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#1
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
I'm neither for nor against DSLRs, though I've noticed that there is/has
been lots of smoke about this subject. To put it in a rather different perspective, I'd like to outline why I have (perhaps a little reluctantly) chosen to buy a non-DSLR. First of all, I've had a long-time interest in photography, over the years having owned a number of DSL cameras as well as having my own darkroom. Pressure of work (or rather commuting into London) in the latter period of my working life meant that my absorbing interest in photography was put on the back burner. My last DSL camera was a Pentax LX, with assorted expensive glass (I still have them in my loft). Since I've now retired and moved to the coast only fifteen miles from a UK National Park, I soon felt the urge to revisit my interest in photography. I suppose I've been lucky in that I've come back to photography at a time when DSLRs and Bridge cameras can, with higher pixel counts, match that of yesteryear's image resolution. On the other hand, the banking failures and recession has had a severe impact on my disposable income, so I couldn't spend willy-nilly on camera(s) and accessories. I've also a wife who is very much a non-tekkie who's limit is to adjust the zoom to frame her pictures but who does like to be able to carry a camera that can take a "nice picture" which she sometimes asks me to "blow-up". She does like to carry a camera when she goes out on trips with the Women's Institute and Townswoman's Guild. So my choices were already a little biased away from a DSLR. I was able to do some leisurely research into what was available and at what cost. I did know that the DSLR would offer an ability to buy new lenses but that it would soon become an expensive extension to my hobby - and one that I felt I couldn't really justify. I joined a local camera club and went out with them (at first without camera) on some of their outings to see what others were using and to what effect. They're very much a mixed bunch, ranging from "point-and-shooters" through those who humped around a camera bag filled with camera plus several lenes, to a few who were able to produce beautiful images, pin-sharp (in the right areas) even when used to priduce large A3 prints. The first thing that struck me was that most of the DSLRers, like me weren't able to afford extra lenses, and a good few who had the lenses but rarely used them. I was impressed by the results of one guy who owned a Canon Powershot G9 who (like me) found it hard to justify the expense of an extensive assemblage of photographic kit - though he admitted that he had at the beginning been sorely tempted to jump on the DSLR band-waggon. Our club is fortunate in having some "old school" photographers to whom the results were what mattered and not what equipment you carried. I won't go into all the factors that swung me for or against the DSLR school, but the ability of my new-found friend's ability to intelligently use aperture-priority and shutter-priority with his G9 swung me in his direction. Canon had relatively recently replaced the G9 with the G10, and its 14.7 mega-pixel imaging did influence me, and at the time I finally puchased one when the price was dropping when bought on-line. Now, in retrospect, I believe (in my circumstances) that I have made the best choice. This has been confirmed now that I've learned (from ny new-found friend) the advantages of shooting in RAW, automatically bracketing each exposure, and then using Photomatix to retain detail throuogh both shadows and highlights. The big downside with the G10 is the noise that is introduced at 14.7 mpx at all but low ISO settings, but now I have purchased an inexpensive tripod and an inexpensive wireless electronic remote control (off EBay) I find it easy to work-around the noise problem. I have noticed that DSLR owners also suffer (to a lesser extent) suffer from this noise problem. All in all, I'm very pleased with my decision to get the G10 rather than an entry-level DSLR at the same price, and my wife is not intimidated by the various controls (I set my G10 to Auto when I put it away!). I do find it bizarre tht so many of our camera club members (as well as some here) rubbish anyone who does not have/buy a DSLR and seem to view their camera selection as a sort of kudos. I can't speak for those here, but certainly in my Camera Club, most of those who denigrate the non-DSLR (aka Bridge camera) owners don't achieve/apply any advantage to their image making. I can't help but remember (and compare) the problems that film cameras used to have with the film-speed/noise issues. Then, I learned to shoot in 64ASA Kodachrome with a tripod to get those sharp noise/grain-free images of yesteryear. |
#2
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
wrote in message ... I'm neither for nor against DSLRs, though I've noticed that there is/has been lots of smoke about this subject. To put it in a rather different perspective, I'd like to outline why I have (perhaps a little reluctantly) chosen to buy a non-DSLR. First of all, I've had a long-time interest in photography, over the years having owned a number of DSL cameras as well as having my own darkroom. Pressure of work (or rather commuting into London) in the latter period of my working life meant that my absorbing interest in photography was put on the back burner. My last DSL camera was a Pentax LX, with assorted expensive glass (I still have them in my loft). Since I've now retired and moved to the coast only fifteen miles from a UK National Park, I soon felt the urge to revisit my interest in photography. I suppose I've been lucky in that I've come back to photography at a time when DSLRs and Bridge cameras can, with higher pixel counts, match that of yesteryear's image resolution. On the other hand, the banking failures and recession has had a severe impact on my disposable income, so I couldn't spend willy-nilly on camera(s) and accessories. I've also a wife who is very much a non-tekkie who's limit is to adjust the zoom to frame her pictures but who does like to be able to carry a camera that can take a "nice picture" which she sometimes asks me to "blow-up". She does like to carry a camera when she goes out on trips with the Women's Institute and Townswoman's Guild. So my choices were already a little biased away from a DSLR. I was able to do some leisurely research into what was available and at what cost. I did know that the DSLR would offer an ability to buy new lenses but that it would soon become an expensive extension to my hobby - and one that I felt I couldn't really justify. I joined a local camera club and went out with them (at first without camera) on some of their outings to see what others were using and to what effect. They're very much a mixed bunch, ranging from "point-and-shooters" through those who humped around a camera bag filled with camera plus several lenes, to a few who were able to produce beautiful images, pin-sharp (in the right areas) even when used to priduce large A3 prints. The first thing that struck me was that most of the DSLRers, like me weren't able to afford extra lenses, and a good few who had the lenses but rarely used them. I was impressed by the results of one guy who owned a Canon Powershot G9 who (like me) found it hard to justify the expense of an extensive assemblage of photographic kit - though he admitted that he had at the beginning been sorely tempted to jump on the DSLR band-waggon. Our club is fortunate in having some "old school" photographers to whom the results were what mattered and not what equipment you carried. I won't go into all the factors that swung me for or against the DSLR school, but the ability of my new-found friend's ability to intelligently use aperture-priority and shutter-priority with his G9 swung me in his direction. Canon had relatively recently replaced the G9 with the G10, and its 14.7 mega-pixel imaging did influence me, and at the time I finally puchased one when the price was dropping when bought on-line. Now, in retrospect, I believe (in my circumstances) that I have made the best choice. This has been confirmed now that I've learned (from ny new-found friend) the advantages of shooting in RAW, automatically bracketing each exposure, and then using Photomatix to retain detail throuogh both shadows and highlights. The big downside with the G10 is the noise that is introduced at 14.7 mpx at all but low ISO settings, but now I have purchased an inexpensive tripod and an inexpensive wireless electronic remote control (off EBay) I find it easy to work-around the noise problem. I have noticed that DSLR owners also suffer (to a lesser extent) suffer from this noise problem. All in all, I'm very pleased with my decision to get the G10 rather than an entry-level DSLR at the same price, and my wife is not intimidated by the various controls (I set my G10 to Auto when I put it away!). I do find it bizarre tht so many of our camera club members (as well as some here) rubbish anyone who does not have/buy a DSLR and seem to view their camera selection as a sort of kudos. I can't speak for those here, but certainly in my Camera Club, most of those who denigrate the non-DSLR (aka Bridge camera) owners don't achieve/apply any advantage to their image making. I can't help but remember (and compare) the problems that film cameras used to have with the film-speed/noise issues. Then, I learned to shoot in 64ASA Kodachrome with a tripod to get those sharp noise/grain-free images of yesteryear. How do feel about writing legible prose? |
#3
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
"N" wrote in message . au... wrote in message ... [.....] I can't help but remember (and compare) the problems that film cameras used to have with the film-speed/noise issues. Then, I learned to shoot in 64ASA Kodachrome with a tripod to get those sharp noise/grain-free images of yesteryear. How do feel about writing legible prose? What an odd comment to make about an intelligently written detailed description of the author's camera selection process... --DR |
#4
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
"David Ruether" wrote:
"N" wrote in message . au... wrote in message ... [.....] I can't help but remember (and compare) the problems that film cameras used to have with the film-speed/noise issues. Then, I learned to shoot in 64ASA Kodachrome with a tripod to get those sharp noise/grain-free images of yesteryear. How do feel about writing legible prose? What an odd comment to make about an intelligently written detailed description of the author's camera selection process... You should put a smiley on your jokes. Somebody will think you're serious. -- Floyd L. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) |
#5
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
"Floyd L. Davidson" wrote in message ... "David Ruether" wrote: "N" wrote in message . au... wrote in message ... [.....] I can't help but remember (and compare) the problems that film cameras used to have with the film-speed/noise issues. Then, I learned to shoot in 64ASA Kodachrome with a tripod to get those sharp noise/grain-free images of yesteryear. How do feel about writing legible prose? What an odd comment to make about an intelligently written detailed description of the author's camera selection process... You should put a smiley on your jokes. Somebody will think you're serious. -- Floyd L. Davidson But, I *was* serious... Note that commenting on the style of writing in posts is more than a little OT, and that in this particular case, the OP is from the UK and writing in a style that may be unfamiliar to "Ah-mare-ih-kunz" (which is to say, he is writing in "real English", unlike what most of us do here - hence the unfamiliarity with his style...;-). He was quite capable of writing well and expressing what he wished to, and he did so IMHO... --DR |
#6
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:13:45 +0100, "P&S Pete"
wrote: : : wrote in message : ... : I'm neither for nor against DSLRs, though I've noticed that there is/has : SNIP : : Paragraph breaks are your friends. : : BTW, noise is visible on the lower pixel-density G9 at above ISO 200 - I : shudder to think what it's like on the G10. : Canon's decision to reduce pixel density on the G11 is a brave and welcome : move, IMHO. A few observations: The OP's long, rambling disquisition suggests a lingering uncertainty about his choice. At the same time, he did his homework and is apparently satisfied, at least for now. Since the OP is retired, he probably has grandchildren. Maybe things have improved in more recent G-series cameras, but the shutter lag on my G-5 made it very difficult to take pictures of small children. What you saw was never what you got. The controls on my G-5 and those on the XTi I bought two years later were as nearly identical as the cameras' slightly different feature sets would allow. Indeed, my impression is that the controls are fairly similar across Canon's entire product line. So I'm puzzled that the OP considered the layout of the controls to be an issue. Bob |
#7
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
"David Ruether" wrote:
"Floyd L. Davidson" wrote in message ... "David Ruether" wrote: "N" wrote in message . au... wrote in message ... [.....] I can't help but remember (and compare) the problems that film cameras used to have with the film-speed/noise issues. Then, I learned to shoot in 64ASA Kodachrome with a tripod to get those sharp noise/grain-free images of yesteryear. How do feel about writing legible prose? What an odd comment to make about an intelligently written detailed description of the author's camera selection process... You should put a smiley on your jokes. Somebody will think you're serious. -- Floyd L. Davidson But, I *was* serious... Note that commenting on the style of writing in posts is more than a little OT, and that in this particular case, the OP is from the UK and writing in a style that may be unfamiliar to "Ah-mare-ih-kunz" (which is to say, he is writing in "real English", unlike what most of us do here - hence the unfamiliarity with his style...;-). He was quite capable of writing well and expressing what he wished to, and he did so IMHO... --DR His writing was not legible. No paragraphs, no continuity. -- Floyd L. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) |
#8
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
wrote:
I'm neither for nor against DSLRs, though I've noticed that there is/has been lots of smoke about this subject. To put it in a rather different perspective, I'd like to outline why I have (perhaps a little reluctantly) chosen to buy a non-DSLR. 1) Don't care 2) There are many fine P&S cameras if you can live with the limitations 3) There are many fine dSLR cameras if you can live with the limitations 4) It's your camera and your money - you don't have to justify yourself. 5) Pictures count - cameras don't. -- Ray Fischer |
#9
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:09:23 -0400, "David Ruether"
wrote: "N" wrote in message . au... wrote in message ... [.....] I can't help but remember (and compare) the problems that film cameras used to have with the film-speed/noise issues. Then, I learned to shoot in 64ASA Kodachrome with a tripod to get those sharp noise/grain-free images of yesteryear. How do feel about writing legible prose? What an odd comment to make about an intelligently written detailed description of the author's camera selection process... --DR "Legible" was the wrong word because that indicates visual aspect of the letters. However, the writing could certainly benefit from the use of the "enter" key to delineate paragraphs. -- Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida |
#10
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DSLR or Not - Or Where I've Come From
"tony cooper" wrote in message ... On Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:09:23 -0400, "David Ruether" wrote: "N" wrote in message . au... wrote in message ... [.....] I can't help but remember (and compare) the problems that film cameras used to have with the film-speed/noise issues. Then, I learned to shoot in 64ASA Kodachrome with a tripod to get those sharp noise/grain-free images of yesteryear. How do feel about writing legible prose? What an odd comment to make about an intelligently written detailed description of the author's camera selection process... --DR "Legible" was the wrong word because that indicates visual aspect of the letters. However, the writing could certainly benefit from the use of the "enter" key to delineate paragraphs. -- Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida Ah, shucks, wutz rong wi' th' "streem-o'-consciousness" ah-proech, 'specially inna NG post - wich iz naht a sy-en-tiffic pay-pr, ner nuttin'...! 8^) (The post wasn't long enough to warrant chapters, let alone paragraphs...) --DR |
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