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Camera purchase advice please.

Sloop John B

Sloop John B

And any old music will do…
I'm aware that I'm rather like someone on the audio part of the forum asking for "something to play music" but I'll risk the ridicule.

Brief history, not an avid photographer - had a Pentax with a few lenses back in the day. Went digital with a Pansonic that seemed like a digital version of the Pentax except the lens was non-removable. I realise there are names for these types of cameras but I don't know them! Moved onto a Lumix with a good 20x zoom set up and click type as I found lugging the bigger camera on holidays a bit of a fapp. As time progresses using my iPhone more and more for all photos.

So I'd like a decent camera, I'm not sure whether I need one that can change lenses or not, I'm open to either. I do know I'd like it to have the connectivity and features of an iPhone. So geotagging and the ability to send the picture off in a whatsapp without getting into cables etc.

Price wise I'd be looking at a Rega 3 - 5 and not a fully speced LP12.

I would accept last years model if depending on what this years model has.

Is there any second hand places to look? Don't think I've seen much for sale on here but then again it's not something I've been looking out for.

.sjb
 
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I’m thinking about chopping my big SLR Canon kit in as it's too big and heavy so I don't bother taking it with us 90% of the time and use an old Fuji X30 compact.

The 2 models I am looking at are around your budget, Sony RX100, there are 7 versions I think, the MkVI is the one I’m looking at preowned. It is a fixed lens super portable zoom type.

The other option has changeable lenses and partly cos Olympus is what I learned on 40 years ago I’m looking at the OM-D EM10 MK3 with 2 lenses for £500 new off Jessops, there is the brand new Mk4 for £800. Olympus have been sold so may put you off.

I like this place for reviews
https://www.dpreview.com/

Used places to buy
https://www.wexphotovideo.com/
https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/
https://www.camerajungle.co.uk/

I’m sure you’ll get a lot more advice from the knowledgeable guys here, would likely help to say what you want to photograph. Landscapes, portraits, action/sport. What matters, weight, battery life, long zoom, low light performance etc.

HTH

Gus
 
I use my Sony RX100 a lot as it's a great compromise when I can't be bothered carrying the big camera (a Pentax K1 in my case). It's small, light, has a good viewfinder (a must for me in any camera) and can take decent pictures including in low-light. Mine is the Mk3 and that's the earliest one to consider as it's the first one with the EVP.
 
Yes, another vote for the Sony RX100 if you want something small, versatile, well made and without interchangeable lenses. I used to have the Mark 3, but traded it in for a Mark 6 a couple of years ago - better viewfinder and a much longer lens. It’s small enough to put in your pocket, but the Bluetooth capability is rather crude/convoluted to say the least. Panasonic make a wide range of these ‘compact’ cameras with perhaps (?) better comms tech, but to me they feel relatively cheap and don’t have the quality of construction that Sony offers, although, to be fair they are generally cheaper than a near equivalent Sony model.

if you don’t want such a small and perhaps slightly fiddly camera then you could look at mirrorless models from the likes of Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony, etc. You could probably get by with a single compact zoom lens on one of these. The image quality would be very good but the camera/lens combination wouldn’t fit in your pocket.

As mentioned above, the best reviews can be found on the Digital Photography Review website
 
AndrewG said:
if you don’t want such a small and perhaps slightly fiddly camera then you could look at mirrorless models from the likes of Nikon, Fujifilm, Sony, etc. You could probably get by with a single compact zoom lens on one of these. The image quality would be very good but the camera/lens combination wouldn’t fit in your pocket.
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I've got one of the Olympus mirrorless M4/3 cameras and that actually will go into a pocket (or pockets!) as the EVF can be removed and it's very slim without a lens on. It's still bigger and heavier than the RX100 though and I'm not convinced it's noticeably ahead on image quality either. It's also very noticeable that the Olympus hasn't been used at all since I got the RX100.
 
Sony RX100 Mk3 user here. I got rid of my Sony DSLR - it was too big to carry around. The later versions of the RX100 have a few extra wizzbangs but are expensive the Mk3 has a tiltable screen for selfies and a viewfinder which makes all the difference in high ambient light settings. It's ideal for me as it fits in my pocket and has what the Mk1 doesn't. If you are looking for high quality happy snappy without carrying loads of stuff you will find this difficult to beat because the Mk3 is on the way out and priced well.
 
Sloop John B said:
As time progresses using my iPhone more and more for all photos.

So I'd like a decent camera, I'm not sure whether I need one that can change lenses or not, I'm open to either. I do know I'd like it to have the connectivity and features of an iPhone. So geotagging and the ability to send the picture off in a whatsapp without getting into cables etc.

.sjb
Click to expand...

Why carry around a camera when you have an iPhone that does everything you want? The iPhone is a decent camera. I'm continually amazed at the results people get with their iPhones.
 
tyrant said:
Why carry around a camera when you have an iPhone that does everything you want? The iPhone is a decent camera. I'm continually amazed at the results people get with their iPhones.
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Personally cos it's not a PROPER camera and I'm old and set in my ways :)

Seriously - it just feels "wrong" in the hand
 
Biggest problem I found with using the camera on a phone is that they don't have a viewfinder, and its almost impossible to see the screen properly in outside daylight. I'd never get a camera without a viewfinder, but if someone put a viewfinder in a phone they might be onto something.
 
I got a Lumix GX9 with 20 megapixels and the Leica 12 - 60 zoom lens last year and its superb! the lens is equivalent to a 24 - 120 in film camera terms and covers most eventualities. It connects wirelessly to my iPhone so no problems there and its very easy to use with great pictures.

The alternative camera style is Bridge cameras with a fixed lens which are fine, I wouldn't bother with the point and shoot jobs as the iPhone camera is just as good most of time.
 
alanbeeb said:
I'd never get a camera without a viewfinder,
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My thoughts exactly. The screen on the back of the camera has lots of uses. However I am long sighted so composing without a viewfinder is problematic even with my varifocals. On a tripod, the back screen is much more useful. Even the tiny viewfinder on my Panasonic Lumix LF1 was better than nothing IMO.

Having spent my formative photographic years with film cameras I can't get used to holding a camera away from my eye. I know I hold the camera much more steadily when holding it to my eye.
 
I was a keen amateur photographer for many years. My first serious camera was an FM2. My last was a Fuji X100. I can relate to the sentiment about liking the feel of a camera but for someone like the OP, who says he's not an avid photographer and wants a decent camera with the convenience of an IPhone for sharing pix and video... it's a no-brainer. I also have an RX100. Got the mk3 for the dinky fiddly pop-up viewfinder. Guess what, I almost never use the viewfinder. You'd miss half your shots trying to use it. I have no trouble using the screen on it in most conditions. You can also obviously crop etc in editing. The obsession with viewfinders and camera feel is a generation thing. If Cartier Bresson was alive today, he'd be shooting with an iPhone.
 
iPhones are quite amazing cameras. It has certainly killed any interest I have in carrying a compact digital camera.

I do like the experience of shooting with a finely crafted precision instrument, so I still shoot with old film cameras, but I accept that the quality of the pictures from the iphone will be technically superior. I also have a high end digital camera but I am mostly choosing to take the film cameras recently.
 
tyrant said:
Guess what, I almost never use the viewfinder. You'd miss half your shots trying to use it.
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I don't see how as the camera turns on when you pop up the viewfinder so it's no slower taking a shot with the viewfinder than it is with the screen.

As for the "obesssion" with viewfinders I agree it is age related - but more to do with a need for reading glasses when using the screen in my case (and most cases described above). Also screens are shite in bright sunlight.

I agree the cameras in phones are very impressive now and if that's all you need for your snapshots then they're a reasonable option. It's the tiny lenses and lesser low light performance (due to the tiny lenses) that means that while I use a phone camera a fair bit, I use proper cameras more.
 
SteveG said:
As for the "obesssion" with viewfinders I agree it is age related - but more to do with a need for reading glasses when using the screen in my case (and most cases described above). Also screens are shite in bright sunlight.
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Totally - I can't see anything clearly if its closer to me than 1.2m, but at distance I'm 20/20. So I simply cannot read or see anything properly on an LCD screen unless I have my glasses on, but then I can't see the subject properly with my glasses on!
So I absolutely need a viewfinder with adjustment.
 
Sloop John B said:

Maybe I need to play with it more but I suppose I was initially thinking of a more traditional style bigger camera it my opening post. But then again it might just become an expensive mistake.


.sjb
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like hifi, if you chose judiciously, you can limit the risk. I've had good experiences buying and selling second-hand thru Wex as well as thru a local camera shop. Fuji also sell refurbished X-series kit, which can be easy to sell on.
 
tyrant said:
like hifi, if you chose judiciously, you can limit the risk. I've had good experiences buying and selling second-hand thru Wex as well as thru a local camera shop. Fuji also sell refurbished X-series kit, which can be easy to sell on.
Click to expand...

Wex = excellent, no qualms at all - they even wrote back to me saying that my assessment of my own gear was too negative. I haven't bought or sold anything recently though.
 
Sloop John B said:
What I have is the Lumix DMC TZ30.

https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs20-tz30-review


How much have digital cameras advanced since 2013?

Maybe I need to play with it more but I suppose I was initially thinking of a more traditional style bigger camera it my opening post. But then again it might just become an expensive mistake.


.sjb
Click to expand...
Advanced? Yes I think sensor performance and connectivity are now much better, and most offer decent film recording too. The Panasonic you have can be bettered quite easily now. I'd guess a new iPhone will take 'better' pics and be far more convenient, so I'd approach this from a different angle IIWMe.

Size: That Panny is small and light. If you still want that small and that light then you are looking at compacts again, all with built in (restricted range) zooms. As discussed above, the Sony is king of that pile but no longer easily the king. I, for example wanted a slightly different set of stuff and went instead for a Canon G5X Mk2. Has all you ask for. But for me, it's still not quite a 'proper' camera.

Lens range: The next thought might be a super zoom. Bridge cameras, as they were known use the same 1" sensor that the compacts above use, but in a full size body, with a 'proper' viewfinder and a HUGE zoom stuck on the front. Quality is stunning if you pay for something like Sony's RX10 4, but they are heavy and bulky. Still, a zoom range of 24-600, justifies that for many. After all, that zoom range would need 3 separate zooms and an SLR or mirrorless body...add that lot up in weight and cost!

That 'camera' feeling :Avenue three would be a walk around mirrorless. My choice I think. It's a proper camera and you can choose between something like the old Lieca viewfinder style (Fuji's X100 series...the 'F' might be a sensible price now) or something with separate lenses, when ofc the choice is vast. However despite Olympus' recent selling off, I'd still advocate one. If you like small, the OM 10 mk 111 is a very very good price now, has a bigger 4/3rds sensor, superb colour rendition, a proper viewfinder, is well built, has excellent sharp lenses (and esp since the two 'budget' kit lenses, taking you from 24-300 just happen to be sharp as anything for hardly any money). The new Mk4 has 'better' connectivity so you may want to pay for that.

I post three pics below.
1 is from a panasonic compact I owned like yours in 2012...same sensor.
2 is the canon G5x and 3 is from my old Olympus OM 10 mk2.
Hope this helps.


P1000252 by John Dutfield, on Flickr




wall 3 by John Dutfield, on Flickr


winter woolies by John Dutfield, on Flickr
 
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