BE

I am looking for an all around great camera that can be used for both indoor and outdoor shooting with pics and video. I would mostly be using it to take pics and video of my kids. I really don't want to spend a fortune, but also want to be able to take good pics and video. I am looking at the
PANASONIC LUMIX FZ80 and Panasonic LUMIX DMC FZ300 right now, but wasn't sure if these would be good for what I need. I do like the FZ300, but it is also on the pricey side for me right now. Not sure if it would be worth it or if I should stick with the FZ80 or something else. I am open to other cameras.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Welcome to the forum. What is your budget?

wetreed

Your best bet is the Nikon 5300 or the newer 5600

rcarol

What is your rationale for that statement? I think her choices make perfect sense.

wetreed

I think my reply is very obvious. I think the cameras I suggested are excellent choices for her. She did say she was open to other cameras. Let me know if you have any other problems understanding. Be well.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Two questions; what is your maximum budget and do you want to fiddle with lenses?
Also, a third question came to mind. Do you care if it's 2K or 4K video?

I ask because there are many excellent non interchangeable lens bridge cameras available today. Also, many people want 4K video even if they don't need it.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Welcome to our forum!

It's hard to go wrong with any modern, quality camera. Check some comparison site when you narrow you choices.

(Reviews) https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCameraStoreTV/videos
http://www.cameradecision.com/
http://cameras.reviewed.com/
http://camerasize.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
http://snapsort.com/compare
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

I have an FZ70 and it has been a very fine camera. Great for all-around purposes, so I can assume your idea of the FZ80 would be a good choice.

Good luck with your selection and have a GREAT time learning and using your new camera.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I loved both my FZ cameras. Good reach and fast enough for what I’ve needed.

Toment Loc: FL, IL

FZ80 looks fine
Have fun!

Chadp Loc: Virginia Beach

My primary purpose in photography is taking photos of my kids and I have not found a single camera that’s great at doing everything I want at a decent price. It really depends on how much is indoor photography vs outdoor or sports. Anytime I have tried a bridge camera indoors I have not been happy with the results. But I have not tried the two Panasonic that you mentioned. I use a Nikon D5500 with a prime 35mm 1.8. For indoor photography. But the video operation of the D5500 or 5300 or 5600 is absolutely terrible. So I use my iPhone for indoor video. For outdoor and sports I use an Olympus OMD EM10 because I can carry it in my pocket with a pancake lens and a zoom lens in the other pocket. The Olympus is also much better than my Nikon at videos. If I had to choose only one of these cameras to do both indoor and outdoor and video it would be the Olympus. If my choices were only non interchangeable lens cameras then I would buy the one with the largest sensor and fastest lens that I could afford and sacrifice the zoom. But that is because most of my shots of the kids are indoors.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

I would stick to the newest mirrorless if video is an important part of your photography. There are so many good choices now, Panasonic, Olympus, Sony and Fuji all offer excellent cameras in a modest price range. Go to a big store and handle them all and see which fits you best. Then read all the online reviews of the ones that appeal and find out what attributes best fit your needs. Do look at the Fuji X-T20 as I think it offers a good value for what you say you need.

Bison Bud

There are many things to consider. However, as I read your initial post, taking good photos both indoor and outdoor are your biggest priority. Most any modern camera will take good pictures outdoors with available light, but indoors can be a whole different thing. You also don't mention whether you expect to use a flash indoors and taking photos of active kids with available indoor lighting can be a real challenge for most any camera system. Without using a flash, keeping the shutter speed high enough to keep the motion blur within acceptable range can indeed be difficult. Also cameras can vary considerably in the amount of noise at higher ISO's. Therefore, I'd suggest finding the system with the best low light performance in your price range that also includes at least an F2.8 lens if possible. Good luck and good shooting to all.

zzzynick Loc: Colorado

Nobody but you can decide what camera to buy.
You are on the net.
Use Bing, Google the camera you think you want.
Read and then read some more, watch you tube videos.
After all that, buy it or look for something else.
Just because billy joe bob on ugly hedgehog said he liked it, doesn't mean you will.

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

Quality cameras abound out there (both new & used) and especially for the kind of photos/video you want to take. Everybody's individual likes and preferences are totally different and what I or anyone else may like, may not be what you will like. Do you want to change lenses, prefer a fixed lens camera, a zoom, etc? Select the particular brands you're interested in that are within your budget (Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus, Sony, Canon), read the specs, narrow the field....then select. PS, some of the smaller Bridge Cameras are truly excellent. Please come back and tell what you selected with examples.