And a lovely summer vacation - wait! I don't know if you decided on the long one yet, do I? Did you?
One - you do know that your home state lies NORTH of Toronto, right? I'm referring to the great Minnesota.
Two - nice F&W!!!!!!!!!! A TR!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah. It's like an early Christmas trip for me! KAT4DISNEY talent all over the place. Outstanding .
Two and a half - thank goodness on the battery charger. I SO look forward to all those beautiful exquisite shots (KAT4DISNEY is my photo idol people - I dream of her shots!!!)
Three - funny MN story. Was it Kris Humpfries? Do you even know who that is?
Four - no I never cared about wide or fisheye UNTIL you ruined that for me by posting yours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Drat you. (Kathy - little ol' me got 3rd in Waterworks - short one - straight to finals - but for little ol' point and shoot me!!!!)
Five - Kathy, I almost said "but it has no viewfinder!!!!!!!!!!!!" and then I find your posts/pictures and you educate me with the EXTERNAL optical viewfinder. I HAD NO IDEA such a thing existed or about these type of cameras. I have a question - well two. Ready? Don't tell me this is a stupid one, okay? I know nada beyond P and S. THat exernal VF - can it see telephoto change?
And what do you think of the Canon Rebel vs. these cameras? I know. I know. Not a short answer. I know Kathy. And I know I have to hold them. And I'm worried about not enough telephoto on a lens that I won't remove.
Oh, and one other thing.
Merry Christmas.
Lisa!
I am late to the TR, but I loved every page of it (even the ones I couldn't QUITE follow )!
Thanks for posting. Love your pics!
You've inspired me to write a TR.
I just made a MINOR miscalculation by shooting in RAW when the only computer I have access to right now is my work computer..I filled the HD on this puppy not even 1/4 way through...OOPS!
Going to go for the one long trip this summer --- one set of airfare and a real break from work -- decided it is a win-win
Can't wait to hear about your next adventure -- thanks again for the share
Just so you know, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I decided I had to take a little jaunt down here for a Christmas fix....
So I checked and the latitude of where I grew up is 44.528N and Toronto is reported at 43.652N
Now, other cameras. The Canon rebels are good. I haven't looked much at the newest ones after I settled on the sony's but you really can't go wrong with any of the new DSLR's. They are larger and heavier than the NEX but of course have the built in view finders and flash so they are always there and not something you have to think about bringing along. The NEX does panoramas - do the Rebels? I don't think they do but your P&S does great at them so maybe you don't want it on a new camera. Surprisingly I really didn't miss having a viewfinder for most shots - mostly just when the subject was moving. I was surprised b/c I'm one that always used the viewfinder on a P&S and wouldn't buy one without it. The NEX external view finder is pretty cool and will show you the changes in telephoto, wide angle etc. It shows you exposure, white balance and all of that too. Bad thing is it's an expensive little add on.
Did you know this....the Canon rebels actually have a smaller sensor than the Sony NEX. Not enough to matter but there you go. Bigger camera, smaller sensor.
If size of the camera isn't a concern and you want a viewfinder then from what you've said I'd guess a traditional DSLR like the Rebel line is going to make you happier to use. The Sony equivalent would be the A35 or A55 which I know more about. Slightly different with a fixed mirror and electronic viewfinder (built in) but there are pluses and minuses to that. I've used the A55 for almost a year before getting my new baby NEX and liked it a lot. It hasn't been retired either - at least not until I decide if the NEX could cover all situations for me. It's pretty close but I need to try more action and I think I'll probably need to keep a DSLR around for that.
But I skipped 4. I know what I voted for.
Once again loved the TR looking for more in the future! Love the rambling and scary part I followed all the way through and never seemed confused!
Have a safe and happy holiday season! - That goes for everyone following your TR. I think the interaction was great in your TR and we all felt a part of your journey - thank you.
OH NO - she gave a "let's pump my student up vote".
Have a wonderful holiday Kathy.
Thanks so much Kathy. That helps. I have to have the viewfinder. Are you ready? My eyes barely open in the sun. I would never be able to deal with a screen.
Maybe one of the other 4/3s has an optical viewfinder? I'm beginning to think that I really don't need a DSLR. I know everyone goes there - but I'm unsure if it's necessary. Plus $$$$$. It's only the lens - the precision of it - I desire. My friend thinks I should get a Rebel (thank you for that sensor information) but I think he and I are scared I would whip it across the room in about ten seconds. Not good.
Clarity and crisp. Drives me batty. The only reason. Why can't they do that on a p and s with the lens? I'm sure there's a straightforward answer to that but I'm not sure I understand it since the 4/3s are mirrorless. I know I'm probably making no sense!!!
I've realized that I like to take pictures more than I like to *figure them out* so to speak. I think the clue was "I am NOT changing the lens".
Oh LUCKY!!!!!!!! TR please.
OMG. The bold.
It read like I hired some elves and got them to push Toronto south for a day or two. Push. Push. Push I say. A thousand dollars for every degree you get it south of Minnesota.
So funny.
You should put in Point Pelee, ON and see how many of your beautiful states lie north of there. It lines up with Northern California. What a fun game.
Thanks so much Kathy. That helps. I have to have the viewfinder. Are you ready? My eyes barely open in the sun. I would never be able to deal with a screen.
Maybe one of the other 4/3s has an optical viewfinder? I'm beginning to think that I really don't need a DSLR. I know everyone goes there - but I'm unsure if it's necessary. Plus $$$$$. It's only the lens - the precision of it - I desire. My friend thinks I should get a Rebel (thank you for that sensor information) but I think he and I are scared I would whip it across the room in about ten seconds. Not good.
Clarity and crisp. Drives me batty. The only reason. Why can't they do that on a p and s with the lens? I'm sure there's a straightforward answer to that but I'm not sure I understand it since the 4/3s are mirrorless. I know I'm probably making no sense!!!
I've realized that I like to take pictures more than I like to *figure them out* so to speak. I think the clue was "I am NOT changing the lens".
Thank you Kathy.
A huge part of photography is catching a moment, a look, an expression.
Lisa - my guess is that the clarity and the crispness that you're looking for is not so much a function of the lens itself but more of the sensor. As such, if you find a P&S that has a large CMOS (i.e. DSLR-type) sensor, you'd probably end up being pretty happy. If a viewfinder is required, I'd think that you'd be hard to go wrong with Kathy's Sony NEX-5N with the optional viewfinder, the soon-to-be-released Sony NEX-7 with the built-in viewfinder and flash, the newest version of the Sony Axx series DSLR (the Sony SLT-A65), or the Panasonic DMC-G3 mirrorless. Just some more thoughts. Anyways, happy Xmas dreaming about new cameras and better photos!
As spleen mentioned the sensor size is a big part of what I also think you're looking for. The Panasonic G3 has a viewfinder and the 4/3rds sensor is larger than a P&S's. The Sony NEX 7 also is the first NEX with a built in viewfinder and has a APS-c size sensor which is what is used in most DSLR's. Otherwise AFAIK most other mirrorless at best have an add on viewfinder. Maybe an upgrade to a bridge camera? But most of these will have dreaded lenses to change. If your taking pictures in mostly good light (which you seem to, although that may be b/c of the camera?) then maybe just updating to a newer Bridge camera would be good. With camera's there always seems to be some compromise to be made.
Lisa,
So sorry the TR is over! I've enjoyed following your zany antics! I hope you get another trip planned soon!
Alison!!!
I hope so too - on planning one soon.
I'm coming over to your PTRs in about a week or two for sure. I'm going away and try to stay away from technology. But I'm a comin' when I get back.
Hope your holiday has been wonderful. I did Christmas dinner and it was strangely fabulous. I'm unsure how that happened. Anyway made me think about your culinary skills - maybe you shared them with me for a day!
Happy New Year everyone!
]Spleen - thank you for taking the time with this post. It HELPED so much. I know nada and you were so clear. And sweet of you to take the time to link the reviews.
I don't have the money and am dreaming. But dreaming is lovely. And now I feel like I'm getting it all narrowed down. Because of you and Kathy - I actually held a couple of them and the Rebel. I felt like the Rebel was too much for me - so if a starting DSLR feels *too much* well .
I could not believe how light the 4/3 were. Shocking.
The new Sony with the viewfinder - I was told - by a local chain - it would come in at $1400.