Beginner Camera advice please

L

Lois Breegan

Messages
3
Name
Lola W
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello

I have some travel planned this year - girls trip to Poland and a family holiday to Canada. Im looking to buy an easy to use all round digital camera.

One function I would really like is the ability to wear around my neck - this is because I have had cameras with wrist straps in the past and I forget to take pics because the camera is in my bag and not ready to go. So far I have looked at the Panasonic LUMIX TZ70 for example.

Im a mum of 2 kids 6 and under and would like to get lots of pictures of us in action on our holidays. I don’t want to buy something that takes time to set up, switch lenses etc. I would like the ability to post easily on social media too.

Any tips of makes & models to have look at would be much appreciated.
 
The Panasonic TZ100 is an excellent travel camera and will offer significantly better image quality than the TZ70. It is more expensive (although price is coming down following the release of the TZ200) but it should be a better long term investment.
 
On the other hand, the TZ70 has three times the zoom range, which can be really useful on a holiday. It can also shoot raw images but that can mean more processing, and shooting raw on a sensor of this size doesn't give you that much advantage over shooting jpeg. So if all you want is something small and compact and not costing a lot, the TZ70 would be a good choice at a current internet price of £220.

I'd also recommend the Sony HX60. In intelligent auto mode, the pictures quality is not only better than shooting in any other mode, they can be noticeably better than those from the TZ70. I took my HX60 on holiday last year and got a lot of really nice shots. The HX60 is a bit bulkier and weighs a tad more, but feels really solid, and costs around £200.

Both the TZ70 and the HX60 have removable batteries, and the batteries aren't too expensive from places like Amazon, so you can shoot all day long at the expense of carrying a little extra weight. Both cameras also have software available that you can install on your Android phone or tablet (iPhone, too, I think) that allows you to send jpeg photos from your camera to the phone or tablet. If you then install something like Snapseed, you can do any processing you want and upload within minutes of taking a shot. There's also an HX60V version which has a built-in GPS, which the TZ70 doesn't have, and that costs £240.

I own both cameras and slightly prefer the TZ70 for its ability to shoot raw for processing later, plus the really nice 2-part camera case you can get for it, but for straight-out-of-the-camera shots, I'd shoot with the HX60.

[Edited to clarify prices and difference between HX60 and HX60V]
 
Last edited:
garryknight said:
On the other hand, the TZ70 has three times the zoom range, which can be really useful on a holiday. It can also shoot raw images but that can mean more processing, and shooting raw on a sensor of this size doesn't give you that much advantage over shooting jpeg. So if all you want is something small and compact and not costing a lot, the TZ70 would be a good choice at a current internet price of £220.

I'd also recommend the Sony HX60. In intelligent auto mode, the pictures quality is not only better than shooting in any other mode, they can be noticeably better than those from the TZ70. I took my HX60 on holiday last year and got a lot of really nice shots. The HX60 is a bit bulkier and weighs a tad more, but feels really solid, and costs around £200.

Both the TZ70 and the HX60 have removable batteries, and the batteries aren't too expensive from places like Amazon, so you can shoot all day long at the expense of carrying a little extra weight. Both cameras also have software available that you can install on your Android phone or tablet (iPhone, too, I think) that allows you to send jpeg photos from your camera to the phone or tablet. If you then install something like Snapseed, you can do any processing you want and upload within minutes of taking a shot. There's also an HX60V version which has a built-in GPS, which the TZ70 doesn't have, and that costs £240.

I own both cameras and slightly prefer the TZ70 for its ability to shoot raw for processing later, plus the really nice 2-part camera case you can get for it, but for straight-out-of-the-camera shots, I'd shoot with the HX60.

[Edited to clarify prices and difference between HX60 and HX60V]
Click to expand...

Thank you Garry that’s really helpful I’ll take a look at your recommendations
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top