Which Lense

[CrazyCarl]

Originally Posted by Rebaseonu

My suggestion is to think if one really needs to take a SLR camera with big lens.

I reckon people know what kind of camera they need for the kind of photography they do but choosing what is "right" or "best" for them is always complicated as there are usually many good options and none of them are free.

True, a moron with a D3 won't take any better pictures than a trained eye with an A640 but that's not comparing apple to apples. If someone says they want to bring a DSLR then why spend time trying to convince them to only bring a pns? Especially since people who bring DSLR's usually bring a pns as back up anyway.

Your pictures are great and the Panasonic is a wonderful camera (I might actually pick on up myself here in a few weeks) but it has limitations. What if I want to shoot wildlife? Can 100mm cover it? 100mm won't even do good street candid's without getting in someone's face. Actually, 100mm's isn't even sufficient for some types of landscapes. Telephotos can take some interesting landscapes:

Sigma 80-400OS@320mm


Then how about ultra-wide?

Sigma 10-20@10mm


Keeping it simple is great and entirely possible if you're taking record ("I was there") shots and a good pns can do wonderful things when placed in front of a good eye. That said, if you want the power and flexibility to shoot more kinds of subjects in different conditions, changing lenses is necessary and, I think, a blessing - think about all the different composition possibilities you can get out of one camera!

What? And risk getting dust in my camera? That's like saying I don't ride my motorcycle because I don't want to get dirt on my engine and, unlike motorcycle engines, there's technology now which helps keep dust off sensors.

Point is, PnS or DSLR, ride with it, use it and take amazing pictures with it. Change lenses, don't change lenses, it doesn't really matter, they all will get dirty and when they do, clean it and take more pictures with it. Motorcycle travel photography is not about photographing pictures in museums or a Mochaccino in Starbucks, this is about capturing the world, every, dirty, dusty, wet, damp, dry, dark and bright beautiful corner of it.

Ride, Take pictures, Ride some more,
CC

[Rebaseonu]

Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

If someone says they want to bring a DSLR then why spend time trying to convince them to only bring a pns? Especially since people who bring DSLR's usually bring a pns as back up anyway.

People often don't know that they can make decent pictures without a DSLR. That is why everyone thinks that a SLR is the only possibility. My bet is that over half of DSLR users actually don' t know how to use their gear to full potential (eg. they shoot in full auto "green" mode).

Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

What if I want to shoot wildlife?
100mm won't even do good street candid's without getting in someone's face. Actually, 100mm's isn't even sufficient for some types of landscapes.
Then how about ultra-wide?

Yes, we can make great photos with extreme lenses. However, we can also make nice pictures with only 1 fixed focal length lens (in fact most of iconic images of 20th century were taken that way). Just live with the limitations. Less is more. I have used and still use mostly 35mm fixed lens on my film camera. Yes, I can't do 15mm wide angles and wildlife, but I can still take pictures (I like).

If you want to take many lens and have fun doing so, by all means do it. I'm just trying to say that the peace of mind and ease you get when you have less gear is often worth more than these few extreme pictures that require special lenses.

[teflon]

Originally Posted by Rebaseonu

...People often don't know that they can make decent pictures without a DSLR. That is why everyone thinks that a SLR is the only possibility. My bet is that over half of DSLR users actually don' t know how to use their gear to full potential (eg. they shoot in full auto "green" mode)...

To be fair, metering and focussing is so good nowadays that, 9 times out of ten, it's easy to get good results when the only thing you have to adjust is the compensation button. Trouble is, that turns an expensive SLR into a bulky point and shoot camera and you still have to choose the lighting and composition - no settings for that! Though that's the point you were making.

Taking a damn good picture with a compact is far more satisfying.

[daveg]

I borrowed a friend's 18-200 vr and man.. it was great! I rode around my city trying to take my typical touristy shot and was really happy with the range (esp along the 200mm end).


I agree that atleast 80% of a photo is independent of the equipment. The camera w/ lens mounted fit nicely into my tank bag, so once I sell my 70-300 VR and sigma 70-300, I'll prolly pick up the 18-200.

[teflon]

Originally Posted by daveg

I borrowed a friend's 18-200 vr and man.. it was great! I rode around my city trying to take my typical touristy shot and was really happy with the range (esp along the 200mm end).


I agree that atleast 80% of a photo is independent of the equipment. The camera w/ lens mounted fit nicely into my tank bag, so once I sell my 70-300 VR and sigma 70-300, I'll prolly pick up the 18-200.

If it floats your boat, then it's right for you. Lots of people like it. Glad you got it sorted.

[The Cameraman]

Mornin' Everyone,

just as an aside to this thread, has anyone discovered a point and shoot that doesn't suffer from shutter lag? A mate's after replacing his G3, which he loves apart from the said lag.

[CrazyCarl]

Originally Posted by The Cameraman

Mornin' Everyone,

just as an aside to this thread, has anyone discovered a point and shoot that doesn't suffer from shutter lag? A mate's after replacing his G3, which he loves apart from the said lag.

That is an excellent question and I wish I had a definitive answer for you. I'm sure there have been improvements in this area since the G3 but it really depends on what your mate is looking to shoot. Does he want to do fast action stuff?

CC

[Rebaseonu]

Originally Posted by The Cameraman

Just as an aside to this thread, has anyone discovered a point and shoot that doesn't suffer from shutter lag? A mate's after replacing his G3, which he loves apart from the said lag.

Most current higher end point and shoots are much better than 5 years ago. G3 is a quite old model, current model is G9 (which seems a nice camera except it does not have 28mm wide lens). In-depth reviews at Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ list also different lag times now.

If you want to shoot action with typical camera you need to use pre-focusing. You press shutter release button half way down which will focus the lens on your subject, then you wait for your "decisive moment" (still half-pressing the shutter release button) and if it is there you fully depress shutter release. Then the camera will take picture almost instantly, as most of what is commonly referred as "shutter lag" is actually time that takes to focus the lens (move lens elements to right position using motor). This technique will also work with the old G3.

[mollydog]

Carl,
Great shots and some good advice.

[CrazyCarl]

Originally Posted by mollydog

To use my Canon 20D, the only D-SLR in the bunch, I will have to refigure my whole travel packing system to make it fit. Need a tele also and something very wide. $$$$$$

Sigma 10-20. Not expensive, sharp, good build, high contrast and not very large or heavy. It's a WA landscape monster and many Canon users use it.

Originally Posted by mollydog

If you look into the Panasonic Lumix cameras, look at the DMC FZ18. Zoom range: 28 to 500mm...But I'm looking at a smaller, more compact camera with the quality of the G3, Leica lens and decent features. So many good super zooms now.

G3 was a good camera and I'm surprised you had problems with it. I'm considering the Panasonic LX2 (dpreview link) as I think it may perform more like the G9 but not as bulky with nice glass. Also worth noting is it doesn't have those weak little automatic lens covers; instead it uses a traditional snap-on cover which holds itself firmly in place. The LX2, probably more than any other pns I've seen so far, is more like a mini DSLR and shoots panoramic. Zoom range is 28-112 (4x) which I think is plenty for a back up.

I'm not into superzooms because I usually try to obey the rule of 3, meaning anything more than 3x and the quality WILL suffer somewhere. This is not a matter of preference but physical/optical limitations. 4-5x is okay, but 10x and 12x lenses won't even be in the same class. To be clear, if someone is looking for general record shots this is NOT an issue, but if you want to shoot material you can blow up big for print or submit to magazines, the sharp fast glass is important.

If you haven't already, borrow someone's Tamron or Sigma 18-50/2.8 for a day and tell me what you think. Be careful though, resolution in glass is like hp in engines. Once you taste it, it's hard to go back. But then what the hell do I know, I think a 200cc is big.

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