High-end Party Camera

[vbuggy]

So I'm looking to move back up a notch with a point-and-shoot snapper for party duties.

I have an S90 at the moment. Previous point-and-shoots were the Leica D-Lux 4 and the M8.2.

The Canon is handy, takes excellent pics in low light but it is just another compact camera and TBH - call me a shallow consumerist - it's not my style.

The Lei-Pana DL4 took some fantastic daylight pix, but it definitely fell down over the Canon in terms of party pictures and in similar environments where the vast majority of my pix are taken. And the M8.2 - which did wonders for my photographer credentials in said parties regardless of my actual meagre talent in the field - was just too bulky/unwieldy for the kind of use I put a camera to.

I will probably hang on to the Canon (and spring for the next upgrade beyond the S95) because it is super-handy, but I also want a compact snapper that's a bit more of an occasion to use, if you see what I mean.

I'd impulsively ordered a Fuji X100 recently which is taking its sweet time to reach me and I wonder if I've made the right decision - because TBH I'm still pretty taken with the Leica X1. The DL5 is also an option since it's high-ISO noise appears to have greatly improved, but it's my understanding that it's not a quantum leap over the DL4 in terms of the overall image quality - so really an S95 competitor and not really up there with those two.

Given an X100 vs X1, which would you go for if you were in my shoes? Or would you (once again, if you were to put yourself in my shoes) go for something else?

 

[Gooberlx2]

X100 review

I'd probably go with the X100 as well. Seems like the only real advantages the X1 has are size and zoom. I'd say the X100's bulk (in comparison) is worth it for the viewfinder, and who cares about zoom for a party/street camera anyway? IQ-wise they look quite comparable, though I guess the X100 has a wider dynamic range.

The X100 also has video if you care about that.

 

[ElFenix]

m8.2 is not a point and shoot

edit: is the x100 that much smaller than an m8.2?

 

[vbuggy]

m8.2 is not a point and shoot

Yes thank you Captain Obvious. It was yet another impulse purchase that didn't ultimately work.

edit: is the x100 that much smaller than an m8.2?

It appears so.

 

[vbuggy]

X100 review

I'd probably go with the X100 as well. Seems like the only real advantages the X1 has are size and zoom. I'd say the X100's bulk (in comparison) is worth it for the viewfinder, and who cares about zoom for a party/street camera anyway? IQ-wise they look quite comparable, though I guess the X100 has a wider dynamic range.

The X100 also has video if you care about that.

Leica has no zoom. It's pretty much the same thing as the X100 in terms of utility.

Personally, I've seen more bad things written about the X1 than the X100, but I wonder how much of it is this sort of backlash against how Leica markets their stuff.

I think my problem, as it were, is that some considered opinions of both cameras appear to be pretty 'want to like it, but kinda meh'. It's hard to know what sort of yardsticks are being used though in their opinions. In terms of what it is, the D-Lux 5 seems to be getting much better plaudits overall - although obviously, lower image quality in an equivalent best-case scenario amongst all of these cameras.

I wonder if I'd be better off living with the slight upgrade in image quality over the S90, along with the more party-suitable features and presumably better low-light performance of the D-Lux 5 instead of trying to like either the X1 or the X100. That is my question in a nutshell, I guess, because I'd rather not buy all three to find out.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Huh, don't know how I misread the specs....one less point for the X1 then in my book. One thing I've read about the X1 is poor autofocus. To balance I've also read the X100 has slow RAW write speeds.

 

[Throckmorton]

Considering the Fuji looks like a 1960s camera, doesn't that make it worth it just for being a conversation piece??

 

[JohnnyRebel]

You obviously need the Sony Party-shot™ Automatic Photographer.

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/sto...tNumber=IPTDS1

Add a CyberShot DSC-TX1 and you've got a "party" camera that would be a real "occasion" to use. You can hit on the chicks and just point over to the the camera taking the shots all on its own.

JR

 

[Sp12]

with a hotshoe. Get a set of radio poppers, position flashes (2-3) to bounce off the ceiling to get soft/diffuse light.

 

[vbuggy]

You obviously need the Sony Party-shot™ Automatic Photographer.

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/sto...tNumber=IPTDS1

Add a CyberShot DSC-TX1 and you've got a "party" camera that would be a real "occasion" to use. You can hit on the chicks and just point over to the the camera taking the shots all on its own.

JR

Already got one when the combo came out, but the camera itself isn't particularly likeable and setting it up can be a hassle. If I'm at an unveiling or something then my assistant sets it up and keeps it going, but I haven't used it personally in ages.

 

[vbuggy]

Considering the Fuji looks like a 1960s camera, doesn't that make it worth it just for being a conversation piece??

Yes. That is kind of the point. The same as the X1, although the X1 has more contemporary lines.

 

[finbarqs]

m8.2 is a very expensive impulsive buy

X1 looks pretty sweet, but for the price, i'd get an x100 -- more features and a faster lens.

 

[vbuggy]

I could actually really use another Lightroom license, so actually the X100 if I'm not mistaken works out at more or less parity. That's how it looks to me pricewise.

I still dunno, obviously it's not strictly a functional choice - I already have a NEX-5 and I have the option of digging that out if I want the relative versatility of more focal lengths at my disposal.

But these appear to be the only large-sensor cameras which combine some element of point-and-shootability with a certain image I like, and also derive some pleasure from owning - at least more than your regular Canon.

I'm seeing some X100 stock around some other reputable shops so I could cancel my backorder and order from elsewhere. But I still really like the idea of having the X1.

Arrrgh...

 

[ElFenix]

frankly the EPL3 may be a better selection. better low light performance than the tiny sensor cameras, olympus is claiming the fastest autofocus, and the boxy portion of the camera is actually slightly smaller than the lx5/dlux5. very understated, classy design too.


the dlux5 is just a rebadged panasonic lx5. low light performance isn't going to be significantly better than the S90 as they use the same size sensors and have similar speed lenses.

 

[vbuggy]

frankly the EPL3 may be a better selection. better low light performance than the tiny sensor cameras, olympus is claiming the fastest autofocus, and the boxy portion of the camera is actually slightly smaller than the lx5/dlux5. very understated, classy design too.


the dlux5 is just a rebadged panasonic lx5. low light performance isn't going to be significantly better than the S90 as they use the same size sensors and have similar speed lenses.

I'll look at the E-PL (or a further development) as a replacement for the NEX (which itself is very compact in terms of body-only comparisons). I'm not really looking at the versatility of replacement-lens as a plus as far as this particular class of camera is concerned. It is partly image, partly usability and partly a sense of immediacy in terms of taking snapshots.

While structurally you're right regarding the DL5, as with the DL4/LX3 comparison I would imagine there's difference in the exposure and/or optics - the DL4 took fractionally better pictures than the LX3. Then there's once again the Lightroom license. And I'd also much rather have the plain Leica body than the busy Pana. But you're also right regarding any significant improvements over the S90-type camera.

 

[JohnnyRebel]

Already got one when the combo came out, but the camera itself isn't particularly likeable and setting it up can be a hassle. If I'm at an unveiling or something then my assistant sets it up and keeps it going, but I haven't used it personally in ages.

Yea...well...I was actually being sarcastic. I suggested that because it had "party" in the name.

JR

 

[alkemyst]

What kind of parties? Any pictures of what you currently are taking?

 

[finbarqs]

EPL-3 has a SMALLER sensor than the x1, or the x100!

 

[vbuggy]

Yea...well...I was actually being sarcastic. I suggested that because it had "party" in the name.

JR

No! You don't say!

 

[ElFenix]

EPL-3 has a SMALLER sensor than the x1, or the x100!

true, though less than a stop worth of difference and still much bigger than the S90.

 

[shortylickens]

It seems to me the defining characteristic of a party camera is excellent low-light performance even with a fast shutter.
Which means a large high-ISO sensor.
Which means money.


Did we ever get a budget?

 

[alkemyst]

To me a party camera offers decent low light performance in an inconspicuous package.

I am curious to the party formats and what pictures the OP has taken already.

 

[finbarqs]

don't forget the benefits of changing lenses!

 

[ElFenix]

Did we ever get a budget?

if one of the previous cameras was an m8.2 and one of the current options is an x1, do we really need one?

 

[vbuggy]

It seems to me the defining characteristic of a party camera is excellent low-light performance even with a fast shutter.
Which means a large high-ISO sensor.
Which means money.


Did we ever get a budget?

I think you can safely assume I'm not on one.

Although there are levels of crazy even by my standards. But once again, safe to say that as Elfenix alludes to, e.g. M8.2 levels = no probs. It's about the portability, snapshot performance in as you say low light - which is why I'm looking at large-sensor cameras - and projecting / having a certain image, which is why the X1 is attractive on many levels. One of the problems with the Fuji is that although as I said, I read less bad things about it than the Leica, it's also a relative behemoth compared to the X1, although not apparently quite as large as the Leica M's (which are really on the too-large side for me).