Looking to buy a capable camera smaller than a DSLR camera

King Mustard

King Mustard

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I currently have a Nikon D3300, which I really like.

I mainly use the single-point AF feature, due to the excellent "depth of field" effect it gives on photos.

However, the camera is too large and heavy for my trips abroad.

I am hoping for some advice/suggestions with the following conditions:
  • Must be smaller than my Nikon D3300 (W12cm, H10cm, L14cm with kit 18-55mm lens)
  • Must be lighter than my Nikon D3300 (700g with stock battery and kit 18-55mm lens)
  • Must offer single-point AF (for a similar depth of field effect)
  • Ideally has 180° swivel screen for "selfies"
  • Ideally has built-in GPS for photo geotagging
  • Must be under £500/€600/$650
Any advice/suggestions?
 
As per your same post on AVForums, depth of field is a result of wider aperture, longer focal length and larger sensor so is not affected by using a single central focus point. If you want shallow depth of field in a smaller system you would be better off with something like a Sony A6000 with the E 50mm 1.8 prime lens. I use that combination for the majority of my portraits and it delivers excellent results. I've just grabbed a few examples form my Flickr stream;







Stopped down it's also an excellent landscape lens

 
I would echo what Steve has said.
I love my Sony a6000 with 12mm Samyang.
Ive just done a tour of Germany with the camera in my coat pocket. Excellent.

The only niggle is the battery life is not as good as I would like. However, I have yet to run out. Just buy a spare battery.
 
ams99 said:
I would echo what Steve has said.
I love my Sony a6000 with 12mm Samyang.
Ive just done a tour of Germany with the camera in my coat pocket. Excellent.

The only niggle is the battery life is not as good as I would like. However, I have yet to run out. Just buy a spare battery.
Click to expand...

I love the Samyang 12mm too. I carried it on my A6000 around Disneyworld and it gave great results with limited weight.

I agree with the batteries. I have 4 that I rotate because they're cheap. I've never missed a shot due to the battery going flat, hence I always argue the negative of battery life against the actual issue of carrying a couple in my pocket!
 
I'd echo most of what's been said already. Bear in mind that the camera you're using is already one of the smallest, lightest crop sensor DSLRs available, and to get something smaller & lighter that will give you those shallow depth of field effects *and stay in budget* is going to be a challenge.

You could try a 50mm prime lens on your D3300. That would be smaller & lighter than your kit zoom and also give nice shallow depth of field effects. The disadvantage would be that it would work as a mild telephoto, and you might want to carry a second small, light prime (say 24mm or 28mm) to use as a wide angle.
 
I've already answered this on AVF ;)
 
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