Considering my Camera Options

RogerMesenseless · 17 Aug 2014 at 16:13

Hi Guys,

Looking for a new camera. Originally, I was looking for an entry level DSLR for the £350-400 mark. There seemed to be a large amount of cameras in this region (like the Nikon D3100 which seems to be mentioned a lot). However, I recently noticed that the Sony RX100 Mk ii was up on the rainforest for around the same price and it is constantly advertised as "The best pocket camera in the world" (MKBHD seems to like it quite a lot). So would you say this is a better option than a DSLR? Does the image quality stack up?

Also, what about the cost of after market lenses for a DSLR? I'm assuming it would be nice to have the added interchangeability and do they make a difference?

PS. Totally new to the show when it comes to photography so apologies if this is the equivalent of asking if I can put Diesel in my Petrol car

RogerMesenseless · 22 Aug 2014 at 23:49

Sorry to bump, but I'm thinking RX100 ii right now?

RogerMesenseless · 23 Aug 2014 at 19:47

Thanks for all the info guys! (You're not rambling at all ).

1. Right, as far as what I'm shooting, I'd imagine its going to be mainly Motorsports (upcoming job in the industry and I am into cars) and landscape shots for the time being. So the fast moving stuff I'll want to build up a DSLR? It does really sound like something with interchangeable lenses is helpful, but I still want to maintain the relatively compact size (G1?).

2. You're right, hard to tell at this point. I can imagine it will still remain at an entry level (not anything professional) but I am more than willing to fiddle with settings and tweak stuff to get what I want - so this still points to a DSLR.

3. Upper limit would be around £500-700 for Body + Lens.

4. I think I'd like to keep it to a relatively compact size. I think I'd draw the line when I have to have a separate bag for all the photography gear, so I'm thinking a Compact with interchangeable lenses?

5. Not planning on much video but having the added functionality of shooting good quality film would be welcomed (I'm assuming most DSLR's have nice video shooting capabilities anyway?).

RogerMesenseless · 23 Aug 2014 at 19:53

GTRacer said:
You can't go wrong with it. Really nice camera. For general use I'd be inclined to pick that over a DSLR. However, if you want to build up a system, have more control over your depth of field, then a DSLR will be the better choice. Consider compact system cameras as well, they have a large sensor like a DSLR (and interchangeable lenses) but are much smaller. The Panasonic GM1 would be my pick if I wanted a small, large sensor camera with interchangeable lenses.

Interchangeable lenses do make a big difference, but the lens on the RX100 is pretty nice.

Having said all that, I'd probably pick a Ricoh GR over all of those! But I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, it's a camera for people who really know what they want in a camera.

For what it's worth, I learned the ropes on a high end compact like the RX100 (a Canon G7) before I committed to a DSLR system once I knew I liked photography enough.

What do you think would be an appropriate choice? Sony so a number of smaller cameras and so do Panasonic (both with switchable lenses).

Nexus said:
Yes they make a difference, its the whole purpose of any camera which has interchangeable lenses. If you think you can make do with one focal length, or one fixed zoom length, then you may as well just buy a camera with a permanently fixed lens.

Prices for lenses vary considerably, from fairly cheap lenses which can be bought for around £100-ish to professional lenses which range from £800-2000. You then get very specialist lenses which can cost a small fortune.

So you get what you pay for and lenses are arguably more important than the camera body and will certainly have a far longer life of usage than a digital SLR.

I am a bit of a 'tweaker' at heart so maybe I'd use the benefits of being able to change more stuff. Landscape and fast sports are quite different shooting scenarios so would it be hard to chose a lens that covers both of them?

RogerMesenseless · 24 Aug 2014 at 12:29

So it really sounds like an M43 compact is what I'm looking for then. After a bit of reading it sounds like the best ones include the Sony NEX3L, Olympus OM-D E-M10 and the Panasonic GM1 (the latter being a bit above my price range). The NEX3L is a relatively cheap body but factoring in the price of a decent lens it's going to be in the £500-600 range which is my ideal budget really. Can the additional price of the Panasonic and Olympus units be justified over the NEX Cameras?

RogerMesenseless · 24 Aug 2014 at 14:28

CGrieves said:
MFT is a well rounded system but I'd disagree with it being the ideal or "just right" sensor size. Yes the lenses tend to be larger with larger sensors, but at the same time performance is demonstrably better. It depends if

I'm a Fuji user, and an amateur enthusiast, but definite not a hipster, I just appreciate the excellent performance in a small for factor. Not to mention the lenses are all fabulous in performance and build quality.

Do you know of anything in the Fuji range that is M43 or offerers similar performance while maintaining the wide variety of lenses?

RogerMesenseless · 24 Aug 2014 at 15:17

D.P. said:
Just to clear up some things.

The Sony NEX cameras and the Fuji cameras are not part of the M43 consortium, they use different sensors sizes, different lens mounts and require different lenses.

Ah. Thanks for clearing that up.

Secondly, you have picked out some high end M43 cameras and then questioned the price. Have a look at cameras like the Olympus EPL-5 which will do everything you want.

In hindsight, yes I did realise these were some of the higher end ones. TheEPL-5 seems to be an appropriate choice for someone like me on a relatively small budget but still wanting interchangeability. M43 seems like the way to go for price and performance.

If you only want to shoot at shorter focal lengths then the Sony and Fuji systems are highly reccomended, the Fuji if you are in to portraits. If you want to start using longer focal length lenses for motorcars/planes/wildlife/sports and want something more responsive then I would consider the m43 cameras like Olympus EPL-5.

Motorsports is on my list of things I'll be shooting.

So the Olympus seems to fit the bill for a small ish camera with swappable lenses. Thanks for your help! I'll look at some reviews (mainly to get an idea of the button placement, build quality ect).

RogerMesenseless · 25 Aug 2014 at 15:42

Thanks for all the advice guys!

You definitely set me on track! Looks like I've got lots of review reading to do