What do you recommend for full-auto pixel peepers?

KillRamsey

Hall of Famer
Location
Hood River, OR
Name
Kyle
What do you recommend for people who want to A) not really learn how to use cameras, and yet B) want top-notch pictures, and ideally C) not carry around anything nearly as big as a dslr...?

Let em explain.

- A guy walks up to me at work because he knows I like cameras.
- He complains that he hates the images from his camera phone, and says he wants to buy an actual camera.
- He asks what I have, and I show him the X100. "Can I see some pictures from it?" Sure. "Zoom all the way in. Oh that's NICE."
- He wants one, for a few seconds at least.

So at this point he's pixel peeping, looking for tiny details in the corners.

- I show him the studio shot comparo tool in dpreivew, he jotts down the root url. He can immediately see the difference between X20 files, for example, and X100 files. He wants the better images, he says.
- He then wants to see more of my pictures.
- He is drawn to every shot with bokeh - the more the better, pretty much.
- I briefly explain what it is, and generally how to get it. His eyes gloss over slightly, and I realize he's probably not going to ever really understand it.

So now I understand more what I'm dealing with. He likes the look that comes with bigger sensors and faster glass, but he's probably not going ever operate a camera outside Full Auto mode.

...I said "check out the Sony RX100." But I really don't know all the options out there. What would the lot of you have said?
 
what's his budget?

I'd say RX1 if he wants go go "all-in"
The X100 (or s) is great. You can show him how to set both dials on A for Auto in case he also doesn't want to read the manual :D
Any of the m43 cameras with a fast prime
Any NEX with a fast prime
Any DSLR with a fast prime

If he really like the OOF elements of a photograph, any camera with a bigger sensor will be fine if he gets fast glass.
 
It has to be pocketable, and he has to be able to hand to ANYONE and have them take a photo of him.

Having so much experience behind the X100 I feel like maybe I am glossing over the learning curve or even shooting quibbled that newbies experience with it. Sometimes my wife takes a shot with it, and most of the time it's not focused right, for example. It made me shy away,

Also I would say under a grand for budget.
 
to me pocketable and best IQ there is no discussion. The RX100 is it. The LX7 or the Oly ZX-1 or 2 are very good for their price points, but I must say I was blown away by the RX100. It seems like there is a gulf of a performance gap between anything else that is truly pocketable.
 
If he doesn't mind a fixed lens camera like the X100, but the X100 seems too complicated for him -- after all, there's no dial with "auto" on it -- then how about something like the Nikon A?

The Nikon A can be placed on full auto, and it will still get your friend excellent IQ. It's $100 over budget, but it's definitely worth it if he wants the best IQ in a pocketable and easy to use package.
 
Oh yeah....forgot about the Nikon A and the GR. Still, I bet the kind of person who wants a full auto everything camera would also like some zoom. ANytime I hand a fixed focal length camera to almost ANYONE....even people who are photographers(!), they say.....how do you zoom? I say "with your feet.....there is no zoom" and they look at me like I'm speaking Latin.
 
Oh yeah....forgot about the Nikon A and the GR. Still, I bet the kind of person who wants a full auto everything camera would also like some zoom. ANytime I hand a fixed focal length camera to almost ANYONE....even people who are photographers(!), they say.....how do you zoom? I say "with your feet.....there is no zoom" and they look at me like I'm speaking Latin.

Bingo bango.

(He's chinese so his english has some interesting quirks) "So when you see the mountain, and you want just the small part of it in the picture, how do you ..." Zoom? "Yes. Zoom. Did not know that word." You walk closer. "(eyes pop open wide)"
 
Bingo bango.

(He's chinese so his english has some interesting quirks) "So when you see the mountain, and you want just the small part of it in the picture, how do you ..." Zoom? "Yes. Zoom. Did not know that word." You walk closer. "(eyes pop open wide)"

His response, "that's a lot of walking"!!
 
And for somewho really like "detail photos" (like the tip of the mountain) may not be satisfied with the RX100 zoom. My wife LOVES zooming. It's the most important feature for her. So she's got a superzoom. Of course she can't stick it in her pocket. The perfect camera is an impossibility. One needs to figure out which trade-offs are acceptable.
 
wow.....old digital cameras are sometimes the craziest looking things. I'd love to walk around with that thing around my neck and talking on a late 80s cell phone.

Like this?

dkmb86g_487pr55s2hc_b.jpg
 
Bingo bango.

(He's chinese so his english has some interesting quirks) "So when you see the mountain, and you want just the small part of it in the picture, how do you ..." Zoom? "Yes. Zoom. Did not know that word." You walk closer. "(eyes pop open wide)"

He's never going to have it both ways unless he gets a camera with interchangeable lenses. He can have a pocketable superzoom or he can have huge IQ with a small zoom camera. OR he could go Nikon 1 to avoid DSLR and stay with small lenses and decent IQ.
 
He's never going to have it both ways unless he gets a camera with interchangeable lenses. He can have a pocketable superzoom or he can have huge IQ with a small zoom camera. OR he could go Nikon 1 to avoid DSLR and stay with small lenses and decent IQ.

I have a friend that wants exactly this combo. Small, super zoom, high IQ. She got a Nikon P(something), about 24-240 zoom with the usual 1/2.3 sensor. She also has a Pentax K10D with a 18-200 (or so) super zoom, but she just finds that too heavy to take. I've been pointing her toward a Nikon 1 J1 and the two zoom kit. I think that would be the perfect compromise for her.
 
The Nikon 1 is all alone in that space..... that's a great recommendation Steve (for your friend). It might even be a good choice for KillRamsey's friend as well if he's OK with going a touch bigger and losing pocketability and doesn't mind changing lenses.
 
Things that are reasonable compact and good as p&s cameras IMHO.

In pure p&s w/ good iq
- Best bang for the buck.. Panasonic lx5 or 7.
- best of bred RX100 or x20

Want better iso and iq - next jump would be m43 world.. Start to really c some of what e is after
- Panasonic gx7
Even though I have Olympus omd, the menu system would drive someone crazy who is not into cameras compared to the Panasonic plus te new gx7 looks like it could be a winner..

Next jump in quality but w/ good p&s aspects
- x100s
- xm1/xe1 w/ kit lens
- Nikon Coolpix A rather than the Ricoh gr mainly because I think te menu setup would drive a newbie crazy. If it was someone who was into learning all aspects then I would add the gr to the mix.
- Nex 3n/5r/6/7

The rx1 has already been mentioned.. Not sure if there is anything else coming in ff that would be considered p&s.

The best compromise in overall iq, performance and price is going to be the apsc sensor cameras though. I have had it happen to me several times before.. I have basically steered them as u did to sites like dp review w/ a list of my recommendations and told them which cameras I have and offered to be a sounding board..

Btw that Sony he has is the predecessor of my R1 which I still have :D

Good luck w/ your friend
Gary
 
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