What Camera please?
Discussion
I need some advice please, up until about 10 years ago I used to take a lot of photos and sell a fair few too. One day I just decided to quit and sold my equipment (canon 5d mkii with approx 6-7 canon L Lenses.
Since then I have only used my mobile as a camera. I have now decided to buy another camera but ideally don't want to go down DSLR route. Is there anything out there which anyone can recommend? Budget is ideally capped at £2k.
Since then I have only used my mobile as a camera. I have now decided to buy another camera but ideally don't want to go down DSLR route. Is there anything out there which anyone can recommend? Budget is ideally capped at £2k.
I did exactly this last year, and ended up with a 2nd hand but perfect condition Leica Q2 from Leica Manchester, granted, above the £2k budget.
I'm so happy with the choice, no fuss, still fairly compact so no big bag & paraphernalia to carry around. Only take it for more special trips/event, my iPhone being a more than suitable choice for quick snaps. A quick look at the folder on the phone shows I've taken just under 1,500 shots on 10 months.
I'm so happy with the choice, no fuss, still fairly compact so no big bag & paraphernalia to carry around. Only take it for more special trips/event, my iPhone being a more than suitable choice for quick snaps. A quick look at the folder on the phone shows I've taken just under 1,500 shots on 10 months.
Spaceman3 said:
I need some advice please, up until about 10 years ago I used to take a lot of photos and sell a fair few too. One day I just decided to quit and sold my equipment (canon 5d mkii with approx 6-7 canon L Lenses.
Since then I have only used my mobile as a camera. I have now decided to buy another camera but ideally don't want to go down DSLR route. Is there anything out there which anyone can recommend? Budget is ideally capped at £2k.
I’ve just deleted my initial reply, as I misread the bit about “don’t want to go down the dslr route” as “do” lol. Since then I have only used my mobile as a camera. I have now decided to buy another camera but ideally don't want to go down DSLR route. Is there anything out there which anyone can recommend? Budget is ideally capped at £2k.
What do you see yourself photographing?
Julian Scott said:
I did exactly this last year, and ended up with a 2nd hand but perfect condition Leica Q2 from Leica Manchester, granted, above the £2k budget.
I'm so happy with the choice, no fuss, still fairly compact so no big bag & paraphernalia to carry around. Only take it for more special trips/event, my iPhone being a more than suitable choice for quick snaps. A quick look at the folder on the phone shows I've taken just under 1,500 shots on 10 months.
Hmmm, now I am thinking about budget.I'm so happy with the choice, no fuss, still fairly compact so no big bag & paraphernalia to carry around. Only take it for more special trips/event, my iPhone being a more than suitable choice for quick snaps. A quick look at the folder on the phone shows I've taken just under 1,500 shots on 10 months.
Spaceman, go to a camera shop and handle a few of the newer ones. Discuss your wishes and needs with the staff.
I was allowed to play with an MFT camera, the sales staff suggesting I try them because of my requirements for light weight. Hadn't considered going that way before going in. I opted for a cheap, second hand model, a GH2, with their promise of returning the money if I bought a new MFT camera within a month. Which I did, although I still have the GH2.
Not that I'm suggesting you go MFT, but merely go to a camera shop with lots of stock.
What I will suggest is that a camera that 'fits' your hands, and feels good to you, is one to consider carefully.
I was allowed to play with an MFT camera, the sales staff suggesting I try them because of my requirements for light weight. Hadn't considered going that way before going in. I opted for a cheap, second hand model, a GH2, with their promise of returning the money if I bought a new MFT camera within a month. Which I did, although I still have the GH2.
Not that I'm suggesting you go MFT, but merely go to a camera shop with lots of stock.
What I will suggest is that a camera that 'fits' your hands, and feels good to you, is one to consider carefully.
Thing is virtually any camera will do as new DSLRs aren’t really a thing anymore.
What are you going to do with the photos?
Do you want to change lenses?
A Q2 is a decent choice but over budget and do you need a full frame and would you be happy with a fixed focal length.
I’ve used Fuji, Olympus and Sony. Decided I didn’t need full frame so now have Fuji with a couple of zooms and a couple of primes. Small (camera and lenses) great out of camera jpegs and lots of film sims and “recipes” to play with.
An alternative to the Q2 within budget would be a Fuji X100 v or vi(if you can wait).
What are you going to do with the photos?
Do you want to change lenses?
A Q2 is a decent choice but over budget and do you need a full frame and would you be happy with a fixed focal length.
I’ve used Fuji, Olympus and Sony. Decided I didn’t need full frame so now have Fuji with a couple of zooms and a couple of primes. Small (camera and lenses) great out of camera jpegs and lots of film sims and “recipes” to play with.
An alternative to the Q2 within budget would be a Fuji X100 v or vi(if you can wait).
Spaceman3 said:
Everything really, but mainly landscapes, seascapes, street scenes.
So wide angle, large depth of field, small aperture. Good lighting conditions: low ISO.A phone camera will do all of that and with a good one you'll struggle to notice the difference between it and a proper camera. Until you start cropping and enlarging.
A dedicated camera will give you shallower depth of field, more responsive shutter, higher ISO ability with less noise, access to sharper, faster lenses... None of which is really needed for landscapes.
Yeah I know I'm going to get flamed by the landscape fanatics, what I'm tring to say is that landscapes are what camera phones are best at. A dediacted camera will always be better, but for this application the gap between the two is at it's narrowest.
Of course a camera phone is nowhere near as nice to use as a good camera, that alone is enough for me.
By "not a DSLR", do you mean something smaller with a built in lens? Or could something smaller with interchangeable lenses work?
I initially went from full frame with L lenses to a smaller APSC system, which did make a difference, to the point I ended up shooting more and bought better (read bigger) lenses, but whilst still smaller than full frame, were getting big again, so I added a second smaller camera with a fixed lens.
Large sensor/fixed lens cameras seem to be popular at the moment, the Leica Q2/3, the Rich GR and my personal favourite the Fuji X100. The main problem seems to be availability. I use my X100V for a bit of everything, including the odd sports photo:
DH Pan by Lewis Craik, on Flickr
But that is in addition to a separate interchangeable lens set up, as I definitely couldn't cover everything I need to with it.
Getting a camera in your hand, and especially using it for a few days, is the best way to get to know a system. Various camera brands do a " free try before you buy" service, certainly at least Fuji and Canon do, which I thoroughly recommend using.
I initially went from full frame with L lenses to a smaller APSC system, which did make a difference, to the point I ended up shooting more and bought better (read bigger) lenses, but whilst still smaller than full frame, were getting big again, so I added a second smaller camera with a fixed lens.
Large sensor/fixed lens cameras seem to be popular at the moment, the Leica Q2/3, the Rich GR and my personal favourite the Fuji X100. The main problem seems to be availability. I use my X100V for a bit of everything, including the odd sports photo:
DH Pan by Lewis Craik, on FlickrBut that is in addition to a separate interchangeable lens set up, as I definitely couldn't cover everything I need to with it.
Getting a camera in your hand, and especially using it for a few days, is the best way to get to know a system. Various camera brands do a " free try before you buy" service, certainly at least Fuji and Canon do, which I thoroughly recommend using.
Edited by Craikeybaby on Thursday 23 May 11:31
This contribution won't be popular but...
I used to have all the Nikon gear but lugging all that glass around including a 70-200 2.8 was a real chore so I changed to a Panasonic DC-TZ90 but it still made a huge bulge in my pocket.
So now I manage with my Google Pixel 7 and it is always there and ready.
All the above are roughly capable of 30x zoom but the photo editing capability on the Pixel is out of this world.
All photos go onto a One Drive share and all the computers in the house run a photo screensaver.
I used to have all the Nikon gear but lugging all that glass around including a 70-200 2.8 was a real chore so I changed to a Panasonic DC-TZ90 but it still made a huge bulge in my pocket.
So now I manage with my Google Pixel 7 and it is always there and ready.
All the above are roughly capable of 30x zoom but the photo editing capability on the Pixel is out of this world.
All photos go onto a One Drive share and all the computers in the house run a photo screensaver.
You REALLY don’t have to lug loads of gear around just because you have interchangeable lenses. Many zoom lenses are excellent now, and with mirrorless especially, f/2.8 is no longer the holy grail. Even less so with landscapes etc.
The world has changed, and unless you’re shooting for a glossy magazine, embrace it and enjoy it.
The world has changed, and unless you’re shooting for a glossy magazine, embrace it and enjoy it.
Spaceman3 said:
Thanks for all replies, I too got excited by Panasonic. I think I am aiming for something which just isn't there for ideal budget. Now looking into Nikon Z 6 ii...
I was going to suggest maybe a Z6 as they are quite cheap used. But a Z6 II is even better as it has lots of updates and fixes compared to the first version.Not as bulky as a DSLR, but you still have a full frame sensor and can change lenses. If you can get one with the 24-70 lens as a kit that's a great start for landscape stuff.
Here's a shot of Tryfan I took with my Z6 and 24-70/2.8 a few weeks ago in Wales:
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