What mirrorless to buy for mountain hiking?

<p>I am looking for a small mirrorless camera to take on mountain hikes in my local area. I have the Nikon D800 and several lenses but since i have a shoulder that not work so well its to bulky to drag around.<br /> Me and my father had the panasonic gx1 but he was unlucky and had an accident with it, so we are looking for something new.<br /> I liked the size of the gx1, but when i processed the image files in raw I felt that i often had to do some noise reduction because there always seemed to be some digital noise/grain even at iso 100 - 200.. But perhaps that was just me comparing it to the D800?<br /> <br /> The fact that i felt that on the gx1 from panasonic makes me hesitate on the gx7? Will it be like that to?<br /> I now comparing theese to the Nikon D800 makes it rather unfair for the panasonic.<br /> <br /> So does anybody have any camera to recomend or personal experiences with some alternatives.<br /> The price range should be in this range i think 0 to 1100 - 1200dollars<br /> <br /> <br /> I am considering the sony a6000, but i have read that the kit lense is bad? Is it really that bad?<br /> Also on the List is the Olynpus Em-10 mark 2.<br /> I have also looked at the Fuji x-t10 .<br /> <br /> I have got some raw files from the olympus, but when i look at 100% i think there is some grain/pixles/noise on the sky and in the pictures generally. <br /> People say Fuji have great cameras and lenses, but if your not used to it the colors are a little weird in the start?<br /> The sony i saw people said had a bad kit lense? Dont think i have money to buy one more lense in the bugdet. <br /><br /><br>

Her are a picture i shot when i hiked with the panasonic gx1 <a href="http://i0.wp.com/www.teigen.be/blogg/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Girls-on-Troll-Tunga.jpg?fit=1024%2C684" target="_blank">http://i0.wp.com/www.teigen.be/blogg/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Girls-on-Troll-Tunga.jpg?fit=1024%2C684</a><br>

One with the D800 had a friend as a sherpa <a href="http://i1.wp.com/www.teigen.be/blogg/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/September-12.jpg?fit=1024%2C683" target="_blank">http://i1.wp.com/www.teigen.be/blogg/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/September-12.jpg?fit=1024%2C683</a><br />So it will mostly be pictures like this and landscape and views of mountains, i avreage 2 hikes a week, so the light often changes so I like to have somthing with me when i Hike, so the panasonic was great in that way, but not so great when coming to quality.<br /><br />I dont need a camera that i can use on high iso, it does not need to be weather proof. But i want good file quality. I need to be able to zoom a little, so prime is not on the table.<br /><br />So hope somebody have some recomandations, if you have som pictures taken as examples or some raw files you could show it would be nice.</p>

<p>Maybe an Olympus E-PL something? Have a look:</p>

<p>http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Mirrorless-Digital-Camera-14-42mm/dp/B00MCWSZ88/ref=sr_1_7?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1458169136&sr=1-7&keywords=olympus+camera</p>

<p>I love the Micro 4/3 format, although I do not use those cameras at present. Admittedly it's about as small as I'd want to go in a sensor. But the image quality is very good, from what I have seen. At least at the lower ISOs.</p>

<p>I'd recommend either the Panasonic FZ1000 or the LX100. Both are excellent.</p>

<p>Lars,<br>

Last summer I backpacked through Yosemite's wilderness for 54 days. I carried a Nikon D800 and Olympus EPL5. The EPL 5 I used with either the 17 1.8 or 45 1.8 lenses. Here are some examples. Next time I go on any epic adventure, I will only take the olympus! <br>

http://www.yosemitecollection.com/bishop_marcus_gallery/</p>

<p> </p>

What are you looking to spend? If you have the budget, a weather resistant kit would be nice for hiking, like an X-T1 with

the 18-135.

<p>Fuji XE2 and kit lens(18-55). Cheap, really good picture quality. Upgrade to XT-1 for faster action but same picture quality.</p>

<p>Lightweight cameras for travel and hiking are always a compromise, and part of that compromise is image quality. So you're not going to get a little mirrorless camera that gives you files comparable with the output of a 36MP full frame DSLR.<br>

I suggest you shop around among the M4/3 and APS-C offerings and get one that feels good, with a zoom lens that suits your needs. I use an E-PL3 with prime lenses and I would say that generally on these cameras the primes outperform the zooms (and they're smaller), but as you're compromising anyway, might as well get a zoom.</p>

<p>Thank you for the advice, i have looked at some raw files and found out that i am going to try this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1149206-REG/fujifilm_16471574_x_t10_mirrorless_digital_camera.html<br>

<br />I tought the image quality of the fuji ap-c was a little better than the olympus 4/3 sensor. <br />I am allowed to unbox it and test it and get a feel for it , and if I dont like it I can return it. They also have a casback deal on it so its a little cheeper her in norway. (Not cheeper than bh) but I live in norway and we dont have US prices on camera gear. But we at least have 5 year warranty. </p>

<p>Lars - I too have a D800 and love the quality of the files. I also go up mountains and have an ageing back. A few years ago I bought into M43 (Olympus OMD EM5) for long hill days. I've never regretted it. The file quality is not as good as with the D800 (as Brian has said) but that's a compromise I'm prepared to make. My experience is that the results from the OMD are hugely dependent on the lenses; the Olympus primes 45/1.8 and 75/1.8 are superb. The Lumix 20/1.7 and Olympus 12/2 are OK. All are much better than the kit zooms. (I've not tried the pro-grade 12-40/2.8). So a good kit is 3 or 4 primes plus a M43 body. Again, in sometimes bright mountain light I much prefer having an EVF to using a screen for composition and focusing. IBIS can also help in either poor light or high winds.</p>

<p>Carry a camera small enough to fit in a fanny pack, and cheap enough you can afford to replace it if, no when, you crash. Everything you carry must be balanced (centered) and fixed so it doesn't swing around, otherwise that "day" may happen sooner rather than later. I suggest you carry it in front rather than behind your back. If you land on your back, an hard object there may damage your spine.</p>

<p>the Fuji XT10 with the 18-55 kit lens checks all the boxes. it's easily the best kit lens for mirrorless. XE2 is a bit smaller and cheaper but not as full-featured. they both have the same sensor though, so IQ should be equal. </p>

<p>Thanks for the advice guys :)</p>

<p>When I want small and light, I take my Panasonic GM5 with the 12-32 zoom. Always surprises me how good the pictures are for such a little package. EVF not great, but it least it's built in. I also have the small Pan 35-100. Same for that lens.</p>

<p>I find that the image quality of modern smartphones are very good. While its not dedicated camera quality and no raw files, it can be sooo much more convenient.<br>

<br /> If you have an iPhone 6 or later, why not just get a lens adapter? Much lighter and compact than any camera. You probably are already carrying it anyway. Why add more weight and bulk by adding another thing to carry around.<br>

<br /> Take a look at Zeiss lens adapter (http://lenspire.zeiss.com/en/zeiss-and-fellowes-brands-launch/) as an example. Just think about it bit differently....</p>

<p>Micro 4 3 not only has great small cameras but amazing really tiny lenses. My EM-5 with the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 or the Oly 45mm f1.8 is easily jacket pocketable. And the cheap kit lens is really surprisingly good and also really small.</p>

<p>I have the Sony A6000 and several lenses. </p>

<p>The smallest kit lens is not a pro lens but should be fine for casual photos. Great photos on a NZ tourist trip with that lens.</p>

<p>If not that, then try one of the small primes. I like the 24mm f/2.8 Sony/Zeiss, but it's not call.</p>

<p>I have a Sony NEX 7, which is close to the A6000 in size. It came with the 18-55 OSS kit lens and I don't care what people say about it, that lens produces some very sharp images. I have no complaints about its performance. Perhaps the only drawback to it is it extends out from the camera about 3" or so, so if you're looking for a very flat lens, this one won't work all that well in that respect. But the way I see it, if you're hiking up in the hinterlands, you'll most likely want to be taking more than one lens with you anyway. So you'll be having to deal with some bulk regardless. There are plenty of light, compact telephoto zooms out there, many that are of very good quality, so it seems to me you could have a decent hiking photo kit with just two lenses. If you want to add an ultrawide, then Samyang makes a selection of them, and they're all supposed to be quite good.</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>I have the Sony A6000 and several lenses.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>So do I, and they all are primes that fit the Sony E Mount. <a href="/photo/18214143&size=lg"><em><strong>Here</strong></em></a> is a shot I got yesterday in the Uwharries, a very low (but also very old) range east of Charlotte, NC.</p>

<p><a href="/photo/18214180&size=lg"><em><strong>Here</strong></em></a> is another shot from yesterday's outing.</p>

<p>With 24 mp, an electronic viewfinder, and many external controls, the A6000 is no slouch. It has an APS-C sensor and roughly matches the image quality of the Nikon crop sensor cameras, of which I have three.</p>

<p>--Lannie</p>