Tiger Tales

Camera Wars

You reckon you’ve outgrown your point-and-shoot digital camera and you want to take pictures like a “real photographer”. But will a digital single-lens reflex camera with a plethora of functions you’ll never use end up being too bulky for your needs? And is it too pricey anyway?

The emergence of a “third way” has given budding snappers another choice: cameras equipped with the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system. While cameras in this “bridging” category have interchangeable lenses, there are no mirrors inside, so they can be housed in smaller bodies. They are generally less complex to use, too.

So, which camera best suits your needs?

A DSLR camera, such as the Olympus E-5 (A$2,200/S$1,700) may look good, but an MFT camera, such as Panasonic’s Lumix DMC- GF2 (A$1,029/S$1,099), is a lean competitor. We fiddle around in the dark room and come back with some results.

SIZE AND HANDLING

Here is where the new format excels. The GF2, which is touted as the world’s smallest M34 camera, weighs less than 100g. Unless you are a circus dwarf, it will fit in your hand and you can carry it in a pocket or handbag. If you want to keep your camera close at hand to take candid pics of your kids or pets, a smaller unit may be the way to go.

The E-5 is, obviously, a lot larger. However, this makes it easier to hold when shooting than the smaller Panasonic camera, and the moulded body also feels more “intuitive”.

Not only will you look like the real deal with the DSLR, you’ll feel like a pro, too.

NAVIGATION

The GF2’s smaller body means most of the controls are on a three-inch LCD touchscreen. For many users, the loss of buttons and levers that give a sense of feedback when you change a setting will be an annoyance. For others, particularly younger snappers raised in a world of touchscreens, an intuitive menu with drag-and-drop icons makes perfect sense. Taking quick shots will probably be easier with the E-5, simply because you don’t need digits like a praying mantis to use the controls.

ADAPTABILITY

DSLRs and, before them, SLRs have been around for years. This means you have access to a range of additional lenses and accessories from not just Olympus but also many other brands. With the M34 market being relatively new, your options when it comes to interchangeable lenses are considerably more restricted.

IMAGE QUALITY

Thanks to its clearer focus and production of more natural colours, the E-5 is the superior camera, but the gap in quality isn’t huge. If you aren’t shooting for National Geographic or for 30m-high advertising billboards, the GF2 will do just fine.

The absence of a mirror gives the GF2 a smaller body, but it also boosts the chances that you’ll get dust on the sensor as you change lenses, which will adversely affect image quality in subsequent photos.

VIDEO

Both camera types have video capture functions, but if you are buying either model for the primary purpose of shooting video clips, you’re making a huge mistake. Nonetheless, both have perfectly adequate motion- capture functions, capable of turning out the odd clip to e-mail to friends. What’s more, the GF2 has a nifty auto-focus function so your clips can at least remain sharp.

CONCLUSION

The GF2 may not find its way into professional studios anytime soon, but its ease of use and handy size may well prompt more than a few pros to take one along to their kids’ football games and birthday parties. For sheer convenience, it is hard to beat for all but the most high-end jobs.

And anyone thinking of moving up to a DSLR would be well advised to spend some time on training wheels with an M34 model. Hopefully, as with most technological innovations, the price of models in this category will drop as competitors enter the market.

However, the better image quality and greater range of accessories not only for the E-5, but also for other DSLRs, means that anyone who is serious about photography will one day have to move up to this category.

OR SHOULD I STICK WITH MY POINT-AND-SHOOT?

Point-and-shoot cameras are in trouble. Several years back, Nokia’s N95 emerged as a game- changer. Not only does it take crystal-clear images, you can call people with it. Since then, cameras inside mobile phones have improved with every release, prompting many people to wonder why there’s any need to carry two devices.

The upshot of all this is that manufacturers are adding more features to their cameras. Sony’s water-, shock- and dust-proof DSC-TX5 not only fits in your pocket, it can also withstand rough treatment, spilled drinks and unexpected immersions in the pool. It’s a pity if the paint job peels off after a few months.

File Sharing

Staying connected while on holiday can be tricky, what with the hassles of sending large files and the perils of overflowing inboxes. Jason Mountney has some solutions

iTwin

One of the latest technological innovations is the iTwin. This Singapore-designed gadget is like a USB drive, only in two parts. Each part is placed in a different computer, enabling the two devices to access files remotely. The iTwin can be secured so only the two nominated computers can share data. The computers can be anywhere in the world, however Singaporean users will get faster results, as this is where the servers are located. However, the manufacturers assure us this will change.

The iTwin’s big advantage is that it is remarkably easy to use. Pity it only operates on Windows.

US$99, www.itwin.com

Dropbox

Cloud applications have been the “next big thing” in the IT world for a while. Dropbox is a good example of how it works.

A big problem with sharing files over multiple computers is that creating more than one version of a file creates the risk that a user will work on an older version. Dropbox, however, updates the file on its own server, so users can work without fear that they are re-doing someone else’s work.

The other big advantage is the online backup service – a godsend if your computer or server packs it in.

Dropbox is free for the bare-bones service on small files. After that, different price levels kick in depending on how much functionality you need and how much data you are processing.

From US$9.99, www.. dropbox.com

YouSendIt

YouSendIt compresses data and holds it for a limited time, allowing a nominated user to download and expand the file at another work station. Like Dropbox, the service is free for small documents, but price plans kick in for larger files, or if you want to send multiple documents.

The application is simple. If you can send an e-mail with an attachment, you can use this service.

From US$9.99/month, www.yousendit.com