Here’s a phrase you don’t hear often on Shoot With Personality: I got a new digital camera!
I’m going to dive right into the back story/technobabble portion of this blog entry: I’ve been researching dSLRs, because the time has come for me to buy a new one. Through my research, I’ve become increasingly drawn to mirrorless cameras (mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras/MILC.) These cameras lack mirrors, as the name suggests. You compose your photograph by looking at a rear LCD display or, in some cases, electronic viewfinder. Leaving the mirror out generally allows for a smaller, quieter camera. Though there are some MILCs being released that have the look and feel of a small dSLR. Some MILCs, such as the drool-worthy Fuji X-pro1, rival their mirrored dSLR big brothers in terms of image quality.
Since what I’m looking for at the moment is something to fill the gap between a point-and-shoot digital and a dSLR, I actually happened across a MILC bundle that really piqued my interest. The bundle paired a Samsung NX1100 [plus 20-50mm lens] with a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 tablet. Lightroom 4 comes standard with any NX1100 kit, too. A tablet was already on my wish list, and considering that this particular bundle cost less than the NX1100 kit normally runs on its own, I decided to take the plunge!
One of the things about the Samsung camera that’s REALLY cool is you can use the built-in Wi-fi to send pictures straight from the camera to the tablet. That makes it extremely easy to then post the photos in blogs, send them in emails, and, yes, post them to Instagram. That’s one of the many things that I think would make this camera/tablet a wicked combo with which to travel.
I procured my Samsung bundle last week. This meant that I had it for Labor Day weekend, which provided a nice testing ground for my NX1100. I had a wide variety of photographic opportunities over the long weekend. On to the test images!
Friday…
Snaps from my quick visit to the always photogenic Otherlands coffee shop in Midtown
One of the coolest things – a vintage memorial to MLK, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy
Perfect scooter parked out back at Otherlands
Worm that crawled out of the flower box on the patio
The flower box from which the worm crawled
Susan and Scott’s wedding rehearsal at the beautiful Grace-St. Luke’s church
Sunday…
Polaroid/Impossible Project shots from Susan and Scott’s wedding
Sunday morning still-life
Just to show you that the Samsung takes selfies to the next level, so you can zap ’em over to the tablet and upload to Instagram with the greatest of ease
Showing off the corn muffins I make weekly for my family’s catering company
Monday…
Labor Day snapshots
My niece finished her waffle and left it impaled with the fork this way
Labor day lunch: I made seitan cutlets, homemade BBQ sauce, and oven-friend green tomatoes
LOVELY vegan blackberry cobbler I made for dessert
Found this random cluster of red berries near the field behind our house
(I found out that it’s called “jack-in-the-pulpit)
My Bronica ETRSi, just hanging out on the barbed wire fence
Walkin’ on broken glass
Of course only time will tell how well my new Samsung NX1100 fits into my normally analogue lifestyle, but I have to say that I’m likin’ the results so far! Now, if only I can get my hands on some of the super sweet prime lenses from the NX line…
P.S. I couldn’t find an awful lot of hands-on reviews of the NX1100 online, and most of what I found was written by bloggers who are compensated for their reviews. More power to them, but if you happen upon this blog entry whilst searching for information about this camera, know that I am not one of those paid bloggers!