Good IQ compact cameras?/get rid of my dslr? GOT ONE

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jockwav

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I am seriously thinking of getting rid of all my dslr equipment & going for either a canon S100 or the Fuji x100.
I don,t think i use my dslr to its full potential & i find i am using it less & less,anyway some feedback on a good compact would be great.:):thumbs:
 
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I bought an S95 6 months ago and it's a brilliant little camera that I use a lot but it's not a DSLR replacement and I could not get rid of mine! The S95 image quality is amazing - for a compact, but no competition when using an SLR. I mostly use the s95 in situations when I would not have a larger camera and therefore get a lot of good pics from it that I would have otherwise missed. Get one and if you then don't use your SLR much sell it, you may find you take a lot more pictures! If you then miss the SLR you'll have to keep both!
 
ive got a canon sx210 for my 'out and about' pictures ,nice and small to put in the pocket and i get resonable results , if you change things to b&w and chuck loads of grain you always get a nice image :) id never replace my SLR though you would regret it !
 
A compact and a DSLR are different tools really, but it depends on what you photograph. I use an X10 and a D700, and for anything moving, or a long way away the X10 fails. But for everything else I've used it for, it's great. And while it's big for a compact, it's a lot smaller than the D700, almost pocketable in fact.

Maybe consider a 4/3 or CSC camera as a halfway house?
 
I bought the S95 about a year and half back. Its a great little camera, but as it allows full manual it made me realise the limitations of a compact and I bought the SLR. I think having the s95 and SLR is the ideal compromise for me, the s95 fits in a trouser pocket so its never a burden to take it and when Im going to go somewhere where I want to take pics with more effort I take the SLR.
 
Just bought a Canon G12, fantastic quality from such a little box of tricks. With the lens in its pocketable, 28/140 equivalent. Lots of manual or override control, works with Canon Spedlites, extension rings fit front of lens to aid creativity, I honestly cant fault it apart fom perhaps not being an "action" type camera. I was really concerned about IQ as I have a 5D and a 1D (mk 2) but I have to say at 60/70% on a monitor they are superb (10Mp) and push the other two cameras quite hard. I'm a reall fussy old sod but I'm mightily impressed.

Matt
 
Your choices of Fuji X100 or Canon S100 are not exactly obvious comparisons!

The Fuji would possibly be a better replacement for a DSLR for IQ, viewfinder, good external controls etc,. but the fixed lens may not work for you.
 
ernesto said:
Your choices of Fuji X100 or Canon S100 are not exactly obvious comparisons!
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Agreed!
One is a fine pocket camera, the other is a very serious bit of kit.

Also...
Much as I love my X10, it has its limitations.
There is a large group of people for which it could never replace their DSLR.
X100 has a different set of limitations, but it's a similar story.
Ditto with M43.

Having said that; if I only had my X10, then I wouldn't miss very many shots as it is very versatile.
The image quality is plenty good enough for exhibition quality A3 prints; I'm happy with that.

In summary - There is no small bodied direct replacement for a DSLR.
But if you can work out what features you are prepared to compromise, then there are many good options.
 
Thanks for all your imput guys,maybe i feel i am in a rut i don,t know,but it seems a shame all that gear in my bag & not getting used as it should.
The 2 cameras that i mentioned are just a couple i have read about i am still looking at others at the moment.
I obviously want something that is sharp,not so fussy on long reach now as i dont do much motorsport shooting now.
I was thinking if i sold my gear & all lenses it would give me funds to get a really good one,so still looking around.:):thumbs:
 
Sony nex? APS-C sized sensor and all sorts of adapters and doodads available so you can use a range of different lenses. Smaller than a dslr but not so compromised on image quality as some other compact choices.
 
Thanks for your reply Suz but i think that is the problem,i want away from all that lens changing now.:)
 
I often take out my old panasonic bridge camera for that very reason. Nice and light, reasonable zoom range. No brainer when you just feel like taking a few snaps.
 
Having recently had a play with one, the Olympus OM-D EM-5 is extremely impressive and would make a worthy DSLR replacement. It's a bit pricey at the moment, at £1000 body only, but the lenses are reasonably cheap and the primes very good.
 
Looked at your flickr gallery, one problems of compact camera is shutter lag, you will not be able to cope with dogs shows and bird in flight.

If you want to continue taking this type of photos then stick with SLR, or at least compact system cameras.
 
I appreciate all the feedback on this one as i need to find something probably around the £400-£600 mark that i dont have to bother with getting more lenses.
I know the zoom aspect of it i would maybe miss but i would carry it with me a lot more,if that makes sense.:)
 
Ricky said:
one problems of compact camera is shutter lag, you will not be able to cope with dogs shows and bird in flight.

If you want to continue taking this type of photos then stick with SLR, or at least compact system cameras.
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Cough, doesn't the Fuji X10 have shutter lag of under 0.1s
 
The Fujifilm X-S1 bridge camera has been getting some very good reviews in some magazines recently. It's probably bigger and heavier than what you're looking for and it's not exactly cheap but it has got some good specs.
 
ernesto said:
Cough, doesn't the Fuji X10 have shutter lag of under 0.1s
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Shutter lag comments have always puzzled me.
In my experience compact cameras are more than fast enough, even back to my steam driven 4mp Powershot S40.

Maybe people are pressing the shutter button the whole way in one movement. :thinking:
I always half press, get focus, recompose, press the rest of the way to take the shot.
Same technique applies to DSLRs and my pocket camera.
The big difference is how long it takes to get focus!
 
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I have an S95, G1X and a 7D. The G1X is probably going to get the most usage now but I doubt I could get rid of the 7D.
 
Mind bogling:)
 
Had a look at the G1X & it looks excellent,hmmm.:)
 
After a lot of reading & looking at various cameras i have narrowed it down to either the canon G12 or the fuji X100.
So now i have to come to a decision as to sell all my gear & accessories that i have or not,not said anything to the wife yet as it is a big decision.:shrug::bang::lol:
 
Damian Lovegrove has the X100. He's been using it on shoots he used to do with some canon full frame thingy. IQ from it is very impressive. Some of the studio shoots in the BBC looked amazing. You wouldn't think they were done with such a small and relatively cheap camera! He was on about the pain in the arse of lugging around a dslr as well...

http://www.prophotonut.com/2012/02/19/fujifilm-x100-review-15000-frames-user-review/
 
Cheers for that Suz,i think i have made up my mind it is going to be the X100 or the canon G1X,so now will probably sort a list of all my gear out & put it up for sale.:thinking::)
 
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Decision made,after talking it over with the boss(my wife) i have decided i will be going for the Canon G1X,so will be putting my gear in the for sale section i think.:)
 
Sold 2 of my lenses,ordered my G1X from Kerso,just waiting for it to arrive,so i might just keep my 5D now,not sure yet,do we have a G1X owners thread here,cant see one.:):thumbs:
 
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