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Opinions? Ditch the DSLR for a small sensor camera?

Joan

New member
I've found that shooting with the DLux3 required a different technique than my old Canon elph. I don't use the official thumb spot, but instead put my index finger on top, thumb along the bottom (at the base of the lcd screen), and wrap my middle finger curled on the front. I also put a piece of the soft side of velcro on the front to help with a bit more traction. I can shoot one-handed that way, or also two handed if I want.

As for framing, that flower shot is with the dslr and I just guestimated. One nice thing about having 14.6MP is that you can often crop and get what your eye was seeing. That and a 16gig SD card means you can snap away and separate the wheat from the chaff after the fact. Other times I will be very deliberate in my framing...just depends on my mood and the subject. On the street beggars can't be choosers sometimes. ;)
Todd, (I found your real name on your site ;))

Lovely stuff with the D-Lux 3, really enjoyed your Hong Kong gallery. K20D is gonna be too big .. that I know for sure, but you certainly are making nice images with it, too. Would you believe I lived out in Wyoming for 2 years but never got to Yosemite? :( We were so broke at the time that travel was pretty much limited to short day trips. Someday I'll get back out there.

Great stuff, and again I thank you for your input. I think I've made a decision , since I just got an email with a "too good to refuse deal. More on that shortly! :)
 
B

bigdog

Guest
Thanks, Joan.
I just tweaked the exposure a bit. The lighting that morning was unreal.
 

Lili

New member
Hi Lili,
I was hoping you might offer an opinion here, been admiring your images since I found this forum and have enjoyed reading your posts.

I have handled the K100D and it's fine for my hands, and I really like the brighter viewfinder as compared to the E410's. I think as long as I went with the smaller primes lenses, I'd be fine with the size and weight.

I've not been completely wowed by the samples I've seen so far from the new Oly pancake ... waiting for someone to really sell it to me with some fine images. The form factor is terrific for sure. I do have the Oly 35mm macro which is a nice lens for walking around as well as it's 1:1 abilities. It's a little more interesting than the kit lenses. Here's a non-macro shot that I like from about a week ago:



If you do want to try Olympus, I'd definitely say to go with the E420. The new sensor and processing approach the E3's, a real step up from the E410, I think.
If I did go Ricoh, I'd like to shoot raw to get the most out of it, so I believe the "2" might suit me a bit better than the original, but I haven't completely ruled that out. Thanks for that suggestion, it would save me some dough!


Still mulling ... :D

Regards,
Joan

Joan,
Thank you :)
In the case of the GR series, if one shoots RAW then the GRD II is the way to go, by a long shot.
You find the K100D finder brighter than the E410?
Oh My...
I adore that shot btw, what lens was that done with?
It is razor sharp all through and the exposure and dynamic range is dead on.
I love the color, a very neutral palette, even next to my K100D.
Can you quantify what it is you dislike?
Lili
 
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Joan

New member
Hi Joan
smashing shot - really lovely . . . the only thing that's confusing me is what you don't like about the results from the Olympus?

I agree that Tom's shots are great . . I had a V-lux1 for a couple of months, and I loved the results, but not the size an the EVF viewfinder (horses for courses though).
Thank you, Jono! Glad you like that shot, it's one of my faves with the E410.

OK ... it's really not Olympus that I'm not 100% "one" with. It's just that the kit 14-42 is sorta humdrum and doesn't give much room for controlling DOF all that well. The Oly lenses that DO wow me (the 11-22 for instance) are all so danged BIG on the E410, that's really the trouble. But, I am not going to let it go just yet, still going to work with it a while longer.

Best,
Joan
 

nostatic

New member
not to muddy the waters, but the Oly 12-60 was one of the best lenses I ever messed around with. It is pretty big and heavy though...
 

Joan

New member
I'll put in a word for the D-Lux 3. It makes awesome files that print up beautifully, too.

Here's my work with the D-Lux 3.
Hi Maggie,

Just took a quick peek at your D Lux 3 gallery, defnitely want to visit longer when I have more time, saw some fab shots there already.

I feel badly that I was too clumsy to work with this great little camera. :( Everyone else seems to make such terrific use of it and I love looking at the results. It just wasn't right for me, darn it.

Thanks! :)

Joan
 

Joan

New member
...
You find the K100D finder brighter than the E410?
Oh My...
I adore that shot btw, what lens was that done with?
It is razor sharp all through and the exposure and dynamic range is dead on.
I love the color, a very neutral palette, even next to my K100D.
Can you quantify what it is you dislike?
Lili
Yes, the E410 VF is smaller and a bit darker. I've gotten used to it, but sometimes it's a bit frustrating because I wear glasses and if I don't get lined up just right, I can't see the info panel in there.

Oh, I must not have worded that well - that shot was with the 35mm macro, thanks glad you like it. :) In this instance, I'm quite pleased with the results, do like this lens better than the kit lenses, and it's a true bargain at about $200. Will have to post a couple of macros done with it. Nice.
 

smokysun

New member
hi joan,
i shot with the d-lux 2 and d2 for about a year, trying them under all kinds of circumstances. if interested, go to www.pbase.com/wwp and scroll halfway down the page. you'll find lots of galleries. (and you might want to go for the panasonic lx2. it's exactly the same camera as the d-lux 3. and a lot cheaper.)
nobody has suggested leica r lenses. the 28 2.8 would be small on your 410. i use a number of r's with a canon xti. great stuff. confirmation adaptors for the canon on ebay. believe me, this lens is sharp and beautiful. look at the used prices at www.keh.com they give you two weeks to return it and/or a three month warranty. with focus confirmation you get used to manual focus very quickly.
wayne
ps. keh also has a lot of used point and shoots. if you go for an older canon or olympus, you can get raw very cheap. shutter lag probably no worse than the dp1.
 

Joan

New member
Hi Wayne,

Wow, such a fantastic collection of theatre images, I'm ALL over it! :) (Acted in a lot of plays at school and community productions many moons ago, so always intrigued by the subject matter.)

I'd actually stumbled upon some of your shots with the D Lux 2 a while back when I was browsing pbase. Great stuff, you've made the most of both cameras, for sure.

Thanks for the tips, I am a fan of KEH, too. Bought a little Minolta Maxxum 5 there a while back to replace my dead 7000 that I used for eons. Great place to find bargains and excellent service from them.

Regards,
Joan
 

smokysun

New member
hi joan,
thanks for looking. i keep wanting the perfect camera, but in the end nothing works for everything. so, my plan (or lack of it) is to get a camera and see how much i can do with it. of course, lenses hold their value while cameras inevitably don't. if you sell them off quick enough, here or on photo.net or the fred miranda forum, you can almost always re-coop something. when i want to feel like a pro, i use a dslr. when i want to see how much i can do with little, i'll use a compact (fuji f31 at the moment). it can be very frustrating or invigorating. i do recommend you look at color samples. almost everyone here has shown black and white from the compacts. good luck with your quest.
wayne
ps. and i will send them back. the olympus 410 a great size but the viewfinder awful. tried a pro film camera the canon 1n. boy, was that built well, but film is of the past for me. and so on.
pss. and on this business of raw. if you want unique rather than perfect pictures, i think it's way overrated.
 
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S

Sean_Reid

Guest
hi joan,
ps. keh also has a lot of used point and shoots. if you go for an older canon or olympus, you can get raw very cheap. shutter lag probably no worse than the dp1.
Welcome Wayne! Glad to see you here. The DP1 doesn't have any shutter lag to speak of..

Cheers,

Sean
 

smokysun

New member
thanks, sean. the dp1 very appealing. at half the price i'd definitely buy one! have to wait awhile. love your reviews. keep them coming. this small sensor area interests me the most.
wayne
ps. a review of the fuji f30/31 would be very interesting. still no sensor like it, that i can tell. for example, the interior shots at minus 2 ev, 800 and 1600 iso: www.pbase.com/wwp/mandala2 while the outside shots at minus 2 ev, 100 iso. true, some have a lot of post-processing, some not. going for the spirit of the occasion.
 
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