[ptaneja]

Guys, need a bit of help. I am looping for a replacement camera for my smartphone/point and shoot - and need few pointers as to which of these is best ?

The primary objective is that it has to be light and easy to carry (not DSLR type bulky)

Canon G9X Digital Camera 20.2 MP
Sony Alpha A5000L 20.1MP Digital SLR Camera
Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100M2 20.2MP

Please help ! !

[sgiitk]

After dallying with rangefinder Digigal cameras i am planning to get an SLR. My options are Canon EOS1300D and Nikon D5300 bodies, with the respective 18-140 type of lens. In addition I may get a 35mm fixed lens.

Suggestions regarding which may be better, and whether 18-55mm and 55-150+mm lenses separately may be a better option.

My journey so far:

Zeiss Ikon Contina III 45/f2.8 range finder till 1973.
Nikkormat with 50/f1.4 and Vivitar 28mm/f2.8 till 1975.
Olympus OM1 with 35/f2, 75-150/f4, 24/f2.8 till say 2004. OM1 was replaced with OM2 at some point.
Canon S45 4MP digital, 2003 - 2008 or so.
Canon IS120 digital thereafter.

[sgiitk]

Finally got my camera - Nikon D5500 with 18-140/f3.5-5.6 and 34/f2 lenses. Delivered yesterday.Still getting to know it. I had a Nikkormat with 50/f1.4 and 28/f2.8 from 1973-75. Then I switched to Olympus OM1 (later OM2) with 35/f2, and 75-150/f4 to which I added a 24/f2.8 later. This I used from 1975 to 2006 when both bodies gave up the ghost. I had Canon S45 and then SX120 from 2003 to now (still have the latter).

Going back to SLR takes some getting used to. Adding to the fun Nikon mounting etc rotation is opposite to Olympus.

[reihem]

i went through the full circle, a point and shoot initially, then an entry level DSLR - the 1000D, then the 60D, ultimately the 5D MKII with the works (10-20, 24-70, 70-200, 200-400) in retrospect it was very irresponsible spending; it was only then that i realised i wasn't carrying my kit everywhere i wanted to because of the bulk and risks associated with damaging all those lenses, even if the body was pretty robust. Sold everything and moved to the Fuji X100. Never looked back !

As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you

[sgiitk]

@reihem; You have a good beastie. The aspherical tells me a lot. With me what will happen is that the 18-140 will become the workhorse, and the 35 kept at home almost all the time. I find my Canon 10x rangefinder quite adequate except for the Wide Angle shots. What prompted me to change is the age, over 6 years, so it was liable to pack up one of these days.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@reihem; You have a good beastie. The aspherical tells me a lot. With me what will happen is that the 18-140 will become the workhorse, and the 35 kept at home almost all the time. I find my Canon 10x rangefinder quite adequate except for the Wide Angle shots. What prompted me to change is the age, over 6 years, so it was liable to pack up one of these days.

Image quality of your D5500 will be significantly better than that of your Canon P&S, there is not comparison. Only time a P&S catches up is the 'good light + deep depth of field' situation.

18-140 is a very versatile lens.

Edit: Unless it is a premium compact or specialist mega zoom, I see little need to buy a small sensor digital camera, the IQ/price ratio is just not good enough compared to the DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. The smartphone cameras are ever improving, and adequate for many situations.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Image quality of your D5500 will be significantly better than that of your Canon P&S, there is not comparison. Only time a P&S catches up is the 'good light + deep depth of field' situation.

18-140 is a very versatile lens.

I know what is what playing around since at least 1965 with cameras. However, remember you need only 3MP or so for an A4 print. Where you gain is in the micro-contrast, and odd lighting, where ghosts are far better controlled.

18-140 is a good lens. I agree.

However, I had the option of a 18-55 plus 55-200 at a slightly lower cost. That is not a good option since the behavior of every zoom at the limits is not that good (esp. spherical distortions). Now 55 mm when the 1.52x fudge factor (Nikon, Canon is 1.60) is put in, is near enough a conventional 85mm on a full frame, which is considered ideal for portraiture.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I know what is what playing around since at least 1965 with cameras. However, remember you need only 3MP or so for an A4 print. Where you gain is in the micro-contrast, and odd lighting, where ghosts are far better controlled.

18-140 is a good lens. I agree.

However, I had the option of a 18-55 plus 55-200 at a slightly lower cost. That is not a good option since the behavior of every zoom at the limits is not that good (esp. spherical distortions). Now 55 mm when the 1.52x fudge factor (Nikon, Canon is 1.60) is put in, is near enough a conventional 85mm on a full frame, which is considered ideal for portraiture.

Not a matter of megapixels, but of larger sensor, significantly improved dynamic range, better colour depth and better AF.

Re lens choices: all a matter of what you shoot. Not sure what you meant by 55mm in the context of 18-55/55-200, since that focal length is covered by 18-140 as well as 18-55 or 55-200.

Some folks like shooting portraits with a shallow depth of field. With a slow lens, longer focal lengths can sometimes help. Or rent something like a 50mm f/1.8G (which will AF with your body), if you don't want to buy any more lenses in the short term.

Edit: Canon has a 1.6x crop factor, Nikon has a 1.5x crop factor

[Epic]

Waterproof Camera OR GoPro?

Hello guys,

I currently have the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V digital camera. It has 16.2 mega pixels CMOS Sensor, 10X optical zoom, full HD movie (1920 x 1080) to highlight a few features. This is however not waterproof. But I find it to be a good camera which produces good pics and has a pretty good zoom as well.

I am now planning a trip to Maldives in September 2016 and I realized that this destination known for its marine life will require a waterproof / underwater camera which my current camera is not.

I need advice on whether I should keep my current camera and as well buy another waterproof camera or a GoPro OR sell my current camera and buy a waterproof camera or GoPro?

Points to keep in mind:

- I would prefer an all-in-one camera instead of having two.
- I travel abroad once a year and the need for a waterproof camera has arose only because I will be visiting Maldives else I never thought of it. But would not want to be caught without one when needed.
- I do not mount the camera anywhere (never came across a situation) which is the speciality of the GoPro.

What do you guys recommend?

[sgiitk]

@Epic; Have you looked at the option of a waterproof housing for your camera. This will allow you to keep it, and also take care of the water issues. This should turn out cheaper as well.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@Epic; Have you looked at the option of a waterproof housing for your camera. This will allow you to keep it, and also take care of the water issues. This should turn out cheaper as well.

Oh wow this makes sense. Never knew this existed. Could you help me with details on where this is available.?

[procrj]

Originally Posted by Epic

Oh wow this makes sense. Never knew this existed. Could you help me with details on where this is available.?

Something like this could help but the problem is it becomes quiet difficult to access the controls. Check the reviews posted on amazon for such cases and the risk is that one small tear can ruin you equipment. Your other option is to buy something like a SJ5000 which comes with an underwater case and does a good job of taking pics & videos underwater. Not as expensive as the goPro but almost as good and great VFM.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by procrj

Something like this could help but the problem is it becomes quiet difficult to access the controls. Check the reviews posted on amazon for such cases and the risk is that one small tear can ruin you equipment. Your other option is to buy something like a SJ5000 which comes with an underwater case and does a good job of taking pics & videos underwater. Not as expensive as the goPro but almost as good and great VFM.

Thank you for the suggestions. However, the first link is a waterproof case for a DLSR camera which I do not have. The second link for the SJ5000 camera is a full waterproof camera but seems to be a chinese product which is a good option and will cost me around 8k. But this means that I will have two cameras out of which I may not be using the SJ5000 that often.

I however came across this -

http://www.amazon.in/DiCAPac-WP-570-...Dicapac+wp+570

This is a waterproof case for any camera. I also noticed that it is compatible with the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX7V which is exactly the camera model that I am currently using. I will check the reviews of this item online and then take a call. If all is good, it will be the perfect option for just 2.5k!!

[Epic]

Hello everyone,

So as discussed in the posts above, I had been contemplating on whether to buy a new waterproof digital camera OR a GoPro OR just buy a waterproof case for my current Sony Cybershot DSC HX7V as I did not want to have two cameras.

The situation has now become simpler as my staff were looking for a new camera to shoot festive celebrations or other events at work and so I decided to give them the Sony DSC HX7V instead and thought this is the perfect opportunity to buy myself a good camera.

Now the decision is between buying a Waterproof Camera OR a GoPro. As mentioned earlier, even though my wife and I holiday twice a year, we are not into adventure activities. Neither do we mount the camera for videos and stuff.

The only reason I am looking for a waterproof camera is because we will be visiting Maldives next month which would require us to take underwater shots. I do not anticipate requiring a waterproof camera again but do not want to be caught without one when required and so I want to treat this purchase as having a digital camera which can be used in any weather. With the GoPro - I have always been told by many that this is not an alternate for a camera.

I Googled a bit and found that the top 10 waterproof digital cameras of 2016 are:

1. Olympus Tough TG-860
2. Olympus Tough TG-4
3. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5
4. Nikon 1 AW1
5. Nikon Coolpix AW130
6. Olympus Tough TG-850
7. Canon PowerShot D30
8. Fujifilm FinePix XP80
9. 360fly Waterproof 360 Action Camera
10. Ricoh WG-5

I seen a lot of good reviews on the Olympus Tough cameras but I would be happy if anyone can help me with choosing a good camera. I do not have any knowledge of the technicals and specifications of a camera or what they mean.

[Epic]

So after a lot of research online, I finally took the plunge and got myself an 'all weather' digital camera - the Nikon AW 120. I found this to be a one time solution to the predicament I was in. I had initially shortlisted three cameras:

1. Olympus TG-4
2. Olympus TG-860
3. Nikon AW 130

Started calling almost half of the camera stores in Mumbai and none of them had stock of these cameras. Prices of these cameras online were ridiculously high; most listings were crossing 60k

I checked Ebay India and found the Nikon AW 120 which when compared with the Nikon AW 130; were identical. So took the cash on delivery option and got delivery yesterday. It was a perfect piece with 2 years Nikon warranty and so I was at peace.