Prosumer Camera


captainkookie

New Member
Apr 8, 2006
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hi everyone,

I just started picking up photography and hence would like to get a prosumer camera to brush up my skills first.

Any recommendation? I am abit lost after looking thru all the specs...hence would be very grateful if anyone can give me some recommendation! thanx a lot :)

a few impt points:
image stabiliser
within $600-$800
high quality image
 

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Well let me be the first to welcome you to CS. :D

Second, look at no other than the following two:

Panasonic Lx-3
Canon S90

Both will suit your budget just fine and will warm you up into the world of photography...

Look really hard for pricing, because the above two shouldn't cost you more than S$680 each (if you know where to look).
 

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Maybe you can go for a G11? :dunno:
 

Panasonic FZ50.... :thumbsup:

Even with so many years have passed, it still offer something that no Non-DSLR/EVIL is able to offer. :heart:
 

hi everyone,

I just started picking up photography and hence would like to get a prosumer camera to brush up my skills first.

Any recommendation? I am abit lost after looking thru all the specs...hence would be very grateful if anyone can give me some recommendation! thanx a lot :)

a few impt points:
image stabiliser
within $600-$800
high quality image
with that budget,

LX3, SX20 IS, HX1 and etc.

thus far, i really like the SX20 IS as it uses AA but if you have extra $$$, the G11 arguably takes nicer pics at higher iso. Both can be used with a flash gun so depending on use, can be another advantage.
 

If you want all-in-one camera, I suggest Fujifilm HS10.
 

The SONY H50 is pretty good.

Carl Zeiss lens.

3" tilting LCD

Image stabilizer

15X zoom

HDTV video

Good battery life

Remote shutter release included

RRP $699 but you can get it for less

DSC00317.jpg


DSC00322-2.jpg
 

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hi everyone,

I just started picking up photography and hence would like to get a prosumer camera to brush up my skills first.

Any recommendation? I am abit lost after looking thru all the specs...hence would be very grateful if anyone can give me some recommendation! thanx a lot :)

a few impt points:
image stabiliser
within $600-$800
high quality image

i think these 3 will be good:

canon s90,
canon g11
panasonic lx-3
 

For Prosumer:

Panasonic FZ35.

Very good professional reveiw and user review (see steves-digicam forum). It was said to be the current king of superzoom prosumer series.

Excellent Image Quality, very good Image Stabilization, good quality at low-light, HD video 30fps, 18X superzoom, Full manual control to learn photographic skills, portable and less bulky compared to HS10 or SX20 (u can go to the shop to compare and feel physically).

Ebay got some good deals ($5XX).
 

but based on your budget, why not getting a pentax dslr?
 

Let me share my experience
Long back, I just had the normal P&S and I picked up this expensive hobby, called photography. Along the way, I demanded more out of my camera. My wise friends suggested to go for a "DSLR System" and I though I will never need all those high end items as I am not a professional. And of course I was trying to save $300-500 :cool:

So I end up with this so called prosumer or Bridge Camera. The price I paid for the prosumer 5 years back was $999. I purchased a Fuji S9600, which is a great camera with many features that matches entry level DSLR.

With in one year, I realised, it's not the body, it's the system that ultimately commands your picture and Lens is probably the most critical element. In prosumer, you CAN NOT change the lens and that the end of it. I am fully convinced that I wasted my money on prosumer. I tried to save money but ended up in wasted money. :sweat:

Second hand market for prosumer is very low and you have little chance to salvage some money out of it. :sweatsm:

So I decided that I am upgrading to a DSLR. I upgraded 3+ years back and so far I have no reason to upgrade my body in near future.

The reason I said all these, if you are serious about your hobby then directly buy a DSLR and then gradually build your arsenals of lenses and gears. I suggest you to wait a bit, arrange money and directly buy DSLR.

Many people are scared of DSLR as they think it is complicated and has so many controls... to ease you, DSLR also has a dial with something called 'Auto' :bsmilie:

No worries. Auto works the same way in P&S, Prosumer and DSLR

Hope this entice you to rethink.
 

Let me share my experience
Long back, I just had the normal P&S and I picked up this expensive hobby, called photography. Along the way, I demanded more out of my camera. My wise friends suggested to go for a "DSLR System" and I though I will never need all those high end items as I am not a professional. And of course I was trying to save $300-500 :cool:

So I end up with this so called prosumer or Bridge Camera. The price I paid for the prosumer 5 years back was $999. I purchased a Fuji S9600, which is a great camera with many features that matches entry level DSLR.

With in one year, I realised, it's not the body, it's the system that ultimately commands your picture and Lens is probably the most critical element. In prosumer, you CAN NOT change the lens and that the end of it. I am fully convinced that I wasted my money on prosumer. I tried to save money but ended up in wasted money. :sweat:

....


We went down similar routes.

I got the S9500 for around 900. And back then, it wasn't about saving costs for me. But I did not want to deal with fungus, dust, etc...

I did handle film SLRs prior to that too. At that time my dad already have several film SLRs, lenses, Rangerfinders, and the Fuji S2 pro.

In the end, I was dissatisfied with the pictures produced by the S9500. And learning more about sensor size and how it can affect IQ, as well as how a photo looked (DoF, diffraction.. etc..). I started my DSLR life, when I got a hand-me-down D40x.
 

If u wanna get a DSLR pentax K-x or Sony a230/330 would suit your budget too. Both bodies have IS inbuilt and both are great cameras to start out with =)
 

I think both PnS and DSLRs have their purposes and strengths...

Some people carry a high-end prosumer PnS in support of their DSLRs when the situation demands a smaller camera, etc...

There maybe moments that you do not feel comfortable carrying a large DSLR around an event that is pretty constraint of space. Unless you can afford a rangefinder like Leica, compact high-end PnS is your only choice.

It's all up to individual preferences, for me I'd stop short at Canon S90 instead of G11 (which is bulkier, might as well go DSLR all the way). But there are others that may not need all the strengths of a DSLR so something like a G11 (or brands of similar categories) would fit their needs just fine.

I wouldn't call it a waste of $$ because having two different types of cameras may give you flexiblity over different situations...

Eg, you're in going for a business meeting with formal suit and tie... carrying a DSLR around would be just TOO conspicious. A nice PnS like S90 / Lx-3 would fit the situation well. Are you there for the meeting or photo-shoot?

Eg, you're going to a school debate, and you are one of the team members... are you going to carry the DSLR on stage?? Are you serious with debating or with photography?

All depends on how you look at each situation, it may not be all lost of $$.

After I've gotten my DSLR, my next target would be a high-end PnS...
 

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We went down similar routes.

I got the S9500 for around 900. And back then, it wasn't about saving costs for me. But I did not want to deal with fungus, dust, etc...

I did handle film SLRs prior to that too. At that time my dad already have several film SLRs, lenses, Rangerfinders, and the Fuji S2 pro.

In the end, I was dissatisfied with the pictures produced by the S9500. And learning more about sensor size and how it can affect IQ, as well as how a photo looked (DoF, diffraction.. etc..). I started my DSLR life, when I got a hand-me-down D40x.

I think mine also S9500 :D, still sitting in my digicabi.

Precisely thats the point I was stressing on. If someone is serious about photography, no need to waste money in some intermediate things. I did the mistake and I know many of my friends did similar mistake. Few of my friends purchased some DSLR brands without much lens/accessories support and end up in changing camp in less than a year time. no need to mention that with financial losses.

I said 'mistake' bcoz we enjoyed the bridge camera for a relatively short period, not becoz of the camera but becoz of the underlying technologies. If it was 2-3 years time then I would say that it was part of the journey.

Thats the reason, I always advice to go for some brand keeping in mind long term. Camera gears are long term investment. No need to rush, think clearly and then gather courage and money and just do it.

Finally a caution, Photography is a relatively expensive hobby. If you are addicted to it, there will be continuous demands for lenses and accessories and as you know, all these are damn expensive.

So, absolutely no rush! If you have spouse or GF/BF, better to consult them. Think clearly and then plunge in to the journey called photography.

For Gods shake, don't tax your parents, unless it's a peanuts to your parents ;p
 

I think both PnS and DSLRs have their purposes and strengths...

Some people carry a high-end prosumer PnS in support of their DSLRs when the situation demands a smaller camera, etc...

There maybe moments that you do not feel comfortable carrying a large DSLR around an event that is pretty constraint of space. Unless you can afford a rangefinder like Leica, compact high-end PnS is your only choice.

It's all up to individual preferences, for me I'd stop short at Canon S90 instead of G11 (which is bulkier, might as well go DSLR all the way). But there are others that may not need all the strengths of a DSLR so something like a G11 (or brands of similar categories) would fit their needs just fine.

I wouldn't call it a waste of $$ because having two different types of cameras may give you flexiblity over different situations...

Eg, you're in going for a business meeting with formal suit and tie... carrying a DSLR around would be just TOO conspicious. A nice PnS like S90 / Lx-3 would fit the situation well. Are you there for the meeting or photo-shoot?

Eg, you're going to a school debate, and you are one of the team members... are you going to carry the DSLR on stage?? Are you serious with debating or with photography?

All depends on how you look at each situation, it may not be all lost of $$.

After I've gotten my DSLR, my next target would be a high-end PnS...

There is absolutely no doubt that we need P&S, no one is debating that. We are talking about intermediate cameras, whether we need something "not here and not there" or "best of both world".

To me the bottom line is DSLR and P&S... not a middle one.
 

The reason I said all these, if you are serious about your hobby then directly buy a DSLR and then gradually build your arsenals of lenses and gears. I suggest you to wait a bit, arrange money and directly buy DSLR.

so you're saying that prosumers are not for serious hobbyists?

oh, woe is me.
 

there are quite a few macro shooters here using prosumers, last i visited macro section seriously, their shots trumped a lot of dslr macro shooters. think tchuanye was one of them, not sure if he's switched; *damselfly on flickr used to use a SONY P&S camera - not even prosumer to take her macro shots.

here are shots taken by something that serious hobbyists should NEVER EVER use:

454996443_ab6b509965.jpg


429127005_b3448fcff4.jpg


my point is, saying that if you are serious means that you should get a dslr, i can be way more elitist than that and tell you that if you are serious then you should get a medium format camera.

i have seen very serious and good photographers using the g11 and nothing else to shoot landscapes.

there is a place for the prosumer in the market, everyone has different needs:

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=282608

being serious about photograpy has little to do with gear.. little to do with how you dress, little to do with how you talk, how you dig your nose.... it has everything to do with attitude.
 

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I down graded from a Leica R3 MOT to a prosumer camera. No regrets because I do not get infected by the "Buy, buy and buy" virus.