I outgrew my camera years ago and its time to start thinking about upgrading. I have a Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS that I got for Christmas oh, 5 or 6 years ago. I will not be able to afford to move to a DSLR, although that would be my preferred option.
This is kind of awkward to explain but my PowerShot is very frustrating with DOF. When taking macros of tiny things or small sections of larger objects, like the examples below, its awesome. I can get some really great DOF and acceptable (sometimes even good) bokeh.
Up to a point my camera is great, but once something is too big the quality of shots (in the way I like taking them) basically vanishes. I can't get good DOF, much less bokeh of any kind. The subject always blends into the background and it looks very one dimensional without heavy Photoshopping. Unfortunately I don't think I have any photos that really show this well so hopefully it makes sense. I included a few examples below anyways that might help show what I mean even if they're not very good examples of it.
Its going to take me a long time to save up for this. I'm aiming for about $100-200 hopefully around Black Friday/Cyber Monday so I can get a good deal on Amazon (must be Amazon, if that matters at all). Since its so far in the future I know its probably too early to look for exact models, but is what I want even doable at this price range (with a potential discount for Cyber Monday)?
I know I won't be able to get the photos I want to take from a point and shoot but I'd really like to be able to take decent photos of larger things. Not necessarily people, but stuff like 18in dolls. So still not huge but way too big for my camera to handle the way I want it to.
Have you ever heard of KEH Used Camera? I recently bought a used Sony A57 from a store in Phoenix and the owner mentioned this on-line dealer/store. They are very helpful and have a great selection. ( https://www.keh.com/shop/shopping).
I wonder if part of the issue may be sensor size? I'm useless at the tech piece, but someone once told me that smaller sensors won't produce dof to the degree a large sensor will at the same f stop... I may try to test this out if I have a minute... I have an Olympus p&s I can use for comparison...
@joysabin I haven't, thank you! I'll save the link for later but unfortunately this purchase has to be made on Amazon. I use some of those "take surveys, watch videos, and do other stuff to earn gift cards" websites. Amazon cards are the easiest since most sites have them.
@northy Its definitely possible. I'm pretty rubbish at the really technical parts of anything but I did a lot of searching into DOF and my PowerShot a while back. What I read said there's basically no way to get any sort of good DOF or bokeh because of how the camera's made. It was months ago so I can't remember the specifics now. I wouldn't be surprised if sensor was at least a factor.
i use a canon sx50 which is very versatile, but there is a limit to the f-stops you can do with the lens, i gather once a lens can zoom in and out and change from macro to wide angle to whatever they have to compromise, the minimum aperture on these lenses seems to be about f3.5 and what you have in mind would be done with a larger aperture than that, but if that much time has passed since you upgraded you might be surprised at what a new camera can do. I know with mine if i do macro zoomed in fully from the minimum distance away that it will work i can get decent separation from the background and better bokeh as long as the background is some distance away again from the subject. hope that makes sense. the newer model of my camera that they sell now is the sx60 but that might still be out of your pricerange, but something like the SX410 might be a good option. this is the only experience i have.
@claycameras
How many survey sites are you using? I use a bunch and have been able to save up enough Amazon for a lower end dslr in the past. Let me know if I can be of any help on suggesting other sites and such if you really have your heart set on a DSLR.
so... based on this rushed test, i would say that sensor size does indeed impact on dof... my tg4 is a pretty good point 'n shoot, and it does an excellent job with macro... but as you can see, nowhere near the bokeh quality of the canon which is a crop sized sensor... and even the EM5 (micro 4/3) is not that great when it comes to the bokeh-effect... :(
My Nikon CoolPix 610 is a point and shoot and it does great bokeh. A lot of things determine DOF that would create bokeh. I just taught a photography class to some Boy Scouts Friday night and we discussed DOF. Might be the camera's aperture (f-stops). If you can set that or change that aperture to a manual setting, then you can adjust it to a larger f-stop (the higher the number the smaller the f-stop, so f/22 is small and f/2 is big, or the aperture is opened up big). This creates a smaller focal area, so you will have more chance of having bokeh if lighting conditions are right.
@kali66 Thank you for your insight! I'm sure I'd be stunned by what cameras can do now. I see cell phone photos and just can't believe it. Its like everyone else is walking around with "just a cell phone" that takes better photos than my camera would ever be capable of. When I got my PowerShot it had been roughly 5-6 years since I got my first p&s. I was so stunned and amazed by what my PowerShot could do! I bet I'll be the same reaction to anything new.
@mej2011 If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them, thank you!
Right now I'm using Swagbucks (which seems to be the best from what I've read) and Bing (which is very slow but only takes 1-2min per day). I'm certain I could save up for a lower end or even mid-range DSLR but for now certain factors keep me from getting the most out of Swagbucks. Not having a cellphone, not being able to be awake during peak hours for good surveys, etc. Its sometimes frustrating to see how much the really hardcore people who have those peak hours to use can make, haha.
@northy Thank you for that! Its definitely helpful. I'll have to bookmark the page so I remember to check back when its time to decide on a camera.
@homeschoolmom Thank you! That's super helpful. Looking at photos from Nikon CoolPix 610s on Flickr is very promising. It might not be able to do exactly what I want but its so much closer! I think I'll definitely be able to find a p&s to fit the bill.
I bought it on Amazon, too. So far, it's done everything I've wanted it to do, even some of the crazier technique challenges, like rear curtain flash. And the 60X zoom is amazing. I can zoom in on the moon so much that it doesn't even fit completely on the screen any more.
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@northy Its definitely possible. I'm pretty rubbish at the really technical parts of anything but I did a lot of searching into DOF and my PowerShot a while back. What I read said there's basically no way to get any sort of good DOF or bokeh because of how the camera's made. It was months ago so I can't remember the specifics now. I wouldn't be surprised if sensor was at least a factor.
How many survey sites are you using? I use a bunch and have been able to save up enough Amazon for a lower end dslr in the past. Let me know if I can be of any help on suggesting other sites and such if you really have your heart set on a DSLR.
@mej2011 If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them, thank you!
Right now I'm using Swagbucks (which seems to be the best from what I've read) and Bing (which is very slow but only takes 1-2min per day). I'm certain I could save up for a lower end or even mid-range DSLR but for now certain factors keep me from getting the most out of Swagbucks. Not having a cellphone, not being able to be awake during peak hours for good surveys, etc. Its sometimes frustrating to see how much the really hardcore people who have those peak hours to use can make, haha.
@northy Thank you for that! Its definitely helpful. I'll have to bookmark the page so I remember to check back when its time to decide on a camera.
@homeschoolmom Thank you! That's super helpful. Looking at photos from Nikon CoolPix 610s on Flickr is very promising. It might not be able to do exactly what I want but its so much closer! I think I'll definitely be able to find a p&s to fit the bill.