Beginners Camera

[photohiker]

Nuts, they are pano, not cropped WA pictures. The camera takes a heap of images as you pan and blends them in camera for you. All automatic.

Common feature on many cameras these days...

[Nuts]

Ok, no, I understand thanks. I thought the panos sprang from my earlier question. They are nice panos. It's still not possible to achieve a wider angle or perspective on both planes.. just stitching together narrower angles and perspectives. It's ok.. i'd probably suggest the same camera (from what iv'e read)

..I really as much like the 'depth' (from feet to horizon) in wide angle pics

[photohiker]

You can achieve a wider perspective in both planes by taking multiple rows, but not automatic. Mucho post processing required.

Only really needed for very large prints though.

[icefest]

You can achieve a wider perspective in both planes by taking multiple rows, but not automatic. Mucho post processing required.

Only really needed for very large prints though.

It's also much lighter not to need to carry a heavier wide angle lens.

[GPSGuided]

But a reconstituted pano tend to have IQ issues if not done carefully ie. For most snap shooters.

[Aushiker]

New model from Sanyo (September ?)... the A5100



Andrew

[cjhfield]

I am a huge fan of the Rx100. I have the first version but the latest looks even better.
However I think you can learn a lot easier with a second hand DSLR and some fixed lenses. Of course these are not portable but the insights you get from using it would allow you to tale good pictures with the Sony.

For example the most obvious feature of a wide angle lens is probably its least valuable feature - you can fit more in. When you start using one you take some really disappointing pictures of lots of tiny stuff. Its real strength is its huge depth of field and it effective expansion of the foreground. Once you twig to that and hunt out good foregrounds and get in really close you get good pictures. Its the same with a tele - the ability to control the depth of field and drop backgrounds out of focus to simplify the image is much easier to do with large sensor cameras. As sensors get smaller you lose control of depth of field.

All lenses have their strengths and weaknesses - using a fixed lenses lets you find them out. Fortunately camera buffs are always selling lightly used gear to buy the latest gear so it needn't cost the earth. Also the fashion is to like zooms so the unloved fixed lenses can be amazing bargains. Experimenting with say a 35mm or 50mm f1.8 on a large sensor camera can teach you a lot about depth of field that a zoom or small sensor camera won't.

Just my 2 cents.

Chris

[Champion_Munch]

Hi all,

Have been making do with my partner's old Canon Powershot SX200, but lost it on a recent trip so now looking to line myself up with a Sony RX model... I'm leaning mostly towards Mark I, simply because it weighs less and would (from what I can tell) fit more easily into my pockets, plus much cheaper. On Kogan I can get the mark I for just $380 (http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/sony-cyber- ... al-camera/), am I missing anything here or is this the real deal?? Everywhere else sells it for at least double this...

Also interesting insight there Chris. Maybe when I am older and have more free time (??) I can experiment with these DSLRs and get the most from them...

Cheers,
Munch

[Aushiker]

n Kogan I can get the mark I for just $380 (http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/sony-cyber- ... al-camera/), am I missing anything here or is this the real deal?? Everywhere else sells it for at least double this...

Kogan are grey imports. You need to decide if this matters or not of course. Top Buy are a bit cheaper but I have no idea if they are a reliable supplier or not.

Andrew

[Champion_Munch]

What is a grey import?

[icefest]

What is a grey import?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_market

[RonK]

Have been making do with my partner's old Canon Powershot SX200, but lost it on a recent trip so now looking to line myself up with a Sony RX model... I'm leaning mostly towards Mark I, simply because it weighs less and would (from what I can tell) fit more easily into my pockets, plus much cheaper. On Kogan I can get the mark I for just $380 (http://www.kogan.com/au/buy/sony-cyber- ... al-camera/), am I missing anything here or is this the real deal?? Everywhere else sells it for at least double this...

Also interesting insight there Chris. Maybe when I am older and have more free time (??) I can experiment with these DSLRs and get the most from them...

It was a few years ago but I bought my RX100 Mk1 from Kogan. They are not actually grey imports, because Kogan doesn't actually import them - they are supplied by Kogan's Hong Kong affiliate, and that's why the price is so much lower.

Is there any issue buying this way? No. In fact before the advent of internet trading the only way to get affordable camera equipment was to visit Hong Kong or Singapore and buy it with an international warranty then bring them into Australia duty (and distributor profit margin) free. I'd be surprised if there aren't plenty here who have bought camera equipment this way. So the international camera warranty is nothing new - it's been around for decades.

In reality it's unlikely you'll need to make a warranty claim, but Kogan is a reputable trader and Sony is a quality product, so I doubt you'll have any issues. Personally I think anyone who pays local prices for a small ticket item like an RX100 has rocks in their head.

It's always nice to have the latest and greatest, but since you are a beginner and on a budget, the MK1 will be just fine, and you'll be astonished by the quality of the images it will produce.

Also as a beginner there is no need to embrace the technicalities of DLSR's and interchangeable lens. Telephoto lenses are great for depth of field but have resulted in a lot of lazy photographers who can't be bothered to position themselves to frame a shot properly, and flat, uninteresting images are often the result. Since we're on a bushwalking forum it's a fair bet your're interested in photographing landscapes anyway, so a wider angle lens will serve you well.

My tip would be to take the time to educate your eye to spot good photo opportunities and in particular on image composition. A good place to start learning about this is Digital Photography School.

If the bug really bites you can always upgrade, but even then you will not regret owning an RX100.

[Aushiker]

So the international camera warranty is nothing new - it's been around for decades.

Except that international warranty is not always offered, e.g., Olympus dropped it last month at least on their OM-D cameras and if the "cost" is something of value to the person then getting the actual facts on warranty maybe worth the trouble.

Also you need to understand how any warranty repairs are dealt with ... does the camera have to go back to Hong Kong for example? Quality of the repair service? Do you have Australian consumer rights and so on. As a purchaser you need to decided if this important to you or not. We all have different risk profiles after all.

Another place worth checking for any information on retailers is Whirlpool. Grey importers often get discussed there. Kogan's terms and conditions on their Hong Kong supplied goods are an interesting read as well ...

In respect to Sony warranties details are provided at http://www.sony.com.au/section/warrantyinfo and it appears that their standard warranty is not international but they do offer a Tourist Limited Warranty which by the looks of is the same thing.

What ever the op decides to go with, I hope they have fun with their camera

Andrew

[Aushiker]

I was just poking around CamBuy and they have the Sony Cyber-shot RX 100 (mark 1) at $585 which is about $200 more than Kogan's price. CamBuy is probably around the cheapest you will pay for Australian stock I suspect. Even JB Hi-Fi is more expensive.

Andrew

[RonK]

We all have different risk profiles after all.

And we need to do a realistic risk assessment, not rely on unreasoning conservatism.
There are two components to risk: the likelihood that a risk is realised, and the possible consequences.

In this case, I assert that the likelihood that a warrantable issue with the RX100 will occur is very low, next to none, and in the worse case scenario it could cost the price of the camera - a few hundred bucks.

Next to no chance of loosing a few hundred bucks shouldn't deter too many buyers.

[cjhfield]

That is a great price for the RX100. It's a lot of camera for that. Sure the latest is a bit better but is very expensive. You get 95% of the latest model for less than half the cost. Fantastic deal.

Chris

[Champion_Munch]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions everyone, I ended up getting the Mark II from Kogan... took a couple of shots on my way into work the other morning, can't wait to take it out into the bush!

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[icefest]

Verra nice!

[GPSGuided]

Nice rendition. Was the photo edited outside the camera?