View Full Version : Fixed or Zoom lens
I will be going on a trip soon and wanted to pick up a good quality p&s like Contax or Leica or Ricoh. Should I get the zoom lens or the standard. Faster lens with the fixed focal length but more flexibility with the Zoom????
Do you take another camera with you which you can use in low light?
I have a Contax TVS as my walkaround camera and the 28-56 VarioSonnar is just fine for daylight shooting with ISO200 film.
I assume I'll shoot mostly in daylight, but I plan only to take a Canonet GIII QL17 as a back up...
IMHO a zoom P&S is a good second body to a QL17 which provides you with the fast normal lens.
jmilkins
06-29-2006, 21:40
Scott - I'm a fan of the compacts - I've got an Oly MjuII, xa, xa4 , Rollei 35s, yashica t4, Nikon 35 ti and Ricoh GR1s and (and a certain Hexar of course;-) .
All great cameras, with particular strengths and not too many weaknesses!.
Teamed with your Canon, I'd say a Ricoh GR1 with the fantastic 28/2.8 would be a great option. If you wanted a cheaper option the Ricoh GR shares the fab lens but lacks aperture priority etc.... this lens was released in Japan in a Leica mount a few years back - reviewed by Putts at http://www.imx.nl/photosite/japan/japanese28.html
have a great trip!
I assume I'll shoot mostly in daylight, but I plan only to take a Canonet GIII QL17 as a back up...
My personal preference is for fixed lens P&S but since you're taking the Canonet, I suggest the zoom.
Rob
In the Leica domain, I'd take the 40mm Minilux over the Zoom. The lens is not the issue here, both are fine. The crucial difference is that the non-zoom offers both manual aperture and focus overrides, while the zoom is restricted to focus override, and not aperture.
In an incident of p&s GAS I decided on small, decided on a Canon using APS film, and then searched hard for the ELPH Jr with fixed 26mm f/2.8. I wanted the smaller size of the fixed-lens camera as well as the faster max aperture. The lens is small enough that even in the extended position the rig still fits in the belt pouch. I'm glad I made this selection, and I do carry this tiny camera, usually loaded with Kodak B&W chromogenic. Go fixed and fast! :)
That's a mighty fine picture you have there Doug..
Thanks, Peter! One of those "Kodak moments" at the big annual rodeo here. Indeed one of the signs on her front says "This is a Kodak Moment"! The other says "I'm the cute one." The gent to the left is a Rodeo Posse member, one of the gang that hosts this event. :)
oftheherd
06-30-2006, 09:13
Well, you really have to decide for yourself, but since you asked, if I were already taking the Canonet, I would opt for a small P&S with a Zoom lens. Why not add versatility?
I'm generally a fan of fixed lenses because I find it helps me make better pictures, removing a variable from the equation. That said, I had a very difficult time choosing between the Fuji Natura (24mm f/1.9 lens) and the Classica (28-56mm f/2.8-5.6 lens, I believe). I chose the Natura because I dig the wide angle thing. The Classica would also have been a solid choice; honestly, I don't shoot very often in conditions where I need the extra speed out of the lens but I'm glad I have it just the same.
Doug, great shot! Please spill the beans on where you're finding B&W APS film. I have a Minolta APS camera that would see a lot more use if I could get B&W film locally.
Doug, great shot! Please spill the beans on where you're finding B&W APS film. I have a Minolta APS camera that would see a lot more use if I could get B&W film locally.Thanks! I've been buying it off eBay. I see three auctions now for it; check out this link: http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&catref=C12&satitle=Advantix+B%26W&sacat=4201%26catref%3DC6&bs=Search&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=98926&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=
Gabriel M.A.
09-11-2006, 09:38
That's so funny, Doug. I say "funny" because I gave that same camera to my girlfriend's dad for Christmas a few years ago, and he really likes it. I then "upgraded" him by giving him my Pronea S kit. Turns out he still likes the Elph.
I'm considering getting the APS adapter for my Coolscan...hmm.
Ronald M
10-01-2006, 17:35
Zooms have barrel and pincushion distortion at opposite ends and are slower.
Here is a shot ruined by distortion and fixed with PTLens,
Al Patterson
10-01-2006, 18:20
This is hard to answer, as I have both types. I have a weatherproof Pentax 90WR that I used before the rangefinder bug bit me. I guess my choice would depend on the weather. If it's nice, take the CL, if it's not, take the 90WR. The downside is the Pentax lens is so slow you need 400 speed film in daylight....
BillBingham2
10-01-2006, 19:07
I would go fixed. I had an R-1 and loved it. For me the key was speed of focus, while my R-1 was not great, it was much faster than my wife's zoom pentax.
If money was not an issue, the buy the Leica CM. The lens is said to be great. If money is an issue, I would go with a Fuji Natura S: Compact AF Film Camera with 24/1.9 Lens for $300 from Stephen @ Cameraquest. It is said to be a poormans GR-1.
B2 (;->
celerystalksme
10-01-2006, 21:37
you're already bringing the Canonet G-III 17...you don't need another fixed lens camera. so bring a zoom. if you think you'll need something a big more wide angle than the 40/1.7 on your GIII, get something like a Olympus Stylus 100 Wide (28mm-100mm). other zooms to consider are the yashica t4 zoom, leica cm zoom, contax tvs II/III, rollei qz35w/ qz35t, etc etc...lots of decent zoom cameras out there...
also...for the zoom camera, you might consider getting a digital camera...
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1
10x optical zoom (35mm-350mm)
Zoom up 50x with digital zoom
Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens
Weighs 7.5oz (your GIII is 22oz)
there are other, better digi-zooms as well. the TZ-1 has a bit of shutter lag and limited manual controls...but there are others that might suit you better...
richard_l
10-02-2006, 00:31
Just something to consider...
With the cameras you mentioned (Contax, Leica, Ricoh), the fixed focal length versions can be close in optical quality to some of the professional lenses made by Zeiss and Leica. (For my purposes, the 40mm Summarit on my Minilux was as good as the 40mm Rokkor which I'm using in my Leica rangefinders. The 40mm Sonnar on my little Rollei 35 pocket camera is no slouch either.)
Richard
ClaremontPhoto
10-08-2006, 13:52
Consider the Fuji Natura. CameraQuest has them in stock now, and there's information on their site. I think they're $300.
IMHO a zoom P&S is a good second body to a QL17 which provides you with the fast normal lens.
I'll second this opinion.
Personally I like stepped zooms and then I come to idea about wide/tele P&S - there were many of them produced. Maybe Ricoh TF-500/900. Choose either setting and be there.
Spyderman
03-08-2009, 03:09
wide/tele P&S
Olympus AF-1 Twin
http://images.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=tbn&q=http://www.olympus-global.com/en/corc/history/camera/popup/image/pop38_af1t.jpg&usg=AFQjCNHLptSMDK3UoBBItS5EUFiBXIxAXA
35/3.5 and 70/5.6 in one body
Bought one recently, but didn't have time to try it yet.
ClaremontPhoto
03-08-2009, 04:13
Zoom lenses are for movie cameras only, and even then used very sparingly.
A zoom will always be inferior to a fixed focal length lens.
Having said that, I do like my Zuiko 28-48mm wide zoom on my Olympus OM2 every once in a while.
StanSmith
04-22-2009, 02:28
P&S zooms are just too slow. Many are are f/6.8 at the long end.
John Bragg
04-22-2009, 10:29
How about the Olympus Stylus Epic with 35mm f2.8 fixed lens ? I bought the Mju II (the equivalent UK model) for a rediculously cheap price and it is a little pocket gem..
Fixed could have more rapid action - but very few p-n-s with primes (even less, if we consider the otherwise desirable ones) ever had a solid lens, and once motor extension, AF etc. are the limiting factor alike, that advantage gets lost. Optically, modern, modest range zooms usually are no worse than primes (my mju V is as good as my mju II, and both are in the same quality range as decent 80's vintage SLR/RF primes, as long as we disregard distortion), so it is a matter of taste whether you'd rather have a bit of zoom or one or two stops more speed.
Sevo
I like Fuji Zoom Date F2.8 (I like shorter Japanese name better - Silvi). Switched on, it stays on 24mm setting, and has Quick Shot mode - single button switches camera on and puts AF to fixed distance, working for most shots (it's at wide lens setting, too, so this works). This camera has cleared my prejudice to zoom P&S's.
Took this shot in QS mode - saw them in very last moment as until this I were busy with daugter, something telling her. Once I saw policemen approaching - and they weren't too slow - pushed button, framed and then pressed release. VF is small, in fact I could frame better - had time yet.
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