The Camera Thread

[Dual]

Yeah no doubt. The photographer takes good photos not the camera.

On the subject of post-processing is GIMP a suitable alternative to Photoshop? I think you can get RAW plug ins for it.

[Harry Bizzle]

Good point. I think I'll use a Lightroom trial and if I still haven't got enough to buy a copy of it, I'll use GIMP for a while.

[Exxy]

Live view has come in handy for me, specifically when laying the camera down in a position where I can't use the viewfinder properly. Like putting the camera on the floor, easier to use live view and crouch than it is to lay prone to use the viewfinder. Used it when I've let friends mess around as well, put it on auto and you've got a point and shoot if you need a group photo or something. Video is surprisingly good as well, me and some friends need to make a short film over summer and we're using it to shoot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Innx3puNI

Test footage there.

[Harry Bizzle]

I suggest you try to keep it as stationary as possible, and above all else, record the sound seperately as the mic on that thing is useless (as to be expected though).

Also there's a few problems with the exposure (i.e. no manual) so you're going to have to set it automatically, hit exposure lock and then shoot, unless you want a disaster of a film.

[JiggerJay]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003 ... d_i=468294

Any good? I'm after a new point and click for my Japan Adventure, around this price point, unless any one has seen any better? I was going to get a SLR but my budget is a bit stretched right now, and it would take time to learn!

[Exxy]

I would look at Canon's Ixus range, back when I was looking at point and shoots they were always the reccomended brand. My Ixus 75 was great, stirdy, nice size and really nice photos, best that I've seen on a £100 camera.

Thinking of getting a prime lens, sub £170 if possible. There's a couple I've seen, a 50mm for just over £100 or a 35mm for £165, not sure which one to go for. Anyone got any experience with prime lenses?

Also, best website for buying lenses?

[Harry Bizzle]

The Nikon one which I think you're talking about (50mm F1.8-D) is meant to be nice and sharp, but it's not AF-S meaning your D3100 will not be able to autofocus with it (it's got no motor in the lens).

The AF-S is considerably more expensive, with the 35mm being the cheaper option, although I think I'd prefer a 50mm. It's one of the things putting me off the Nikon. If I'm buying AF lenses (and paying AF prices), I want them to bloody well AF.

I think I'm going to go for a Pentax K-x. You can pick up prime lenses for next to nothing (£30) which you have to manual focus, but at that price, it's not something I'm too worried about.

It's a good bit cheaper than the D3100 andis arguably the better camera, although there's not much between them in real world testing until you start pushing up the ISO, at which point the D3100 starts doing poorly (in comparison, but still produces useable results) at the 1600 mark and they're both a bit of a mess by 3200.


There's not so many new lens options with the Pentax, but outside a good Prime, the kit lens and maybe a nice affordable 70-300mm Tamron down the line, I'm happy. The motor is built into the body, so I don't have to worry about whether AF really means AF or not, which is nice.

[Harry Bizzle]

So I went to town today, expecting to buy a Pentax K-x, and instead came home with the D3100.


I went to about 4 or 5 different shops and got a lot of good advice, played with a lot of cameras (including the K-r) and the last shop I went into, London Camera Exchange had the D3100 for £399.99 before cashback, making it £360 once I've claimed that back, and Nikon are offering a two year warranty on it.

Between a £360 D3100 and £350 K-x, the D3100 is a no brainer.


I will say though that the K-r is a wonderful, wonderful camera. If it weren't for the £40 price difference and 2 year warranty, I can totally see myself having bought the K-r. The build quality and the buttons, etc are just phenomenal.

The D3100's build quality is excellent, but the K-r is something else entirely.

[Exxy]

My Dad has the 50mm prime lens I was thinking of buying Tried it out, definetly need the auto-focus and reckon I'll prefer the 35mm so I'll order that this week. Used his D80 for a bit as well, so much nicer to hold than the D3100, but I forgot how heavy it is in comparison.

[Exxy]

35mm Prime Lens arrived today (Jessops offer free next delivery, which is awesome). It's brilliant So sharp and being able to have a super quick shutter speed and low ISO nearly all the time is brilliant. Really impressed with it. Doesn't feel that nice and the autofocus noise isn't exactly pleasing but I knew that before buying it, as long as it works it's fine. I've put a quick picture in the photo thread in Creative Corner.

[JiggerJay]

Best camera at around the £180 mark? It's a toss up between the Lumix TZ10 and Ixus 220 atm, or am I over looking a camera?

[Green Gecko]

If you're lucky you can get the LX3 I took for around that much second hand: http://completed.shop.ebay.co.uk/Digita ... 86.c0.m283

Because it's such a damn good, top end compact camera, generally they sell in very good to excellent condition. I wouldn't worry about buying second hand - I did and have had no problems at all for about a year or more. It's the most solidly built camera I've ever used, 95% metal construction everywhere, buttons, knobs etc. nearly all metal machined with a "digital click". The screen is very bright, clear, colourful and satisfying to review photos on, better than most PC screens with a solid black and good contrast. It's also very lightweight, if not quite pocketable because of the lens mechanism. If you want a comparable pocketable, go for the Canon S90 or S95 (if you can find it at the same price..). Although it lacks a grip, which I thought would bother me, AlphaEx took all his photos from his most recent trip with that camera so see his more recent Japan Adventure topics or PM him for impressions on that camera. I think it would be good to take something either of us already has prior experience actually using for touring Japan and which easily beat either the Ixus / TZ range.

It sounds a bit ridiculous but this camera just feels so good to use, it's fun and addictive. Everybody with even the most amateur interest in taking pictures has wanted one when they've played with mine. I fell in love with it in my local camera shop where it was £315(!) before leaving to just buy it online.

I have zero issues with this camera other than a relatively limited zoom extent but when doing street photography this is rarely a problem as you don't really need to zoom into things that much - the 2.5x zoom is enough to zoom into a large feature on a building for example or you can walk up close. The limited zoom range is a limitation inherent in the very wide angle (24mm) lens and huge aperture for a compact (maximum 2.0) making it unbeatable for low light performance in a compact. The wide angle is far more useful than zoom ever would be as you'll be able to capture entire massive buildings without walking miles back from them. E.g.:



Shutter Speed:1/50 second
Aperture:F/2.0
Focal Length:5 mm
ISO Speed:80

Todai-ji is the largest wooden building in the world.

You will get some amazing night shots with that camera if you keep a steady hand and can put up with some noise at 400ISO (I wouldn't go higher but almost never need to). The gyroscope-enabled optical image stabilisation is excellent to compensate for shake.

It's one of the most popular compacts on Flickr for a reason.

You can't really go wrong with either of those cameras though which are basically where Panasonic's and Canon's consumer-oriented compacts top out, but I'd strongly recommend considering a second hand LX3/S90 if you want to open yourself up to a plethora of creative options that will allow you to get the picture you want. Both cameras have fully manual control inc. focus. Both also can shoot RAW images for processing later but the JPEG output is really nice too. Both are around 9/10mpx cameras depending on the settings (the LX3 will let you shoot in 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9 widescreen ratios without dropping below 9mpx - unlike most cameras that simply crop the image/sensor).

Or if you just want great pictures with auto-focus, the LX3 does 11-point multi-point auto-focus pretty quickly (although not blindingly fast - most compacts are slow to focus), and reasonably fast in low light as well, it also has several alternative AF and light metering options including a 1x large area fast AF mode useful for just focusing on the centre frame as quickly as possible (useful for shooting moving objects like vehicles or animals or someone running etc.). It also does face detection.

Oh and the LX3 shoots 720P HD video at 24fps, the Canon only shoots VGA at 30fps (LX3 also does VGA at 30fps).

Here's a massively comprehensive review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmclx3/

I couldn't praise it enough.

There's also the Canon G9/10/11 but they're considerably more expensive, do produce better image quality generally but are covered in buttons and dials and aren't really compact. The LX3 is a very elegant crossover between DSLR-like control and competitive image quality and the accessibility and streamlined design of a consumer compact (as nearly all manual control options are in the easy to navigate overlay menus accessibly with the joystick).

[JiggerJay]

Been mulling this one out all day damn you GG! I'm mighty tempted to try and source a LX3 in the next week, although I'm pretty sure most of the major selling points of it are far too compicated to me.

I've been using the "Snapshot" website to compare cameras and features, and I'm still a bit torn, the LZ10 is long gone! But the Ixus 220 still seems like an interesting purchase.

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-IXUS- ... ix_DMC-LX3

[Green Gecko]

Basically the major differences are low light performance, macro performance, generally better image quality and utterly trounced creative control. But it is expensive, heavier, bulkier and you haven't really got time to eBay one so you'd be fine with the Ixus if you're really after simply a point and shoot camera. Generally speaking you can't really go wrong with a Canon in that price packet (maybe consider the alternatives lower down the scale where the brand name becomes an unnecessary expense).

[Harry Bizzle]

Nikon have just announced a 40mm F2.8 AF-S Macro lens, which is pretty cool. It's comparatively cheap compared to the 50mm AF-S.


I think I might get one, depending on how much it costs in the UK. I would quite like a prime lens, but the 50mm AF-S is too expensive and the idea of a 35mm doesn't appeal to me - I don't like the idea of having to standing so close to things I'm trying to shoot, especially as sometimes it's just not an option.


Before that though, I might get a Tamron or Sigma telephoto. The 70-300mm seems like a bargain.

[$ilva $hadow]

I have the 35mm, it's strawberry floating godly.

Obviously not as good for wide angle shots as the 18-105 but it's still great.

Also don't go for a tamron or sigma 70-300.

I went for the sigma 70-300 and even though it's a fraction of the cost that a first party lens is, it still can't match the quality and results of a first party lens.

I've learnt my lesson, save up for the best lenses as lenses you don't upgrade, only the main body, you keep all your best lenses for better body upgrades, not the other way around.

[Dual]

Have you still got your D90 $$? That's currently the camera I've got my eyes on.

[Harry Bizzle]

Yeah, I've already decided that I'm not buying any lens that's not a Nikkor without trying it first. Apparently most of the London camera shops will let you bring in your body and shoot with a lens you're interested in though.


But I think I've decided the Nikkor 50mm AF-S f/1.8 will be my next purchase, although when that'll be, I don't know.



On a side note: Anyone buying a Nikon should remember to register their camera online within 30 days of purchase to get your 2 year warranty.

[Dual]

I want to visit Gray's Of Westminster. Place looks like a freaking Aladdin's cave of Nikon kit.

[$ilva $hadow]

Have you still got your D90 $$? That's currently the camera I've got my eyes on.

Still have the D90, but it's been surpassed by a different nikon model in the same price range I think.