Small Cameras - Panasonic CM1, Samsung NX Mini, Nikon 1 J5, Nikon Coolpix A, Olympus E-PL9

[@ohroonoko]

The Coolpix A is a gem. APS-C sensor and that 18.5mm lens (28mm equivalent to fullframe) yields sharp images, decent DOF, and great color straight out of the camera even though I shoot RAW. Great manual camera controls but it's also fantastic as a point and shoot in program mode with Auto ISO. Terribly slow AF even after the firmware update and I would've preferred a 24mm lens (35mm equivalent, basically). My other camera is a D810 so I really like the menu and controls. Good looking camera, too.

[@icael.m]

15 years ago its all about HDR and LOW NOISE. and now that we have achieved that, we realized how much of the AUTHENTICITY from older sensors have vanished and we are longing for it.. most camera nowadays hurts my eyes from oversharpenning, oversaturation and over rendering of details

[@leadwhite1249]

I don't want to start a debate, but generally when camera people say 'Authenticity', what I hear is 'Nostalgia'. Cameras can render images in a lot of different ways, but I don't want to automatically say 'older is better'. I may prefer lower contrast, less processed images but I wouln't describe them as more authentic, just as more pleasing to me.

[@icael.m]

@@leadwhite1249when I say authentic, what I say is 1 click 1 image, but with today's technology, we all know that each photograph we took is actually a composite of many images, which mean that a photograph nowadays is not a frame of a moment but a series of photos made visible in different exposures.

[@billr6983]

I have a Nikon 1J1 with a 10 and 18.5mm lens. Found it at a thrift store for next to nothing. I found it a bit frustrating initially with having to menu dive every time I needed to change something. But now I pick it up almost every day. It can take great photos.

[@leadwhite1249]

Thanks for sharing! For some reason the J1 seems to be way easier to find than the later models (or the V1). They did add more contols at least to the J5, but once you get used to the controls, it's easiest enough anyway.

[@velvetrooster5569]

In my opinion, the Samsung NX mini is the best pocket camera ever created

[@leadwhite1249]

One of the best for sure. I switched over from using a sony A6300, and I think the samsung took better pictures and was of course way more pocketable. Shame we never got the NX mini mk2.

[@parastephkar98]

This is the video I’ve been needing! Thank you so much for it! I’m leaning j5, but I’m worried about missing the viewfinder.

[@leadwhite1249]

I think you can get used to working without a viewfinder. That's -my- opinion at least.

[@francochamps3855]

Loved the NX mini but now use the J5. The electronic only shutter would give me odd distortions from time to time, but i loved its size and that 24mm equiv pancake lens..

[@leadwhite1249]

For me, pros for the NX mini - usb charging, the 17mm lens is stabilized. For the J5 general responsiveness, and better lens choice.

[@JimIBobIJones]

I really like the idea of having a pocketable interchangeable lens camera, but all of the options seem to be worse than "premium compacts" that are available. Take the Nikon 1s. I've been itching for a J5 for a while but their lenses are dealbreakers. They seem to be much worse than the aging RX100 m4 I already have. The vast majority of them have really slow apertures. Only one lens has a f1.8 aperture and most of them have 3.5+. I am too used to being able to step down to f1.8, and even with a 1" sensor that allows for decent subject separation. If on a 1 inch you have a max aperture of 3.5 or 4.5 (depending on the lenses) what's even the point of having more granular controls? Might as well shoot with a smartphone at that point. That plus having no EVF or IBIS would be major steps down.

[@leadwhite1249]

Well, the RX100 m4 and J5 both seem to be from 2015 - there is likely no major advantage in switching for you, and in some areas it might a downgrade (as you mentioned EVF, stabilization, and probably also video). For me it's a question of which focal lengths I want to be the fastest - 24 f1.8 on the Sony vs 50mm 1.8 on the Nikon. I also get a lot of use out of the 70-200 equivalent lens, which still fits in a tiny bag. I do wish Nikon had kept going with the Nikon 1 series and offered a newer camera body with IBIS - that's what I really feel is missing the platform.

[@JimIBobIJones]

@@leadwhite1249 Good point. Body wise (barring EVF and stabilization) the J5 is actually a head of the Rx100 m4 - it has phase detect autofocus instead of just contrast detect like the m4. I also wish Nikon kept the "1" series alive - especially the V versions.

[@jadur]

Cool cameras. I’m planning to get coolpix a

[@leadwhite1249]

Thanks Isaac! Coolpix A is a great camera, especially if you can find it for a good price.

[@palashchoudhury5565]

I used 2 own NX Mini wit 9mm Lens Auto Mode wit Manual Aperture

[@nikytamayo]

Those CM1s are so hard to find for a good price!

[@18yearsoldnot]

Honestly not worth it because the battery is not replaceable - it’s an absolute heartbreaker. I owned a cm-1 as a main phone and the Leica prime lens on it is fantastic with a ton of character but unfortunately they put the battery inside the very core of the camera so even if you got a pro to replace it, it would cost you the same as a new camera system

[@nikytamayo]

@@18yearsoldnot so worse than most Androids? I'm used to the battery replacement cost on regular droids. It ruins your waterproofing, for sure, either way.

[@andxej5610]

Didn't expected someone else is using Cm1. This is my favourite camera. Do You have more photos from it? Regards Andrzej

[@leadwhite1249]

Thanks Andxej. I love it as well, and its about the most compact camera ever. I hope to do a dedicated video on it sometime soon. I have lots more photos, but mostly for shots of people (e.g from events, weddings, etc.) and I haven't figured out if they are appropriate to post online. My one gripe about the camera is the battery life - if I don't use it for a few weeks the battery will be dead (like a cell-phone), unlike a regular camera where the battery will stay charged for months.

[@andxej5610]

@@leadwhite1249 I'm looking forward for that video. And yes, battery life is poor, very poor. Even at beginning when it was new it was mediocre at most. But I still love it. Few months ago I brought it third time, no camera gave me so much fun taking photos like this one.

[@mitotv6376]

We want Sony or omnivision develop new 1 inch sensor in 20MP or 32MP so it have large pixel size in micron,, preferably above 3 or 4 microns.. it will be killers.. They already did 1inch sensor with IMX989 and latest LYT-900 but.. the density of pixel is still larger, 50MP

[@leadwhite1249]

I would like to see a 1 inch version of the Xperia 1V sensor - the exmor T. I really did feel like I could see a difference from that one - mostly in shadow saturation.

[@rafamorenoc]

Own a J5 an d a J1, a Lumix GF2 and a ricoh GR3, all small ones

[@leadwhite1249]

Great set of cameras!

[@rockyBalboa6699]

You have no Ricoh GR?? It's one the smallest camera that can fit your jeans pocket!

[@leadwhite1249]

It's mostly just because of the price. At lot of these cameras I was able to pick up cheap second hand. Also I prefer a 35 or 50mm focal length, so the GR3X would be the right one for me.

[@My-Opinion-Doesnt-Matter]

That's a cool collection, I had the CM-1, but I was a bit disappointed with image quality (and screen) compared to my 808. What do you think about the CM-1's IQ and how would you compare it to the rest of your cameras?

[@leadwhite1249]

I never used or handled the Nokia, but I find the CM-1 image quality very satisfactory in good light, and pretty comparable to my other 20MP 1" cameras. Where it falls down is in poor lighting conditions, since it has neither the computational photography of a modern smartphone, nor OIS.

[@pauldeutsch2044]

The Panasonic is a GM1, not CM1.

[@leadwhite1249]

Did you watch the video? Those are 2 different camera models - one is a small M43 camera, and the other is a cell phone.

[@alphatoinfinity777]

Sometimes I still rock the Sony Rx0ii and people ask me what that is. 😂

[@leadwhite1249]

Does that work as a proper camera for photography, or it super finicky? I even heard of a few folks trying to use the DXO One as a standalone camera.

[@hunterjones7036]

Sony HX80, 18mp Zeiss 30x zoom!

[@leadwhite1249]

Well, it's definitely small! Are you happy with the image quality?

[@ericd1084]

Are any of these good at video?

[@leadwhite1249]

The Olympus does 4k, the Nikon J5 has decent 1080p. Neither have mic jacks.

[@user-st4rp9eq4j]

Where is your camera you are filming with stqnding as you are looking up instead of looking into the lens? I use an Canon EOS M10 love it it is small good film quality for what I need if I film at all.

[@leadwhite1249]

The camera is on a mount attached to my desk, but I'm probably glancing over to my computer screen a lot to double check the video feed or the script.

[@majaisakszon1475]

Nice typo in the tittle ====Samsing.

[@leadwhite1249]

Just like Canin, Nikin, and Fiji - all the top camera brands.