Noob Question: Mid-Level Market Cameras
 

Hi Revscene,

I'm in the market for, what I think is called, a mid-level market camera. (Let me explain.)

I used to travel with a DSLR, but I did not enjoy lugging it around and spending the time trying to capture the "perfect" shot. I am not a die-hard photographer by any means. I enjoy the convenience of using a point and shoot - just fire it up, snap your photos, and away you go. But reality is, it doesn't offer many options.

So this leads me to something else - a mid-level camera that offers the best of both worlds. I understand they are slowly popping up on the market, but I don't have a lead or understand what the pros and cons are. I travel fast and I'm always on the go, so I want to take a picture, and get going to the next location. Time is of essence in most of my situations.

Any leads and personal experiences are appreciated. Thanks in advance! :)

what's your budget?

sounds like a sony rx100 mark ii is right up your alley
if you liked having the option of lenses then a fuji or sony mirrorless would be a good option.

Actually if you're shooting things outdoor during the day majority of the time, a good smartphone like the LG G4 does a fantastic job and pratically eliminates the need for a high-end P&S

full manual control, RAW, OIS
people were guessing that these sample pics were from $3000+ cameras haha

https://photographylife.com/mystery-...ess-what-it-is

I'm using a Nokia Lumia 830 which has a Carl Zeiss lens and the current firmware allows for a feature called rich capture.

I haven't had much time to play with manual mode to unleash its true potential but the phone is, more or less, considered "old" by many (it's been discontinued.) I'm currently taking pictures in JPEG (4:3 and 16:9) but it offers another format, DNG. Will DNG offer better results? Indoors, the phone is great. Nice, rich images. Outdoors and night shots are a mixed bag.

No budget in mind (yet) as I don't know what the market has to offer. But let's just say, I'm not prepared to drop down wads of cash on a DSLR with tri-pods, accessories, lenses etc. I believe a cousin of mine has a Sony RX100 - I'll follow up to check.

A lot of my shooting is done in both day and night. A majority of my travel this year have been to less-than-interesting cookie cutter cities, and mostly for work, but I will be doing more personal traveling next year in 2016.

I may be naive, but I do not like editing my photos (i.e. Photoshop, filters, Intsagram etc. I like them to be "as-is" as much as possible.) My Nokia Lumia 830 does a great job, but I feel that it can be better. :D

Fujifilm is known to deliver great out of camera colours...so i'd lean towards that if you don't wanna learn editing. I haven't looked at their pricing for a year now so I'm a bit out of the loop but quite a few members here have 'em so they can chime in.

Holga is what you need bcrdukes

Canon S110 / S120 or Sony RX100 M1 / M3 is what you're looking for, depending on the budget. They both have their pros/cons, but that should give u a direction to start researching more into.

The Canon G7X and G9X is another possibility. But I'm not too familiar with those models :P

I recall there being a Nikon equivalent of these cameras that was on sale, of all places, The Shopping Channel. I regret not picking it up. I hesitated after reading it against a comparison to a Leica and Panasonic. Now it isn't avaialble. :alone:

The discontinued Coolpix A? It's an awesome camera, but it's not for everyone as it's a fixed prime lens.

Nikon COOLPIX A

Nikon Coolpix A camera listed as discontinued in Japan, you can still get it refurbished for $299 | Nikon Rumors

I think that might have been it, but the one listed on The Shopping Channel was brand new, not refurbished.

Not a bad price, but with the exchange rate, I'm sure there are better and newer options out there. The Nikon 1 J5 seems to fit the bill. I'll have to see them in store.

I recently aquired a Fuji XT10 and have been blown away with the IQ in jpeg and raw. Fuji rebates is happening right now so its a good time to buy.

Would you mind posting a few sample shots? :)

56mm F1.2
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/633/2...4486bf0a_b.jpg
35mm F1.4
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5816/...4804b44c_b.jpg
27mm f2.8
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/574/2...57b68850_b.jpg

All shot wide open.

Wow, not bad!

do you value being able to zoom in?? if so id look at something like the Sony HX400V basically a p&s but with a huge zoom so it makes up for not being able to use different lenses (50X zoom)

its not big like a dslr but its not tiny either

check this out, superzooms, basically for travellers 2015 Roundup: Long Zoom Compacts: Digital Photography Review

great small cameras but, you cant change lenses, or zoom, they're also expensive, take great photos though 2015 Roundups: Fixed Prime Lens Cameras: Digital Photography Review

or if you dont mind switching lenses as long as the camera is small look at the sony a6000 (or it's soon to be announced replacement) http://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/slrs/sony_a6000

or Fuji XE2 http://www.dpreview.com/products/fuj...s/fujifilm_xe2 or the xt10 :D i believe they're the same camera and fuji just rebadged them so whichever is cheaper? ;D

Black Friday / Cyber Monday coming up soon too

If you don't really care about having the latest and greatest, and you don't mind changing lenses:

You can pick up Fuji XE1 for 300-400. Paired with a 18-55 and you have an excellent travel camera for less than 800. There are a ton of 18-55s from 350-400. I'd offer to sell you mine, but I always find myself going back to it once in a while. It's a great combo without breaking the bank. If you really are looking into Fuji, keep in mind that most of the cameras have the same sensors (XE2, XT1, XT10, X100s/t have the newer sensor, XE1, XPRO1, X100 have the older XTrans sensor). The main differentiation between the newer cameras and the older ones (relatively speaking) is the AF capabilities. But if you're not shooting sports or much movement at all, they're all fine.

Otherwise if you want something in one package, you can't go wrong with the Sony RX100 series.

this micro 4/3 camera should be really fun to shoot with...its previous gen was my second choice when I was looking for a camera last year

Olympus OM-D E-M10 II Review | PhotographyBLOG

if you'll eventually grow into a system, micro 4/3 lenses are more reasonable in price than fuji's or sony's

FREE Silver XF27mm F2.8 Lens
With the purchase of an X-T10 kit (18-55 or 16-50) and your choice
of one Fujinon zoom lens (18-135, 50-230, 50-140, 55-200)

http://www.henrys.com/pdfs/FUJINON_2...7s+-+GTA%2C+ON

Fuji X100T.

AF is fast, color/rendition/IQ all superb and totally hipster approved.

I'd probably go with a Fuji or a M4/3. I've been enjoying my OMD EM5 II

Thanks everyone.

I'll have to pursue this in the new year and follow up accordingly! :)

Anyone familiar with the Olympus OM-D E-M10 (Mark 1) ?

Olympus OM-D E-M10 with 14-42mm Lens - Black - V207021BU000 - London Drugs

The kit is on sale at London Drugs for $599, with an additional $50 off. I am thinking it will be more camera than what I originally wanted and comparing it to some other mirrorless cameras out there (i.e. Nikon 1 J5) this seems to fit the bill, and I think (?) offers better image quality.

The MKII of this model is out, but it's the body only, and $699 with an additional $50 off. I would have to buy the lens. Any suggestions on which one to get between the MK1 and MKII?

Edit: twitchyzero - Did you ever end up buying the E-M10 Mark 1?

just make sure you budget enough for a neck strap so you can wear your camera around your neck while at work like the dirty hipster barista tramp you are

If i didn't need interchangable lenses, I'd buy a X100T. If I needed it to fit in my pocket, I'd get a Ricoh GR.

Otherwise, get an X-T10.

Where'd this guy come from? Who let him out of his cage? Who free'd him from his shackles? Why is he posting again? What is this business?

Lol.

In all honesty dukes, embrace your inner hipster and just buy an iPhone. You'll have a point a point n shoot quality camera everywhere you go..

I managed this using my Nokia Lumia 830, but I still want more!

And no, that Leica M9 is not mine. Although I wish it were. Hah!