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Thread: Another Camera Thread

  1. #1
    Senior Member Fishcop's Avatar
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    Another Camera Thread

    Hi Guys

    I've never been much of a camera buff, and remain relatively uninterested in hi-end photography (other than enjoying other people's work). However my recent New Zealand trip with the family (and JohnS ) saw me take some photos that I wasn't particularly happy with. Combine that with seeing some of my brother's great shots of the same things I was taking photos of has made me a bit more interested.

    I normally just use my little Olympus point'n'shoot or more often my iPhone and leave everything set to auto, and this has been fine for working in the garage and taking snaps of my resto etc... But I want to get out and drive the car soon, and get some great 'location' shots.

    So I know I don't want to get into DSLR cameras mainly because of bulk/weight and to an extent the cost - if it's too big or complicated I just won't take it with me. I certainly can't afford a $10k Leica rangefinder style of camera, but I see there is a new "in-between" format in the form of "mirrorless" cameras from pretty much all the usual suspects. These cameras have interchangeable lenses (some compatible with existing DSLR lenses), but no moving parts/complex prisms to increase size. The end result seems to be a great compromise with small camera body size and close to DSLR quality shots/effects/features.

    My brother recently bought the Sony NEX-5N with 16mm and 18-55mm lenses. His portrait and landscape shots look brilliant, and the camera shoots film in true 1080 HD. All this for less than $700. My research sees that there are similar cameras across manufacturers including very sweet set ups from Olympus and Nikon, and the other great asian brands. Prices vary hugely though, as well as the size of the CMOS cell used (the bigger, generally the better etc...).

    So I'm chasing some opinions from the gallery as I know there are genuine photo pros lurking here, as well as super capable amateurs. The "brief" for want of a better term is a camera and a couple of useful lenses for preferably less than $1000. The majority of photos will really only be jpegs for the net, but I may want to make photo books or big format prints for my favourite shots.

    I may cross post this into the broader forums too.

    Thanks
    John Forcier
    EarlyS #1987
    1968 911 Race Car "Grun Hilda"
    1969 S/T interpretation "Blau Healer"
    Restoration Saga

  2. #2
    John,

    I went from a point and shoot digital to an Olympus pen type in the micro four thirds format when Chase arrived. Great shots and compact size but you can still swap lenses etc if you get the bug. I just find dslr's too big to lug around.
    Cheers, Ryan

    Founder and chief centre cap remover at : ZOLLHAUS / Design driven custom PORSCHE : https://zoll.haus

  3. #3
    Senior Member Fishcop's Avatar
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    Thanks Ryan, I was just surfing the web and reading about the PENs and others on the micro 4/3 format, price seems pretty reasonable too.
    John Forcier
    EarlyS #1987
    1968 911 Race Car "Grun Hilda"
    1969 S/T interpretation "Blau Healer"
    Restoration Saga

  4. #4
    member #1515
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    You should check with Chris Tilton, he is the Pro here. It seemed he liked his Fuji X100 well enough before he did his serious upgrade to a Leica M9.
    David

    '73 S Targa #0830 2.7 MFI rebuilt to RS specs

  5. #5
    Senior Member Fishcop's Avatar
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    You mean Bob Tilton? Yep, already shot him an email!
    John Forcier
    EarlyS #1987
    1968 911 Race Car "Grun Hilda"
    1969 S/T interpretation "Blau Healer"
    Restoration Saga

  6. #6
    John In that price range you can't go wrong with any of the DSLR offerings out there. Couple of things I personally look for - metal chassis, number of auto focus points, lighting system. A thought, which others might not agree with, is don't get hung up on mega pixels (file size) - 10 meg is perfect for printing up to around A3 size (if you do print) and gives you a file size large enough to crop and zoom digitally. If your shopping at a price I'd look for a better quality lens over a camera that shoots larger images. I've used Nikon d80 for the last 8 years and its been bullet proof. About to retire it (give it to my daughter) and upgrade.
    Paul W
    1969 911
    Australian Type 901 Register #77

  7. #7
    Senior Member Fishcop's Avatar
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    Thanks for the advice Paul.

    I'm with you on the megapixel theory, though pretty much all the new stuff is offering 12-16mp; the differences are all in the actual sensor size.

    My brief to self specifically rules out DSLR based on size - I want to be able to squeeze it into a pocket. I really want a point and shoot size with high quality images that can be processed easily. The micro 4/3 format and similar APC sized sensor "mirrorless" cameras seem to getting very close to what I want and have the luxury of changeable lenses if I get a bit serious.

    I've gone and played with a few now and have narrowed my choices to the Sony NEX5n or the Olympus PEN EP3. Both are well made on mag alloy chassis. The Olympus seems the better unit (certainly lens wise), but the Sony smokes it in low light and fps rate (3fps vs 7fps) which might be good for photographing cars at the track. I love the Olympus's retro look. Prices are around the same.

    Segway to pricing... I cannot believe the difference in online offers compared to shops, around $300 difference. Yes I know the majority of online offers will not have an Aussie warrantee, but $300 difference for an identical product!? I went in to haggle with Harvey Norman yesterday and pretty much got marching orders when I asked them to try and get close to what I would pay online.
    John Forcier
    EarlyS #1987
    1968 911 Race Car "Grun Hilda"
    1969 S/T interpretation "Blau Healer"
    Restoration Saga

  8. #8
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    canon g12 John... it does everything I ask of it. I prefer taking shots in the paddock in any case of details and people, I'll leave the track shots to the guys with multiple and big lenses. I can just carry mine over my neck or slide it into a cargo pocket.

    Good lense, nice pictures, relatively compact, and tactile and solid in terms of the way it feels.

    I bought mine on line about 12 months ago for about $AUD550 landed.

  9. #9
    Just get a DSLR, girly guy!
    Matt Hart
    matthartcreative@instagram
    RHD 914
    1980 911SC (sold)
    69' T (sold)
    Early 911s reg # 994

  10. #10
    Tacos Gordo Chapulines Reza's Avatar
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    I have a canon g12, i find the zooming very slow. Slower than cheap compacts. Blame it for lots of missed pictures.

    Help ma they're gunna wash my car

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