Advice on a compact travel camera

[feathers]

The sony cyber shot 100 mark one should be in that price range by now? Has a 1" sensor can shoot raw.
Has a zeiss lens. Very compact. I have the mark 4 version and very happy with the pics. Cheers.

[John King]

Thanks John

You're welcome, Andy.

The technical side sometimes gets me, but based on your info, essentially would I be correct in thinking that the kit lenses would be sharpest between say f/4 and f/8, and starts to get noticeably softer between f/8 and f/16?

You will only really notice diffraction softening at f/16 and smaller unless you examine everything at 100% ... Some people cannot help themselves, and become inveterate pixel peepers ... .
Me, for instance ...

If so, I don't think it would be a deal breaker for me, normally shoot wildlife around f/7.1-f/8. Might just mean shooting with a lower f stop number or focus stacking for landscapes?

The majority of my photos are Facebook, forums, etc with the occasional 6x4 print or very rarely a 16x12 canvas.

Canvas hides a multitude of sins ... . The sort of diffraction softening I mentioned would be noticeable in a finely detailed 17x22 inch print, but not in other scenes, even at that size.

Thanks again

No worries. Get in touch when it out-halfwits you!! I sometimes think that the bloody things are smarter than I am .

[Glenda]

Like Hawthy I too have used the pre raw version of the compact Panasonic and took it to India with us a few years ago. Also like Andrew I was underwhelmed with its results in a lot of cases. I ended up handing it to our guide who took happy snaps of Gordon and I as we wandered about various sites. I tended to stick to my dslr. Maybe the addition of being able to shoot raw would be an advantage.

I recently bought an Olympus E-M10 mark II with the 14-42 kit lens. I bought it mainly to have a small light weight camera for street photography when travelling - far less intrusive than the dslr. I've been impressed with the quality of the photos to date although still getting used to it and with our recent heat wave, followed by quite a bit of rain haven't had much of a chance to use it lately.

You haven't said where you are travelling to, but, on most of our trips I've found I don't really need such a super zoom. In Myanmar last year the 24-70 just about lived on my D750 and occasionally I wanted wider so went to the 20mm prime. I did take longer lenses but they lived in my camera bag the whole trip. The 40-150 lens John mentioned would probably give you more than you need zoom wise in most instances.

Whatever you choose I'd get it and do some practice with it before your trip. Going from a Nikon to the Olympus I've found a few things feel back the front and I'm still learning where to go to change various settings when out shooting.

[Nick Cliff]

Andy the EPL8 I think can use the Olympus EVF4 electronic viewer which is superb if you like to manually focus at times.The other thing is that Panasonic have some superb lenses zoom and prime that are compatible with this camera. I imagine with this camera when you are travelling it may not be that difficult to buy a particular lens focal length while travelling of course.
The Olympus pro level zoom and macro lenses should work on this camera if you want really consistently superb image quality. I use many legacy primes with the micro 4/3rds system with lens adapters to reduce weight when travelling.

cheers Nick

[Glenda]

One other thing I forgot to mention Andy is that the latest lightroom app which is free, comes with its own camera which shoots in dng format and allows you to use the normal lightroom sliders to process it. Using pro mode you can also change ISO, shutter etc before taking the shot. If you have Lr it also syncs the images to your desktop as well. I've only recently put it on my phone and the only downside is I need my reading glasses to see and change settings when out.

[Bensch]

The sony cyber shot 100 mark one should be in that price range by now? Has a 1" sensor can shoot raw.
Has a zeiss lens. Very compact. I have the mark 4 version and very happy with the pics. Cheers.

I did take a look at the Sony Cyber Shot, but the lack of focal lenght was a bit of an issue. Great camera otherwise

Thanks for the suggestion

You're welcome, Andy.

You will only really notice diffraction softening at f/16 and smaller unless you examine everything at 100% ... Some people cannot help themselves, and become inveterate pixel peepers ... .
Me, for instance ...

Canvas hides a multitude of sins ... . The sort of diffraction softening I mentioned would be noticeable in a finely detailed 17x22 inch print, but not in other scenes, even at that size.

No worries. Get in touch when it out-halfwits you!! I sometimes think that the bloody things are smarter than I am .

Thanks John, greatly appreciated, and will do

Like Hawthy I too have used the pre raw version of the compact Panasonic and took it to India with us a few years ago. Also like Andrew I was underwhelmed with its results in a lot of cases. I ended up handing it to our guide who took happy snaps of Gordon and I as we wandered about various sites. I tended to stick to my dslr. Maybe the addition of being able to shoot raw would be an advantage.

I recently bought an Olympus E-M10 mark II with the 14-42 kit lens. I bought it mainly to have a small light weight camera for street photography when travelling - far less intrusive than the dslr. I've been impressed with the quality of the photos to date although still getting used to it and with our recent heat wave, followed by quite a bit of rain haven't had much of a chance to use it lately.

You haven't said where you are travelling to, but, on most of our trips I've found I don't really need such a super zoom. In Myanmar last year the 24-70 just about lived on my D750 and occasionally I wanted wider so went to the 20mm prime. I did take longer lenses but they lived in my camera bag the whole trip. The 40-150 lens John mentioned would probably give you more than you need zoom wise in most instances.

Whatever you choose I'd get it and do some practice with it before your trip. Going from a Nikon to the Olympus I've found a few things feel back the front and I'm still learning where to go to change various settings when out shooting.

Thanks Glenda, greatly appreciated

Am mainly into wildlife photography, so looking to visit zoos, wildlife sanctuaries, etc. while travelling.
As a rule, I normally carry my 70-300mm for my DSLR (unless I know that I need my birding lens), so I think with the 40-150mm being 35mm equivalent to a 300mm, I think it will fit the bill nicely. I did notice, however, that there is also a 300mm (600mm equivalent) available for around $500, might have to add that to my purchase list for later on in the year.

I really enjoy shooting with my DSLR but wanted something to take while travelling that wasn't so heavy, but at the same time, didn't sacrifice on comparable image quality.

Will be travelling to Melbourne on June 18-23, and then (no set dates, depends on work and finances, so will probably be spaced out over a couple of years) also want to do Kangaroo Island (travel by car, so can take DSLR gear), Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, NZ and then set my sights on Europe. So as with DSLR, something that is modular and can be upgraded is ideal (body can be upgraded without having to purchase all new lenses, etc.).

Am aiming to order the Olympus by the 15th of next month, so will give me a little time to play before travel in June.

- - - Updated - - -

Andy the EPL8 I think can use the Olympus EVF4 electronic viewer which is superb if you like to manually focus at times.The other thing is that Panasonic have some superb lenses zoom and prime that are compatible with this camera. I imagine with this camera when you are travelling it may not be that difficult to buy a particular lens focal length while travelling of course.
The Olympus pro level zoom and macro lenses should work on this camera if you want really consistently superb image quality. I use many legacy primes with the micro 4/3rds system with lens adapters to reduce weight when travelling.

cheers Nick

Fantastic, thanks Nick

Did a little googling, and the PL8 is compatable with the EVF4 viewfinder will certainly be adding it to my list of purchases for a little later.

Great info on the Panasonic lenses, will definitely keep that one in mind

One other thing I forgot to mention Andy is that the latest lightroom app which is free, comes with its own camera which shoots in dng format and allows you to use the normal lightroom sliders to process it. Using pro mode you can also change ISO, shutter etc before taking the shot. If you have Lr it also syncs the images to your desktop as well. I've only recently put it on my phone and the only downside is I need my reading glasses to see and change settings when out.

Outstanding, thanks Glenda

I am downloading the Lightroom app for my droid as we speak, and have set my computer to install Lightroom CC (have only run Lightroom classic until now).

Looking forward to playing around and seeing what it can do

[Bensch]

No worries. Get in touch when it out-halfwits you!! I sometimes think that the bloody things are smarter than I am .

Out of interest John, I noticed today that Teds has the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II (with 14-42mm EZ) on special for $699, do you think this is better or worse than the E-PL8?

Really a fan of the viewfinder/eyepiece

[John King]

Much better IMO.

I would never buy a camera without some kind of VF.
In fact, I upgraded my E-510 to an E-30 almost completely because of the 1:1 100% OVF of the latter.

[Bensch]

Much better IMO.

I would never buy a camera without some kind of VF.
In fact, I upgraded my E-510 to an E-30 almost completely because of the 1:1 100% OVF of the latter.

Thanks John, greatly appreciated

Looks like this one is the winner then, hopefully, they still have it available on the 15th, looks like the promotion goes until the start of April, so should be good.

I really prefer the VF, rarely use the LCDs on my DSLRs except when doing panoramas, so finding a Mirrorless with a VF (in my price range) is a major bonus

[Floribunda]

Just weighing in Andy to support everything that John has said re Olympus and the Four Thirds System.
The quality will never let you down and the colours are superb. For your wildlife shots the Plastic Fantastic 40-150 is worth every dollar.
We travel quite a bit and this system has never failed me yet as the lightness/quality was a main factor when I purchased.

[Bensch]

Just weighing in Andy to support everything that John has said re Olympus and the Four Thirds System.
The quality will never let you down and the colours are superb. For your wildlife shots the Plastic Fantastic 40-150 is worth every dollar.
We travel quite a bit and this system has never failed me yet as the lightness/quality was a main factor when I purchased.

Thanks Lyn, greatly appreciated

Will definitely grab one of the 40-150s in the next month for sure.

I also notice that they have a 70-300 (giving an equivalent of a 140-600mm) would be nice to have an alternative to my birding setup, without all the weight

[ameerat42]

...I also notice that they have a 70-300 (giving an equivalent of a 140-600mm) would be nice to have an alternative to my birding setup, without all the weight

In angle of view only - not in image size. I don't know what sort of an alternative you mean.
F=300mm is at the modest end for birding.

[John King]

In angle of view only - not in image size. I don't know what sort of an alternative you mean.
F=300mm is at the modest end for birding.

Actually, Am ...
The AoV is covering a smaller sensor at higher resolution, so gives an effective FL of 140-600mm compared with a 135 format camera and lens.

[ameerat42]

Perhaps. But it does not rationalise the statement as quoted.
Nor does it invalidate my reply.

[John King]

Am, I own quite a few 135 format lenses for my 135 format cameras. I also have adapters to use these on both my four thirds and mFTs cameras.

The 200mm 35mm lens I have behaves exactly as if it had a FL (actually AoV) of a 400mm lens on a 35mm camera when used on my FTs and mFTs cameras.

[ameerat42]

JK. What are you saying?

So does it exactly give you an FL of 400mm? Stick to FL for FL statements, and to AoV for AoV statements.

However, I know you only mean "exactly" "actually" "AoV".

[John King]

Am, smaller sensors lose out in light gathering and dynamic range to larger sensors. Not as much these days as some who are remembering data from 10-15 years ago believe, however.

For example, the D850 beats the E-M1 MkII by over a stop in DR when both are at their base ISO (50 and 200 respectively). This narrows when both are at ISO 200. Noise is even more problematic for the smaller FTs sensor (less light gathering area). However, sensors smaller than FTs fall over fairly badly on both these measures.

Where smaller sensors "win" is by effectively cropping the image provided by a given FL lens (i.e. effectively changing the AoV). This advantage relies on having the same number of acceptable quality pixels to capture that image with sufficient resolution, and the lens having sufficient resolving power. mFTs lenses are generally measured at MTF 60, versus MTF 30 for 135 format lenses for this very reason.

Always pluses and minuses.

What's really interesting is that the latest f/w update for the E-M1 MkII appears to decrease noise at 6400 by about half a stop, and improve the AF to near pitch black! (ISO 6400, f/5.6, 1 second).

[Bensch]

Actually, Am ...
The AoV is covering a smaller sensor at higher resolution, so gives an effective FL of 140-600mm compared with a 135 format camera and lens.

Am, I own quite a few 135 format lenses for my 135 format cameras. I also have adapters to use these on both my four thirds and mFTs cameras.

The 200mm 35mm lens I have behaves exactly as if it had a FL (actually AoV) of a 400mm lens on a 35mm camera when used on my FTs and mFTs cameras.

Am, smaller sensors lose out in light gathering and dynamic range to larger sensors. Not as much these days as some who are remembering data from 10-15 years ago believe, however.

For example, the D850 beats the E-M1 MkII by over a stop in DR when both are at their base ISO (50 and 200 respectively). This narrows when both are at ISO 200. Noise is even more problematic for the smaller FTs sensor (less light gathering area). However, sensors smaller than FTs fall over fairly badly on both these measures.

Where smaller sensors "win" is by effectively cropping the image provided by a given FL lens (i.e. effectively changing the AoV). This advantage relies on having the same number of acceptable quality pixels to capture that image with sufficient resolution, and the lens having sufficient resolving power. mFTs lenses are generally measured at MTF 60, versus MTF 30 for 135 format lenses for this very reason.

Always pluses and minuses.

What's really interesting is that the latest f/w update for the E-M1 MkII appears to decrease noise at 6400 by about half a stop, and improve the AF to near pitch black! (ISO 6400, f/5.6, 1 second).

Thanks John




Spotted this photo online, found it useful, so thought I'd share

[Bensch]

Edited.

[ameerat42]

Bensch. You should reference that image that you posted in Post #39 above as a link to the image on its
own site, ie, PhotoSeek.com, as it is not your own image.

Please look at Rule 20 here: http://www.ausphotography.net.au/for...hp?do=vsarules

You can change a post within one hour of the post time.