In a few months I will be attending a college graduation ceremony. The venue is ridiculously strict and won't allow "lenses over 3 inches long" or cameras with interchangeable lenses that "might look professional". I have no intention of EVER buying an iphone, so that's not an option. As for point and shoots, I used to own a Panasonic TS100, and the IQ/detail capture was worse than a 1990's flip phone. Even in broad daylight under perfect lighting conditions, the images were almost unusable. So, and Panasonic point and shoot is not an option for me. Also, the venue states that they won't allow camcorders of any kind or 3 inch zoom lenses that exceed 3 inches when fully extended, so bridge cameras are out too.
Any ideas on what camera I can bring along? Also, relying on their "event/venue photographer" is not an option because for the last 4 graduations I've attended, those event "photographers" managed to either miss the shot or ruin it entirely. I can't count on them to deliver the shot.
Your question got me looking back at shots from my RX100 cameras (I've had the mk3, 4, 5 and 6). They are remarkable little cameras. I don't have one at the moment, but I think about getting one again from time to time.
I used them mostly for concerts, where there are similar restrictions on what gear you can bring. Never had trouble getting one into a show. And I found the detail capture pretty good. (made even better now with AI noise reduction).
Here are a few assorted shots from over the years.
DSC-RX100M324-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens26mmf/2.81/80s640 ISO-1.0 EV
DSC-RX100M324-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens26mmf/2.81/80s500 ISO-1.0 EV
DSC-RX100M524-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens26mmf/4.01/160s125 ISO-2.3 EV
DSC-RX100M624-200mm F2.8-4.5 lens64mmf/4.51/200s1250 ISO-1.7 EV
DSC-RX100M324-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens21mmf/3.21/500s125 ISO0.0 EV
DSC-RX100M324-70mm F1.8-2.8 lens9mmf/3.21/30s200 ISO0.0 EV
DSC-RX100M624-200mm F2.8-4.5 lens72mmf/5.01/200s640 ISO-2.0 EV
MikeEvangelist wrote:
Your question got me looking back at shots from my RX100 cameras (I've had the mk3, 4, 5 and 6). They are remarkable little cameras. I don't have one at the moment, but I think about getting one again from time to time.
I used them mostly for concerts, where there are similar restrictions on what gear you can bring. Never had trouble getting one into a show. And I found the detail capture pretty good. (made even better now with AI noise reduction).
Here are a few assorted shots from over the years.
Nice images! Did you shoot RAW or JPEG for those images?
The RX100 would likely be the easiest to get past the bouncers. The RX10 might require some discussion and a ruler to get it. But when you zoom the lens security might drag you out.
The RX100 would likely be the easiest to get past the bouncers. The RX10 might require some discussion and a ruler to get it. But when you zoom the lens security might drag you out.
Definitely! The only thing holding me back from getting an RX100vii is the staggering price tag! For that money I could get a Sony 24mm f1.4 GM, which I would love to have for my A7iv. However, I can't use my A7iv for this event, so I might not have any other choice. A secondary problem is what to do with the RX100 vii after this event? It doesn't look sturdy enough (no weather sealing) to use as a backup travel camera. Also, I rarely use telephoto lenses for travel (they make up maybe 1% of the images I capture). And, I don't have any other graduation events in the future after this one, so it's kind of a "grudge purchase".
p.s. I'm not one of those people who like to return equipment. If I buy it, and it works the way it's supposed to, I keep it. Also, I need to buy it soon because of the learning curve. Buying a used one is not for me. One never knows how the previous owner trated the equipment. I can't afford any last minute glitches due to the high level importance of this one-time event.
Do you need 200mm focal length? If a shorter lens is enough, the a6400 + 16-50mm collapsing lens is as small as many compacts. The 18-135mm lens is a tiny bit longer than "3 inches" but it looks really small and gets you to 200mm (equivalent). Unless they're literally measuring, it might pass cursory size inspection (until you zoom it).
jeffbuzz wrote:
Do you need 200mm focal length? If a shorter lens is enough, the a6400 + 16-50mm collapsing lens is as small as many compacts. The 18-135mm lens is a tiny bit longer than "3 inches" but it looks really small and gets you to 200mm (equivalent). Unless they're literally measuring, it might pass cursory size inspection (until you zoom it).
Unfortunately, their "blanket rule" is to not let anyone in with interchangeable lens cameras. The 3 inch rule applies to point and shoots.
I used an RX100 v2 for quite some time, and got some of my favorite images with it. It was an awesome camera for the size. I'm sure the newer variants are even better.
You might look at the Canon G7X series too, I recall those being really nice for a pocket camera as well.
I have a family member that will be in the Nutcracker in December, and I've been looking at what I could take to get a few photos of her performing, I'll likely end up with one of these pocket cameras as well (same sort of rules regarding interchangeable lenses and anything that doesn't fit in a pocket)
As an aside, KEH evidently rents them, might be worth a look.
Check out lensrentals if you want to rent a small compact like the Sony RX100 VII. And if a family member has Pixel 11 Pro, that may be a B-Roll option - I am stunned by its output at 10x zoom.
Based on the constraints you mention, renting a Sony RX100 VII fits the bill.
