Compact System Cameras

[Chris P]

I'm sure this topic has been covered extensively although I can't find many references using the search feature.

 

However, I'm toying with the idea of changing from my tried and tested cameras for work intended for Alamy (Nikon D700 with 28-70 mm Nikkor and Nikon D7100 with 35-80 mm Nikkor) in favour of a good compact system camera such as the Fuji X Pro 1 or, perhaps, the Nikon V1. I know they are on the approved camera list but does anyone have experience of submitting images to Alamy using these cameras or something similar? For a while some years ago I used a Canon G9 which was also on the approved list but rarely achieved the standard required by QC.

 

My photography now is very much what might be called street photography. Am I being completely unrealistic to think that a good modern CSC for this style of photography might come close to the quality I get from the D700 or D7100?

 

Chris

[Mirco Vacca]

Chris i have the Sony Nex 6 and NEX 5n. All my images that i send are passing. But dont forget that this is logic. This camera have the same sensor that you find in DSLR's. So the images are the same.

[Gervais Montacute]

Interchangeable lenses? If not and you are around 35 mm most of the time, then look at the Fuji X100S. For zooming then take a look at the Sony RX100 II. If you are mostly street, I would guess you would not wanting to be changing lenses that much. A lot of our shots are on the Fuji X100.

[Mirco Vacca]

In these days this cameras are getting even very fast and i know that many photographers are making the transission from DSLR to Mirrorless. I found many professional photographers for example using the Sony Nex 7 or the Olympus OM-D as main camera. Important is the sensor. Just look for camera with at least a micro 4/3 sensor and you can not be dissapointed with image quality. Like i said my sony nex cameras are carrying exactly the same sensors that the Sony Alpha 77 or Alpha 65 have.

[Ed Rooney]

Chris P, we have a long tread on this very subject. It's called "Transition." 

[Allan Bell]

Chris P, we have a long tread on this very subject. It's called "Transition." 

 

Hello Mr Rooney, I did not know you were Irish-American.

 

Allan

[Ed Rooney]

Edward Patrick Rooney, that's me. And I'm both Irish and American, since I hold both passports. I was born in Brooklyn, New York, but there's a quirky Irish law that says if you have one grandparent born in Ireland you are considered to be an Irish citizen. All four of my grandparents were born in Ireland. The Rooneys are mostly found in Sligo. 

 

When I lived in England in the '80s I had all the legal advantages of a native Brit, including the right to vote. (I didn't.) And I had one more right that natives of the UK did not have. Do you know what that is/was? 

[Alex Todd]

Edward Patrick Rooney, that's me. And I'm both Irish and American, since I hold both passports. I was born in Brooklyn, New York, but there's a quirky Irish law that says if you have one grandparent born in Ireland you are considered to be an Irish citizen. All four of my grandparents were born in Ireland. The Rooneys are mostly found in Sligo. 

 

When I lived in England in the '80s I had all the legal advantages of a native Brit, including the right to vote. (I didn't.) And I had one more right that natives of the UK did not have. Do you know what that is/was? 

 

It's going off topic but I love quizzes

 

I'm interested in how you could vote because Eire isn't part of Britain so did you register as a resident somehow?

[Mike@Meonshore]

Chris,

 

I have a Nikon V1 which I use as a personal/family camera for days out - and occasionally take it out with my D4/D800e if I think I might need some discretion during part of a professional shoot - or benefit from the 2.7x magnification I get with the smaller sensor. I have the FT-1 adaptor which allows me to use it with standard f-mount Nikkor lenses.... I'll regularly twin it up with the 50mm f1.4G to give me a very sharp 135mm effective view in a discreet package.

 

I haven't yet submitted any from this camera to Alamy (although I might send some up in the next few days having just edited a few) - but it is on the acceptable cameras list. My opinion of the 10-30mm standard kit lens isn't high - you can certainly see the improvement using f-mount glass gives to the image quality. I don't know what the prime 1-series lenses are like but in reality I'm more likely to use it as a small body to twin to my existing lenses - I would imagine though that they will deliver "good enough" quality to pass QC.

 

If you don't want to abandon your investment in your Nikon/Nikkor kit then this might be a test - V1 cameras can often be picked up at a very reasonable price - I got mine for £200 with the kit lens included - a massive discount from the original £849. In fact I paid nearly as much for my FT-1 as I did the body/lens package...

[Allan Bell]

When I lived in England in the '80s I had all the legal advantages of a native Brit, including the right to vote. (I didn't.) And I had one more right that natives of the UK did not have. Do you know what that is/was? 

 

Ed, you've got me on that one. What was it?

 

Allan

[Ed Rooney]

I apologize to the original poster and everyone for my drift off subject again here, a subject that is of great interest to me as a convert from Nikon DSLR to Sony NEX. 

 

The right to vote as a resident is reciprocal. If you or any British subject were to take up residence in the Republic of Ireland you would have the right to vote in the elections there. I think we all know that the relationship between the British and the Irish has never been less than complex. I do not know what the present laws are. 

 

The extra right an Irish resident of the UK has that a UK citizen does not have? The Irish person can bring in a foreign-born wife or husband the day after the marriage . . . where there's a waiting time if you're British. Don't kill the messenger. This is the way things were when I lived in London and Oxfordshire in the 1980s. 

[John Mitchell]

I'm a happy camper for the most part with the Sony NEX system. The awkward menus take a bit of getting used to, but hopefully that will improve. Would also like to see a better selection of affordable stabilized lenses from manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron. Mirrorless cameras are certainly fine for Alamy and the way of the future for many "street" and general travel photographers (especially ones with aging backs and joints) IMO.

[Mike@Meonshore]

Chris,

 

I just finished editing 3 test images from my Nikon V1, and uploaded them a few seconds ago for QC. 

 

All I would say is that having been used to a 16MP and increasingly for stock a baseline 36MP sensor for some time now I had to re-edit one of my 10MP images because a small crop had pushed it under the 24MP uncompressed JPEG limit and it was initially rejected at upload time. I could of course have done a bi-cubic interpolation as we used to have to do when 6MP was the norm with the Canon 10D and similar but in this case I just reduced the crop slightly.

 

Obviously we always try to fill the frame, and get both the alignment and framing perfect but I do often find I'm losing a little bit of my frames to ensure verticals are straight, or I trim extraneous edges - especially with a viewfinder that is less then 100%.

 

You may just find you need to take a little more time to compose, or be prepared to interpolate some of the images....

[Martin P Wilson]

In the 3 months I have been using a Fuji X-E1 as a lightweight alternative to my EOS-1Ds3 I have uploaded hundreds to Alamy and elsewhere with no problems. The lighter camera has reinvigorated my photography so I have more pictures to submit. The slow AF/shutter lag is a bit of an irritation though.

.

[John Allison J]

I'm sure this topic has been covered extensively although I can't find many references using the search feature.

 

However, I'm toying with the idea of changing from my tried and tested cameras for work intended for Alamy (Nikon D700 with 28-70 mm Nikkor and Nikon D7100 with 35-80 mm Nikkor) in favour of a good compact system camera such as the Fuji X Pro 1 or, perhaps, the Nikon V1. I know they are on the approved camera list but does anyone have experience of submitting images to Alamy using these cameras or something similar? For a while some years ago I used a Canon G9 which was also on the approved list but rarely achieved the standard required by QC.

 

My photography now is very much what might be called street photography. Am I being completely unrealistic to think that a good modern CSC for this style of photography might come close to the quality I get from the D700 or D7100?

 

Chris

I wouldn't hesitate to consider a CSC. I decided to buy a Panasonic GF1 plus a two or three lenses after spending some time trying to cover the main subjects I wanted to photograph while on holiday and determining the weight for carry on luggage for the flight. [ Did squeeze in a D700 and 50mm 1.4 as I was a bit nervous about relying on micro four thirds. I needn't have worried and have examples of both accepted here. Since 2009 MFT have improved apace and the forthcoming GX7 looks excellent. MFT has a v large selection of lenses, a particular favourite of mine being the 20mm f 1.7

Except for wildlife or where I need FP flash I my trusty Nikon stuff stays at home.

 

I recently bought a Fuji X-E1 on recommendation and the IQ has that  "wow" factor for me just as when I first saw my D700 images. The only current problem is that Raw conversion options are not there yet and I heard today thet DXO labs don't envisage supporting the XTrans sensor at this stage as their expertise has been directed toward the Bayer filter arrangement.

I was very curious about the Nikon 1 and wondered what Nikon were doing when it was first announced. I refer you to Thom hogan's site.it was far too expensive. When the prices plummeted in anticipation of the V2 I confess I bought one to try at fire sale prices and it's much better than I thought it could be. V fast AF and totally silent in electronic shutter mode - ideal and non threatening for "Street". In my view the IQ ia about equivalent to a D200 but don't expect miracles over ISO 800. I haven't submitted any images to Alamy yet but have some ready.

I hope these thoughts are of some assistance

Good luck

John

[Richard Coombs]

Sony NEX 5N and 6. Fuji X Pro 1 and Fuji X100. All go through fine.

[Guest dlmphotog]

I really love my Fuji X100, I will upgrade to X100s in the near future. I also have the Fuji X-E1 camera. Both are excellent cameras and have high image quality. I do like the X100 more than the X-E1 due to its smaller size and fixed lens. The X100 also allows for flash sync up 1/1000^th and works great with a Pocket-Wizard and studio strobes. I shoot in manual mode and really like the analog aperture ring and shutter speed dials on both cameras. With an lens adapter I have use an old AI 200mm (300mm equivalent) Nikkor lens on the X-E1 with good results. For travel I leave my D3 at home and take the Fuji cameras instead. The (only?) downside is the auto focus is not as good as on a DLSR.

 

Another major plus is nobody thinks you’re a professional when using these small cameras.

 

Hope this helps,

 

David L. Moore

[Chuck Nacke]

Chris,

 

Just today I was looking at the Canon G16. I've owned and used most of the G series cameras since the G2 (which I still have in its original box in the safe). Currently use my Canon G9 for mostly video, but I've had good luck with the few stills I've shot with it (all at 80 ISO). I've also been a long time FUJI user and lately I've been disappointed with their customer service, almost as bad as Nikon's. Canon on the other hand has always been great for me to deal with, too bad they changed their SLR lens mount when I had Four F1's, drives and L glass from 16 to 600mm.

[Chris P]

Thank you to all who have responded. If only there was a retailer where you could try a few test images from some of the recommended CSCs and examine them at home before buying.

 

Chris

[Martin P Wilson]

To be honest I think you need more than a few test shots. I have used my Fuji daily for 3 month and my opinion is still developing. The slow AF/shutter lag has been a growing irritation and it made my appreciate my dslr. That said I am still happy with it for travel and all day use, my shoulders are happier too. Like others my first impression was "WOW" there is something special (not sure what - more micro  detail?) about the images from Fuji X, I now sort of understand what people mean with Leica images.

 

I don't understand the comments about lack of RAW conversion options. I use Capture 1 in the main but also have Lightroom (4.4), both make a good fist of conversion. I have never used the supplied SilkyPix as the Fuji just dropped into my existing workflow. PhotoMechanic also handle the raw files and creates jpegs ok (without having adjustment capability). That is on Windows and Mac, and on Mac only I am also aware of Iridient which seems to be well regarded for Fuji RAF files. Surely that is enough choice?

[Chris P]

Thank you Martin. I'm sure you're right about needing more than a few test images. I've used Lightroom for RAW conversions for some years and haven't had any problems - other than the need to upgrade every so often to take account of a new camera (e g to LR5 recently to cope with images from the D7100). I'll check to see which CSCs LR5 handles as a RAW converter before embarking on purchase.

 

Chris

[John Allison J]

Thank you to all who have responded. If only there was a retailer where you could try a few test images from some of the recommended CSCs and examine them at home before buying.

 

Chris

I think Calumet may well do it and they are competetive. They stock Fuji and Nikon 1 I know - not sure about Nex [ I have absolutely no links with them ! ]

Regards

John

[Duncan_Andison]

To be honest I think you need more than a few test shots. I have used my Fuji daily for 3 month and my opinion is still developing. The slow AF/shutter lag has been a growing irritation and it made my appreciate my dslr. That said I am still happy with it for travel and all day use, my shoulders are happier too. Like others my first impression was "WOW" there is something special (not sure what - more micro  detail?) about the images from Fuji X, I now sort of understand what people mean with Leica images.

 

I don't understand the comments about lack of RAW conversion options. I use Capture 1 in the main but also have Lightroom (4.4), both make a good fist of conversion. I have never used the supplied SilkyPix as the Fuji just dropped into my existing workflow. PhotoMechanic also handle the raw files and creates jpegs ok (without having adjustment capability). That is on Windows and Mac, and on Mac only I am also aware of Iridient which seems to be well regarded for Fuji RAF files. Surely that is enough choice?

 

Another very happy Fuji X user here. I have the X Pro1 and the X-E1 with most lenses. Lens quality is extremely good.

 

As Martin says, can't understand the comment about Raw conversion. I've had no issues at all with C1 pro and I've tested Iridient Developer which produces very high detailed images but doesn't have the bells and whistles C1 has. LR has a bit of catching up to these two in terms of Raw conversion though.... imho.

[John Allison J]

I had forgotten about Iridient Developer and will have another look thanks. My workflow has centred around Aperture for many reasons. Apple hasn't upgraded it's RAW support for a little while. The X-E1 seems fine but the X-M1 RAW files are not recognised which is interesting considering I at least thought they had the same sensor, processor etc

Thanks

John

Apologies : starting to wander off topic

[Richard Coombs]

I'm very keen to try the Sony RX100. I had a look at one in the shop yesterday, also the RX100 II which was a couple hundred quid more I think. I didn't dwell on them too long as I would have ended up buying one or the other for sure.

 

The two appeared to be very much the same as far as my "quick look" could determine, apart from the obvious tilt screen on the II. Anyone done any sort of comparison between the two?

 

Is the II worth the other 200 or so quid?