MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Following on from here https://singletrackworld.com/forum/off-topic/compact-camera-with-zoom-500-for-landscapes-and-street-photography/#post-13677303
I didn't buy one in the end but the Sony a6000 was a strong contender for me. Quite compact, aspc, nice view finder and light. Various lens options as mirrorless. Pretty cheap second hand. Felt very nice to handle.
I went for a Fuji xf10 instead, glorious quality in an aspc compact, fixed lens. But no viewfinder which I am very much regretting. Images are delightful but AF is slow
Sony A6500 is the earliest APS-C model with IBIS, might be pushing your budget but there are some very good lenses for not much money. I have an old A5100 with the 20mm f2.8 pancake lens that fits in a pocket; if I didn't have a bigger full frame camera I could probably get by with that and a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8
I have had two of the Sony A6000 series and came away underwhelmed. I replaced them with a Nikon D5600 with the cheap 18 55 kit lens and the results are far better. The Nikon has also outlived both of them. Set on full auto, the Nikon delivers noticeably better image quality. It cost less too. I have since bought a fancier lens second hand and the results are even better. Sorry not to be of great help but the basic Nikon DSLR's make for a viable alternative.
Ha that is interesting, I had been eyeing a 5600 as a next option.
I have had two of the Sony A6000 series and came away underwhelmed. I replaced them with a Nikon D5600 with the cheap 18 55 kit lens and the results are far better. The Nikon has also outlived both of them. Set on full auto, the Nikon delivers noticeably better image quality. It cost less too. I have since bought a fancier lens second hand and the results are even better. Sorry not to be of great help but the basic Nikon DSLR's make for a viable alternative.
In what way where the Sonys underwhelming ?
the Nikon 5600 is really good value, but not in any way something I’m carrying everyday.
The LX100 is pretty pocketable, unlike most of the others. That makes a big difference to the amount of times you’ll be likely to carry it.
Another second hand bargain at mpb.com is the Fuji X-H1 body. Paired with the excellent XF18-55 f2.8/4 its as small and light as a pro quality aps-c camera gets. It’s the body I use on location when I can’t carry my medium format camera kit in.
Don’t discount a more recent high end phone like an iPhone 15 pro, the cameras on those are amazing if you’re not editing the images much printing big sizes. Guaranteed to always have it in your pocket and that’s half the battle.
There’s an A6000 in the household and whilst compact, it’s pretty old now and images straight out of camera are flat and uninspiring compared to even a phone. A bit of processing in Lightroom can sort them out a bit, particularly if shooting RAW. The kit lens is absolutely rubbish though.
I get that users want something compact but this normally comes at the expense of poor ergonomics. Handling the A6000 is horrible with tiny buttons and the terrible Sony menu system (in my opinion).
How small and compact does it need to be? If it doesn’t need to go in a pocket, I’d be inclined to go for an APS-C from Nikon or Canon or stump up for the Fuji which has proper controls. I don’t know much about M43 but it may be a good option.
In my experience the performance of the 1 inch sony sensor in the rx 100 is good. Certainly ahead of anything 20 years ago. The benefit of the slightly larger sensor in the lx 100 is better depth of field control
The canon g7x ii is what I’m looking at next or a rx 100 vii
https://www.flickr.com/gp/john_clinch/AkC5taBvbH
Here are photos from my rx 100
So no love for the Sony a6000 series.
ideally this would be pocketable. As if it isn’t easy to carry I’m not going to carry it.
@supernova that Fuji X-H1 looks good and well in budget, but not small ?
I do get that a iPhone from the last few years will take great pics, but surely not as good as a decent camera?
Panasonic s9 for full frame compactness and image quality/price/ibis but no EVF.
Sony a6700 (EVF) APS-C is okay - Sony a7c (full-frame) is not bad (EVF) too but poor for video(slow rolling shutter) and poor ibis.
Ive had loads of cameras (and use them a lot for work). But the panny s9 is the current bargain for full-frame and compactness.
Panasonic s5 is even cheaper with EVF but bulkier.
In my experience the performance of the 1 inch sony sensor in the rx 100 is good. Certainly ahead of anything 20 years ago. The benefit of the slightly larger sensor in the lx 100 is better depth of field control
The canon g7x ii is what I’m looking at next or a rx 100 vii
https://www.flickr.com/gp/john_clinch/AkC5taBvbH
Here are photos from my rx 100
great pics, thanks for sharing
I considered the canon g7x but discounted it due to fixed lense and smallish sensor. Maybe my thinking is off.
“I do get that a iPhone from the last few years will take great pics, but surely not as good as a decent camera?”
I took this a week or so ago with my iPhone.
A decent real camera will still blow away a phone / iPhone camera in every respect. Small plastic, fixed aperture lenses and tiny sensors are no match compare to a modern “proper” camera. You’re relying on computational photography to fake sharpness etc. It also guesses your processing for you. If I zoom into my iPhone shots, I see computational mush compared to my mirrorless.
Which is all absolutely fine if that’s what you want and tend to look at images on a phone screen. It’ll also be with you at all times.
If you value real image quality, aperture (depth of field) control, shutter speed control and want to learn processing of RAW images, then a modern interchangeable lens camera with decent sized sensor is what you want.
I've a Fujifilm X-T20, which is APSC and a smaller form factor than the X-H1 or even the X-T2,3,4 etc. It's an older model but I think that's as small as I'd want to go with an APSC camera. It's fine with the 16-50 XC kit lens, but I think it would feel quite unbalanced with some of the larger Fuji lenses.
The X-T20 does have WiFi, but it's quite an old camera now so it's not the best implementation, the auto focus can be a bit slow and it doesn't have IBIS. It does 4k video and has a flip out screen rather than pivoting, otherwise I'd recommend one as the image quaility is really good and it feels nice in the hand.
I really don't use mine enough.
Something like this?
I don’t know much about the Olympus cameras but they seem to be very popular.
I don’t know much about the Olympus cameras but they seem to be very popular.
Recommend looking at the "micro four nerds" YouTube channel for more in-depth look at them. I have the OM-1 Mark II and I'm very happy with it, but it's in a bit higher price bracket than the one you linked to.
Panasonic s9 for full frame compactness and image quality/price/ibis but no EVF.
Sony a6700 (EVF) APS-C is okay - Sony a7c (full-frame) is not bad (EVF) too but poor for video(slow rolling shutter) and poor ibis.
Ive had loads of cameras (and use them a lot for work). But the panny s9 is the current bargain for full-frame and compactness.
Panasonic s5 is even cheaper with EVF but bulkier.
@rone the Panasonic s9 ticks a lot of boxes, but with a lens it’s not hugely pocketable, even presumably with one of their pancake lenses. It’s also over my budget without a lense, I do notice that Panasonic have discounted this hugely this Xmas, there’s an option for the s9 with a big lens for 799, which seems amazing value.
But I’ve thought this over and pocket ability is key, otherwise I’m just not going to take it out.
it does see, that the trend is to bigger cameras now, the super compact m43 and others have dropped off now, no idea why.
I can’t justify the cost of the famously popular Fujifilm X100VI, but it ticks every box for me. So I’ve looked at this pen e-p7 from OEM systems https://explore.omsystem.com/gb/en/e-p7
this is about the size unit I’d like, ideally with a viewfinder unlike this Olympus, but I don’t know if with modern tech whether it would really make any difference?
If you want something truly pocketable, maybe just continue to use a phone. Any decent lens is probably going to restrict you sticking it in a pocket.
I tend to make photography a bit of an event combined with a walk / climb so have no issue putting it in a rucksack along with a couple of lenses and a tripod strapped to the side. For days out, where I want better than iPhone pics, I stick the camera in a padded case inside a light Alpkit rucksack. Just 1 lens and reliance on IBIS + lens stabilisation.
My advice in photography is that you need to decide what image quality you need. Then work from there
I make a Blurb book and calendar every year. So i print lots but not that big.
I now own an iPhone 14 pro. Since i moved to an iPhone 12, 3 years ago, no one can tell whether i used the main camera in my phone or an actual camera, in good light.I’d say the main camera in my phone is better image quality than my scanned slides from back in the day
My phone is my most used camera. But I still use a real camera. I mainly use the real camera for more reach. My phone has 3x zoom but that isn’t much and the quality isn’t great
If the OP wants interchangeable lenses then the micro four thirds system is great. It offers all the image quality i need. Lots of great Lens options perhaps missing a really good zoom to 300mm. Lots of good primes. The panasonic 14-140mm zoom is a marvel of size, quality and range.
Good point about printing above which is one of the most satisfying parts of photography for me. Seeing it on actual paper rather than a screen is lovely.
Excuse the rubbish iPhone pic 🙂 but am about to get this framed and hung. No way would I have taken this using an iPhone.
200% crop of the above. I can still see all the detail of texture of the grasses and trees. This is where proper lenses and decent sensors win.
Good point about printing above which is one of the most satisfying parts of photography for me. Seeing it on actual paper rather than a screen is lovely.
Excuse the rubbish iPhone pic 🙂 but am about to get this framed and hung. No way would I have taken this using an iPhone.
If you want something truly pocketable, maybe just continue to use a phone. Any decent lens is probably going to restrict you sticking it in a pocket.
I tend to make photography a bit of an event combined with a walk / climb so have no issue putting it in a rucksack along with a couple of lenses and a tripod strapped to the side. For days out, where I want better than iPhone pics, I stick the camera in a padded case inside a light Alpkit rucksack. Just 1 lens and reliance on IBIS + lens stabilisation
@north_of_the_border superb pic. I’ve had a good iPhone pro for years the photos are really good, but I want to step up from the iPhone & sometimes the phone isn’t enough, also want to print some pics out quote large. I also more than that would just like to learn / re learn photography skills.
QQ what camera was that pic taken with? Just as a reference point re quality / detail.
the Panasonic s9 ticks a lot of boxes, but with a lens it’s not hugely pocketable, even presumably with one of their pancake lenses. It’s also over my budget without a lense, I do notice that Panasonic have discounted this hugely this Xmas, there’s an option for the s9 with a big lens for 799, which seems amazing value
Yes it's not 'quite' pocketable but seen in the context of full frame it's compact. (Maybe only the sigma fp-1 is smaller.)
There are a couple of decent-ish pancake lenses coming via TTartisan and another company called SG.
However the panny 18-40 zoom is almost as small.
You just have to keep an eye on the offers I got mine with 18-40 for I think 750 or something. Absolute steel as it's a class above the compacts in discussions.
Look out for like new or open boxed ones you can get for around 600 without lens. I think the S9 came to market with really bad press compared to the Sony zv-e1 (it's equivalent.) It's never overheated unlike the zv-e1 which is impossible for video.
But I found it to be better in key areas. The Sony zv-e1 is very expensive compared.
(I've got lenses across the range so I can swap between canon, sony, red, blackmagics, Panasonic L mount / DJI. L-mount Panasonic S primes lenses are great.)
@walowiz Thanks. It was taken with my old Canon 5D mark IV and a 24-70 lens. It’s definitely not pocketable. It’s Loch Ard just outside Aberfoyle. The conditions made the scene obviously.
I’m now using a Canon R5. Smaller and lighter than the 5D but still definitely on the large side. It definitely makes it a bit of an event using it compared to an iPhone, which I like.
My other stuff is here. No iPhone pics included. A mix of Canon 7D, 5D mark III / mark IV and R5 pics. I think I’ve hidden the exif data though.
For the on system cameras, they have a good following in the macro world due to being able to fire a flashgun while focus bracketing. Instagram has folks like
-This forest floor and pb macro
I have a canon R6 (the baby brother to the R5, same size but more the consumer end than the R5) which delivers outstanding results. I stepped up from a 60d. I partially got it as it's smaller than the 60d, but as I use my old glass it requires an adaptor making it longer than the 60d.
I used to enjoy landscapes but kids dictate I pursue other avenues.
As has been said before the difference between phone sensors and camera sensors. Even printing out at 6x4 I can tell, they just don't look as good
This picture, the one with the reflection, was taken with my iphone 12, ultra wide camera. It would have been better taken in an iphone 14. Better still an actual camera
Despite my reservation my sister printed it pretty big and put one copy on her wall at home and one on the wall of her rental property. She thinks it’s great. She also printed the ruin as a present. Its over A4 and stunning. I had no idea how she got the photo. She just down loaded the 2 mega pixel version from Flickr
