Cameras for video and stills

LSNAutoDetailing

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Any camera experts out there?

I'm in the market for a decent camera to journal my detail projects. Sadly we've been using the iPhone to capture most everything. It's cheap and journals well, but now we want higher quality.
Not only for the detailing business, but for recreational use as well. Out here in AZ we journey to some really cool places, take a photo with the iPhone and feel saddened that it barely captures the landscape.

The camera will be both hand held and tripod use. Will need to do video and stills.

I'm looking at the Cannon - Canon PowerShot SX70 HS Black 20.3 Megapixel Digital Camera
PowerShot SX70 HS | Canon Online Store|Canon Online Store


  • Powerful 65x Optical Zoom
  • 20.3 Megapixel* CMOS Sensor and DIGIC 8 Image Processor
  • 4K Video and 4K Time-lapse Movie
  • Built-in 0.39-type OLED EVF with Approx. 2.36 Million Dots
  • Built-in Wi-Fi®** and Bluetooth®*** for Quick and Easy Sharing
  • Image Stabilization of up to 5 Stops for Excellent Performance
  • High-speed Continuous Shooting at up to 10 fps
  • Zoom Framing Assist
  • EOS Interchangeable Lens Camera-like User Interface Design

We're wanting to stay under $600 which means, we want the most bang for the buck. The Cannon seems to come in at $549.00... Hopefully will leave room for tripod and bigger SD card...


I realize this camera hasn't been released yet, looks like 12/2018 is the release date. Thoughts?
 
That has no adapability, lenses etc.

Here's a great deal:

Everything you need and then some, full 1080P HD video, extra lense, case etc. and well within your budget.

Access Denied
 
Thanks Custmsprty, the new SureShot does have interchangeable lens capability, but they call it "EOS Style." so now I'm thinking it will probably be only for SureShot.
Thanks for the link, I didn't think I could step up into the EOS and still stay in my price point, but you showed me that is possible. Any recommendations on tripods?
 
Funny I did the opposite of what you are doing.

I was using a DSLR for taking pictures of the cars I detailed. Then I realized my Samsung Galaxy S7 was capable of taking higher quality pictures and could record video not only in 4K but also in slow motion.

So now I do everything with my phone.

I can't change the lens, but for taking pictures of cars, the lens on the phone are plenty. I purchased a gizmo that allows me to put the phone on a tripod if I want to : If you search Amazon for tripod phone mount you should find several starting at about 5$ and going up. I paid about 8$ for mine and it works perfectly.

The only limitations phones have compared to cameras is the light needed. If you want to do night shoots and low light shoots, phones don't do too well. But for taking pictures in daylight, I never had an issue. Also if you want to improve the quality of the pictures, a good photo editing software will give you a lot more bang for the buck than changing the camera. I recommend Photoshop Elements. Costs like 60$ and will color correct, white balance, autosharpen and everything you need to do with 1 click.
 
Superzoom cameras are like the late night infomercial wax of the camera world. iPhones have some pretty capable cameras so you'll need to buy a really good setup to beat their quality.

The camera body actually makes the least difference. The lens is important but the nut behind the camera is the most important.

Really understanding how light works is how you make great pictures. Sort of like how perfectly polished paint,not products, is the key to great shine.
 
My phone is hit or miss,,I think the picture quality is fine for the most part being a 100 dollar LG trac phone,,I'm not big on electronic technology for the most part so it works great for me and I always seem to have a signal when no one else does

my digital camera is a Nikon cool pix A10 that I bought to replace my little cannon when it died,,I like small and compact for my time spent in the woods and such

some call me a luddite and I reckon I am..lol
 
Calendyr said:
Funny I did the opposite of what you are doing.

I was using a DSLR for taking pictures of the cars I detailed. Then I realized my Samsung Galaxy S7 was capable of taking higher quality pictures and could record video not only in 4K but also in slow motion.

So now I do everything with my phone.

I can't change the lens, but for taking pictures of cars, the lens on the phone are plenty. I purchased a gizmo that allows me to put the phone on a tripod if I want to : If you search Amazon for tripod phone mount you should find several starting at about 5$ and going up. I paid about 8$ for mine and it works perfectly.

The only limitations phones have compared to cameras is the light needed. If you want to do night shoots and low light shoots, phones don't do too well. But for taking pictures in daylight, I never had an issue. Also if you want to improve the quality of the pictures, a good photo editing software will give you a lot more bang for the buck than changing the camera. I recommend Photoshop Elements. Costs like 60$ and will color correct, white balance, autosharpen and everything you need to do with 1 click.
Click to expand...

Thanks Calendyr, I looked at the reviews on the T6 rebel... not bad but could be better.

This isn’t just for car stills, but video as well. Not to mention the iPhone camera doesn’t do some scenery photo’s justice... I.e Grand Canyon. I always snap the pic and say, man the photo doesn’t capture the depth.

I pinged Sizzle Chest (Scott) but need to circle back on his recommendations.

I did start a series of videos today using the iPhone and was pleasantly surprised at then quality, both video and audio.

For car photos I never alter the pics. If I do a show-n-shine, it’s as is. I don’t want to enhance or change anything. I think the work has to speak for itself... That’s just my opinion.




Please excuse the typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
LSNAutoDetailing said:
Thanks Calendyr, I looked at the reviews on the T6 rebel... not bad but could be better.

This isn’t just for car stills, but video as well. Not to mention the iPhone camera doesn’t do some scenery photo’s justice... I.e Grand Canyon. I always snap the pic and say, man the photo doesn’t capture the depth.

I pinged Sizzle Chest (Scott) but need to circle back on his recommendations.

I did start a series of videos today using the iPhone and was pleasantly surprised at then quality, both video and audio.

For car photos I never alter the pics. If I do a show-n-shine, it’s as is. I don’t want to enhance or change anything. I think the work has to speak for itself... That’s just my opinion.




Please excuse the typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Check the settings for the video and pictures. I have not owned a iPhone since the 3gs so I don't know how the more modern ones work, but on Android you can adjust picture quality for both video and photo. So if it's the same on the iPhone, you might be on a lower setting.

As for alteration, if you know anything about photography you will know that using un-adjusted pictures is a very bad idea. Just balancing the color is super important otherwise the pictures might be giving out completelly unrealistic images (could be good or bad). The ideal situation is to shoot in raw and use lightroom to get the exact colors that were present when you took the pictures. But to my eye, automatic color adjustment on jpeg do a good enough job. This is especially true if light level and source is not optimal. You can loose a lot of detail in the picture that way. For exemple, in some of the pictures I have taken in the past on a black vehicle, the unedited picture would show just dark paint. Once the adjustment was made you could see the paint was very reflective and you could see the scenary on the paint. The info was there but the settings the camera choose for brightness, contrast and all that were all wrong. The software corrected for it and balanced the colors correctly and now the details could show.
 
You might want to consider this one for $100 less.

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/powershot-sx60-hs

I have an older SX40 and still extremely pleased with it. From experience I can say that aftermarket batteries (not Canon labeled) just don't last very long. If you need an additional battery cough up for the Cannon brand. Also a lens hood is a must for all Canon cameras of this style. It minimizes glare and lens flare from the sun.
 
RTexasF said:
You might want to consider this one for $100 less.

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/powershot-sx60-hs

I have an older SX40 and still extremely pleased with it. From experience I can say that aftermarket batteries (not Canon labeled) just don't last very long. If you need an additional battery cough up for the Cannon brand. Also a lens hood is a must for all Canon cameras of this style. It minimizes glare and lens flare from the sun.
Click to expand...

Thanks RF! Chang in direction. A knowledgeable staff member helped steer me in the Sony a6000 direction. It’s more $$$ but pretty amazing mirror less camera,
Great stills but higher emphasis on video. Lenses are by Leitz, which are top notch optics and were found on Leica cameras back in the day.

Thing is, gotta wait till Black Friday, big sale on the bundle I’m looking at.


Please excuse the typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Paul,

Now that it’s been mentioned. The A6000 is BALLER!

I bought a Sony A6000 for my business prior to last detailing season and even with a kit lens, the pictures are splendid. The pictures you have seen me post are with the kit lens

My old boss is the owner of formerly Concord, NH based business called WOOLEN BOON. If you check her out, her product photography are STUNNING! The quality of her pictures are a result of an upgrade lens compared to what the stock setup.

As a matter of fact, it was because of them that made me look into a Sony A6000. You should have seen her side-by-side pictures when she tested stock vs. upgrade—truly remarkable.

I think you made a marvelous (future) choice.

:: Taken with the Sony A6000 ::

80a4fb71de636c513588b8b82d91881b.jpg



One more thing, I haven’t really used it in video yet.
 
LSNAutoDetailing said:
Thanks RF! Chang in direction. A knowledgeable staff member helped steer me in the Sony a6000 direction. It’s more $$$ but pretty amazing mirror less camera,
Great stills but higher emphasis on video. Lenses are by Leitz, which are top notch optics and were found on Leica cameras back in the day.

Thing is, gotta wait till Black Friday, big sale on the bundle I’m looking at.


Please excuse the typos. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

That's a serious bit of kit! I hope it does all that you expect of it.
 
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