Canon Thinking about what's next -- carry two cameras?

Jock Elliott

Hall of Famer
Location
Troy, NY
I have a Canon G12 that I like really well. I bought it because I thought it was as good a camera as I could get at the time in a single package: decent image quality, manual controls, a variety of focal lengths. I specifically did't buy an SLR (I already own several film SLRs) because I know what happens to them -- after the initial thrill wears off, they stay at home because they are too much of a pain to carry around. The G12 seems to be really good for low light situations in the low light mode.

I use the G12 professionally to illustrate my blog on airguns, but I really enjoy taking pictures of the sky and people being themselves.

Lately, however, my thinking has been going in two divergent directions which aren't necessarily complementary. Direction one: go up in image quality (bigger sensor), simply because I love some of the shots posted by the folks here, and bigger sensors deliver better IQ. My fear is that an interchangeable lens camera will suffer the same fate as my film SLRs (closet queens).

Direction two: go for another fixed lens compact camera, but with a serious zoom for grabbing pictures of wildlife, but that probably means giving up some image quality.

To combine the two ideas -- an interchangeable lens system camera with serious reach -- seems to be heading in the direction of extra bulk, complexity, and lots of expense.

Maybe I could carry both the G12 and a (for example) Fz150 in my rambles about the neighborhood. I know from experience that I'd rather have a camera with me than not and that you can't always get the composition you want with a fixed focal length camera.

I'm sure I'm not the first one to consider this dilemma. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Does anyone routinely carry two different compact cameras rather than an interchangeable lens system? I'd love to hear from you.
 
Get a small m43 camera like an EPL3 or EPM1. Get a 14-150 lens and one small fast prime lens for low light, like the 20mm f1.7. If you like really really wide angle shooting, get the 9-18 also. Get a very small camera bag. This is all you need to carry. The 14-150 lens is the only part of this kit that's not tiny, but its FAR from big. You can shoot with just that most of the time until you get into low light or want to go REALLY wide. The 14-150 has the same wide end as your G12 but is more than twice as long at the long end (300mm equivalent vs 140mm). In low light, put the fast lens on. You barely ever need to change lenses. The epm1 with the 14-150 will have a significantly smaller body than your G12 but a larger lens - the whole package is not large. Its not quite coat pocketable, but the camera IS coat-pocketable with the small pancake lens and there will be times that's all you'll want to take. But when you're going out on a walk or travelling and you want some range, the 14-150 is a great package. This isn't even in the same league with a DSLR and you won't leave it at home because its bulky. At least no more often than you'd leave something at home having two cameras...

I keep trying a one camera/lens solution. They keep not cutting it. I go back to what I like. I travelled all over Europe in 2010 with a m43 body with the 14-150, 9-18, and 20mm. Phenomenal and very small and light setup.

Worth a look anyway.

-Ray
 
On my last trip to Seattle and Vancouver, I carried a Fuji X100 with a fixed 35mm EFL, and the Fuji X10 with its 28-112mm EFL zoom lens. Not exactly a lot of telephoto there on the X10, but just enough on those situations that I needed a little bit more length than the X100's 35mm. Neither camera is pocketable, but I enjoyed the experience quite a lot as it was somewhat liberating not having to worry about changing lenses.

For me, the X100 provided superior IQ, particularly when the lighting situation was bad. The X10 provided the wide angle and the telephoto during the daytime. I found myself using the X10 70% of the time.

Hope that was somewhat helpful!
 
I keep trying a one camera/lens solution. They keep not cutting it. I go back to what I like. I travelled all over Europe in 2010 with a m43 body with the 14-150, 9-18, and 20mm. Phenomenal and very small and light setup.

Worth a look anyway.

-Ray

Alternatively, you can replace the 14-150 with the 40-150. It'll make the package a little bit smaller (and cheaper by about $400 too), and just use the 9-18 for the wide angle stuff.
 
Alternatively, you can replace the 14-150 with the 40-150. It'll make the package a little bit smaller (and cheaper by about $400 too), and just use the 9-18 for the wide angle stuff.

Maybe cheaper, but I don't think it'd be smaller or lighter - the 14-150 and 40-150 are about the same size and not much difference in weight. And the 14-150 means you almost never HAVE TO change lenses, which I believe you your very own self said is "somewhat liberating"! I'm as happy as anyone going out with just a prime or fixed lens (or two), but Jack sounds like he likes having some range.

For me, I keep coming back to m43 as the sweet-spot on the size <---------> quality continuum. Not a PIA to carry around like a full DSLR setup, but significantly better quality than the G12 Jack mentioned above and even the somewhat better X10. Without being very much bigger. And the quality keeps getting better to where the difference between APS and m43 is getting to be pretty esoteric...

-Ray
 
You have a point about size of the 40-150 vs 14-150. It's a little bit smaller and lighter. Not significantly smaller and lighter. But significantly cheaper, and IMO, better IQ (for pixel peepers).
 
I sometimes carry everything. Seriously. I have a multitude of compacts and I always have my XZ-1 and GRD3 with me. Sometimes I add my DSLR (a K-5 which is much smaller than the Olympus E-3 or E-5, and also much smaller than almost all the Canikons) with a few primes and zooms. Pentax lenses are small and neat and don't weigh much at all (even the kit zooms weigh nearly nothing). If I can't make up my mind before I leave home, exactly what I think I will be doing, thats what goes with me. Normally, though, for every day, its the GRD3 and the XZ.

There's always the combination of the X-10 and XS-1 from Fuji which should cover most of your needs, without needing an interchangeable lens system, as well as give great quality.
 
Jock I regularly .. and I mean VERY regularly carry 2-3 cameras, at least 2 [one being my cell phone] with me. Usually that means my DSLR and a film camera [rangefinder, tlr, slr, brownie etc]. Part of that is because sometimes I see things that I feel need to be shot with film.. they call for it. Other times I just want to make sure I have some kind of backup. In the case of the DSLR I do a lot of macro.. so I use either the 100mm or 50mm compact macro on my Canon, sometimes my 28mm 1.8, I can shoot at those ranges or up close. The film ones are generally fixed focal unless I take a second lens. If you are physically comfortable with carrying, I just carry mine on straps and they dangle, then there is absolutely no reason you should have to choose. IF at some point in time your realize that you are rarely using one then you can begin to leave it at home. Also, if one of the two isn't doing it for you then you'll know by then what will be the solution. I am an advocate of using what you have first.. and buying only if you need to. There is a lot of GAS here, I get it too, but I would work with what you have first and then your needs will make themselves known. You might have the winning combination already. You're familiar with them.
 
Kristen,

Thanks for your thoughts. About a month ago, I saw a book about Cartier-Bresson that had an intro by Truman Capote. In it, he decribes Cartier shooting a street scene with three Leicas dangling from his neck.

BTW, what's GAS? I presume its a TLA (three letter acronym) but I don't know what it means.

- Jock
 
Ray,

Thanks! Yeah, I've suffered from GAS a time or two myself.

I remember a great conversation with a fellow in an audio shop some years ago. I was gnashing and crashing, trying to figure out the "best" gear to buy, when he said, "Ultimately, you have to ask yourself, do you want to listen to music or listen to the equipment?"

So I need to ask myself, "Do you want to take pictures or screw around with camera gear?"

- Jock
 
Yes Gear Acquisition Syndrome-- you can see it here and on other forums because it is common to people really into photography [and as Ray said other hobbies], whether they're new to it or old timers. It comes and goes for some and on rare occasion you might actually meet someone who is fully satisfied with what they have and don't desire to even test something else but more often than not it's like a tide. You can see the waves sync up when a new camera comes out :D I'm still for starting out with taking the two cameras. If one becomes an anchor and doesn't earn its keep you know which to abandon on your walks and.. what you might need as replacement. That is when all this advice becomes really valuable, because a lot of people have already tested the gear you might be interested in. Unless you are a collector for the sake of collecting though it's usually about taking photos. That is at least what you described in your first post.
 
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