When I look at the gear list of forum members I'm not surprised to see so such a variety of cameras listed. The perpetual dilemma of a photographer is: If I can only carry ONE camera with me, which camera do I carry? Which camera will cover the majority of my shooting needs? Ah, but sometimes only an ultra wide will do, or an extreme zoom will do. So it's a compromise until the all-in-one camera is invented. How do you handle this? How can I? Any help?
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So many cameras!
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Kung Fu
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There is no one camera that does everything. I was able to narrow down the types of camera I needed, because I was able to narrow down the photographs I was interested in making.
But don’t forget, many powershots had add-on conversion lenses, close-up lenses, filter attachments, you can buy optically triggered flashes if you don’t have a hot shoe, etc. So even a p&s can be made more versatile than it seems.
Chaplain Mark
Veteran Member
Kung Fu stated it really well, and to add my two cents:
Two aspects of this question that really are quite challenging (for me) are, coming to a decision of which types of photographs I am most motivated to make, and, resisting the ever-present Gear Acquisition Syndrome..!!
Because the great majority of my shots are telephoto, my every-day walkaround camera has been my G3X.
HOWEVER, for my 65th birthday, my wife today presented me with a brand-new G5X, which I already have fallen in love with, and want to take with me everywhere, lol.
Curiously, the free camera bag which Crutchfield included in my camera purchase, happens to be large enough to easily tote both cameras....go figure..!!
Not sure at this point, if this new camera will quench my GAS, or throw GASoline on the flames.
We'll see.
In the meantime, I am going to force myself to use the G5X, with its limited telephoto reach, to capture more low-light shots with that bright 1.8 lens.....
Two aspects of this question that really are quite challenging (for me) are, coming to a decision of which types of photographs I am most motivated to make, and, resisting the ever-present Gear Acquisition Syndrome..!!
Because the great majority of my shots are telephoto, my every-day walkaround camera has been my G3X.
HOWEVER, for my 65th birthday, my wife today presented me with a brand-new G5X, which I already have fallen in love with, and want to take with me everywhere, lol.
Curiously, the free camera bag which Crutchfield included in my camera purchase, happens to be large enough to easily tote both cameras....go figure..!!
Not sure at this point, if this new camera will quench my GAS, or throw GASoline on the flames.
We'll see.
In the meantime, I am going to force myself to use the G5X, with its limited telephoto reach, to capture more low-light shots with that bright 1.8 lens.....
I disagree. There are plenty of cameras that can do everything that a person needs to produce a great image.
Many people have several cameras because of their never-ending quest for newer gear, rationalizing that it will make them better photographers. Gear acquisition syndrome (GAS) is a mental/emotional issue that had nothing to do with photography. Spending time on forums like this feed GAS, as people encourage others to spend money to buy gear.
Kung Fu
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How did anything I wrote help promote GAS?? Seems like you’re on some kind of crusade, and didn’t even understand what I wrote.
K
KeepCalm
Guest
Which is why we own plenty of cameras.
Why not put your kit in your gear list before preaching to people on the gear they should own. It would be interesting to see the single camera and if an ILC the single lens you own that does it all. It will need to be discrete and fit in to a coat pocket to be useful in all scenarios.
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K
KeepCalm
Guest
We will need some new novel means of bending light without a complex arrangement of solid glass lenses before that happens. I wonder if Isaac newton would see anything particularly surprising in the lens technology still in use today.
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Chaplain Mark
Veteran Member
Good point...!!
Having worked for a time in the optical industry, I loved bending light through solid glass and very much still love it so; it's part of the allure of using a camera and capturing photographic images.
I can understand the folks who pair up vintage and antique lenses with modern camera bodies; a functional marriage of the old and un-changed to the new and fully modern.
Wellington100
Forum Pro
Cameras are so good these days that pretty much camera can do everything now although some may do any one thing better than others. But with good technique any camera including your S110 can be used for pretty much any purpose, the only limiting factor being the focal length of the lens.
K
KeepCalm
Guest
With a ton of glass in front of it. See Sony A7 for shrinking bodies and still big lenses.
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N
Najinsky
Guest
There is no camera that can do everything. That's one of life's lemons, and as the saying goes, when life deals you lemons, make lemonade.
The way I make lemonade is with lenses.
Becuase there is no camera that does everything, I don't spend time stressing trying to find it and carry it with me. Instead, I look for cameras that do something really well, and while many factors can contribute to that something, for me the lens is the most important by a large margin.
I assess lenses on two characteristics I call Please & Ease.
Please is the subjective emotional response the image rendering gives me. It's those elements that defy a common naming convention; pop, clarity, smoothness, textured, ambiance, and so forth. Some lenses capture natural renderings that make me smile. This is Please.
Ease is the more objectively demonstrable characteristics of the rendering; contrast, colour, sharpness, distortion, CA, flare, aberrations, etc.
Ease is simply how well (Easily) the pixels take on recorded values based on what was in the scene, rather than what was introduced by the lens (aberration/distortion) or taken away by the lens (contrast/resolution)
For example, in the following comparison it can easily be seen, using the same sensor, the small zoom lens in the Sony RX100 is struggling to render the same levels of contrast and detail as recorded by the large prime lens used with the J5 (note: it's not intended as a 'fair' comparison, simply a demonstration of the observable differences in performance).
As a side issue, it's interesting to note that through monstrous JPEG processing crimes from both parties, the OOC images manage to look equally as bad. It brings home the importance of looking at the raws to see what you 'really' get.
So, armed with the knowledge that there is no do everything camera, and accepting of what I want to see from my personal version of image quality, it becomes very easy to just enjoy stress-free photography.
I simply seek cameras that I find interesting, that can do something really well and which are fun to use. Then I focus on learning how to use it, and how to get the most enjoyment from it. The 'do the best you can with what you have' school of philosophy.
A common theme in all the ILC forums I read is the 'which lenses should I take for my upcoming xyz trip' where some poor soul is stressing over 'missing shots' because they didn't carry enough lenses. The truth is, don't do it that way, here's why...
The vast majority of your 'trip snapshots' will never be looked at again and will simply clutter up your image library. You'll laugh at yourself for getting so stressed at the thought of missing them.
Constant lens swapping is annoying for both the photographer and anyone else traveling with him/her, causing more stress and tension during your relaxation time. And you will still miss shots due to not having the right lens on when the right moment arises.
You are there to enjoy the people, sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a different culture, It is these that will live in your memory, and whatever photos you did take will serve to refresh your memory, so enjoy it and just try to make sure the ones you do take are good ones. Quality over quantity.
Your friends don't want to see all your photos, they want to hear your interesting stories. The only photos they want to see are your great ones. And the way you make great photos is through enjoying your camera enough to learn, use and master it, while developing your eye.
Sumary
Choose a camera you can love. Use it often. Learn. Enjoy. Don't sweat about what it can't do. But when you feel like a change, make a change.
--
Andy
Intelligence is not what you think. It's how you think
The way I make lemonade is with lenses.
Becuase there is no camera that does everything, I don't spend time stressing trying to find it and carry it with me. Instead, I look for cameras that do something really well, and while many factors can contribute to that something, for me the lens is the most important by a large margin.
I assess lenses on two characteristics I call Please & Ease.
Please is the subjective emotional response the image rendering gives me. It's those elements that defy a common naming convention; pop, clarity, smoothness, textured, ambiance, and so forth. Some lenses capture natural renderings that make me smile. This is Please.
Ease is the more objectively demonstrable characteristics of the rendering; contrast, colour, sharpness, distortion, CA, flare, aberrations, etc.
Ease is simply how well (Easily) the pixels take on recorded values based on what was in the scene, rather than what was introduced by the lens (aberration/distortion) or taken away by the lens (contrast/resolution)
For example, in the following comparison it can easily be seen, using the same sensor, the small zoom lens in the Sony RX100 is struggling to render the same levels of contrast and detail as recorded by the large prime lens used with the J5 (note: it's not intended as a 'fair' comparison, simply a demonstration of the observable differences in performance).
As a side issue, it's interesting to note that through monstrous JPEG processing crimes from both parties, the OOC images manage to look equally as bad. It brings home the importance of looking at the raws to see what you 'really' get.
So, armed with the knowledge that there is no do everything camera, and accepting of what I want to see from my personal version of image quality, it becomes very easy to just enjoy stress-free photography.
I simply seek cameras that I find interesting, that can do something really well and which are fun to use. Then I focus on learning how to use it, and how to get the most enjoyment from it. The 'do the best you can with what you have' school of philosophy.
A common theme in all the ILC forums I read is the 'which lenses should I take for my upcoming xyz trip' where some poor soul is stressing over 'missing shots' because they didn't carry enough lenses. The truth is, don't do it that way, here's why...
The vast majority of your 'trip snapshots' will never be looked at again and will simply clutter up your image library. You'll laugh at yourself for getting so stressed at the thought of missing them.
Constant lens swapping is annoying for both the photographer and anyone else traveling with him/her, causing more stress and tension during your relaxation time. And you will still miss shots due to not having the right lens on when the right moment arises.
You are there to enjoy the people, sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a different culture, It is these that will live in your memory, and whatever photos you did take will serve to refresh your memory, so enjoy it and just try to make sure the ones you do take are good ones. Quality over quantity.
Your friends don't want to see all your photos, they want to hear your interesting stories. The only photos they want to see are your great ones. And the way you make great photos is through enjoying your camera enough to learn, use and master it, while developing your eye.
Sumary
Choose a camera you can love. Use it often. Learn. Enjoy. Don't sweat about what it can't do. But when you feel like a change, make a change.
--
Andy
Intelligence is not what you think. It's how you think
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GeraldW
Veteran Member
I have a lot of cameras. Usually, on a given day, I know what I'll be doing and can select one of my cameras as the best fit. All of my cameras are now fixed lens models, so I don't have to worry about which lenses to bring and I save a lot of weight and bulk. At almost 80 that's really important.
On travel away from home, I always bring at least two cameras to have a backup and some variety of properties. And since most of my cameras are relatively small and light, I'll sometimes add a third camera. The trip itinerary pretty well tells me what I'll encounter and what to bring to cover it.
On the other hand, I do get into situations where I wish I had a longer lens, or maybe a wider one. I learned long ago to get over it. It is what it is. Just make the best of it with what you have - it's an opportunity to be creative. Lens not long enough? Try cropping when you get home. Not wide enough, take overlapping shots for a panorama if your camera doesn't have a panorama feature built in.
On travel away from home, I always bring at least two cameras to have a backup and some variety of properties. And since most of my cameras are relatively small and light, I'll sometimes add a third camera. The trip itinerary pretty well tells me what I'll encounter and what to bring to cover it.
On the other hand, I do get into situations where I wish I had a longer lens, or maybe a wider one. I learned long ago to get over it. It is what it is. Just make the best of it with what you have - it's an opportunity to be creative. Lens not long enough? Try cropping when you get home. Not wide enough, take overlapping shots for a panorama if your camera doesn't have a panorama feature built in.
GeraldW
Veteran Member
So we should all have one camera? It's not about having more similar cameras to produce better images. Often it has to do with portability, often smaller is better. If you like to go snorkeling, wouldn't you want a submersible camera? How about a pocket sized camera to take to a dinner? How about a camera with a very long lens to go birding - even if you sacrifice some image quality to get more magnification? Lots of functional reasons to have several cameras.
Not at all. Some of us just like to have several cameras. It has nothing to do with a quest for better images.
I think you're off base here. This isn't about hoarding - that is an illness. A friend suffers from that and after filling his house, built a 13' x 26' building in the back yard for the overflow. I have a lot of cameras (7). I've had many more. Some were bought for a specific purpose, others were replaced by something newer and better; but some I hung onto to them to keep as a backup. But some are the result of curiosity. I'm a retired engineer, so there's a side to me that likes to try different things. Especially interesting technical things. True, it isn't photography per se; but it is usually a learning experience.
I personally resent your allegation of a "mental/emotional issue". You are using too broad a brush and generalizing too much. Some of us just like our adult toys, and some of us can afford to indulge ourselves.
K
KeepCalm
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Kung Fu
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papybenenuts
Forum Enthusiast
Pana FZ1000
sorry for canon's Fans
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M.B.
sorry for canon's Fans
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M.B.
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K
KeepCalm
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This is a discontinued model isn't it? Amazon UK is only third party models. it is interesting that nobody really seems to be getting excited or advising on the current model the FZ2000.
A few suppliers in the UK seem to have them so I expect for a new one people will need to move quickly.
The camera always looks a bit delicate and fussy to me but feature packed so it depends on what you want.
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