Camera Suggestions

[martsycart]

I thought my brand new iPhone Xs would have a better camera than a lot of handheld cameras out there, but alas it still likes to refocus a lot and it's annoying to watch. Wondering what a good alternative would be. Keep in mind, this is literally the only thing I will use it for, so I don't want to spend a ton of money. 

[k6ccc]

Because of all the blinking, almost universally the best results will come from a camera where you can defeat all the automatic functions.  Manual focus and manual iris will prevent the camera from chasing the settings.

 

[PhilMassey]

Whatever camera you use, and my Galaxy is as good as anything I've tried, disabling autofocus is a must. My phone has a "Pro" mode which allows a lot of adjustments, including turning off autofocus.

I would think the Iphone would too. Of course no digital zooming which makes positioning of the camera and framing important.

 My 3 yr old  Panasonic Lumix does a decent job, and again with manual focus, but the phone is still a little better.

I would imagine a half or full frame DSLR would be best, but as far as I am concerned, not worth the expense.

 

 

[Richard Hamilton]

K6 beat me too it.  Totally agree.  When I tried to use an iPhone, the changing light intensities of my display was making it go nuts.   Manual focus did the trick.  And on another note, Hermitage is a nice place.  Not far from my home town.

[martsycart]

Wow, I feel real dumb. I never even thought of turning off the auto-focus 🤦🏻‍♀️ 

I’ve also contemplated buying a <$100 drone. I’m pretty good at holding my phone still, but a hovering drone might yield better results. 

[Richard Hamilton]

4 minutes ago, martsycart said:

Wow, I feel real dumb. I never even thought of turning off the auto-focus 🤦🏻‍♀️ 

I’ve also contemplated buying a <$100 drone. I’m pretty good at holding my phone still, but a hovering drone might yield better results. 

Having experience with drones, the first thought that comes to mind is that they have very short running time before needing a charge.   You might be lucky to record one song, charge, next song, charge, etc.  Maybe just strap that iphone to a tripod.  That's what I did 😉

[Mega Arch]

4 hours ago, martsycart said:

….Wow, I feel real dumb.... 🤦🏻‍♀️ 

NEVER! We've all been there. It's a learning curve on everything. 

[Mr. P]

4 hours ago, Richard Hamilton said:

Having experience with drones, the first thought that comes to mind is that they have very short running time before needing a charge.   You might be lucky to record one song, charge, next song, charge, etc.  Maybe just strap that iphone to a tripod.  That's what I did 😉

My wife got me a DJI Mavic Pro for Christmas last year, 30 minute flight time per charge and she got me four batteries, love it.

[Richard Hamilton]

On 12/4/2018 at 4:02 PM, Mr. P said:

My wife got me a DJI Mavic Pro for Christmas last year, 30 minute flight time per charge and she got me four batteries, love it.

Nice,  I used to have a DJI product and they were known to occasionally forget where they are and simply fly away never to be seen again.  I had that happen once, but I found it.  I think they have since mostly fixed that problem, yet you might want to keep an eye on that potential problem.

[B.Y.R.G.]

On 12/4/2018 at 4:02 PM, Mr. P said:

My wife got me a DJI Mavic Pro for Christmas last year, 30 minute flight time per charge and she got me four batteries, love it.

Well then let's see them lovey dovey videos?  If it's laziness then I understand.....same boat.  The wife got me Mavic's little brother the  DJI Spark for Christmas last year (awesome but less battery time) and I still haven't got around to recording the show yet.

Edited December 7, 2018 by B.Y.R.G.

[Speedster]

I'm currently considering this Canon PowerShot SX420IS that's on sale for $199.99 (regular price is $299.99).

I'm also looking at this Canon PowerShot SX620 HS for $229.99.  The above camera is a better deal, but I like the size and compactness of the SX620 because it will easily fit in my pocket.

[Speedster]

Instead of buying a newer/better camera to use for recording videos, I'm wondering if it would be better to buy a new camcorder instead.  Since a camcorder's main purpose is to record video, one would tend to believe that a camcorder would be better than a camera for that purpose.  So now I'm looking at getting this camcorder instead:  https://www.bestbuy.com/site/canon-vixia-hf-r800-hd-flash-memory-camcorder-black/5715707.p?skuId=5715707   It's in my price range, and since I do more video recording than picture taking, it makes more sense to buy that camcorder instead of a camera.

[martsycart]

I've actually gotten amazing video on my iPhone now that I locked the auto-focus. I've been meaning to record some new videos, but I wanted to wait until the tripod I bought came in. Now I just need it to quit raining. 

[k6ccc]

How do you get to any settings on the iCrap camera?

 

[martsycart]

It's actually not a setting. You simply just push and hold on the screen until the AF lock turns on.

 

https://iphonephotographyschool.com/ae-af-lock/ 

[k6ccc]

1 hour ago, martsycart said:

It's actually not a setting. You simply just push and hold on the screen until the AF lock turns on.

Thanks.  That was obvious - NOT!

 

[jtomason]

On 12/7/2018 at 12:20 PM, B.Y.R.G. said:

Well then let's see them lovey dovey videos?  If it's laziness then I understand.....same boat.  The wife got me Mavic's little brother the  DJI Spark for Christmas last year (awesome but less battery time) and I still haven't got around to recording the show yet.

Here's a short clip I did at the old place:

 

[martsycart]

1 hour ago, k6ccc said:

That was obvious - NOT!

Right!!! I said the same thing 

[k6ccc]

Now if I could figure out how to get a video off this damn phone without having to E-Mail it to myself.  So easy on an Android... I hate this #%>? IPhone I was forced into...

 

[PhilMassey]

Never had an iPhone, but won't Google drive or Dropbox or iCloud work. What about direct cable