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Copied From the Learn Photography Master Thread: Lesson 1


Choosing a camera: Point and Shoot vs. Mirrorless vs. DSLR


Before you even start thinking which camera model to buy, you have to decide something much more important: the type of camera. There are three main types of cameras on the market today, and they each offer some things the others don't. Let's take a quick at them and see what the differences are and why you might choose one over the other.


Point & Shoots (P&S): These are by far the most popular cameras out there. Usually extremely compact, they're all easy to use, relatively cheap, and deliver great images. The point & shoot ranges from tiny shirt-pocket cameras such as the Canon Elph series, to large superzooms (sometimes called all-in-ones or bridge cameras) such as the Panasonic FZ series, to 'advanced' P&Ss like the Canon G series or the $2800(!) Sony RX-1. All P&Ss have fixed (non-removable) lenses.


Point & Shoot pros:
--- Amazing selection: At the time of this writing, B&H has 328 cameras in stock listed under Point & Shoot. A basic Canon Elph-style camera usually has a 3-8x zoom lens, a 3" screen, 1080p video, image stabilization, and a million other features. Should you could choose a superzoom, you'd get a 24-50x zoom, manual controls, a viewfinder, and (usually) a hotshoe for flashes. Advanced P&Ss will give you even more control, better, larger sensors, and higher quality lenses. Want a camera your baby could drop into a bowl of cereal? There are currently 18 different shock and waterproof cameras [url=http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ipp=100&Ns=p_PRODUCT_SHORT_DESCR|0&ci=8612&N=4288586279+35+4052359761&srtclk=sort]available
. Want a screen that swivels? Built-in GPS? WiFi? Check, check, and check. One screen not enough, you want two of 'em? Check!
--- Cheap: Even a $100 P&S will give you better pictures than a $500 camera from 5 years ago. You do not need to spend a fortune to get amazing pictures.
--- Light and easy to carry: No excuses for not shlepping the camera. If fits into your shirt pocket, a purse, just about anywhere.
--- Great video: Most current cameras are capable of recording 1080p HD video, or at least 720p. Combined with ubiquitous image stabilization P&Ss are capable of outputting awesome video.
--- Easy to use: Most P&S will only have an Auto or P mode, although some advanced or superzoom models will have full manual control. In Auto mode all you have to do is press the button. Some cameras even have an 'intelligent' auto feature where it could detect if you're shooting a flower, a portrait, etc. and adjust itself accordingly. This actually works pretty well on most cameras. In P mode you get a bit more control (you could turn the flash off, adjust the picture brighter or darker, etc.), but the camera still handles most of the decisions making for you.


Point & Shoot Cons:
--- Image quality relative to mirrorless and DSLRs: Yes, P&Ss will give you great picture quality - when situations are ideal. But if you plan to be shooting a lot in darker situations (indoors, your kids' school play) you will notice a considerable difference in quality compared to the other two. Sharpness will also not be as good as the others - the combination of a small physical lens, a small sensor, and over-zealous noise reduction (more on all of these later) is not a recipe for razor-sharp photos. These factors will be much less of an issue with advanced cameras such as the Canon G15, although a mirrorless or DSLR will still be far better.
--- Hard or impossible to achieve certain effects: You know that portrait look where the entire background is just blurred into creamy nothingness? That's one of the hardest things to create with a P&S (and conversely one of the easiest things to do with an SLR/mirrorless). Later on I'll show you some techniques to force this effect out of a P&S (to a degree), but the physics are simply not in your favor.
--- Speed: Compared to a DSLR, the P&S is practically a turtle. It takes a few seconds to turn on, zooming takes time, every setting change takes time. Most importantly though, is the speed at which the camera takes the picture. While a DSLR focuses almost instantly, a P&S could take a second or two. Once the image is in focus, there is a maddening delay called shutter lag, which is the time between you pressing the shutter button and the camera actually taking the picture. Between focusing and shutter lag, it could sometimes take 3 or more seconds to get your shoot, at which point the moment may be long gone. Later on we'll discuss some techniques for speeding this process up, but it'll still take far longer than a DSLR.
--- Not much control: The flip side to the P&S's ease of use it its lack of control. Want to lower your flash power so that people don't have that 'deer in headlights' look? Tough noogies. Want to change your aperture? Your shutter speed? Ain't happenin'. Of course some cameras do let you change all that, but a) they're in the minority by far, and b) since these are secondary features, you'll probably have to dig through 6 menu pages every time you want to make a change.
--- Limited expandability: A P&S is a closed system. Want a longer or wider lens? Want to use filters? No dice on most cameras. This is also a big issue if you ever want to dabble in lighting - it'll be quite difficult with a P&S.
____________


DSLRs: The big, black, "professional" looking cameras. Big, heavy, and (relatively) expensive, these have interchangeable lenses and optical viewfinders. The big players are Canon and Nikon, with Sony and Pentax having a small but dedicated market share. A typical 'starter' DSLR will have a 18 (Canon) or 24 (Nikon) megapixel sensor, come with an 18-55mm lens, and have actual buttons for only the most important tasks. As you move up through the lineup, you'll get more direct buttons and knobs, status LCDs, better focusing/metering systems, more lens support, metal or magnesium bodies, weather sealing, wireless flash control, higher frame-per-second rates, and more. You also get better kit lenses (that's the lens that comes with the camera) as you move up, and at a certain level (usually the third camera in the lineup) you'll also be able to buy the camera body by itself without any lens.


DSLR pros:
--- Image quality: This is the number one benefit of the DSLR - even the cheapest camera and lens combination will give you better pictures that any point and shoot, even if the P&S costs much more. (B&H currently lists 3 DSLR kits (camera and lens) for $450 - that's cheaper than some P&Ss.) Looking at pictures of a P&S and a DSLR side by side, you'll be blown away by the difference in sharpness, color, and dynamic range (explained later) of the DSLR. When it comes to low light, there's no contest; the DSLR wins hand down.
--- Control: In a DLSR you have control over every single shooting parameter. There are no limits to what you could create; everything's at your beck and call. Flash power, exposure, color, and most importantly, RAW shooting. (I'll get into far more detail on that last thing later.)
--- Special effects: Out of focus backgrounds? Easy peasy. Long exposures? Timelapse? You bet.
--- System expandability: DSLRs are sometimes called 'system cameras'. This is due to the fact that unlike P&Ss, a DSLR is not just a camera; it's at the heart of an entire system. Each brand has dozens of lenses available, plus many more from third-party lens manufacturers. You could get flashes, transmitters, remotes, and many other goodies and they will all work seamlessly and communicate properly to one another. BTW, this is why you should choose your first SLR very carefully: you're probably buying into a system. First you get a camera and lens, then another lens, then maybe another lens or a flash, and then the a new camera comes out so you buy that. It's quite the pain to switch to a different brand once you're bought in to the system.
--- Viewfinder: By definition, a DSLR is a single lens reflex camera; what that means is that inside the camera just behind the lens mount there's a mirror, which projects the image from the lens into a prism, which in turn shows up in the viewfinder. The big advantage of this is that when you look through the viewfinder you're actually looking through lens, and as such are seeing exactly what the lens sees. This gives you an extremely accurate and life-like view, which makes it easy to compose your shots properly. A viewfinder also lets you use the camera in bright light without worrying about not being able to see the screen.
--- Speed: A DSLR is ready to shoot almost instantly after being turned on. No matter where you are, be it a menu or playing back you pictures, a slight tap of the shutter button and the camera is instantly ready to shoot. Focus is nearly instantaneous, and shutter lag is pretty much a non-issue. Another speed aspect is continuous shooting - holding down the shutter button while the camera rattles off picture after picture. An entry-level camera  could easily do around 4.5fps (frames per second), while higher level cameras could do 7 or 8 (or 12, if you count the $6800 Canon 1D X).


DSLR cons:
--- Size and weight: There's no getting around it: DSLRs are big and bulky, especially if you're carrying more than one lens.
--- Price: DSLRs start at about $450, and go way up. One of the most common cameras, the Canon T4i, will set you back about a grand. And then you want to buy another lens. And another one. And another one... :D
--- Video: DSLR video is a really weird situation. On the one hand the quality is INSANE. Just look on Vimeo and see what people have been doing with the Canon 5DMk2 and Mk3 and you'll see what I mean. On the other hand, if you look at the behind the scenes video of one of those, you'll see that the camera is mounted on a rig costing $10K or more. The rig stabilizes the camera and provides support for the focus controls, the zoom controls, the sound system, and many other things. Why is all this necessary? Very simple - because the camera does a horrible job at all this if left to it's own devices. Focusing during video is horrible, especially if anything's moving through the scene. What this means is that if you're buying an SLR and are planning on taking videos of your kids running around in the park, you will be sorely disappointed - nothing will be in focus half the time, and when the camera finally does achieve focus, the built-in mike will have picked up every grind and whirr of the lens as it moved back and forth. Canon has made some progress on eliminating these issues with their new STM lenses, but for now that's only two cameras and two lenses, and even that isn't perfect.


__________


Mirrorless: Known by many different names (ILCs and EVILs for example), the industry has seemed to settle on Mirrorless lately. This was the brainchild of a joint venture between Olympus and Panasonic, and was aimed on creating an interchangeable-lens camera in with a P&S body and DSLR-like image quality, and has been wildly successful. Olympus and Panasonic are still the major players with their Micro 4/3s system, followed by Sony with their NEX line. Many others have tried to take over market share from the big 3, but have been largely unsuccessful mainly due to inferior products. Nikon 1, Canon, M, and Samsung NX are examples of fairly unpopular systems.


Most mirrorless cameras have a P&S form-factor, albeit somewhat larger. With the exception of Olympus and Panasonic, the lenses are not interchangeable between brands, but adapters are available to convert practically any DSLR (or old rangefinder camera) lens to just about every system. Most adapters will not autofocus the lens, so it's not exactly a perfect solution.


Mirrorless pros:
--- Size and weight: This is the main draw for most people. While not exactly pocket sized once a lens is in place, it it still a fairly compact kit and could be carried in a purse with ease. It's more like a large P&S than a small DSLR.
--- Price: Generally cheaper than a DSLR of a similar level. The Panasonics and Olympus (Olympusus? Olympi? ??? ) especially seem to be on sale more often than not.
--- Image quality: About as good as an SLR, simple as that.
--- Expandability: Like DSLRs, these cameras are part of a system. In the last couple of months more and more third parties have started to make lenses too. Micro 4/3s is a much more robust system then Sony NEX though, with many more lenses available.
--- Video: Video on mirrorless cameras is insanely fantastic. Similar in quality to an SLR, but with the ease of use of a P&S. It focuses quickly, perfectly, and fairly quietly.


Mirrorless cons:
--- Lenses: Far smaller selection than SLRs, although to be fair most important lenses are covered.
--- Image quality: A DSLR will still have slightly better image quality, especially in low light scenarios.
--- Viewfinders: Most don’t have viewfinders at all, which make it harder to use in low light. Some of those have axillary finders you could out in the hotshoe (usually at exorbitant prices or some reason), but these are just to give you a general idea of what the camera is seeing.
--- Batteries: Uses batteries like a P&S (200-400 shots), while a DSLR usually gets around 2000 shots per battery.
--- Speed: Focusing, while worlds better than P&Ss, isn't quite up to DSLR standards yet, but that's getting better every day.
--- Control: While mirrorless camera offer the same level of control as DSLRs, very often you'll have to dig through menus to get to where you want to. The main point of mirrorless being cutting down on size, buttons and knobs were eliminated without mercy.


___________


Lesson Summary:
--- Point & Shoots are great for most everyday shooting. Cheap, more options than you could ever want, great image quality and video. Quite difficult (but definitely possible - I'll show you how) to get the 'pro' look.
--- DSLR are king when it comes to image quality, control, and expandability. For the best pictures in any situation, go for a DSLR. Video, not so much.
--- Mirrorless cameras are the best of both worlds, with some caveats. Amazing image quality, the best video, and fairly small and portable. Less control and versatility than an SLR, though.

___________


For the full lesson series visit the Learn Photography Master Thread.

____________________________________________________

Links to additional Info:

Learn Photography Master Thread: Lesson 2: Camera specs - What do they mean, and which ones matter to me?

Canon's DSLR naming scheme
Nikon's DSLR naming scheme
« Last edited by Curlyhead on August 10, 2016, 11:42:18 AM »

Author Topic: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread  (Read 379095 times)

Offline Mordy

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #300 on: December 20, 2013, 09:59:21 AM »
I figured :). That was just too ludicrous a claim, I knew there had to be something more behind it ;).

Still, something to take into consideration is that not everyone who owns a DSLR knows how to use a VF properly. People coming from a point and shoot end up trying to use it like a point and shoot (old habits die hard). I've seen many soccer mom types holding the camera out and framing their shot via the LCD, apparently unaware of a VF. A family member was using one of my cameras over 10 years ago, complained she couldn't see the screen in the sunlight until I pointed out she should look through the viewfinder "Oh yeah- they still have those?" (don't worry, I've taught her a lot since then- LOL).

Point is, its not so crazy to assume a lot of people out there are regularly using contrast detect AF (since that's usually the only option in live view) and just as much LCD as a mirrorless or point and shoot camera. Hopefully that number is small, but I've met a LOT of ignorant people in the real world who like expensive toys. :)

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Ever seen a filter test or comparison? The internet is full of them. A series of photos, with the filter, without the filter, with a different filter, ect., followed by a proclamation of which one is best.
Indeed, I've done some of those. Both as a moderator of a film making community, and resident camera blogger at techcitement.com.

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When I work on a project, I go to an absolute extreme (maybe even insane :P) level to know every singe technical thing there is to know about it.

You sir, are not alone. :)
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Offline Dan

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #301 on: December 20, 2013, 10:04:27 AM »
This stuff is so far over my head that it's sad.
But Mordy, I'd like to personally invite you to our photography DO next month. With the 2 of you there it should make for some great live entertainment :D
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #302 on: December 20, 2013, 10:59:09 AM »
With the 2 of you there it should make for some great live entertainment :D

Isn't cockfigtting illegal or something :D?
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Offline noturbizniss

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #303 on: December 20, 2013, 12:09:10 PM »
In looking for some used lenses on ebay, in seeing a lot of 2x zoom attachments or wide angle attachments. Are these things worth the 20-40 they charge?
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Offline jaywhy

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #304 on: December 20, 2013, 12:22:08 PM »
Loving the camera geekiness in this thread right now.
FTR, the EM 1 has both contrast detect and phase detect AF systems.

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #305 on: December 20, 2013, 12:29:20 PM »
Loving the camera geekiness in this thread right now.
FTR, the EM 1 has both contrast detect and phase detect AF systems.

The phase detect on the E-M1 is just a couple of pixels on the sensor, meant to supplement the contrast detect. Eventually this will probably replace dedicated phase detect systems in DSLRs, but for now on-sensor phase detect is very much in its infancy. It'll give you a tiny boost over stand-alone contrast detect, but still light years away from DSLR speeds.
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Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #306 on: December 20, 2013, 12:41:41 PM »
In looking for some used lenses on ebay, in seeing a lot of 2x zoom attachments or wide angle attachments. Are these things worth the 20-40 they charge?

Personally I would never recommend them for a couple of reasons. Lenses aren't made to support weight on the front, so you run the risk of damaging your lens. If your front element rotates during focus, this may inhibit proper operation. And that's not getting into quality issues - coatings, distortion, etc.
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Offline Mordy

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #307 on: December 20, 2013, 01:39:23 PM »
This stuff is so far over my head that it's sad.
But Mordy, I'd like to personally invite you to our photography DO next month. With the 2 of you there it should make for some great live entertainment :D
Isn't cockfigtting illegal or something :D?
ROFL- we should charge admission and make it a fundraiser. Hey Dan, we also do weddings and bar mitzvahs!

Seriously though, its always a pleasure to geek it out with someone who can actually follow me.
In looking for some used lenses on ebay, in seeing a lot of 2x zoom attachments or wide angle attachments. Are these things worth the 20-40 they charge?
Personally I would never recommend them for a couple of reasons. Lenses aren't made to support weight on the front, so you run the risk of damaging your lens. If your front element rotates during focus, this may inhibit proper operation. And that's not getting into quality issues - coatings, distortion, etc.
There are some simple ones that are quite light (barely heavier than a plastic hood) and have the benefit of being cheaper than buying an additional lens to reach a particular viewing angle. But I would still agree with SF, you sort of get what you pay for when it comes to glass elements. (used lenses can be a real bargain though)

As a general rule, any adapter that introduces another layer of glass should be avoided if possible, since each element interferes with the light and loses some of it (a stop or two at least is expected, and that's the good ones), essentially lowering your effective aperture (raising F-stop number), and the cheaper ones also introduce a lot of chromatic aberration, distortion and softness. Its like the copy-of-a-copy effect, each time you copy you lose something, until you are left with a poor facsimile of the original. In this case, every glass has minor imperfections but you usually don't notice them. Stack another one in front, they start to add up. You're almost always better off getting a real lens that natively reaches the distance you are looking to cover. Stick with the original whenever possible.

That being said, there are times that they are quite beneficial. A buddy of mine took an incredible picture of the moon- he used a crop sensor with the deepest telephoto zoom he could find, and threw one of these multipliers on the end of it (he might have even daisy chained more than one together). The result was something truly beautiful- a shot of the moon that nearly fills the frame with a staggering amount of detail! But I think they should be reserved for more of a specialty item like that. Its not something I'd walk around with regularly.

*note: the only glass adapter that DOESN'T lose light and degrade the image is the Metabones Speedbooster, but the science behind it is too complicated to explain here. And I expect the only person who'd fully understand it is already aware of it. :)

« Last Edit: December 20, 2013, 01:47:56 PM by Mordy »
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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #308 on: December 22, 2013, 07:37:09 AM »
Totally enjoying watching geeks at play, though I must admit most of it is over my head.( I am pretty tall, but I guess it helps to be head and shoulders above ;) ;)
I was just wondering if there was any way to harness all that info about metaboosters, adapters etc. for myself regarding purchasing used quality lenses for Sony NEX. Any specific adapters, things to look for in used lenses etc. Mordy, this seems to be your area of expertise... So you post first, then I'll wait for SF to argue ;)
Thanks!
« Last Edit: December 22, 2013, 07:54:01 AM by chai_forever »

Offline noturbizniss

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #309 on: December 22, 2013, 11:43:04 AM »
When I got my t3i I also got the amazon basics sling backpack
Right now I have the camera with the 18-55mm lens and the 70-300mm lens. I I will be buying the 50mm lens any day, as well as a filter or three, a lens hood (do I need more than one?) and a tripod and down the road possibly an external flash.
Is the linked pack any good? Do I want a smaller carry pick add well or on addition?
I imagine I probably would not take the tripod everywhere, only certain times so that's not as much an issue.
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Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #310 on: December 22, 2013, 12:21:33 PM »
When I got my t3i I also got the amazon basics sling backpack
Right now I have the camera with the 18-55mm lens and the 70-300mm lens. I I will be buying the 50mm lens any day, as well as a filter or three, a lens hood (do I need more than one?) and a tripod and down the road possibly an external flash.
Is the linked pack any good? Do I want a smaller carry pick add well or on addition?
I imagine I probably would not take the tripod everywhere, only certain times so that's not as much an issue.

Show me a photographer and I'll show you a closet full of bags.

The quest for the perfect bag is never ending. There are a million different types and styles; walk into a store like b&h and you'll find HUNDREDS of different bags on display. You have to check out a couple, see how comfortable they are, and make sure they could hold your stuff.
A bag is not really something you could figure out from the internet only. Once you have it narrowed down to a couple of models, sure. But someone in your situation should really try different ones out first.
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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #311 on: December 22, 2013, 01:39:06 PM »
Totally enjoying watching geeks at play, though I must admit most of it is over my head.( I am pretty tall, but I guess it helps to be head and shoulders above ;) ;)
I was just wondering if there was any way to harness all that info about metaboosters, adapters etc. for myself regarding purchasing used quality lenses for Sony NEX. Any specific adapters, things to look for in used lenses etc. Mordy, this seems to be your area of expertise... So you post first, then I'll wait for SF to argue ;)
Thanks!

Ha- well, the metabones speedbooster is really, really cool and revolutionary, but not cheap. It actually launched on the Sony NEX mount first adapting full frame EOS lenses, I wrote up an article about it a while back here:
http://techcitement.com/hardware/new-metabones-adapter-makes-your-slr-lenses-better-stronger-faster/#.UrciEvRDu3I
(I might have already mentioned it in the thread, can't remember).

The particular flavor of the adapter takes EOS lenses and shrinks the image circle down to your NEX APS-C sized sensor using a 0.7x focal reducer element. So you essentially get full frame coverage on your crop, and also gain a stop of light (not just T-stop, actually F-stop changes, DOF and all- its quite remarkable). The nice thing about the NEX-to-EOS version, is that it actually interfaces with the electronics, so you get full control of the EOS lens features including iris control, metering and autofocus (although I think it might be a bit slower than a native lens). You can essentially then go ahead and take the full range of Canon FF glass and use it on your NEX, however be warned that the adapter costs almost as much as the camera! Combined with the cost of EOS lenses, you aren't getting a deal versus going native NEX. Just more interesting options (that are still cheaper and smaller than a 5D with the same lens).

If the best-bang-for-your-buck is what you are after, you need to go vintage lenses. But be warned, these lenses are going to be manual focus and will NOT interface with the camera at all, as there are no electronics to do so. The camera, for all intents and purposes, will think there is no lens attached (on some cameras, you have to check "shoot without lens" in the menu to make it stop complaining).
The downside to this is you can't just leave the camera on "auto" and snap away. You have to actually learn about how exposure works and what you are doing. If you have a background in photography or ever took a class in college, you probably aren't scared of this. After all, setting aperture and focusing manually is how you took pictures 30 years ago before everything was digital (we are SO LAZY in this generation!). On the plus side, you actually learn how to set aperture and select what YOU want in focus (not necessarily what Auto thinks should be in focus), and this knowledge and experience will make you a better photographer at the end of the day in my opinion. That being said, this is admittedly not for everyone. I love tinkering and getting interesting pictures for my effort, learning by trial-and-error how optics work. I also don't like spending a lot of money. :) Other people want to hit the shutter button and not know or care what is going on internally. If you are the latter type of person, I'd recommend ONLY going with native lenses for your NEX.

If you are still following me and haven't been scared off yet, the adapters for vintage lens types are dirt cheap, as there is no glass or electronics to interface with. They are simply a piece of plastic and metal that holds the lens in place, at the appropriate distance from the sensor. Since each type of SLR camera has a certain amount of distance from the lens to the film (or sensor, in the modern digital era), an appropriately sized adapter is necessary for each type of camera mount to be adapted. But the biggest advantage to mirrorless in this regard, is that some types of old lenses which are not compatible with modern DSLRs are very much compatible with  yours. Best example of this is Canon FD lenses.
A 50mm F/1.4 was one of the most popular and commons lenses back in the day of shooting on film. A modern equivalent is usually $300-400. A vintage Nikon is about $120, and a Canon FD is about $50. Throw that on a cheap adapter (You can get nice ones with solid build quality like a tank, but I usually just go for the cheapos from brand "Fotodiox", street price about $20), and you have some excellent optics on the cheap.

Sometimes you can find them going for even less, mostly people old photographers find them useless now. Like this 135mm F/2.8, which I picked up for $7. Here's a test shot I took with it:


Not the most interesting picture, but I wanted to see how much flaring (if any) would happen on points of reflected afternoon sunlight. Seems pretty solid for less than $10!

And while we're at it, here's an example of why actually like manually focusing sometimes:


I wanted to capture the baby's expression watching her mother eat. A modern autofocus camera would have locked on her mother's hand as subject of the shot, and likely ruined it. While automatic features are wonderful to have, being a manual camera operator gives you some freedom of artistic expression as well. Oh, and can save you a TON of money. :)

I hope this is somewhat helpful, let me know if you'd like to know more!
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Offline Centro

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #312 on: December 22, 2013, 11:44:47 PM »
Any opinions on buying used lenses on eBay?

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #313 on: December 23, 2013, 12:00:22 AM »
Any opinions on buying used lenses on eBay?

Like everything else on ebay, proceed with caution.
There are some real great deals to be found there (such as that 135 f/2.8 I mentioned above), but I've also gotten some duds from there (fungus on the lens, cracked housing, etc). Thankfully, in those cases I was able to return the lens as "item differs from description" and get my money back.

I've gotten some great deals form KEH.com, though. A particular zoom I was looking for was actually cheaper there than I could find on ebay, and they are a great company that stands behind their products. I actually had a problem focusing on a lens I bought from them (infinity focus was not working properly), they sent a replacement ASAP along with a free return shipping box for the faulty one. Couldn't have been more pleased with them.

Other great options for used gear is the B&H shop (and I think Adorama has as well). If you're near the city, you can actually go check it out before you buy it. And if you end up not liking it, they have an excellent return policy. I've bought a couple of lenses from them for this very reason.
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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #314 on: December 23, 2013, 12:03:51 AM »
Like everything else on ebay, proceed with caution.
There are some real great deals to be found there (such as that 135 f/2.8 I mentioned above), but I've also gotten some duds from there (fungus on the lens, cracked housing, etc). Thankfully, in those cases I was able to return the lens as "item differs from description" and get my money back.

I've gotten some great deals form KEH.com, though. A particular zoom I was looking for was actually cheaper there than I could find on ebay, and they are a great company that stands behind their products. I actually had a problem focusing on a lens I bought from them (infinity focus was not working properly), they sent a replacement ASAP along with a free return shipping box for the faulty one. Couldn't have been more pleased with them.

Other great options for used gear is the B&H shop (and I think Adorama has as well). If you're near the city, you can actually go check it out before you buy it. And if you end up not liking it, they have an excellent return policy. I've bought a couple of lenses from them for this very reason.
Tx for the response.

I guess B&H would be a good and trusted source.

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #315 on: December 23, 2013, 08:57:21 AM »


Other great options for used gear is the B&H shop (and I think Adorama has as well). If you're near the city, you can actually go check it out before you buy it. And if you end up not liking it, they have an excellent return policy. I've bought a couple of lenses from them for this very reason.
The used stuff is in the regular store?
Methinks a detour is on store on my way home one day.
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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #316 on: December 23, 2013, 09:39:11 AM »
The used stuff is in the regular store?
Methinks a detour is on store on my way home one day.

Regular store, second floor, right in front of the escalators.
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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #317 on: December 24, 2013, 03:21:12 AM »
I found the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens at B&H for $99,
I think it's cheaper then on any other site.

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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #318 on: December 24, 2013, 09:07:44 AM »
I found the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens at B&H for $99,
I think it's cheaper then on any other site.

That's actually about average for that lens. On the street, we call that the "thrifty fifty", and its usually about $100, give or take. I think I paid $98 for mine. :)

But I'd give B&H the business anyway. They're good people.
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Re: Which Camera Should I Get? Master Thread
« Reply #319 on: December 24, 2013, 10:41:10 AM »
That's actually about average for that lens. On the street, we call that the "thrifty fifty", and its usually about $100, give or take. I think I paid $98 for mine. :)

But I'd give B&H the business anyway. They're good people.
Well Adorama J&R and B&H (usually) charge $110, where do you find better deals?