I need a new camera

johnjen

Ok so my older camera died and i want to replace it.

And every time I start to look into what camera will suffice I get swamped with choices.

This time thru I figured I'd come up with a list of 'features' that are desirable and see how close I can come to meeting them. The list is in order of preference for that particular feature.

Now I do realize that this camera probably doesn't exist but I would like to narrow down the field to say 6 or so candidates to consider.

1st really good to excellent glass
2nd FAST response, this having to wait for seconds after pushing the button is a severe annoyance
3rd image stabilization
4th manual and auto modes
5th non proprietary memory and batteries
6th ease of use and able change settings quickly
7th point and shoot
8th durable (I ride and want to use it on the road)
9th (fairly) large display so that I can easily see the details
10th Mac compatible S/W

That about covers it. And my preference for #7 is so it can be ready to go quickly, rather than fumbling with lens caps, bags, straps etc. I found that with a more bulky camera it was just to much hassle to get set up for a quick picture such that by the time I WAS ready the shot was gone.

Any and all comments suggestions and experiences are welcome. And thanks in advance for the advice.

JJ
ps you'll probably immediately notice I don't list how fast the lens is nor the telephoto ratio between optical vs. digital etc., nor the mega pixels. These are not as important as those listed above. At least to me.

f-rider

Panasonic Lumix FZ35
I ride and have a DSLR for what it brings me, but I wanted something that would fit in the tank bag, be easy to take out while on the motorcycle and had live view, so I could compose a shot with my helmet still on. Also wanted video, since my D80 does not have video or live view.

I think the camera I chose has all the things in your list, but not sure about the Mac compatibility for software, as I don't use a Mac. Besides, I use Lightroom and Capture NX2 for post processing so the Arcsoft apps really don't get used anyway.

The FZ35 also has 18x zoom to make it easier to compose when on bike, takes RAW as well as JPG, has a one button feature for video and for a P&S is as easy to use as any of them, with several dedicated buttons so you don't have to go hunting for menus. Start up is fast.

I like it but it won't replace my D80 (or D90, if I get one... still thinking about that...). I take my D80 and lenses in a rear top case, well padded, and get it out when I'm off the bike and want to shoot some artsy shots (that I can post process), like this:


(taken with Nikon D80, DSLR)

or this


(Taken with a KM Maxxum 7D, DSLR)

johnjen

Well that advice sent me off and running. I've done a cursory look-see into the FZ-35 and the Nikon P-90 and the Canon SX20.

And so far only a single review has mentioned the time it takes to turn the camera on but nothing about the delay to take a shot. And I do realize there are many vairiables that can influence the amount of delay, but still not a peep.

This topic seems to be treated like it doesn't exist when in fact I see it as the single biggest change in the transition from a film camera to a digital one. And I do realize that the big$$ bodies are MUCH faster but even so, given the available technology of today this seems (at least to me) like it should be a non-issue altogether.

And those photos are great, I assume there was a fair amount of post processing involved to 'dial them in', so to speak. I really liked the shot with your GS in the frame, all the colors are wonderful.

JJ

ziggy53

johnjen wrote:

Ok so my older camera died and i want to replace it.

And every time I start to look into what camera will suffice I get swamped with choices.

This time thru I figured I'd come up with a list of 'features' that are desirable and see how close I can come to meeting them. The list is in order of preference for that particular feature.

Now I do realize that this camera probably doesn't exist but I would like to narrow down the field to say 6 or so candidates to consider.

1st really good to excellent glass
2nd FAST response, this having to wait for seconds after pushing the button is a severe annoyance
3rd image stabilization
4th manual and auto modes
5th non proprietary memory and batteries
6th ease of use and able change settings quickly
7th point and shoot
8th durable (I ride and want to use it on the road)
9th (fairly) large display so that I can easily see the details
10th Mac compatible S/W

That about covers it. And my preference for #7 is so it can be ready to go quickly, rather than fumbling with lens caps, bags, straps etc. I found that with a more bulky camera it was just to much hassle to get set up for a quick picture such that by the time I WAS ready the shot was gone.

Any and all comments suggestions and experiences are welcome. And thanks in advance for the advice.

JJ
ps you'll probably immediately notice I don't list how fast the lens is nor the telephoto ratio between optical vs. digital etc., nor the mega pixels. These are not as important as those listed above. At least to me.

Johnjen, welcome to the Digital Grin.

I would also recommend looking at these lineups:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q209grouplongzoom/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q109superzoomgroup/

While these above reviews are getting old, they might give you some ideas.

A camera that I am considering for myself is the Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR. While it does use proprietary batteries, it matches most of your other requirements. I got my son (a Marine) a Fuji F40fd and a portable charger and some extra batteries and he was able to use it overseas without difficulty.

johnjen

Thanks for those suggestions as well.

I seem to be vacilating, which is usually what happens when I dive into this pool. The more I look the more 'features' are either missing or the camera doesn't allow for future growth, such as micro shots. Which in turn steers me to a dSLR which raises the bar but also considerably increases the $$.

I'm impaled upon the horns of a dilemma with no easy solution…

So perhaps I need to limit my expectations to a much simplier set of desireable capabilities…

I guess I'm still used to my old Nikon SLR days of flexiblity and capability, which may not readily apply to our new digital world.

JJ

Tango

my only advice is that one will get what is paid for.

spend $300 and you will receive....
spend $3000 and you will receive....

Tonight I was using my $300 P&S to take candid shots of the kids during our party (indoors).
10 minutes into the party I turned off my P&S (calmly as possible), and went to the bedroom to retrieve the $3000 camera (with speedlight flash & bounce card).

1. I found my keeper rate go up 99.9%
2. I found my bloodpressure/stress/gettingpissed rate go down to a normal levels.

one bit more of advice:
if you do limit yourself and do get a p&s, then learn to take it off auto and your speeds and keepers with go up.

what is it you plan on shooting?

pathfinder

I keep a 40D and a Tamron travel zoom in my tank bag at all times.


The ability to shoot without looking through a viewfinder is appealing, as you would not have to remove your helmet.

Maybe the Panasonic Lumix GF-1 might be a nice tank bag camera - smaller than a DSLR, better quality image than a P&S, interchangeable lenses. I think I am wanting one too!

Tango

pathfinder wrote:

I keep a 40D and a Tamron travel zoom in my tank bag at all times.


The ability to shoot without looking through a viewfinder is appealing, as you would not have to remove your helmet.

Maybe the Panasonic Lumix GF-1 might be a nice tank bag camera - smaller than a DSLR, better quality image than a P&S, interchangeable lenses. I think I am wanting one too!

uh-oh. he will do it folks! I know this type of guy!

pathfinder

Hi Aaron, Merry Christmas.

Tango

Merry Christmas Bro.

pathfinder

Shouldn't you be putting Christmas presents together for your little one's?

johnjen

And the search continues…

Costco has the Nikon 3000 and 5000 with 2 lenses etc. for a decent price. But the 3K doesn't allow you to use the back panel monitor as a viewfinder but it uses the newer 3" display. Whereas the 5k body does allow the use of the (older, smaller) 2.7" display as a viewfinder for only $180 more.

But then I could double the money spent and get a D90 with more advanced lenses and the 3" screen…
They never make it easy… :cry

And then I remembered how Nikon is usually priced higher for their equipment etc. and Canon has a slightly better $/value ratio…

They never make it easy… :cry

So now I'm off to B&H to see what packages they offer…

choices, choices…

JJ
ps indecision is a terrible condition from which to try and decide anything…

Qarik

to me the only point and shoot (non dslr) that has close to DSLR reponsiveness, ie shutter lag, is the GF1.

Jane B.

And here is another thing to consider. It seems that you mentioned at one time shooting with a Nikon SLlR. Do you still have any of those lenses? Of so, watch out for just which versions they are as there are some that cannot be used on the lower end Nikons and if used with an adapter on a Canon DSLR you lose autofocus and can only use AV and Manual for metering.

This all seems like a good problem to have though. Happy Hunting!
Jane B.

johnjen

All of my old SLR setup has long since gone away. So this time I'm starting anew.
Yeah the search does have an element of 'fun' as well as fascination… But the choices are many and all have implications that touch on so many issues which adds to the complexity and 'fun'.

But at least I (thus far) have narrowed the field down to a middle of the road starter dSLR body and just 2 lenses.

So far my 'wish' to have a single lens that can zoom from wide to medium telephoto seems to 'push' the envelope, even the Nikkor 18-200 according to reviews seems to fall off at the extremes. And I still want a macro lens as well.

They never make it easy

JJ

jdorseydesign

johnjen wrote:

All of my old SLR setup has long since gone away. So this time I'm starting anew.
Yeah the search does have an element of 'fun' as well as fascination… But the choices are many and all have implications that touch on so many issues which adds to the complexity and 'fun'.

But at least I (thus far) have narrowed the field down to a middle of the road starter dSLR body and just 2 lenses.

So far my 'wish' to have a single lens that can zoom from wide to medium telephoto seems to 'push' the envelope, even the Nikkor 18-200 according to reviews seems to fall off at the extremes. And I still want a macro lens as well.

They never make it easy

JJ

I've heard lots of people rave about the usefulness of the 18-200 VR. And I can see the appeal, you can have one lens on the camera and not have to carry around a bunch of stuff. Also, you can use the 18-200mm as a Macro in a pinch (I use my 55-200mm as a macro sometimes). Although, it's not the same as a dedicated Macro.

johnjen

Yeah I'm starting to realize that the technical reviews are picking out EVERY discrepancy and showing where each lens has it's foibles. And the reviews that cover the actual end user aspects of living with the lens are saying 'it's not so bad'… And while it's good to know these weaknesses, I'm not a pro, nor a semi-pro, I just want to take some pics.

Then there are the alternative lenses from Sigma, Tamron and Tokina…

And I'm still vacilating between the Canon 50D and the Nikon P90 or just go cheaper and get the P5000 or the top Rebel…

And Nikon doesn't bundle editing S/W where Canon does, but the 18-200 Canon lens isn't quite up to the Nikon version…

They never make it easy…

JJ

jonboy61

Ziggy's interest in the Fuji F70EXR is well placed. We bought one before a cruise to Mexico and the camera performed very well. 10x zoom and the "extended dynamic" range settings seemed to produce very nice vacation shots. We had along a Canon X1i with the 10-22 and Tamron 18-270 lenses and the casual photos from each were indistinguishable in 4x6 prints.

johnjen

Well today I dropped the hammer on a D90 with the 2 zoom lens 'special year end deal'. I figure that they (Nikon) is about to update the D90 so they dropped the price to clear out their inventory.

This isn't the fastest nor the most tricked out etc. but it has way more than I need for right now. And the D90 (when it was new) was considered a pinnacle of sorts. And even with the constant march to upgradeland it still will let me learn, explore, find my and it's limits while managing to avoid some of the 'features' (can you say 19 exposure modes?) that are aimed at n00b-photonutz.

But I have now 'married' Nikon (again) and so will become even more familiar with their foibles and strengths.

So after the honeymoon is over and I've digested the instruction manual and can actually operate it with a degree of competency, I figure I'll want to dive into the micro end of the pool before to long.

And so it goes.

JJ

f-rider

johnjen wrote:

Well today I dropped the hammer on a D90 with the 2 zoom lens 'special year end deal'. I figure that they (Nikon) is about to update the D90 so they dropped the price to clear out their inventory.

This isn't the fastest nor the most tricked out etc. but it has way more than I need for right now. And the D90 (when it was new) was considered a pinnacle of sorts. And even with the constant march to upgradeland it still will let me learn, explore, find my and it's limits while managing to avoid some of the 'features' (can you say 19 exposure modes?) that are aimed at n00b-photonutz.

But I have now 'married' Nikon (again) and so will become even more familiar with their foibles and strengths.

So after the honeymoon is over and I've digested the instruction manual and can actually operate it with a degree of competency, I figure I'll want to dive into the micro end of the pool before to long.

And so it goes.

JJ

Well I think you made a damned good choice. I'm pondering getting the D90 and selling my D80. I love the D80 but some of the features of the D90 really appeal to me such as live view (so I can compose a stinkin' shot with my Shoei on) not to mention that super LCD will now also display all your shooting parameters on the live view screen. When I am on the GS and don't want to take the helmet off, I would also like to see my settings. D90 allows for that, D80 does not. It gets rave reviews for its high ISO shots. As much as I like the D80, high ISO shots seem WAY too noisy. From what I have seen in D90 reviews, high ISO shots are very nice. Any way, good pick on the D90. Post up some shots when you get a few taken.

johnjen

In my research the current crop of ≈1K$ bodies using high ISO numbers (as in above 1600-3200 depending) start getting 'messy' really quickly. And if the size of the final image remains (relatively) small and if you go in and fuss with the image a bunch it can be 'good enough'.

But still when you really need to push the envelope, so to speak, the overall lighting conditions are marginal to begin with so the available image already suffers from a host of short comings.

But then getting a pic is better than not, well some of the time…

What has my interest piqued is when the image sensor and built in s/w is so good that it won't matter what the lighting conditions are. THEN noise and lens artifacts and all the rest will be completely controllable.

That will be a way kewl time for photography.

JJ
ps I figure that the D90 is due for a major upgrade here very soon. It's been well over a year since it was introduced and Canon has the D50 with 'better' specs so I figure the '90 will be getting a face lift soon enough.

ole doc

most of the replies avoid your P&S requirement. I have a Canon G10 (the G11 is the more recent iteration) and am satisfied with the glass, shutter delay, takes RAW. It is not the smallest point and shoot but certainly an easily carried camera. Sorry, has proprietary batteries but these are available generic (that is another story.)
Nick

ksjeeper

I too picked an FZ35, mostly to easily fit in a tankbag on a motorcycle for ease of access.

Below are a couple of random shots with it so far. Haven't found any real weaknesses with it yet, nice unit for size and cost.

firststring74

So how do you like the new camera? It is riding weather here in MD right now and I didn't know if you had a chance to use it