Which Camera? **Please read OP first**

Pique

The GF1 body for €150 is OK but the f1.7 20mm lens is gong for up to twice that.

I'm lurking on eBay trying to snag a bargain.

Mike Litoris

arcius wrote: »

good camera + bad lens = bad picture and bad camera + good lens = much better quality image

I get what you're saying but is there such a thing as a bad DSLR? OK, older models maybe slow, noisy at high ISO's and some may focus too slow for sports but in the right hands even an old Nikon D100 will produce fantastic pictures.

arcius

Mike Litoris wrote: »

I get what you're saying but is there such a thing as a bad DSLR? OK, older models maybe slow, noisy at high ISO's and some may focus too slow for sports but in the right hands even an old Nikon D100 will produce fantastic pictures.

Let's change BAD to LOW END.

eoglyn

muppetkiller wrote: »

Hi all,
Just wondering does anyone have this camera ? Any opinions on it ?
I've been tracking it for a while now and is available for about 600 euro from amazon.
It will hopefully be my pocket camera to be used when I don't have my X-T1 around

I have it, and i think it is brilliant, but its not an easy camera to use. I bought it in March from B+H in New York for about €490, but i think it has actually increased in price since.

It is designed for street photography, which i don't do, and is very wide. The wide angle takes a bit of getting used to, and i must admit that i didn't really like that aspect at first.

The build quality feels solid, with a hardy body that isn't very flashy looking. The controls are all intuitive, i have used canon and nikon previously and found it took some time to get used to both - but the ricoh is a case of picking it up and being there.

The menu has been designed by photographers and there is lots of in built serious functionality such as intervalometer and auto-bracketing as well as other gimicky but fun features you might otherwise do in post like the double exposure feature, which is fun to play around with, particularly as it gives you an overlay of your first images on the screen.

Special effects button seems gimicky at first, presumably you'll be shooting raw and doing these things in post, but i have found it useful to do things like shoot at high contrast b&w or use the blurry 'miniature' effect to get real time results and give ideas for post later on, you always retain the raw if you are shooting both it and jpeg.

I find results are not always 100%, even with the raw files sometimes it can be difficult to get real to life skin tones, i haven't yet figured out whether that is my fault or the camera's. But the monochrome images are where it shines, even the digital grain it renders is more film-like in quality.

The reason i purchased a gr is to have a camera available to me when i don't want to lug around the dslr, it has fulfilled this function and more.

bryangiggsy

Hi can anyone recommend a camera in the two to three hundred euro price bracket.? Compact and not bridge. Looking at the Canon Sx 600 at Harvey Norman for €229. Can anyone recommend a better one. Mainly for taking family pics on hols. Thanks

muppetkiller

bryangiggsy wrote: »

Hi can anyone recommend a camera in the two to three hundred euro price bracket.? Compact and not bridge. Looking at the Canon Sx 600 at Harvey Norman for €229. Can anyone recommend a better one. Mainly for taking family pics on hols. Thanks

If you're not afraid to go the e-global route then you can pick up the RX100 or X20 there for 300 ish.
Both cracking cameras...Alternatively I'd go for the Pentax MX-1 on amazon

batman1

I recently parted company with my dslr as I couldn't find the time to make full use if it and travelling a lot for work didnt make life easy. I had it a few years with full intentions to become a reasonable photographer. I had some good results but sadly it's time for a change.

I am now in the market for a reasonable compact camera that can be used for travelling and general personal use. I'm completely baffled with the vast array of cameras available and was hoping for a few suggestions.

My budget is 300 euro . I would like to get a canon but they can be pricey

fret_wimp2

batman1 wrote: »

I recently parted company with my dslr as I couldn't find the time to make full use if it and travelling a lot for work didnt make life easy. I had it a few years with full intentions to become a reasonable photographer. I had some good results but sadly it's time for a change.

I am now in the market for a reasonable compact camera that can be used for travelling and general personal use. I'm completely baffled with the vast array of cameras available and was hoping for a few suggestions.

My budget is 300 euro . I would like to get a canon but they can be pricey

You will need to give information on how advanced you are/how much control you need.

If its for taking some nice shots with minimal fuss and hassle, almost any pocket camera will do. Personally i use my phone (HTC 1 M7) for this type of thing, it takes terrific photos. Examples of pics taken with the phone on my flickr page are here

If you want some manual control, Fuji xf1 is bang on 300 quid if you search and gets good reviews.

Personally, I would try to go 100 quid more and search for a 2nd hand Fuji x100. Its a bit more tailored to manual control but works well on auto also, and is hands down the most fun camera i have used, and output some of seriously high quality images that require bugger all tweaking in photoshop ( my initial experiences here

Can be picked up for a good price 2nd hand as the x100s has superseeded it, but the older x100 is still an amazing camera.

batman1

I'm looking for a good quality minimal fuss camera with a respectable optical zoom. My wife hated the dslr because she couldn't use it so something that she can use and can throw in hand luggage etc. Was looking at canon ixus or similar.

Bluefoam

Try a Pentax Q. It's as small as a compact, has automatic modes, so can be used like a compact, but has interchangeable lenses an has allot of the functionality of a DSLR, so it can grow with your abilities... Unlike other system cameras, it is very pocketable + the standard 02 lenses that comes with it is very diverse and perfect for holidays/travel

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pentax-Q10-12-4-MP-Digital-Camera-Silver-and-Black-Kit-w-SMC-5-15mm-Lens-a5-/161294153140?pt=Digital_Cameras&hash=item258de175b4

batman1

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/cameras/digital-cameras/compact-digital-cameras/canon-powershot-sx700-hs-superzoom-compact-digital-camera-black-22040288-pdt.html


http://www.currys.ie/Mobile/Product/sony-dschx50b-superzoom-compact-digital-camera-black/319197/174.3#ctl00_ctl00__nestedContent__mainpageContent_ProductFamilyDetailsView1_liProductDetails

The Sony is on offer at the moment. Any opinions?

zero19

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

You will need to give information on how advanced you are/how much control you need.

If its for taking some nice shots with minimal fuss and hassle, almost any pocket camera will do. Personally i use my phone (HTC 1 M7) for this type of thing, it takes terrific photos. Examples of pics taken with the phone on my flickr page are here

If you want some manual control, Fuji xf1 is bang on 300 quid if you search and gets good reviews.

Personally, I would try to go 100 quid more and search for a 2nd hand Fuji x100. Its a bit more tailored to manual control but works well on auto also, and is hands down the most fun camera i have used, and output some of seriously high quality images that require bugger all tweaking in photoshop ( my initial experiences here

Can be picked up for a good price 2nd hand as the x100s has superseeded it, but the older x100 is still an amazing camera.

I got an XF1 last year, they're in PC World/Currys for €170 now. Bargain at that price if you want a slim camera IMO.

ripperman

Hi

Can anyone recommend a good camera. My budget is between 100 and 150 euro with slight flexibility. I don't know much about them I'm afraid and this will be a present. Any suggestions on where to buy also, Harveys, argos etc. Thanks in advance.

funkey_monkey

Hi,

I'm looking for a small CSC which will be my first step into photography beyond a basic point and shoot. I've been looking at a Panasonic GX7 and the Sony NEX-6 & NEX-7 as I am drawn to the usage of a viewfinder - albeit an EVF.

I'm wondering if anyone who has used an EVF could tell me if it is worth spending out more for one or should I drop back to something similar to a Panasonic GF5/GF6 as I'll be needing to purchase lens as well.


Thanks.

dinneenp

Look at the new Sony RX 300 (I think).
I think another top end compact is going to have a built in viewfinder, maybe the pany lx7 new version.

funkey_monkey

Do you mean the RX100 III?
http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/cyber-shot-compact-cameras/dsc-rx100m3

For a bit less money Sony have the following:
http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-6000-body-kit

The Panasonic LX7 does not have a built in EVF, but does have a hotshoe for adding one. Are you meaning the GX7?

kearneybobs

Any one suggest a good point and shoot camera for my dad?
He's currently a little dismayed at his latest camera which is the Canon ixus 220 hs. He's mostly using the camera in low light situations and indoors and is constantly getting a very dark, usually blurry image when he uses it.

He doesn't want to be messing around with settings etc he just wants the camera to do all the work for him on the auto settings if possible.


I've read that the Sony RX100 and the P7700 are standout for point and shoot but are just that little bit too expensive for him. His budget being about €200-300.
Anyone have any suggestions?

Kenny Logins

The Ixus is supposed to have good low light performance, but as with any camera, you probably have to let it know by way of a scene setting or something.

kearneybobs

Kenny Logins wrote: »

The Ixus is supposed to have good low light performance, but as with any camera, you probably have to let it know by way of a scene setting or something.

I have a feeling that if he was willing to mtinker with the settings on his current camera he could get a serviceable image from it but he just not willing to spend ages getting it right.

Been looking into the Fujifilm XF1. Nice and cheap and has got really good reviews.
There's also the RX100, P7700 and the DMC-TZ60. Possibly all out of his price range though.

Kenny Logins

The problem is that they may have more controls and settings (XF1 certainly has), not less...

kearneybobs

Kenny Logins wrote: »

The problem is that they may have more controls and settings (XF1 certainly has), not less...

As long as the auto setting does the job for the most part I think he'd be pretty happy with that.

ccull123

Hi all,

Apologies if this question has been asked to death but I am in the market for a camera and if anyone could offer advice I would appreciate it. I am new to photography and in the market for a camera. I am heading to nyc soon and was thinking of purchasing this

http://www.adorama.com/searchsite/default.aspx?searchinfo=Olympus+epl5&category=4109&term=Olympus%20epl5&sort=p_price_sort|0&term=epl5

It 500 dollars however the next package up which includes a lens is 600 dollars. Just wondering what your view would be.

Im open to suggestions as well.

Thanks in advance.

nasty_crash

Hi there

I've been reading through some of the details that you've been posting and whilst its all excellent information i just wanted to ask your opinion on what way i should go?

We had a canon eos 1100d and we found it very slow - the shutter speed was very slow compared to what we wanted! What we are looking for is a camera that is gonna take good quality pictures with a good shutter speed - taking pictures of places that we have holidays in etc - and also allows me to edit the pictures on the camera- i.e. crop feature etc.

I looked at the Nikon D3300 and it geniunely seemed slow on the shutter speed - even on Manual mode - should we steer away from DSLR and just get a bridge camera or a normal camera?!?

Any help would be much appreciated

Kenny Logins

nasty_crash wrote: »

Hi there

I've been reading through some of the details that you've been posting and whilst its all excellent information i just wanted to ask your opinion on what way i should go?

We had a canon eos 1100d and we found it very slow - the shutter speed was very slow compared to what we wanted! What we are looking for is a camera that is gonna take good quality pictures with a good shutter speed - taking pictures of places that we have holidays in etc - and also allows me to edit the pictures on the camera- i.e. crop feature etc.

I looked at the Nikon D3300 and it geniunely seemed slow on the shutter speed - even on Manual mode - should we steer away from DSLR and just get a bridge camera or a normal camera?!?

Any help would be much appreciated

What do you mean slow shutter speed? The 1100D goes up to 1/4000 of a second and can shoot three frames per second..!?

Saruman

Maybe he means the focus time or time before the camera is ready to take a picture. It can't be the shutter speed itself. My guess is, the wrong settings are being used.

Kenny Logins

Saruman wrote: »

Maybe he means the focus time or time before the camera is ready to take a picture. It can't be the shutter speed itself. My guess is, the wrong settings are being used.

Oh yeah. Or narrow aperture perhaps?

nasty_crash

to be honest id imagine that its wrong settings being used!! I was in pc world using a d3300 yesterday and even the guy showing us the camera and it didnt take the picture quickly - like there is a delay of about 2 or 3 seconds! Seems strange to me but i dont know so i cant say i know what it is! Apologies for my ignorance

Kenny Logins

nasty_crash wrote: »

to be honest id imagine that its wrong settings being used!! I was in pc world using a d3300 yesterday and even the guy showing us the camera and it didnt take the picture quickly - like there is a delay of about 2 or 3 seconds! Seems strange to me but i dont know so i cant say i know what it is! Apologies for my ignorance

Don't apologise, they can seem pretty complicated at first. We've all been there.

Could be a focus issue, half press to focus and full press to shoot. If you try to shoot straight away it'll find focus first. If it can't find it, it won't shoot.

Unless it was in live view mode? Was the screen on and displaying the scene? if so, the shutter and mirror have to move before the shot can be taken, and this can create a noticeable delay.

In normal operation they'll be pretty much the same, and very fast to react to the shutter button.

nasty_crash

thanks for the replies guys

We were using the lcd screen on the back - does that slow it down? I know that i can half press to adjust the focus but even still it can take a while - maybe im just expecting too much for a camera and have to spend a lot more for what i want?!

Kenny Logins

nasty_crash wrote: »

thanks for the replies guys

We were using the lcd screen on the back - does that slow it down? I know that i can half press to adjust the focus but even still it can take a while - maybe im just expecting too much for a camera and have to spend a lot more for what i want?!

Live view will delay the shot very slightly (milliseconds) as the shutter needs to close and reopen again to take the shot, it'll be like this on any DSLR, even high-end models. The lag may vary, but it'll still be there. It definitely shouldn't be 2-3 seconds though, so I assume it was a focusing issue. Any DSLR should react almost instantaneously when you have focus.


The big retailers have lots of white goods and bright lights, this doesn't help - no contrasty points to focus on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSFBqWqdz8A