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Looking for advise, upgrading from a P&S

A

ArchRivalNeo

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 13, 2010
21
0
Hey Guys,

m looking to upgrade from my Canon P&S soon. I want to go for a DSLR'ish compact that is not too big. Something like the Olympus E-PM1 or the Panasonic LX5. Something that takes great pix, is easy to use, and isn't too hard on the wallet.

My requirments are pretty simple, just taking pictures I can later edit on my Mac using iPhoto. I have read a couple of reviews on the net of the Sony NEXs, Fujiflm X100, Panasonic LX5, etc. and I think I might want to start out with something simpler and cheaper (still light!) first.

B&H has the LX5 sale right now for 399 bux, but I remember they had it down to 350 for the holidays. Might have to hunt for deals. Your thoughts? Should I like wait for the E-PM1 and consider that or some camera with a bigger sensor? I'm afraid that if I buy the LX5 (where I'm currently leaning), some other camera with a bigger sensor will come close to that price and I'll have buyer's remorse.

Thanks in advance for your help :)
 
What P&S do you currently own so we can better answer your questions? Do you want a camera that has interchangeable lenses? Are you just going to shoot in jpeg and edit in iPhoto or are you interested in more editing power with RAW files and something like Aperture? When I shot RAW with iPhoto, I edited in PhotoShop. I don't recommend this at this point.

I'm happy with my Lumix FS15, but it's just my snapshot camera. I would like something like a Canon G12 that can shoot in RAW, but I need to research the quality more. And grow some money...:)

Dale
 
Designer Dale said:
What P&S do you currently own so we can better answer your questions? Do you want a camera that has interchangeable lenses? Are you just going to shoot in jpeg and edit in iPhoto or are you interested in more editing power with RAW files and something like Aperture? When I shot RAW with iPhoto, I edited in PhotoShop. I don't recommend this at this point.

I'm happy with my Lumix FS15, but it's just my snapshot camera. I would like something like a Canon G12 that can shoot in RAW, but I need to research the quality more. And grow some money...:)

Dale
Click to expand...

Hey man,

Thanks for your reply. I currently own the Canon Powershot SD780 IS that I bought around 3 years back. It's actually a very capable camera, but I'm looking to move into the DSLR realm quality wise, while still having as minimum of a weight as possible. Examples are the Olympus E-PM1, Panasonic LX-5, Fujifilm X100, etc.

I did look into the E-PM1 and the newly announced Fujifilm X10. I liked the X10, but it costs a bit more than I'd like to pay currently, and it will come out in November. I need the camera within the month for my long weekend vacation trip. I'm from Canada, and for some reason the cameras here are more expensive than their counterparts in the US, even though the currency exchange is neck-to-neck these days. I could get it straight from the US when I go for vacation, but I'd like to buy it a few days before so that I can get used to the camera and not come accross any hiccups later on.

The interchangeable lenses would be a nice-to-have, but not a must have as long as the fixed lens is good enough (like the X100's). I'd basically want some level of manual control from the camera and the ability to edit the RAW pictures later on. I have experience doing some editing in Picasa and iPhoto, so even if there is a learning curve to Photoshop I wouldn't mind it. The LX5 seems to fit the bill very nicely, but it costs ~500 bux here. The E-PM1 will be coming out soon and it will cost the same WITH the kit lens (At least in the states), so going for the LX5 seems illogical right now, especially when you consider the features of the E-PM1.

May have to hunt for some good deals online. If I find it for 350-400$, I may just buy the LX5.
 
I'd suggest maybe looking into the Panasonic GF1, GF2, or GF3. Interchangeable lenses, great photo quality, but still incredibly small.

The Sony NEX cameras are much larger than you think... it's not the body that adds size, but the lenses. Seems like most micro four thirds lenses are about half the size for the same focal range often times.
 
Take a look at the Panasonic FZ150 that was just released. It is a small camera, but has a fixed lens that will zoom out to 380mm. Plus with Leica glass it takes great pics.
 
Fuji X100

I have the Fuji X100 as the alternative to my dSLR. Amazing PQ even at high ISO. Not cheap, but has a larger sensor than the 4/3. There is a lower price X10 coming out soon that has very good specs, too.
 
I still absolutely love my panny LX3, even though my pro camera i use 99% of the time is a Nikon D200. I say you can't go wrong with the LX5, plus you have micro 4 thirds lens to chose from.
 
You don't necessarily need an DSLR.

A compact with a viewfinder is a great option. Canon's G12 is very popular among professional photographers as a smaller camera.
 
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