Digital cameras 101

[EAL]

Hi!

Could you kindly offer some suggestions for a digital camera? Thank you.

I work as a journalist and also have to take photos at conferences I attend. There are about 16 presentators per conference. Some presentators only speak for a few minutes. I go up and stand several feet from the podium and take the photos.

I am currently using a regular camera and have had trouble taking photos, so I would like to get a digital camera that is easy to use--not too many buttons.

Also, I would like the camera to take photos quickly. I need to be able to take three or four photos quickly of the experts at the podium. I would also like the camera to have a feature that would help me align the person in the middle of the photo and a feature that would tell me if a photo is blurry.  Sometimes, my hand does move. I also would like the camera to work so that I can hold it horizontally. I tried a camera that I had to turn vertically to take the portraits and I could not hold my hand still in such an awkward position. Finally, I would like to be able to review the photos quickly.

Thank you for your time,
Liz

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi Liz,

Welcome to Digicamhelp. While we don't recommend specific cameras at Digicamhelp, we can help with features you should consider for your photo-taking needs.

In my 35 mm days, I took most portrait photos at a focal length of about 85 mm. Saying that, this length may be a bit too short for your needs since you are standing away and beneath the podium to take shots.

Some of the fastest digital cameras on the market are digital Single Lens Reflex cameras. They have high quality lenses and take interchangeable lenses. They are, however, at the high end of the price range and lenses are usually sold separately.

If you're not looking for an dSLR, you may want to consider a prosumer digital camera such as the Nikon 8800 (8 megapixels), the Olympus 8080 (8 megapixels; no image stabilization) or the Panasonic FZ20 (5 megapixels). Since you mention being unable at times to hold the camera steady, consider a digicam with image stabilization. All three cameras I mentioned have fairly long telephoto lenses which can be used to zoom in to take a portrait shot.

I happen to own a Panasonic FZ3, the low-end of the FZ line. Compared to the other digital cameras I own, it is very fast and responsive. The image stabilization works well, in fact, I find it quite amazing and would personally never buy another digital camera without it. It does not have an hot shoe, which you probably need for an external flash.

One of the best places I know to help you learn about the features and speed of a digital camera is at dpreview. They do extensive testing and offer many in-depth reveiws.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

They also offer side-by-side feature comparisons:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp

I recommend you boil your choices down to about three cameras, then go to a local camera shop and hold each in your hands. As you imply, the ergonomics and how a digicam feels in your hand is very important.

Besides focal length, speed at which photos are written to a memory card, hot shoe and, possibly, image stabilization, if you buy a prosumer camera, also consider one with an articulating LCD screen (ie. it can be moved in different positions so the screen is easier to view if you need to hold the camera at various angles such as over your head or at waist level).

Many advanced digital cameras let you view an image immediately after you take it. It flashes on the LCD for 1, 2 or more seconds so you get an idea if it is in focus. You can also preview each image in Record mode and then press a lever or two to zoom in close, and move to various areas of the image for review.

To be honest, most digital cameras have quite a few buttons. It's difficult to avoid them if you want to find a camera which offers some creative control, such as depth of field (shallow depth of field is often desired when taking portrait shots).

I hope in some way these suggestions and comments help. If not, or it your have further questions, please ask away.

[Deb]

Hi Liz and Welcome!

In addition to Shutterbug's suggestions, I'd like to add that you may benefit from a monopod.  A monopod is a one-legged version of a tripod. This may help you support the camera (you mentioned that your hands were a bit unsteady) and takes up less floor space than a tripod (you stated that you were positioned close to the podiums).

Also, many cameras have a little light on them that will indicate when the camera has focused on the subject. Being aware of this will help with blur problems that are resulting from the camera not being fully engaged on the subject.

If your blur is due to movement by you or your subject, using a flash would help "freeze" the action. I realize though that not all venues or participants permit flash use. I can be distracting and blinding to the speaker/performer.

So, if you're not permitted to use flash, I'd suggest selecting a faster ISO speed (an option available on many digicams and dSLRs). This would enable your camera to use a faster shutterspeed. By using a faster shutterspeed, you will be less likely to end up with blurred images due to slight movement. (The faster the shutterspeed, the great the camera's ability to freeze action.)

If you're uncomfortable with all the options and buttons available on many cameras, you might try practicing with the automatic modes/features as well as the ISO value adjustment until you are familiar and comfortable with them. This will allow you to concentrate more on esthetics (positioning your subject within the frame), rather than being distracted by the camera's confusing features. As time goes on, you will find yourself very comfortable with your camera. You'll grow into the additional camera features as time goes on. Don't fret itl

Oh, and I just remembered, some cameras have a grid that's visible in your viewfinder. This feature might help you with subject framing as well.  

[Tomasz N.]

Hi Liz,

....

In my 35 mm days, I took most portrait photos at a focal length of about 85 mm. Saying that, this length may be a bit too short for your needs since you are standing away and beneath the podium to take shots.


I happen to own a Panasonic FZ3, the low-end of the FZ line. Compared to the other digital cameras I own, it is very fast and responsive. The image stabilization works well, in fact, I find it quite amazing and would personally never buy another digital camera without it. It does not have an hot shoe, which you probably need for an external flash.

....
I hope in some way these suggestions and comments help. If not, or it your have further questions, please ask away.

Hi!

I've came here from google "digicam portrait" :) So what I want to ask you personally is about possibilities of your FZ3 in portrait mode, as I'm interested in that model, bacause of the price and others..

So is it possible to get narrow DoF with this one. Not so narrow like with dSLRs, but .. quite enough to blur background behind your subject?

Maybe a real photo would be helpful?

Thanks in advance,
Tomasz N.

[ShutterbugGail]

Hi Tomasz,

Welcome to digicamhelp. So glad you found us.

I haven't used portrait mode yet but have taken several close-up shots. The FZ3 is very effective at creating narrow depth-of-field. I use mostly P mode, but I'm sure the Portrait mode will work as well.

Here are a few test photos I took with the FZ3:

http://www.pbase.com/gailb/fz3test

For each photo I took which has shallow DOP, I used the zoom lens, not macro or, as mentioned, portrait mode.