RealTown's RealTalk

2/8/2009 @ 2:39 PM HST

My digital camera died today - it was a great camera for the price (Kodak V570 $169) - but I need to find a good replacement. I'm not a camera buff so need something simple (prefer Sony), lightweight (I have a Nikon - photos OK but very heavy) with ability to shoot at 10mm or wider. Price range up to about $500.

I tried to find Steven Hong's blog/posts on this topic - he had a good one (I googled, yahoo'd, and also searched RealTown, but could not find it). Recommendations would be appreciated.


With Warmest Aloha,

Ruth A. Gabbard (R), CRB, CRS, SRES, PB
Gabbard Hawaii Properties | Honolulu, Hawaii
808-534-1850 | 877-ALOHA HI (256-4244) Toll Free
Listserv E-mail: realtalk@hawaii-properties.info

Hi Ruth,

For consistancy, lens are usually converted to their 35mm film camera equivalent. In the case of the V570, the wide angle is 23mm.

When I was shopping for a Point and Shoot camera a few years ago, it was really difficult to find one that went that wide. I believe my choices were between the V570 and a Panasonic Lumix that I still have. As I recall, none of the others went anywhere near that wide and were about 35mm at the widest.

If you are going to move up to a DSLR, then you will not have a problem finding a body and a lens that is wide enough. In fact, with my first DSLR purchase, I got a camera body and a 22-44mm lens that I still use with a different body. That was the only lens I bought at first.

There is a 14-28mm lens that I really want but it's $1,600 and it will only get used for fun shooting and tiny rooms like bathrooms. You don't really want to go below 20mm on a normal size room or it will look deceptively huge and weird.

Anyway, for a DSLR, get a lens with good specs for miminal barrel distortion to avoid those bowed out walls and doorways.

If you are going to stay with a P&S, make sure you get another one with at least the same wide angle or you will not be happy. 24mm may be OK but probably not 26mm.

www.dpreview.com probably has discussion and specs on every camera you can think of.

Malcolm Waring, Realtor, e-PRO
Are you looking for Pocono Realtors?

There are only TWO point and shoot cameras that you should use for real estate. Period. The rest are a complete waste of money. One is by Lumix, one is by Canon.

>>Nashua Video Tours wrote in part:
>>There are only TWO point and shoot cameras that you should use for real estate. Period. The rest are a complete waste of money. One is by Lumix, one is by Canon.<<

Would you please share the camera models to which you refer? TIA.

Fred
fred@salzer.us
Poway, CA

The Lumix DMC-LX3 or the Canon G9 (old model) or G10 (new model) are the only current point and shoot cameras that offer a wide angle lens suitable for real estate interiors.