Naturally anything generic is cheaper than branded. And generally, anything branded has a higher quality than a generic one. We are planning to buy a new camera that we can use for business. The budget is around $1,000 which is good for a branded camera. However, we can buy several generic camera with that amount. That suggestion somehow confused us because the branded camera is guaranteed of high quality but it may not last very long because it will be outmoded. Take note that image and video formats are a-changing every year so it looks like it is practical to just buy a generic camera. What do you think of our logic?
Well I am usually all for generic brands, but I think that electronics is really one place where I have trouble buying them. That said, though, if I were going to have it be an electronic device, I would think that a camera might be the one. That is mainly because I do not use them often, so I would just say make sure you do your research with whatever direction that you choose to take.
I remember my friend bought a generic digicam that's under $100, and it takes clear photos too, so I guess if you're trying to save money then a generic camera would do, since I got to borrow that cam, and I'm satisfied with it's performance. I just forgot it's brand name.
You don't have to buy an expensive camera. The difference in quality between the newer and old models isn't that great which is why I would suggest buying cheaper "older" models. The Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ200 costs about $340 and it's as good as any of the newer camera models. You could also consider buying the Nikon D3300 which costs less than $500 and the picture quality is great. Just don't spend $1K on a camera.
Do you really need a dedicated camera? I noticed that the cameras which come with the new smartphones are getting better and better. The resolution is good. You can easily look at the pictures on a 20-inch screen and not see any pixelation. The plus factor is that a camera on a smartphone is so much more convenient to carry around. And it can be set to upload automatically to a cloud storage device, so you won't lose anything if something happens to the smartphone.
Images and video format are changing every year? What are you talking about? Your 1000$ camera will not go outdated after a year, It is expensive for the quality it delivers, would be a scam to put so much money into a device like that and throw it away before 4 or 5 years.
When it comes to cameras I personally think that buying the best one could be an option if you have such high budget, however, since you're mostly looking for an average camera, you definitely could go ahead and buy a branded one, probably a mid end one just to keep some of that money for anything else you may need it for. Generic cameras might not be a good option since the quality could be quite low in most cases. That's just my opinion though.
True, some smartphones that are out right now have as much as 20 megapixels in them, so no need to buy a separate camera. I'm actually content with a 5 or 8 megapixel one, they're so clear for me already.
One word of caution, though, when buying smartphones for the cameras. Don't just look at the specs. They don't tell the full story. I found this out when window-shopping. A friendly salesgirl told me to try the one with less pixels because it actually produced a better picture. I followed her advice and found that it was true. The quality of the picture does not only depend on the number of pixels. The sensitivity of the camera also makes a lot of difference. A sensitive camera will capture a lot more light and the picture will look a lot clearer.
I think that it depends on why you need the camera for your business, @Corzhens . If you just need to be able to have a picture of something for reference, then it is not that important if it is the very finest quality of picture, as long as it is an acceptable one that shows what it needs to show. However, if photography is important to the business, and you need very high quality pictures, then spending more money on a camera that takes high quality pictures would be worth it. I also think that just because something is not a well-known brand name, that does not necessarily mean that they are poor quality. The camera may be a very good quality, but just not well-known as a company yet, and you might be able to get a much higer quality of camera for a cheaper price if you don't go with the brand name. Looking online for reviews of the different brands of camera that meet your requirements is always a good idea, too; and then you can see what people who actually use that camera have to say about it. One that seems to come in a wide price range and everyone talks about is the GoPro cameras; so that might be something to check out. They have a lot of accessories for them. My son and grandsons all have Go Pro cameras, and they love them.
@Happyflowerlady, thank you for the elaboration. Our use of camera is a mix of personal and commercial because sometimes my husband would be invited to cover an event which pictures and videos he takes would serve as documentation of the event that would later be used in the souvenir booklet. Some other times, he would be secondary photographer to occasions like weddings and birthdays so it is a mix. Expensive cameras turn us off becauase of the new models that come out every year which makes camera models quick to become obsolete.
I have to admit that although at first I wasn't altogether sure what a generic camera was - now that you've mentioned the type of photography the camera is needed for Corzhens. I have to say that - as someone who has been a very keen photographer since the days when you had to actually load film into the camera as well as carry a load of extras including lenses, motor drives etc just to take a photograph - if wanting professional quality in terms of clarity of image - then the better more cost effective option in the long run - would be to invest in a high quality dslr camera such as a Canon or a Nikon - both of which will last for years and years without becoming outdated. In fact now that I'm thinking about it - although technology is speeding ahead at a rapid pace - considering that there is very little difference in terms of technology between the newer dlsr cameras and the Canon dlsr that I bought almost ten years ago and still use to this day - I honestly don't think you'd go too far wrong - especially as both Canon and Nikon dslrs hold their value should you ever wish to sell the camera on.
Thanks for the tip, I didn't know that. So I guess the higher megapixels don't really mean the picture would be automatically better. Did she specifically pointed out any specific number of megapixels that we should look for when buying a phone or camera? The common megapixels in phones right now (the ones my budget can afford, the phones below $200) are 5 megapixels.
I have used smartphones and tablets with cameras from as low as 0.3 megapixels to 13 megapixels. From what I have found out when viewing the photos taken on a 5-inch screen, there isn't very much different once you get above 5 megapixels. This is because, on such a small screen, you cannot really see the difference even if the camera has more megapixels. However, if you view the pictures on a 40-inch screen, you may see the difference. The salesgirl did not tell me any specific number of pixels to look for. She just said to look at the actual picture taken instead of just looking at the specs. That's very easy to do because most dealers will have some demonstration units for you to try out. Just take some pictures with the camera and you can see the difference immediately. The cameras which are less sensitive will produce a darker picture. This darker picture simply means that you will see less details.
@Aree Wongwanlee, Thanks for the tip! I did notice that the phones that were released before gave you the option of choosing the resolution of your photos. I always chose the 640x480 one. Nowadays, in my Xperia Android phone, you don't have that option anymore, so the photos always appear big and clear. Clear to the point where my pores are showing! I so don't want that, so I prefer my older phones with keypad for taking selfies.
I just watched the new Apple Event presentation at apple.com last night, and I am just so impressed with the new camera coming out with the iPhone 7 Plus ! It actually has THREE cameras in the phone. One is the regular camera, which also takes the photos that move, Living photos, I think they are called. Then, there is a new telephoto lens camera, whcih coordinates with the other camera, and can do closeups and also is great for portraits. It will automatically focus in on the subject and blur the background like you want for a good portrait picture. Besides that, it also has the forward facing camera, which is designed for taking selfie pictures, so it has a flash when needed, and other important features that you can modify how you want for the best picture. If I were going to spend a lot of money on a camera, I would probably just get the iPhone 7 Plus, and then you have the best of everything. You have an amazing camera, plus the best cellphone ever made.
I'm actually looking for a new camera, but even though I do use the camera on my smartphones, I want a standalone one because I like to take photos and have an old Leica. I would consider a generic one depending on where I bought it from, because some maybe good quality if they are from the same factory. These days the technology is changing constantly so I don't think it's worth investing too much in them. I have two friends who are professional photographers and they do prefer branded cameras.
The best cellphone ever made? I think that point is debatable. Generally, I keep away from Apple products because their prices are more related to their brand name rather than their quality. I used to teach a class of students where nearly everybody had an iPhone. I compared my Lenovo with what they had and I couldn't really see why I should pay so much more for the brand name.
