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A Proper Camera

Steve Holt

Steve Holt

Senior Member
I'm looking to get a good camera with a remote self take facility.My son bought me a Fuji z33, which is a nice digital camera that is also waterproof, but I cant get the hang of self portraits with it.
Do I have to get a SLR to take remote shots or will a digi allow me to do this?
 
Self portraits are easier with compacts than with dSLR's. The G series Powershot Canons, which have flick out screens (so you can see yourself whilst taking the shot) and come with a remote shutter release (so no need for timer)., are idea cameras. They are built to semi pro standards, so are very robust and produce very high quality image files. Also compatible with equipement from the EOS dSLR range, so work with pro flash guns.
Try a secondhand G5 from ebay for around £100. The latest , G11 is about £350.
 
Pete Marshall said:
Self portraits are easier with compacts than with dSLR's. The G series Powershot Canons, which have flick out screens (so you can see yourself whilst taking the shot) and come with a remote shutter release (so no need for timer)., are idea cameras. They are built to semi pro standards, so are very robust and produce very high quality image files. Also compatible with equipement from the EOS dSLR range, so work with pro flash guns.
Try a secondhand G5 from ebay for around £100. The latest , G11 is about £350.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Pete, i'm looking to upgrade from my powershot A5 which is a bit dated now, the G5 looks just what i'm after.

Cheers
Ian.
 
Don't think you'll go wrong with a g5! I've got both G2 and g6 models (from Ebay) and they are ideal for self framing and using the remote. only criticism i'd have is that you can't trigger the continuous shooting with the remote. That would be a neat addition - some of the later G range might have that function
 
Just one word of warning, if you are buying a secondhand G3/G5 (they didn't have a G4 as it sounds rude in Japanese!) and do want to use the remote a bit, check it is working with the seller. I have an old one and it doesn't work any more! I think you can pick up the units so they can be replaced but factor that into any price. There are quite a few of the G series around as they were big sellers on the pro market as pocket cameras that could produce saleable image quality when required (the shoot in RAW, which makes this easier if you process your own..but will shoot jpgs as well). I sold a few shots from mine to newspapers in the past when I didn't have my usual kit with me. This also means that ex pro cameras are around and they may not have been treated very well! Mine has taken quite a few falls, bashed about, been in the mud and so on. They do survive, but I would never buy secondhand cameras from fellow pros! Check they have had not been owned by a pro if you can, they will have usually been treated a little better.
Some of the later G series cameras are very good, but don't have the flippy out screen, which is both great for self portraits and also very good for general usage when in tight places, such as on the river bank...really good for close up shots.
 
Steve, I can recommend the Canon Powershot A360 (although this may have been updated recently). Again a compact with a fold out/fold backwards screen so you can see yourself while taking the shot. It has a timer which will fire a number of shots one after the other but for total control I use a bulb release and bracket system (these are available from Jessops as separate items but I have noticed a 'kit' advertised in the angling press recently for around £35). The quality of the pictures are excellent.

One further tip, this camera takes 4 AA batteries so I though it would be a good idea to use high capacity rechargeables. They went flat very quickly and in the cold were a disaster. Normal high power batteries were only marginally better . In desperation I tried Energizer Lithium (blue packet) - problem solved. On the face of it they are expensive but if you shop around you can usually find 'buy one get one free' deals and from time to time you see packets of 8 for the price of 4. When you see both deals together stock up. I have found them both long lasting and very reliable.
 
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Another vote for the Canon A630 from me. Clearly not as high end as the G series, but it has the flip round screen for self takes, and a self-timer feature that can be set to take in fast or slow bursts. I really like it and it has revolutionised my own self takes. But I am always tempted by a G5.....
 
I've got the A640 picked it up off ebay for about £70 and to me it's a great little fishing camera. Nice clear pic's and with the programable self take feature and the swivel screen nice to use when on your own.
 
I have an A620 and find it excellent, it also has the facilities that Julian has described and works fine with 2400mAh HiMH rechargeable batteries which are about a quid each on eBay. Pete's recommendation is even better because it does have a proper remote.

Conrad
 
Panasonic G1 for me :D does all of the above and has the controls of an slr, bought a wired remote from Japan and i can set it to take any number of pics at any interval..... even focuses before each new shot :D brilliant bit of kit, smaller than an DSLR a well.
 
I have a G5 which i picked up from ebay. Does the job I bought it for...except it's not seen much action recently :(

Pros - Flip out screen for self takes. Wireless remote.
Cons - Custom rechargable battery pack.

regards
Richard
 
I have a G6 which I picked up off ebay, a great bit of kit with the flip round screen and wireless remote which is a real bonus for self takes ;)

The only niggling bit of criticism is that it is maybe a little bit more bulky than I would have liked but I can cope with that.

These can still be found on ebay and go for between £120-£145 generally.
 
It's the bulk/size of some of these camera's that puts me off and keeps me to my A640 powershot. I mean when roving on say the Teme the last thing i want is a camera that weights more than all my other kit together.
 
It's non SLR, but my Canon G6 is superb. I've managed to capture some cracking pictures over the last four years.

Agree with Daniel, yes they're slightly bulky, but it does fit easily into the corner of your rucksack or saddle bag.

Highly recommended piece of kit.

Ian
 
My previous camera was a canon powershot S2IS which took some good pics,
but it ate batteries & had no remote.Size wise would the G5 be similar to the S2IS, which I know is bulky but I can cope with.

Steve
 
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