Railfan Technology > Interchangeable lens cameras versus fixed lens camera.

Do you prefer to use one of the newer non-interchangeable lens digital
cameras as opposed to the standard interchangeable lens DSLR currently in vogue?
And perhaps expand as to the your whys and wherefores, if possible

My Canon Power Shot SX50HS point and shoot does a pretty good job for me. It has only the one fixed lens, but a fairly good zoom. Does pretty well on low light shots.  Was fairly inexpensive.  Don't have to spend money on extra lens. No worries on which lens to use!  No problems with dust getting inside camera when you change lens. Don't make big prints from it, but can do 8" X 10" normally. Works good for posting pictures on the internet. In all fairness, never used a DLSR, but have used several SLR's.  Not big in getting the biggest fastest with all the bells and whistles, but that is just me. 
Included are two recent shots, both hand held.  Both unedited, straight out of the camera. 
Hope this helps.
Todd Montgomery
Springfield OR



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/16 00:36 by coosbaytoday.

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Interchangeable lens are the way to go.  Even the new mirrorless cameras that some predict will supplant the DSLR have interchangeable lenses.  Many point and shoot cameras have lenses with a limited optical zoom range supplemented by electronic "zoom".  These do not deliver good quality images when electronically zoomed.

KG

I have a Nikon "Coolpix" S9900. It has the equivalent zoom range of 25mm to 750mm. The sensor is 16 megapixels. Picture quality is great! Works for me!

Posted from Android

I would sort of say it depends on what you want to do.  I have a Canon point-n-shoot that does pretty good.  For a $150 camera, I can't complain about it.  It has a 4.5-54mm lens.  I don't know what the conversion factor is to a 35mm equivalent. It has a decent wide angle and a telephoto zoom that isn't bad either. I would guess the 35mm equivalent would be about 35-250mm.  Beyond that, it has the digital zoom.  Pretty decent pictures except when zoomed out to the limits of the combined optical and digital.  Good enough to post pictures here on Trainorders or Facebook and you could make some decent print up to about 8X10".  The maximum zoom results in a 48X zoom.

On the other hand, I have a Canon 70D with interchangeable lens.  The 70D has an ASP-C sensor with about a 0.6 crop factor.  I'll discuss this in terms of a 35mm SLR (and put brackets around anything that isn't.)  I have a wide angle the exceeds the point-n-shoot.  My wide angle is 16-28mm (10-17mm actual) and I would guess the point-n-shoot would be about equivalent to about a 35mm as far as the field of view.  I also have a 120-500mm telephoto zoom (70-300mm actual) that is about the same as the optical zoom on the point-n-shoot, probably about 10-20% better than the optical zoom on the point-n-shoot.  The digital zoom will exceed the 500mm (300mm) zoom but at the cost of lost resolution.  I also have an inexpensive 2X extender that gives me 1000mm (600mm) but with some loss of sharpness.  That would result in a 20X zoom but better than the point-n-shoot.

I usually carry the point-n-shoot with me most of the time, in the car or in my pocket.  I also use it when it's not practical to have a large DSLR hanging around my neck, but if I have my choice, I'll carry the larger camera.  Depending on what I intend to shoot, I may also carry one of two lens.  I traveled on a tour in Europe last year and I used all three of my lens.  (I also have an 18-55mm.)  There is the problem of changing in less than idea situations.  With the wide angle lens I was able to get pictures that no one else on the tour could get.  So, it depends on what you want to do and how much you want to fool around with and how much $$$ you want to invest.  Do you prefer a motorcycle or a car?  It's just a personal choice.

Enter the Nikon Coolpix P900.  I'm a Canon fan and I just discovered this one a few weeks ago.  It is advertised as a single, not interchangeable lens camera with a "24-2000mm 35mm Equivalent Focal Length" lens or 83X.  At B and H it's just under $600.   It looks like a DSLR.  It looks like a decent compromise.  At that price I suspect that it may be limited in some of the other options that you might find interesting.  It is also a step down from the 20mp and up sensors to 16mp but that's not a big deal unless you're looking for only the sharpest, highest detail or you intend to enlarge it many times for a print.   It also has a 2x and 4x digital zoom available resulting in 166x or 332x combined zoom.  I can't imagine trying to hand hold anything with that much zoom.

John

 

If you are a gadget freak I would advise to stay away from interchangeable lens cameras, because they can lead you down paths you didn't intend.  To wit:  you buy your DSLR and pick up a few lenses.  You discover the brand you picked has better lenses at a bigger cost, but you NEED them just because.  A bag to carry them or backpack which can lead to becoming a bag-a-hollic, your wife will appreciate this.  Then little doodads such as L-plate to help you rotate the camera from horizontal to verticle in seconds on top of the really nice ball head which sits on top of a really nice carbon fiber tripod.  

By by then you think you've got it all, but Nooooo.  Here comes Sony and the little mirror less interchangeable lens cameras, which by some miracle and some adapters can fit your old lens on their camera.  Not only your old brand but many others with the right adapters.  Now you are perusing camera stores ( those that are left anyway) for those used lenses that have been sitting in the display case for decades.  Don't forget that new cameras mean new L plates and filters and other stuff.


As a side note you've discovered printing, soooooo the need for a printer and paper and ink and more ink.  May at as well do a little studio work so you can buy lighting equipment too.  

After  writting this I'm beginning to wonder why I don't just get one of those do everything cameras and simplify life, but what would be the fun in that.

john

 

Camera selection is based entirely on the intended use. It is just like choosing the right motor vehicle or woodworking tool. There is no best for everything camera; there is only what is best for what you want to do.
If you are a fan who is there for the trains and just want a memory, then a new smartphone camera, maybe a couple of clip-on lenses and a mini tripod is probably all you need. You will get very good image quality, (particularly in sun) the ultimate in portability, the ability to instantly share and it's free with your phone. It is very hard to beat that price. iPhone and Samsung lead here.
The next level is a mirrorless camera either with a fixed lens or just one mid range zoom. These give better image quality, speed and control. You are more involved, making more decisions. Yet it is small and easy to deal with. You may have a small camera on the photo line but if you apply yourself, you can get photos indistinguishable from the best around you. Fuji and Sony are the leaders here. The Sony Alpha a6300 with a 16-50mm Lens or the Fujifilm X-E2 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 18-55mm Lens would be my picks here.
The third choice, the full DSLR or full mirrorless kit is for the people who are into the photography as much or even more so than the trains. For these folks they must have the finest image quality, control and speed. Canon, Nikon are the traditional leaders here but the Sony a7R II and it's Zeiss lens kit is the hot camera of the moment. It is the future.

Dennis Livesey
New York, NY

As one or two other people have said, the camera you should get is the one that suits the type of photographer that you are. I'd loosely group photographers like this:

1. Very serious, want the absolute best image quality (even if they can't visually see it's better!). Might send pictures into magazines etc. Mid to high-end DSLR required!
2. Semi-serious, want to record good quality images that might get blown up/printed out or looked at on a large TV. Low end DSLR required or a good 'bridge' camera!
3. Not very-serious, just want to get a picture that they might look back at once in a while. Point and shoot/compact camera/phone camera sufficient.

Of course it's a bit more complicated than this as there are lots of price points for each of the above 3 camera categories. What i would say is that an slr is great in terms of image quality but there's a down-side, which is larger size to carry around and the inconvenience of changing lenses.
I have a dslr which i love but then i am a bit of a geek and semi-obsessed with image quality...My Dad got a good 'bridge' camera which is the one you're also asking about i.e. with a good/biggish zoom and i have to say that unless you look very closely or really blow-up the photos, the image quality is great on his single lens camera. Another plus is he only has to lug around a pretty compact camera whenever he goes out to watch trains.
A few companies offer this type and if you look at the reviews on a good website like DPReview the majority of them get some very good reviews. Panasonic have a particularly good offering at the moment i think (FZ1000).




 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/16 09:53 by exhaustED.

coosbaytoday Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My Canon Power Shot SX50HS point and shoot does a
> pretty good job for me. It has only the one fixed
> lens, but a fairly good zoom. Does pretty well on
> low light shots.  Was fairly inexpensive.  Don't
> have to spend money on extra lens. No worries on
> which lens to use!  No problems with dust getting
> inside camera when you change lens. Don't make big
> prints from it, but can do 8" X 10" normally.
> Works good for posting pictures on the internet.
> In all fairness, never used a DLSR, but have used
> several SLR's.  Not big in getting the biggest
> fastest with all the bells and whistles, but that
> is just me. 
> Included are two recent shots, both hand held.
>  Both unedited, straight out of the camera. 
> Hope this helps.
> Todd Montgomery
> Springfield OR

SX 50 HS is a great camera - and it has it's place. I really like mine, and it's great when I want to to grab and go without toting the 5d3 or 7d2 and L glass around. if you like it, does what you want, stay with it.