Bushwalk Australia

Is this possible? I want a camera that takes better quality images than my current compact but is lighter than my DSLR. I've grown to really like the filters I've been using with the DSLR so was wondering if there is any way of using these with a compact. Something like the P7000. I guess you could just hold it in front but that's going to be a pita.

The other one I like the look of is the Sony Nex 5. Nice and light and I'm assuming the lenses will have threads to mount filters? They can be had for a couple of hundred less than local shops on ebay. Is buying from these places a bad idea? I guess warranty is going to be an issue if they're shipping from overseas?

if you pay with paypal you will get your money back if the camera is faulty or they don't send it

up to you to get comfortable with warranty tho

I've bought a few pieces of camera equipment from eBay and it's generally been a good experience but I did receive a fake filter once. Made a claim thru paypal and got my cash back. I'd trust to use eBay again since I feel the buyer is more protected than the seller

hmm... ive answered a few gear questions lately, i run the risk of seeming like a kia... or worse still an 'expert'

I ended up with the P7000 and bought the polarising kit of dzone, ebay.

The housing looks fine, fits well, the CPL (and UV) that comes with it is likely ok. It does allow the use of any 52mm filters.
However..., the housing is (obviously) the length of maximum zoom extension so the camera is no longer 'compact' with it on. One of the only things ive found so far that i dont like is the leaf cover on the P7000 lens, i cant understand why they didnt just use a filter thread... picture quality is (to screen size anyhow) amazing, appears close to my D90 and (at least) the 18-200 lens sharpness wise.

I dont know whether i'll use the filter much, need to get some results first, as the P7000 does have a built in ND function and i believe polarisation can be corrected well enough post processing?
I had plans of using it (the housing/UV) when camped and wandering around (mostly to protect that leaf lens). It is very light and not very big.

Thanks for the replies. I hadn't seen that kit Nuts. I'll check it out. Aso didn't realise you could perform polarisation stuff in post processing. Surely stuff like underwater details aren't going to be recovered without the filter on to start with?

I have a P7000 as well and have been considering a lens kit. I note Amazon have a kit incl a cleaning pack for $35 (US I guess). What was in your kit Nuts?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004J106WS/?tag=pyle.car.audio-20

Thanks

Yep, same idea, i didnt get the hood or bag though... amazing how cheap stuff is. Im not sure if its the same mounting as the 21mm(equiv) lens you can get for them and whether you'd be doubling up (or saving money on the mount?)?

The P7000 shoots RAW and post processing is new to me, im a learner. Someone else may like to comment about the possibilities with post polarising (through Nikon ViewNX2 or others)?
Im not sure about your underwater comment cams? do you mean using the camera inside a housing?

Nuts wrote:Yep, same idea, i didnt get the hood or bag though... amazing how cheap stuff is. Im not sure if its the same mounting as the 21mm(equiv) lens you can get for them and whether you'd be doubling up (or saving money on the mount?)?

The P7000 shoots RAW and post processing is new to me, im a learner. Someone else may like to comment about the possibilities with post polarising (through Nikon ViewNX2 or others)?
Im not sure about your underwater comment cams? do you mean using the camera inside a housing?

I kind of meant that one reason for using the polariser is to get more underwater detail in photo's by eliminating the reflections. I just don't see how you can recover that information in post processing with the reflections there. Like you though, I havn't done much post processing stuff and would be interested to hear any more information.

I think I'm just about convinced to get a P7000. Bit heavier than an s95 but the extra little bit of zoom and the mounting options will be worth it I think. Still less than half the weight of my current DSLR which is a small one.

cams wrote:

Nuts wrote:Yep, same idea, i didnt get the hood or bag though... amazing how cheap stuff is. Im not sure if its the same mounting as the 21mm(equiv) lens you can get for them and whether you'd be doubling up (or saving money on the mount?)?

The P7000 shoots RAW and post processing is new to me, im a learner. Someone else may like to comment about the possibilities with post polarising (through Nikon ViewNX2 or others)?
Im not sure about your underwater comment cams? do you mean using the camera inside a housing?

I kind of meant that one reason for using the polariser is to get more underwater detail in photo's by eliminating the reflections. I just don't see how you can recover that information in post processing with the reflections there. Like you though, I havn't done much post processing stuff and would be interested to hear any more information.

I think I'm just about convinced to get a P7000. Bit heavier than an s95 but the extra little bit of zoom and the mounting options will be worth it I think. Still less than half the weight of my current DSLR which is a small one.

I think your intuition is correct cams, you cannot recover information from a RAW image that isn't already there, and a polarising filter at time of capture does enhance items normally blocked by reflections. That said, processing from RAW allows you to improve the non-polarised image somewhat but never to the same level as one shot with the polariser in the first place.

Call me biased but unless you are specifically after a camera with an old fashioned viewfinder then the Olympus XZ-1 might also be worth considering. It will take a lens adapter via an integrated female thread around the lens. It has a built in ND filter and an F1.8 to 2.5 lens which I am loving playing with. It does have a shorter zoom range than the P7000.

That was a great suggestion sthughes. I went into a camera shop on the weekend and had a feel of them all. s95, p7000, LX5, XZ-1, NEX-5 and whatever the Olympus micro 4/3rds one is. I'm pretty much sold on the XZ-1. Lighter than most, good zoom range and despite being a bit more compact I thought it felt pretty good in the hand. Probably pick one up on ebay along with the adaptor before my next walk.

I had a play with sth's the other day, very nice! Much smaller than the p7000. I think ill stick with the Nikon, it takes a dedicated flash and remote (and the same battery as the d3100 for owners). From the reviews it may have slightly better pic quality especially in movie mode and it does have a few features left off the Oly. In favour of the Oly it doesnt have that dodgy leaf lens cover and the size alone is a good point. It focuses and functions faster and the lens speed would be very handy... look forward to seeing some results from it

Well, I did a bit on an about face. Ended up picking up the S95 yesterday. It was the cheapest of the lot and really fit the purpose I was looking for being the smallest and lightest while still taking good quality images. The main reason I wasn't considering it was that it didn't have an adaptor mount. But I did a quick search yesterday and Lensmate in the USA sell a 37mm adaptor that sticks on with a 3m adhesive. I'm hoping this works well, they seem to make some nice stuff. And the whole adaptor only weighs about 3grams plus about 10grams for the filter to minimise the force on the adhesive. Fingers crossed.

Took the new camera out for its first proper walk yesterday. Overall, really happy with it. Won't go into a big comparison but will say that it might be a struggle to justify taking the SLR on any walks in the future. Also, very happy with the Lens Mate lens adaptor. Here are a few JPG's straight off the camera:

No, I don't think that's an acacia. There are melaleucas with blooms like that, and also some other types of plants. Lot of things it could be.