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what is the "hamer" of digital camera?


LostArt

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Whether you get Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, Olympus, or Sony, you will get a high quality camera. What you need to do is take a hard look at each mfr's product line to decide which features are important to you. If possible you should see how each one feels and balances in your hands, because that's about as important as anything. I recommend you read the full article on digital SLRs in Wikipedia. It's provides a good knowledge base before you head out and shop.

Be aware that point and shoot cameras use a teeny-tiny image sensor--about 5x7 mm. The image sensors in the new interchangeable compacts are much larger, the ones in consumer-grade SLRs are larger still, and the $2K-and-up pro quality DSLRs use an image sensor the size of a 35mm frame (24x36mm). Image sensor size is important. It makes a big difference in usable light range, sharpness, color saturation, etc.

I picked a Sony Alpha DSLR when I got one in May 2010 partly because they put their image stabilizer in the camera body and their system is backward compatible with the Minolta Maxxum autofocus lenses. I've picked up excellent autofocus lenses originally built for the Maxxum system for pennies on the dollar at pawn shops and used camera stores. With Canon and Nikon, you pay a bit more for the lenses because each one has its own image stabilizer. Sony also makes the image sensors used in some other makes of cameras. I read somewhere that they make Nikon's image sensors.

There's a new class of very compact interchangeable lens digital cameras that so far are offered by Panasonic/Lumix, Olympus, and Sony. They are about half the size of standard consumer digital SLRs. Olympus and Panasonic use a system called "Micro Four Thirds," which uses a larger image sensor than a point-and-shoot camera, but not as large as the standard APS-C image sensor used in consumer DSLRs. The Sony, however, is its own system called NEX with a new E-series lens system and manages to make a line that's about as compact while retaining an APS-C image sensor. Here's a pic for size comparison:

nex3_compact.jpg

I'm really impressed with this new Sony product line. It's very innovative. For example, for handheld low light shots, the "Twilight" setting takes 6 pictures rapidly and then merges them into a single image, eliminating camera shake and improving light saturation over a single long exposure. This may improve the camera's low light capabilities without having to buy the more expensive fast lenses.

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I am looking at the nikon L 120 and L 100

any thoughts?

It's all right if you want the Slammer by Hamer of digital cameras. It's a point-and-shoot with a teeny-tiny image sensor. You can expand functionality with huge zoom range, video, and make it look like a serious camera by putting it in an SLR form factor., but in the end it's still cramming 14.2 MP onto a 5x7 mm image sensor. Maybe it's more like the Teisco of digital cameras with the five pickups and 20 knobs and switches.

Early in 2010 I went through a period searching for a new digital camera. I took shameless advantage of Sam's Club's and Costco's generous return policies and tried out three or four point-and-shoots. I tried two that looked like little SLRs like the Nikons you're considering--a Nikon and an Olympus which had a 26x zoom. I also tried out a pocketable Panasonic Lumix with 12x zoom. I returned the Nikon and Olympus, and I've long been an Olympus fan. But I found that the mini-SLR form factor is extremely annoying. It's too thick to pocket so you have to hang it on your neck. And it's so light that it bounces around on your neck. Secondly, I found that the Olympus with its 26x zoom was just trying to do too much with too little, and the color looked bleached out. Here are two test pics I took for comparison. The first is the Olympus with 26x zoom, the second I took with a pocketable Panasonic Lumix ZS series. Note the difference in color saturation.

P5010031.jpg

DSC00030.jpg

You can get the current version at Costco for $249--right at the same price as the Nikons. The Lumix comes with a Leica lens, and they're legendary for color rendition and saturation. If you're not a Costco member you can pick one up for about the same price at Amazon.

The Lumix is pocketable. If you're going to go with a point-and-shoot, this is a huge advantage. It has a 16x zoom and 3" LCD viewer, yet you can put it in a coat pocket or carry it in cargo pants or shorts.

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My daughter and me went for this one : The nikon P7000 a little more expensive than the L120 - but with a lot more of possibilities.

http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/B00427ZLRO

It also takes decent movies and it even sounds good - did this one a couple of weeks ago :

Also did the pictures with this article in an online music magazine with it : http://www.rootstime.be/LIVE/NOV2011/THE%20STONE%20RIVER%20BOYS.html

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I'd avoid any Canon products.

Ive had two digital cameras and two bid and crap out. Interestingly enough, each at almost exactly 24 months. Never again.

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I've been a Nikon fan/user religiously since the late '80s. My current SLR is a recent Nikon, and like Murkat, I'm still trying to figure out all it can do. A long way from my wonderful old pair of 6006s, that were perfect for me.

That being said, I got my wife a Panasonic Lumix last year (with the Leica lens), and it is a really nice quality point-and-shoot/pocket camera.

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+1 on the FujiFilm X100. Gets rave reviews, and seems to be the Hamer of digital cameras in that it is "Modern vintage." Compact, super high quality,not for everyone, flies under the radar so to speak.

I've only held and fiddled with one but WANT it.

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Some fantastic in depth evaluations of the Olympus SLR range over here, plus you'll learn a thing or two about photography:

http://wrotniak.net/index.html

He hasn't written much in the last year or two, but the content is in depth.

I associate Olympus, Audi, Hamer in the same branding category: Arguably of the same quality as the two more popular brand representatives in their categories, but available at value pricing used because of it.

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+1 on the FujiFilm X100. Gets rave reviews, and seems to be the Hamer of digital cameras in that it is "Modern vintage." Compact, super high quality,not for everyone, flies under the radar so to speak. I've only held and fiddled with one but WANT it.

Well it's definitely very old school styling. That's the Fuji on the left, next to the Leica M3 that came out in 1954, an obvious inspiration.

51q8CZhWm7L._SL500_AA300_.jpgLeicaM3-02.jpg

Around back you can see that the Fuji is a fully modern functioning digital camera.

411IKK0LV7L._AA300_.jpg

The upsides of the X100 are the APS-C image sensor, same size as consumer DSLRs, and the f2 lens, which is much faster than the wide range zooms that typically come on point'n'shoots or standard with DSLRs.

Downsides are that you're stuck with a single focal length and the price, which is about $1200. Still, for taking high quality shots from a unit that'll tuck into a coat pocket, this is a very cool piece.

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Any thoughts on the X10? I just need a point and shoot. I love the styling. I grew up with rangefinder cameras.

My Cannon Powershot A630 (IIRC) seems to be hanging tough, but after my wife took it on her last trip overseas, it looks to me like she dropped it, so I don't know if I trust it.

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Any thoughts on the X10? I just need a point and shoot. I love the styling. I grew up with rangefinder cameras.

The Fujifilm X10 is nice compromise between the X100 and run-of-the-mill point'n'shoots.

51Rok1OnOCL._AA300_.jpg

It has the same lens speed and large APS-C image sensor (very good things) as the X100 while offering a zoom range equivalent to a 28-105 (wide angle to portrait), and somehow it's half the price of the X100. If you don't mind the higher price and limited zoom range compared to mass market point'n'shoots, you will be rewarded with low light capabilities and image quality that the regular point'n'shoots (with their slow lenses and tiny image sensors) can't match. It will be much more equivalent to the old fixed-lens 35 mm rangefinders in handling and image quality with some nice modern amenities such as high speed 4x zoom and large lcd viewfinder on the back. Fuji makes great stuff.

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