POLL - More camera than you need?

[Damien_Demolder]

How much of a camera do you need to produce pictures that keep you satisfied? Or perhaps, how much of your current camera are you not using? We all ‘know’, because we’ve been told a thousand times, that it’s not what you’ve got it’s how you use it that counts, but that doesn’t stop many of us striving to own better equipment.

Of course, it’s true that there are cameras that will hold you back, but usually only if you have particular needs. A sports photographer might find a one frame-per-second maximum shooting rate a little limiting. Equally, if you have to make poster prints of all your work a six million pixel sensor may not provide all the quality you require, but in most cases I think we fail to see when we have enough - photographically, that is. If a part of your hobby is to buy the latest and the greatest, obviously enough never happens.

I wonder how the old hands here would get on using one of the entry-level cameras on test this week (p45). If these were the only cameras you could have would you carry on taking pictures, and could you enjoy photography just as much?

Head to the home page to take part in this week's poll:
Is your current body more camera than you really need?

Thanks for taking part

damien

[spinno]

I think I can see this possibly going two ways. One will probably be oh no my camera doesn't do enough for me...possibly a symptom of the "keep up with the Joneses" or gotta have more technology and the other will be my camera has too much...I'd really like something simple so I'm in more control.
I'm not sure where I fall....probably somewhere in the middle. Having said that I'm trying to use up some old film in my Bronica and for the life of me I'm struggling...why because I can't get the shots I want...whereas with digi I'd be just firing away..probably in the hope of getting something reasonable...

[El_Sid]

That's a no for me. Mine are certainly still adequate - after all I'm still regularly using a Canon D30 - but that's not to say I don't occasionally desire a little more performance....

I wonder how the old hands here would get on using one of the entry-level cameras on test this week (p45). If these were the only cameras you could have would you carry on taking pictures, and could you enjoy photography just as much?

Now that's an interesting question. As well as my two Canons (D30 & 20D) I also now have a Nikon D50 which I'd say was the entry level Nikon of it's day. I certainly enjoy using it but there are frustrations though - not least it's higher reliance on menu accessed adjustments, lack of DoF preview and only a single control wheel. These aren't enough to stop me enjoying photography but they probably would start to gripe after a while...

On the other hand I'd say if it were a choice between no camera and an entry level model then I'd choose the latter every time...

[Benchista]

Seems to me there are a number of questions in there. My camera has features I don't need - JPEG capture being one of them - but most of the time, it does what I want very nicely. Sometimes it struggles - the other day, I really could've used a much higher ISO setting than is available on my camera, but which is there on its replacement, and I would like a video mode, and sensor cleaning, and... well, there's always something else. But it does what I want, the way I want it, almost all the time.

Could I make do with an EOS 1000D? Well, it would do most of the things I want to do. It would be a bit limiting for action shots, and I would be very frustrated to not have my fisheye lens working properly any more, nor to have the ultra-extreme wideangle view that 12mm gives me on full frame, but yes, I could survive without any real problem. In some ways it would be better - lighter to carry, and with some features I don't currently have. Would I enjoy it as much? No, for the wideangle/fisheye reasons, I wouldn't - that's why I went full frame in the first place.

[parisian]

If we have shutter, aperture, ISO control and manual focus then that is basically enough. In the digital field the ability to shoot RAW and white balance control are probably the essentials for me. Otherwise it is all frippery.

[sey]

If we have shutter, aperture, ISO control and manual focus then that is basically enough. In the digital field the ability to shoot RAW and white balance control are probably the essentials for me. Otherwise it is all frippery.

ditto.

[Damien_Demolder]

My camera has features I don't need - JPEG capture being one of them

[lovey mode] OOh Nick, you're SUCH a purist. I love it!![/lovey mode]




That's such a good line!

Mine has focus control, but I wouldn't be bothered with stuff like that either.

[Benchista]

Nah, just idle. I've got into a way of doing things, and I can't be bothered to change it.

[daft_biker]

My camera has features I don't need - JPEG capture being one of them

[lovey mode] OOh Nick, you're SUCH a purist. I love it!![/lovey mode]




That's such a good line!

Mine has focus control, but I wouldn't be bothered with stuff like that either.

Doesn't the review screen show you a camera-generated JPEG version of your raw files though? I think I want a camera that can generate a JPEG even although I've no intention of using JPEG as a format for capturing images.

Focus control....what's that again?

My camera has too many modes - a switch between Av and M would be fine for me. I don't even know what the auto ones do. Auto ISO...don't know what that does either. Live view...don't even know how to switch it on. The popup flash just gets in the way.

However, in other areas it's lacking as the viefinder only shows me part of the image

[alanS]

Today's entry level cameras probably have a higher spec than my 20D.

[daft_biker]

Oh aye....could I get by with an entry level camera?

I don't think they get much more entry level than....

....a Canon 300D! It works fine but I think newer models give nicer results due to improved sensor and image processing technologies. Most of my favourite shots were taken on that camera

[beejaybee]

Seems to me there are a number of questions in there. My camera has features I don't need - JPEG capture being one of them - but most of the time, it does what I want very nicely.

Yeah ... but all current DSLRs lack something that I want, almost to the point of requirement, i.e. a proper (totally unprocessed) RAW mode. For that, you can keep all your fancy shooting modes, I'll happily put up with single shot only, manual exposure, manual focus, learned that way & don't want auto anything.

[Still_Togging_Along]

Looking back, when I was young (oh dear! Just when was that?!) I was very inquisitive and probably thought that the more 'Bells and Whistles' something had, the 'Better' it was, whilst now, (possibly due to the onset of Senility?!) or rather years of experience and mistakes to look back on, the 3 basic functions and maybe 2 additional features such as auto bracketing and the DOF preview, are really all I need. The others feel like they get in the way.

For instance, when set to P, A or S, you don't need a shutter and F-stop dial, as both are linked. One dial does both of these, whilst the other can be left set to over and under-expose a shot.

On the other side of the coin, in relation to simplifying everything on 'Auto', (Or for those who are just too lazy!) with the high levels of in-camera processing available, why not implement auto-bracketing so that on a SINGLE depression of the shutter release, the camera generates 3 or maybe 5 bracketed shots? The only downside to such a system, would be even more 'Abuse' of HDR processed shots! ... Maybe offering that facility is definitely NOT a good idea after all!

[daft_biker]

... why not implement auto-bracketing so that on a SINGLE depression of the shutter release, the camera generates 3 or maybe 5 bracketed shots?

Are there cameras that offer that as a custom function? I think most can do it in continous shooting mode if you press the shutter release once and hold it on for 3 shots.

[Benchista]

Actually, what features do I use?

Exposure modes - I use the usual SPAM ones, mostly aperture priority.
I change the drive and autofocus modes from time to time for action shooting.
I sometimes switch metering pattern from evaluative to spot.
I use exposure compensation and exposure lock.
I change focus point sometimes - normally I just use the centre one when using AF.
Sometimes I change the WB; normally, though, I leave it on auto.
I sometimes use the B&W modes so that I can check the result on the screen.
I use the custom functions for mirror lock-up and second curtain flash synch - oh, and the one that tells the camera I'm using a different screen.
Flash exposure lock sometimes gets used.
I really don't shoot JPEGs, unless I'm using a shot for work.

Beyond that, it's shutter speed and/or aperture, ISO, shutter release, depth of field preview and use of the review screen. In many ways, it's very little different to me from my film days

[spinno]

Actually, what features do I use?

Exposure modes - I use the usual SPAM ones, mostly aperture priority.
I change the drive and autofocus modes from time to time for action shooting.
I sometimes switch metering pattern from evaluative to spot.
I use exposure compensation and exposure lock.
I change focus point sometimes - normally I just use the centre one when using AF.
Sometimes I change the WB; normally, though, I leave it on auto.
I sometimes use the B&W modes so that I can check the result on the screen.
I use the custom functions for mirror lock-up and second curtain flash synch - oh, and the one that tells the camera I'm using a different screen.
Flash exposure lock sometimes gets used.
I really don't shoot JPEGs, unless I'm using a shot for work.

Beyond that, it's shutter speed and/or aperture, ISO, shutter release, depth of field preview and use of the review screen. In many ways, it's very little different to me from my film days

sounds about right to me...in the sense that they're what I use..subject to availability of course...

[Wheelu]

Having recently moved from APC size to full frame sensor, I would not want to slither back down again. There is something special about full frame, in addition to the ability to use wide angle glass, maybe it's the more limited depth of field, or perhaps a richer tonality. Whatever it is the images have a more attractive quality to them. The only thing I miss is the greater effective focal length when shooting wildlife.

I certainly would not want to have a camera with a poorer viewfinder, having grown up with wonderfully large, clear and bright viewfinders on my manual focus film cameras, I cannot get away with the gloomy periscopes fitted to, particularly entry level, DSLRs.

The camera does have a set of gimmicks that I never use - print button, strange modes etc, but I can ignore them and it does what I want most of the time.

Would I want more? Well - not more pixels, I spend too much time burning DVDs as it is and I don't want to print A0 size. Improved dynamic range would be good, a better view finder would be nice, lower noise at high ISO and an auto focus system that worked more effectively in gloomy conditions would be an improvement. Finally, I would like the camera to incorporate all of the above features, but be a lot smaller and lighter! If necessary to achieve this, and assuming it had a clear viewfinder with focusing aids, I could live without the auto focus.

[Roger_Provins]

Doesn't the review screen show you a camera-generated JPEG version of your raw files though? I think I want a camera that can generate a JPEG even although I've no intention of using JPEG as a format for capturing images.

All raw files have a small jpeg embedded for the purpose of displaying on the camera screen or computer. This can be extracted.

[Terrywoodenpic]

AS long as it has the things I do want easily available, I do not mind what else is there.
It would be nice if you could "hide" the unused/unwanted features.(muddle-Modes)
It would make things so much easier and quicker.

[Still_Togging_Along]

My niggle with auto-bracketing is that to take, you have to depress the shutter for each exposure, or keep the shutter depressed. The problem with this is that with many cameras you can hold down the shutter release for too long and then get shots out of sequence, or on 3 shots bracketed, take one too many or not enough and then all your subsequent shots are out of sync. If you had a single press of the shutter release (Like ASA Bracketing) because they are in-camera generated, this problem doesn't occur. It can't be THAT difficult, can it?