Best camera for riding shots ??

butcher of bakersfield

yeehaamcgee wrote:

It's not actually guaranteed that you will get objectively better autofocus accuracy with more money, in all honesty. A certain, VERY large camera manufacturer has had a mare of an issue with the camera back-focusing (focusing at the wrong distance).
Presumably this is because they have an uber-complicated, and thoroughly unnecessary autofocus system.
The original SLR and still very widely used autofocus system actually "views" the scene, so when something is in focus, there is just no two ways about it, it just IS in focus. This newer system has loads of other variables as well (and causes complications!)

Not naming names though. cough cough. Wink wink, and all that.

I know a certain camera company has suffered some quality control problems in the past. And yeah, absolutely, not always better, but the more money you're going to spend, generally the more options you're going to be given. And as pointed out, on a budget often the simplest systems will work the best.

Auto focus is always going to lack the human element anyway. The technology is amazing but the camera will never know the picture you have in your mind. Wildlife photographers astonish me. They creep about in the jungle, swinging from trees, shooting from 300 yards away, and they always get focus on the subject's eyes. No matter how much I try photographing the dog, I have a big fat nose perfectly in focus and blurred eyes. And that's after I've made him sit for 20 minutes!

popstar

at B o B, proper epic effort with dog.

LeighM

Another issue with some of the new compact cameras will be any Image Stabilisation functionality which, if you can't turn it off, will affect the sharness of your subject whilst panning as the camera thinks the panning motion is camera shake.

I tried some motion shots of my dog using my 24-105 L lens and they were all OOF until I turned IS off.

Anonymous

Out of focus is not the same as motion blur, mind.

And yes, wildlife photographers are amazing, but you should remember that for every amazing shot you see from a professional, there will be several hundred discarded ones!

Chris`I

Does the 24-105L not have the Type switch for IS? On newer IS equipped Canon lenses you can switch to have full IS where any shake is reduced or partial (in plane) where it will ignore big movements in one place (up/down or left right) and just stabalise the other, thus when panning L/R it will reduce shake in the up/down plane but not in the L/R plane and leave the panning as it should be

Dont think compacts have this feature (yet) so the point still stands with regards to compacts, although I have successfully done some panning shots with my G11 with IS on so maybe it does, or its just more clever now?

x-isle

I don't tend to take my DSLR on any trip, this is down to the fact that I'd also end up taking the rest of the kit with it (lenses, flash gun, filters etc) and it's far too heavy and bulk, plus I don't want to damage it.

As already mentioned on here, the Lumix range of compacts are amazing for the size and price. Really great bit of kit.

However, as I also don't want to damage this, I usually end up carrying an older Sony Cybershot with me, but then most of the time, I'm not after fantastic quality pictures, so it doesn't really matter.

If I had to make a compromise, it would be the Lumix everytime.

Although possibly out of the price range of the original question, the new Sony Nex-5 and Nex-3 are looking very interesting! Must get me a go of one soon, but prices are looking :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Anonymous

I don't quite understand WHY Sony made the NEX series.
My best guess is to stick a finger up at all the other manufacturers making mirrorless, interchangeable lens micro 4/3s cameras. As if to say "Well, WE can fit a proper SLR sensor in ours, nah nah nah nah nah"
Since, for the price, you COULD buy a pretty respectable SLR, even from Sony themselves!.
And the NEX range has all the drawbacks (sensor dust, size, complexity) with none of the advantages (optical viewfinder, phase-detection autofocus, massive choice of lens, wireless flash etc etc).

I'm not saying they're not good cameras, in fact, they're fantastic. I just don't understand what market they're trying to sell them to :?

x-isle

yeehaamcgee wrote:

I'm not saying they're not good cameras, in fact, they're fantastic. I just don't understand what market they're trying to sell them to :?

I do, the same market that Apple are currently selling to!

Anonymous

You may very well be right. I can only guess that if they were serious about developing mirrorless SLRs, they would have at least kept the exact same lens mount.

x-isle

Yep, you do have a good point.

I'm pretty sure, as you say, this is a direct hit on the top end Lumix (and other) cameras out there.

The one thing I am impressed at (seen one in the Sony store at Lichfield) is how small they are.

Anonymous

They are effing tiny, aren't they? I had a good natter with the Sony reps not long ago. they're really good fun, and not very corporate at all.
They kept telling me how good Samsung's 3d telly system was.
When I talked to the Samsung bloke, and told him I'd been chatting about 3DTV with Sony, he said "oh, don't listen to them, they don't know what they're talking about"

so, despite Sony's best friendly efforts to help Samsung market their new tech, Samsung seemed determined to quash it

Canon's reps were so bad, my sister was nearly ready to sell her entire stock of Canon EOS gear and switch to someone else. a neighbour of mine DID in fact! She switched to Nikon, and then told the Canon reps why :shock:

x-isle

Ha ha, brilliant!

Mad world isn't it!

I've just bought a Sony 3D, not because I wanted to jump on the bandwagon, but I actually needed a new TV, so went for it (along with a new 3D compatible Reciever/AMP).

I too am Nikon, and I remember when I bought it, Canon didn't seem particulary bothered whether I bought one or not! :roll:

Anonymous

Aren't Sony panels made by Samsung anyway?

As for tiny cameras. The smaller you go, the smaller the sensor, the higher the pixel site density, the more noise.

Given for bike action photos you are going to need some fast speed and likely you'll be shooting in the dark of woods, then you'll already be at a higher ISO (= more noise), so not so good.

That's another point though. If you're going to be shooting action stuff, an SLR really comes into it's own here. Compacts do have burst shot modes but they just don't capture the action so well. Plus with SLRs you can do all kinds of fancy flash stuff, off camera flash, strobes, etc. But you are getting pretty serious then just for having a camera to take photos of your mates on their bikes

Anyway, I'd say either a Lumix or some kind of SLR (stick to Nikon or Canon, you know where you are with them :P) or bridge camera.

Anonymous

The canon reps were absolutely dire.
There's an eyepiece cover on all SLRs, that you can mount onto the neck strap. The idea is that when taking a picture with a stong lightsource behind you, you block off the viewfinder to prevent stray light from entering the camera. Thing is, you have to take the eyepiece cup off (on a canon) and slide in the cover. Then slide the cover out, and re-fit the eyepiece cup etc etc.

Well, on my Sony, there is a handy switch, which shuts off the viewfinder. Great.
My sister mentioned this to the Canon guys, as a great, and very simple addition that maybe would be worth adding to their cams.
They sneered at her, accused her of being "just a bloody consumer" and suggested that maybe she should be looking at "little point and shoot cameras, since SLRs are for people who know what they're doing".
:roll:
Bloody retards.

x-isle

I think all panels are made by LG, but that's not really important. It's like saying all wheels are made by Lada. It's what's driving the wheels that matter.

My Nikon's eye peice has to be removed to fit the curtain, which you quite rightly say is a pain in the @rse

Anonymous

deadkenny wrote:

Aren't Sony panels made by Samsung anyway?

I'm really not sure who makes who's any more.
I believe Sony used to manufacture PC screen panels for themselves, Dell, and Apple. Not sure about others.
LG use to manufacture almost everybody's panels.
Now though, since the technology has kicked off in a big way, and there's so much more competition, I'm not sure who'd doing what.

I'm pretty sure that LED LCDs are (or were initially) all made by Samsung.
It's all a bit of a minefield!

LeighM

Chris`I wrote:

Does the 24-105L not have the Type switch for IS? On newer IS equipped Canon lenses you can switch to have full IS where any shake is reduced or partial (in plane) where it will ignore big movements in one place (up/down or left right) and just stabalise the other, thus when panning L/R it will reduce shake in the up/down plane but not in the L/R plane and leave the panning as it should be

Dont think compacts have this feature (yet) so the point still stands with regards to compacts, although I have successfully done some panning shots with my G11 with IS on so maybe it does, or its just more clever now?

No, the 24-105L is just IS On/Off, I'm guessing the Type switch is on the latest crop of lenses, probably the big zooms used by sports shooters.

I generally don't bother with IS as I prefer to shoot in the studio with flash... I'm a bit of a control freak so varying ambient light isn't my thing. :?