Interchangeable Lens Cameras Buying Guide by Media Publishing

%8<,1* *8,'( Interchangeable-lens cameras FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN SHOPPING FOR AN INTERCHANGEABLE-LENS CAMERA SYSTEM. %\ 0DUJDUHW %URZQ

hoto Review is often asked for advice on buying cameras – particularly by readers who want to step up from a compact digicam to a DSLR. On principle, we don’t recommend speciﬁc models. It’s impossible to provide this advice because individual requirements differ with respect to the functions offered by a camera, and its handling qualities. Traditionally, the main beneﬁts of buying interchangeable-lens cameras are their versatility

and their larger sensors. The more lens options available, the greater a camera’s potential versatility. In addition, DSLR sensors are between ﬁve and 20 times the size of the largest digicam sensor in common use. Larger sensors can collect more light and deliver better pictures with much less image noise in low light conditions.

THE MORE LENS OPTIONS AVAILABLE, THE GREATER A CAMERA’S POTENTIAL VERSATILITY

(Above) The Samsung NX10 interchangeable-lens system.

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(Right) A wide e choice o off interchangeable ble lensess is one of the traditional traditiona al advantages off DSLR cameras.

(A (Above) Panasonic has adopted a ‘DSLR-like’ styling fo for most of its mirrorless G-series cameras. The new D DMC-G2 is seen here from above, showing its tr traditional control layout.

7UDGLWLRQDO '6/5 In 2002, Olympus Ol mp s and Kodak announced anno nced a new ne ‘Four Thirds System’ format that was ‘designed for digital’ and provided an open standard based on an 18 x 13.5mm image sensor. Unlike older SLR systems, any manufacturer could develop camera bodies and lenses for this system and all would be interchangeable. Camera bodies could be made smaller and lighter – and so could interchangeable lenses. Olympus currently dominates the DSLR sector in cameras supporting this system. The interchangeable-lens camera market was revolutionised in August, 2008, with the announcement of the Micro Four Thirds System (MFT) format. This eliminated the mirror and pentaprism viewing system of the DSLR, enabling smaller camera bodies to be produced. At last, buyers could purchase an interchangeable-lens camera that was only a little larger than the largest small-sensor, ﬁxed-lens digicam. Olympus and Panasonic are currently the main players in this market, each company offering at least three models. The concept of a mirrorless camera system has been further extended by Ricoh with its GXR system of body and interchangeable camera modules, and Samsung with the NX10, a mirrorless model with an APS-C sized sensor. And Sony recently showed a prototype camera that is scheduled for release later this year. Small wonder camera buyers are confused. Currently, we appear to have three distinct categories of interchangeable-lens digital cameras:

The Olympus E-450 exempliﬁed the characteristics of Four Thirds System DSLR cameras, being smaller and lighter than other DSLR models.

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Digital Si Single-lens Single lens Refle Reflex (D ((DSLR) SLR) cameras cam meras rely el on a reflex mirror and pentaprism system and optical viewfinder. These cameras support the fastest autofocusing systems and widest range of lens options and this sector contains cameras with the largest sensors. (Below) Pentax has revolutionised the entry-level DSLR market with the release of highly-featured cameras in unconventional colours; Canon’s EOS 550D is an example p of a traditional DSLR camera for photo enthusiasts.

,QWHUFKDQJHDEOH /HQV &RPSDFW In Interchangeable-Lens Compact (ILC) cameras lack reflex mirrors and provide Live View composing on their LCD monitors. (Some also have electronic or optical viewfinders.) Most rely on contrast-detection autofocusing, which is slower than the phase-detection systems in DSLR bodies. Most cameras in this category use Four Thirds System sensors, which are around one quarter the size of a 35mm film frame (18 x 13.5mm). The Samsung NX10 sports a larger, APS-C sized sensor. (Below) Olympus has adopted a traditional rangefinder style for its PEN series ILC cameras, shown here as the latest model, the PEN E-PL1, which is available as a twin-lens kit.

I 2002, OLYMPUS IN A AND KODAK A ANNOUNCED A N NEW ‘FOUR THIRDS S SYSTEM’ FORMAT T THAT WAS ‘DESIGNED F FOR DIGITAL’ …

General Camera Buying Advice

7KH 5LFRK *;5 V\VWHP RK *;5 V\VWHP The Ricoh GXR system accepts interchangeable sensor+lens modules and requires an optional electronic viewﬁnder. Ricoh has released two camera units with APS-C sized sensors and two with much smaller, 1/2.3-inch type (6.16 x 4.62mm) sensors already, and more are said to be in the pipeline. (Above) The Ricoh GXR system consists of a body containing the LCD monitor and basic control interface plus interchangeable camera+lens modules. (Below) The camera+lens module slides into the body to make the integrated unit.

Make a list of the features you MUST HAVE, the features you WANT and the features you would LIKE so you can prioritise your requirements. Don’t knock entry-level cameras; they often represent excellent value for money and provide an affordable way to dabble in serious photography.

The main reason for buying a more expensive camera is to get a more robust body and more in-camera adjustments (usually in the form of Custom Functions). If you look after your gear and are not particularly keen on ﬁddling around with camera settings, there’s not much sense in paying more for functions you won’t use.

Don’t be blinded by megapixels; 10 megapixels is enough for most photographers. Higher resolution is ﬁne if you wish to make A3+ prints but your photographic skills won’t develop if you constantly rely on cropping images to create interesting pictures from indifferent shots.

Regardless of which category appeals to you, it’s important to understand that with all of these cameras you are buying a system; not just a camera with a lens. Consequently, you should consider all parts of the system, not just the camera body. In the box on this page we provide some tips on factors to consider as you ‘drill down’ to ﬁnd a system that will suit both your imaging requirements and your budget.

Be clear about your video requirements – or even whether you need video at all. Most interchangeable-lens cameras support HD (high-deﬁnition) video recording – but some only provide the lower-quality 1280 x 720-pixel (‘720p’) resolution while others support Full HD 1920 x 1080-pixel (‘1080p’) quality. (Note: clear quality differences between them can only be discerned when clips are viewed on a high-quality TV set or monitor.)

Don’t let other people’s opinions override common sense. There’s no one perfect camera plus lens for all types of users and shooting situations. Most purchases require some kind of compromise, so we must all learn to get the best out of the gear we have. Buy from a reputable camera specialist. Ask for some hands-on demonstrations of the entry- and mid-level models from all the leading brands. Find which one(s) feel most comfortable to hold and operate. This is really important because if the camera isn’t comfortable to use, you won’t use it. Don’t be ﬁxated on buying the very latest camera body; you may get a great bargain by buying a body that was recently superseded but offers most of the same features as the new model replacing it. When you ﬁnd a camera body that ticks most of the boxes, you know you’re spending your money wisely. Then decide upon the lenses and other accessories.

Invest in a camera bag to protect your equipment.

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FIND YOUR LEVEL What kind of photographer are you? A strictly pointand-press snapshooter? An existing ﬁlm SLR user looking to shift to digital? A novice photographer looking for a camera to learn with? A serious enthusiast? A professional photographer? Each of these buyers will have different requirements with respect to the size, features, adjustability and appearance of the camera system they buy into, so we’ll consider each of these factors in turn. Entry-level buyers should look for cameras that are straightforward to operate and offer automated features like a wide array of Scene pre-sets, automatic scene type detection, face detection and tracking in autofocus mode, and dynamic range expansion. Existing SLR users and novices looking for advanced functions require a standard suite of advanced controls plus high enough resolution for the largest prints they’re likely to make. Don’t be afraid to consider cameras with entry-level price tags; most of the latest models provide all the functions a keen photographer will require – plus a few automated settings that can be genuinely useful at times. Serious enthusiasts will require excellent picture quality. Raw ﬁle capture is mandatory and most enthusiasts will want at least 14 megapixels of effective resolution (which may be more than they will actually use). Lens quality is important to this group of consumers and some could consider alternatives to the kit lenses provided with most DSLRs. Professional photographers usually know what equipment they require.

Nikon’s D3s is a typical professional DSLR camera with a 36 x 24mm (full-frame 35mm) image sensor.

FIND YOUR CAMERA Size: The smallest interchangeable-lens cameras are the MFT models – but only when ﬁtted with the ‘pancake’ prime lenses offered in the retail kits. Pop on a zoom lens and there’s not much difference in size between an MFT model and the Samsung NX10 with its ‘pancake’ lens. The table below compares the body sizes of the current smallest models and the smallest DSLR camera.

Megapixels: The ‘megapixel wars’ of previous years have been largely left behind with the ﬁrst decade of the ‘noughties’. However, they’re not completely forgotten and some camera buyers still put more emphasis on resolution than they really should. Fortunately, most camera buyers these days realise other factors are more important.

For those with residual megapixel hang-ups, the table right will help you to decide exactly how many megapixels you need – assuming you compose shots with the camera’s viewﬁnder or monitor and don’t rely on extensive post-capture cropping. Two different print resolutions have been provided in this table because the larger a print is made, the more you can reduce the output resolution – although we believe 300 dpi is the minimum resolution required for acceptable A4 prints. You can get away with slightly lower resolution for larger prints because they are viewed from greater distances and, therefore, not subjected to close scrutiny. (The ‘inches’ value in the table right can be converted into centimetres by multiplying each ﬁgure by 2.54.)

Lens Choices: The established camera manufacturers, such as Canon and Nikon,

Olympus Pen E-P2

Panasonic GF1

Samsung NX10

Ricoh GXR + A12 camera unit

Olympus E-450

Sensor dimensions

17.3 x 13.0mm

18 x 13.5mm

23.4 x 15.6mm

23.6 x 15.7mm

17.3 x 13.0mm

Effective resolution

12.3 megapixels

12.1 megapixels

14.6 megapixels

12.3 megapixels

10 megapixels

Lens mount

Micro Four Thirds

Samsung NX

GXR system

Four Thirds System

Dimensions (wxhxd)

120.5 x 70 x 35mm

119 x 71 x 36.3mm

123 x 87 x 39.8mm

113.9 x 70.2 x 77.1mm

129.5 x 91 x 53mm

Body weight

355 grams

285 grams

353 grams

423 grams

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(with camera body)

380 grams

Click here for a more detailed comparison table.

Camera resolution (effective megapixels)

10 megapixels

12 megapixels

15 megapixels

18 megapixels

21 megapixels

Max. image resolution

3888 x 2592 pixels

4272 x 2848 pixels

4752 x 3168 pixels

5184 x 3456 pixels

5616 x 3744 pixels

Max. print size in inches at 300 dpi

12.96 x 8.64

14.24 x 9.49

15.84 x 10.56

17.28 x 11.52

18.72 x 12.48

Max. print size in inches at 180 dpi

21.6 x 14.4

23.73 x 15.82

26.4 x 17.6

28.8 x 19.2

31.2 x 20.8

provide the widest selection of lenses. But some of these lenses are highly specialised and of little interest to most amateur photographers (including serious enthusiasts). Sony (which inherited the Minolta mount) and Pentax have most of the lenses keen photographers require and Olympus is steadily building a comparable suite of lenses for Four Thirds Systems cameras.

Olympus, Pentax and other manufacturers to be ﬁtted to Micro Four Thirds cameras. Deciding on a basic lens kit is pretty simple: most photographers can get by (at least initially) with two zooms: a ‘short’ zoom covering the equivalent of about 28mm to 85mm in 35mm format, which serves as a general-purpose lens, and a ‘long’ zoom (70-300mm equivalent) for shooting sports and wildlife. Trying to cover this range with a single ‘super-zoom’ lens is problematic. All extended zoom lenses involve design compromises which can affect their performance. However, they do represent good value for money, are often lighter, and more convenient to use because you don’t need to change lenses all the time. This is particularly relevant when you travel. After that, additional lenses will depend on different user priorities. Don’t feel bound to buy lenses from the same manufacturer as your camera. While they usually guarantee a good working relationship, you may be able to ﬁnd a lens that’s better suited to your needs by shopping around. Kit lenses are variable and usually built to a price. Third-party lenses may be better value for money. Q

DON’T FEEL BOUND TO BUY LENSES FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURER AS YOUR CAMERA… YOU MAY BE ABLE TO FIND A LENS THAT’S BETTER SUITED TO YOUR NEEDS BY SHOPPING AROUND. Olympus and Panasonic are also adding new lenses at a steady rate to the Micro Four Thirds System range and third-party manufacturers like Sigma, Tamron and Tokina are venturing into this area as well. In addition, there are plenty of lens mount adapters (from companies like Novoﬂex and Voigtlander) that enable lenses from Canon, Leica, Nikon, Minolta,

Camera manufacturers like Canon and Nikon, provide the widest selection of lenses, although some are highly specialised.

Lens Buying Tips Here are some tips for buying lenses:

Avoid lenses with plastic mounting plates; they will eventually wear and will fail to fit snugly on the camera; performance will be reduced. Expect to pay more for faster lenses; a lens with a maximum aperture of f/2 will probably cost at least twice as much as one with a maximum aperture of f/4. However, it will provide a shallower depth-of-field for isolating subjects from the background and you’ll find it much brighter – and, therefore, easier to focus – in dim lighting. A maximum aperture of f/3.5 on a zoom lens is pretty standard. Image stabilisation is essential for lenses longer than about 80mm – unless there’s stabilisation in the camera body (as in Sony, Pentax and Olympus cameras). You can get by without it in wide-angle lenses. Adding tele-converters will reduce the ‘speed’ of your lens and probably also reduce image quality. At best they are a compromise solution; at worst a disaster. They can also be more fiddly to fit than swapping lenses. The most noticeable compromise you can expect with an extended zoom lens is a loss of speed, which means the image in the viewfinder won’t be as bright. However, if the camera body has a large, bright viewfinder, this probably won’t matter much as the viewfinder will compensate.