Members Matt Gnarly Posted January 8, 2012 Members Share Posted January 8, 2012 Alright camera folks, I picked up the Sony NEX C3 w/ 18-55mm lens today, it was $100 off the usual price at $499 (regular 599 here) it seemed like a decent price. I've decided not to play with it till I sell one of my guitars in case I have to take it back, but I'd like to hear some opinions from those who know cameras. If I end up keeping it I'll likely get the 16mm lens and fisheye adapter. I'm mostly looking for something portable, under $600, and good for travel, architecture, and nature photos.Thanks guys! Ended up taking it back, I'm leaning towards the Nex 5N but I'm gonna wait to see what comes out in the next bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members McManus Posted January 8, 2012 Members Share Posted January 8, 2012 ^ Probably a good move Gnarly. The NEX5N was $630 at BestBuy. The NEX7 and Panasonic X1 will hopefully push that price even lower. Can't wait to see what is announced at the PMA@CES next week. Really hoping to see killer macro and 50mm equivalent primes. The new lenses announced will lead me to either Sony or Panasonic. Also, if either the new NEX7 or X1 flagships gets very poor reviews then I'll steer clear of buying into that company's line, even the lesser models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mr benn Posted January 8, 2012 Members Share Posted January 8, 2012 I'm gonna stick my neck out and say the x1 will be the better camera Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Hey folks, I have a semi-related question. What do you guys use for video stuff? I'd like to get a better video camera. I currently have a Sanyo CG9, which isn't HD, but isn't terrible. I wish it did better in low-light, and I REALLY want something with a line input jack on it, so I can feed it stereo audio from a board, instead of using the onboard mikes. What I do places a higher value on audio reproduction than on the visuals, so take that FWIW. So basically, I am looking for something small and inexpensive that shoots / stores to SD cards and not DV / tape, AND that has a audio line input (very important to me). Good low-light performance would also be appreciated. The only sub-$300 cameras that I know of with line input jacks are the Zoom Q3HD and the Kodak Zi8, and I just want to see if there are any other / similar / better options out there. Thanks for any suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mr benn Posted January 9, 2012 Members Share Posted January 9, 2012 unfortunately phil,as it's become so cheap to put HD into even low end stuffthe brands are keeping features like line in jacks for mid/high end products as a way to differentiate them also the better (brighter) lenses are being kept for the better stuff to,so the lux performance of most stuff in that price bracket is pretty bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members letsgocoyote Posted January 9, 2012 Members Share Posted January 9, 2012 Phil, How much are you willing to spend, and when it comes to said line-in jack do you care whether or not you can manual control the gain? For under $800 you can get a Canon t3i, but you may or may not want to purchase a different lens for better low light performance. A t2i would be cheaper but wont allow manual gain control without installing hacked firmware. The micro 4/3rds Olympus E-PM1 I just bought doesn't come with a line in jack stock, but there is a $80ish attachment that adds this feature (and comes with a cute stereo lavalier as well), although I think it does not have manual gain either... but this camera is about $400 and is small Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members letsgocoyote Posted January 9, 2012 Members Share Posted January 9, 2012 im not sure of smaller cameras with a line in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members larry50 Posted January 9, 2012 Members Share Posted January 9, 2012 Really depends on your budget Phil. Canon point and shoots can do very good HD, so you can spend anywhere from $300 on up to get HD. However, point and shoots are not great for low light performance, which depends first on the sensor size and second on the lens. The best point and shoot on the planet is the Canon S95 (they just came out with the S100 too) which has a fast f/2.0 lens on the wide angle side. But, sensor size limits good low light performance. A good one will run about $300. Next up would be the compacts (Canon G12, Nikon P7100) etc. But, they have basically the same sensor size as the point and shoots, which is to say very small. The best compact is the Canon G12, with line in, stereo outs and 1080/24 HD. About $300-450 for a good one, but not a hell of a lot of improvement over the point and shoots. Next up would be the m4/3 cameras. Larger sensor, full HD and most have stereo sound outs. The absolute best for video (IMO) is the Panasonic GH2, full HD video at 1080/60 and 1080/24, stereo outs, great video (really great) quality, and very good low light performance with the right fast lens. The m4/3 systems like the Panasonic GH2 feature interchangeable lenses, so you can get pretty fast. My biggest gripe about the m4/3 systems is cost vs. full DSLR costs. A Panasonic GH-2 system with a fast Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 lens (40mm equivalent) will run you nearly a thousand bucks. For the same money, you can get a Nikon D3100, which is a full APS-C sensor, does great video, works much better in low light, and opens the door to literally hundreds of lenses. For the same price as a Panasonic GH-2 plus fast lens, you can get a Nikon D3100 body and a fast Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens (about $199, the best lens deal on the planet because the lens is not only fast and will let you work in very low light without flash, it's also crazy sharp) that will work great in low light, take great video, and take great still as well, better stills than the Panasonic. You need to spend the bucks to get quality, but it's worth every buck to a professional like yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members letsgocoyote Posted January 9, 2012 Members Share Posted January 9, 2012 So I've got the samyang 7.5mm fisheye, Panasonic 14mm and 20mm, and olympus 45mm all on the way. I already own the Olympus 17mm so it's going to be a shoot out to see what stays or goes!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nomenclature Posted January 9, 2012 Members Share Posted January 9, 2012 I'm gonna stick my neck out and say the x1 will be the better camera I don't know about that... the NEX-7 is getting great reviews, was named camera of the year by Popular Photography, etc... of course you won't be able to get one for quite a while and any on sale are three time their actual cost due to lack of supply, so that's not going to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RadioSilence Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 New Camera Day!Except it was made c.1968 so it's not that new Konica C35 Rangefinder, it's no Leica (like I can afford a vintage Leica!) but I've read good things about the lens.BIN'd it on ebay at 11pm last night and picked it up this afternoon, pretty clean but the light seals need replacing, the foam's pretty much turned to sticky gunk, but that's only to be expected in a camera of this age.(photos from ebay) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kid_A Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 Chris! Dude! How much mullah for that precious? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RadioSilence Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 thirty nicker It'll cost a few quid to get the seals replaced, plus I need to buy a lens cap and a proper battery (the old 1.35v mercury ones are illegal now, a 1.5v watch battery will work but the different voltage means I'll either need the exposure control adjusted or buy a special battery from the states) but that won't cost much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kid_A Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 {censored} off!! Thats a {censored}ing steal... DO WANT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RadioSilence Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 {censored} off!! Thats a {censored}ing steal... DO WANT There's a few models I was looking at, the Canon Canonet QL17 GIII is well-regarded but is selling for about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tape Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 So I've got the samyang 7.5mm fisheye, Panasonic 14mm and 20mm, and olympus 45mm all on the way. I already own the Olympus 17mm so it's going to be a shoot out to see what stays or goes!!! Nice! I use the 20mm and 45mm already. Been looking at the 7.5mm, but I may get the 12mm instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members larry50 Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 Nice. The retro look is all the rage now with the small digitals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr. Goldenglove Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 Damn, never noticed this thread. I have:Minolta Dynax 60Minolta 28-70/2.8 lensSigma 70-300/4.5-5.6 lens For what this can do, see sig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dolf Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 I had an awesome minolta for YEARS that got stolen in college. Everything looked better through that things lense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RadioSilence Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 I'll have to do a family shot now that the Konica's arrived, but I'll have to borrow my dad's camera* as I only have one digital camera (unless you count the one on my phone but that's sub-bbreaker quality) * my old Lumix bridge camera - I gave him it when I bought a DSLR. That was 4 years ago and it's still going strong. The Leica lens on it is fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Andmoreagain Posted January 25, 2012 Members Share Posted January 25, 2012 I just found quite a few old cameras while cleaning out my grandparents attic. I'm not a camera connoisseur anyone know if these are worth my time? I also found a Bauer super 8 with some film and an old Kodak slr land camera, also with some unused film. Pics of the rest of the stuff at jazzhat.tumblr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members larry50 Posted January 25, 2012 Members Share Posted January 25, 2012 I just found quite a few old cameras while cleaning out my grandparents attic. I'm not a camera connoisseur anyone know if these are worth my time? I also found a Bauer super 8 with some film and an old Kodak slr land camera, also with some unused film. Pics of the rest of the stuff at jazzhat.tumblr.com The two compacts aren't worth anything (monetarily; sentimental value is different). The Konica + lens, maybe $200.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members QuickDilation Posted January 25, 2012 Members Share Posted January 25, 2012 Taken awhile ago but thats what I bring to work... I am a photographer though so its not that out landish... I don't have any pictures of my lenses... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Andmoreagain Posted January 25, 2012 Members Share Posted January 25, 2012 The two compacts aren't worth anything (monetarily; sentimental value is different). The Konica + lens, maybe $200.00. I looked up the Konica SLR and it seems like a pretty good camera, I think I'll put it to use if I can clean up the foggy viewfinder. The afga compact also is supposedly pretty good, it might make a good pocket camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members letsgocoyote Posted January 25, 2012 Members Share Posted January 25, 2012 Nice! I use the 20mm and 45mm already.Been looking at the 7.5mm, but I may get the 12mm instead. the 14mm is really compact and light. nice little lens. the 20mm was a weird fit on my E-PM1, it didn't seem balanced. I liked the manual focus ring on the 17mm better, and its smaller, so I am keeping that one, even though its the 'worse lens'. as a two lens kit (not counting my fisheye or kit lens) i like the 17mm and 45mm as a pair of focal lengths. as a trio, the 12/14, 20/25, and 45 make more sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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