Another (?) new camera thread!

[The Reverend Floater]

Sorry...don't hang here much and didn't see any ubiquitous "what camera" threads.

Me: I have a decent "eye" and see tons of cool shit, mainly wilderness stuff like many here, tend to be hard on equipment but not abusive, and most importantly--don't know shit about manual photography and don't have time to learn. The more "settings" the better. I will haul this thing everywhere from bow hunting deep in the mountains to weddings to trips abroad for work to around the ranch.

I own an awesome little waterproof P&S that I use for duck hunting and anything muddy/wet. But the quality of the shots aren't doing the scenery and light justice, for the most part. Loved my Canon D10 but the lens scratched (I read this is common).

Price range: Under $800 but the more affordable, the better.

Any suggestions? Been reading good things about that newish Leica that's around $750...

[Tye 1on]

What are you hoping for in size/portability? Just picked up the canon T3i in their refurb store, it's been great as a first 'real camera' but might be bigger than you're thinkin...

[supermodel159]

Pentax. Plenty of deals out there right now.

[The Reverend Floater]

Any particular model, SM?

[dfinn]

What are you hoping for in size/portability? Just picked up the canon T3i in their refurb store, it's been great as a first 'real camera' but might be bigger than you're thinkin...

probably also doesn't check his box for durability

[The Reverend Floater]

Dan...saw your shot today..you obviously know a thing or two. Ideally it would be around a D10 size and with lens interchangeability but smaller than a full on SLR....?

[shroom]

deal on a refurb d3100 + 18-55 floating around today on the interwebz. no linky right now, think it was on slickdeals

[The Reverend Floater]

This is the Leica I've been reading about: http://www.amazon.com/Leica-DLUX-10-...keywords=leica

[dfinn]

Dan...saw your shot today..you obviously know a thing or two. Ideally it would be around a D10 size and with lens interchangeability but smaller than a full on SLR....?

I gotta be honest, I don't know squat about smaller cameras. Sometimes I think I would like something smaller but I think it would be tough to shoot on something else after only having used big ass dslrs.

Maybe 1 of theses? I think I've read good things about both on here.

http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-Po...Powershot-S110

I think there's a new Sony out too that's supposed to be pretty BA.

[dfinn]

This is the Sony I was thinking of

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets...-fire-2012086/

[The Reverend Floater]

Sorry...I'm on the crack...it was a Canon G10 I had, so that G15 makes me nervous. They're notorious for collecting dust and then scratching the lenses when the covers close. Mine was totally fucked.

That Sony sounds intriguing, though, for sure!

[single]

Those little leica p&s' are usually rebadged (or damn near) panasonics, fwiw. If you want to save ~400, I would consider going with like a lx7 or whatever the equivalent is.

[grskier]

How about something out of the Cannon G series, not interchangeable, but better than point and shoot.

[single]

Contax g1 or g2 would give best results though

[shroom]

i guess the price is 300, not 400 on the d3100 + 18-55
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...m=330877737449

edit: looks like it may have sold out

[powdork]

i wouldn't put the t3i in the un-durable category if it's anything like the t2i. i DO abuse my equipment and my t2i still clicks away and i'm well into the 6 figures. it's rolled down horsetail falls destroying the lens attached. it's been covered in snow more times than i can remember. i regularly ski with it around my neck with the backpack waist belt securing it (at least i used to, the new glass makes it more cumbersome and it's way more spendy than the kit lens).
ashley had the t3, and that was noticeably crappier in build feel.

[Tippster]

The Sony RX-100 is pretty badass.

[LightRanger]

The Sony RX-100 is pretty badass.

X2. I'm happy with my Panasonic Lx5 for what you described, Rev, but if I was buying right now, it'd be the RX100 for sure.

[The Reverend Floater]

Thanks for all of your input, which I duly noted but ultimately ignored. I am admittedly a sucker for solid brands and ended up buying a used Leica Dlux 4 for $250 on ebay. Yes, I know it's panasonic internals with a Leica badge, but I liked the heavy weight body, the simplicity and the size. I was hoping that it would produce relatively solid pictures for it's VERY compact size. I also liked the price tag, knowing that if I get serious about this, I will definitely want a legit, digital SLR at some point and I won't feel stupid for spending $250 on something I'll always be able to take hunting, traveling, etc.

I got it today and I am stoked! It's perfect for a photo JONG like me--not intimidating but so easy to use that I've already mastered aperture and ISO. Yeah, mastered.

No, in all seriousness, I would recommend this to anyone in my position--wanting a simple camera that will allow a new guy to explore the basics and get fantastic results. Honestly, the "auto" setting out of the box smokes what my G10 produced. Even to a novice like me, the contrast and "auto" adjustments to variables are quite noticeable. I started reading about the fundamentals of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. and the corresponding basic controls and this thing makes it very easy to explore the concepts. Simply for reference (and not for bragging), here are some "auto" shots right out of the box, un-shopped or filtered, just cropped. Clearly I was limited to my mud/laundry room which is lit by a florescent and then shooting out of it, up the hallway. More to come tomorrow.

Steve's eyeball:


Phil:


Hallway--wanted to see what it would do with odd lighting--colors really pop.