P7100 or the DSLR's ?

Sootchucker

Sootchucker

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Hi guys, looking for some advice from members that have either a P7100 (P7000), Canon G11 or G12 or Lumix LX5 (as they are all pretty much the same quality).

Im going to London sight seeing next week with the wife for about 6 days over easter. As I'm lucky to have a decent collection of photographic equipment the obvious choice is my smallest DSLR (the Nikon D7000 un-gripped) with the 16-85 VR AFS lens. Here's the rub however. The wife wants us to enjoy the break and whilst she understands my passion for photography, she doesn't want to turn it into a full blown photo break (can't say I blame her).

Therefore she wants me to take minimal equipment and preferably just my P7100 advanced compact. Question is if I only take this (as well as the 0.8x Wide adapter and the tiny SB400 Speedlight), would that be enough or will I really miss the DSLR ?

Advantage of the P7100 is that I don't have to take a proper camera back and stick out, as it will all fit nicely into a very small non protographic back pack that the Ipad and sandwiches etc will be in. Will the P7100 with it's 10mp give me good enough pictures that I won't come back wishing I'd taken the D7000 ? I've only really used the P7100 for general snaps you see and am not sure how it would cope with general city shooting (although the 28-200 zoom does sound like a good compromise - and down to 24mm with the WA converter).

Any thoughts appreciated.
 
Can you not get out and do some general city shooting in your town/city and see if the images are at the level you require.
May be difficult for others to tell you if the pictures are good enough for you as only you know that.
 
I had the earlier P7000 and really liked it. If you have the camera you will know what sort of quality the shots are going to give you, I think the only thing you will miss will be isolating subjects with the shallower DOF.
I went to the States recently and took only a compact camera, leaving my Nikon D200 behind.
In the 3 weeks I was there, I don't remember thinking that I should have taken the Nikon, I just got on and enjoyed the holiday. I still came home with some brilliant shots ( and some rubbish ones, but I could do that with any camera!)

Take the P7100, you might enjoy the freedom a small camera gives you :thumbs:

Allan
 
If you take the D7000 you will miss the lightweight P7100, if you take the P7100 you will miss the IQ of the D7000...

Both produce excellent images, I vote the P7100 and enjoy the break whilst pleasing the wife too :)

Whenever I go away I take a premium compact as I don't want to be bogged down with loads of equipment and after all...isn't this the reason we have premium compacts after all? ;)
 
What about D7000 + your favourite prime? I'd imagine that would be very lightweight and certainly would not need any sort of backpack.

Does the wife do any shooting at all? I think the key is to make sure the "other half" at least has some sort of camera even if she doesn't class photography as a "hobby".
 
I'm lucky enough to do a lot of travelling and I find a compact too limiting. In fact, it was the sensation I was getting poorer-than-necessary images that pushed me towards a DLSR in the first place. In my experience, a modest DLSR (like the D7000) is no more a burden than anything else - you still need to pull out whatever you've got and point it at what you want to shoot. With a decent strap that lets you have a camera by your side (I've got a black rapid sport thingy) it's no more bother than having to fish around in a pocket for a compact. I can entirely understand not wanting to travel with the full panoply of kit, which is why I travel with a 18 - 200 lens, but I wouldn't want to forego the IQ or flexibility for the 'ease' of something I need to carry in a pocket. Chargers etc are much the same size, so really it's a case of what you're willing to carry on you when out and about (and how) combined with what lens. For my money, a D7000 with one lens of your choosing makes for a perfectly acceptable travel companion. Perhaps it is the perception of what taking a DSLR entails that is at issue?
 
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