Please help recommend me a camera for...

[aktivate]

I've tried using a d3000 (my brother's) taking photos of my son indoors and because there is no auto-focus for his prime lens, manual focusing is required and out of 10 shots, 8 came out blur. Recently, my friend came over for an evening and took some really great shots of my kid and I was hoping to do the same. Of course he was using a high-end dslr canon which I'm not considering for price and portability reasons but was wondering if a similar / cheaper smaller setup can achieve similar results.


Budget: approx 1.2k
Type of camera preferred: Micro 4/3 or P&S
For: Mainly for taking photos (bokeh effect) of my 10 month old boy who can never keep still & also some photos while we're on holidays.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SkyStrike]

You can consider looking at Sony NEX (I was thinking of C3) or Samsung NX series. As I personally find that the focusing on P&S slow...especially with kids moving around so quickly, it's hard to get a focused shot of it. And for M4/3, you can try out with the kit lens to see if the AF is fast enough. If it's fast enough, you don't have to look further... else you will have to consider those lens with fast AF motors.

 

[NDividualistic]

get a m4/3 then, i dont tink P&S cam can meet ur expectations. You can consider Lumix GX1 but might over ur budget.

 

[aktivate]

You can consider looking at Sony NEX (I was thinking of C3) or Samsung NX series. As I personally find that the focusing on P&S slow...especially with kids moving around so quickly, it's hard to get a focused shot of it. And for M4/3, you can try out with the kit lens to see if the AF is fast enough. If it's fast enough, you don't have to look further... else you will have to consider those lens with fast AF motors.

Thanks for the prompt reply. Considering my requirements, would you recommend E-PM1 (kit + additional lens) or E-PL3 (standard kit lens) ?

 

[aktivate]

get a m4/3 then, i dont tink P&S cam can meet ur expectations. You can consider Lumix GX1 but might over ur budget.

Thanks for confirming my doubts on the P&S. Seems like M4/3 is the way to go. How much is the GX1 going for 1.2k++?

Also, considering if I do get GX1 or E-PL3/PM1, what lenses would be good to add for the purpose of primarily capturing good shots of my kid (under low light condition without flash) and secondarily the occasional wide/zoom capability?

 

[aktivate]

Another question I have is, while I'd much welcome the compactness and weight of M4/3, would the lightweight make it harder for me to stable myself with the camera while taking shots as already with a DSLR I am quite shaky.

 

[trelch]

Thanks for the prompt reply. Considering my requirements, would you recommend E-PM1 (kit + additional lens) or E-PL3 (standard kit lens) ?

The EPM1 and the EPL3 has the same sensor and autofocus speed. The quality of the photo output will be the same.
If budget is a constraint, get the EPM1. You may need a fast and bright lens to take picture of your active kid indoor. You can consider the 14mm or the 20mm lenses.

Another question I have is, while I'd much welcome the compactness and weight of M4/3, would the lightweight make it harder for me to stable myself with the camera while taking shots as already with a DSLR I am quite shaky.

You can consider getting an additional rubber grip to stick onto your M4/3 camera, so as to provide a better grip. The Olympus pen comes with stabliser, so that even if you shake a bit, the picture will not turn out bad.
Example of such grips:
Flipbac grip

Btw, the Olympus has launched a new camera, the OMD. This will probably mean that there may be better offers for the existing Pen line up. You may also want to browse the Buy and Sell section for people upgrading from their current gears to the OMD.

 

[SkyStrike]

Thanks for the prompt reply. Considering my requirements, would you recommend E-PM1 (kit + additional lens) or E-PL3 (standard kit lens) ?

I've never touched those models before. But at this age of technology, I would expect a decent interchangeable lens camera with AF to focus faster than a P&S. But how fast is fast, you have to try it out in the shops.. or wait for users using these cameras to reply...

Also, asking for recommendations from the forums will only get you to a certain stage where you will have to feel for yourself in the shops to see which model suits you the most. "Suits" as in many factors, from weight to image quality to ergonomics factor etc. Don't be afraid to go to the shops and try those out, thou some salesperson can be abit grumpy....

Also, considering if I do get GX1 or E-PL3/PM1, what lenses would be good to add for the purpose of primarily capturing good shots of my kid (under low light condition without flash) and secondarily the occasional wide/zoom capability?

Sometimes I feel that "low light" is abit hard to describe...as in the situation differs for everyone. How low is low light? thou I have some scenarios in mind....but anyway, capturing stuffs in low light will generally points you to high ISO performance (>ISO 1600?) and big aperture lens (primes....f1.x) or long exposure (but shooting kids in low light, doubt long exposure works in this case...). But if you have to (and is able to), just use the flash, it costs way lesser than getting expensive primes.

Another question I have is, while I'd much welcome the compactness and weight of M4/3, would the lightweight make it harder for me to stable myself with the camera while taking shots as already with a DSLR I am quite shaky.

I somehow feel otherwise...The lightweight body may cause the lens to be heavier if you eventually upgrade to "bigger and better" lens. So it may be front heavy causing it to be more unstable...

 

[pinholecam]

I've tried using a d3000 (my brother's) taking photos of my son indoors and because there is no auto-focus for his prime lens, manual focusing is required and out of 10 shots, 8 came out blur. Recently, my friend came over for an evening and took some really great shots of my kid and I was hoping to do the same. Of course he was using a high-end dslr canon which I'm not considering for price and portability reasons but was wondering if a similar / cheaper smaller setup can achieve similar results.


Budget: approx 1.2k
Type of camera preferred: Micro 4/3 or P&S
For: Mainly for taking photos (bokeh effect) of my 10 month old boy who can never keep still & also some photos while we're on holidays.

Thanks in advance!

Some suggestions :
Panasonic G3 (m4/3)~$700 for body only.
Pentax K-01 (APS-C) $986 with DA40XS/2.8 pancake

I leave the others more knowledgeable on other systems to comment on prices of other options.

IMO, more important than the camera is expectation and technique.
AF can only do so much.
Camera with good sensor cannot make lousy drab lighting into beautiful directional lighting.

So whatever your camera, look for a place with good lighting and use a flash if necessary.
My few cents.


I stated a thread on taking photos of children some time back.
Hope it will be helpful to you.
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/pentax/698116-taking-photos-my-child-thread.html

 

[aktivate]

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/pentax/698116-taking-photos-my-child-thread.html

Thanks for sharing. What an insightful thread! Your photos are beautiful though it makes me really envious as my kid is growing fast and I have yet to capture many of the wonderful moments of his months of growing.

Btw, the cameras you mentioned are capable of 'similar' shots ? I know there's a great deal of technique involved and probably requires lotsa practice but I just don't wish to get something that would leave me frustrated due to camera limitations.

 

[Prajna]

Im not really sure about the price, dont even know if it is released yet, but most likely wont exceed 1k. Search Canon G1X. Has max aperture of 2.8 and sensor bigger than micro four thirds for bokeh. It is a point and shoot. Has manual control for shooting fast subject situation. Hope it fits nicely into your requirements

 

[pinholecam]

Thanks for sharing. What an insightful thread! Your photos are beautiful though it makes me really envious as my kid is growing fast and I have yet to capture many of the wonderful moments of his months of growing.

Btw, the cameras you mentioned are capable of 'similar' shots ? I know there's a great deal of technique involved and probably requires lotsa practice but I just don't wish to get something that would leave me frustrated due to camera limitations.

Actually, quite a few shots in that thread were manual focused as I use manual focus lenses quite a bit.
Most cameras nowadays will focus pretty alright so long as the light is good (eg. window light), so that is the key.


Even if your child is playing a darker part of the room, you can attract him out to a place with better light or use a off camera flash.

 

[ijnek]

source for a ep3 n 45 f/1.8 in BnS

if u r worry abt frustration, then get a zoom lense.
the kit 14-42 should b good enough

but do note that there r 2 version of the 14-42 kit lenses
the later version would be denote by a 'R' , if i remember correctly
faster auto-focus with this on an ep3

in fact, for ur budget, u can get a new ep3 with the kit lense

 

[Photo Badger]

Buddy, i highly recommend you to get the Olympus EP3 or the Sony NEX series. these compact DSLR are really arguably have the best AF speed in the market. Some more the new OM-D from Olympus is really stunning. Check these 2 out!

And to be frank that nikon of your's had a slow AF. you compare to those 2 that i recommended then you will see the big difference.

 

[nightlights]

Im not really sure about the price, dont even know if it is released yet, but most likely wont exceed 1k. Search Canon G1X. Has max aperture of 2.8 and sensor bigger than micro four thirds for bokeh. It is a point and shoot. Has manual control for shooting fast subject situation. Hope it fits nicely into your requirements

Erm, how does manual control contribute I'm shooting fast subject situation. Care to elaborate. I was thinking, set to infinity and fire away? Is this the case?

 

[nightlights]

I've tried using a d3000 (my brother's) taking photos of my son indoors and because there is no auto-focus for his prime lens, manual focusing is required and out of 10 shots, 8 came out blur. Recently, my friend came over for an evening and took some really great shots of my kid and I was hoping to do the same. Of course he was using a high-end dslr canon which I'm not considering for price and portability reasons but was wondering if a similar / cheaper smaller setup can achieve similar results.

Budget: approx 1.2k
Type of camera preferred: Micro 4/3 or P&S
For: Mainly for taking photos (bokeh effect) of my 10 month old boy who can never keep still & also some photos while we're on holidays.

Thanks in advance!

1.2k can get u Nikon D5100.. Or canon 550/600D.. Shooting thru the lens u can snap faster the scene u want.. Shooting via a screen surely will miss the scene u need.. This is how it works for me at least..

 

[aktivate]

source for a ep3 n 45 f/1.8 in BnS

if u r worry abt frustration, then get a zoom lense.
the kit 14-42 should b good enough

but do note that there r 2 version of the 14-42 kit lenses
the later version would be denote by a 'R' , if i remember correctly
faster auto-focus with this on an ep3

in fact, for ur budget, u can get a new ep3 with the kit lense

Pardon my ignorance & much limited knowledge on technical jargons but what's BnS? 45 f/1.8 is prime lens? If so, the lens has AF capabilities?

The "R" Kit lens comes with both EP3 and EPL3 right? Thanks.

 

[aktivate]

Buddy, i highly recommend you to get the Olympus EP3 or the Sony NEX series. these compact DSLR are really arguably have the best AF speed in the market. Some more the new OM-D from Olympus is really stunning. Check these 2 out!

And to be frank that nikon of your's had a slow AF. you compare to those 2 that i recommended then you will see the big difference.

I learnt about OM-D yesterday, waaaaaaay too over my budget. I've basically narrowed down to the :

E-P3 / E-PL3 : Seems to be a very popular choice with alot of resources available online for newbies like me.
GX1 : I've seen the reviews and it seems to be a major contender
NEX-C7 : From my limited knowledge, I understand that this has the largest censor, so it probably has the best quality image? Also I learn that the price is not attractive nor is the range of lenses so theres my dilemma.
Nikon J1: Not sure about this camera but I read somewhere that it has the fastest AF in it's class.....Will read more about it today.

The Nikon D3000 I've tried has no in-body autofocus motor so imagine my frustrations when I used a prime lens on it lol. Nightmare. Out of 100 shots of my fidgety kid, perhaps 70 are blurred and those which are not blurred didn't exactly capture that particular moment lol!

 

[aktivate]

1.2k can get u Nikon D5100.. Or canon 550/600D.. Shooting thru the lens u can snap faster the scene u want.. Shooting via a screen surely will miss the scene u need.. This is how it works for me at least..

Hi, a full DSLR is out of the qn for me. I prefer a compact & lightweight alternative (if possible).

 

[Fudgecakes]

Pardon my ignorance & much limited knowledge on technical jargons but what's BnS? 45 f/1.8 is prime lens? If so, the lens has AF capabilities?

The "R" Kit lens comes with both EP3 and EPL3 right? Thanks.

BnS is the buy and sell section of this forum. Look under marketplace for personal classifieds if you are on a computer and under person classifieds at the main "forum" page if you are on the iPhone/andriod app.

Btw some primes do have a BIM and is able to auto focus without a screw drive but that will depend on the model. And version

Hi, a full DSLR is out of the qn for me. I prefer a compact & lightweight alternative (if possible).

So mirrorless is the way to go then. Try out the cameras at the stores la. if u are afraid of the salespeople being grumpy then just go to any of the showrooms/megastores to try them out. If u had more budget I would recommend the Fuji xpro1. It has a OVF and EVF hybrid So it should be nicer to use if you like the "through the lens" look although it is not really TTL. it's focussing have been slammed as slow/inaccurate recently(forgot which) but perhaps u could consider it?