Best quality compact camera suitable for Alamy

[Sas]

Hi, I’m planning to get back into shooting for stock (having barely dipped by toe in years ago!).  My main camera is my trusty D3S, but I want to invest in a carry anywhere, compact/point and shoot to keep with me for everyday opportunities.   Having had a Panasonic LX3 years ago which was supposedly good at the time with the best reviews I was disappointed and hated it.  I had a lot of blurry noisy shots.  I’m a stickler for quality and I am only too aware of the quality being not a patch on my D3S.  I also have an entry level NIkon DSLR (still too big for my handbag) which disappoints quality wise with images fine until you zoom in.

 

So my question is which compacts/advanced compacts would churn out professional enough quality suitable for Alamy submissions?  I live in a cloudy country and would also like to use if for some indoor shots so ideally I would want something able to cope with low light, or have a good fill in flash.

 

Ideas and and thoughts please.

 

Thank you! 

[NYCat]

A lot of us use some version of the Sony RX100.

 

Paulette

[Bill Kuta]

Or, depending on size of handbag, one of the many mirrorless, like the Sony a6xxx series--interchangeable lenses, APS-C sensor. The now-older a6000 is available at good prices, and the very compact kit 16-50mm is usable. The a6000 is still one of my main cameras.

[Betty LaRue]

Sony RX100, or the later versions. I’m shooting with the 3rd version right now but have images on here with the original. The latest one, I believe the 6? has a nifty more powerful zoom on it. I want it!

Otherwise, I shoot with Fuji mirrorless, but though small, it’s not what I’d call a handbag camera.

Betty

Sorry for the link mess...I don’t know how to do it on my iPad. But this is a recent shot with the RX100-3.

https://www.alamy.com/two-female-customers-in-walmart-shoe-department-trying-on-shoes-wichita-kansas-usa-image242670689.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=D6FBAFC4-2543-4272-9C1B-51402BE16039&p=35439&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3dWalmart%20wichita%26qt_raw%3dWalmart%20wichita%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3dUS%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d0%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d

Edited April 24, 2019 by Betty LaRue
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[Liam Bunce]

4 hours ago, NYCat said:

A lot of us use some version of the Sony RX100.

 

Paulette

The RX100 is a great little camera, most of my street shots were taken with mine.

[Barry Mason]

Sony RX100,any version

 

Edited April 24, 2019 by Barry Mason
modification

[dlmphotog]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the Lumix LX3. For me the LX3 is the perfect size for backpacking and it has a filter adapter ring so I can use a polarizer filter, a must have. Granted I only use the LX3 on sunny days but once you profile the sensor using a Color Checker the output is quite good. I have many sales with the LX3 here on Alamy.

 

I have been looking for a replacement for the LX3, but all the very compact cameras don't have a filter adapter ring to mount a polarizer filter and protect the telescoping lens elements.

 

I can highly recommend the Fujifilm X100 now replaced by the X100F. A fixed focal 35mm equivalent FOV with very nice analog controls and great user interface.

[John Mitchell]

I don't know how big your handbag is, but I'll put in another word for the Sony a6000. I use it pretty much all the time now. It's a very versatile little camera -- a real bargain IMO, much cheaper (but not as compact) than the RX100, which I don't have any experience with. The a6000 also has a larger sensor than the RX100 cameras. Noise is not a problem at all. As Bill mentioned above, the very compact 16-50 kit lens is fine for Alamy. You just have to be careful how you use it.

 

 

[Sas]

10 hours ago, dlmphotog said:

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the Lumix LX3. For me the LX3 is the perfect size for backpacking and it has a filter adapter ring so I can use a polarizer filter, a must have. Granted I only use the LX3 on sunny days but once you profile the sensor using a Color Checker the output is quite good. I have many sales with the LX3 here on Alamy.

 

I have been looking for a replacement for the LX3, but all the very compact cameras don't have a filter adapter ring to mount a polarizer filter and protect the telescoping lens elements.

 

I can highly recommend the Fujifilm X100 now replaced by the X100F. A fixed focal 35mm equivalent FOV with very nice analog controls and great user interface.

 

Thanks for replying. Thats interesting that you’ve got on well with your LX3.  I guess much of what I’ve used the LX3 for was indoors or under cloudy skies.  Or perhaps because I am comparing it with my D3S im being unrealistic.  That said I have a D5500 entry level DSLR and I’m not happy with the image quality on many of those shots either!  

 

I’m not sure of the fixed lens of the Fuji is what I want. Plus it’s still quite bulky for a compact.  Thinking about the RX100.

[Sas]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

 

My handbag is heavy enough!!😂  

 

Thainking about what I will be shooting.  Well, some indoor stuff, plus pets in action,  other people in action, outdoor general views on my travels, people portraits inside and outside,  maybe garden views and floral portraits (floral and macro is my specialist area which I use DSLR for, plus pets lately and some studio portraiture on occasion.).   So the high end compact would be something to have handy at a moments notice when opportunities arise.  Plus I would use for usual snapshot stuff of family, etc.

 

I’m looking at the RX100 V.   Not the latest version as I see there is a trade off of a stop and a half  for the increased focal range.   So the M5 would be a bit better in low light.  But I like the small focal range.  I like the speed as I need something for action.  I’m sure I could do some non-macro plant portraiture, plus general stuff.  

 

Those who who use an RX, how do you find it in terms of changing settings quickly and also for tracking a subject?  And what’s it like for selecting changing the desired focal point?   Do you find you miss opportunities for shots because you have to wade through menus to change settings?  What is quality of auto rather than manual settings?  Do you get a lot of stuff from your RX100 accepted on Alamy?   Any other observations or tips with this camera?

 

Thanks so much!

[Betty LaRue]

9 hours ago, Sas said:

Thanks everyone for your replies.

 

My handbag is heavy enough!!😂  

 

Thainking about what I will be shooting.  Well, some indoor stuff, plus pets in action,  other people in action, outdoor general views on my travels, people portraits inside and outside,  maybe garden views and floral portraits (floral and macro is my specialist area which I use DSLR for, plus pets lately and some studio portraiture on occasion.).   So the high end compact would be something to have handy at a moments notice when opportunities arise.  Plus I would use for usual snapshot stuff of family, etc.

 

I’m looking at the RX100 V.   Not the latest version as I see there is a trade off of a stop and a half  for the increased focal range.   So the M5 would be a bit better in low light.  But I like the small focal range.  I like the speed as I need something for action.  I’m sure I could do some non-macro plant portraiture, plus general stuff.  

 

Those who who use an RX, how do you find it in terms of changing settings quickly and also for tracking a subject?  And what’s it like for selecting changing the desired focal point?   Do you find you miss opportunities for shots because you have to wade through menus to change settings?  What is quality of auto rather than manual settings?  Do you get a lot of stuff from your RX100 accepted on Alamy?   Any other observations or tips with this camera?

 

Thanks so much!

I don’t use mine for portraits. I have used it a lot for travel, because it’s so small it doesn’t exhaust me lugging it around. I took it to St. Croix and shot beach scenes including people. I used it to shoot Christmas decor indoors, and recently non-macro flowering shrubs.  For stock, just about any activity...construction, shop fronts and indoors.

ive shot mine on auto only, other than one of the night scene modes which works very well. I’ve not tried it with wildlife or pets (anything fast-moving) so I would have to change settings for that. I prefer to use my Fuji X-T2, which is amazingly easy to change settings on the fly. All of the main settings, ISO, shutter speed, fstop, etc are controlled with knobs or turning the lens ring.

 

I once shot my sister with the RX getting her eyes examined. The room was very dark. Yes those had noise. But I selectively used noise reduction on the dark unimportant areas and they passed. A few I couldn’t fix acceptably. 

[Barry Mason]

As a matter of interest, you can buy a little stick-on plastic grip for the RX100 online, which I have found very handy - for both stability and prevention of it slipping through your hands.

[Chuck Nacke]

Sas,

 

I am not a fan of SONY, even though they make most of the sensors in modern digital cameras.

I would suggest a 12+MP Canon g series pocket cameras.  I started with the G-2 and currently keep

a G-9 in the glove compartment of my car.  The G series are great "grab and go digitals" they can

also be had for very little money.

 

Chuck

[Sas]

1 hour ago, Barry Mason said:

As a matter of interest, you can buy a little stick-on plastic grip for the RX100 online, which I have found very handy - for both stability and prevention of it slipping through your hands.

 

Hi Barry,

 

I'm not sure that I would benefit from a grip as I have small hands.  Unless there is another reason for using one?

 

Sas

Edited April 27, 2019 by Sas

[Sas]

30 minutes ago, Chuck Nacke said:

Sas,

 

I am not a fan of SONY, even though they make most of the sensors in modern digital cameras.

I would suggest a 12+MP Canon g series pocket cameras.  I started with the G-2 and currently keep

a G-9 in the glove compartment of my car.  The G series are great "grab and go digitals" they can

also be had for very little money.

 

Chuck

 

What's the quality of the G series like?  Any good for action shots?

[Mr Standfast]

 

My vote is for a Fujifilm X-M1 with the 27mm pancake. X-M1 is no longer current but can be found second hand very cheaply.

 

I have the LX3, it's a gem, I did use it for Alamy a long time ago, and the little fellow has earned its keep. However to keep the quality up I could only use RAW, 200 ASA and was very very critical at the 100% check stage. It eventually ended up on the banned list, it's a very small sensor. With the X-M1 I have the same sensor as my X-T1 and can use high ASA's

 

As with all things camera... your mileage may vary.

[Sas]

49 minutes ago, Mr Standfast said:

 

My vote is for a Fujifilm X-M1 with the 27mm pancake. X-M1 is no longer current but can be found second hand very cheaply.

 

I have the LX3, it's a gem, I did use it for Alamy a long time ago, and the little fellow has earned its keep. However to keep the quality up I could only use RAW, 200 ASA and was very very critical at the 100% check stage. It eventually ended up on the banned list, it's a very small sensor. With the X-M1 I have the same sensor as my X-T1 and can use high ASA's

 

As with all things camera... your mileage may vary.

 

Might be a bit big, Mr Standfast.   Don't think it would fit in the glove compartment.  Not keen on a fixed lens either.

[Joe Gaul]

If your requirements are for a small general purpose indiscreet camera for general stock use then I would echo those above in recommending any of the RX100 series, with reservations on the newest slower one, I had considered this to supplement my RX100 11 but the small aperture and small sensor combination seems less than desirable. For size and weight reasons I am currently experimenting with a Panasonic GX80/85 but am not feeling the love for the raw files and actually prefer the smaller sensor RX100 11 files possibly with the exception of in combination with the Olympus 12mm f2 lens but the jury is still out and better lenses may make a difference (I don't even try to use the 12-32 kit lens anymore). I owned the original Canon G9 (don't know if there is a more recent one) and could not recommend that camera due to shutter lag, start up time and noise; and with only 12mp it is now very dated it really put me off Canon compact cameras although my main kit is Canon aps-c. The Sony a6000 series look like excellent cameras and I would have preferred one of those to the Panasonic with smaller sensors but I feel that the available glass (basically a fast standard zoom) for that system is lacking. Hope this helps rather than confusing you more.

[Sas]

28 minutes ago, Joe Gaul said:

If your requirements are for a small general purpose indiscreet camera for general stock use then I would echo those above in recommending any of the RX100 series, with reservations on the newest slower one, I had considered this to supplement my RX100 11 but the small aperture and small sensor combination seems less than desirable. For size and weight reasons I am currently experimenting with a Panasonic GX80/85 but am not feeling the love for the raw files and actually prefer the smaller sensor RX100 11 files possibly with the exception of in combination with the Olympus 12mm f2 lens but the jury is still out and better lenses may make a difference (I don't even try to use the 12-32 kit lens anymore). I owned the original Canon G9 (don't know if there is a more recent one) and could not recommend that camera due to shutter lag, start up time and noise; and with only 12mp it is now very dated it really put me off Canon compact cameras although my main kit is Canon aps-c. The Sony a6000 series look like excellent cameras and I would have preferred one of those to the Panasonic with smaller sensors but I feel that the available glass (basically a fast standard zoom) for that system is lacking. Hope this helps rather than confusing you more.

 

Hi Joe,

 

No, you haven’t confused me more.  That’s very helpful.  It’s good to get everyone’s different take on it.   And it does sound as if the RX100 is a popular choice with quite a few Alamy stock photographers so the image quality must be good enough for stock.  I had discounted the lasted RX100 6 due to the fact that it’s slower as a compromise to a greater zoom range.  So I had shortlisted RX100 5.  

[Sas]

On 25/04/2019 at 15:36, Betty LaRue said:

I don’t use mine for portraits. I have used it a lot for travel, because it’s so small it doesn’t exhaust me lugging it around. I took it to St. Croix and shot beach scenes including people. I used it to shoot Christmas decor indoors, and recently non-macro flowering shrubs.  For stock, just about any activity...construction, shop fronts and indoors.

ive shot mine on auto only, other than one of the night scene modes which works very well. I’ve not tried it with wildlife or pets (anything fast-moving) so I would have to change settings for that. I prefer to use my Fuji X-T2, which is amazingly easy to change settings on the fly. All of the main settings, ISO, shutter speed, fstop, etc are controlled with knobs or turning the lens ring.

 

I once shot my sister with the RX getting her eyes examined. The room was very dark. Yes those had noise. But I selectively used noise reduction on the dark unimportant areas and they passed. A few I couldn’t fix acceptably. 

Yes, that’s one of my hesitations about the RX100 - that you have to journey into the menus to change settings and often there is some action happening which requires grabbing the camera quickly and shooting it before it’s over...such as a pet posing a a certain way or doing something - shots where  you have to be quick!  So the Fuji would be better if only it was smaller!

 

 

[Betty LaRue]

1 minute ago, Sas said:

Yes, that’s one of my hesitations about the RX100 - that you have to journey into the menus to change settings and often there is some action happening which requires grabbing the camera quickly and shooting it before it’s over...such as a pet posing a a certain way or doing something - shots where  you have to be quick!  So the Fuji would be better if only it was smaller!

 

 

If the pet isn’t running or moving fast, the RX would probably get it. There are easily changed “modes”. 

Turn camera on. 

on the top of the camera, NOT menu diving, are A (choose aperture by rotating command dial on back beside LCD and S for shutter speed, same dial. There is a manual mode,  a scene selection, movie mode, Intelligent Auto (I use mostly) and Superior Auto which supposedly reduces blurting and noise. 

Once you use these two accessible dials enough times, it will come easy, I would imagine. Since I don’t shoot high speed shots, I’ve been very lazy and shooting Intelligent Auto serves my purpose unless I do a night shot. Then I use a setting (I think Twilight) that takes three jpegs in quick succession, and combines them to get rid of noise. There is actually Pet selection under Scene Selection that says, “shoots pets and other subjects in movement with reduced blur”.

The only time I menu dive is to format my card. Easy Peasy.

Betty

[MDM]

I don't or never have had an RX100 and am not in the market for a pocket sized camera (no handbag either) at the moment but, if I was, I would almost certainly be going for the RX100 MK-VA (upgraded version of the MK-V). As you are seeing, these RX100 cameras get excellent user reviews. Authentic published reviews also tend to be excellent.The MK-VA seems to hit the sweetspot for general purpose photography and incorporates a lot of advances in technology over the earlier versions. I would like test one of these out and see the image quality for myself at some point (also a stickler for quality). I am sure it has its limitations in certain respects in comparison to a new generation FF Nikon with quality zoom but it looks like a remarkable piece of technology for its tiny size. 

 

[Sas]

6 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

If the pet isn’t running or moving fast, the RX would probably get it. There are easily changed “modes”. 

Turn camera on. 

on the top of the camera, NOT menu diving, are A (choose aperture by rotating command dial on back beside LCD and S for shutter speed, same dial. There is a manual mode,  a scene selection, movie mode, Intelligent Auto (I use mostly) and Superior Auto which supposedly reduces blurting and noise. 

Once you use these two accessible dials enough times, it will come easy, I would imagine. Since I don’t shoot high speed shots, I’ve been very lazy and shooting Intelligent Auto serves my purpose unless I do a night shot. Then I use a setting (I think Twilight) that takes three jpegs in quick succession, and combines them to get rid of noise. There is actually Pet selection under Scene Selection that says, “shoots pets and other subjects in movement with reduced blur”.

The only time I menu dive is to format my card. Easy Peasy.

Betty

 

Thats good to know, Betty, thanks!

 

crazy thing is that I’ve never had a compact camera that I get on well with and have been happy with.   I always find my pro DSLR easier to work to!🤣🤣🤣   So I guess I’m reluctant as part of me doesn’t believe there’s anything out there that I can coax great shots out of.  I definitely need something that can catch action though.  I’d be interested to hear if others use their RX100 for any action shots.  

 

The other her thing I’m bcomng aware of is it’s not just enough for someone to recommend a camera as great because that person may shoot completely different stuff - like street.  I’m rarely in a street!🤣🤣🤣.  I’m more likely to be on a farm, in a garden, house, on a day out somewhere or in an office with no photo opportunities, lol!😂. 

[Sas]

4 hours ago, MDM said:

I don't or never have had an RX100 and am not in the market for a pocket sized camera (no handbag either) at the moment but, if I was, I would almost certainly be going for the RX100 MK-VA (upgraded version of the MK-V). As you are seeing, these RX100 cameras get excellent user reviews. Authentic published reviews also tend to be excellent.The MK-VA seems to hit the sweetspot for general purpose photography and incorporates a lot of advances in technology over the earlier versions. I would like test one of these out and see the image quality for myself at some point (also a stickler for quality). I am sure it has its limitations in certain respects in comparison to a new generation FF Nikon with quality zoom but it looks like a remarkable piece of technology for its tiny size. 

 

 

Live not come across that version.  I know there is the Mark VI following MK V but I’ve discounted it as it is slower and would be worse in low light.  Besides I’m happy to make do with a smaller zoom range such as 24-70.  I’ll google the VA version.  Thanks!

[MDM]

The VA is the only version of the V available new now apparently. It is an upgraded version of the V. There is some good info here

Edited April 28, 2019 by MDM