Which Poot and Shoot to accompany M8

[bradreiman]

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im with Luigi-Another m8. I have a dlux2 and we're giving it to my fiancee's mom for christmas-i can't even look at the files anymore. throw a cv15 on another m8 and voila-poot and shoot to your hearts content...B

[Photon42]

Don't you mean depth of field is good? ;-)

 

Having a lot of depth of field is one of the unique things about these cameras. Why not appreciate it and use it?

 

I'd rather like to have the choice. This and the relatively slow AF are the only things which I'd like to see changed. No chance any time soon, I know ... Besides, I think I was positive enough about the G9 in my post, wasn't I?

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[fordfanjpn]

I have a G7 which I bought after the G9 came out (there is a firmware RAW upgrade that works really well and adds other niceties such as a battery meter!)

 

 

The website you posted the link for has been closed down, and a search for a firmware upgrade for the G7 that enables raw came up empty. Can you elaborate more on that upgrade?

 

Bill

[sean_reid]

I'd rather like to have the choice. This and the relatively slow AF are the only things which I'd like to see changed. No chance any time soon, I know ... Besides, I think I was positive enough about the G9 in my post, wasn't I?

 

I can appreciate your desire to have deep and shallow DOF available (and many have expressed that) but its simply not endemic to the format. In other words, one can try to force a small sensor camera to show shallow depth of field but it's like using a view camera to shoot closeups at a football game. Deep DOF is one of the primary reasons people choose this format. As Alan suggested, it is its nature.

 

Cheers,

[phovsho]

All this has got me thinking the the best poot and shoot option might be my trusted contax t3.

Thanks for all the help.

M

[bill]

The website you posted the link for has been closed down, and a search for a firmware upgrade for the G7 that enables raw came up empty. Can you elaborate more on that upgrade?

 

Bill

 

It's alright - he's upgraded it. Try this link instead:

 

Home

 

That's the good news - the bad news is that most of it seems to be under construction.

 

There was a long and detailed review and how-to on the firmware upgrade on the website. You have to have the right version for your existing firmware, and it takes you through checking that, and installing what is needed to an SD card. You can then have it come up every time you power up, or, as I have, only on demand. It adds a number of features including the aforementioned RAW capability and battery meter. It is NOT an official upgrade, so don't bother looking for it on the Canon website - why would they sell something that would erode the market for the G9, after all?

 

I can only suggest checking back in a few days and seeing if Siegfried has uploaded the details again by then.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[AlanG]

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I'd rather like to have the choice. This and the relatively slow AF are the only things which I'd like to see changed. No chance any time soon, I know ... Besides, I think I was positive enough about the G9 in my post, wasn't I?

 

I certainly don't want to sound like I criticized your view of the G9. That looks like a fine camera and a good choice if the user finds it small enough. It's just that I already think of an M8 as kind of small, so if the size is an issue one might want to go with a really small camera.

 

As for selective focus - useful in its place especially sometimes for portraits. And if the softness really adds interest or leads to a sense of mystery, that is great. Of course it goes hand in hand with long lenses. But it is also an overused technique that I feel often shouts, "Look at the wonderful selective focus I got" when that is about all that is "special" in the shot. There certainly was a trend for a while to use a tilt lens and wide aperture to have very little in focus. So one has to be careful with it. Other than the Hollywood glamour shots from the 30s I can't think of too many classic images where it impressed me as a technique for its own sake.

 

In my opinion using a camera that has a lot of depth of field encourages one to try to compose an image that brings all aspects of a picture from foreground to background into some kind of totally balanced composition. This can be challenging too.

[Guest tvleeskr]

Did you ever consider the Panasonic LC1? Make sure the sensor was replaced. It comes close to the Leica RF look and feel, and the lens is just great, Summicron 2.0-2.4 28mm-90mm. The electronic viewfinder is poor, but you can always attach a VIOOH.

Of course you can go for the Leica version, Digilux-2, if you fancy metallic and a flashy logo.

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[bradreiman]

thats quite a hefty poot and shoot....

[Guest tvleeskr]

thats quite a hefty poot and shoot....

True, but you don't need deep pockets, just a rucksack.The charger must have been designed in Solms, it is as big as the M8 charger.

[charlesphoto99]

I've always wanted to find the perfect point and shoot but no matter what I'm always ultimately disappointed. Like yesterday I was feeling lazy and put a roll of film in my Leica C3 (that I got awhile back for $75) instead of M7 (M8 is in Solms) to photograph my nephew's last day with us. Almost immediately I was frustrated and it would have just been easier to use the M7. In my opinion p&s will get you a "picture", but (for me at least) it is very difficult to make a "photograph."

 

I'm sure others will disagree but ultimately it's the full and easy access to f-stops, shutter speeds, manual focus, and no lag, that is always missing for me and lead to frustration. The small size never seems to make up for that loss of control. And I've tried many, including Contax T2, Yashica T4, Digilux 2, etc. Probably the closest is the old Olympus XA - would be great to see an updated digital version of that with it purely manual focusing and aperture priority.

[AlanG]

...Almost immediately I was frustrated and it would have just been easier to use the M7. In my opinion p&s will get you a "picture", but (for me at least) it is very difficult to make a "photograph."...

 

This line of reasoning leads me to usually have to bring along a whole truck full of gear. I especilly like to use a lot of lights and modifiers. (I carry three systems of radio slaves that can control and fire a total of 12 lights, a ladder, brooms for the carpet... Just to give you an idea.)

 

Still, it can be very refreshing and rewarding to work within the limitations of a very simple system. That oos the whoole coocept too me behood "Poot and Shoot" phootoography -

 

Keep it simple and small, Make it reflexive, See where it leads...

[charlesphoto99]

"Still, it can be very refreshing and rewarding to work within the limitations of a very simple system."

 

I know, on a shoot, I sometimes give myself way too many options. But for the everyday, it doesn't get much simpler than an M7 with a 35 lux (or M8 with 28 cron). I find most modern p&s anything but simple, esp when the lack of access to manual functions almost guarantee a missed shot much of the time.

[farnz]

... That oos the whoole coocept too me behood "Poot and Shoot" phootoography ...

Nice one, Alan. (Yoo didn't doo the voice behoond the Muppet's Swedish chef by any chance?)

[AlanG]

I find most modern p&s anything but simple, esp when the lack of access to manual functions almost guarantee a missed shot much of the time.

 

Sweedish chef? I thought it was inspector Clouseau. (I want a rooooom for my meenkeeeey.) I'm practicing for my trip to France in January.

 

Each to his own but the op didn't want to carry his Leica. And trade-offs are part of all camera choices.

 

My p&s camera doesn't have much by the way of manual controls but I've gotten very fast at setting the EV up and down. I try to not mess with the settings very much... just compose and shoot. (Sometimes I hold it in an odd location so the "compose" part is even left out. If I miss a shot, I shoot something else... I hate to get too worked up about my fun photos or it becomes like work again!

[psss]

sigma DP1

[scho]

sigma DP1

 

If you have a lot of patience and don't mind waiting.......

[farnz]

I wonder what we actually mean by "poot and shoot" (oh, all right, point and shoot then ) and whether there is a wide range of personal definitions and whether it also depends on what gear you normally use.

 

For example someone who normally uses a MF back might consider a lower-order dSLR as a p&s but a novice photographer might consider a key-ring camera to be their p&s.

 

For me a pootnshoot is similar to the disposable film cameras, that have all but died out now, in that their purpose was to provide a means of recording something - quality not being a priority - when you realised you'd left your camera at home on the way to an unrepeatable Big Life event.

 

So for me, the issue of manual controls or other functionality, while desirable, is not as important as a means of recording something. If you paid a little extra for a disposable you might get one that had a flash or worked under water.

 

Dare I ask, where do camera phones fit into the pootnshoot world?

 

Pete.

[sean_reid]

I've always wanted to find the perfect point and shoot but no matter what I'm always ultimately disappointed. Like yesterday I was feeling lazy and put a roll of film in my Leica C3 (that I got awhile back for $75) instead of M7 (M8 is in Solms) to photograph my nephew's last day with us. Almost immediately I was frustrated and it would have just been easier to use the M7. In my opinion p&s will get you a "picture", but (for me at least) it is very difficult to make a "photograph."

 

I'm sure others will disagree but ultimately it's the full and easy access to f-stops, shutter speeds, manual focus, and no lag, that is always missing for me and lead to frustration. The small size never seems to make up for that loss of control. And I've tried many, including Contax T2, Yashica T4, Digilux 2, etc. Probably the closest is the old Olympus XA - would be great to see an updated digital version of that with it purely manual focusing and aperture priority.

 

Ricoh GR2

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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Hallo,

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[charlesphoto99]

Sweedish chef? I thought it was inspector Clouseau. (I want a rooooom for my meenkeeeey.) I'm practicing for my trip to France in January.

 

Each to his own but the op didn't want to carry his Leica. And trade-offs are part of all camera choices.

 

My p&s camera doesn't have much by the way of manual controls but I've gotten very fast at setting the EV up and down. I try to not mess with the settings very much... just compose and shoot. (Sometimes I hold it in an odd location so the "compose" part is even left out. If I miss a shot, I shoot something else... I hate to get too worked up about my fun photos or it becomes like work again!

 

And then again, there are those who have made a whole style from p&s, such as Terry Richardson. Yes, there are many choices and ultimately it's all about the connection between the eye and finger. I just think sometimes it's best to take the pics with a "real" camera as long as you already own it. Then again I do a lot of my work with medium format so sometimes the Leica seems so small! All relative....