Actually, I finally find time to honour my promise and post the ranked list of Super 8 cameras that several colleagues and myself established through extensive testing a while back. The purpose was to find out which Super 8 cameras were most ideally suited forhttp://timtyler.net/....asp?b=8serious production purposes in the Super 8 format. We established a couple of criteria for that purpose along which we intended to rank the potentially most suitable cameras accordingly.
Unlike what most might think, this cannot just be all about 'sharpness'. Why? Discussing sharpness is a fuzzy topic. There are so many parameters that determine every "real-life" shot: light condition, shutter opening angle, aperture, exposure time, film pressure and flatness, frame stability and frame variance, mechanical transportation and registration, and film development. Even when boiling it down to camera-mechanical excellence body-wise and optical resolving power lens-wise, it's still virtually impossible to come up with a definitive answer about 'sharpness' as determined by visual impressions from a presentation.
What we hence additionally looked at was the overall package that the camera provided.
Sure, the camera should actually have outstanding optical capabilities and possess excellent camera mechanics that qualify for uncompromising projection and broadcasting purposes; in other words: get the maximum out of the resolution of Super 8 film material, especially the brilliant current film stocks from the Vision2- or X-series.
However, we also considered equally important issues such as ergonomics, design, functionality, short- and long-term reliability, as well as construction intent and achievement of the camera package. We also looked at the usual features, as well as those truly unique and special functions not found on any other camera. While the latter might sound a bit antiquated in times when even things as simple as fade-outs are done digitally "in post", we thought we would honour the venerable school of thought around cinematographically achieving as much as possible "in-camera", because...
?firstly: this reflects on the cinematographer's true craftship and cinematic, optomechanical and artistic knowledge.
?second: cameras from the 1960s to 1980s in both 16mm and 8mm did offer so many in-camera means that are mostly lost now or have been replaced with electronic gimmickry, so why not value those capabilities of "olden times" when you have them at one's disposal, as?
?leaving this aspect out would not be contemporary to what these cameras originally set out to be!
We also wanted to question the usual notions of "newer glass" being necessarily better than "older glass", and "big-brand long-zooms = 'superb lens'" ? because actually, quite the contrary is correct: Super 8 vario lenses from the time period of the "Super 8 Zoom Wars" from the late 1970s onwards with their megalomanic approach to focal range and their sheer amount and number of (moving) glass elements, such as those by Angénieux and Schneider suffered from serious quality deficits that troubled especially late-generation Beaulieu and Nizo sound cameras. Otherwise, the somewhat grotesque Schneider Beaulieu-Variogon 1:1,8 / 6-180mm would be the best Super 8 vario lens ever (don't click away to eBay just yet, as there were only a few prototypes made for the Photokina fair that dubiously found their way into private hands ? it was never officially mass-sold, to my knowledge).
For this project, we shot nearly a hundred cartridges for the testing of film stocks and cameras of various make and age. The film stock tests were shot over several days with parallel set-ups in France's Provence during a beautiful lavender summer, while the camera tests were shot in a gloriously obscure backyard in the middle of Germany's Nowhereville, as controlled as possible over three hours with parallel set-ups.
The camera tests were shot on Kodak Kodachrome 40 T (7268), while the film stock tests comprised the Vision, Vision2 and X-series, various Ektachrome and Velvia color reversal films and even a daylight reel of K-25 in the Beaulieu SD8/60 magazine. All film stocks used were cold-stored or fresh and came from the same batches (sponsored by Kodak and private donors).
The cameras used had received prior regular CLA (cleaned, lubricated, adjusted/collimated) over years (proved by supplied paperwork) and were checked again beforehand. Most gear came from elderly German-speaking (D-A-CH) ladies and gentlemen who were all to happy to comply with the request to have their beloved machinery put to good use. Additional gear came supplied from some fellow filmmakers.
The exposed and Andec-/Kodak-developed films were then projected up to 16ft wide in a screening room, originally in Berlin, with additional ones for controlling purposes in Davos plus in our film group's premises in Basel (to triple-check with personal films and equipment).
The results were evaluated, discussed and put to paper in form of a collective panel debate. Please bear in mind that although the project members had set-up objective criteria, the panel's evaluations and discussions were of course purely subjective and at times controversial. I recall trouble surrounding the Canon 814XL-S and Canon 1014XL-S. And in case of the Nizo sound cameras, we actually had to ask a fellow filmmaker who owns an entire flock of Nizos to bring in additional footage from one of her film projects she just wrapped in Jordan and Lebanon to get an additional outside perspectives in. Otherwise, we would not have stopped shouting at each other.
I hence know that discussing any gear, especially cameras, can be a potentially heated topic as many cameras have real love/hate-fandoms here in the "cloud" that are entrenched along the lines of the "Nizo/Bauer/Beaulieu-Bandwagon" vs "Japanozoom-Fighter".
Some results might be shocking to some (they were to us), but actually they are in line with an informal poll on "the other forum" (see a few posts earlier in this thread) , and more reliably with a series of texts and discussions with Dr Carl-Hellmuth Hoefer in which he concludes with near-similar results based on this decades of experience as "The Super 8 Doctor" (met the guy in Davos, quite a sympathetic chap).
Although our results might spark a trench-warfare debate nevertheless, this is something I want to avoid and will not participate in, because I have no time for this sort of discussion. So in order to make sure no one feels that her or his beloved camera was wrongly bashed, I decided to write a white paper and a series of articles about the leading cameras.
The article series will follow the camera list from top-to-bottom and is getting published from the next issue onwards in Chris Cottrill's Super 8 Today magazine. It will be serialised over four issues originally (covering the top four cameras), but the next camera articles are already finished and will probably be published there as well ? Chris was quite enthusiastic about it, and we are working hard to get some great photography for the forthfollowing issues.
The white paper ? out of respect for Chris' venture and the risk he takes with his great magazine ? will only be made available as a very simple PDF from my currently-under-construction website here from the 25 December 2007 onwards.
The texts will take the form of a camera review. They intend to give some historical background and context for each camera, review and compare it with others, give critique of some fundamental flaws to-watch-out, praise what makes them unique etc. You get the picture?
So let's get to that Top 30 list, shall we?
Beaulieu 4008 ZM II with
Schneider Beaulieu-Optivaron 1:1,8 / 6-66mm (C-Mount) with Beaulieu Reglomatic
Leitz Leicina Special with
Schneider Leicina-Optivaron 1:1,8 / 6-66mm (M-Mount) with Leitz Leicinamatic
Angénieux f/1,2 | T/1,4-2,1 / 6-80mm (C-Mount)
for Beaulieu 4008 and 5008-series
Bauer A 512 with
Schneider Macro-Variogon 1:1,8 / 6-70mm
Nizo professional with
Schneider Macro-Variogon 1:1,8 / 7-80mm
Canon 814XL-S with
Canon Macro 1:1,4 / 7-56mm
Canon 1014 XL-S with
Canon Macro 1:1,4 / 6,5-65mm
Beaulieu 9008 Quartz-Pro with
Angénieux 1:1,4 / 6-90mm (C-Mount) with Beaulieu LensControlUnit II
Beaulieu 9008 Quartz-S with
Angénieux 1:1,4 / 6-90mm (C-Mount) with Beaulieu LensControlUnit II
Beaulieu 7008 Pro II with
Angénieux 1:1,4 / 6-90mm (C-Mount) with Beaulieu LensControlUnit
Beaulieu 9008-models with
Angénieux 1:1,4 / 6-90mm (C-Mount) with Beaulieu LensControlUnit
Beaulieu 7008-models with
Angénieux 1:1,4 / 6-90mm (C-Mount) with Beaulieu LensControlUnit
Beaulieu 4008 ZM IV with
Schneider Beaulieu-Optivaron 1:1,4 / 6-70mm (C-Mount) with Beaulieu Reglomatic
Beaulieu 6008-models with
Schneider Beaulieu-Optivaron 1:1,4 / 6-70mm (C-Mount) with Beaulieu LensControlUnit
Angénieux 1:1,9 / 8-64mm (C-Mount)
for Beaulieu 2008 and 4008-series (pre-ZM II)
Nizo 801 (macro) with
Schneider Macro-Variogon 1:1,8 / 7-80mm
Nikon R10 with
Nikon Cine-Nikkor 1:1,4 / 7-70mm
Canon Auto Zoom 1014 Electronic with
Canon Macro 1:1,4 / 7-70mm
Nizo 6056 with
Schneider Macro-Variogon 1:1,4 / 7-56mm
Nizo 4056 with
Schneider Macro-Variogon 1:1,4 / 7-56mm
Nizo 2056 sound with
Schneider Macro-Variogon 1:1,4 / 7-56mm
Nizo 6080 with
Schneider Macro-Variogon 1:1,4 / 7-80mm
Nizo 4080 with
Schneider Macro-Variogon 1:1,4 / 7-80mm
Bauer S 709 XL microcomputer with
Macro-Neovaron 1:1,2 / 6-51mm
Bauer S 715 XL microcomputer with
Angénieux 1:1,4 / 6-90mm
Macro-Neovaron 1:1,2 / 6-51mm
as found on Bauer C 900 XLM and Bauer S 209 XL
Macro-Neovaron 1:1,2 / 7-45mm
as found on Bauer C 700 XLM and Bauer S 207 XL
Nizo 561 macro with
Schneider Macro-Variogon 1:1,8 / 7-56mm
Nikon R8 with
Nikon Cine-Nikkor 1:1,8 / 7,5-60mm
Canon Auto Zoom 814 Electronic with
Canon Macro 1:1,4 / 7,5-60mm
Eumig 881 PMA with
Eumig Makro-Viennon 1:1,8 / 7-56mm
Eumig 860 PMA with
Eumig Makro-Viennon 1:1,8 / 8-48mm
A cut-off line was established for cameras that did not feature 24fps, that did not have manual aperture control (i.e. full manual control over the diaphragm and not mere exposure compensation or an EE lock feature for an otherwise fully automatic exposure control). Special-purpose cameras such as the Eumig Nautica, the Canon 310 XL or Bauer III XL were not included either because of their originally-intended special field of operation. Also, OEM-branded cameras such as Bauer cameras sold under the Porst name have not been double-listed here.
Despite great effort, we were not able to test a variety of cameras due to a lack of getting our hands on them, but who should have been featured as they promise to be highly ranked, at least in the mid-field down. These are (in order of interest):
Agfa Movexoom 10 MOS Electronic with Variostar 1:1,8 / 6-60mm
Minolta Autopak-8 D 12 with Zoom Rokkor 1:1,8 / 6,5-78mm
Minolta Autopak-8 D 10 with Zoom Rokkor 1:1,8 / 7-70mm
Elmo 1018R with Elmo Zoom 1:1,8 / 7-70mm
Elmo 1012 S-XL with Elmo Zoom 1:1,2 / 7,5-75mm
Nalcom FTL 1000 Synchro Zoom with Shinkor Zoom 1:1,8 / 6,5-65mm (Nalcom-Mount)
從一個點拉出一條線，畫出以線為邊長的正方形，再用正方形對角線為半徑畫出園，再用括弧切割成「小肥姘」，報告人企圖「畫圓為方」，不過，它的確周長是一個圓、面積為一個方。
展覽主題英文名稱為 "Artic Fox Arc —— Temperature War —— Large Collage" ，中間藏着的 "Temperature War" 就像預言，吳山專吐露了一個有趣的源起，「在香港的餐廳，你竟然可以指定要一杯 temperature water （室溫水）！這在美國不會發生。其實 temperature water 就是最天然的，水不熱不冷的，溫度隨室溫變化，沒有加工。既然有 cold war 、 warm war 的術語，我想到北極也可套用 termperature war ，北極的氣候已經受制於外圍。」在旁的英格一臉認真地道：「對，有研究指2030年北極的冰可能完全消失。」（經濟日報）
Canon 50mm f/3.5 Macro (FL )95新古董微距鏡頭 油潤細緻 啱NEX M4/3
Digital Cameras (go to top) What is the ideal camera for today's artist? That question has many answers. It depends on what your priorities are and how much you have to spend. And the answer may change weekly with the advent of ever better models. The choice you make will always be a compromise. Not too many years ago the choice came down to a consumer grade point-and-shoot digital or a professional Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR). You knew an artist was serious about their work if they spent the big bucks for a large DSLR. It was a status symbol, too. Those days are long gone. Now you can find a wide range of serviceable cameras with a long list of features in every price range. Even if you are pretty serious about photography you will find that many of the cameras below compare well with DLSR in image quality. If you already know you must have a DLSR then this page is not for you. Shooting in public or 'street photography' is of interest to many artists. With a compact camera or even a mirrorless compact you may pass for a tourist. Pull out a DSLR and you will be quickly spotted as some kind of serious photographer. My Philosophy The biggest sensor, smallest camera, newest technology, all for the lowest price. A few obvious conflicts there. You can have the biggest sensor, but it won't be the smallest camera, and visa versa. You can go with the lowest price, but it won't be the newest technology, and visa versa. Compromises must be made. Decide what is most important to you. For me image quality was most important ruling out compact point-and-shoots. DSLRs are too big, so that left the mirrorless compacts. The prices range from $275 to $1200 and more. I was willing to pay extra for the latest technology, so I settled on the Sony NEX 5N. You may find something else suits you better. What you need to know to choose a camera Sensor size Body style Lenses Low-light capable Ease of use Video modes Continuous mode Pixels Formats Not Technically Inclined? Short on cash? That's ok. If you have no interest in the technical aspects of photography, almost any new camera over $100 will serve the purposes of the artist ninety per cent of the time. It could be that your present point-and-shoot compact is adequate, especially if you learn to use all it's features, shoot in good light and use a tripod. So, relax and read your manual!  At the heart of every digital camera is a light-sensitive silicon chip called a sensor. The sensor takes the place of film for recording images. This is a case where bigger is clearly better. Bigger means sharper image, less noise, better in low light. But a bigger sensor means a bigger camera body and a higher price. Below is a comparison of common sensor sizes...  Thanks to wikipedia.org Focal Length Multiplier (FLM) "Crop Factor" Multiplying your lens's focal length by the FLM or Crop Factor gives the equivalent focal length for a 35mm film camera or full frame digital camera. Very handy as a way to compare the many sensor-lens combinations. For example, my Canon G9 has a diagonal measurement of 1/1.7" or 9.5mm. The full frame sensor has a diagonal of 43.3mm. Dividing 43.3 by 9.5 equals 4.56. The G9's FLM is 4.56. The G9's zoom lens is labeled 7.4-44.4mm. Applying the FLM gives an equivalent 34-202mm. The G9 also has a 6X optical zoom. That comes from dividing the longer focal length by the shorter. 44.4/7.4 = 6. Sensor "Type" Oddly sensor sizes are expressed in inches and approximately 1.5 times the actual length of the sensor's diagonal. You might think a camera sensor advertised as 1/2.7" would measure 0.37" diagonally. In fact, it measures around 0.26! Sensors called 4/3 type, you guessed it, are not 1.33". Nope, they vary from 5/8" to 9/8". This is a holdover from the way camcorder sensors were measured. With sensors it's just a nominal size, like lumber. A 2x4 is really 1.5x 3.5". Small vs. Large Most point-and-shoot compacts have the smallest sensor shown above. A larger sensor becomes important in low light. In good light, meaning outdoors in open shade, for example, any sensor will produce a useable image for the artist. You will also notice a difference in large smooth areas like blue sky. The small sensors will make the sky mottled, not nice and smooth. Very upsetting to the photographer, not so much to the artist interested in reference material. Sigma's Foveon Sensor This is a special sensor unique to Sigma. "World's first full color image sensor: Foveon X3® Direct Image Sensor." It is rated at 14.5 mp, but takes pictures more like a 20-25 mp SLR. It has three sets of sensors one for each color. Image quality seems to be superior for Sigma's DP line of cameras. Even so I can not recommend them as do-everything cameras for the artist. Reviews say "slow and difficult to use". Video is only 320x240. The sensor is worth keeping an eye on for future improvements. Fixed lens cameras Interchangeable lens cameras  Thanks to dpreview.com for this image. A great site for camera reviews! Click on the image. Ultra Compact - very small, auto, inexpensive, no viewfinder, LCD, flash, smallest sensor, Pocket - Yes! A good choice for the artist.  Canon Powershot Elph 100 $135 Compact - small, auto, inexpensive, no viewfinder, LCD, flash, smallest sensor, Pocket - Yes! A good choice for the artist.  Panasonic Lumix ZS15 $200 SLR-like (bridge) - bigger, full manual, smaller sensor, fixed lens, often mega-zoom, bridging compact to DSLR, optical or EVF (E = Electronic) viewfinder, LCD, Pocket - No. A good choice for the artist.  Nikon Coolpix P510 42x zoom $400 Large Sensor Compact - bigger, auto or full manual, 4/3 sensor or APS-C, lens fixed or changeable, mirrorless, LCD, EVF maybe, Pocket - semi, w/pancake lens. Prices from $275 - $1200. Great pix that can equal DSLR but much smaller body/lens. Best choice for the artist.  Sony NEX-5N $650 Compact System Cameras  ~270 choices on amazon.com Rangefinder Style Mirrorless - Serious professional, expensive, no autofocus, niche camera, Viewfinder, LCD, Pocket - maybe. Overkill for the artist.  Leica M8.2 body only $6300 SLR Style Mirrorless - Looks like old film SLR, 4/3 sensor, higher end, Viewfinder, LCD, Pocket - no. Upper limit of price for the artist.  Olympus OM-D E-M5 $1100 DSLR, Compact, Mid, Large - Serious photographer, Overkill for the artist, great cameras, large, hard to lug around all day, Viewfinder, LCD, Pocket - no. Too large for the artist. More for photographers.  Olympus E-5 body only $1600 Smart Phone iPhone iSight - Not really a camera...wait...yes it is! 8 mp, advanced optics, f/2.4, flash, zero shutter lag, fast, zoom, edit, HDR, HD Video 1080p, 30 fps, Pocket - Yes! Lower limit of quality for the artist. More for the point-and-shoot crowd.  Actually a useable camera for the artist. I now have an old hand-me-down iPhone 3G with just 2mp. Here are a few example photos:      100% crop shows a lack of sharpness, but the areas of uniform color are not grainy thanks to the use of filters on the computer. For areas without texture, like blue sky, you will have graininess. I applied a filter in Paint Shop Pro called 'Edge preserving smooth...' which improved it a lot. Another filter called 'Clarify...' seems to help these small images, too. Only 2048 x 1536, yet plenty useable for reference and may print well enough at 8x10". Imagine what the latest 8mp phones can do!  100% crop from the new iPhone 4S, 8mp camera. I think this is as it came from the camera. Some graininess is apparent, sharper than my 2mp, plenty useable.  Another 100% crop from the 4S, Apple website. The Smart phone camera is a pleasure to use, small, handy, simple, fast and fits in pocket or purse. Many people have one and everyone is used to seeing them, so you don't attract much attention with it. In a recent article in Time Magazine, A Camera Goes Anywhere, by Michael Christopher Brown, August 27, 2012... "Like many photo-journalists, I've been shooting with my iPhone for a while. Using a mobile phone allows me to be somewhat invisible as a professional photographer; people see me as just another person in the crowd. "...in Congo...the phone helped me shoot scenes unobtrusively. Taking photographs with a phone also raises my awareness as a photographer. Instead of concentrating on camera settings and a large piece of equipment, I am better able to focus on the situation before me. It becomes more about how I feel and what I see." Here's what one of the stock photo websites thinks... "Social media defines the trends in imagery right now. People want images that look and feel like those streaming past second-by-second online. We think the best way to deliver that is to encourage mobile photography submissions from our contributors...We want to take the cuffs off and bring mobile photography into the iStock collection in a big way. "Today’s mobile devices give you access to what we like to call the telephonic-trifecta of creativity. Take a photographer’s visual talents, add a device that is always handy and can capture a good (or great) quality image, then give it the power and applications to edit, apply filters, and create a model/property release right there on the spot. You have a perfect storm for stock production. Here’s why the time is right to take the cuffs off and bring mobile photography into the iStock collection in a big way: • The overriding appeal of these images isn’t so much about retro filters and the low-fi aesthetic (which can be duplicated) – it’s the real and authentic feeling the best ones have. Authenticity is central to the current media conversation. The omnipresence, familiarity and spontaneous nature of mobile devices make them uniquely suited to capturing images that feel real. • As more and more advertising takes place online there is an ever-growing market where absolute size and resolution has become secondary. Mobile devices are now more than capable of meeting these needs. • You’re already taking these images. Probably in vast numbers. We want to help you broadcast the best and get paid for them." A comparison the iPhone 3G, 2mp, tiny sensor vs. the Sony NEX-5N, 16mp, large sensor...  iPhone 3G resized to 500p wide  NEX-5N resized to 500p wide  iPhone 3G 100% crop, 400p wide  NEX-5N 100% crop, 400p wide The 5N is far shaper, but in bright sunlight the 3G does pretty well. The difference will really show in low light conditions. Photographing Artwork  The setup: In bright sunlight, rays coming from the right at a very shallow angle to the painting; tripod to set the iPhone on. It doesn't have a mounting screw base like a camera.  3G from the camera resized to 500p wide, no adjustments.  3G from the camera 100% crop, no adjustments.  Resized the original from the 3G, 1700p to 3500p on the long side, and applied the Clarify filter, here resized to 500p wide.  100% crop of the above 3500p wide image. Can't really see the weave of the canvas. Could this be used for your website, Facebook or entering shows online? Probably, though it is iffy for the latter. A print for personal use could be made up to maybe 8x10". Most likely Fine Art America would not print a poster from this. They would ask you to rephotograph and upload an image like the one below.  Photo taken with 5N, resized to 500p wide. Looks very similar to the 3G photo above, but zooming in shows the difference...  100% crop of the above image, clarify filter. Super! Micro 4/3 (M43) System The Micro Four Thirds system (MFT) was created by Olympus and Panasonic in 2008. Many lenses available. Olympus PEN and Panasonic Lumix G. For more info. 4/3 System A standard created by Olympus and Kodak for DSLR cameras allowing for interchangeable lenses, entirely digital. For more info. Lenses Lens Terms to Know
 On the right the area in focus is less than on the left. The Depth of Field is less with a lower F-stop. The background is more in focus on the left. This is often used by portrait photographers to blur the background. We are not completely free of the old 35mm film camera. Digital lens focal lengths are still converted to old camera equivalents. For example, a 20mm pancake lens for a new 4/3 camera is equated to a 40mm lens for an old 35mm film camera...a slight wide angle. The conversion factor is different for each sensor size  The lens is as important as the sensor. The lenses above are offered by Canon. A complicated subject. The artist can avoid the issue by acquiring a fixed lens camera. Or if you choose a camera with interchangeable lens limit yourself to just a modest zoom lens and maybe a pancake or prime lens. Most such cameras come new with either a kit zoom or a pancake. A Pancake lens being thin, wide angle is good for travel, but not so good for portraits. A Zoom lens is more useful, but bulky with a higher f rating. A prime lens is a single focal length and the best for sharpness and low light. A good lens can cost more than the camera!  Current micro 4/3 lenses. Olympus above and Panasonic below. Notice the shortest Panasonic lens. That is the Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS collapsible power-zoom lens. It is amazingly small for a zoom lens. Very handy, no bigger than a pancake lens, but not real good for low light. Cost: under $400. Some problems according to reviews on amazon, but a great idea. One to consider... a decent, not great, general purpose travel lens. All M43 lenses will work on all M43 cameras (with the exception of the 3D Panasonic lens which only works on Panasonic M43 cameras), with no adapters of any kind needed at all. Low-light Capable You won't always have good natural lighting. Traveling light means you won't want to carry a remote flash unit or two on your reference gathering excursions. If your camera has a built-in flash you will find it is only effective for a few feet. A flash attracts attention and is not permitted in many places like museums and churches even if it would help. So, what does the artist do? Rely on... Fast Lens High ISO Big Sensor Tripod Bracing The artist relies on a "bright", "fast" lens with a low F-stop like f/2.0 or less; a high ISO to increase the light sensitivity of the sensor; and a large sensor to avoid graininess at high ISO settings. A zoom lens has the lowest F-stop at the shortest focal length or widest angle of view. In some cases long exposures may be practical. Use a tripod, monopod, brace yourself or set the camera on something to steady it. Here is an actual example from a recent concert. I knew a flash would be disruptive. Besides, even in the second row I was too far way for the tiny flash to make any difference. With the Canon G9 set like this... Max. Resolution - 4000 x 3000 Zoom - 18.9mm (7.4-44.4mm) F-stop - F/3.5 (F/2.8 - 4.8) Shutter - 1/60 ISO - 400 (80-1600) Sensor - 1/1.7" Elbows braced on arm rests Tension on neck strap  As it came from the camera. The bow hand is a little blurred. Not a bad exposure. A little under exposed, but for digital that's better than over exposed. Zooming in I lost an F-stop.  100% crop, no adjustments. Now the graininess is clearly visible. A serious photographer might not be happy with this. I could have done better with a faster lens and a larger sensor. Even so this is a useable photo for the artist in less than ideal conditions. Should I upgrade to the G12? A quick look at the specs shows that there is only minor differences. Same sensor, 10 mp down from 12, 5x zoom down from 6x, 3200 ISO up from 1600, HDR mode... that would be good. A new G12 would cost $380 refurbished. G9s are on eBay Buy It Now for ~$225. This upgrade makes no sense. Ease of Use Is it small enough you hardly notice it? Do you find yourself leaving it home because it's too big and heavy? Can you slip it in a pocket, at least a large pocket? When the moment arrives can you start from "off" and get that first shot in a second or two? In full manual can you easily and quickly adjust F-stop, exposure and ISO? All cameras we will consider have an auto setting and a list of scene modes to make it easy, like a point-and-shoot. They also have a list of exposure modes and settings for the time when you want to have greater control of your pictures. Here is an example list from the Olympus PM1: Exposure Modes iAuto Program AE (with shift) Aperture priority AE... you set - aperture/camera sets - shutter Shutter priority AE... you set - shutter/camera sets - aperture Manual... you do both Other Settings White balance Megapixels Image size Art filter Scene select Most prefer Aperture priority, some prefer Manual. Reading reviews on sites like dpreview.com and amazon.com will give you some idea of how easy the camera will be to operate. It depends on the layout of buttons, dials and menus. It's ok to shoot on auto...it's the fastest. If you have time and want to take full advantage of your cameras features in the interest of creative control you will have to read the manual. Scan the entire thing page by page to see what is covered. Keep it handy, refer to it often. Tip: Many digital cameras overexpose on automatic...one good reason to get away from auto eventually. It is better to under expose a digital image and adjust it later. Learn these parameters and how they relate to each other: Aperture/F-stop...Size of aperture, depth of field Shutter speed...Open time, stop action ISO setting...Sensitivity to light, noise ...and you'll be on your way! Shutter Speed and F-stop  Thanks to Teresa-Marie. Click the image to see her blog.  Thanks to Teresa-Marie ISO Setting  Some cameras now have ISO settings of 12,000 or more! The higher the ISO setting the less light you need and the grainier it gets. The larger the sensor, the less grainy. Video It is difficult to catch a moving subject at the exact right instant with a single exposure. For something like a horse race or a powwow a short video clip is often the best option. All the new cameras we will consider have HD video from which you can capture just the right frame. The Olympus PM1 has... AVCHD Format: • FullHD Fine : 1920x1080, 60i Recording, 17Mbps • FullHD Normal : 1920x1080, 60i Recording, 13Mbps • HD Fine : 1280x720, 60p Recording, 17Mbps • HD Normal : 1280x720, 60p Recording, 13Mbps Frame rate of image sensor output is 30fps Motion-JPEG Format: • HD: 1280x720, 30fps*, Aspect 16:9 • SD: 640x480, 30fps*, Aspect 4:3 (VGA) * Some Art Filters are at reduced frame rates What is AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) Format? AVCHD is a camcorder video format used in high definition digital camcorders...Blue-Ray standards. Something new in digital cameras and great if you have a need for it. It has a down side. You will need special software to view it on your computer and a powerful computer to edited it. The artist should find that regular HD in AVI, MOV or MP4 formats adequate, especially if supplemented with a few high resolution still shots. With the NEX 5N I record in MP4 which is the same resolution as AVCHD, but not as wide and it will play on players you already have. How do you capture a single frame from your video? Did you answer 'use the Print Screen function'? That may work fine. You may get the screen alright, but where the image should be is a black rectangle. To overcome the black rectangle you can purchase special software. I've used WinDVD for many years. It allows you to click through the clip a frame at a time capturing the ones you want. Free software is available for this purpose that works well. Click this image to see four of them. I recommend Imagegrab because it will handle the high end MTS format (AVCHD) should your camera have that.  Below is a frame captured with Imagegrab from a video taken on the California coast with the Canon G9 at 1024 x 768, 15 fps, the highest setting. I got this camera before HD became common. It has been resized to fit the page. Even so, it is useable for reference and the video with sound of the wave breaking brings it all back much better than a still photo. I was able to easily capture the frame I wanted with the spray at full height.  Some new cameras allow you to take a still picture at full resolution while shooting video. And some let you take a still picture and a short video clip at the same time with one push of the button. Both very handy for the artist! One example is the Nikon 1 J1. The Olympus PM1can do 1920 x 1080, 60i in AVCHD. And what is 60i? Sixty interlaced fields per second. Two fields make a frame, for thirty full frames per second. Fields are separated in time by 1/60th of a second so it is referred to as 60i. Continuous Mode I could have shot the wave with the G9 using the Continuous Shooting function which allows 1.5 frames per second, Large/fine mode. Newer cameras can do much better. The Olympus PM1is capable of 5.5 fps, for example, while the NEX 5N shoots 10 fps. Remember these will be still images, not video with sound. Pixels How many pixels do you need? You'll want at least 6 megapixels (mp). Not really an issue any more since it's hard to find a new camera with less than 10 mp. My Canon G9 is 12 mp. Max resolution is 4000 x 3000 for a compressed .jpg file of about 4 or 5 mp. I normally detune to 2592 x 1944 for reference photos because that is plenty good and makes the file size about half of full resolution. For prints the usual recommendation is 300 pixels per inch (ppi). On FineArtAmerica.com they print my paintings at 100 ppi with good results. A 4000 x 3000 pixel image in focus with good exposure will print at 40" x 30". I've never had a print returned so I'd say it's working. Formats All new cameras have the standard .jpg and most have RAW which is of more interest to the professional photographer or advanced amateur and enthusiasts than to the artist. See the Video section above for a discussion of video formats. Bob's Camera Picks  (go to top) These cameras will work for the artist. DSLRs are not included, too big to be handy. Any choice will be a compromise. Use a tripod and good lighting when possible. Other models/brands may also be fine. Check them out. Search out the newest releases... Sony Panasonic Olympia Nikon Fujifilm Canon Sigma image-resource fourthirds.org fourthirdsphoto.com dpreview.com steves-digicams.com Techradar.cameras Use the amazon.com links on the left to read the very helpful reviews and to purchase. Your cost will be the same and it helps maintain this page. Thanks! | |||
| $ / iPHONE | |||
| | iPhone 4S ~$200 + contract Not really a camera...wait...yes it is! 8 mp; 3264 x 2448, ?" Fixed lens, 35mm (equiv), f/2.4, Size: 2.5x0.5x4.5" flash, zero shutter lag, fast, zoom, edit, HDR, HD Video 1080p, 30 fps, Pocket - Yes! Low end of useful for an artist Graininess can be a problem | ||
| $$$ / iPAD | |||
| | New iPad ~$560 Same as iPhone 4S, but huge LCD! I resized a 3264 x 2448 to the size needed at Juried Art Services to enter contests, 2000p on the long side. The sharpness improved at 100%. Color was ok. Should print ok at 8x10". Better at gathering reference, photo and video. | ||
| $ / 1/2.3 ULTRA-COMPACT | |||
| Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS ~$130.0012.1 mp; 4000x3000; 1/2.3" CMOS; Fixed lens 4x optical zoom; f/2.8; Size: 3.67x2.20x0.78"; Video: MOV-1920x1080 @ 24fps; Burst: 2.5 fps @ 12mpPoint-and-shooter-easy auto/manual | |||
| $ / 1/2.3 COMPACT | |||
| | Panasonic Lumix ZS15 ~$200.0012.1 mp; 4000x3000; 1/2.3" CMOS; Fixed lens 16x optical zoom; f/3.3; Size: 4.13x2.28x1.3"; Video: Mpeg-4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60fps; Burst: ?Point-and-shooter-easy auto/manual | ||
| ***** $ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS | |||
| | Olympus PEN E-PL1 ~$27512.3 mp; 4032x3024; 7/8" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.5x2.8x1.7"; Video: AVI-1280x720, 30fps; Burst: 3 fps Outstanding value with large sensor, excellent pix! Older tech - May 2010 Entry-level/Beginner to Pro may like this | ||
| $$ / 1/1.63 (?) FIXED LENS | |||
| | Olympus XZ-1 ~$38012 mp; 3648 x 2736; ?" CMOS; Fixed lens: 28-112mm (equiv.) f/1.8-2.5 zoom; Size: 4.4x2.6x1.7"; Video: AVI-1280x720, 30fps Burst: 2 fps View finder; Retro Enthusiast compact, easy | ||
| $$ / 4/3 MIRRORLESS | |||
| | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 ~$40012.1 mp; 4000x3000; ?" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.24x2.64x1.28"; Video: MOV/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Burst: ? fps | ||
| ** $$$ / CX (5/8) MIRRORLESS | |||
| | Nikon 1 J1 ~$55010.1 mp; 3872x2592; 5/8" CMOS; Chageable lens: 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.4x2.4x1.2"; Video: MOV/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Still/Video; Video/Still; Slow Motion Burst: 60fps/.5sec.= 30 frames Point-and-shooter-easy auto | ||
| New! ** $$$$ / CX (5/8) FIXED LENS | |||
| Sony DSC RX100 ~$65020.2 mp; 5472x3648; 5/8" CMOS; Chageable lens: 10-37mm f/1.8-4.9 zoom; Size: 4x2.3x1.4"; Video: MPEG4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Video/Still; Burst: 10fps; fast lens True compact with bigger sensor Pretty good images and features, but pricey for the small sensor compared with mirrorless, see Sony NEX 5N for same price | |||
| $$$ / 2/3 (11/16) FIXED LENS | |||
| | Fujifilm X10 ~$60012 mp; 4000x3000; 11/16" CMOS; Fixed lens: 28-112mm (equiv.) f/2.0-2.8 zoom; Size: 4.61x2.76x2.24"; Video: H.264-1920x1080, 30fps Burst: 10 fps View finder; Retro Point-and-shooter-easy auto | ||
| ***** $$$$ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS | |||
| | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5X ~$75012.1 mp; 4000x3000; 7/8" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.25x2.64x1.46"; Video: MP4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Burst: 4 fps Beginner/High amateur | ||
| Bob's Ultimate Pick | |||
| ***** $$$$ / 4/3 (9/8) MIRRORLESS | |||
| | Sony NEX-5N ~$65016.1 mp; 4912x3264; 9/8" CMOS; Chageable lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.38x2.38x1.56"; Video: MPEG4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Burst: 10 fps; Flash 6-image layering; HDR Beginner/Enthusiast/Pro's street cam | ||
| Adaptors available for most any legacy lens; Optional EVF | |||
| Best Image quality, features, value, does it all and small! | |||
| *****$$$$ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS | |||
| | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 ~$680-85016 mp; 4594x3448; 7/8" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.58x2.67x1.55"; Video: MP4/AVCHD-1920x1080, 60i; Burst: 4fps Enthusiast-fast, intuitive | ||
| $$$$ / 4/3 (9/8) MIRRORLESS | |||
| | Samsung NX200 ~$63020 mp; 5472x3648; 9/8" CMOS; Chageable lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom; Size: 4.6x2.48x1.42"; Video: MP4-1920x1080, 30fps Slow Motion Burst: 7fps Enthusiast-fast, intuitive | ||
| $$$$$ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS | |||
| | Olympus OM-D E-M5 ~$110016.1 mp; 4608x3072; 7/8" MOS; Chageable lens: 14-42mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom; Size: 4.8x3.5x1.69"; Video: AVCHD/H.264/MPEG-4 -1920x1080, 60i Viewfinder Burst: 9 fps Enthusiast/Photographer | ||
| ARMPOD | |||
| | Supports arm or camera, rests on leg when seated or hooks on belt when standing. For use in stadium or auditorium seating, recitals, bird/wildlife watching, family gatherings, birthday parties, school plays or musicals, choir/band/orchestra concerts, graduations, sporting events, powwow, parade...more stable, less fatigue, camera mount included. | ||
| MONOPOD | |||
| | Follow the action and keep your horizons true. Reset it level in seconds. Reduce blurry pictures and tired arms. A plus in low light. Ideal for today's artist whether shooting digital, film or compact video. Four-section black anodized aluminum monopod, 21.25"-67", 4 sections, featuring sure rubber grip, wrist carrying strap, quick action lever leg lock system with 45° flip, large 1.2" camera / head platform with plastic cover and camera screw. | ||
| Reader Recommendations | |||
| $$$$ / 4/3 (7/8) MIRRORLESS | |||
| | Olympus PEN E-P3 ~$800 Designed for photographers who want total control over their creative vision with a camera portable enough to travel the world, the powerful Olympus PEN E-P3 delivers professional image quality, the world’s fastest auto focus, built-in creative features, and a new OLED touch screen in a classic, all-metal body with fully advanced controls. CON: aging sensor, noise. APPROVED FOR ARTISTS-RB | ||
| RUMOR, Jun 2012: Canon is rumored to be announcing their first mirrorless compact this summer or maybe in the fall. No specs. Will it be any better than Sony, Nikon, Olympus, Samsung, Panasonic? Must wait and see. | |||
