Not using my 7D enough..
Discussion
.. because, frankly, carting it around, with a couple of lenses is a PITA and, to be honest, I can't be arsed with all the fancy stuff it does. I can't be bothered to learn every little bit; all I want to do is take decent pictures without thinking too much about all the differeent settings I might be able to use.
So I fancy something smaller and lighter, but of a similar quality end result wise, with interchangeable lenses, but not an SLR. Where do I go next please?
So I fancy something smaller and lighter, but of a similar quality end result wise, with interchangeable lenses, but not an SLR. Where do I go next please?
rlw said:
.. because, frankly, carting it around, with a couple of lenses is a PITA and, to be honest, I can't be arsed with all the fancy stuff it does. I can't be bothered to learn every little bit; all I want to do is take decent pictures without thinking too much about all the differeent settings I might be able to use.
So I fancy something smaller and lighter, but of a similar quality end result wise, with interchangeable lenses, but not an SLR. Where do I go next please?
Ummm....why did you buy it? So I fancy something smaller and lighter, but of a similar quality end result wise, with interchangeable lenses, but not an SLR. Where do I go next please?
I once looked at the Sony NEX-5 as an alternative to my Nikon DSLR. But then I realised that to have any sort of a decent lens on the front of it was going to cost a lot and look ridiculous. The 18-200mm Sony lens costs over £700 and looks like you have stuck a large beer can onto the front of a compact camera 
I think if you dislike changing lenses and carrying a bag of bits with you, a straightforward compact might be your best option? They really are very good these days!
I think if you dislike changing lenses and carrying a bag of bits with you, a straightforward compact might be your best option? They really are very good these days!
rlw said:
.. because, frankly, carting it around, with a couple of lenses is a PITA and, to be honest, I can't be arsed with all the fancy stuff it does. I can't be bothered to learn every little bit; all I want to do is take decent pictures without thinking too much about all the differeent settings I might be able to use.
So I fancy something smaller and lighter, but of a similar quality end result wise, with interchangeable lenses, but not an SLR. Where do I go next please?
Simple.So I fancy something smaller and lighter, but of a similar quality end result wise, with interchangeable lenses, but not an SLR. Where do I go next please?
Get a Panasonic G3 or an Olympus OMD-EM5. Both cameras are much, much smaller. The Olympus is the latest thing and everyone is raving about it, but it is 2X the price of the Panasonic and while it IS better, its not twice as good.
Perfectly good image quality compared to your Canon. Unless you are printing to A3 size, you won't be able to tell the difference.
Unless you NEED to have a massive, fast, telephoto zoom lens, then the smaller lenses of the Panasonic or Olympus will produce perfectly awesome results.
I have a ton of camera gear. Recently bought my wife a little Panasonic G3 with a kit zoom lens and a telephoto lens as well. She is thrilled with it. The pictures are brilliant and print up nicely.
It really is a terrific little camera. Cheap too - £450 with a kit lens. Add a Panasonic Leica 25mm 1.4 ( 50mm equiv) and you are sorted for low light photography too.
And check out the size difference. This will give you an idea:
This link will also help, comparing it to a Canon 5D in size:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotomaf/6507751017/
Also, look here:
http://camerasize.com/compare/#185,154
It is not as hardcore as your Canon, but for general purposes and for easy portability, you would end up using it a lot more. That is the experience in our household anyway.
What is the response time like on a Panasonic G3 ?
I want to get my wife something that will be good to take baby photos (and other stuff) without getting into SLR territory.
She has a Sony (something small) point and shoot. The response time is abysmal. When on holiday, try to take a photo of a horse and cart going down the street and it will only catch the horese's arse (unless you try to click at a point where the the horse and cart haven't gotten to yet).
I want to get my wife something that will be good to take baby photos (and other stuff) without getting into SLR territory.
She has a Sony (something small) point and shoot. The response time is abysmal. When on holiday, try to take a photo of a horse and cart going down the street and it will only catch the horese's arse (unless you try to click at a point where the the horse and cart haven't gotten to yet).
sinizter said:
What is the response time like on a Panasonic G3 ?
I want to get my wife something that will be good to take baby photos (and other stuff) without getting into SLR territory.
She has a Sony (something small) point and shoot. The response time is abysmal. When on holiday, try to take a photo of a horse and cart going down the street and it will only catch the horese's arse (unless you try to click at a point where the the horse and cart haven't gotten to yet).
There is no delay. It shoots instantly. Autofocus is pretty fast too for normal family use. I think you'll find it works perfectly for the purposes you describe.I want to get my wife something that will be good to take baby photos (and other stuff) without getting into SLR territory.
She has a Sony (something small) point and shoot. The response time is abysmal. When on holiday, try to take a photo of a horse and cart going down the street and it will only catch the horese's arse (unless you try to click at a point where the the horse and cart haven't gotten to yet).
They even sell them at John Lewis these days and you can have a play around with one ! For the price it is a no-brainer. I dont think anything can match it for only £450 including a perfectly fine kit lens.
sinizter said:
What is the response time like on a Panasonic G3 ?
I want to get my wife something that will be good to take baby photos (and other stuff) without getting into SLR territory.
She has a Sony (something small) point and shoot. The response time is abysmal. When on holiday, try to take a photo of a horse and cart going down the street and it will only catch the horese's arse (unless you try to click at a point where the the horse and cart haven't gotten to yet).
This really annoys me as well.I want to get my wife something that will be good to take baby photos (and other stuff) without getting into SLR territory.
She has a Sony (something small) point and shoot. The response time is abysmal. When on holiday, try to take a photo of a horse and cart going down the street and it will only catch the horese's arse (unless you try to click at a point where the the horse and cart haven't gotten to yet).
I've got 2 Sony compact cameras and the 'lag' between pressing the button and a photo being taken is awful. Sometimes you have to let go and re-press before it registers!
I was shooting with a few other people's compacts at a function recently (everyone was just handing the nearest person their camera and asking them to take shots) and I found a lot of the compacts there were rubbish too.
People stand grinning and posing.
Press shutter - nothing.
Press longer - nothing.
Release shutter and press again - camera makes funny little clicking noise but still doesn't take a photo...
You lower the camera to see what the problem is when 'pop' the flash lights up the feet of the subjects.
Really, really annoying when you can flick on a DSLR and blast out 6 frames in 1 second!
toppstuff said:
There is no delay. It shoots instantly. Autofocus is pretty fast too for normal family use. I think you'll find it works perfectly for the purposes you describe.
They even sell them at John Lewis these days and you can have a play around with one ! For the price it is a no-brainer. I dont think anything can match it for only £450 including a perfectly fine kit lens.
Thank you. I will pop down to JL to mess with it a little.They even sell them at John Lewis these days and you can have a play around with one ! For the price it is a no-brainer. I dont think anything can match it for only £450 including a perfectly fine kit lens.
I've no idea how quick 'instant' is, but my Sony HX20 seems to take pretty 'instant' photos, and may be an alternative for you to consider.
Whilst it's a compact, it may well suit you if you want a camera to use everywhere, with a 20x zoom when you need it.
That, or perhaps consider a Canon S95 or S100, which will give you manual controls and RAW shooting where you want it.
Whilst it's a compact, it may well suit you if you want a camera to use everywhere, with a 20x zoom when you need it.
That, or perhaps consider a Canon S95 or S100, which will give you manual controls and RAW shooting where you want it.
I'm really liking the look of the Fuji X10 and X100 at the moment. The X10 has a smallish sensor but seems to do remarkably well in terms of IQ and noise handling. Downside seems to be that the optical view finder is a little primitive. The X100 has an APS-C sensor so on a par with most DSLR's but with fixed prime lens. Much better (hybrid) viewfinder than the X10 by all accounts. Good as all this is, the real appeal is how cool they look and the chunky feel.
I got rid of my Canon SLR for a Sony NEX and was very happy with the same if not better image quality, and smaller size.
However the lens selection is abismal. So I went with Olympus marketing and got the OM-D EM-5 and glad I did. Put the Panasonic-Leica 25mm f1.4 on front and have some great images from it. Best of all? I carry it around with me all the time. Something the Canon lost a while back.
However the lens selection is abismal. So I went with Olympus marketing and got the OM-D EM-5 and glad I did. Put the Panasonic-Leica 25mm f1.4 on front and have some great images from it. Best of all? I carry it around with me all the time. Something the Canon lost a while back.
Gad-Westy said:
I'm really liking the look of the Fuji X10 and X100 at the moment. The X10 has a smallish sensor but seems to do remarkably well in terms of IQ and noise handling. Downside seems to be that the optical view finder is a little primitive. The X100 has an APS-C sensor so on a par with most DSLR's but with fixed prime lens. Much better (hybrid) viewfinder than the X10 by all accounts. Good as all this is, the real appeal is how cool they look and the chunky feel.
You're not the only one, I'm looking at an X100, not to replace my 7D but just for when I want to travel light... Image quality is stunning and it doesn't hurt that it's the coolest looking camera around (maybe with the exception of the XPRO-1 which I cant afford!)I sold my Canon cameras, lenses and various other accessories for similar reasons. Too big and heavy to take most places and when flying with only hand luggage, the camera had to stay at home.
As the gear wasn't being used often enough to justify the cost, I sold the lot to buy one of the new interchangeable lens camera systems. I considered the Sony NEX-7, Fuji XPRO1 and the Olympus OM-D EM-5.
The Sony was ruled out for the lack of quality lenses available (with a native mount).
The Fuji is actually very big, quite expensive and only has three lenses available.
In the end the Olympus won as it is small and fast with exceptional low light performance and a great selection of lenses, many of which are reasonably priced.
It really is a fantastic piece of kit. The fact that it looks great is a bonus. When I pulled the Canon out at events, people would regularly hide but the Olympus is less intimidating and people are very happy to be photographed.
As the gear wasn't being used often enough to justify the cost, I sold the lot to buy one of the new interchangeable lens camera systems. I considered the Sony NEX-7, Fuji XPRO1 and the Olympus OM-D EM-5.
The Sony was ruled out for the lack of quality lenses available (with a native mount).
The Fuji is actually very big, quite expensive and only has three lenses available.
In the end the Olympus won as it is small and fast with exceptional low light performance and a great selection of lenses, many of which are reasonably priced.
It really is a fantastic piece of kit. The fact that it looks great is a bonus. When I pulled the Canon out at events, people would regularly hide but the Olympus is less intimidating and people are very happy to be photographed.
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