Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Sony Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1       2      
3
       4       end
  

Archive 2013 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?

  
 
Jeff Kott
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #1 · p.3 #1 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


I've asked and will continue to ask a lot of questions on this forum. But, I don't think which equipment to take along for a certain situation will be one of them as this thread really illustrates how different we all are in how we balance camera kit size, cost, convenience and IQ, not to mention all of the personal idiosyncrasies and preferences we have with out equipment.


Jun 02, 2013 at 12:20 AM
philber
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Craig, there are really small and light tripods that could still get you a good part of the way towards night shots with the sorts of lightweight cameras you are considering. Since you will not have a great-high-ISO-cum-fast-lens combo, I cannot ovestate how much such a tripod can contribute to your trip. If you wife turns Dragon Lady at the sight of a full-size one, take a table tripod, but including a ballhead, and it will get you places. I simply never go out without a tripod. I have also "deployed" the table top tripod in churches where full tripods are fobidden, and nobody objected.


Jun 02, 2013 at 01:14 AM
Craig Gillette
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #3 · p.3 #3 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Many of the answers have been about the NEXs and RX100 and there have been some other suggestions that are close, like the Fujis and the m4/3 type gear. So many of the responders seem to have understood what was under consideration in the way of price, performance and convenience.

OTOH, it's easy to pass over suggestions about multiple cameras, renting Leica kits, full frame dslrs and the like.



Jun 02, 2013 at 01:56 AM
Craig Gillette
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #4 · p.3 #4 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Oh she's not turning Dragon Lady. We took too much "stuff" on the one earlier trip and it kind of got in the way at times. I never used the long zoom and with all the walking we did in the daytime, it turned out that most of the time twilight/night shooting wasn't convenient or we were too tired to do much. I still have that Manfrotto 725b but it's maybe a bit too heavy/tall for this trip. It's more than enough for any of the cameras/lenses that we might take and there's no issue of mirror slap to worry about either.

I'm definitely looking at a couple of the table top tripods. Although I maybe lean towards the pan/tilt for control for stitching purposes. One advantage for this trip is that I can get my daughter to let me know more about local conditions and/or restrictions so I can decide whether to take the bigger pod or stick to a smaller one.



Jun 02, 2013 at 02:40 AM
Gunzorro
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.3 #5 · p.3 #5 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Craig -- Thanks for the clarification on your history and gear needs.

I'm sort of a "all or nothing" sort of guy. If I found I couldn't take the FF with 17 TS-E, I wouldn't care much about the gear, at least not any sophisticated ICL cameras. I think I'd take this opportunity to buy the G1X, with its built in zoom, flash, IS, and most important, near APS-C size sensor. (Second choice: RX100) It's got great high ISO. Anything important, I'd shoot composite or panorama and stitch when I got home. A few extra memory cards. Bring extra batteries and charger with voltage converter. No tripod. That's it. I know I could get great shots with that camera and have no worries about changing lenses or attracting thieves.

G1X swinging merrily around my neck, just like a tourista.

Your wife will love me! (Maybe that's not such a good idea!)



Jun 02, 2013 at 12:06 PM
redisburning
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #6 · p.3 #6 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Craig Gillette wrote:
OTOH, it's easy to pass over suggestions about multiple cameras, renting Leica kits, full frame dslrs and the like.


it's easy to pass over a thread where someone asks for people on the internet to make a fairly mundane decision for him.

and yet people stopped to help anyway. I know one who wants his 5 minutes of thought/typing back.



Jun 02, 2013 at 01:32 PM
millsart
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #7 · p.3 #7 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Gunzorro wrote:
I can't believe that you are going somewhere so architecturally amazing and not taking FF and the 17 TS-E and 24 TS-E, even if that means hand-holding sometimes. The shift alone will be life-changing on your exteriors.

I'd take a FF like 5D3 with those two lenses for sure (maybe the 24-105L IS) and a quality P&S like the RX100 or G1X.



Guess it depends if the mentality of the trip is to capture stunning architectural shots and yell and curse for the wife and kids to get out of the frame, perhaps just telling them to meet you later in the day, so you can spend time shooting, OR, if you actually want to get photos of the wife, kid etc in the frame and the trip is about spending time with family, not producing photographic works of art.

Nothing wrong with doing either of them, but generally you can't really do both, because one or the other has to suffer. Dragging a $5000 worth of tilt/shift glass around when all you want to do is enjoy time with the family and capture some memories would be a bit silly. Equally as silly as if your goal is to produce fine art prints for a gallery showing to take just a pocket camera.



Jun 02, 2013 at 01:42 PM
millsart
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #8 · p.3 #8 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


redisburning wrote:
it's easy to pass over a thread where someone asks for people on the internet to make a fairly mundane decision for him.

and yet people stopped to help anyway. I know one who wants his 5 minutes of thought/typing back.



Do you run a Leica rental business or something ? Seems you really had your heart set on the guy using a $6000 camera when he suggested a budget for a $600 camera. Don't see why your taking his not liking the idea so personally....

Outside of forum gear heads and some status consciousness wealthy folks who see it as a fashion accessory, I don't think many would equate "family vacation with occasional photography" to carrying around a $14,000 Leica kit, rental or otherwise.



Jun 02, 2013 at 01:49 PM
Lee Saxon
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #9 · p.3 #9 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


How long from now is this trip? How long does it take you to learn a new camera?

Personally I wouldn't make a purchase like this more than a week or two before the trip. You never know when that full frame NEX is gonna appear.



Jun 02, 2013 at 01:52 PM
Gunzorro
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.3 #10 · p.3 #10 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


millsart wrote:
Guess it depends if the mentality of the trip is to capture stunning architectural shots and yell and curse for the wife and kids to get out of the frame, perhaps just telling them to meet you later in the day, so you can spend time shooting, OR, if you actually want to get photos of the wife, kid etc in the frame and the trip is about spending time with family, not producing photographic works of art.

Nothing wrong with doing either of them, but generally you can't really do both, because one or the other has to suffer. Dragging
...Show more

Ha-ha! "Nothing wrong with doing either of them" (1. yell and curse, or 2. meet later in day?).

I'd thought one priority of the trip was to visit architecturally rich sites with some intent to photograph. I just naturally carried the concept to the near-absurd. (But not beyond what I might actually do!)



Jun 02, 2013 at 02:28 PM
Craig Gillette
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #11 · p.3 #11 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Certainly understood. I'm trying to keep my gear lust under control. You know, seeking alternatives to consider at a rather unfortunately mundane level. I don't really need help making a decision, I figure I'll just do a series of coin flips.


The daughter leaves in late August. She's still in school now, suffering through finals, final project, final studio review, etc. Then she's going to be interning at a firm in downtown L.A. until just before she leaves. We're going later, probably January or February which should allow for some time to explore any new releases or sale pricing and to get used to a new camera. Roughly two weeks on the trip. Maybe just one week but with a much better rented camera.

Actually I appreciate all the inputs even those falling outside the realm of the possible (for us). I even appreciate that Red spent the time he did with his broken keyboard.



Jun 02, 2013 at 04:39 PM
pbraymond
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.3 #12 · p.3 #12 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


I feel for you, I always have this dilemma when planning for a trip. Some points that would run in my head if I was in your shoes.

1. The RX100 starts at 28mm euiv FL, and when I was in Italy (and Florence only for a day) I used quite a bit wider FL. Especially for Architecture from the inside, or in some of the tighter outdoor settings.

2. I've never used a NEX, but my quest for an intermediate solution between DSLR and Canon S95 led me to the m43 system as a good compromise on bulk, weight and IQ. Ths issue I had with the NEX was that while the body was small, the lens selection felt a little restricting, and the "normal" lenses were still too close to DSLR territory size wise.

FWIW, on any highly anticipated trip I've always discovered during the trip that I enjoyed the experience and whatever camera I had with me, making the best of the equipment I have. The best weather day (photgraphically speaking) that I had in Rome was when I decided to go exploring with only the S95 while my D800 sat in the hotel room on my first day there. No regrets, the experience of the first day in Rome is unforgetable.

Have a great trip.



Jun 03, 2013 at 12:07 PM
Craig Gillette
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #13 · p.3 #13 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


I'm more or less resigned to needing to do some stitching. Even with the kit zoom for the NEX 6, it's 24mm equivalent. I have considered renting the 10-18, though. It's pretty expensive in itself although certainly would be useful over the longer term as well. but $800 on a lens might force me to stick to the kit (or maybe just two less expensive primes).

Because I have existing aps-c gear, I'm hesitant to go with m4/3 as well. That would be basically a third system to deal with. I do have several possible lenses in my Nikon and left over Maxxum collection that could be useful - but that does add to size of the kit and would take up limited budget for adapters. Too much inclusion of larger lenses and adapters, etc. nudges towards the idea of just upgrading the D200 and sticking with with that. As I have interests in nature, animals, some birds, etc., that the smaller cameras aren't as well suited to, there's a point where I might decide to go back to a dslr and deal with it. A D7100 with a good walk around lens and the 12-24 would pretty well cover things, just it's more gear, weight and bulk than a small camera kit.



Jun 03, 2013 at 09:38 PM
freaklikeme
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #14 · p.3 #14 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


If you really want a zoom, I would strongly recommend buying the NEX-6 body only and adding a used copy of the 18-55 instead of the power zoom. It's slightly less wide, but it's optically worth its extra bulk and the zoom is mechanical, so it's one less thing to break while you're on vacation. Used copies can be had for about what the PZ would add to the kit cost or less.

That said, since you've accepted the need to pano and stitch anyway, I'd scrap the zoom and just pick up a Siggy 19/2.8 for architecture and landscape, which will produce shots much easier to stitch than either of the zooms at the same focal length, and a 35/1.8 for everything else vacationy. If there's room in the budget and you see the need for something longer, you could pick up the 50/1.8 or really go nuts and pick up an inexpensive manual focus normal to short tele and decent adapter so you can take advantage of the great MF tools on the NEX. Something like a Canon FD 50/1.4 or Olympus OM 50/1.4 would be nice and small, or the Contax 85/2.8, which is incredibly sharp and not big for an 85, or the Minolta Rokkor-M 90/4, which is sharp and has a pleasing color pallet.

I hope that helps. Enjoy the vacation.



Jun 03, 2013 at 10:29 PM
Craig Gillette
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #15 · p.3 #15 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


I'm expecting stitching because my 12-24 on a dx camera isn't wide enough for everything here and expect that will be the case there as well.

I've got 3 50/1.7s should I decide to go with adapters but the Sony 35/1.8 is probably more generally useful on this kind of trip and definitely on my radar. I started out years ago with an SRT-102 so manual focus and primes aren't completely foreign to me. I've got time to experiment and don't need to buy everything at once. The Sigma 19, Sony 35/1.8 and one of the kit lenses is a set I've considered. As pointed out, there isn't much difference between kit lens prices if one buys one or the other used versus bundled.

I do expect to try to shoot some trains so some autofocus and/or video is going to be at least part of my kit and trip.

Lots to think about and I need to some checking of reviews and handling some of the non-Sony possibilities.



Jun 03, 2013 at 11:57 PM
SoulNibbler
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #16 · p.3 #16 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Another off the wall solution, Nex6-7 (the controls on the 7 are great) + 16mm + 12mm UWA adaptor + sigma pair. Everything but the body is well past the depreciation curve so you can sell it when you are done if you like. There have been some very nice shots from the 12mm and the whole kit will fit in a coat pocket. If you really must have more compression then buy a cheap chinese alpha mount adaptor and bring one of the 50s.


Jun 04, 2013 at 08:54 AM
Craig Gillette
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #17 · p.3 #17 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


A little feedback. I went with the NEX-6 and the 16-50, expecting to add to the kit if/when possible. Then my wife lost her job and we had to spend some rebooking flights due to a needed schedule change and that wasn't cheap - so, one camera one lens. Was it, is it perfect? No. However, I'm very pleased with the results I got. And with all the walking we did, I'm glad I didn't try to do this with a dslr and a couple of of comparatively hefty lenses. Here are a couple I like.

http://www.pbase.com/gillettecraig/image/155454487/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/gillettecraig/image/155463404/large.jpg



May 03, 2014 at 12:04 AM
dass101
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #18 · p.3 #18 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Great shots! I've been to Florence 4 years ago, when I had nothing to do with photography and all our shots were taken by my girlfriend with her P&S Fuji camera. I still look at those photos and they are bright, colorful and bring back great memories. I believe this is what really matters in the end.


May 03, 2014 at 04:34 AM
TMaG82
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #19 · p.3 #19 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


Craig Gillette wrote:

A little feedback. I went with the NEX-6 and the 16-50, expecting to add to the kit if/when possible. Then my wife lost her job and we had to spend some rebooking flights due to a needed schedule change and that wasn't cheap - so, one camera one lens. Was it, is it perfect? No. However, I'm very pleased with the results I got. And with all the walking we did, I'm glad I didn't try to do this with a dslr and a couple of of comparatively hefty lenses. Here are a couple I like.

http://www.pbase.com/gillettecraig/image/155454487/large.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/gillettecraig/image/155463404/large.jpg


Some great shots, sometimes I think as photographers we need to stop obsessing about gear and just go out and shoot. Sure a 2.8 zoom might work better than a f/4 but is the slight in increase in IQ noticeable for the price? I'm sure at the end of the day you and your wife enjoyed the sights and sounds and can't remember what f stop or ISO you shot those with off the top of you head. I hope the best happened with your wife and she landed back on her feet.



May 03, 2014 at 05:00 AM
DaveOls
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.3 #20 · p.3 #20 · "Travel" Camera Analysis Paralysis - NEX 6 or RX100 or?


If you want pictures of yourself in Italy, I would buy a third inexpensive p&s to take with me. I sure wouldn't hand an expensive Nex 6 or RX 100 to a complete stranger. I know I couldn't run as fast as that stranger to catch him with my camera.


May 03, 2014 at 06:27 AM
1       2      
3
       4       end




FM Forums | Sony Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1       2      
3
       4       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.