i would like a point and shoot type camera (my bridge camera is too heavy for me these days), that has a big sensor, a decent zoom, shoots RAW, shoots clear, crisp photos, preferably with a view finder. I just bought the Lumix SZ70 and it sucks -- the pictures are very noisy. I was using the auto settings. I previously had the FZ1000 and loved it and the photo quality was great but as I said it was just getting too heavy for me (health issues). Any suggestions would be welcome. I've gone through the reviews and they just confuse me more, LOL. thanks in advance for your help.

I don't know where you live but hopefully near a good camera shop where they have a large assortment of brands and quality. I was watching aYouTube video some time back and they were comparing mirrorless cameras to DSLR for weight comparison and came up with only a pound difference. They were talking about good cameras and excellent lenses. Even with the smaller lighter cameras and from what you said you will want a good high end lens. They are not light. So my suggestion is to go to the store and get one in your hands to see if the weight will make a difference. You might be able to rent what you are thinking about and try it out. This will be a big investment because you will probably be switching brands and buying all new lenses at a substantial cost. Good Luck.

I have always done my photo editing and organizing on Apple's iPhoto/Photos with an occasional extra tweak in Photoshop Elements. That has worked well for me, but I'd like to learn more about Elements as well as other editing software. I know there is lots of training available online, but I much prefer a classroom setting where I can ask questions on the fly and try the techniques being discussed.

Can anyone recommend a good course or seminar in the Asheville area? I live in Brevard, NC.

Thanks.

The pleasure derived from carrying fifty pounds of gear miles to a remote location to photograph an ancient Anasazi Ruin is not in the final image. It’s in the process of taking in the beauty of the location it’s history and mystery. Then in setting up the large format 8x10 camera and seeing the image on the ground glass for the first time. Is the composition right? Everything in focus? Everything is perfect corner to corner so now it’s time to sit for a few minutes and take it all in. Is this the image you really want? Yes, this is why you hiked miles down a rough canyon and will have to hike back up that rough canyon. So you load the film, take some meter readings, set the aperture and shutter, pull the slide and trip the shutter. Log it all in the notebook.

Fingers crossed you pack up and head home. Unload the film in total darkness into the tube, prepare the chemistry with all its glorious aroma and fifteen minutes or so later you take your first look and see if all that sweat, time and money were worth it.

In the time of instant gratification why I have chosen this path is somewhat of a mystery. Maybe because the entire process is a mystery, the upside down reversed ground glass image, how film captures photons on its silver halide, and then how the development process reveals and stabilizes the image frozen in time forever.

Appreciating both the simplicity and complexity of the process, taking the time to view the world in a deliberate slow process is what photography has brought into my life. Oh yea, I shot a backup with my iPhone just in case!!

I guess this is a philosophical question for better minds then I to answer, BUT -

Over many years, cameras have gone from the most simple box to a complex computer with a multitude of adjustments..... supposedly aimed at providing the photographer with the "best picture ever".

Has the art of photography (or enjoyment of photography) been lost? Is more time spent dealing with the hand held computer (the camera), then with the art of actually taking the picture?

Just wondering

Hello, I’m Sam and new to this forum.
Having said that it’s a kind of lie cause I been coming around reading and looking at awesome images by some of the most amazing and talented artists on this forum. Out of this world.
EVERY Time I log on , “its is a treat”. I been out of touch with camera for 20 long years, everything has changed in 20 years. Now at 65 years of age I have but not much $$$$.
Please advise me what should I buy mirror less or fx .
My choice is fx digital or
Mirror less .

I would apppreciate your help. I am looking for a good basic camera with a viewfinder.
Up until a year ago, my Sony Cyber-shot with no viewfinder took good basic photos for me. My interest was photos of my grandchildren.

But this past year I have spent a lot of time traveling in an RV. Most of my shots during that time were done outdoors, And needless to say, most shots were a disaster.
I would like a good basic camera with viewfinder for around $500. I am in my late 70’s and no expert.
I have seen the Canon Rebel T6 advertised at Costco for @ $500.
I have also seen mentioned the Canon T6i at B&H. I am not sure what the difference is. Maybe I should be looking at something else entirely.
But any suggestions or direction would be appreciated. Thank you.

Last night I was shooting my grandson's 4th birthday party. Flash photography was decidedly out as the only thing I had with me was the built in flash on my Canon 60D, a 1.6 crop factor camera. That simply made the photos too bright and harsh and negated the decorated theme of dim light and overall ghoulishness (assuming that is even a word).

Knowing I would be working with very dim light, I set my camera on manual with a shutter speed of 1 80th of a second (four year old boys can run pretty fast), aperture at 1.8 on my Canon 50mm prime lens and let the ISO float to 6400 after which the light would be reduced. With fast moving 4 year olds, I decided a tripod would be too slow so I did not take one with me.

Over all the shots were not too bad.....not to good either unfortunately, but many were acceptable.

Inside close quarters the 50mm got a little long with the crop factor so I decided to go to my 24mm prime 2.8. Have not had the 24 very long so I got to compare them side by side in low light. The 24 mm was definitely better in terms of focal length, but many more of these pictures were simply too dark to be worth much......the difference between the 1.8 and the 2.8 obviously.

My question is basically two fold:

First, had I been using a FF camera which I am still considering obtaining, would my aperture have been reduced by the crop factor giving me more effective aperture than I was obtaining with my current crop factor camera??? If so that would be a tremendous gain in terms of low light performance.

Second, from you advanced amateurs and certainly from you professionals, what else could I have done to improve my image quality in this situation based on your own personal experiences? Thank all of you for your input!

(I previously researched this last part of my question on the web and found that there seems to be opinions on this topic that do contradict each other, to say the least....I am confused on this issue but would really like to know as it will impact my decision as to purchasing a FF camera).