Posted: 10/8/2012 1:52:51 PM EDT
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Hey guys... I am looking into getting yet another camera to keep on me at most times. I have two Nikon DLSRs and, while I really support Nikon, cannot for the life of me find a P&S they offer that fits my needs. Between all my lenses, my 35mm f1.8 prime is hands down my favorite go to lens for almost everything. I love the shallow depth of field and low light performance. At 14 odd MP, I would rather crop than zoom to keep the aperture. The flip side is that I always have my phone on me but never my DSLRs (size restrictions, obviously). My droid 3 takes crappy photos and even an iPhone isnt what Im looking for. I want an actual camera that I can slide in my back pocket. From my research, it would seem that I need a P&S with a fairly large sensor (rules out the Nikon lines) and an aperture no smaller than f2.8. Over 5MP makes me happy - I dont need a bazillion. Given most of these photos just go on Facebook and the rare 8.5x11 print, I would rather have a camera with more 'artistic' control. So Im looking for a slim form factor (thinking smart phone sized, likely a little thicker) that can shoot with a very shallow DOF. $400 or less ideally. Likewise if it looks like it will be a suitable replacement, Ill sell one DLSR to cover the difference! Any of you have anything along these lines as a backup or primary shooter? The closest thing I have found so far is the Samsung EX2 though it comes in at a nice $500. I know its a narrow search - Im just curious if anyone has heard of anything! Cheers
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Quoted:
Hey guys... I am looking into getting yet another camera to keep on me at most times. I have two Nikon DLSRs and, while I really support Nikon, cannot for the life of me find a P&S they offer that fits my needs. Between all my lenses, my 35mm f1.8 prime is hands down my favorite go to lens for almost everything. I love the shallow depth of field and low light performance. At 14 odd MP, I would rather crop than zoom to keep the aperture. The flip side is that I always have my phone on me but never my DSLRs (size restrictions, obviously). My droid 3 takes crappy photos and even an iPhone isnt what Im looking for. I want an actual camera that I can slide in my back pocket. From my research, it would seem that I need a P&S with a fairly large sensor (rules out the Nikon lines) and an aperture no smaller than f2.8. Over 5MP makes me happy - I dont need a bazillion. Given most of these photos just go on Facebook and the rare 8.5x11 print, I would rather have a camera with more 'artistic' control. So Im looking for a slim form factor (thinking smart phone sized, likely a little thicker) that can shoot with a very shallow DOF. $400 or less ideally. Likewise if it looks like it will be a suitable replacement, Ill sell one DLSR to cover the difference! Any of you have anything along these lines as a backup or primary shooter? The closest thing I have found so far is the Samsung EX2 though it comes in at a nice $500. I know its a narrow search - Im just curious if anyone has heard of anything! Cheers Canon G15 |
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Shallow depth of field would be a little difficult to get with these compact cameras.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7 $449.99
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-RX100 $648.00 Large sensor and compact body, the first thing that comes to mind in the Sony RX100. Sony RX100 Hands-On Field Test
Olympus XZ-2 $599.99 12-megapixel backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor 4x optical zoom lens 28 to 112mm (35mm equivalent) zoom range, F1.8 to F2.5 920k-dot, 3-inch tilting screen 5fps burst mode shooting 1080p full-HD video recording RAW image capture Fujifilm X10 $549.00 12MP 2/3" EXR CMOS sensor 28-112mm equivalent F2.0-2.8 lens Optical viewfinder (85% coverage) 2.8", 460,000 dot LCD Extensive manual control Raw shooting and in-camera Raw conversion Continuous shooting up to 7fps at full resolution (10fps at 6MP) Fujifilm FinePix X100 $1,199.00 APS-C sensor in this camera but probably way outside of your budget. Nikon Coolpix P7700 $496.95 12.2MP BSI-CMOS sensor Raw Mode (.NRW) 28-200mm (equivalent) F2-4 zoom lens with 'Second Generation' VR ISO 80-1600 Fully articulating, 3in 921k-dot rear LCD screen Full HD, 1080p movie recording with stereo sound 330 shot battery life (CIPA) |
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You're getting into physical limitations... there may be an acceptable "sweet spot" for you, but nothing that performs like an SLR in a phone/compact size camera.
For instance, the larger the sensor, the longer the focal length to get the same view. The lens has to be physically longer to achieve the same FoV when you get a larger sensor. And since the aperture is a ratio of focal length, the longer your lens is, the wider the lens has to be to keep a wide aperture. See where this is going? The Samsung you linked to is approx a 10mm sensor. If my calculations aren't way off (not sure of aspect ratio for samsung), that would put it at about 1/10th the size of a 35mm frame. Not trying to rain on your parade... hopefully just forewarning you so your expectations don't leave you disappointed. |
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That Sony RX100 seems like the ticket if you can swing the couple hundred over your stated budget.
My "carry it with me everywhere" camera for the past couple years is a Panasonic GF2 with a 20mm f/1.7 lens. Image quality and ability to reduce the DOF are far better than you will find in any of the small sensor point and shoots and you can find some decent deals with a little shopping around. |
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I recommend the Canon S100.It has a f/2 aperture at minimum focal length, equivalent to 35 24mm lens. It is small enough to fit in my t-shirt pocket.
ETA: The only drawback that I have the S100, the CMOS sensor is very power hungry. I carry 4 extra batteries plus the one in the camera for any extended period of shooting. |
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Quoted:
I've been happy with the S100 as well. You obviously won't get the same DOF as the DSLR, but take it for what it is.
I recommend the Canon S100.It has a f/2 aperture at minimum focal length, equivalent to 35 24mm lens. It is small enough to fit in my t-shirt pocket. ETA: The only drawback that I have the S100, the CMOS sensor is very power hungry. I carry 4 extra batteries plus the one in the camera for any extended period of shooting. |