WPF - World Photography Forum
Home Gallery Register FAQ Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Welcome to World Photography Forum!
Welcome!

Thank you for finding your way to World Photography Forum, a dedicated community for photographers and enthusiasts. There's a variety of forums, a wonderful gallery, and what's more, we are absolutely FREE. You are very welcome to join, take part in the discussion, and post your pictures!

Click here to go to the forums home page and find out more.
Click here to join.


Go Back   World Photography Forum > Photography Equipment > Cameras


Cameras Discussion on Cameras of all types

DSLR, 4/3 and Compact Lenses???

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 04-11-10, 23:17
TheAlbionJackal TheAlbionJackal is offline  
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 2
Default DSLR, 4/3 and Compact Lenses???

I may just have done a stupid thing.

I've sold my Canon 10D, 24mm F2.8, 100mm F2, L Series 17-40mm and 50mm F1.4 lenses in favour of raising some cash and hoping to replace them with something smaller.

I'm looking at some of the usual compacts that pop up on most review sights such as the Panny LX5, Canon S90/95 and G11/12 and the "Micro-Four-Thirds" cameras such as the Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 and Panny GF1.

With my Canon I specialized in Landscapes and Natural Light portraits and would hope to continue with that.

Call me old-fashioned but I would generally value a lens on it's maximum aperture and online tests and reviews.

My question is then, that if a compact like the Panny LX5 has an F2-F3.3 24-90 lens and yet the Sony NEX cameras come with 16mm (32mm in real terms) F2.8, is the LX5 not going to produce better images in my desired "specialisms"?

I understand that the NEX is a different beast with interchangeable lenses but surely what is effectively a 32mm at F2.8, regardless of the sensor is not going to be as good in, for example, lowish light than an F2 24mm?

I know sensors and megapixels enter into the scheme of things but I would still want the fastest lens over my desired spectrum and therefore would the LX5 be the better option?

Any help would be gratefully received.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-11-10, 01:18
Gidders's Avatar
Gidders Gidders is offline  
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: West Midlands
Posts: 2,795
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheAlbionJackal View Post
I may just have done a stupid thing.

I've sold my Canon 10D, 24mm F2.8, 100mm F2, L Series 17-40mm and 50mm F1.4 lenses in favour of raising some cash and hoping to replace them with something smaller.
If image quality is your priority ....
__________________
Clive
http://www.alteredimages.uk.com
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 05-11-10, 01:49
TheAlbionJackal TheAlbionJackal is offline  
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 2
Default

Well, image quality was a priority but I soon learnt that "image quality discernible by the untrained naked eye" is a totally different beast to what you or I may woryy about.

It suddenly dawned on me that all that equipment wasn't necessary and that with a bit of patience, decent images could be obtained without a DSLR.

Even when blowing up to both A4 and A3 level, I honestly don't see the need to lug around all the gear any more.

And I was perfectly happy cashing in.

But my question still remains, with all this talk of sensors and megapixels, surely the fact still remains that the larger the maximum aperture of a lens, be it with a Compact sensor or a slightly larger 4/3 sensor, the maximum aperture at a set focal length is still going to determine how much light you have to play with and therefore the quality of the image given the skill of the photographer.

Or do Compacts and 4/3s have an effective way of increasing the luminosity without increasing noise?
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 05-11-10, 10:11
yelvertoft's Avatar
yelvertoft yelvertoft is offline  
Guest
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: North Essex, UK
Age: 59
Posts: 8,486
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheAlbionJackal View Post
surely the fact still remains that the larger the maximum aperture of a lens, be it with a Compact sensor or a slightly larger 4/3 sensor, the maximum aperture at a set focal length is still going to determine how much light you have to play with and therefore the quality of the image given the skill of the photographer.
If you're shooting landscapes, I'd be surprised if you are using anything like wide open apertures or need fast shutter speeds, therefore I see no need for a fast lens. I see more need for a good dynamic range and low noise, which you are more likely to get from a bigger sensor.
For your portrait work, I can see that a fast lens may be advantageous if you're using available light, but you really should be thinking about the effects of using wide open apertures on the DoF. You may be able to bump up the shutter speed to avoid camera shake with a fast lens, but do you really want a minuscule DoF for the given subject?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheAlbionJackal View Post
Or do Compacts and 4/3s have an effective way of increasing the luminosity without increasing noise?
No. Compacts particularly are poor in terms of noise.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 05-11-10, 10:41
postcardcv's Avatar
postcardcv postcardcv is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Norfolk
Age: 48
Posts: 1,856
Default

I'd agree with others that I can't see the need for a fast lens for landscape work, to be honest any of the cameras you are talking about can produce good landscape shots - but as has been mentioned you will see a drop in dynamic range. Natural light portraits is another matter and one that all the cameras will struggle with. The small senser size of the compacts means that you really cannot push the ISO very high without suffering badly with noise (I've yet to see a compact that can perform well about ISO400 and many need lower than that). The mirrorless cameras (Panasonic G series and Sony NEX) are significantly better at handling noise (probably a stop or two better than your 10D) but do have other issues. The lack of available lenses is a big issue and the fast primes for both systems are quite short and thus not ideal for portrait work. Also the AF systems on these cameras to not handle low light as well as a DSLR and teh lack of viewfinder can make MF tricky...
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 05-11-10, 11:40
jayingleson jayingleson is offline  
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Aberdeen, scotland
Posts: 13
Default

yeah i kinda aggree with everyone else and personally i would have stuck with the canon and just undated on lens

theres alot of good things to be said about the new mirrorless camera models about noise and such but not alot of lens choice

landscape photography is more about longer shutter speeds and apeture rather than noise abilitys

and yeah megapixals mean nothing its just important if you want to blow your images up larger, i have seen some amazing pictures taken on some of the older 4 - 6 megapixel nikons and canons.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 05-11-10, 18:49
miketoll's Avatar
miketoll miketoll is offline  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 7,477
Default

Do not get a little compact for use in low light, horribly noisy! As large a sensor as possible. The 4/3 sensor is a lot bigger than a compacts while an APS-C is another jump again. Obviously physics has not changed so a faster lens will let in more light as usual but the fact remains that the smaller sensors need far more light to give a decent photo and are noisy and lack dynamic range. Only you can decide how much noise is acceptable to you. The best landscape photography is often done at either end of the day which means low light so if you want to travel light and not use a tripod then maximise your chances by going for as big a sensor as you can with as fast a lens as you can and perhaps use a mono pod/walking pole.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 07-11-10, 14:26
Alex1994's Avatar
Alex1994 Alex1994 is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 806
Default

With compacts the small sensor usually means I can never get a low enough DoF even at F2.8. This is highly frustrating since I like portraits as well, so when faced with a portrait I pull out the 100mm f2.8 that goes on my OM-1.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:11.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.