Mirrorless Cameras

[Tony]

I've been looking at Mirrorless Cameras for a while now, I know the likes of Chris Townsend have moved to using them and iv'e thought a lot about moving to the system myself, although financially I can't see it happening for a while i'm interested to hear if any of you have moved or have one and what you think about it.
I think that all of the main manufacturers have bought out a mirrorless model or a number of them so there's plenty to chose from...

 

[daveO]

At the moment the variations in mirrorless systems make it a nightmare to decide what to go for. Hopefully in a few years they'll be more comparible as they weed out the worst ones and the technology progresses. Better lens ranges and prices will be good too.

I upgraded from a bridge camera (panasonic LX3) to a Sony Nex-5R recently. I'm loving the Sony for it's interface and gadgets but so far the upgrade hasn't blown me away. I think this is more to do with how I use it rather than a fault of the camera though. Settings that worked well for the panasonic are all wrong for the Sony. The flexibility of the mirrorless is much greater though so it increases the range of shot I can take (or try to...). I wish it had a viewfinder though, the Nex-6 didn't seem enough of an upgrade to justify the extra cost just to get a viewfinder but if I'd known how much I'd miss a proper mode dial I might have thought again (oh and a built in flash would have been a lot better). Focusing works well on the screen though especially when it enlarges the main focus area but it does make it hard to get shots of moving objects close up.

Upgrading the way I did seems like a logical progression but I don't know if it works coming down from a dslr though. I guess the reduced size means it'll get used more but trawling sub menus to alter settings will probably drive you nuts. The mirrorless cameras aimed at point and shooters are great but for a more pro setup the leap in price is huge.

I just ordered a macro lens though so I'll see how this works out now...

 

[Turnstone]

I switched from the Canon EOS System (which I used for almost 20 years, 10 years digital) to a Panasonic Lumix G5 just a month ago. I used my camera less and less because I was tired of lugging around 15 kg and more just to make some nice pictures. I used my point-and-shoot more and more, but it was limiting when taking pictures of wildlife. I thought about switching to a mirrorless camera more and more, and after some of the photographers in my nature photography club switched and were satisfied with the quality I decided it was time for me, too. I was lucky to sell my complete EOS system to another person, and with the money I was able to buy the camera, different lenses to cover the range I was used to and a new pair of binoculars.
So far I am really satisfied. I still have some minor problems operating the camera, but I guess that is normal after 20 years with another concept. The quality of the pictures is with some lenses better than with my old camera, and everything is good enough for me. My camera bag now weights about 3 kg and it is a joy to carry the stuff around and use it.
I like that I can use Panasonic and Olympus lenses (and more from third party manufacturers are coming).
(And I love the new binoculars, too! So much better than my old ones!)

 

[DavidJT]

Good guide / intro here...

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/0344780582/mirrorless-cameras-a-primer

 

[brancho]

I am currently thinking of switching M4/3 I fancy an Olympus OMD E-m5.

The Nikon CSC's are OK but the sensor is small and Pentax is even smaller.The Canon system focusing is so poor its a joke.

Sony Olympus Panasonic are the ones to choose from in terms of usability and quality.

As Wayland said recently I would now choose a CSC if I was buying now.

 

[Tony]

Yeah, I've been looking at the CSC cameras as well, some very nice ones...

 

[brancho]

I missed one too The Fuji X series is also very good and you can use Leica lenses with it too.

You could also buy a Leica

 

[brancho]

Yeah, I've been looking at the CSC cameras as well, some very nice ones...

What sort of thing were you thinking Tony

Do you need interchangeable lenses?
How small does it need to be?

You can see what can be achieved with a specific camera by looking on Flickr at the Camera search facility

for instance the Olympus OMD E-m5

Or the Sony Nex 5N

 

[rhyan]

I Ditched all my EOS L lenses, 5d m3's and kit for a Fuji X Pro 1 and 3 prime lenses.

The quality is blistering, I consider on a par or even better than my old kit, it weighs nothing and is a joy to use. I know some of the Leica boys have taken a liking to the Fuji as well. I recently spent a month shooting commission in India and purposely only took the Fuji kit. Results? Fantabulous!!!!

http://fujifilm-x.com/x-pro1/en/


Or check out the fixed lenses X100 / X100s for a fixed lens (28mm equivalent f2)

http://www.finepix-x100.com