View single post by stew77
 Posted: Sat Nov 19th, 2011 03:12 pm
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stew77



Joined: Thu Mar 26th, 2009
Location: Colorado USA
Posts: 10254
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 Sort of depends on whether you want to stay with something very compact like a Point & Shoot or move to a DSLR.

For Point & Shoot, I've been very happy with the Canon Powershot lineup which easily slips in the pocket and takes great shots with nice color rendition (I would say that I generally prefer Canon's stock color balance to other brands, but all IMO of course).

I picked up a DSLR last year and went with the Panasonic GH2 (with the 14-140mm package lens) for it's ability to shoot great stills and also shoot excellent 1080 video too (with real video auto focus which was a requirement for me since I'm shooting my kids activities and events).  There are a dizzy amount of comparisons and formats available.  The GH2 is the somewhat newer "micro four thirds" format which offers some differences when compared to the older and more prevalent "single lens reflex" DSLR's that use the flip-up mirror and phase detection for focus.  If you are serious about moving to something like a DSLR, I would suggest doing a bit of reading on the pros and cons of the two systems (my post would be way too long to go into it here).

Most of my more recent shots are taken with the Panasonic GH2 and the stock accessory 14-140mm zoom lens.  I still haven't purchased a true macro lens or a single focal length lens which would offer much better optical performance, but I've been very happy with the performance and flexibility of this setup to shoot stills and video.