What is a really good Camera to take to the park?

[Stoogie]

I'm trying to find a good camera that takes fantastic pictures in the parks. Anyone got any suggestions?

[BP317]

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666290110&XID=O:sony%20DSC%20hx9v:dg_dsc_gglsrch:e&k_id=06110c8c-5c84-0f69-a297-00001f2a41d4
Had my old faithful camera for over 4 years then went ahead and bought this earlier this year and never regretted it. I refused to buy an SLR because of the inconvenience and pain in the rear to bring to parks so it came down to what is the best camera on the market that is not an SLR. The Sony Cybershot DSC HX9V takes 1080p video and pictures up to 16.2MP with 16X optical zoom without buying an SLR. I dont know if a better option has come onto the market since then, but im very satisfied. If your making vids for youtube or taking pictures for websites it's well worth the price.

[CoasterBGW]

I bought a Panasonic DMC-FH25A this year to specifically take to parks and I have been happy with it. It is $131 from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NBZAOI

Specs:
16.1 MP
8X Optical Zoom
720p (HD) video
Dimensions (WxHxD) 3.9" x 2.2" x 1.1"

Some sample images:

[tribar]

Nice pics. And nice cat

[w00dland]

It all depends what your motives are. If you are going to the park just to take awesome pictures of roller coasters (or don't mind carrying around a bag all day) then jump into the world of DSLRs. They are expensive as all hell (like $500 to start), but they take amazing photos and are extremely customizable with different settings and lenses.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater

Keep in mind that they also come with a fairly steep learning curve if you want to get some really amazing shots, especially those in low light situations. You might also want to invest in a cheap photo editor (photoshop is pricey, iPhoto is not) to make them look even better. Personally learning my camera for the past year has been a lot of fun, and you can tell by the quality of shots as well.

If you don't want to go that route - I actually have a similar point and shoot that BP showed earlier in the thread. Sony's new line of cameras perform really well and have great lenses on them. They all also include the sweep panorama mode, where all you need to do is move the camera 90 degrees and it will put together a great panorama shot for you. It's neat.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater

I know there are a few other guys on here who are into photography, so hopefully you'll have some more answers.

[Director_Guy]

I bought a DSLR last year and it's served me very well. The only downside is it's size. Parks like Universal that have free lockers are terrific for it and Disney is great because you can always store it on the ride with you. I'm going to find out how it is taking it Six Flags this weekend.

But the image quality is great and the depth of field really adds to the picture.

This is my camera:
http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D5000-18-55 ... B00267S7TQ

[tribar]

^The Matterhorn picture was a great picture. And good luck at a SF or CF park

[Luxornv]

I have a Canon Powershot SX120IS. There are more recent versions of this camera, but they are all pretty similar. It's only a point and shoot, but it stays small and that allows me to take it on rides with me (I never actually take any photographs or video on the ride) since I can easily fit it in my pocket or have it in a small back attached to my belt (no it's not a fanny pack). This work at every park I've been to except Indiana Beach; they have the strictest interpretation of loose articles I have ever encountered. This camera also takes some amazing photographs if you know how to set it up with the manual settings. If it's a nice day out, you really can't do anything wrong (except have the ISO too high). If it's too bright or dark, then you may have some issues if you're not experienced. I'd think this would go for any camera with manual operation. I've taken some amazing pictures all over with this and love the camera. One problem I have with it though is that the photos get really grainy if I use ISO400 or higher. This really isn't a problem at parks though, unless it's dark outside. I've only had that problem at arenas like the United Center. I've read some things that say the ISO problem has to do with the Canon hardware, and that other brands like Nikon seem to be better.

As for some simpler stats, the Canon Powershot SX120 IS is a 10 megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom. I prefer optical zoom since it actually magnifies the subject, and doesn't simply make the pixels larger like a digital zoom would. The auto settings are ok on this, I wouldn't use them at the parks though. I like to be able to control the shutter speed and aperture myself.

Pros of my camera: Small size allows you to bring it on rides, takes AA's, so you can just buy new batteries at a gift shop, and optical zoom.
Cons: Can't really shoot ISO400 or higher (this camera can go up to ISO1600, but I've never done it)

This is a good camera to start out with if you're not sure how to use something with more complicated settings.

If you have the skill, money, and want to use a day for only taking pictures, then I would go with a SLR. So much more power and the ability for better pictures. The only problem I'd see with the SLR as others have pointed out is the size. This is definitely too large to bring on rides, and I wouldn't considering the cost of an SLR.

If you want, some samples of my pictures:






Extended exposure (probably about a half second) of the Orbit.






Obviously not a park picture, but I wanted to demonstrate the problem with shooting at higher ISO speeds in low light. This image was adjusted in Gimp to fix some of the brightness issue.


Also obviously not a park picture, but just a cool one I like to show.

I also have a PTR from Cedar Point, about August 2010 that is floating in the catacombs of the Trip Report forum that has more photos taken with this camera.

Director Guy, those are some awesome pictures you have there as well.

[Stoogie]

Cool. Thanks everyone. I bought the SX120IS. Another question. What is the name of the projector and DVD that is in Necroplis where it's depicting different shadow murders and suicides? It's in the area next to the nast outhouse..lol. I got sprayed that day by that thing..lol. The wife and I were just standing there watching that DVD of shadows and all of a sudden this kid opened the door and I got drenched because the breeze in the area was hitting toward me. The wife got a good laugh though.