Travel camera
I'll be in Europe again this summer, and am really hoping to find a simple travel camera solution. Obviously, I own a full dSLR kit but my travel will be personal, I"ll be moving around a fair bit (rather than staying with family as I usually do), and schlepping gear is low on my list of fun tasks. However, there is always the outside chance somebody might want me to do a quick headshot while I'm there, so it needs to be a camera that COULD produce a professional-quality image if necessary. Raw capability is pretty much a necessity.
I own an s95, but wondering if it's a bit long in the tooth now. Also, it is perhaps too small. Great little camera, but I tend to consider it an adjunct to a dSLR rather than in its own right
Looking at the G16, but wondering if there are other, better options? Not interested in dropping the ton of money on a Fuji, fabulous though I hear they are.
All suggestions to check out welcomed. Canon is the obvious starting point since I shoot Canon, but other reccos are fine. I'd like to keep it to $500 or less for this purchase. Thanks!!!
I own an s95, but wondering if it's a bit long in the tooth now. Also, it is perhaps too small. Great little camera, but I tend to consider it an adjunct to a dSLR rather than in its own right
Looking at the G16, but wondering if there are other, better options? Not interested in dropping the ton of money on a Fuji, fabulous though I hear they are.
All suggestions to check out welcomed. Canon is the obvious starting point since I shoot Canon, but other reccos are fine. I'd like to keep it to $500 or less for this purchase. Thanks!!!
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Do you place a higher value on long zoom and great optics, or wide aperture and clean low-light shots?
Also, are you thinking about a pocket camera or a bridge camera?
My personal preference would probably be different than many on Dgrin. I'm all about the long zoom, and much as I'd love to have ISO12,800 and f/1.8, I'll settle for ISO6,400 and f/3.5-5.6 to get a superzoom. I'm currently considering purchasing the SX50IS as my travel camera. It's a bridge cam with a gargantuan zoom (24-1200eq), 4th generation IS, and an EVF (I despise composing photos with the LCD). It certainly has some drawbacks for someone who is accustomed to using a DSLR, but in most respects it's either equal to or better than my aging 50D/Ef-S18-200 combination, and is about half the weight.
The other side of the coin would be the G16, which has a much smaller zoom and no EVF, but a blinding f/1.8-2.8 aperture, ISO12,800, and is often rated as THE pocket cam for photo enthusiasts (at least on the Canon side).
So, why not have a look at both of them and get a feel for which one would fit your needs and shooting style?
Canon has some pretty fair prices on these. Here's a link for those. The T-series is also an option.
There isn't anything lighter or smaller in a dSLR than the SL1 model. Paired with a pancake lens, it is about as small as they can be with a full set of features.
Today, they are $363 with the ver. 5 18-55 IS kit lens (it is quite sharp!). They've been lower than that, but 363 is a super price too. Oh, and you can even get a white body and lens if you want.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
I hear you. I went through the same thought process. I couldn't live with the limitations or slow speeds of the sub compacts. I'm about to find out how well one body and one lens (the 18-55) does on a week-long trip to the Washington and Oregon coast.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
--- Denise
Musings & ramblings at https://denisegoldberg.blogspot.com
I will. Leaving in a few weeks (flying - I hate that). Then I'm back for only 6 days, then I leave again with the full big kit for the Palouse workshop. I'll be driving that time. I hope I remember how to use a 5-series cam.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
I'm sure investing in a EM-1 is probably not on your list of priorities, but finding a used EM-5 (or even an OLY EP-something--my son took some amazing shots with my old EP-1) would work well, and you can lease the m4/3 lenses for the trip. (I'd be happy to recommend a few.) I have not loved a camera set-up as much since my first camera in high school, a Canon AE-1. Not even the Canon 5Ds satisfied me as much. These little Olys just feel right in my hands.
stueveshots.smugmug.com
stueveshots.smugmug.com
Anybody used a G15 or G1 X? Found a few deals knocking around. Thoughts? How would they compare to the s95?
Looking at prices, sizes (both body and complete systems) and capabilities (looking at mostly high-ISO and dynamic range in APS-C sized sensor bodies), I finally took the plunge last November, 2014.
I could not be more pleased with the decision.
I started with a used Sony NEX 5N (16MP imager) and standard zoom (Sony E-Mount SEL 1855 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS). It's really a pretty decent combination for something light to carry in good light conditions. Autofocus speeds suffer in low light, however. I added the E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS telephoto zoom shortly after.
Figuring out how to use manual focus and the LCD (with the LCD zoomed to 100 percent) worked very nicely for indoors with subjects that stayed in one place. (All of the following are hand-held.)
Date Taken: 2014-12-04 19:51:29
Camera: SONY NEX-5N
Exposure Time: 0.0333s (1/30)
Aperture: f/6.3
ISO: 3200
Focal Length: 210mm (315mm in 35mm)
Notes: After cropping, the equivalent FOV would be similar to a FF 500mm lens.
Exposure was a bit underexposed, so post-processing and cropping brought out more noise than wanted. Mea culpa.
Date Taken: 2014-12-04 19:49:08
Camera: SONY NEX-5N
Exposure Time: 0.0166s (1/60)
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 3200
Focal Length: 90mm (135mm in 35mm)
Notes: More properly exposed, larger aperture than above plus no cropping (that I remember.)
Date Taken: 2014-12-04 19:45:09
Camera: SONY NEX-5N
Exposure Time: 0.0333s (1/30)
Aperture: f/5
ISO: 3200
Focal Length: 51mm (76mm in 35mm)
Notes: Standard zoom and little cropping. Pretty good exposure. Could have used more DOF, but available light was not sufficient.
I'll add that this was the first "experiment" with the camera, and I shot in between my responsibilities recording the audio, moving microphones and moving other props.
Then Sony cut the price of the a6000 body just before Christmas. I purchased that body plus a used Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Alpha E-mount Retractable Zoom lens. That camera purchase entitled me to a free, downloadable copy of Phase One, Capture One 8, which works with the Sony RAW files from NEX cameras plus the a6000, just to name a few.
The a6000 has a 24 MPix sensor similar to that used in the Nikon D7100, for instance. The a6000 sensor adds on-chip phase-detect AF, similar to that used in a separate AF chip on normal dSLRs. The a6000 also has a more standard ISO hot-shoe, which can trigger simple manual flashes and auto-mode (thyrister) flashes, like the Sunpak 383 Super flash from many years ago.
I also added an adapter which allows the use of Canon EF/EF-S lenses, with normal aperture control, normal image stabilization (if the lens has built-in stabilization), but pretty slow AF (contrast based). I don't recommend the adapter for most uses, but for landscapes and still-life it works nicely (mostly using manual focus technique).
Finally, that combination of the Sony a6000, plus the Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Alpha E-mount Retractable Zoom, plus the Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS telephoto zoom plus a lightweight external flash, makes a very nice travel kit.
Add the very capable Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS SEL50F18 for low-light and portrait, plus a Samyang (Rokinon) 12mm F2 0 NCS CS MFT manual focus super-wide prime lens for the wide stuff, and you have a very capable and rather light system for travel and camping applications.
Sorry, I don't have many practical examples from the a6000 yet, but some early tests are looking very nice indeed:
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Out of my price range alas, but colour me impressed.
Me, I would get a used fuji x100s. Good focal length for landscapes and capturing people moments. Also good at portraits if framed correctly to account for distortion.
G16 is a non-starter due to obsolete tiny sensor size. Same as your S95, why bother? G7X or RX100-III would be my rock bottom for a travel camera that could also do headshots in a pinch. Above those would be G1X or LX100 or X100S.
You've objected to Fuji, but I'll just say I thoroughly enjoyed using my X100S at Disney. I carried it in a loose shorts pocket and chuckled at all the poor saps with camera bags. I brought my 5D3 just in case, but it stayed in the hotel safe the whole time.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
As for the s95 - some of my best-ever shots have been taken with that camera. I LOVE it. No complaints about IQ, really (although improved high ISO performance is always welcome the way I shoot). I'm just feeling like at nearly 5 years old it's a bit long in the tooth; the zoom sticks, and I'd hate for it to crap out on me when it's getting heavy usage (and I wouldn't really want to buy a replacement over there partly because so much more $$, and also because of warranties since I do still live in the US). The 110 and 120 seem to have gone a bit more consumer with the included modes and features. Also, the S series is SO small - I like that for grab-and-go, but if I'm only taking one camera (unlike France in 2013 where I took the s95 as my "standard zoom" and the 5dII+50 +135L for low light and concert shooting) it would be nice to have something a little chunkier in case I do wind up doing any "serious" shooting while I'm there.
Thanks for the all the input - you've all given me loads to think about to help figure out what I want
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EDITED TO ADD:
SCORE! I wrote the above while I was on (interminable) hold with the Canon loyalty program. Picked up a refurb G15 for $220. It has a 1 year warranty. Raw, fast lens, and I can add an STE2/flash combo if I need to light a headshot (which means taking those two items, but they're small and not that heavy). The sensor may be the same size as the s95's, but it appears to be a generation or two on and uses Digic 5 (I believe the s95 is digic 4). So, for now - a solution. We'll see if it works out - fortunately, fully returnable if I hate it
Refurbs direct from Canon can be a great deal. Last night I pulled the trigger on a refurb SX50 IS with $5 shipping - $210 including shipping and sales tax.
Then I went to Amazon and bought a pair of SterlingTek batteries for less than $25 and an off-brand petal hood for under $3.
I don't think so. f/2.8 on a 1/1.7" sensor works out to about f/11 on full frame.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
First thing I notice: it is WAY smaller than I was expecting! The last G camera I handled was clearly a few generations ago :-/ I'm not sure yet if this is a good or bad thing, but I fear the latter as one of the reasons I wanted something other than the s95 was a bit more heft in my hands. Hmm. Will report back more once I can give it a try.
LX100 then. Come on, you're worth it. I'm of the mindset that money spent on a compromise is only wasted when you eventually buy the thing you really wanted in the first place.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
This guy was about 12 feet away.
This one was about 150 feet away.
The G16 has an internal ND filter. With that in place you could open up the aperture to 2.8 more often.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
Thanks, I was pleased with them. They were both taken at max zoom, 1200mm eq., which I think is why they're a little soft. Some of the wider shots I took seem noticeably sharper, though none of them approach the razor sharpness of your doggie shots. I guess it's evident now why the G15 is so well liked among enthusiasts, that thing is a razor.
ETA: This is a crop of another shot at eq1200mm
And the original