Camera choice - for walking etc.

[S11m]

youtu.be/nVnUeEdYQrI(Not working as expected?)

Spotty-ewe asked me what camera I use - and I thought some of you might be interested - so here is a separate thread about it...

What do you use, and why?

Mobile phone cameras are good... and I can use mine to produce (RAW or TIFF) images that I can edit and manipulate on my computer... and mine has two cameras including one with a 2* lens. This is "adequate" for most pictures.

My Panasonic Lumix GH2 micro 4/3 pseudo-DSLR (mirrorless) is now several years old - but several manufacturers make cameras to this specification. This has about a quarter of the sensor area of the 24 * 36mm "full-frame" format, but is large compared to many (compact) cameras.

The main relevant questions are:

How many pixels do you want?

Do you want a viewfinder (or just a screen on the back)?

Do you want interchangeable lenses?

Do you want to use it without a tripod in low light conditions (High ISO and image stabilisation)?

Do you want to take videos?

How much weight are you prepared to carry?

What other criteria have I missed?

My camera has a high sensitivity (ISO) and an image stabiliser, so it works in low light conditions, without a tripod. I have a ten to one zoom - so the one lens is adequate for almost all landscapes.

I used it with a very fast (wide aperture) lens to photograph dancing/vaulting ballerinas/gymnasts for my late wife's school, in normal hall lighting, and with the zoom in theatre lighting.