Camera recommendation for wife? (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

There's a TED talk on the 'paradox of choice' as well, where after a point there's paralysis by analysis.

That's probably the talk. Too many choices with a "need" to make the perfect choice can be problematic with modern gadgets

 

[DaveF]

Panasonic Lumix G5 is on sale for $399. ($480 with second zoom lens) I came very close to buying that. One review i found compared it directly to a NEX 6, with photos, and it was very good. I think if you want a good, mirrorless camera and don't care about how this camera feels versus that camera, or the minutia of max burst speed or fastest autofocus this is a superb deal. In fact, a coworker bought it (and told me about the deal). So I took my wife to his place yesterday to demo the camera.She hated it. The body, lens zoom feel, camera UI were all wrong to her. So, I won't save $500.Searching Alpha rumors I don't see much for the rest of the year. Strong belief a NEX 7 successor will be announced in October, but not widely available until next year. No rumors specifically on a NEX 6 follow-on.And the NEX 6 is on sale $799 this week.

 

[schan1269]

Last time I played with a Lumix, it seemed to cater to the older crowd...that remembered Leica medium format.

 

[DaveF]

Brand new Sony NEX 6, bought from BestBuy. I didn't buy the big zoom lens. BestBuy didn't have it on sale, and Amazon had switched to a third party retailer for the deal, so BB wouldn't match. That's fine, that lens isn't needed until the next significant vacation, perhaps next year. The Lumix body reminds me of our previous Canon 10 IS, and every other SLR-lookalike. The controls were different, for sure. I liked its touchscreen focus and shoot feature. And if you're into HDR, its auto-bracketing feature seemed best of class. Looking forward to playing with the Sony. My wife is the photographer, but I'm interested in getting the prime lens. I really like that style for indoor shots of people. I had my dads SLR in college, and its only lens was a prime, so that will always feel like "real" photography to me Now to convince her to shoot in RAW, use a good RAW converter, and maybe upgrade to iPhoto to Aperture. Probably also need to get an Eye-Fi Pro card. Her 4GB eye-fi has been a great purchase, and need the pro for more space and Raw transfers. Thanks to all for the help, inputs, and ideas. Even if you're telling me to spend twice as much money as I meant to

 

[schan1269]

Four years from now when you go to sell the camera, and people want to buy it...you'll thank "us".

 

[DaveF]

She's like a kid with a new toy. The camera has all kinds of bells of whistles, and so far the controls are largely as well designed as initial impressions (and reviews) said.

 

[Citizen87645]

That's probably the talk. Too many choices with a "need" to make the perfect choice can be problematic with modern gadgets

Speaking of which...http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6815348687/eric-kim-what-to-consider-when-buying-a-new-camera-for-street-photography

 

[DaveF]

Yep. I'm a maximizer He gives great advice. He just ignores the decades of therapy required to completely overhaul one's core personality to switch from maximizer to satisficer, and so be able to blithely stroll into best buy and purchase the first camera you see

 

[Sam Posten]

I put myself in the satisficer camp I guess. I can be happy with best bang for the buck solutions most of the time (D4 isn't outside this range either, for the frames per second and low light performance nothing was in its class and for once in my life I was in a position to try something extreme.

As the "go to" guy for all my friends buying electronics it is very frustrating to give out such advice and see them still spend another 3 months trying to find the best deal or the perfect camera.

 

[DaveF]

A week in with the NEX 6 and it's a success. (It's actually a bit small for my taste, but the main user loves it). Taking some quick shots in the house in ambient lighting shows how much more sensitive it is than the previous camera. It grabs shots that are super grainy on my iPhone, and were of middling quality on the super zoom, and look fine. I also shot my wife with a lamp on behind her. Terrible lighting, but it got it without being completely blown out. There was a bit of detail in the shadows of her face. So the dynamic range is noticeably improved from what I'm used to.

Autofocus does leave something to be desired. It's a bit wonky in low light. And I'm still adjusting to having zoom be a toggle on the lens instead of the ring on the grip. After years of point and shoots, it's a weird change.

Still shooting in JPEG for now. We need to upgrade to a new Eye-Fi card and buy Aperture in order to shoot RAW. Probably won't get to that until this Fall. The Eye-Fi is expensive ($50 to $100) and Aperture is another $80, with a likely upgrade coming soon.

 

[schan1269]

I put myself in the satisficer camp I guess. I can be happy with best bang for the buck solutions most of the time (D4 isn't outside this range either, for the frames per second and low light performance nothing was in its class and for once in my life I was in a position to try something extreme.

As the "go to" guy for all my friends buying electronics it is very frustrating to give out such advice and see them still spend another 3 months trying to find the best deal or the perfect camera.

You should see my buying style. I don't mind used stuff(which is a grand help) and if I buy something and hate it...I just re-sell it. To me a 20% loss is acceptable if I find something else to replace it.

I just sold my 2 yo Sony(that I took to South Africa during the world cup) because my LG L9 has such a good camera(not as good as the new Nokia). I don't plan on replacing the Sony either. The L9 has an "app" to create panorama shots. Which was the reason I bought the Sony in the first place.

 

[Sam Posten]

See the thing is I think I value user experience more than you say you do Matt. You seem content to put up with stuff that would drive me batty. It's a fine line. I don't care about features per se but overall experience? yes please!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Still shooting in JPEG for now. We need to upgrade to a new Eye-Fi card and buy Aperture in order to shoot RAW. Probably won't get to that until this Fall. The Eye-Fi is expensive ($50 to $100) and Aperture is another $80, with a likely upgrade coming soon.

Dave, I would suggest trying out Lightroom before buying Aperture. You can download a trial copy from Adobe's website. LR is a very powerful tool, and does a terrific job processing RAW files. I just spent the past week sorting and editing almost 1,400 photos from our trip to Glacier National Park, and am amazed at what I have been able to accomplish using the software. I have whittled the number of photos down to about 450 "keepers", and need to further reduce the number for a final slideshow.

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

You should see my buying style. I don't mind used stuff(which is a grand help) and if I buy something and hate it...I just re-sell it. To me a 20% loss is acceptable if I find something else to replace it.

I just sold my 2 yo Sony(that I took to South Africa during the world cup) because my LG L9 has such a good camera(not as good as the new Nokia). I don't plan on replacing the Sony either. The L9 has an "app" to create panorama shots. Which was the reason I bought the Sony in the first place.

Having bought my last two Nikon camera bodies refurbished from Nikon, I don't think I can go back to buying new. That $400-500 savings either stays in the bank or is rolled into a new piece of glass.

 

[DaveF]

See the thing is I think I value user experience more than you say you do Matt. You seem content to put up with stuff that would drive me batty. It's a fine line. I don't care about features per se but overall experience? yes please!

which Matt are you talking to? The Matt named Dave or the Matt named Sam? As for me: my priority is money, then experience. If i value it and can afford it, i will pay for the experience and quality (i drive a nice Honda, not a 5-series BMW) And my gadget lust drove me to buy the most expensive camera that fit the bill for my wife's needs But I need to do the research. (Pre-Internet life was filled with trips to the library to read Consumer Reports!) And I prefer to space out the purchases to manage money flow and make sure I'm actually buying what I need. I hate buying things I don't need.

 

[DaveF]

Dave, I would suggest trying out Lightroom before buying Aperture. You can download a trial copy from Adobe's website. LR is a very powerful tool, and does a terrific job processing RAW files. I just spent the past week sorting and editing almost 1,400 photos from our trip to Glacier National Park, and am amazed at what I have been able to accomplish using the software. I have whittled the number of photos down to about 450 "keepers", and need to further reduce the number for a final slideshow.

I may try to get my wife to demo Lightroom. I'm fine either way. I use iPhoto (OS X and iOS) But her quick look at things left her preferring Aperture. It's similar to iPhoto, uses PhotoStream and the iPhoto library, which are big pluses. She's a Photoshop user, but iPhoto and Aperture use it smoothly as an external editor. And Lightroom is now part of Creative Cloud, which is a minus ($$$).From reading a couple reviews, Lightroom seems best suited if your workflow meets its construction. My wife doesn't have a "workflow". The get in, do stuff, get out design of Aperture seems a better design for her.

 

[Citizen87645]

FWIW, Lightroom is available as a standalone as well.

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2013/05/lightroom-and-the-creative-cloud.html

 

[Citizen87645]

When I was first deciding between Lightroom and Aperture way back when, I remember the comparisons coming down to Lightroom being regimented in its workflow and Aperture being more free flowing, do what you want when you want it. I wish I could say I've tried Aperture to know what that really means, because for me Lightroom doesn't really feel that locked in to a workflow. If there is a workflow, it's very generalized - import images, select images to process, process those images, export for publishing. In each category, there's the option to move back and forth between processing and revising selections. It's only in the final stage that you get more directed, but by then your decisions are finished and you're ready to share final product. Are there any Aperture users who can explain how it makes things more free form?

 

[Emanuel1]

Amazing technology, HD video, very flexible LCD flip-out monitor and same image sensor as the high-end D7000. And Nikon lenses are brilliant. That said, Canon cameras are also excellent.

I highly recommend browsing user reviews on Amazon for various cameras and triangulate the reviews with your needs.

 

[emmashow]

If your wife doesn't want to learn much about photography, and just wants to take some pics in trips or daily life, maybe a lens-fixed camera is a better choice for her. The ILDC is still a little heavy for a female... DC is more portable... I don't recommend Nex 5R, for I have seen pictures from that camera and feel it's not very excellent. NEX-6 has some good reviews so I think it's better if you want to buy Sony...