Frank_Maiello wrote: RRRoger wrote:
I used to travel with a D200 and 18-200 lens.
It was not discreet at all.
Nearly every vagabond in Europe was attracted to it.
quote]
Are you sure “every vagabond in Europe” was attracted to your camera, or was it more like a few homeless Albanian kids approaching an out-of-place looking American? Contrary to your experience, and contrary to my own experience back in New York City, I enjoy an almost total absence of hassles while taking photographs in western and southern Europe. There’s nowhere I’d rather take my best equipment! quote<<<
I have heard that the situation in Europe has improved greatly in the past 10 years.
Yes, nearly every "Vagabond" raised heads and/or moved their eyes in my direction.
I look fairly normal and wore conservative clothes, so the only thing different at first glance was the DSLR hanging from my neck.
I heard that they no longer go after your credit cards because Interpol has them protected somehow.
But, I have a hard time believing things could be better in this economy.
While being hassled constantly, in Amsterdam and Southern Europe,
The two things that seemed to attract panhandlers the most were a DSLR and open wallet..
My wife opened her wallet to give a woman 5 Euros for her baby in front of a train station. About 50 came running, until I yelled at her to put it away,
then the woman cursed the "Cheap American" for not giving her more money.
If I can ever afford to go back to Europe, I will take my V1 with 10mm and 10-30 that fit in my large pockets. ...Show more →
I've finally learned to like my X100 and it definately meets your needs...as long as you're a patient person and willing to learn how to use it. I almost sold it out of frustration but started figuring it out and it's capable of stunning IQ.
I agree with the post above - in the last couple of months I've been to Beijing, Tokyo, Kamakura, Vienna, Bratislava, Prague, Budapest and Paris and had no issues at all with my D300s and bag-o-lenses.
Certainly something with flexible carry weight is a nice thought - I'd consider J1/V1 with the lenses for that setup with an FT-1 to use your current lenses as well.
DontShoot wrote:
The D5100 is a tiny camera... yes it's very discreet. Although you'd lose that advantage if you pair it up with the 28-70 or 80-200
Slap a 35 1.8 or a 50 1.8G on it and it will fit in your pocket.
What are you wearing? This :-)?
On a more serious note, there is no such thing as an unobtrusive dSLR. Even a 3100 is quote obtrusive relative to a compact. When I need unobtrusive I reach for a Canon S100.
The Fuji X100 arrived and I have started learning how to use it. So far so good. Here a couple of shots that I took at dusk in St. Augustine, FL. I guess I can only put in a link. I've never figured out how to put in a picture.
I took both a D300 and D5100 to Scotland, London, Iceland for three weeks in June. I used the D5100 most of the time. It has better image quality, maybe even better than the D3. It is small and easy to handle. I like the flip out screen because that allows me to use the camera at waist level like a Rolleiflex. That does two things. First, it keeps the camera steadier than holding it up to my face, and second, it's more discreet than holding a camera to your face and pointing a camera at someone. Since I was looking down into the viewfinder virtually no one noticed I was taking their photo. I used this camera especially on the Glasgow and London subways. One thing to note, it does not AF with non-AFS lenses. I generally used a Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 lens or the Nikon 18-55mm VR kit lens on it. People love to put down that kit lens but it is actually quite sharp, the VR works, and it's very small & compact.
For travel I find the Sony Nex-7 system to be great. It has the same 24mp as the D5100 but is much smaller and lighter. There is a wide selection of lens available, and most of your lenses from other cameras can be used as a bonus. But for candid photography, a big plus is the silent shutter. The only disadvantage is that it will take a Nilon shooter a while to figure out how to use the interface and controls-- however no problem since the fully automatic mode covers almost everything.
==Doug
Have you used the focus peaking feature with manual focus lenses? I am very curious as to how well that works and the quality of the images. My other choice is a Nikon V1 which, with its 2/7 crop would turn my 80-200 into the equivalent of 216mm - 540mm with AF to boot.
I have been in the camp of wanting a travel cam that does DSLR IQ, but in a teeny package. I had been using the LX5 and was thinking about getting the recently announced LX7, but for discreet, I really want a pocketable (truly) cam.
After much study, the RX100 has won me over. Bit pricy for a P&S, but no regrets.
I was in the same boat where I wanted something smaller for travel and generally use when I didn't want to take the D300 along. I also had a D90 which I sold and just ordered the Olympus EM-5. I think this is going to be a great companion to the D300.
RRRoger wrote:
I have heard that the situation in Europe has improved greatly in the past 10 years.
Yes, nearly every "Vagabond" raised heads and/or moved their eyes in my direction.
I look fairly normal and wore conservative clothes, so the only thing different at first glance was the DSLR hanging from my neck.
I heard that they no longer go after your credit cards because Interpol has them protected somehow.
But, I have a hard time believing things could be better in this economy.
While being hassled constantly, in Amsterdam and Southern Europe,
The two things that seemed to attract panhandlers the most were a DSLR and open wallet..
My wife opened her wallet to give a woman 5 Euros for her baby in front of a train station. About 50 came running, until I yelled at her to put it away,
then the woman cursed the "Cheap American" for not giving her more money.
If I can ever afford to go back to Europe, I will take my V1 with 10mm and 10-30 that fit in my large pockets. ...Show more →
Roger - I'm still not sure why, but every time you quote it is messed up. Are you manually quoting?
Anyway, I don't think you'd see that same behavior now in most places. I can't speak to Greece or Italy, but I carry my camera everywhere and literally never had any issues at all. I have to admit that I was a little nervous walking through Prague at 1:30AM, but I'd guess most of it was my imagination vs. any real threat (though a I'm a fairly big cat and I had my tripod out like a weapon... )
The only place I think I was under any real threat was probably Rio de Janeiro, and only then late at night on the edges of the nicer areas. Caution and common sense go a long way.
For me, weight is more a consideration - if I had the money I'd probably rock a V1 with an assortment of lenses specifically for that camera, plus a FT-1 and some of my fun lenses. I'd carry as little as possible mainly because that bag did occasionally drag on me a bit.
I am very glad that most of you seem to feel safe everywhere you travel with your expensive gear.
I have never been in fear of my life while traveling, it was more a case of being pestered by beggars and in Mexico by street vendors.
If we ever have enough money to go to Europe again,
I will travel light mostly for the convenience of it.
Jammy Straub wrote:
What's the AF performance like for moving subjects? Whatever Sony calls what we call AF-C.
While I am not using it that way, it seems pretty darned quick, compared to my LX5 (which has been the fasted acquisition so far in P&S terms). I will have to play with that mode and let you know.
graham_martin wrote:
Is that the EM-D-EM-5? I have been looking at that too. I like the look of the control dials. Looks to be a little on the pricey side though.
Yes, it is the EM-5. It is pricey but seems to deliver the same picture quality as a DSLR and with all of the features it has I think it is worth it. This is not your typical small camera and is very well built.
I have pretty much decided to go the micro 4/3 route. Initially I am going to go with an older camera such as a Panasonic G2, G3 or GH1. That way I can spend more of my budget on lenses and a Nikon adapter.
While I am not using it that way, it seems pretty darned quick, compared to my LX5 (which has been the fasted acquisition so far in P&S terms). I will have to play with that mode and let you know.
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