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Archive 2013 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'

  
 
nburwell
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p.3 #1 · p.3 #1 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


robbymack wrote:
iPhone 5. It's really the best point and shoot on the planet and has the added bonus of being something I'd take with me anyway.


I couldn't agree more. I have always considered purchasing a P&S camera, but my iPhone takes great "fun" pictures as it is, so why would I want to spend $200+ on a P&S when I always have a sufficient camera that's always in my pocket?

-Nick



Sep 30, 2013 at 12:14 PM
Gunzorro
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p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


gregfixit wrote:
Nikon V1 w/18.5mm f1.8. But I usually wish afterwards that I had just brought my 1Dx.


Ha-ha! I know what you mean.

If I bring a DSLR and flash, it means "business", even when I'm doing it for friends, such as a birthday party. In that case, I don't pull the camera out for a shot, or two, or three. It's for the duration. . . guests arriving, in the kitchen, cake-fest around table, lounging around with gift opening. . . basically a fun presence in all matters large and small to record memories for the party.

But, sometimes I just don't have the energy or want to be too annoying, and only want a few cute snaps.



Sep 30, 2013 at 12:25 PM
johnctharp
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p.3 #3 · p.3 #3 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


Pardon my ignorance here- but let's say that the 'perfect' camera for this situation is a mirror-less m4/3 or APS-C camera- who makes one that actually has good focus speed AND has great low-light and high ISO performance?

And by 'good/great' I mean noticeably better than an EOS-M. Thoughts?



Sep 30, 2013 at 08:29 PM
Gochugogi
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p.3 #4 · p.3 #4 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


johnctharp wrote:
Pardon my ignorance here- but let's say that the 'perfect' camera for this situation is a mirror-less m4/3 or APS-C camera- who makes one that actually has good focus speed AND has great low-light and high ISO performance?

And by 'good/great' I mean noticeably better than an EOS-M. Thoughts?


It depends on how you define those ideals. I can say my ancient 2011 tech Olympus E-P3 focuses very fast and is great at ISO 800. Coupled with my Oly 17mm F/1.8 prime and IBIS it was no problem nailing low light images in bars, casinos and nighttime street scenes. I'm sure the EOS-M sensor is a level better but I greatly prefer the peppy AF and EVF of my E-P3 over the M. The new E-P5 and E-M1 are a level or two better than my old E-P3 in just about every way. I don't think any ILC whips the EOS-M CMOS but most of them spank it good in terms of having an EVF and fast AF.


Edited on Sep 30, 2013 at 08:57 PM · View previous versions



Sep 30, 2013 at 08:55 PM
gdanmitchell
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p.3 #5 · p.3 #5 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


johnctharp wrote:
Pardon my ignorance here- but let's say that the 'perfect' camera for this situation is a mirror-less m4/3 or APS-C camera- who makes one that actually has good focus speed AND has great low-light and high ISO performance?

And by 'good/great' I mean noticeably better than an EOS-M. Thoughts?


I can't speak for the MFT cameras, but my Fujifilm X-E1 is actually a very good low light performer. I've been shooting it at ISO 3200 recently as I've photographed musicians backstage. AF is not as quick as a DSLR, but it is decent as long as you have some contrast in your subject.

Dan



Sep 30, 2013 at 08:55 PM
StarNut
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p.3 #6 · p.3 #6 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


I have a Canon G12, which I like.

But technology has marched on, and I'm considering replacements. The G16, G1X, and Sony RX100 are in the running.



Sep 30, 2013 at 10:51 PM
BrianO
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p.3 #7 · p.3 #7 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


johnctharp wrote:
...let's say that the 'perfect' camera for this situation is a mirror-less m4/3 or APS-C camera- who makes one that actually has good focus speed AND has great low-light and high ISO performance?


I don't know how it compares to the EOS-M, but the Fujifilm X100S has very fast focusing via Fuji's Intelligent Hybrid Auto Focus with on-sensor phase-detect AF, and it has good low-light performance. How good? DPReview's write-up said "Chroma noise [in raw capture at ISO 6400] is strikingly low, and detail retention is impressively high..."

In fact, it's this good low-light performance, coupled with the near-silent leaf shutter, that has me seriously considering the X100S as my "during the ceremony" camera for weddings.

(Note: Dan can speak with experience about the effects of the X-Tran sensors (the X100S sensor is similar to that on his X-E1) and the real low-light performance, but my experience is limited to a few test shots at the camera store, so it's mostly based on what I've read.)



Edited on Sep 30, 2013 at 11:30 PM · View previous versions



Sep 30, 2013 at 11:24 PM
johnctharp
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p.3 #8 · p.3 #8 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


Fuji definitely has my eye- but I'd want an ILC, and their lenses are far from cheap .

Still, from what I've seen, they have non-Foveon down pat; hacking off the AA filter has worked out well for them.



Sep 30, 2013 at 11:28 PM
BrianO
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p.3 #9 · p.3 #9 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


johnctharp wrote:
...hacking off the AA filter has worked out well for them.


You mean leaving it off?

They didn't hack it off, as the X-Tran sensor is made without one from the get-go.



Sep 30, 2013 at 11:41 PM
Shutterbug2006
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p.3 #10 · p.3 #10 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


I have a couple of Coolpix 995's for the extremely rare occasions I want to have a cam, but not have to worry about losing or damaging it when I'm drinking beers. I pass out the 2nd one and invite others to fill up the card with shots.




Oct 01, 2013 at 12:10 AM
johnctharp
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p.3 #11 · p.3 #11 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


BrianO wrote:
You mean leaving it off?

They didn't hack it off, as the X-Tran sensor is made without one from the get-go.


Hacked off the traditional CMOS sensor design- I understand that they moved to a non-Bayer color filter pattern just so that they could go without the AA filter on the X-Trans. I was trying to recognize it's virtues- Canon could likely abandon the Bayer pattern and the AA filters as well, though it looks like they're more interested in a Foveon-style sensor instead.

But back to the Fuji- aside from cost, they appear to make the 'perfect' compact, low-light camera system.



Oct 01, 2013 at 12:16 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.3 #12 · p.3 #12 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


My review of the Fujifilm X-E1: http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2013/08/24/taking-stock-of-the-fujifilm-x-e1-mirrorless-camera

Dan



Oct 01, 2013 at 12:52 AM
Larate
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p.3 #13 · p.3 #13 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


nburwell wrote:
I couldn't agree more. I have always considered purchasing a P&S camera, but my iPhone takes great "fun" pictures as it is, so why would I want to spend $200+ on a P&S when I always have a sufficient camera that's always in my pocket?

-Nick


Maybe to save your iPhone's battery life in case you need to make an emergency call later !



Oct 01, 2013 at 01:14 AM
stanj
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p.3 #14 · p.3 #14 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


Sony RX100. SL1 when I'm serious. Both shoot raw, very well.


Oct 01, 2013 at 01:14 AM
Larate
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p.3 #15 · p.3 #15 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


@johnctharp : how would you compare the 6D's silent shooting mode and the 5D3's one ? Silently speaking of course ! :')

@gdanmitchell : hello Dan, I'm always happy to read you. Do you think we can operate discreetly with a Fuji X-E1 ? Meaning others can't see you're taking pictures of their precious (their cars, their pets, but seldom their wives !).
I tried with a Nex but it's not the best purchase I have ever done.

Update: I've just seen the link to your review of the Fuji. Thanks. Je vais y jeter un oeil !

@gunzorro : I avoid being invited to parties where I could be trapped (meaning having to take photos). Otherwise, I'm using my 1Dx, the only one I trust enough at this time. But I have to handle it with care in that wild worlds !



Oct 01, 2013 at 01:35 AM
BrianO
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p.3 #16 · p.3 #16 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


johnctharp wrote:
Canon could likely abandon the Bayer pattern and the AA filters as well, though it looks like they're more interested in a Foveon-style sensor instead.


That's news to me. Is there information that they're licensing the technology from Sigma or something?



Oct 01, 2013 at 11:07 AM
h00ligan
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p.3 #17 · p.3 #17 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


Interesting mixture of responses.

I have the rx100. But I'm really tempted to try the eos m and 22. I just wonder if it's fast enough in the af area. Thoughts on that from m owners.? Eos m requires an adaptor for ef sleep she's right..so my 40 pancake couldn't slap right on there?


The RX 100 is actually quite good for parties so long as you bounce the flash

I'd posted some requests for raw files from the xtrans sensor...haven't found any aside from the kit lens though. I won't change from acr.

Rx1 is a nice party cam..but....



Oct 01, 2013 at 11:08 AM
JustinR
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p.3 #18 · p.3 #18 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


Sony RX100 here.


Oct 01, 2013 at 11:22 AM
h00ligan
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p.3 #19 · p.3 #19 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


I should add. It's becoming increasingly important for me, especially for a party cam, to have a tilty screen.


I'll strap my self to the rack now, so you can all begin turning.

Padding further fuel to the fire, I find the iPhone 5 shots to be absolutely awful in anything but daylight...and wonder when they may relocate the flash farther from the lens.....or did they with the 5s?





Oct 01, 2013 at 11:25 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.3 #20 · p.3 #20 · What do you guys use for your 'personal party cams'


Larate wrote:
@gdanmitchell : hello Dan, I'm always happy to read you. Do you think we can operate discreetly with a Fuji X-E1 ? Meaning others can't see you're taking pictures of their precious (their cars, their pets, but seldom their wives !).


By comparison to shooting a DSLR, the X-E1 lets me work much more discretely. I recall the first time I shot with it in a public place (Balboa Park in San Diego) - in a situation where people would often take notice of my larger DSLR gear, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most people simply ignored me. I think they mostly regarded my as just another tourists with a camera.

(There is one funny sort of exception though, among folks who know a bit about photography. I was wandering a back-street in Heidelberg, Germany last summer with the X-E1 and, as usual, attracting little attention. A young man, probably a university student, was walking toward me when his eyes suddenly opened wide and he stopped and excitedly asked, "Is that a Leica?!" ;-)

Mostly I use it for street photography and travel photography, though recently I've also used it (alongside a DSLR) on a project that I'm working on that has me photographing classical musicians backstage, a subject that often requires some subtlety and steps to avoid drawing attention to myself. (I'm not a paparazzi nor a stalker!)

The small size of the camera is a real advantage, as is its quiet operation. There is shutter sound from the curtain shutter, but it is very quiet and there is no mirror to flap up and down. I can often quickly raise the camera to my eye with one hand and make the shot without a lot of fuss.

Low light performance is surprisingly good - at least as good as my 5DII and perhaps better when it comes to noise. Last week I set it to 3200 for my backstage work and the results were excellent. (I hesitate to shoot the 5DII above 1600 for my purposes.) By default the camera activates a focus-assist light in low light situations, and that is a distraction when shooting in low light situations where I don't want to draw attention - so I turned it off, and it still works fine.

The AF is usually fine, though not as fast as that of a DSLR. The effectiveness of the AF depends on several things. First, as long as there is some contrast in the scene the camera will AF in very low light. However, in a few situations with very low contrast (which I've only encountered a handful of times) the AF can become ineffective and/or extremely slow, with a lot of hunting. It is a rare problem, but when it happens it is annoying and manual focus may be better. Second, the effectiveness of the AF system varies depending upon the lens. The excellent little 35mm f/1.4 generally AFs quickly and accurately. The 14mm f/2.8, another wonderful lens, also works quite well. The 55-200mm variable aperture zoom is better at shorter focal lengths, but it may hunt in poor light when shooting at the longest focal lengths. (But that isn't really a lens to use if you are trying to be unobtrusive, since it is quite large when fully extended.)

I've probably written too much here already, so anyone who wants to know more might want to read the review.

Take care,

Dan



Oct 01, 2013 at 11:47 AM
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