I am traveling to Italy this summer and I am considering buying a new camera that will take better photos than my current "point and shoot". I recently had someone recommend that I rent a camera, which may be a better use of money and in return a high quality camera. Has anyone rented a camera before? If so, do you recommend a company in the western US?
thanks.
renting vs purchasing a camera
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I'm not sure what the person was thinking who recommended that, because camera rentals are basically professional equipment that rents for relatively high prices ($50 and up per day for bodies, plus additional rental for lenses). Google camera rental and you'll see what I mean.
If you're not happy with the results you are getting with your point-and-shoot, you are better off buying a better camera of your own (possibly even just a better point-and-shoot--some of us are very happy with the Panasonic Lumix TZ series).
One of the big advantages of compact cameras is that you are always ready to shoot; another is that you are not carrying 20 pounds of equipment.
The point and shoot camera span a wide range of performances. I don't know where yours stand, but at the higher end is a camera like Canon S100 with a full range of manual controls.
I think it is best to clarify in what areas your current camera is limited. Limitations in certain areas cannot be compensated by no amount of higher performance equipments.
DO not rent a camera. You will end up with an expensive camera which takes time to learn. You cannot expect to get better quality pictures from it unless you learn how to use it properly first.
You ned to tell us how much photography you do, what you enjoy photographing etc.
Unless you intend it to be a serious hobby then a new P& is the way to go, but even then there are so many out there giving us an idea of your aims would help suggest possibilities.
You could start by looking online - at B&H in New York for instance (though not on Friday evenings/Saturdays when their website is down, as they are observant Jews) to see what is available.
Ritz is another big online store.
Also look at sites like DPreview and other photography sites for reviews and comparisons.
I agree with not renting... especially since so much of photography is actually the photographer's eye and not the camera anyway.
Are you unsatisfied with the quality of the photos ie they are fuzzy or out of focus? Or do you just want to take better photos? A new camera won't help with the second but taking a course or reading a book on photo composition will transform the photos you take and may save you the cost of a new camera. Just a thought...
The B&H website is up Friday evening and Saturday, but they do not process the orders until Saturday night. This week they've been closed for passover, so they might have a big backlog.
You can buy PhotoShop Express for about $100 and improve your photos on your computer. Of course, if your photos are blurry no camera will compensate for that.
Reading books on composition and lighting will help improve your photos and being aware of what you are actually taking a photo of is important - for instance, is there an overflowing garbage can in the middle of your shot.
It may not be the camera - it may be the photographer (I know that's the problem with my photos).
I would try and find an internet site, community or forum where they discuss photography for beginners. Post some of your pics and get feedback. There are varying levels of point and shoot cameras. You can also buy good second hand cameras at reputable camera stores.
There is an ebook out there - "Getting out of Automatic" while it is aimed at those with digital SLR cameras, it is also good for P&S cameras. At only $10 - a good investment.
http://almostfearless.com/travelbooks/book/getting-out-of-auto/
In general, I absolutely agree with the others. For the cost of renting a "better" camera for your trip, you could buy or put a lot of money toward the cost of an upgraded point & shoot camera of your own. As others have asked, what exactly are you unsatisfied with about the photos you're getting? When I "upgraded" to an SLR from my point & shoot, I left it on automatic until I took a class and learned how to use it. The main difference between it and my point & shoot was that it took better photos in somewhat low light (indoors with only daylight, for example). Now that I know how to use more of its functionality, I can get more out of the camera, but it took awhile to learn that.
I and a few friends/family have had the Canon Powershot line of point & shoots, and we've all been really happy with them. I think they take great pictures. Point & shoots actually have some advantages over SLRs: Obviously there's the portability factor; they're much easier to whip out for a quick photo. They also have a macro setting (for closeups of flowers or other things where you want an all-over focus), whereas with an SLR you need a separate lens for that.
Photoshop Elements or Lightroom (both by Adobe) can help you cover a multitude of sins as well!