Getting back into photography, any camera geeks here to help me choose?!

[jcl]

Interesting thread. I think it is impossible to pick a camera and more importantly a lens system on a discussion board. But it is fun to talk about them.

I use a Nikon dx format, with both dx and fx lenses. I stopped upgraded camera bodies and started just spending my funds on lenses years ago. That makes my camera body out of date, but I am not a pro and it works for me.

I found that we were just using a Canon point and shoot on trips most of the time solely because of the ease of carrying it, and it takes good pictures but you don't get to think much, it does it all.

I split the difference with a Fuji X100s, and love it. It is small and light enough to take everywhere, it takes amazing pictures, and I find I don't miss having a bag of lenses. It now gets the most use. The Nikon is great for motorsports photography for example (80-200 f2.8 ED, heavy but fast focusing and sharp) but the weight and bulk just means I take it out less often.

The good news is there aren't many bad choices out there.

Jeff

[The Cralls]

I prefer Nikon. However, some of the posts above have good points. CCD specifications are important along with optical specifications. Digital zoom is no replacement for optical zoom and performance. I switched to digital only when I could not tell the difference between digital and film. That happened to me when the CCD reached a value of greater then 10 mega pixels and a good lens. So in short test drive as many cameras as you can in the types you want and see which one does what you want. You can learn a lot from the internet and then going to a store and trying them out.

[JudySherrod]

I think you should get another Contax G2. Shoot film.

[FilmGuy]

Originally Posted by Major Tom

I used to shoot with the Contax G2 system, with the complete line of lenses. When the digital age took over I lost interest in my hobby and sold my gear. Now I'm interested in getting back into it. I have been looking at some compact cameras and want opinions.
1. Leica D-lux
2. Leica V-lux
3. Hasselblad Lunar
4. Hasselblad Stellar ( pocket camera, no interchangeable lenses)

Thanks for your input📸
🌎

The Contax G2 was a great system. Ever sorry you sold it?

If I were going to buy just one camera now, it sould be a Sony a7RII. It's a mirrorless DSLR with 42Mpix of resolution, and the most advancd sensor on the market by most measures. But the reason I'd recommend it is that it can use lenses from virtually any other camera system you might want: Nikon, Canon, Leica, Contax... and on. There are a host of adapters for all those lenses available. And of course Sony sells lenses for it as well, and Zeiss makes a line of lenses that are truly brilliant for the new Sony A7 cameras. It's really near medium-format sensor capability in a body that can use whatever glass you want it to. It also shoots very decent video (4K video at that!) Very hard to beat.

For what it's worth, I make my living as a filmmaker and currently shoot with several cameras: Nikon D810, Contax 645/PhaseOne back, Sony a7s, Red Epic Dragon (for motion).

[JudySherrod]

I would endorse the Sony A7 as well. Full frame sensor, and as FilmGuy said, Sony leads the market in sensor development right now. I migrated from Nikon. The A7 is my go-to digital, but when out camping, I still prefer to shoot film. Rolleiflex SL66, Mamiya 7, 4x5, 8x10.

[Jim S.]

Truth is it is almost impossible to buy a bad camera these days. There never has been a better time for the medium technology wise. Personal preference and goals are what will ultimately drive your choice.

As a pro art photographer I use all sorts of cameras, from my iPhone, Canon, Leica and Fujifilm. All are excellent. My personal go to choice is the X-Pro cameras from Fujifilm as it offers the best bang for the buck and is half the size and weight of my Canon 5D MKII and lenses. It makes a superior travel kit and the glass quality is amazing. The lens selection has gotten quite good and gets better all the time. At least 90% of my current work for the last 2-3 years has been with the X-Pro1 and I'm about to grab the higher res and much improved X-Pro2.

Do your research and make a selection based on your personal preferences and needs, but do give the Fuji cameras a hard look. Extra bonus for an old film guy: The X-Pro2 has very good film emulator capability from the people who made some of the best films in the industry. Really remarkable technology these days!

Good luck and have fun with your search!

[rodsterinfl]

I am not a professional photographer but a hobbyist. In December I got rid of my Nikon and lenses and went with a Sony A6000 and could not be happier. Previously I always found myself walking around with a lightweight lesser camera and leaving the Nikon at home with the bag and lenses. Now I merged the power/quality with the ease of carry and have some great pictures to share. Sony/Minolta and third parties are continuing to debut lenses for the A6000 A7 line and it is even getting pros to switch.

[jayseejay]

I shoot wildlife and sports with a Canon 5D Mark III with Canon lenses (given ability of this combination to focus and track birds in flight and other fast moving objects adequately), and a Sony A7R II with Sony and Canon lenses for landscapes and travel, given its outstanding sensor and relatively light weight. I can recommend both, and could answer any specific questions by PM. Joe

[SCOTTinNJ]

What I still haven't seen answered is your abilities/desire to do computer editing. Will you be shooting RAW and editing every photo or do you want a JPEG right out of the camera?

I have a Canon 6d and like it, shooting RAW. JPEGs out of the camera are not great.

I've read that Olympus and Fuji are the best in that department.

[gecko]

So many good choices!

If ur shooting from the Airstream and TV, a larger camera with interchangeable lenses is not an issue. I just found a great deal at Costco on the 3/4 sensor 70D that comes with a pair of Canon "kit" lenses that are decent and very lightweight. Also comes with nice case and spare battery all fir $1200 as a complete setup. We decided on Canon because I found the user interface more intuitive than my older Nikon film camera, and the variety and quality of lenses available to upgrade. I shoot a lot of sports action photography (we're all windsurfers) and have found that even the large jpg images are quite good and the color right out of the camera is good enough for most amateurs. As a retired pro art director, I find the RAW images quite good--adequate for 8.5 x 11 size--but I'd miss the image quality from a full format camera if I were building poster size images (26x40).

The 70D's big brother (in the 3/4 sensor line), is the 7D Mark II. After much research and soul searching, I decided that the advantages (faster frame per second/slightly faster autofocus for still photography) were offset by the 7D's larger size and the 70D's excellence for staying focused on a moving subject in movie mode.) so far, we've not been disappointed.

The LUMIX line with Leica glass has been a family favorite for smaller units with built in zoom when traveling. The Canon was bought particularly for Airstream travel, but we've already flown with it to Maui for a pro windsurf shoot last month, a still shoot to add an element into some advertising Key Art back in LA, and we're currently boarding a plane for a mountain shoot in Telluride.

It's been much more successful than the Lumix's in ease and speed of acquiring and tracking fast moving subjects, so I think it will be lots of fun for birds and other wildlife this spring. So a terrific value for a DSLR that I don't think we'll outgrow.

I just bought Canon's new 100-400L IS II big zoom, and can't wait to enjoy it's reach for wave sailing photography--with the 3/4 sensor in the Canon, the effective max zoom is about 640mm.

There's a ton of good advice on this thread--it really is hard to buy a bad camera! So first figure out what you're going to be shooting and whether you'll need to fly with it or just travel in your car/truck. Then figure out what budget range works for you. Go to your local camera shop and get their advice, and ask to also "play" with different brands to see which menu system seems most intuitive to you (for me, LUMIX is among the best in that area.) Going online to comparo sites is next.

A lot of research, then a time investment learning your new acquisition in the real world, and you're good to go!!

Have fun!

[khollister]

If you want to shoot JPG's and not fool with RAW, Fuji (1st choice) or Olympus are your friends. The Fuji X series is really the JPG king by a good margin these days.

I have both systems, BTW.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally Posted by khollister

If you want to shoot JPG's and not fool with RAW, Fuji (1st choice) or Olympus are your friends. The Fuji X series is really the JPG king by a good margin these days.

I have both systems, BTW.

Interesting. The Fuji is really that much better?

Overall, which do you like?

[khollister]

Different systems with different strengths and weaknesses. There is no single "best" for everything

[kokopat]

Go read here... http://www.kenrockwell.com
Lots of interesting reviews and views.

[khollister]

Originally Posted by kokopat

Go read here... http://www.kenrockwell.com
Lots of interesting reviews and views.

Oh god, not KR. The guy's a joke in the industry


Keith
Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[rodsterinfl]

noticed that Jason Wynn of "Gone with the Wynns" rv peeps switched to the Sony A6000 as his primary camera- he says. Just sayin.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD...ony-a6000A.HTM

[Drathaar]

Originally Posted by kokopat

Go read here... http://www.kenrockwell.com
Lots of interesting reviews and views.

This guy is not (in my opinion) objective. DPreview, Thom Hogan for Nikons, and even B & H customer reviews are more helpful to my way of thinking.

[Jim S.]

Originally Posted by SCOTTinNJ

Interesting. The Fuji is really that much better?

Overall, which do you like?

To be completely objective, I have not seen the jpeg results from all camera brands, but I can offer this: the JPEG engine in my X-Pro1 was leaps ahead of anything comparable on the market at the time. It was one of the first I'd seen where compression artifacts were virtually undetectable. It is so good that for most purposes shooting in raw became unnecessary*. The initial reports on the X-Pro2 indicate that it is even better. The film emulators all use the JPEG format and the results appear to be really high quality, which certainly simplifies the post processing requirements.

*Important exception: if you do a lot of post processing such as I do with some of my art photography, raw format is still a requisite as even the best compression algorithms still remove data and this can have an effect on the results with heavy processing. By way of an example of a heavily processed X-Pro1 image:

http://www.essentiallightphotography...ridges-lakes/2

[Lara Me]

I still have my mint condition Contax G2 system- those lenses are amazing. With an adapter, you can still use the lenses on newer M34 cameras.

I looked at Leica, Fuji, and others before landing on the Olympus OMD EM5. It handles and has the same feel as the Contax - and the prime and pro lenses are every bit as good as the Zeiss lenses on the Contax.

I would look specifically at two models: the OMD EM5 II (with the added grip attachment), and the newly announced all metal PEN model that is configured like a rangefinder.

For lenses, I love the following: PRO 7-14mm, 12-40, and 40-150. Those will meet all your needs. I supplemented with the 75mm, 45, and 12mm primes. I have a 75-300mm lens, but would prefer the PRO 300 mm lens, which is much faster at AF.

The size and quality of the M43 format is excellent - I don't miss anything over the full frame sensors.

Best thing - you get Leica quality at about 1/2 the price.

[RVDreamer]

To me the best camera is the one that you have with you all the time.

Today's high end phones have cameras approaching DSLR quality. The new iPhone 7 that will be out in Oct. supposedly will be full DSLR quality.

With todays processing technics, it is amazing the quality of photos that can be obtained with a small camera. Plus with new HDR techniques you can actually make photos that reproduce what the eye actually sees.

My recommendation is to start out shooting with a high end smart phone. Learn the techniques and software, and then see if you really need a dslr or interchangeable lens.
Your phone is a lot easier to carry and will always be handy night or day.