So, back on point, I’ve used Darktable, and I like it. It’s a good replacement for Lightroom, without doubt. But since I don’t use Lightroom these days, because Photoshop is where all my photo post-processing is done, its existence doesn’t swing the O/S issue for me. If there was a genuine alternative to Photoshop, though, I’m certain there’d be a different outcome. But GIMP isn’t it!

http://www.darktable.org/

I haven’t used the windows alternatives, so I can’t really compare, but I’m happy enough with it.

Most of the new ones offer wi-fi too, which I find a tad gimmicky, but then (in theory) you could be holding up the camera aimed at the subject while Y.O.H. relaxes in a chair or in the car giving you instructions while composing the shot on an iPad or Android tablet..

The Panasonic models are pretty impressive from what I hear, with the GH2 and GH3 having a very strong following with the pro-ish video crowd, as their firmware can be hacked to unlock the full potential of the chip, giving it capabilities & bitrates on par or better than professional video cameras many times their price. However size wise they are getting up there with DSLR’s so no real advantage.

I know Sony is a bad word in your household and I’m not a big Sony fan by any means, but their NEX- series of cameras are amazing in the bang-for-your-buck dept. I really wanted to get a Pentax system camera since I have a LOT of Pentax glass but their product (K1) was big, ugly & bulky with no where near the features for the same money. The Sony NEX-7 is particularly impressive with its thumb & forefinger wheels to control shutter/aperture, 20MP image size and compactness. I just tell myself that the camera dept must be totally separate from the sleazo’s over in the Sony-BMG dept

As far as megapixels go though, the only real advantage I see in anything over 10MP is if you’re going to be printing poster or wall mural size prints from them, or if you do a lot of serious cropping.

Some Canon P&S cameras are also a viable DSLR alternatives, especially the ones that can take the CHDK hack, which, if you are not familiar with it, adds a multitude of features found only on more expensive cameras, and resides on an SD card so is totally isolated from the cameras native firmware. It is highly customizable in the code, I use an intervalometer script to take time lapses and also take pictures every x seconds while I have mine in flight.

The form linked to worked OK on one host, but not when I changed hosts: server-side PHP settings over which I have no control, I’m afraid. So I just ditched the form altogether, and hopefully provided enough instruction about how to modify an exemplar kickstart file that it’s not really needed.

We looked at mirrorless compacts: toyed with the Nikon V1 and J1 for a while. ToH has an arm problem which makes holding cameras with no viewfinders at arms length in order to be able to frame things via their LCD displays a major problem, though, so in the end, anything that didn’t have a traditional viewfinder was just not in contention. That ruled out the J1, for example. Not sure now why the V1 got booted off the list of possibles: the feeble-looking flash, I think.

Also loked at the Fujifilm X100S, which is a really nice camera, but (we thought) just a tad expensive for what it is, and there were reports of strange image artefacts in some of the original release cameras (now fixed, apparently… but it is allegedly quite difficult to tell ahead of time which are old release with the problem and which are new with the fix). In the end, that just all sounded a bit too hard.

Happily, for once, I don’t get to decide these things (although I did have to lay down the law at one point: no Sony products in this house! Companies don’t get to produce rootkits and get away with it, in my view. But that’s just me.

In the end, it was image sensor size wot won it: the D600 is full-frame, 20 bazillion gillion pixels (or something) and produces images of such clarity that ToH considered the hefty price tag worth it. Who was I to quibble (I think I muttered something about “I could buy two decent laptops for that price!”, but when it was pointed out I just had, it was time to zip it and pay up!)

My problem with DSLRs is as you sort-of imply: they are giant “Come and mug me!” advertisements, not easily slipped discretely into a pocket. I have my doubts about traipsing around some of the seedier streets of Paris or London with one giving me neck-ache all the while, that’s for sure!

I packed a smaller DSLR on one of my trips to Oracle World in San Francisco a few years back, after the first days walking around after sessions were over it stayed in my room for the duration of the conference save for a couple of short expeditions. When pedestrian traveling/sight seeing I found a DSLR just big enough to be a pain and bought myself a decent point & shoot – but they can be lacking too.

Recently I have taken up aerial photography & videography and needed something light & compact with DSLR quality for stills and better than average video, 60 fps is a must for aerial so footage can be slowed to 1/2 speed while retaining smoothness. Enter the world of mirrorless compact cameras, same sensor & IQ of many of the prosumer grade DSLR’s, as much manual control as you want (although DSLR’s still do it better IMHO) and fantastic video, often surpassing video in many costlier DSLR cameras. I settled on a Sony NEX-5N, with full 1080-60p video and APS-C sensor with 16MP it was perfect for attaching to one of my aircraft (which I have yet to do), but I find myself using it more and more for everyday photography instead of my DSLR. With the 18-55mm kit lens is is still compact enough to slip in a jacket pocket, and with a 16, 19 or 30mm prime lens on it it is no bigger than many point & shoot cameras – which believe me is a real advantage if you’re going to be slogging it around on your person for extended periods of time.

In any case, enjoy your trip later this year & happy 50th next year, I passed that milestone 6 years ago & if you think time has passed fast up till now – just wait..

While I totally agree with your points, I am curious how a business should be expected to establish proper ownership rights to get media without paying full price. It seems a fairly deep and fundamental problem to me.

Well… the article is over two years old, so maybe I can be forgiven a bit. Needs a refresh: there are other options out there. Watch this space!