Shipwrecked
03-11-2008, 10:04 PM
Hi,
I'm an architectural lighting designer. I design the lighting for restaurants, lounges, night clubs, retail stores, museums, etc...
When I need to shoot one of my project for my records, I generally borrow my co-worker's Cannon EOS and bring a tripod.
But a lot of my job involves researching other venues/projects.
In order to know what else is happening in the industry and discuss the market intelligently with clients, I need to be able to take shots of other projects. I need to take pictures of buildings, restaurants, lounges, etc... on the fly, whenever I happen to see something great.
My needs:
1. I need a compact or subcompact camera that can fit in my pocket so I can keep it with me. (I'm a tall guy though, so I have relatively large pockets!)
2. I need a camera that performs reasonably well in low-level environments. Image stabilization, fairly high ISO, etc... I've read that CCD sensors are helpful with this.
As I'm usually trying to capture some sense of the lighting I see, I have to shoot without a flash. I often carry a mini tripod in my coat, but there are times when I can't whip that out. I realize that SLRs are the better tool for low-lighting, but I need something for reference images.
3. I need some manual control of the exposure settings. Most of the auto settings don't respond well to what I usually shoot.
4. I'd prefer something with a wider lens. Many of the spaces I see are fairly tight. A wide lens is very helpful here (I'd prefer 28mm equivalent over 35mm).
---those are my major concerns---
Other wishes:
- I'd like it to shoot video clips - I often come across dynamic treatments with changing light levels. Video is helpful with these.
- I'd like good image quality for screen-sized viewing. I often take daylight shots that need to be manipulated for photoshop renderings, so resolution is helpful, but in general most shots are for research images.
- Besides the aforementioned renderings, I don't often blow images up or print.
- Budget isn't a huge concern. I want a good value for the money, but I'm entertaining options between about $200 and $600.
- I occasionally need to zoom in on something, but more often, as I said, I need a wider shot.
I've had several Sony Cybershots over the years. I like that the better ones have manual control and tend to render colors well (IMO) but they all kept having problems and breaking after about a year or so. After three of them I got the hint and now I'm trying to avoid Sony.
I'm generally impressed by the Lumix LX1 and LX2, but not necessarily sold on them.
Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thank you!
I'm an architectural lighting designer. I design the lighting for restaurants, lounges, night clubs, retail stores, museums, etc...
When I need to shoot one of my project for my records, I generally borrow my co-worker's Cannon EOS and bring a tripod.
But a lot of my job involves researching other venues/projects.
In order to know what else is happening in the industry and discuss the market intelligently with clients, I need to be able to take shots of other projects. I need to take pictures of buildings, restaurants, lounges, etc... on the fly, whenever I happen to see something great.
My needs:
1. I need a compact or subcompact camera that can fit in my pocket so I can keep it with me. (I'm a tall guy though, so I have relatively large pockets!)
2. I need a camera that performs reasonably well in low-level environments. Image stabilization, fairly high ISO, etc... I've read that CCD sensors are helpful with this.
As I'm usually trying to capture some sense of the lighting I see, I have to shoot without a flash. I often carry a mini tripod in my coat, but there are times when I can't whip that out. I realize that SLRs are the better tool for low-lighting, but I need something for reference images.
3. I need some manual control of the exposure settings. Most of the auto settings don't respond well to what I usually shoot.
4. I'd prefer something with a wider lens. Many of the spaces I see are fairly tight. A wide lens is very helpful here (I'd prefer 28mm equivalent over 35mm).
---those are my major concerns---
Other wishes:
- I'd like it to shoot video clips - I often come across dynamic treatments with changing light levels. Video is helpful with these.
- I'd like good image quality for screen-sized viewing. I often take daylight shots that need to be manipulated for photoshop renderings, so resolution is helpful, but in general most shots are for research images.
- Besides the aforementioned renderings, I don't often blow images up or print.
- Budget isn't a huge concern. I want a good value for the money, but I'm entertaining options between about $200 and $600.
- I occasionally need to zoom in on something, but more often, as I said, I need a wider shot.
I've had several Sony Cybershots over the years. I like that the better ones have manual control and tend to render colors well (IMO) but they all kept having problems and breaking after about a year or so. After three of them I got the hint and now I'm trying to avoid Sony.
I'm generally impressed by the Lumix LX1 and LX2, but not necessarily sold on them.
Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thank you!