682 replies to this topic

[stonefre]

I'm sticking with my Canon S95 until I lose it or it breaks. It is small and does everything I need it to do. I'm not a photographer but I have gotten lucky enough on a few shots where I've been asked if one of my photos was done by a professional. I think that had a lot to do with the lighting in room at the Nana Ibis.

[petesie]

I'm budgeting meself at the moment, my X10 is up for sale if I want the RX100.

I fancy the full framed Nikon DSLR too though my D300s will have to go and a few other things, I'm hoping at Photokina Nikon will unveil an entry level full frame D600.

I've also an eye for a Thai trip too...bugga!

[petesie]

Well the D600 did come out and I've had a wee play already and decided it was a bit plasticky with an unjustifiable 2k UK price tag...just say no!

Kai reviews it here;



You can pick up the D800 for exactly the same price at Dixons LHR.

[kendal1972]

Well the D600 did come out and I've had a wee play already and decided it was a bit plasticky with an unjustifiable 2k UK price tag...just say no!

Kai reviews it here;



You can pick up the D800 for exactly the same price at Dixons LHR.

I'm not that impressed with the prices at Dixons LHR, can get just about everything cheaper elsewhere!

Lenses Lenses Lenses
having just got back from my 3 week stint in LOS i couldn't help but notice how much cheaper some of the canon lenses on my list are, the 70-200 f2.8l is ii for instance worked out about £1400 a full £450 cheaper than anywhere i've seen in the uk!
I need to start saving!
don't have to many lenses on my list just the 17-40 f4, 70-200 f2.8l, 24-70 f2.8, 100f2.8 macro, and 50 f1.4l and if i ever win the lotto the rocket launcher sigma 200-500 f2.8

[petesie]

Just the odd half dozen then...

My Nikon V1 outfit has now gone so I just need my D300s to fly out the door and I'm in the market for the D800.

This hobby doesn't get any cheaper, does it?

[kendal1972]

Just the odd half dozen then...

My Nikon V1 outfit has now gone so I just need my D300s to fly out the door and I'm in the market for the D800.

This hobby doesn't get any cheaper, does it?

funny you should say that, my dad warned me that having photography as a hobby will eat my money...how right he is!
I didn't dare take my 5d with me for this last trip as insurance wouldn't cover it, it seems when you get into the realms of pro camera's you gotta start looking at dedicated insurance! i priced it up at around £20 a month ffs
i still need to buy a decent tripod that can travel aswell as a bunch of nd/nd grads oh and then theres the big 10 stop filter i need to buy and a new camera bag as my old one wont hold my 5d and it's lenses...the list never ends.

[petesie]

A carbon fibre tripod is good weight wise though still bulky even in yer suitcase. I carry my gear onboard for protection and limit my lenses and have a filter on each of them just in case. I only bring a small flash though have yet to use it.

Add in the compact for about town and laptop that's half your baggage allowance swallowed up.

If I'm only going for a monger I usually forget all of the above.

[kendal1972]

A carbon fibre tripod is good weight wise though still bulky even in yer suitcase. I carry my gear onboard for protection and limit my lenses and have a filter on each of them just in case. I only bring a small flash though have yet to use it.

Add in the compact for about town and laptop that's half your baggage allowance swallowed up.

If I'm only going for a monger I usually forget all of the above.

i did look at the benro travel angel as it's alledgedly quite good but i wont be buying anything anytime soon!
i did out of curiosity put my camera, 2 lenses, flash, compact, and laptop in my carry bag and it tipped the scales at 5kg...more than half the carry on allowance!!!
maybe i should just find a job over there,wouldn't have the trouble of weight limits and long flights with screaming kids and old geezers emptying their pants in the seat

[Brianne]

do a fair amount of travelling and with the 5d and lenses + laptop my carry on is often heavier than my check in

bought the Olympus OMD and used that on my last trip.
with the 14mm. 20mm and the 45 it fits in a a very small bag
the quality at low light levels is excellent and didn't even bother running through dfine.

now at the stage where i am about to offload the 5d as it is way too heavy
as i am not doing it commercially its just an indulgence, as weel as a pain in the back.

but then again?

[kendal1972]

do a fair amount of travelling and with the 5d and lenses + laptop my carry on is often heavier than my check in

bought the Olympus OMD and used that on my last trip.
with the 14mm. 20mm and the 45 it fits in a a very small bag
the quality at low light levels is excellent and didn't even bother running through dfine.

now at the stage where i am about to offload the 5d as it is way too heavy
as i am not doing it commercially its just an indulgence, as weel as a pain in the back.

but then again?

must admit i like olympus cameras but they don't seem to have a massive rangeof lenses.
with the size of my bag which is just within the size limitations i struggled to get my sigma 120-400 inside...it's just so damned huge!

[petesie]

A colleague has just off-loaded all his Nikon DSLR and lenses and switched to the OMD.

I had a good play with it and liked the weight, or lack of, and the flexibility, quality and ease of use.

I didn't like his hotch potch of lenses though; the kit lens was fine but the rest seemed like a mis-match of this that & the other.

[Von Zest]

do a fair amount of travelling and with the 5d and lenses + laptop my carry on is often heavier than my check in

bought the Olympus OMD and used that on my last trip.
with the 14mm. 20mm and the 45 it fits in a a very small bag
the quality at low light levels is excellent and didn't even bother running through dfine.

now at the stage where i am about to offload the 5d as it is way too heavy
as i am not doing it commercially its just an indulgence, as weel as a pain in the back.

but then again?

must admit i like olympus cameras but they don't seem to have a massive rangeof lenses.
with the size of my bag which is just within the size limitations i struggled to get my sigma 120-400 inside...it's just so damned huge!

Sorry to jump in ... its been a while... i shoot stuff, and never use flash

Huh? Oly 17 1.8, Pana Leica 25 1.4 and 45 1.8 gives you 35-50-90 FF equivalent, all primes, all fast (well for the sensor size that is x2) and all are well built and small... what else ya need?

I dont like the sensor on Oly nor its low light performance, beyond 1600 its pretty shit, but other then that loved testing the OMD, its such a great and fun camera. And I like a little grain in my shots, so that says enough. I shot this beautiful image on a hill top with Phuket Town in the background, 9PM-ish, 45 1.8, wide open, so you can imagine the bokeh (even at 3.2 @ 90mm), it was stunning, ofc also the model, but the ISO3200 really let me down and could only really use the shot at say 800px which is too small. Oh yeah this 5-axis thingymadoodle is awesome, really nice innovation and allows for low shutter speed at low light, but not enough, not even wide open, need to crank up the ISO to get proper exposure and thats too much to ask beyond 1600-ish ISO which alread is pretty heavy on grain also.



Was playing around with the RX100 now that's impressive, for the sensor and f-limits its bound by, it impressed me much more then the OMD to be honest (and it loved that one), check out the blunty3000 youtube review, fun dude also. No wonder Times magazine voted it one of the top 100 innovations of 2012 (as only camera in that list). Like the sound of the RX1, impressive for fitting the FF sensor in a tiny body but the 35mm 2 i dont like, i like shooting 50 1.4



Finally I loved playing around with the X-pro 1 (with firmware 2.0), and am considering the sexy one (the same only more compact and no pretending to be like a rangefinder but not being one OVF, which is nice), its the perfect camera for still images, its usability is spot on for photographers, iso performance is off the chart (best I have seen), sensor is magic, and the 35mm 1.4 (50 equivalent) is as sharp as a Lieca 50 Cron and as bokehliscious as the Lux. Also check out the Mitakon (voigtlander) 35 0.95 MF, very nice. Also have a look at the lens roadmap, early 2013 you'll get 35-50-90 equivalent all 1.4! On top of that Fuji with is firmware updates is in continuous listen mode and does a great job at incremental improvements through firmware most notably AF speed and MF usability. Only things I dont like is that FF was possible. also there is still no 100% Adobe Raw support, but they'll get there, only for the pixel fuckers relevant point. Anyway, I am fan and seriously considering replacing my M9-P 50 lux with this new set up, about 25-30%% of the total investment and according to Ken Rockwell, who ofc we all believe, lol, has better performance then my current gear. Check out his review of XE-1 and 35 mm 1.4 (mind you he's a landscape shooter), for portraits the 35mm may be too hard, the Mitakon will work wonders in that regard.

http://www.kenrockwe...m/fuji/x-e1.htm

Anyway just thought I'd share some thoughts triggered by the quoted post based on past few months playing around with different gear, that's what I seem to like doing.

Ps I tested the D600 + 50 1.4 the for a long weekend and sure like it but i just dont like the usability of DSLRs anymore (had a 5D and 5D II in the past) too bulky, too bleh, too much, and really not noticeable, differentiating, etc differences in IQ unless you shoot poster size. All three above and other mirrorless will get you equal quality as long as you know what you are doing. And chosing the D800 over the D600 is just pretentious, really no reason to do so unless you're shooting for dough. I am also not too impressed with Nikon glass to be honest, although didnt try the 85 1.4 that's supposed to be good.

Pps: -rant- if you dont get my post, than why ya talking gear? Get yourself a cheapo entry level mirror less or DSLR, get some good glass and shoot, in manual, till you know how a camera works, how glass works, dont waste your time and money on gear, get an entry cam, spend more on ya glass, and shoot, and then shoot some more, and when you get it, and consider your shooting style and the type of shots you take you'll have the answer as what gear you need -end rant (with apologies)-