So I’ve been made aware that there’s a big chunk of “Reward Points”
from my late wife that I’m now untitled to, and looking at things I
might want I spotted a camera, which got me re-thinking some stuff.
The only possible one in their catalogue is the Sony A6400, but I
could use the points instead to get Interdiscount gift cards, so the choice is wide open
from anything they do.
I used to do a fair bit of photography back in the day, pre autofocus
SLR stuff, which I understood and was technically very good on (my
pictures weren’t always, but that’s another matter). Had a couple of
waterproof (nearly) Lumix compact jobbies in the past ten years, both
of which died in the end, these days it’s only mobile phone use.
One of the things I’d want it for is better internal photos of my
rental apartments, but other uses will surface I’m sure. I’m on my own
now so a lot of things will change.
Full choices open to me are on the website, budget around
ch1350
Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated. Areas I’m still not
quite sure about include APS-C vx Full Frame, given one of the latter
in my current list, things like image stabilty for video (no idea how
much video I’d be doing, mind) and is it really worth forking out for
more expensive lenses than the “kit” ones available.
I think this is a very personal decision that depends both on the kind of photos you like to take and what you enjoy about photography. I very much enjoyed the tactile experience of using film and esp. medium format film with the manual winding and loading.
I also liked the compactness of rangefinders and digital rangefinders. I used the Canon EOS line for a long time and those were real workhorses.
If starting from scratch, I might be tempted by Sony or Lumix for the video capabilities or the Fuji X series for the compactness and tactile quality.
Though I think what I would really like is a very tiny pocketable camera that is very fast (I hate how long it takes to get the phone camera app ready).
Sony alpha apsc if you want the best hardware, sensor and software. Fuji x if you want something less technologically great, but amazing in terms of handfeel, ability to quickly change settings via proper buttons, not a touch screen.
I’m personally with the fuji xt4 and extremely happy with the fuji, haven’t had the itch at all to upgrade to the xt5
Used a canon 5d markiii full frame which i ditched years ago longing for a camera that i can carry almost inconspicuously with me while being able to take a shot in an instant.
The x100s is a phenomenal camera! The only issue I have with it is that my eyes are “switched” and i dont feel comfortable with a range-finder. I know, technically it’s not a true rangefinder, but the viewfinder is on my “wrong” side:)
The X100S was the perfect camera for me. I was disappointed when I realised it wasn’t really a rangefinder, but with autofocus built-in, you’d have to be very disciplined to not opt for using AF anyway.
Chances are that I’d be going with the ‘kit’ zoom lens on whichever body I choose. Yes, it’s only an f3 ish at best, but here there’s an element of “life’s too short” to mess around with lens changes, which may or may not tell you something about my usage model (which TBH is to be determined, being newly on my own after all this time).
Right now I seem to be tossing up between the Sony A6700 and the Nikon Z50II. The Sony seems better for video but doesn’t have an integral flash, the Nikon… Well, it’s a Nikon, innit?
My choices right now are pretty much limited to Interdiscount to use up these reward points/vouchers, so I don’t really have a free choice without putting up extra cash of my own.
Integrated flash is usually a liability, not an asset. Any modern camera will shoot decent video.
If i were you, I’d go to a digitec or interdiscount or to a specialist shop and hold the cameras in my hand.
You’ll spend more time holding it than you’ll spend shooting with it, so how it feels in your hand is quite important
Do you really need to buy with the vouchers? You could also use that for other things, right? That way, you don’t limit yourself to interdiscount (which maybe isn’t anyway the best place to buy). Also, don’t overlook facebook marketplace. You can sometimes get great deals on there.
There are idiots like me who buy camera gear, use it twice and realise that I bought the wrong thing and end up selling at a huge loss
A have a decent laptop, got multiple extra screens kicking around in case one the apartment TVs fails, so no, I really cannot imagine what I might buy with 1300 francs worth of gift cards. I could also get Globus ones, but the nearest shop is an hour or more away and again, I cannot think of anything I need. (we brought a load of kitchen-type stuff over from my wife’s father’s house last year, there’s still boxes of glassware, china and cutlery to be redistributed through the apartments.
Plus I don’t want to be buying stuff when there’s a fair possibility that I may want to sell a house, full of stuff, in the not-too-distant future.
Yeah, I know, 1st world problems, but that’s why the camera idea is appealing, plus I don’t need to justify spending money on it. I can view it as a Christmas present from Judith.
Yes, I need to be down in Monthey on Friday, so was planning on doing just that, although the Interdiscount down there isn’t the biggest. But there’s a huge mediamarkt not far away to get a hand-feel at.
I would say - good autofocus for stills and video trumps anything else. I used older Fuji X series and it was a disaster. Same for autofocus on my mirror Nikon DSLR for video.
Sony is the camera company so definitely try out theirs for both stills and video.of moving objects. All the rest can be lived with, but a bad AF is a constant frustration.
Edit: full frame: if you do people photography in low available light - basically a wedding photographer. The size of the camera, of f/1.4 full frame prime lenses and f/2.8 zooms if you really want to make use of the full frame sensor - that’s a very heavy kit.
I would say not. My iPhone 15 Pro Max does a better job than my Nikon Z50 unless I need the long reach of a telephoto. As the OP is not planning on having more than the kit lenses, the top level smart phone is a better choice as you can easily have it with you always.
I wouldn’t have an iPhone if you paid me. And they’re not that much cheaper than a proper camera in the first place, AIUI.
Anyway no, I’ve never really got on with mobile phone photography. My current phone’s camera is good, but it takes quite a lot of faffing to do anything clever like over- or under-expose, with all the faffing being done on the same screen that you use to frame your shot. And that in itself is an issue, particularly outdoors. Even with a 6" screen I don’t really feel I can ‘see’ the picture properly.
Give me a proper viewfinder, with separate controls, and I’ll take much more, and better, pictures, I’m sure. As for the weight, I disagree, holding my 375g smartphone out in front of me and keeping it steady is much more difficult than an ergonomically-designed camera grip held up to the face, even if the camera weighs a bit (not actually that much) more.
You cannot beat physics, irrelevant of what the marketing brochure tells you. A few mm inferior lens on a sensor the size of a pea cannot possibly capture even a fraction of the light that a proper lens and sensor can. A phone camera is great for a few snapshots here and there, no question, but if someone wants proper photos, especially for business reasons, there no argument which is more suitable.
Kit Lenses used to get a bad rap for a few reasons - sometimes cheap plastic mounts and parts, inferior lenses, small max aperture.
Kit zooms were notoriously bad.
Having said that, you don’t need to spend a lot to get a decent prime lens.
I bought a 100CHF 50mm f1.8 Canon prime and I cannot tell the difference in picture quality between that and the 1300CHF 50mm f1.2 in most lighting conditions.
I am on my second one though as the first one fell apart but 200 CHF is still a lot less than 1300CHF.
I’m not a professional. I don’t need that slight edge.
The Sony A6400 kit lenses gets pretty good reviews. The mount is metal and performance is good.
You can always get a wide-angle prime lense for those low-light room interiors later on if you feel you need it.
