired of using their cell-phones and, obviously, getting nowhere near the quality they wanted.

Sorry, but you just won't get this kind of picture with anything but some big, fast glass on a DSLR or 4/3s body.

 

If the S120 followed in the same footsteps as its predecessors, then I think you can't get any slimmer, lighter and easier P&S than it. I have the S95, it's no DSLR but it wasn't built to compete against those, comparing it to the 2-3 units I tried out [and returned], it was no comparison!

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/profe...cameras/pro_ps_digital_cameras/powershot_s120

100% spot on and one helluva great snap shot and PP!

 

You're more than welcome to take my Sony RX100-II for a test drive, just let me know.

 

Yeah, DSLR is the way to go. I muddled around with a mirrorless APS-C sensor Samsung for a while. It took the best pics of any point and shoot I've had, but still was lacking indoors with or without flash. Finally made my way into DSLRs, and holy crap. I'll never go back to P&S. I still use my iPhone for pictures a lot - it's nearly as good as a regular point and shoot, so it serves its purpose. But for serious stuff, the DSLR is amazing. Even more amazing when you put really good lenses on them.