Cameras and Stuff 2
Never mind the pixels, what about ergonomics ?
Build quality is something that becomes instantly evident as you climb up the price scale. Many amateur models now pack in an amazing variety of features ( anti-shake, sophisticated pre-set programs, live view etc. ) and often borrow components used in much more expensive models.
If you're the kind of photographer that is always going to have your equipment safely stored in expensive purpose-made Lowepro or Crumpler bags, will stay at home when it's wet, not take photos on a windy beach, then one of these cameras will probably be fine. One of the reasons that I chose the GX-10 is because it has a degree of weather sealing and a robust chassis. This suits me because there are days when I just like to sling the camera around my neck, or just carry it with the 35mm lens ( see below ) in a 'man bag'.
And the occasional knock is almost inevitable - as is the chance of the occasional shower.
Bear in mind, also, that cheaper lenses are not weather sealed. A plastic bag will serve as a temporary 'rain jacket' although there are various commercial alternatives on the market.
Lenses
There is another good reason why I chose the Samsung. It is ( with a few minor cosmetic differences ) the same camera as the Pentax K10D and a result of collaboration between the two companies. The mount is Pentax K.
There is also an adapter available that will take a much earlier pentax screw mount.
What's that got to do with the price of fish ?
Simply that Pentax made some of the best 35mm film camera lenses around. And, if like me you're on a strict annual budget for things like cameras, then these models will function extremely well with the older manual film lenses. And whether film or digital, another point is that prime, or fixed focal length lenses, have always delivered great quality - simply because the design demands are fewer. Other manufacturers will accept film lenses but some cameras ( particularly cheaper Nikon models ) will not be capable of metering. This is not the end of the world ( after a few years you can guess an exposure 'starting point' and then, with the cheap'n'easy virtues of digital, can afford to play around until it's spot on ). However, a great deal of the time I fit an old SMC Takumar - A 28mm f2.8 film lens ( probably worth about £40 at tops ) and that's it.
And I should mention that it's not only compact but beautifully constructed - after up to 40 years these lenses still have smooth focusing and positive aperture stops.
If I need to put more in the frame I walk backwards.......
Manual focusing makes a great change from even having to think which part of the shot needs to be critically sharp. It's instinctive. With autofocus lenses I can waste precious time when I want to get an off-centre portion of the frame sharp.
A last word on cameras.....
So where do ergonomics come in ? Simple. The first thing is to decide what your priorities are. Then draw up a shortlist. Hopefully you'll be left with a couple of likely candidates.
Go to your nearest decent camera store and compare them. OK, you probably at this stage won't be able to make a great technical evaluation, but given that ( as I said earlier ) there's not much to choose in terms of value for money and craftsmanship at either the beginner, amateur or advanced levels of equipment, see which make 'feels ' right in your hands. Is it too heavy / too light ? Do the controls fall naturally to your fingertips ? Would you like to be able to see a data readout on the top or is just the rear screen enough ?
After all, it's just a box which contains the means to capture an image projected by the lens.
The rest is up to you.
Build quality is something that becomes instantly evident as you climb up the price scale. Many amateur models now pack in an amazing variety of features ( anti-shake, sophisticated pre-set programs, live view etc. ) and often borrow components used in much more expensive models.
If you're the kind of photographer that is always going to have your equipment safely stored in expensive purpose-made Lowepro or Crumpler bags, will stay at home when it's wet, not take photos on a windy beach, then one of these cameras will probably be fine. One of the reasons that I chose the GX-10 is because it has a degree of weather sealing and a robust chassis. This suits me because there are days when I just like to sling the camera around my neck, or just carry it with the 35mm lens ( see below ) in a 'man bag'.
And the occasional knock is almost inevitable - as is the chance of the occasional shower.
Bear in mind, also, that cheaper lenses are not weather sealed. A plastic bag will serve as a temporary 'rain jacket' although there are various commercial alternatives on the market.
Lenses
There is another good reason why I chose the Samsung. It is ( with a few minor cosmetic differences ) the same camera as the Pentax K10D and a result of collaboration between the two companies. The mount is Pentax K.
There is also an adapter available that will take a much earlier pentax screw mount.
What's that got to do with the price of fish ?
Simply that Pentax made some of the best 35mm film camera lenses around. And, if like me you're on a strict annual budget for things like cameras, then these models will function extremely well with the older manual film lenses. And whether film or digital, another point is that prime, or fixed focal length lenses, have always delivered great quality - simply because the design demands are fewer. Other manufacturers will accept film lenses but some cameras ( particularly cheaper Nikon models ) will not be capable of metering. This is not the end of the world ( after a few years you can guess an exposure 'starting point' and then, with the cheap'n'easy virtues of digital, can afford to play around until it's spot on ). However, a great deal of the time I fit an old SMC Takumar - A 28mm f2.8 film lens ( probably worth about £40 at tops ) and that's it.
And I should mention that it's not only compact but beautifully constructed - after up to 40 years these lenses still have smooth focusing and positive aperture stops.
If I need to put more in the frame I walk backwards.......
Manual focusing makes a great change from even having to think which part of the shot needs to be critically sharp. It's instinctive. With autofocus lenses I can waste precious time when I want to get an off-centre portion of the frame sharp.
A last word on cameras.....
So where do ergonomics come in ? Simple. The first thing is to decide what your priorities are. Then draw up a shortlist. Hopefully you'll be left with a couple of likely candidates.
Go to your nearest decent camera store and compare them. OK, you probably at this stage won't be able to make a great technical evaluation, but given that ( as I said earlier ) there's not much to choose in terms of value for money and craftsmanship at either the beginner, amateur or advanced levels of equipment, see which make 'feels ' right in your hands. Is it too heavy / too light ? Do the controls fall naturally to your fingertips ? Would you like to be able to see a data readout on the top or is just the rear screen enough ?
After all, it's just a box which contains the means to capture an image projected by the lens.
The rest is up to you.