People don't want to be seen with big cameras

[shuttertalk]

According to Fuji, people don't want to be seen with big cameras.

Speaking on the X Pro 1:

Quote:Speaking to TechRadar, Fujifilm Imaging's senior vice president Adrian Clarke said, "A lot of people are beginning to feel that - no disrespect to SLRs - weight is becoming more of an important factor with photographers, and, something that works well and is easy to use but is very pocketable is very attractive to them."

http://www.techradar.com/news/photograph...ra-1074348

For me size is a concern, but more at the forefront is usability and ergonomics. Yes, my iPhone is with me everywhere I go, and takes great pictures, but I love nothing more than having the control and speed of operation with my 7D in my hands.

What does everyone think?

[NT73]

If the near weightless camera arrives, with the same specs as say a 550D I would lap it up. (with a viewfinder of some kind)
You could still have specialist cameras, for studio work or Nat Geog assignments.

The only drawback is that you may have a world so saturated with graffiti, that you would not be able to see the trees for the wood..

I guess someday a camera will be something for the masses to wear like a watch or shirt button. By which time something new will have appeared. Holographic?

[slejhamer]

True story: the last two times I've been out and about with a DSLR and a bigger lens (one with a size-enhancing hood,) an attractive female has come up to me and made a comment along the lines of "wow, now that's a camera!"

So I think the article is wrong, at least in part: chicks dig guys with big cameras.

:ducks:

[Toad]

The XPro1 is just about exactly the same size as a M9. I actually find that a sweet spot between size and ergonomics. Smaller cameras are nicer to carry around, but the tradeoffs in control and ergonomics are too often much for me.

None of the current crop of small APS-c or m43 cameras are really pocket sized in my opinion (I don't count fitting a bulging coat pocket as pocket-sized). As soon as you accept that you have to carry a small camera bag of some kind, the advantages of one smallish camera over another become pretty much a personal preference.

Having said that, my friend shoots a Nikon D700 with a 35-70 F2.8 on it as his standard lens. When we shoot on the street, people occasionally object to being included in his photos. I think that people find a long black lens being aimed at them intrusive. I also think the fact that his face is almost completely hidden by the camera has the effect of alienating potential models. Its more about "lack of engagement" than size per se. People don't connect with the photographer - only the camera.

[shuttertalk]

slejhamer Wrote:True story: the last two times I've been out and about with a DSLR and a bigger lens (one with a size-enhancing hood,) an attractive female has come up to me and made a comment along the lines of "wow, now that's a camera!"

So I think the article is wrong, at least in part: chicks dig guys with big cameras.

:ducks:

Were they nude chicks by any chance?

[shuttertalk]

Another article where they claim the x pro 1 beats canon and Nikon at low noise with high ISO shots. Well not really, only with a big caveat and disclaimer for the sensationalist title.

http://m.examiner.com/photography-in-cle...beats-both

Basically they claim the X Pro 1 is about a stop behind the D4 and D800, but the former is an APS-C sized sensor whereas the latter is full frame.

Ok you can put the pitchforks down now...

[Anne]

I purchased a DSLR earlier this year after previously using a compact camera and prior to that, a SLR film camera. I have been a photography enthusiast for years and I think it's fair to say that I took a lot better photos with my compact camera than people who own a DSLR but use it in a 'point and shoot' manner. Yet, because I had a small camera, I felt as though people didn't take me seriously. It seems that carrying a DSLR camera gives you instant credibility whether you know how to use it properly or not.

[NT73]

(Mar 31, 2012 01:10)Anne Wrote:  I purchased a DSLR earlier this year after previously using a compact camera and prior to that, a SLR film camera. I have been a photography enthusiast for years and I think it's fair to say that I took a lot better photos with my compact camera than people who own a DSLR but use it in a 'point and shoot' manner. Yet, because I had a small camera, I felt as though people didn't take me seriously. It seems that carrying a DSLR camera gives you instant credibility whether you know how to use it properly or not.

I often wonder when considering the amount of options buried in the menus on a modern camera, wether the designers know how to use them.

[Don Schaeffer]

We should keep in mind the difference between recording what's in front of us and photography. Photography has a point of view and framing. To do photography you need an instrument that points and can be positioned with precision. You need something that feels like a tool. I think larger cameras foster that. The old view cameras perhaps foster that best.

[EnglishBob]

I've been looking for a smaller point and shoot camera, not to replace my SLR's but to carry with me all the time, nothing out there fits all my criteria, so i stay with keeping an SLR in the car as much as I can.

[shuttertalk]

(Mar 31, 2012 06:02)EnglishBob Wrote:  I've been looking for a smaller point and shoot camera, not to replace my SLR's but to carry with me all the time, nothing out there fits all my criteria, so i stay with keeping an SLR in the car as much as I can.

I was (am still) looking at the Fuji X10 to fit this bill, but they've announced that they're replacing sensors to fix some issues with "white orbs" showing up. Hopefully they'll sort this out soon...

[Wedding Shooter]

When I travel with my m4/3's camera it 'feels' like you can get away with a lot more then with the larger DSLR.

I don't fint the new Fuji camera small enough for what it is purporting to be by Fuji.