High end compact cameras

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#1346538 17-Jul-2015 21:46

Standing closer and a zoom give 2 totally different results.

More versitility with higher zoom, and lets be honest, what most people do with their travel shots doesnt need anything flash.

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timmmay

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#1346551 17-Jul-2015 22:53

Yes zoom affects perspective, which is why I have 16 and 200mm lenses, but free people appreciate the difference. High zoom tartly useful to me personally, but everyone is different. I just stand closer.

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#1346552 17-Jul-2015 22:57

Most compacts are incredibly hard to get a good photo at there max zooms, there just so hard to hold still when they are at that small, and generally the image stabilization of compacts zooms is far off what you get in a good dslr lens/body. And as Timmmay said, the image quality suffers from large zoom range, which isn't worth it in my opinion (I'm guessing if your looking at sinking $3k+ on camera you care about image quality)

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#1346597 18-Jul-2015 06:01

I see that people are doting the new GH8 on my facebook feed ...

mentalinc

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#1346601 18-Jul-2015 07:17

My list of current considerations

for around $1500

Canon PowerShot G3 X (not out yet so havn't seen one)
Sony Alpha a6000 (need to buy lens/s)Currently considering a TAMRON AF 16-300mm

Or for superzoom for closer to $600-1000

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Canon PowerShot SX60 HS

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#1348166 21-Jul-2015 08:34

mentalinc: My list of current considerations

for around $1500

Canon PowerShot G3 X (not out yet so havn't seen one)
Sony Alpha a6000 (need to buy lens/s)Currently considering a TAMRON AF 16-300mm

I was browsing a bit further afield than the Sony shop yesterday and saw Wellington Photo Warehouse has the Sony a6000 body only for under $900, or with a 16-50mm lens for $1200 or a 16-50 and 55-210mm for $1600 (all well under Sony store prices). They also had a deal on the Canon EOS M3 with a twin lens kit (18-55mm and 55-200mm) plus an EVF, all for just under $1300. I did some Googling, but reviews of the M3 seem pretty mixed.

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#1348192 21-Jul-2015 09:22

The M3 was Canons attempt at a mirrorless camera. Initially it was pretty bad, especially focusing speed, but it got better with later updates.

Honestly to get the best from these discussions it would be best to outline what your shooting interests are, and what you priorities/requirements are from a camera.

On the whole every provider offers a decent camera in their range ~ there aren't many bad cameras these days.
That said, they all have strengths and weaknesses, so it's about aligning their capabilities with your requirements.
What suits one person may not be ideal for the next, due to the aspects mentioned above.

Mirrorless is the big buzzword at the moment, but really that's simply the difference between an optical viewfinder and an electronic one, and how the focussing systems work.
Everything else, the mechanical shutter etc, iso ability, shutter speed and aperture are all common to each format.
There are genuine pros and cons to each approach, but a lot is also down to personal preference, so once again, your thoughts and feelings may not match the next persons.

There is a wealth of info to be had from users here, if you help them to help you.

andrew027

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#1348214 21-Jul-2015 10:15

Jaxson: Honestly to get the best from these discussions it would be best to outline what your shooting interests are, and what you priorities/requirements are from a camera.
There is a wealth of info to be had from users here, if you help them to help you.

Thanks Jaxson - I tried to do that in my second post - maybe I didn't do a very good job of explaining it.

I want to take mostly landscapes and cityscapes, maybe some portraits or shots of people (but not so much), specifically for a trip I'm doing through several countries in Europe, but also getting back into photography generally as a hobby, so potentially looking for shots anywhere I am, and I want the results (obviously depending on my own ability to capture a good image!) to be of a high enough quality that I can frame them and hang them on the wall as an "art print" not a "holiday snap".

I want to take this picture of the Arc de Triomphe, not this picture of the Arc de Triomphe. (disclaimer - these are not my photos and are just intended to be indicative of the point I'm trying to make).

I can't guarantee that I will always be able to get up close with what I'm shooting (e.g. a boat trip on the Rhine will show some great architecture in Cologne, but will not cruise right up the street past the cathedral - so I'd want a zoom lens, or something that takes images of high enough quality that I can zoom and crop the image before printing. I don't want to be lugging a camera bag with multiple lenses, a tripod and a mountain of accessories all over Europe - if I go the interchangeable lens way, I'd probably not take more than two lenses on the trip, and just take one on any particular day's shooting, depending on what that day involved.

My initial question was just about why such high spec.s (and prices) exist in a "compact camera" as with something like the RX1, when you could buy something like the A7 with the same sensor, a zoom lens and interchangeable lens capability for $1100 less. Ideally I'd prefer to spend $2000 or less, although I could go higher if I was really nice to the missus. To go as high as something like the Sony RX1 I'd have to be really, really, really nice to the missus for a long, long time and forego any expectation of her being nice to me in return again for an equally long time.

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#1348228 21-Jul-2015 10:21

you don't need a $3000 camera to take that shot. it looks to be a multishot noise reduction shot.

you need:
any camera with a wide angle lense
a tripod
knowledge of manual exposure (aka trial and error by educated guesses)

if you could control your phone and mount it on a tripod that will do it

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#1348231 21-Jul-2015 10:22

OR. a camera capable of clean ISO 12800 and image stabilization

k14

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#1348237 21-Jul-2015 10:25

Another vote for Sony RX100 here. Brilliant camera, can't speak highly enough of it. I have taken some amazing photos with it.

Best compliment I have had was when I went to get some photos printed at the camera shop the guy asked me if I wanted a gloss or matte finish. I asked him which does he recommend and he said that for professional photos like these I should use matte. I laughed when I said I took these with my little point and shoot in auto mode. I am a complete photography n00b and never take a photo in anything but auto.

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#1348258 21-Jul-2015 10:49

You could buy the best camera in the world, but if you don't know how to take a good photo you're always going to end up with the first photo.

timmmay

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#1348269 21-Jul-2015 11:20

Both of those two photos could be done with a $100 camera. They major difference is the tripod, then time of day, then post processing.

Jaxson

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#1348332 21-Jul-2015 12:46

andrew027:
Jaxson: Honestly to get the best from these discussions it would be best to outline what your shooting interests are, and what you priorities/requirements are from a camera.
There is a wealth of info to be had from users here, if you help them to help you.

Thanks Jaxson - I tried to do that in my second post - maybe I didn't do a very good job of explaining it.

I want to take this picture of the Arc de Triomphe, not this picture of the Arc de Triomphe.

That's much better, thanks for the info.

I think to be honest that you should do a bit of reading up on digital post processing techniques.
Coming from a film background, this would be akin to developing your film in a darkroom, and all the options you have available to you at that stage.

Nowadays you can mimic this processing step, and go much further too, with digital photography.
In fact one of the popular software products for this is called Lightroom, which is a play on the Darkroom term from film.
I'm not saying that's the one you want, but it's an example.

With regards to your demo shots above, you'll find that each started out looking pretty basic, much like the casual snapper one.
The difference was then how the shot was processed.
In addition the preparation and framing composition etc has lead to a nicer end result of the arty one you like the look of.
The point here is that much of a good shot is not equipment related, and a significant component of the look of the shot will be post processing related also.
The camera, whilst still important, still captures a shot based on ISO sensitivity settings (just like film choice), shutter speed and aperture selections, and focus point.

The ideal camera for travelling then comes down to external factors such as size, weight, ability to hold the battery charge over time etc.
And then how to off load images from memory cards and protect them from theft/loss etc. Do you need something that is weather sealed.
Are the lens ranges suitable for you? I personally prefer non zooming/fixed focal length primes for everything close range, and then a zooming lens for long range shots.

As an example I'd suggest looking at pictures such as this:

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#1348344 21-Jul-2015 13:11

andrew027: I want to take this picture of the Arc de Triomphe, not this picture of the Arc de Triomphe. ( .

1) enrol in a photography course
2) learn the science and art of composition
3) shoot 10 pictures a day and get them critiqued
4) do it for 1- 10 years
5) be prepared to wait 10 hrs for the perfect moment and walk 10 Miles for the perfect location

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