Camera Labs

Hey there,

I'm looking into buying a camera that is lightweight, makes good photo's and fits in my budget. The 2 camera's I'm currently looking at are the E-PL1 and the NEX 3. I can get good second hand deals on both of them.

What I like about the E-PL1:
+Cheap
+nice colours
+built in stabilisation
+built in flash
+decent lens

What I dislike about the E-PL1:
-small screen
-smaller sensor
-no sweep panorama or HDR-mode (minor annoyance)
-slightly heavier

What I like about the NEX 3:
+nice tiltable screen
+large sensor
+sweep panorama and HDR-mode
+slightly lighter

What I don't like about the NEX 3:
-no built in stabilisation (will I really notice this? It should't be a problem with the kit lens, but I also have some old Panagor and Nikon lenses that I might use with an adaptor.)
-the kit lens is not that good (although good enough)
-slightly more expensive.
-no built in flash (minor annoyance)
-And most important: weird cold/blue colours. Is there a way to change the standard settings to warmer colours that are more realistic (similar to Olympus or Canon)?

Wat do you think.

Gr,
Mark

-no built in stabilisation (will I really notice this? It should't be a problem with the kit lens, but I also have some old Panagor and Nikon lenses that I might use with an adaptor.)

It depends on how you'll be shooting with those old lenses - the old rules apply on shutter speed relative to focal length, and that can be adjusted up or down based on how steady you can be when you shoot. I often use old unstabilized lenses, but I also shot for decades on film cameras with no stabilization.

-the kit lens is not that good (although good enough)

Well this is one that may or may not be true. While I'm not a big kit lens user (I don't even have one on my DSLR)...the reviews I've seen on the NEX kit lens haven't been at all accurate in my experience - I find it's quite good. At least mine. There may be quality control issues where some bad ones got out there, but mine's very sharp and a solid all-round performer for a kit lens. I've even seen it rate higher than Nikon & Canon's DSLR kit lenses in some tests, and poorly in others.

-And most important: weird cold/blue colours. Is there a way to change the standard settings to warmer colours that are more realistic (similar to Olympus or Canon)?

Colors are a funny and personal thing - I personally have always disliked the default Canon colors, and find the Olympus colors have high saturation and are often overly warm with yellowed greens. You mention Sony's blue - actually, most people I've heard criticize Sony colors seem to think they oversaturate their reds. Everyone has a different like. But the good news is...yes - if you shoot JPG, you have in camera controls to change the color profile to different pre-set tone curves and temperature, with individual adjustment over saturation, contrast, and sharpness in each mode. I would never worry on any DSLR or mirrorless camera about the default colors - they can all be changed and adjusted to suit your own tastes.

I can't help on the decision between the Oly and Sony - both are fine cameras with lots of nice advantages each and each with some small drawbacks. Both should keep users happy, and both are capable. So if you find you like one a little more in feel, or a key feature or spec is most important to you, go that route.

_________________
Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

The Panagor lens I intend on using is a 135mm lens that I might use during rowing events. I wouldn't be able to bring a tripod there, so there's no real way to stabilize the camera. Is it possible to make sharp pictures with that kind of zoom while holding the camera by hand?

I already sort of expected the colours to be adjustable. The reason I asked was because during my last holiday we wanted to take a group photo on the top of a mountain. The camera we gave to woman to take the shot was a Sony compact camera. Before she could take the picture she asked us if there was something wrong with the camera (there wasn't) because everything was grey and blue while it was a sunny day. I then handed her my Canon and it had no problem with it.

The camera I would really want right now is the NEX 7. The only thing that camera doesn't have is built in stabilisation. If it had that it would be my ideal camera. For now it's a bit too expensive for me though.

Gr,
Mark

Ah - some of the Sony compacts using the back illuminated sensor have some difficulties with color - though they can be tuned a bit, they do tend to struggle with sky blue noise, greens which can look slightly blueish, and badly blown reds in indoor lighting. The DSLRs and APS-C sensors have completely different performance. Note too that the type of problem you mentioned sounds a lot like it could have been a white balance issue - if it had gotten accidentally set to the wrong preset, or somehow read incorrectly, that can throw the colors wildly off. Sun and warmth should be no problem, even auto white balance should work 99% of the time. Here's a kit lens snapshot with the NEX3 - JPG straight from camera with no processing - these are the colors straight from the camera:



As for the lens focal lengths, I'd say you should have no problem - in any form of good light, you're fine, and in lower light, the high ISO capabilities can allow you to use ISO800 to keep the shutter speed up and still shoot noiselessly with good exposures. Two lenses I use very frequently on my NEX3 are a Chinon 135mm F2.8 and a Vivitar 200mm F3.5 - I only use them handheld, and haven't had any challenges in getting sharp shots. It's all a matter of whether you have a steady hold or not.

Here's my Vivitar 200mm handheld at 1/80 in daylight but in a tree shadow:


And my Chinon 135mm F2.8 in good light:

_________________
Justin Miller
Sony DSLR-A580 / Sony 18-250mm / Minolta 50mm F1.7 / Sigma 30mm F1.4 / Tamron 10-24mm / Tamron 200-500mm / Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro / Minolta 300mm F4 APO
Sony NEX5N / 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 / 55-210mm F4-6.3 / Pentax K adapter / Konica K/AR adapter / bunches o' Konica & Pentax lenses!

Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg

Something to keep in mind about the compactness of the camera, is that though Sony's bodies are smaller, their lenses have to be huge to accommodate the larger APS-C sized sensor. If you mount a few larger lenses onto it, you may find that it's a bit front heave, a problem that won't occur with the Olympus. The Olympus' 14-42mm kit lens is much smaller than the Sony's 18-55mm kit lens, I believe that the overall package of the Sony is heavier than the one of the Olympus.
If you really want something small, the Pentax Q may be a camera worth taking a look at. It offers the majority of what you're looking for, a nice large display, a built in flash, built in stabilization, and it's extremely tiny. However, it does have a bit higher of a price than the Olympus or Sony, and it's sensor is much smaller (the sensor's larger than the one of a compact, buy smaller than the standard M4/3 or APS-C).

_________________
-Evan

Gear: 7 Nikon Nikkor AI-S and AF-S lenses, SB-700 flash, Nikon D7000, Nikon FM, variety of accessories

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."
- Ansel Adams

I ended up getting a Nex 3. I got an offer that was too good to pass up.

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Congratulations. Enjoy the new camera.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Enjoy the new camera! Don't forget to post your pictures in the forum for all of us to see!

_________________
-Evan

Gear: 7 Nikon Nikkor AI-S and AF-S lenses, SB-700 flash, Nikon D7000, Nikon FM, variety of accessories

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."
- Ansel Adams