Upgrade from Canon A95 to Nikon p5100?

[buzzard12]

Considering upgrading, though a pertinent question. I am not unhappy at all with the A95 and have got some great results with it. Wondering though whether it is time to upgrade and am thinking Nikon 5100...
Realistically how much improvement will this bring to my photos and what camera features will I gain of real practical use?

[john-henry]

Considering upgrading, though a pertinent question. I am not unhappy at all with the A95 and have got some great results with it. Wondering though whether it is time to upgrade and am thinking Nikon 5100...
Realistically how much improvement will this bring to my photos and what camera features will I gain of real practical use?


Hello Alan, Good to see you back on the forum.

I've been using a P5000 for a few months now and the only advantages I can see over the A95 is a larger screen with good definition and a few more Mpix, the mpix are not a great asset unless you want to produce large prints. On the debit side it does not have the customisation features or the tilt and swivel screen of the A95 - both very desirable for digiscoping. Image quality is very good on both cameras but the P5000 can produce white balance colour casts and I find there can be noticeable 'bleeding' of colours especially greens.
I will continue to use both cameras as I do find the P5000 has less noise at ISO 100 but in good light at ISO 50 I prefer the results of the A95.

Regards

John

PS. sorry for the delay between answering your question and the other A95 one I've been watching the WC Rugby, great game it was too.

[buzzard12]

Hello Alan, Good to see you back on the forum.

I've been using a P5000 for a few months now and the only advantages I can see over the A95 is a larger screen with good definition and a few more Mpix, the mpix are not a great asset unless you want to produce large prints. On the debit side it does not have the customisation features or the tilt and swivel screen of the A95 - both very desirable for digiscoping. Image quality is very good on both cameras but the P5000 can produce white balance colour casts and I find there can be noticeable 'bleeding' of colours especially greens.
I will continue to use both cameras as I do find the P5000 has less noise at ISO 100 but in good light at ISO 50 I prefer the results of the A95.

Regards

John

PS. sorry for the delay between answering your question and the other A95 one I've been watching the WC Rugby, great game it was too.

Thanks for the reply John. Best wishes for the Rugby World Cup final, enjoy the game...

[Robert L Jarvis]

Alan, what scope are you using? I ask because I use an A95 with a TSN4. Whilst I can get very good results, when it gets dull then noise can become a problem with the limited ISO range. The P5000/5100 seem to be very good and many are now using them. I am starting to think of changing and have wondered about the Nikons but I am also trying to weigh up the Canons A630/640 if I can sort out the 4x zoom. My son has an A620 and that gives far better performance than my A95! I am not sure yet about the latest canon offerings either.

Keep us informed of your progress.

[buzzard12]

Alan, what scope are you using? I ask because I use an A95 with a TSN4. Whilst I can get very good results, when it gets dull then noise can become a problem with the limited ISO range. The P5000/5100 seem to be very good and many are now using them. I am starting to think of changing and have wondered about the Nikons but I am also trying to weigh up the Canons A630/640 if I can sort out the 4x zoom. My son has an A620 and that gives far better performance than my A95! I am not sure yet about the latest canon offerings either.

Keep us informed of your progress.

Using a Leica Televid 77. Results are generally good. The light here in Sweden is helpful, usually very good.
The A95 has been a great camera for me, so easy to operate and the swivel screen is a major plus. The ISO issues are there though and am very tempted to get the p5100. Will always have the A95 to fall back on, certainly wont be letting it go...will keep you posted as requested.

[Texun]

The Canon A640 is a fantastic little camera. The only potential drawback is the full zoom extension of the lens tube. If you use no more than 2X zoom(which I find to be enough)then there is no problem. My adapter is shown attached to a Nikon 82ED scope in the "Adapters" forum. The A640's 10mp resolution permits serious cropping, which is really another form of zooming isn't it.

[Robert L Jarvis]

Texun, just ahd a look at your adapter, very neat, well done. IMO when sorted out the A640 is very good.

[jc001]

Nice adapter Texun,works a bit like mine,a piece of split bendy tube that holds the apo 62 eyepiece and a95 lens adapter firmly together,fastens with velcro at both ends,and has 2 holes cutout of the plastic for eyepiece zoom adjustment.
I did have screws like on yours but found the split and velcro make it easier to add/remove.

I cant decide if any of these new cameras will be a big improvement on my trusty old a95 + fuji f810 ?

[Skean]

John,
Just came across your quote about the P5000 and the 'bleeding' you noticed especially with greens. This picture I took of a Chat immediatly came to mind.
http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL732/3230416/17672879/284447711.jpg

I had this shot printed 11x14 and I must say the effect you speak of was evident!
Skean

Hello Alan, Good to see you back on the forum.

I've been using a P5000 for a few months now and the only advantages I can see over the A95 is a larger screen with good definition and a few more Mpix, the mpix are not a great asset unless you want to produce large prints. On the debit side it does not have the customisation features or the tilt and swivel screen of the A95 - both very desirable for digiscoping. Image quality is very good on both cameras but the P5000 can produce white balance colour casts and I find there can be noticeable 'bleeding' of colours especially greens.
I will continue to use both cameras as I do find the P5000 has less noise at ISO 100 but in good light at ISO 50 I prefer the results of the A95.

Regards

John

PS. sorry for the delay between answering your question and the other A95 one I've been watching the WC Rugby, great game it was too.

[john-henry]

John,
Just came across your quote about the P5000 and the 'bleeding' you noticed especially with greens. This picture I took of a Chat immediatly came to mind.
http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL732/3230416/17672879/284447711.jpg

I had this shot printed 11x14 and I must say the effect you speak of was evident!
Skean

Hi Skean,
I always zoom an image up to 200% in Photoshop to have a good look at it, this really shows any flaws in equipment etc. Most of them don't matter unless you want a large print or to blow up of part of the image.

Regards

John

[oldbaldman]

Fascinating reading for me as the a95 is acamera suggested to me as a good starter.

But please help a complete beginner. What is the "noise" problem referred to on this and other digiscoping threads?

cheers

dave

[postcardcv]

But please help a complete beginner. What is the "noise" problem referred to on this and other digiscoping threads?

'noise' is the digital equivilent of grain on film, the higher you set the ISO (equivilent flim speed) the more noise you get. The way a digital camera displays this noise varies greatly, low noise at high ISO is a real plus as it mean your low light shot will be better.