Camera to recommend

[warmtoes]

Hi,

Can someone can recommend a camera that can meet the following conditions:

1. Light weight and not too bulky - good for travelling (travelling with small kids so size a great importance)
2. Has an aperture of 2.0 and below
3. Picture to be nearest to DSLR quality
4. Has a zoom range although this is not of great importance.
5. With good HD video quality
6. Faster shutter

Have heard of Lumix GX7, but is there any other even better ones?

Hope to seek your valuable advice.

Thanks!

 

[warmtoes]

can someone help? thanks a million!

 

[keithwee]

1. Light weight and not too bulky - good for travelling (travelling with small kids so size a great importance) 2. Has an aperture of 2.0 and below 3. Picture to be nearest to DSLR quality 4. Has a zoom range although this is not of great importance. 5. With good HD video quality 6. Faster shutter

Hi ,

Maybe a first step you will need to decide is whether u want an interchangeable lens system or a fixed lens then people can help u better.

The GX7 model is quite dated, and there are many newer models currently , even in the MFT (microfourthirds) system like the EPL7 , GM5 for example which will very likely be cheaper.

The aperture size / zoom will simply depend on the lens u purchase for say a MFT system which has more than enough choices to meet your needs. U wan fast u have the Oly primes like 12/2, 17/1.8, 25/1.8 or even zooms like 12-40/2.8 and upcoming 40-150/2.8.

For fixed lens system, the RX100, LX100, X100s are all excellent choices though I'm going to say I don't understand what u mean by dslr quality.

 

[Chillibomber]

Hi,

Can someone can recommend a camera that can meet the following conditions:

1. Light weight and not too bulky - good for travelling (travelling with small kids so size a great importance)
2. Has an aperture of 2.0 and below
3. Picture to be nearest to DSLR quality
4. Has a zoom range although this is not of great importance.
5. With good HD video quality
6. Faster shutter

Have heard of Lumix GX7, but is there any other even better ones?

Hope to seek your valuable advice.

Thanks!

Hi, firstly you need to recognise that the requirements you stated are in opposing relationships. On one side is high price, DSLR picture quality, fast aperture, zoom range. On the other side is lightweight and not bulky. So you can try to quantify some of these requirements (eg DSLR picture quality, budget, weight and size), prioritise them and narrow down the choices that meet your shooting needs.

Normally, the DSLR picture quality most people have in mind is sharp picture with narrow depth-of-field (blur background) created by large sensor cameras (full frame or APS-C). Such cameras and their lenses are heavier and bulkier, and pricier. A pro zoom len for such camera usually feature a constant f2.8 aperture and they are already very expensive, bulky and heavy. If you can find a f2 aperture, and price and size probably would not justify your needs.

If you relax your criteria and go for small sensor camera (which maybe feature 1-inch or smaller sensor), you can meet more of your criteria, but the picture quality and picture perspective would not be the same. Since you list GX7, you can surf the forum and web on micro 4/3-sensor size cameras (eg OMD10, OMD1). See if the pictures and specs meet your requirements. Then adjust your requirements from there.

 

[caroland]

Aperture 2.8 constant for olympus stylus 1. You might wanna consider, great camera and zoom capability for traveling.

Hi, firstly you need to recognise that the requirements you stated are in opposing relationships. On one side is high price, DSLR picture quality, fast aperture, zoom range. On the other side is lightweight and not bulky. So you can try to quantify some of these requirements (eg DSLR picture quality, budget, weight and size), prioritise them and narrow down the choices that meet your shooting needs.

Normally, the DSLR picture quality most people have in mind is sharp picture with narrow depth-of-field (blur background) created by large sensor cameras (full frame or APS-C). Such cameras and their lenses are heavier and bulkier, and pricier. A pro zoom len for such camera usually feature a constant f2.8 aperture and they are already very expensive, bulky and heavy. If you can find a f2 aperture, and price and size probably would not justify your needs.

If you relax your criteria and go for small sensor camera (which maybe feature 1-inch or smaller sensor), you can meet more of your criteria, but the picture quality and picture perspective would not be the same. Since you list GX7, you can surf the forum and web on micro 4/3-sensor size cameras (eg OMD10, OMD1). See if the pictures and specs meet your requirements. Then adjust your requirements from there.

 

[rhino123]

Hi,

Can someone can recommend a camera that can meet the following conditions:

1. Light weight and not too bulky - good for travelling (travelling with small kids so size a great importance)
2. Has an aperture of 2.0 and below
3. Picture to be nearest to DSLR quality
4. Has a zoom range although this is not of great importance.
5. With good HD video quality
6. Faster shutter

Have heard of Lumix GX7, but is there any other even better ones?

Hope to seek your valuable advice.

Thanks!

I am guessing EPL7 or EPL6. Small, many available lenses (that are also small and light), excellent AF, good looking (in my opinion) and easy to use and it could handle all the points you have mentioned at below S$1000 with kit lens.

Another group of cameras you could looked at was the Sony RX-series of camera, and the new Canon G7X.

 

[MarkersNg]

Hi,

Can someone can recommend a camera that can meet the following conditions:

1. Light weight and not too bulky - good for travelling (travelling with small kids so size a great importance)
2. Has an aperture of 2.0 and below
3. Picture to be nearest to DSLR quality
4. Has a zoom range although this is not of great importance.
5. With good HD video quality
6. Faster shutter

Have heard of Lumix GX7, but is there any other even better ones?

Hope to seek your valuable advice.

Thanks!

Can further specify on what do you define "DSLR Quality" as?
You set your requirements in point 1, so I guess it'll leave only fixed lens cameras and mirrorless systems available. Point 4 is probably nothing much to be worried about, as most cameras nowadays come equipped with 1080p HD video recording feature, unless you need 4K resolution?

 

[warmtoes]

Thanks for all your suggestions above, haha yea, I might be very vaugue on the picture quality, so sorry for the confusions. Yes Chillibomber, you are right what I mean of DSLR quality is the Bokeh we can achieve and I understand that 4/3s camera can do that. But as I have never used a 4/3 camera before, so not sure how fast the shutter can perform. I have got kids to shoot, so short shutter lag is very important to me.

Actually am also looking at a camera like Canon G7X where I do not need to change the lens, but can the bokeh anywhere be near 4/3 bokeh standard if we shoot at largest aperture? so sorry for my noob question as a bit lost touch in the camera market. G7X is not released yet and I might not haven enough time to wait as leaving for hol in mid Nov. Very interested in Lumix LX100 too.

Thanks Keithwee, Caroland and Rhino123, I will check out on those models you all have stated.

MakersNg, I think 1080DP is enough, but have come across diff mbps, and different video formats, any recommendation which type is better? how about H.264 format?

 

[MarkersNg]

You will not be able to achieve the same DOF as compared to a full frame DSLR on the G7X because of the smaller sensor.

 

[rhino123]

Thanks for all your suggestions above, haha yea, I might be very vaugue on the picture quality, so sorry for the confusions. Yes Chillibomber, you are right what I mean of DSLR quality is the Bokeh we can achieve and I understand that 4/3s camera can do that. But as I have never used a 4/3 camera before, so not sure how fast the shutter can perform. I have got kids to shoot, so short shutter lag is very important to me.

Actually am also looking at a camera like Canon G7X where I do not need to change the lens, but can the bokeh anywhere be near 4/3 bokeh standard if we shoot at largest aperture? so sorry for my noob question as a bit lost touch in the camera market. G7X is not released yet and I might not haven enough time to wait as leaving for hol in mid Nov. Very interested in Lumix LX100 too.

Thanks Keithwee, Caroland and Rhino123, I will check out on those models you all have stated.

MakersNg, I think 1080DP is enough, but have come across diff mbps, and different video formats, any recommendation which type is better? how about H.264 format?

G7X is released already, a couple of the clubsnapper had already bought it... I might be getting one today or tomorrow As for the bokeh... it being a smaller sensor, thus might be more difficult to achieve very blurred out of focus area of your images as compared to larger sensor camera. Good thing is, at max aperture, you will be looking at F1.8, which is much larger than the kit lens of mirrorless camera.

Btw, I would not be looking too much on the creaminess of the out of focus area when you are using the kit lens, unless you are ready to invest to the pro-level lenses like the Olympus 12-40mm or Panasonic 12-35mm.

Anyway, check on the link below on the images shot by G7X. See if it suits you.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125072673@N05/

Attached is a sample I gotten from that link,

With my untrained eyes, I find the bokeh pretty acceptable.

 

[catchlights]

Thanks for all your suggestions above, haha yea, I might be very vaugue on the picture quality, so sorry for the confusions. Yes Chillibomber, you are right what I mean of DSLR quality is the Bokeh we can achieve and I understand that 4/3s camera can do that. But as I have never used a 4/3 camera before, so not sure how fast the shutter can perform. I have got kids to shoot, so short shutter lag is very important to me.

Actually am also looking at a camera like Canon G7X where I do not need to change the lens, but can the bokeh anywhere be near 4/3 bokeh standard if we shoot at largest aperture? so sorry for my noob question as a bit lost touch in the camera market. G7X is not released yet and I might not haven enough time to wait as leaving for hol in mid Nov. Very interested in Lumix LX100 too.

Thanks Keithwee, Caroland and Rhino123, I will check out on those models you all have stated.

MakersNg, I think 1080DP is enough, but have come across diff mbps, and different video formats, any recommendation which type is better? how about H.264 format?

Mod rhino123 gave you some very good examples.

just shoot small tiny little things with small sensor camera, you can have very shallow depth of field effect too.

if you want to shoot people with very shallow depth of field effect., than just put your subject far away from background and shoot very close up of your subject.

 

[silvermoon1407]

Hi,

Can someone can recommend a camera that can meet the following conditions:

1. Light weight and not too bulky - good for travelling (travelling with small kids so size a great importance)
2. Has an aperture of 2.0 and below
3. Picture to be nearest to DSLR quality
4. Has a zoom range although this is not of great importance.
5. With good HD video quality
6. Faster shutter

Have heard of Lumix GX7, but is there any other even better ones?

Hope to seek your valuable advice.

Thanks!

Sony RX1/R

 

[Stoppable]

I use the Olympus TG2 as my travel camera. Highly recommend it. Meet most of TS requirements except for the DSLR quality.

There is a TG3 now.