Digital cameras forum: Help! I need a new digital camera. What are these new hybrid-looking ones?

CNET senior editor Lori Grunin, our resident Digital Camera guru was gracious enough to send me her explanation of these so called "hybrid" digital cameras (see below). Thank you Lori for pitching in.

-Lee



Samantha,

The best way to think about interchangeable-lens cameras (ILCs) --
what you refer to as "hybrid" cameras -- is as advanced
point-and-shoot cameras that support the ability to change lenses.
They use the same type of autofocus technology as a point-and-shoot,
the main benefit of which is that it works when shooting video, which
the traditional autofocus used by dSLRs doesn't support.

ILCs have a couple advantages over compacts for shooting kids and
family: they're generally faster and produce better photos in
low-light. They're smaller and lighter than dSLRs, but because they
lack a reflex mirror -- the "R" in "dSLR" -- they don't allow for an
optical viewfinder. At best they provide an electronic viewfinder
(EVF), at worst, none at all. And while they're smaller than dSLRs,
they're still not as small as most point-and-shoots.

They tend to be more expensive than compacts because they use larger
sensors; that's what helps deliver the better photo quality. (There
are some compacts with larger sensors, like the Sony RX100, but
they're just as expensive.)

Hope this helps.

Good luck,
Lori

Not all pixels are the same. For analogy purposes, a 1/4 square inch sensor in a cell phone with 6 megapixels will exhibit a far worse picture quality than a decent point and shoot camera with (let's say) a 1/2 square inch sensor and only 4 megapixels. Contrary to popular belief, the best cell phone camera will not take as good a picture as new low end point and shoot with lower mega pixels today. The cameras in cell phones are good at waht they do and that is taking pictures to view on your phone to instantly send as a picture message. Rarely would one take a picture on the best camera phone and enlarge it to an 8 X10 inch photo to hang in your living room and expect it to be of good quality. However you can do that with very acceptable results with most point and shoot cameras with less pixels.

Each sensor has a optimim size pixel and optimum number of pixels for optimim quality picture quality. Each pixel has to have a minimum border area surronding it that will not get exposed, otherwise you wood have one big pixel.The more pixels you squeze into the same size sensor (after reaching that optimmum number means you must make the pixels smaller. When doing this you also create more area of the sensor that will not get exposed because you also created much more unexposed border area. Less exposed area relates to a poor picture quality. Now when you enlarge the photo on your computer or when you print it, it will be worse than a sensor that had less pixels in it. More pixels is not neccessarily better unles you have a bigger sensor with the same size pixels.

are truly disgusting. Poor resolution, blurred edges, and usually not even halfway pointed at the subject. Even the best cel phone camera or one mounted in a device takes worse pictures than a disposable film camera from years ago. People need to stop using these things THINKING they're taking pictures.
About all I've seen that they're good for is taking pictures of a check to send to the bank, or a document so you have a copy. Anything beyond a few feet away just comes out awful, and people tend to want to take pictures of things like mountains, or a bridge, or a group of 100 people.. THAT is why you need a camera.

It is not about the equipment but the stuff between the ears. Most people do not know how to shoot a picture - I give you that. The rest of what you say, however, does not follow.

I have mentioned Ken Rockwell earlier on; his opinions are perfectly sound. For further illumination, try this:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

Not so long ago, I received a greeting card of David Hockney's painting, produced on his mobile. It was not half bad.

The newest is the Canon M series coming out in October it has two native interchange able lens on 22mm f/2 the other an 18-55 mm. Thw crop factor is 1.6 so you mutiply lens length by 1.6 to get 35mm equivalent i.e. 22mm = 35.2mm or 35mm. there is also and adapter available to use all eos compatable lenses from 10mm to 500mm and beyound.
The weight is 262 g. or about 9.25 oz it is 18 mp stereo mike. Hot shoe for flash. They say it leans towards moies but functions as either a point and shot camera or totally manual or anywhere in between. You can never go wrong with a canon product. If you want a regular dslr they have them also and many also will do a movie now also. Personally I want a camera to be a camera I have standard Canon dslrs a 40D and 20D. I have neer owned any other brand of dslr once you choose your lens investment keeps you loyal. Nut check out the M series two places I know are Adorama and BHPhoto on the web.

I'm a photographer and know other photographers. We're of the persuasion that 'the best camera is the one you've got on you at time.' The quality of cameras these days is such that you could walk blindfold into a camera store and come out with a perfectly usable camera.

What non technical people need to be aware of first and foremost is the loquacious 'fanboy' who endlessly lectures you that such and such a model is 'no good' and that 'nobody in their right mind would buy it' and then who relentlessly drones on and on about the superiority of a certain model.

Ignore them. Survey the various reviews on the net and get one that fits your budget and doesn't look too hard to work. Try to get one that you can use with manual control, and use it as much as possible until you're comfortable with it. Although it's might be tricky at first it will yield far better results in the long run than just shooting away on 'auto' which is fine sometimes anyway.

I've found online photo forums are usually filled with fine helpful folks who are always ready to share their knowledge and give comments.

YAY!

While it is good to get the opinions of others, there is no substitute for doing your own research into what camera will fit your needs.

As you've already noted there is a new kid on the block that bridges the gap between mere point and shoot cameras and full-fledged dSLRs.

There are also phones that have some pretty spectacular cameras, too, so don't forget to check out your own phone in that regard and look at some phones you might upgrade to.

Some folks really don't need a better camera than their phone affords them.

You said that you like to get creative and in my opinion when you get to the point of trying to take more than snapshots, you will be well served by a camera with a viewfinder and not just an LCD on the back of the camera. You might also benefit from some manual controls that give you more flexibility in your creativity.

There are some excellent P&S cameras out there that offer those kinds of features as well as mega-zoom lenses to really give you some flexibility, but those don't come cheap, but they can be quite affordable, too, when you consider what they offer.

Access your skills and your willingness to learn new things. Figure out a budget that you can live with and "go to town." You have the entire internet at your disposal.

Good luck!

Dear User

These cameras have been around for years. Suddenly they call them hybirds. This is a selling language.
While they are smaller do allow a user to change lenses which will give you the choice of company or quality lenses avalable, this would not be the reason to purchase these cameras. There are other valid reasons to consider these cameras,

First ..The main reason to consider these cameras are as follows:

They are smaller than they DSLR and produce similar quality ....NO MIRROR and Excellent Sensors.
They allow you to use lenses from other cameras with an adapter (very avaiable) like Nikon ..Canon..Leica and even Hasselbald cameras. The photos are stunning. but keep in mind these lenses on these cameras require you to manually focus. Pro's don't mind and as I am a pro I prefer the manual focus beause all too often the autofocus on most cameras is not dead on, good by not perfect. Also, they allow a full range of shooting modes and use oled view finders. The most popular of these dameras are made by Sony (NEX) and Panosonic and now other coming My personal choice for best of breed is the Sony Nex 7. Keep in mind that these cameras are expenses and with the sony lenses available for this camera, the autofocus is very good. You can also focus manully if desired for even better sharper photos. Why expensive.All of the above reasons.

These cameras are targeted for the Pros. Price, quality and versatiity. Currently a Nex camera is over one thousand and I suspect most picture takers wil not spend this much for a birthdaly or vacation photos.
However, if you are into photograpy and want better quaity then thle these cameras are the call. Kepp in mind that these cameras can shoot like a point and shoot as well in addition to the other methods for more accurate results.

Hope this helps

To see more professional reviews. go to www. dpreview.com they go into depth about cameras and lenses

Cameras with large sensor do give you very good images. Images that look smooth and not pixelated. These are in D-SLR cameras and the new mini interchangeable lens cameras. You have graduated from point and shoot, so I'll ignore that. I have put in a list and my recommendations..

- DSLR Full frame sensor (equals 35mm film size) (Pro cameras) Eg. The Nikon FX Format cameras and the Canon #D cameras. Very expensive Professional Cameras - 1500$ & Up for just the body.
- D-SLR DX frame sensor (slightly smaller sensor) There is Pro-sumer (for advanced non-pro shooters) and entry-level D-SLRS. Entry level is Nikon 3100 or the Canon Rebel series. If you are really interested in photography and have a food blog and stuff you like to post online and would like to experiment with light and shade, the entry level cameras are more than adequate. With a standard zoom lens (or a replacement lens like Tamron 18-200) will be ideal. Prices start at around 500 including lens. My favourite is the Sony SLT series 3x or 5x. Low weight and nice feel for small hands. They all have video built-in for short movies of 15-20m length.
- Pro-sumer cameras (non-interchangeable lens cameras, big zoom cameras). These look like D-SLR, but they have a smaller sensor and a wide variety of options and lots of automated features. Fuji is the leader in this. Eg: Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR - This is the kind of camera that looks like a natural upgrade for you. These cameras also take wonderful low light photos with the minimum of fuss. Prices start at around 350/-
- Mini large sensor cameras - These are the Nikon 1 and Sony NEX series. These are actually not made for amateurs, because they have high flexibility and features that serve primarily as pocket-able cameras for professionals. They are expensive - prices start at around 700/-

Whatever you do, for the perfect way to go about this. Have a look at www.dpreview.com, read the reviews. Then go to Amazon and see what the users say about that camera model. Within 3-4 days you can make an educated decision on what to do.

Good Luck!

Hi Samantha.

I love photography, (I'm not a pro) and have been through more cameras than I can remember. Even though I'm not a pro,one thing I am sure of, please don't get caught up in the 'better camera/better picture' syndrome. A professional photographer has very advanced SLR (single lens reflex) cameras, whether digital or film, because it offers the lattitude and diversity that only those cameras offer. In other words, he knows how to use them, in any situation. If you have knowledge of using a camera in manual mode, program mode, etc, then an advanced point and shoot would most definately fit the bill, and not require you to carry any extra gear, such as lenses. If you are going to carry any type of extra stuff, then I'd recommend carrying a supplimental flash.
I have had SLR cameras before the digital revolution, and hen film was king, there was no such thing as an advanced point and shoot. Plusd it can be a bit of a pain carrying lenses let alone the expense. A pro photorapher can take any number of point and shoot cameras, and still take photos that will knock your socks off. Not the extremely cheap P&S of course. And if a point and shoot is all he uses, it certainly would hurt his revenue stream, narrowing his versatility. My latest purchase was a Canon SX-40. A mega zoom, that also offers quite a bit of creative latitude. Again, that's because I know how to use them. They're easy to learn and fun in the process. A biiiig advantage of digital. No more processing of film.
I assure you, with all the learned knowledge the a pro has, when he goes on a job, he will also take advanced point and shoot cameras as back-up.
Again, I'm not saying not to buy a ILC, but do you really want to be carrying around a camera bag with 3 different size lenses, and possibly the addition of different size UV filters and polarizing filters?
Just a though to consider.

I consider myself a hobbyist wanna-be photographer. From the wording of your question it sounds like your experience and interest might not be too far from mine.

I owned a Ricoh SLR with a few lenses back in the film days. But, I don't find many excuses to lug around a bulky camera with additional bulky lenses, these days. So, when I was looking for a new camera last year, I wanted a camera that I was likely to carry with me pretty much all the time. Yet, I still wanted the option for manual modes, for when I didn't think the camera would choose what I wanted for the situation.

It was kind of expensive, but I settled on the Canon S100. Among the compact P&S cameras, it had a reasonably wide aperture and a reasonable zoom. For all but the lowest light or highest zoom situations, I find this camera to be a great choice. And, I always have it with me.

If you have some particular shooting situations that you know you're going to put yourself in to that will take advantage of the larger glass, then it sounds like a hybrid might be a good fit.

But I think only a professional or a really hard core hobbyist has the needs that will take advantage of a full blown dSLR setup.

Drake

The vast majority of product descriptions and every review I've seen will list shutter lag/response time. Pretty much everyone is aware of it, now, and so it is a selling point that marketing types use.

In automatic mode, my S100 has a shutter lag of about 0.4 seconds, which can be annoying, but is about average.

But, in full manual mode, which is what I use when shooting sports, the shutter lag is 0.01 secs. You can't get much better than that.

Most reviews will also list startup time, usually written as "Time to first shot." My first digital camera ten years ago took a very long time to fire up, probably 5 or 7 seconds. My S100 is listed as 2.3 seconds. It feels very prompt. Certainly Good Enough.

My wife bought a Sony NEX-3 compact camera about 3 years ago for Christmas with family across the country. At the time, Sony also sold a NEX-5 of similar design with slightly better features. With either lens on, the camera fits inside a small camera case my wife can carry it all day without feeling its weight on her shoulder. The camera works like a full size single lens reflex (SLR) camera (those big cameras that typically hangs from your neck with a zoom lens pointing down because of its weight) but is small and lightly to fit in a ladies handbag or coat pocket. When hung around the neck with a wide strap (wide strap for comfort), the camera hangs with the lens pointing forward even when fitted with a 18-55mm zoom lens. We bought the camera as a kit from Costco. It came with the wide angle lens and the 18-55mm zoom. For 99% of the shots, my wife gets by with the zoom lens. Our kit came with a tiny flash that you plug into a slot on top of the camera. The amazing thing is that my wife has taken very good pictures in natural light (no flash) outdoors, indoor and many excellent at a Christmas Festival in Altanta last Christmas. The camera compensates for the dim light and produces a picture that brighter than the real situation. She has had many friends and family surprised with how good the picture when they thought she forgot the flash. Because the flash flattens the picture, she has used the flash about 10% of the time I would have used the flash with my old Nikon full-size single lens reflex. A very cool feature is that the camera will take multiple(5+) shots as you hold down the shutter button and sweep the camera(pan). It then stitches the picture to give you a panoramic photo. Great for scenery shots on vacation.

My wife had always use point-and-shoot cameras and hardly switched between the preset settings (like landscape, spots, portrait, etc). With the Sony, she continued with her simple point-and-shoot habit and gets pictures rivaling what you can get only with those full-size SLRs that tend to stay home because they are so big and heavy. Sony has discontinued the NEX-3 and added a high end NEX-7 to the NEX-5. Sony is probably known more for expertise in electronics rather than in cameras and optics (like Canon and Nikon), but for pictures of friends, family and children, it's great.

The lowest price Micro 4/3 from Sony (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_NEX-5) currently sells for $650 to $700 at Amazon. I see Amazon sells a low-end Micro 4/3 from Panasonic (Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3) for $366. Amazon also carry an Olympus micro Four Thirds camera. But from the research I did before we bought the Sony, I'd prefer the Panasonic over the Olympus. You need to check current professional and customer comments online to decide for yourself, but their prices are close to you high-end point-&-shoot budget while giving you the option to add a long telephoto lens if you feel the need.

Amazon also sells the Nikon Coolpix P510 Digital Camera equipped with 24-1000mm zoom lens for $400. I don't think the lens is interchangeable, but the lens is more than enough for large-group pictures indoors and sports events. Many other brands make a similar camera, but Nikon is known for its lens.

Perhaps pedantic, but Sony's system is called NEX, not E-mount. E-mount refers specifically to the lens mount itself.