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'Compact System Cameras'.. or...... ?

you should be fine with that IIRC, all have diopter adjustment and/or decent eye relief.

The sony is genuinely 'pocketable'. It has the best IQ of any camera that can really claim that practicality, but if you go bigger you can indeed buy different features and a larger image sensor.
 
I am an OVF/EVF-only user and I wear glasses so I need them to be big.
The A6000/E-M5mkI is just about fit for purpose but I'm much happier with the larger EVF of the X-T1.
For my needs, the RX100 EVF is just too small.
 
mull.

i recently purchased a sony alpha 6000 for reasons of lightness, compactness and image quality. it is not "pocketable", unless you wear rapper trousers, but i always have some sort of pack/bag with me, so not a problem.

test shots in this thread:
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/sony-alpha-6000-test-photos.213362/

i don't normally approve of zoom lenses, but this one is acceptable. it should not be a primary camera for planned/serious shooting, but is perfect for carrying around and not worrying about (weight / theft / damage).
 
It's an interesting viewpoint. But the trouble is what do you do with a bag when you are somewhere? I'm always afraid of leaving it..
 
Here's an unedited, 'casual' portrait taken with my 450D with a Canon 50mm f1.8 prime. I think it may benefit from cropping and I'm open to any criticism, ( maybe closer focus on the eyes) but, if I can get anything like this with a compact I'll be happy.

011 by
 
for starters, don't carry a charger in your camera bag! if you're travelling, that belongs in your duffel or suitcase. If carry a small (er) bag that forces you to make decisions about what you carry before you leave, you'll travel light and shoot more readily. The most I carry is two bodies, two pro zooms and a 50mm; if I'm going to carry flash, I have to drop a lens or body. More usually, it's just one body, a lens or two, and a filter pouch for two pol filters.

Keep on with your quest, Mull. It seems to me you're asking the right questions. :)
 
Mullardman said:
Here's an unedited, 'casual' portrait taken with my 450D with a Canon 50mm f1.8 prime. I think it may benefit from cropping and I'm open to any criticism, ( maybe closer focus on the eyes) but, if I can get anything like this with a compact I'll be happy.

011 by
Click to expand...

lovely pic. That's a very canon colour set (obviously) but the Canon colour engine does suit portraits.
Two points. The bokeh in the background is down to the aperture of that lens. f1.8 (and I'm guessing it was close to that for a low light indoor portrait) is the only way to get that effect. Compact zoom lenses whose max aperture is say f4 or f5.6 will never do this, so you need to check how much you need/love those out of focus areas. It MIGHT rule out compact cameras entirely, but I've not checked this.
The sharpness is down to the size of your sensor and the 50mm prime lens, both being about as good as it gets without semi pro kit or zeiss lenses etc. You won't equal that with a compact, but a large sensor compact is the closest you can come. This ofc means a bulkier camera, and probably not truely pocketable. IMO your list now has a lens with a max aperture of F1.8 /f2 or larger, and a sensor either four thirds in size or larger.
I'd probably say 4/3rds is the way to go and Panasonic are kings of that sector, along with Olympus.

Go back to DPR, go to the Cameras section and scroll down to camera features search.
Under 'sensor' just tick 4/3rds and see the list. On that basis the new Panasonic GX 9 looks good, but at that bulk, Fuji's also return to the equation ofc, and they are APS-C sensors.
I never use a bag. A shoulder strap, a light camera and two lenses (one goes in a pocket) are ok for me, esp since Olympus' tiny wide zoom fits anywhere, so the long zoom stays on the camera.
 
Mullardman said:
It's an interesting viewpoint. But the trouble is what do you do with a bag when you are somewhere? I'm always afraid of leaving it..
Click to expand...

1st world problems.

you could wear it on a strap, around neck or wrist (i prefer the latter these days).

as for cropping -- it would mean you failed to frame the shot properly. i this case, i think the framing is fine. the bokeh is a little meh, however.
 
vuk said:
what total bollocks. unless, of course, you are talking about "camera club photography".
Click to expand...
I never quite know how to reply to that kind of post. I guess you are having a shit day. Maybe best to be less rude if you can?
Canon’s native colour profile is slightly warmer than Nikon’s or Fuji’s base. My feeling is that these warm well saturated tones suit skin tones well.
I think that is reflected in a number of exhibitions that I have visited, where Canon users are often quite recognisable. Its an opinion. Remember those?
 
I ought to mention that I only found the shot I posted above hidden away in my photo folders. I'd almost forgotten taking it. It was taken in a pub over lunch with the subject and other members of another ( non hi-fi) forum. I dug the shot out because sadly, the subject passed away a couple of days ago. He was a very decent chap.
 
Rockmeister said:
My feeling is that these warm well saturated tones suit skin tones well.
Click to expand...

or they could enhance redness/blotchiness.

my main objection, however, was the camera club notion of portraits. hadn't we covered/dismissed all that about 2 decades ago in the previous incarnation of this forum?

the big photographic question mull has to ask himself is if he would hang a big print of that picture in his living room.
 
I don't belong to a camera club, and haven't defined portraits. Nor was I here 2 decades ago so I've no idea.
I do have a photo degree, and have taught the subject for 30 0dd years, but my pics have rarely won prizes so I am still learning.

I'll step out now, since you have all the right questions and answers.
 
vuk said:
to be fair, it's probably high ISO digital noise that's mucking things up.
Click to expand...

To be fair, it could well be. For some reason, I shot it at ISO1600 and 1 800th. No idea why but as I said, a casual shot so I'd problably set the ISO for other shots and not been awake when I took this one. Even I can hold a camera steady down to about 1 30th.

Link to the full horror of the EXIF data fo the geeks : https://www.flickr.com/photos/136033576@N07/28613866900/in/dateposted-public/

Mull
 
Rico said:
for starters, don't carry a charger in your camera bag! if you're travelling, that belongs in your duffel or suitcase. If carry a small (er) bag that forces you to make decisions about what you carry before you leave, you'll travel light and shoot more readily. The most I carry is two bodies, two pro zooms and a 50mm; if I'm going to carry flash, I have to drop a lens or body. More usually, it's just one body, a lens or two, and a filter pouch for two pol filters.

Keep on with your quest, Mull. It seems to me you're asking the right questions. :)
Click to expand...

I've gone a step further and currently carry along one body, one wide-normal prime, a lenspen and a spare battery. I may have missed a few nice photos but using a single fixed lens exclusively is an interesting challenge.
 
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