My Nikon CP 8800 went south recently and NikonUSA's estimate is $176 to repair it.I can't see putting that in a 5 year old camera ,since the new offerings from all makers clearly exceeds it's specs.I don't want a SLR.
There are several that have an outrageus optical zoom factor, up to 30X.
Any recommends ,based on something you may have bought within the last year at the most?
New Camera
Re: New Camera
Optics are all about compromises.
X30 optical will be a ****** zoom, I don't even need to check it out as the only way to have a x30 zoom ratio and maintain quality would be to have a 10Kg lens that would cost $100K.
There are 4 factors to optics:
Overall Image Quality
Price
Comfort (size and weight)
Comfort (zoom ratio)
I normally use fast (f/1.4 or f/1.8 ) primes (fixed zoom) lenses that excel in first 3 factors but require me to "zoom with my legs". I got used to it by now and I will never go back to zoom lens not to mention a compact system.
Now that we are done with the optics we should talk about the sensor.
A typical SLR sensor would be HUGE compared to the compact sensors (see the diagram here), the image difference is overwhelming, I can shoot ANYTIME without flash whatsoever, I am talking about shooting an entire live gig without using a flash to destroy that great atmosphere you have in a gig:
Low light scenario:
I can quickly change lens and use a fisheye for a nice effect:
(You might recognize our friend Mark Lazare, he plays bass with RockFour here in Israel).
My cousin just bought Canon 5D mkII after laughing at me for "schelping" so much equipment all over while he uses his tiny cameras. He now says he'll never, ever go back to compact cameras.
If you absolutely don't want an SLR I would suggest trying a micro four thirds system which is a mirrorless small sensor SLR. The camera is a bit smaller and optics are MUCH smaller.
X30 optical will be a ****** zoom, I don't even need to check it out as the only way to have a x30 zoom ratio and maintain quality would be to have a 10Kg lens that would cost $100K.
There are 4 factors to optics:
Overall Image Quality
Price
Comfort (size and weight)
Comfort (zoom ratio)
I normally use fast (f/1.4 or f/1.8 ) primes (fixed zoom) lenses that excel in first 3 factors but require me to "zoom with my legs". I got used to it by now and I will never go back to zoom lens not to mention a compact system.
Now that we are done with the optics we should talk about the sensor.
A typical SLR sensor would be HUGE compared to the compact sensors (see the diagram here), the image difference is overwhelming, I can shoot ANYTIME without flash whatsoever, I am talking about shooting an entire live gig without using a flash to destroy that great atmosphere you have in a gig:
Low light scenario:
I can quickly change lens and use a fisheye for a nice effect:
(You might recognize our friend Mark Lazare, he plays bass with RockFour here in Israel).
My cousin just bought Canon 5D mkII after laughing at me for "schelping" so much equipment all over while he uses his tiny cameras. He now says he'll never, ever go back to compact cameras.
If you absolutely don't want an SLR I would suggest trying a micro four thirds system which is a mirrorless small sensor SLR. The camera is a bit smaller and optics are MUCH smaller.
So long and thanks for all the fish!
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melibreits
- Senior Member
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Re: New Camera
I'm no expert on cameras, but last Christmas my husband got me a Kodak Zi8, and I love it. It takes nice clear pictures, and it also takes fantastic high-def videos. Before that I had a Sony camera that I wasn't happy with at all--it took lousy indoor pictures, and the videos were always too dark.
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jingle_jangle
- RRF Moderator
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Re: New Camera
I prefer older Cameras, like this one:
All my pics are taken with one of these:
It's an '05 SONY DSC-F717 5.0 MP with Zeiss zoom lens. I've tried many other digital cameras from several different manufacturers, and always come back to this one. I dreamed of owning a SONY top of the line ('07) DSC-F828, and when I got one I was sorely disappointed, and after a year of struggling with it sold it on.
The best part? These are going cheap on eBay. Look for one with an upgraded sensor or "factory rebuilt". I've got three of these right now, and they cost $140.00, $145.00, and $124.00 (most recent; a camera store display model with nearly no use).
The best part? These are going cheap on eBay. Look for one with an upgraded sensor or "factory rebuilt". I've got three of these right now, and they cost $140.00, $145.00, and $124.00 (most recent; a camera store display model with nearly no use).