Street Photography Camera
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- 23kon
All QBN photographers & esp Hombre_Lobo the "qbn camera answers man"
I'm looking for a replacement camera to my Ricoh GX100 and would appreciate any feedback about my shortlist, esp if you have these cameras or have testied/tried them.
I got the GX100 a few years ago after selling all my Lomo LC-A+(Plus Wide Angle Lens), Holga and other retro cameras. These cameras made me fall in love with photography all over again as it was fun and experimental again rather than being clinical and digital.
I chose the GX100 over the GRD because it had the zoom lens. Something that's handy for getting closer to things up high. I love VERY wide angle street photography so I use the GX a lot with the lens hood adaptor, 43-46mm step up ring and a Nikon WC-E68 lens. This means that im carting about a tiny camera but with a big hefty lens on the front most of the time.WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A CAMERA:
- Small size (Both camera and lens - the smaller the bulk, the more likely i'm likely to take my camera out with me)
- Fun (Not too much faffing around too)
- Image quality (Both high and low iso's)
- Possibility of v.wide or fisheye lenses (would be on most of the time)
- quite discreet for shooting on the sly
- zoom/telephoto lens(es)THE SHORTLIST
Fujifilm X10
Not the smallest of cameras but thinner than others with lenses when camera is off. I've seen people with filters screwed into the front so I wonder if I could get step ups from 40.5-46mm and use my Nikon lens for this when I want to take very wide stuff.
Not a huge sensor but it gives great results from what ive seen on flickr and review tests.
Seen it described as a P+S camera that pro's have been wishing for years to happen.
To turn on you twist the lens which cuts out having to click a button to turn on then think about taking the photo.Pentax Q
With this camera I think people "get it" or they just "dont get it" and will probably slate it. I love how fun this camera seems whilst still knocking out decent quality pics even at high iso's! Size is tiny - although with some of the lenses on it, it becomes a chunkier thicker thing.
Lots of filters/effects/settings you can set to quick dial on front. Decent selection of lenses for high quality or fun shooting.
Kinda pricey for the spec on paper.This guy does a great review and think he feels the same about this camera as I do. We "get it"
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 + 14-42mm X Lens
Kinda chunky body but coupled with the X lens doesnt give such a huge bulk. VERY high quality 16mp! Could buy a fisheye/wide lens to carry around when shooting.Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF3 + 14-42mm X Lens
A lot smaller than the GX1, only 12MP though. With the X series lens it isnt a bulk.
- pango0
fuji x10 has my money.
or x100 if you got the money.
- pauli0
Ill teach you a little trick
If you wanna know what camera to use, go to the photographers whose photos you like, and download their photos.
Then upload these photos to an image compositor, like Aperture, or
Lightroom. The metadata of the entire photo will pop up - the lens, the speed, the camera, everything!!! Just figure witch photos you like and why then choose accordingly.- Flickr usually has the info in the right-hand column.Jaline
- yes, but good luck in finding a “great” photographer on Flickr.pauli
- pauli failedjadrian_uk
- pauli0
Also, believe it or not tumblr holds all metadata for photos.
- craigatkinson0
Ricoh GRD4 - no zoom but an amazing camera. A little more discreet than the one above. I like the challenge of getting up to someones face without getting mine panned in - zooming's for wimps!
- "zooming's for wimps"! Fucking hysterical. That's made my morning!goldieboy
- cruddlebub0
iphones are good for that!
joking....
- which model is that?sine
- Lumix with the vanity caseJosev
- D-LUX 5monospaced
- i have this and i love itkinkyform
- vaxorcist0
Fuji x10 for me if I were looking.... the zoom ring is great and the shutter response is silky.... and if I want interchangeable lenses I have a couple of nikon dslrs.....
For dusty places I want a non interchangeable lens camera
Knowing I wont have any chance of dust on the sensor os nice. And the flash shoe means I can use it as a backup in the coat pocket if I really need it..... or do some bounce flash street portraiture at dusk with an orange gel on the old manual flashes
- monospaced0
Lumix lx-5 might be a good choice for you. It's pretty damn small and can be tossed into the bottom of a thin bag even with a padded case on it. It's got a great fast (2.0-3.3) Leica lens and has great performance across the ISO range, performing really well in low light. It is also really wide, so it might satisfy your street needs as well. The sensor its best in class, as is the image stabilization, so the images end up sharp and accurate. The lens is not interchangeable, but there are some cheap adaptor kits. It's actually the same as that Leica a couple posts up, but a fraction of the cost. I got one recently and love it, so I wanted to throw it out there for your consideration. Later.
- fisheye and telephoto kits are widely available, for cheapmonospaced
- but, you can't exactly have discreet when you're carrying around a telephoto capable cameramonospaced
- monospaced0
That X10 is sick though! Wow, it's like the LX5 I got, but better. It costs more, but it might be worth it in the end. I wonder if there's a comparison review...
- 23kon0
Desmo, the new GR is good spec but im looking for something with a slimmer profile when a wide angle lens is attached as that's what id be shooting with most of the time. This would in effect be the same size as my GX100 with the Nikon lens. Makes a pocketable camera kinda unpocketable.
The X10 has good reviews for its quality but a lot of people dont like the controls.
The G1 is tempting but its maybe too "pro" for what i'm wanting.
The Q is still very tempting for its small and fun value and I could see me taking it everywhere with me. The folk who've not experienced this camera seem to judge it by the specs on paper whereas most who have used and reviewed loved it and were very surprised at the outcome.
Still on the fence. I guess I need to go into the shop again (they must be getting annoyed with me) and play with the cameras some more ;)
- fooler0
I got the FujiX10 and love it. It is bigger than a "point and shoot". I might have got the Pentax Q with a smaller lens if I wanted something I could put in my pocket. Although the Q is so small it almost looks like a novelty spy camera.
- 23kon0
Fooler, thanks for the info. So you rate the usability and the output quality of the FujiX10 then?
It is a larger camera than my GX100 and even if I can put a wide angle lens on the end (which i've read is possible) it'd be just as big n bulky as the GX with lens. So, opting for this camera would just be more of a megapixel and quality upgrade from the GX rather than a downsizing plus it'd be nice to have a change.
Without a lens attachment however, when the lens is "in" when camera is off it's still pocketable, isn't it? (how have you found it?)
I will admit to giving a "wow" to the salesman when I held the X10, it just felt RIGHT! Cracking screen too - very sharp and crisp and I do like the twist-lens-to-turn-on as it quickens the process of taking shots.A thing I love about the Q is the dial (4 quick settings) on the front to quickly change modes - a lot of other cameras only offer two or to change effect modes you need to start venturing into the menu system. I could see me using this a lot.
I think these two (the Q moreso) being much more "fun" cameras (but still with great output quality) than the other choices and for that reason are what i'm drawn more towards as that's what I find yields my most creativity when shooting.
The GX1 is a lot more of a "serious" camera and with a couple of good lenses would be a setup that i'd maybe be apprehensive about taking with me everywhere - plus a lot more bulk too.
This serious camera comes with much higher resolution than the others, much more professional results - which is attractive but not a MUST as I would rarely be blowing stuff up huge.
Anyway most cameras on the market these days even down at compact level should still wield good enough results when blowing up to A4 and if you are lucky A3.The GF3 kind of sits between being both a "fun" and "serious" camera. It looks curvy like a point and shoot but im not shallow or vain enough to be concerned about that. A lot of reviews have said this is an enjoyable camera to shoot with. Its got a lot more control over the camera than compacts which means you can get into lenses and get that bit more serious about things.
The down point of this camera for me is that it wont take the X series 14-42 so when switched off is still a bulk with camera width and lens length. Although i'd maybe get a pancake wide and that'd be on the camera most of the time whilst the 14-42 would be in my pocket for long distance/zoom stuff.Sorry if thats been a bit of a rant and it might not interest you but its been a good therapy session for me getting those views down.
I think im going to do some research into the comparison of the X10 with the GF3 with regards to image quality and look into lens options for the latter to make it pocketable with a wide lens on.
- ok_not_ok0
Hey sexy
- craigatkinson0
the canon gx is out soon - someone may have mentioned already?
http://www.canonrumors.com/2012/…
- 23kon0
Guy at camera shop mentioned that Canon and Ricoh would be announcing/releasing this year but other than that there wont be many more changes.
I've actually got a new camera to throw into the mix as its been getting excellent reviews, the price is good too.
Sony Alpha NEX-5N 16mm + 18-55mm
At Jacobs just now it's £599 for the two lens kit!
Plus you can get a Fisheye & Ultra Wide Convertor Lens to go onto the 16mm (pancakeish) lens. THese are around £100 each.
Which means a pretty damn compact camera at 16mp!
- Ghostschool0
I'd recommend the sony nex5n its got the same sensor as some dslrs and is amazing in really low light. One thing though the 18-55 lens is quite big if you're used to the ricoh. The pancake 16m is good but I haven't quite got the hang of it, its an odd size to shoot with.
I tried the panasonic G3 with the kit lens and the 20m, the 20m lens is really good fun to use. I hope sony do an equivalent. There aren't many sony lenses but you can get adaptors to use legacy lenses no problem.
I had the panasonic lx3 which I used for street photography setting it up for how I liked to use it. So it becomes second nature. I'm still at the stage where there's a delay in taking photos with the sony. Its a cracking camera though.
- the sony is kinda ugly tooGhostschool
- I think the sony looks coolmonospaced
- yeah feels nice - the pop out screen is good for video mode :]vivid
- Ghostschool0
One thing I forgot to mention, if your used to Ricoh with easy access mechanical dials a lot of the Sony ones are a bit deeper down in the touch screen controls. I wish there were simple separate dials for film speed and aperture.
That panasonic 14-42 lens looks amazing.
- 23kon0
Cheers Ghostschool, yeah i'm going to go into shop and have a play with the sony to see how i like the menu's and quick shortcuts to settings. It's definitely the favourite at the moment for price&performance.
I'd be getting it with the 16mm and ultrawide/fisheye convertor and would probably have this on the camera most of the time.The sony is head n shoulders above all but the GX1 for image quality.
The Pentax Q is still in the running as something fun and take everywhere though. I keep wondering if the outputs aren't going to be good enough quality to use seriously but I keep reading folks great feedback on the images, especially the colours and its great at high iso's too.
- I've seen 8x10 print with no post.
it looks decent.pango
- I've seen 8x10 print with no post.
