Auto Focus P&S For Portraits

S

scarletfawth

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I'm after an auto focus P&S for portraits.

I've got a lot of wide / semi wide P&S's (Mju 2, XA4, Yashica T4,) and a couple of zooms, but I'm after one for portrait style shots.

I did buy a digital but that hasn't worked for me.

Any spring to mind?

Thanks for reading, Si
 
The best portraits that I have taken with a 35mm P&S were taken with a Canon Sure Shot Classic 120. I've also had good results with the Leica Mini Zoom, as well as both the Samsung ECX 1 and ECX 2, and the Olympus Stylus Epic Zoom 115. I have yet to take a portrait with the Rollei Prego 90, but from all other indications, I'm sure that it would perform equally as well.

I don't know if I would go as far as PF and say that any would be fine, you might be best served to find one that offers a "fill flash" and/or "portrait mode" option.
 
Try the zooms, or the ones with 40mm lens, like Leica Minilux/CM and numerous other offerings from various manufacturers.

You will find it hard searching for an auto-focus P&S with prime lens that is longer than 40mm. To my knowledge such a camera doesn't exist at all. Just think: if the manufacturer is to make a consumer camera with a prime lens, it'll better be of a do-it-all focal length (28-40). They have to sell, after all.
 
The Nikon TW2AF has a 35 and a 70mm lens ( no zoom!) and a soft filter that can be switched in for portraits (if you like that).

Nikon TW2AF

Another one is the Konica Z-UP 80 RC, with a 40-80mm zoom, a big handgrip for steady holding and a attached remote release

Konica Z-UP 80
 
petronius said:
The Nikon TW2AF has a 35 and a 70mm lens ( no zoom!) and a soft filter that can be switched in for portraits (if you like that).

Nikon TW2AF

Another one is the Konica Z-UP 80 RC, with a 40-80mm zoom, a big handgrip for steady holding and a attached remote release

Konica Z-UP 80
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Thanks Petronius - that's the type of thing I was thinking of.

Any other suggestions from anyone ?
 
Canon Sure Shot Telemax with a 38/70mm (two focal lengths, not zoom) f3.5/6.0. Very elegant design, other than the red lettering on the front. Auto Focus, load, wind, rewind, and a self timer. Bright framelines in the viewfinder for the two focal lengths. Want one? Consider it part of the Great Christmas Give-Away.

PF
 
I just thrifted two of these for a $1 each last week... one brand new. Gave the used one to a friend and tossed a short roll into the other but haven't had a chance to see any results yet. It really feels great though and I love that I can just turn the flash off. Only drawback so far is probably the noise. That lens is loud when it switches focal lengths.

farlymac said:
Canon Sure Shot Telemax with a 38/70mm (two focal lengths, not zoom) f3.5/6.0. Very elegant design, other than the red lettering on the front. Auto Focus, load, wind, rewind, and a self timer. Bright framelines in the viewfinder for the two focal lengths. Want one? Consider it part of the Great Christmas Give-Away.

PF
Click to expand...
 
farlymac said:
Canon Sure Shot Telemax with a 38/70mm (two focal lengths, not zoom) f3.5/6.0. Very elegant design, other than the red lettering on the front. Auto Focus, load, wind, rewind, and a self timer. Bright framelines in the viewfinder for the two focal lengths. Want one? Consider it part of the Great Christmas Give-Away.

PF
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Farlymac - that's a very gracious offer. If it stands, I'll take you up on it. Shall I PM you ?
 
Hi,

Trouble is, you'll find that anything that's decent at the wide angle setting will be great for landscapes but will be a little too sharp at the portrait end. Especially as a lot of them are opening to their widest which is f/11 or so. There's some better but a 80/90mm end of the zoom will have a small aperture, meaning great or dreadful DoF.

Great if you like every detail to show but my experience tells me that young ladies from about 8 to 80 like soft focus. And that means f/2 or there abouts on the portrait lens.

You might find a P&S that's got AF and can take a soft or diffusing filter but I've my doubts. I'd love one but only to fit a lens hood on it...

Regards, David
 
David Hughes said:
You might find a P&S that's got AF and can take a soft or diffusing filter but I've my doubts. I'd love one but only to fit a lens hood on it...

Regards, David
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Nikon L35AF, L35AF3, Canon ML, AF35M, Konica C35AF, C35AF2, and Fujica Auto 7 are among the many first or second generation AF cameras that I own or have owned that allow the use of filters. I know that there are more, some of Chinon's early entries, perhaps, and the early Olympus models will take slip-on filters. Hoods may interfere with the AF on some of these.
 
Greyscale said:
Nikon L35AF, L35AF3, Canon ML, AF35M, Konica C35AF, C35AF2, and Fujica Auto 7 are among the many first or second generation AF cameras that I own or have owned that allow the use of filters. I know that there are more, some of Chinon's early entries, perhaps, and the early Olympus models will take slip-on filters. Hoods may interfere with the AF on some of these.
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Hi,

Thanks; interesting list. I've not looked too closely at the original generation of of AF's. Mainly because those I've seen have been DOA.

And I should have mentioned my long dead Contax Tix.

Regards, David
 
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