cetan's weblog a man, no plan, a blog, golbanalponnama.

compromises and photography (part 2)

Back in May of 2009, I wrote this post:

http://www.bernhard.us/rob/blog/2009/05/18/compromises-and-photography/

It is about the compromises one makes when choosing different camera formats, in particular a digital point and shoot.

In that post I talked about the new Sigma DP-series of cameras and the Panasonic/Olympus Micro-4/3rds format as possible bridges between a point-and-shoot and a traditional SLR-style camera.

Well, a lot has happened in a year-and-a-half.

Both Panasonic and Olympus have jumped feet-first into this market, producing a number of cameras. Some retain SLR styling albeit with electronic viewfinders, and some have used the digital point-and-shoot design as a launching point. Both have also introduced a number of lenses to support this format and seem to be the current market leaders.

But since then, a number of other manufacturers have joined in the fray:

Samsung has released two models into this market with sensors larger than the Micro-4/3rds models: the NX10 (an SLR-styled camera body) and NX100 (a point-and-shoot styled body). Both are interchangeable lens cameras that have abandoned the traditional mirror/viewfinder mechanism in favor of a smaller and more compact design.
edit: Samsung has announced the NX5, a NX10 "lite" but I've not seen much on it.

Sony too has joined in releasing the (similarly named) NEX-5 and NEX-3 cameras (the NEX-3 being a few features shy of the NEX-5). Like Samsung, the sensors in these cameras are larger than Micro-4/3rds while the bodies are the smallest yet. Though, due to technical requirements, the lenses did not scale down quite as much which has lead to a fairly unbalanced "look" to the combos.

What has not come down substantially is price. These are not replacements for consumer point and shoot cameras. These are really alternatives to low-end DSLR cameras. They offer compactness of a point and shoot but not the low cost. These are more like stepping-stones into the world of interchangeable lens camera for those struggling with the idea of moving into a full-on DSLR experience.

Examples (with included kit lens): NX100: $600; NEX-5: $700; GF1: $680; G10: $450; E-PL1: $550;

Reviews, as always, are mixed and depend entirely on how you approach the idea of these cameras. As replacements for point and shoots they do very well, offering a lot of control, better image quality, and (for the most part) better response times. But they're not something you're going to slip into your shirt-pocket, nor are they available in blister packs on the end-caps in stores. This is a new market segment and things are still in flux.

Noticeably absent from the market are both Nikon and Canon. To that end, I finish this (long-winded) post.

I've been waiting to see what Canon will do (there are, of course, rumors of them entering the market) to see if our next "point and shoot" would be one of these new mirror-less interchangeable lens cameras. But in reality, waiting just for Canon is silly. In order to reduce the size of the camera body, Canon will likely have to re-design their lens mount. And with that assumed, any camera that Canon releases will require all new Canon lenses to work natively. Anyone wanting to use their existing EF or EF-S lenses will likely need an adapter (probably 2, one for each mount type) which would render the smaller camera design rather moot. A lens designed for a traditional (D)SLR will be big already; add an adapter and you might as well be using one of the small DSLR's like the Canon XS (which is very capable and is $500 w/ kit lens: less expensive than all but the Panasonic G10).

I don't know much about Nikon mounts, but I suspect a similar conundrum will present itself there too.

And so, in reality, you're free to choose from any of the manufacturers in this market segment. But you're "free" to spend a lot more money in order to utilize the functionality provided by an interchangeable lens mount in the first place.

(Yes, I'm lucky to have the chance to even contemplate such "problems," I realize this.)

So, I'm really glad to see that the market for these types of cameras appears to be growing and more companies are entering with compelling offerings. But I'm going to continue to wait until the costs start dropping (or until the used-market is sufficiently saturated!).

In the mean time, (and as a somewhat unrelated aside) I still will lust after the Canon 85mm f/1.8. I have become completely fixated on this lens. I rented one a couple weeks ago thinking I would rid myself of this irrationality. Unfortunately, it simply reinforced my desire to own one. I had so much fun shooting with it and was pleased with a number of my images...

Ah, the joys of photography.

change

Film making is changing. This is no secret. But the acceleration of this change is rather profound.

Footage shot with 3 cameras: Red One, Canon 5D Mark II, and the Panasonic GH1. The latter is ~$1500 US with kit lens.

Amazing. Certainly worth watching large and in HD on Vimeo.com (click the link below the embedded file)