Incredibly, the professional photography world mocks and belittles the colored camera. I find it so odd that a profession that is in the art realm would take offense to a colorful camera. The claim is that the color will not change the quality of the image that it produces. Ok, they got me there. The colored camera can open doors, make a child more likely to small, and cause those being photographed to smile just a little more and not take the situation so seriously.
The photo above is a young lady with a red Nikon superzoom. Would a pilot be more open to her with her little amateur camera or a big Canon 5D with a mega-lens on it? My money would be on the shiny red camera. It looks more fun and less intimidating than that of the typical professional. Not to mention, in skilled hands, it's capable of very good photos.
It's true, a black one will take technically the same photos, but the red one will change the mood of the shoot. In photography where no human subject is involved, any color will do, but if you're working with people, some color can actually do a little bit to change the attitudes of people.
Colored cameras are a marketing ploy, but that same emotion they're pulling from the buyer works on those photographed with it too. If you have or want a colored camera, get one! Don't let a pro tell you differently. If you're drawn to them, appearance is one more thing to aid in figuring out what type of camera to buy.
If you like the look of this camera, it's a really good 30x zoom from Nikon at an affordable price.
This video was shot on a cloudy day from a mono pod with a Canon SX50 super zoom. It's not a great video, but good enough to demonstrate the power of a super zoom and the numerous opportunities that such a camera gives for a low price.
While the zoom power of the lens is incredible for a camera that costs less than $400, note the numerous photo opportunities that can be taken. The steeple, the factory, the clock on the courthouse, the list goes on. I that same inexpensive little camera, I can get interesting closeup shots of the old tombstones too.
Of course, the quality of the image is not going to be as high it would be if I used a DSLR with lenses that would cost many thousands of dollars, but I can still take very good images that allow creativity to flow with ease.
I only use my Canon SX50 as an example because that is what I own. There are many other super zoom cameras that are better suited to you. All the major manufacturers have one. I bought my daughter a Panasonic FX70 that is highly comparable. It's lacking a swivel viewfinder which I prefer, the menu system is different from what I'm accustomed to, and it's a larger camera. It's really just a matter of personal preference.
The downside to the super zoom cameras are that they are lacking compared to higher quality cameras. Good lighting is always preferred for super zoom as their low-light performance just isn't that great. This can be overcome with a tripod and longer exposure times. The super zoom lens distortion is more noticeable and it's not uncommon for the camera to produce more noise.
I've found that Photoshop can correct many of the shortcomings of a super zoom, even the lens distortion. Better in-camera photos are always a plus, but digital editing is one way to make due. The skills learned transfer to any camera later too. Even very high end cameras produce images that benefit from digital editing skills.
