Going digital from TLR

[jharvest]

Another day, another 'recommend me a camera' thread.

I'm a hobbyist photographer used to shooting with a Mamiya C330f. While it's not convenient, the camera does what I want it to do and I've made some fairly satisfying prints in the past. However as I don't have access to a darkroom presently I have been looking for a digital alternative.

I really don't need any smart advanced features. With my Mamiya I don't even use a lighting meter most of the time. What I'd like however is handy manual controls and a decent finder.

What are the options out there? The Panasonic DMC-L1 seems like it might do. The proper Leicas are slightly out of my preferred price range. The Epson R-D1 seems to have something of a following but if I'm going digital I'd like the camera to at least have a USB port. (What were they thinking, really?) Anything else I should go and try out?

So, any recommendations much appreciated. Cheers,
-John.

 

[wijnands]

Dude, you just might wanna consider getting a slightly older SLR. Most modern compacts have never heard of a decent viewfinder.
--
Don't wait for the Nikon D-whatever, have fun now!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j_wijnands/

 

[john farrar]

From TLR? You're going to need something with a reticulating LCD or you'll miss one of the main benefits of digital, namely live preview. Consider: Panasonic FZ50 or Fuji 9100/9600 (see my 'Back to the Bridge Camera' link below). You might even be able to find an old Sony R1 which would be better still due to it's larger sensor.

For better IQ one of those rangefinders you mentioned, or better still a DSLR where Canon 30D or Nikon D200 are where you should start.

--
John.
Please visit me at:
http://www.pbase.com/johnfr/backtothebridge
http://www.pbase.com/johnfr

 

[Deleted1929]

Waving the Pentax flag get a K100D ( or K10D ) - it's pretty much the ideal hobbyist DSLR. Have a look at the Pentax SLR forum for an idea of life with a Pentax.

I've owned a Fuji S9100/9600 which is a nice bridge camera - as sophisticated as an SLR without the ability ( or liability ? ) to change lenses and a poorer sensor than a DSLR ( although still good by it's peers standards ).

Viewfinders. I think most people consider the Nikon SLRs to have the brightest viewfinders. The Pentax is pretty good and the rest follow. Cannot speak for the LC1.

The S9100 ( and bridge cameras in general ) use an EVF ( a little LCD inside a viewfinder eyepiece ). It's quite nice on the S9100, and you can get live histograms and such-like through your eyepiece. It's not up to a good OVF, but it's quite good and does offer you features the OVF cannot..

I personally consider the Pansonic/Leica branded cameras horribly over-priced. Admittedly I cannot afford one, so it's possibly a biased opinion. I would consider a D200 a much more attractive camera than an LC1.

If you are used to prime lenses ( or a fixed lens of equivalent quality ) a DSLR is your best bet. Although the S9100 has a good lens it's a compromise lens covering a huge zoom range. While the Panasonic bridge cameras have better lenses they have rather noisy sensors ( by comparison with other small sensor cameras ), and that, for me, ruins the point of having the good lens.

Given it's pricing the K100D is very good. Although you don't have live view you do have digital preview to examine the image prior to shooting on the LCD.

If you want a cheap taste of bridge cameras have a look at the Fuji S5200/5600, which is an older model ( last year ! ), but effective and fully featured. It got overtaken by it's nicer bigger-brother the S6000/6500 but it's a good camera at a low price and very capable.

--
StephenG

Pentax K100D
Fuji S5200
Fuji E900
PCLinuxOS

 

[jharvest]

Thanks for the replies so far. I'll go try out the Fuji S9100, Panny FZ50 and Pentax K100D.

That Panasonic model has two dials which I can presumably set to aperture and shutter speed and have the camera on manual all the time, which would be nice. Not too keen on the barrel distortion of the ridiculous zoom lens however.

 

[Deleted1929]

I think the barrel distortion on the S9100 and FZ50 is almost identical. It's fairly low.

I think you'd be happier with a DSLR. The kit lenses are not really much better than the bridge camera, but you will have the option of primes ( and better zooms ). Also note that older lenses fitted to a K10D or K100D have two effects to note, both related to the "sensor crop factor" :

(1) The sensor is ( like most DSLRs ) smaller than a 35mm frame and hence the field of view of say a 50mm prime is multiplied by 1.5 ( or 1.6 ) to get a 35mm equivalent. So a 50mm prime lens on a DSLR has a field of view of about the same as a 75mm lens on a 35mm (film) SLR. The focal length stays the same.

(2) The same issue means that the border of the DSLR frame is now inside the 35mm border, so you usually get a reduction in border effects from old lenses ( although that's not as much as you'd like ! ).

Note that some newer lenses are designed ONLY for that reduced DSLR sensor and will not give a 35mm full frame. This seems to be the trend with all the DSLR companies, as well as the independents.

Pentax make a series of primes ( called the 'Limited' edition ), which might be worth looking at ( for budget calculations ).

--
StephenG

Pentax K100D
Fuji S5200
Fuji E900
PCLinuxOS

 

[Doug Pardee]

handy manual controls and a decent finder.

The "decent viewfinder" is going to be the tricky part.

What are the options out there?

I think that you should add the Canon EOS 5D to your list.

The Panasonic DMC-L1 seems like it might do.

One of the worst viewfinders in DSLR-land. The combination of the smaller 4/3 sensor size and the use of porro mirrors instead of a pentaprism make a bad combination. Phil's review says, "the L1's viewfinder view is very small compared to other digital SLR's, it's also darker than you would expect."
( http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmcl1/page3.asp )

And many people consider "other DSLRs" to have small, dim viewfinders, with the exception of the Canon 5D and 1-series cameras.

The Epson R-D1 seems to have something of a following but if
I'm going digital I'd like the camera to at least have a USB port.

The R-D1 and R-D1s are (reportedly) out of production. The lack of a USB port isn't all that big a problem, though. Card readers are a far superior way to extract photos from the memory card; the USB port is mainly useful for tethered shooting.

 

[jharvest]

I think that you should add the Canon EOS 5D to your list.
And many people consider "other DSLRs" to have small, dim
viewfinders, with the exception of the Canon 5D and 1-series cameras.

Unfortunately it's priced somewhat above what I'd comfortably pay. I don't really trust most of this digital equipment to keep its value very well. I will check it out as a reference though.

 

[Tom_N]

What I'd like however is handy manual controls and a decent finder.

You may want to consider a Canon EOS 30D, a Nikon D80, or (maybe) a used Canon EOS 20D or Minolta Maxxum 7D. These are the cheapest DSLRs in their respective lines that have reasonably large (& in most cases, pentaprism-based) finders.

I don't know enough about the Olympus and Pentax lines to make suggestions there.

 

[Leonard Migliore]

The Mamiya TLR's are big and clunky, but they do have good lenses and big negatives. So you would probably not want to go backward on image quality. Unfortunately, this puts you at the top end of consumer digitals. The full-frame Canons put up a good fight against 6X6 and the Nikon D200 does real good for a cropped 35mm frame.

But they'll only do that with their best lenses, which are costing real money. I think you would be disappointed with the lower-priced dSRLR's and their kit lenses when compared to what you already have.

--
Leonard Migliore

 

[jharvest]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I went to the shop today and briefly tried a few of the recommended DSLRs. The models were Nikon D80, D200, Canon 30D, Pentax K10D and K100D.

For what it's worth the Canon viewfinder seemed a bit dim compared to the Nikon and Pentax models. Pentax K100D didn't have two scroll wheels which was bit of a deal-breaker. I did like the Nikon showing aperture and shutter speed in the viewfinder which I didn't notice the Pentax to do. All of the camera bodies felt quite solid but the action in the kit lenses and the scroll wheels was a somewhat loose and wobbly. A digital 'manual' control just isn't the same as proper manual. Coming from a TLR they were all nice and light to hold.

Given the price difference between the Nikon and the Pentax, I'm leaning towards the latter at the moment. At £600 for the camera, a kit lens, memory card and bag the investment doesn't seem too much even if the picture quality isn't the same. After all I can still get the odd roll done at a lab.