Which Mirrorless do you have and/or want?

<p>I guess I'm an mirrorless "enthusiast" here. So, I figure I'll generate some mirrorless content and posts as that is what really counts in web forums like PN. I do like small cameras, but then all cameras are -more or less- like a box to me. I use them to help me create pictures, plain and simple. I am fond of reading about mirrorless here and there. But I have little interest in doing -in-depth- camera reviews or blogging about them myself...</p>

<p>What mirrorless camera(s) seems interesting to you? Do you already have one or are you maybe considering one and why? I'll start.</p>

<p>I have a Nex 5 and M4/3rds. I like the Nex because it has an APS-C sensor, nice high ISO IQ and has awesome features such as incamera panaroma and focus peaking. I also have a modest M4/3rd setup for their smaller, faster, more numerous lens line up. Either of my setup aren't full, so I'm not settled in either camp for good. Having said that, I like mirrorless due to the small size so, I have no desire to add any big zoom or heavy ultra fast lenses. For me, mirrorless cams are all about the right compromises. Sure, I can lug around my d700 if I need ISO 6400 or just pocket my LX3, say, if I need to pocket it. </p>

<p>What's interesting to me in their respective order:</p>

<p><strong>Olympus OM-D:</strong> Yes, I remember my OM and how much I liked it:)<br>

<strong>Sony Nex 7 or 5N: M</strong>ost likely my next purchase, if I decide to settle with Nex.<br>

<strong>Olympus EP3: M</strong>y stand by camera of choice, if nothing pan out.<br>

<strong>Fuji X-PRO 1:</strong> Let's see how they fixed up the X100 short comings or not. It has great lenses but just a little too big for my taste.<br>

<strong>Fuji X100: </strong>I might be interested if the price drop enough, I don't like the slow AF, but I love the 35mm(equivalent) f2 FL and fuji colors. I can get used to the quirky menu, I'm sure.<br>

<strong>Nikon V1</strong>: Fastest AF of all (but all are pretty quick now if you don't need tracking) and long battery life but lousy menus and little or no relevant camera feature. Again, might be interested if the price is right and the lens line up pans out.<br>

<strong>Ricoh GXR</strong>: Love the ricoh's UI and ergo, best in the business IMO but I'm not big into UI like some as I can adapted to most UI. Again, if I find one at the right price. <br>

<strong>Samsung NX:</strong> Great lenses and great prices I hear, need more consumer friendly or enthusiast marketing? <br>

<strong>Panasonic GX1: </strong>Not really interested, maybe need to check out more.<br>

<strong>Canon G1X: </strong> Not really interested, maybe need to check out more.<br>

<strong>Pentax Q:</strong> Not really interested, maybe need to check out more<br>

<img src="http://static.zooomr.com/images/10150297_31413f8849_o.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="467" /><br>

<em><strong>...dirty but quick size comparison (left to right) Widelux, Nex 5 w/16mm, GF3 w/14mm , EPL3 w/17mm, DSLR d700 w/17-35mm</strong></em></p>

<p>What do you have? Which one are you considering? No?, why not? PN needs mirrorless generated content! Do it for PN! Alright...yeah ,my other half is kickin' in...They are just tools, boxes. Just helping out PN here:)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>The only mirrorless (working) cameras I currently have is a Panasonic P&S and cellphones... And I'm OK with the size, slapping mirror and weight of my DSLR, so I am not utterly pushed to get into mirrorless with interchangeable lenses. I'm following developments, but at the moment more as a gadget freak than somebody who is ready to pull the wallet out and get something.<br>

But since you invite thoughts, here are my considerations.</p>

<p>The Fuji X-Pro 1 really is the most interesting to me (*), if it wasn't for the price - as is the X100. I like it Fuji chose to launch the X1 with primes. If I get a camera like this, I'm not going to be tempted by a slow kitzoom, I'm looking for a system that could give me ~35/50/85mm small(ish) fast(ish) primes. Hopefully the next X model will be more affordable - then I might actually consider it. The NX200 with its affordable and small primes is also interesting, to me. Here in Europe, the lenses really are a relative bargain.<br>

I considered the Olympus E-PM1 some time ago, when it was on offer here for a really good price. What put me off was the interface - too much a P&S, at which moment I decided I could just as well do with the P&S (which is lighter, smaller and less expensive to replace), since adding the wanted primes was going to add quite some cost, and still leave me with a user interface that doesn't look too great to me.</p>

 

<p>Somehow I think that Nikon may have got quite some things incredibly right with the Nikon 1's. When it launched, the sites and forums were all lamenting how the sensor wasn't larger.... but at least, the system is small, and a large portion of the market does not care about sensor size. And more important, it's fast, and I honestly believe that counts for many people. Most people I know grow tired of P&S because they're slow - slow to AF, slow to take a picture, slow with continuous shots. It's not aimed at most people here (experienced photographers, most used to rather direct interfaces), but well, us here, we're a niche market. The 1 system doesn't seem perfect, but it does fix some real-world issues. For other people. It's not for me.</p>

<p>My next camera.... will probably be a newer DSLR body. Unless the P&S breaks first.</p>

<p>______<br>

(*) Does the Leica M9 count as a mirrorless? In that case, that's the most desirable - easy to state since my budget is nowhere near Leica money.</p>

<p>Just haven't seen one yet that's talking to me, Leslie (enough to buy one, and a suite of lenses and new compatible flash to go with it ...). But I can see that at some point there will be something that I'd gladly count as an emergency backup or really-traveling-light device, when a big light-gathering lens isn't appealing anyway. We'll see.<br /><br />In the meantime, my primary mirrorless camera is made by Apple.</p><div></div>

<p>I have a Samsung NX100. I am considering either the Sony NEX 7 or Fuji X-Pro 1 (the best looking camera I've seen in years!). Basically, I'm standing pat to see how things shake out as I am not an early adopter type. Scuttlebutt has it that Samsung has a rangefinder-type camera in the pipeline as well.</p>

<p>Truth be told, for all it's ergonomic missteps, the NX100 is quite good and, IMHO, the best bang for the mirrorless buck right now. For relatively small $$$, it has a nice feature set- APS-C 14.6MP, a great OLED screen, easy-to-use interface, I-Control lenses and adaptability to my fleet of MF Canon FD, Nikkor, Pentax SMC M42 and Olympus lenses. Shooting RAW, the image quality is surprisingly good. My EOS 7D is better but not by much at <strong>far</strong> greater cost and weight. Even the Samsung kit 20-50mm zoom is impressively good. The thing slips into a jacket pocket, is as light as a feather and totally silent which you just got to love. A few rubber Gecko strips on the body helped tremendously with the handling of this slick little body.</p>

<p>This camera will hold me for a while till things shake out a bit more. I have to say it's the most fun I've had with a camera in years.</p>

<p>Well, I have the E-PM1 and have to say it's an absolutely brilliant camera. Although the controls are simplified as Wouter states, it isn't really an issue to me. In fact, I would consider it partially why I like it. It's uncluttered, easy to use, and does everything I need. When I'm using it, chances are I'm not carrying a meter, so I'm in either aperture priority or shutter priority. Just turn the wheel on the back to adjust the exposure, and I'm good to go. It's fast, compact, easy to use, and gives much better results than my LX3 did.</p>

<p>That said, if adding to the stable (it will be a long time before I replace the E-PM1), it will either be a new m43 (maybe that OM-D if rumors are true), or the Fuji+primes. But, I'm not sure any of those would serve me better than a dedicated DSLR (currently D7000). More than likely, the D700 or rumored D800 is in the future.</p>

<p>But yes, mirrorless I would choose are the OM-D, if rumors hold true, or the Fuji. The NEX just don't work for me.</p>

<p>Panasonic GX1, but I'm looking forward to seeing if the Olympus "OM-D" rumors are true.</p>

<p>The Fuji's are the most interesting to me right now and the ones I can't wait to get my hands on. If an EP3 with better handling came out, I'd be excited. The GXR, while a unique design, has been great for me. I like the pentax Q, but I don't know that I like it enough to buy one. Particularly with the limited lens lineup. The Sonys and Nikons I need more time with before I feel I could have a educated opinion.</p>

<p>I wouldn't mind picking up a second hand NEX when one comes down to my price league! Like the look of the Pen series but can't justify buying one.</p>

<p>I have one mirror by Canon and five mirrorless, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic in reverse order of purchase. But when I think of the true mirrorless instead of the coy connotations I have one. One which doesn't figure in your list ... shame on you Leslie.<br>

Whatyer got against the G3? :-)<br>

Matt ... I got an interesting snap recently ... a woman applying make-up using her freind's live view digital as a 'mirror' ...at least as a mere male I thought it fun :-)</p><div></div>

<p>I have a Panasonic G1 right now and I'll have to wait and see how the Olympus OM-D is before I would make my next purchase. With all the hacks happening on the GH2 I wouldn't mind picking one up just for some upgrade on the stills side but the videos I've seen from it make it a great combination. Now will Panasonic come up soon with a GH3 that would make it more interesting for me.</p>

I have a Panasonic G2 and an Olympus EP1. Both offer unique features which makes me use both. I like the Fuji mostly because of its close resemblance to a rangefinder camera. However, I doubt I'll be purchasing anything in the near future since what I have is working for me.

<p>And now I have the 014140 lens for the G3 it feels and looks like a proper camera with reasonable weight like a small SLR. The nearest I can get to a bridge camera with a larger sensor capable of giving reasonable results at 6400 ISO ... what a change from sticking to 100 ISO for fear of noise or whatever.<br>

Note ... my FZ bridges I discovered are the heaviest in their range, 700g ... I guess I am a SLR lover at heart but enjoy the digitalness of the M4/3 and FZ50s as opposed to the cumbersome DSLR. The FZ may be a 'DSLR-like' camera in some respects but to me they are the 'digital camera' for a serious worker.</p>

As you know Leslie I have a Sony 5n, EVF, 3 emount lenses and the upgraded flash. It is the most exciting thing I have done since I got into the wedding business in the late nineties with a complement of Bronica gear. It is also quite frustrating. The camera with the 1.5 16.1 MP sensor makes really good pictures. The software, which Sony needs to correct, drives me nuts. I know what menu "format" is in but I must have to page through thirty different items to find it as I did an hour ago. Nothing is alphabetized or numbered. It's hard to know with six different menu pages where anything is. There is no real logical order. The camera does have programmable soft keys so I don't have to search for most used items when I am actually using the camera. I hope they do something with a software update. Having said that the camera is loaded with features that never existed in my Canon or Bronica equipment. I was doing some fifty shot panoramas in camera this afternoon. There is in camera HDR. There is anti-motion blur that takes multiple pictures to reduce noise at high ISO. There is focus peaking that borders subjects that are actually in focus with red edges. This is very valuable using the LCD or the EVF to focus. I had to learn to shut off the AF illuminator, go to center focus among options, and enable manual focus (DMF) on the menu to achieve focus accuracy. The EVF and Flash don't co-exist. Because of the unique mount you use either one or the other. Although the LCD is fine in low light when one usually uses flash. I have a 16mm pancake that makes the camera pocketable barely. The 18-55 is a little less than four inches long and 55-200 about an inch longer. The EVF is quite good. It shows actual exposure and the camera focuses full time when you are in picture taking mode. I have shot some competitive swimming at 10 frames per second. It only focuses on the first frame. I got some decent pictures. The camera does close to four frames per second when focusing in each frame.

 

Don't ask me to give the damn thing back. After twenty plus years of dragging a twenty to forty pounds of camera bags around I can shoot this thing with one hand and the bag I carry weighs less than three. I do my swim meets with Canon and a 70-200L lens because of action that I need 2.8 for. But I intend in the next meet to shoot more with the 5N. I am way more inclined to take this thing with me when I go out. It does not sit at home much like my Canon stuff is doing these days. The damn thing is sitting on my lap right now because I can't remember all the new terminology that Sony has introduced and the weird names they give to some of their functions. It has changed my photo habits.

<p>I'm thinking about canning the Pentax stuff I own and slipping into something a little smaller that I might actually take with me on business trips, etc, instead of a film camera. I love my K-x and lenses, don't get me wrong, but I really miss my Olympus E330 and 14-54, what a wonderful combination. I will probably pick up an EPL-3 shortly, or might wait a little while longer to see if the Pentax rumors flying around materialize. The Sony to me, after handling one for a while, feels awkward and the menu system is turrable. I think m4/3s is still the bee's knees, so will most likely stay there, pick up the EPL-3 and a couple of small primes and I'm good to go.</p>

<p>I have the Nikon P7000 mirrorless digital. My first digital camera was the Nikon Coolpix 990 mirrorless digital. I want the new Canon G1 X mirrorless digital, but I can't afford it this year.</p>

<p>Maybe I don't use the many features or functions on the Nex as others do but I really don't have much qualm with their menu/interface. I use A mode, center focus with matrix metering and I often just switch apertures, ISO and -/+ all via buttons w/o going into the menu. And if I do go into the menu...the first menu with 6 choices is rather logical and easy but within those menus, it takes maybe a little scrolling 10-15 seconds at most. Maybe I have good digit dexterity? I encourage anyone interested in the Nex to really check its menu out before dismissing it. The 5n has really nice IQ at such a small size...It has the same sensor as the d7000/K5/A580, if you didn't know. Awesome IQ and it's $699 with a decent kit zoom! The 5n and Epm1 is IMO the best bargain in the mirrorless (except maybe the Nx and p&s) realm... </p>

<p> </p>

<p>I have an E-PL1 I bought recently. It's really quite good, and it was $400 as a 2-lens kit, which is kind of nuts. Got some off-brand lens adapters and I can use my manual focus primes with sensor stabilization, so it's pretty much ideal.</p>

<p>I've owned a lot of mirror less cameras (and it's boring to list them out here) but none of them has interchangable lenses. None of the MILC is interesting to me (neither are their prices) because I don't want the sensor to get dirty all the time. With interchangable lenses, even if you never change the lens, the sensor will soon get dirty again. On the other hand, all my mirror less so far don't have good enoigh IQ and controls.</p>

<p>Now, I am so excited about the G1X, its configuration exactly fits what I want, even the lens range and speed. I will definitely get it when it comes out (or a little later for the price to go down a little). I am a little concerned that my friends would not call it a mirror less. In that case, I guess, I'll call it my CC (Companion Camera)</p>

<p>I inherited a Sony DSC-R1 that I use once in a while. I like the top-mounted LCD which can be used as a waist-level finder and the fact that the camera is absolutely quiet. Nice focal length range too (from 24 to 120 in 35mm equivalent) with excellent optical quality. Use of the camera is pretty much limited to base ISO and static subjects - definitely not a camera for action shots.</p>

<p>Of the current mirrorless cameras, the Nex-7 and the Fuji X Pro1 have piqued my interest. I will not consider any camera with a smaller than APS-C-size sensor and without an eye-level viewfinder - and the only reason I am interested at all is because I would like to use my Leica M lenses on a digital body without having to spend a fortune on the M9 or deal with the shortcomings of the M8/M8.2.</p>

<p>I bought a G1 when they first came out. It's nice but it blows the highlights in almost every shot. You really have to dial back the EV compensation and then the pictures come out flat and lifeless.</p>

<p>OM-D will have to be Full-Frame (24mmx36mm) to interest me.</p>

 

Leslie. There are 23 different functions each having a sub menu in the Setup mode on the 5n. That's a lot to go through. I have covered some of them with soft keys. There has been enough complaint so that I believe Sony will do a software update. This does not dissuade me from recommending the camera at all but all equipment can be improved. I think this is a result of Sony expanding the capabilities of the software in the 5N and 7N. I have found that even though I have over twenty years of experience with seven as a professional in my own business I have had to learn a lot new to operate my two month old 5N. This is because of the truly advanced capabilities that have been stuffed into this little camera. There are 24 functions in the shoot mode. Many of the features in these menus are not found on other cameras and I believe they represent a significant step forward in camera design. I am really enthusiastic about this camera and because these many features are so diverse and useful I am still an old dog trying to learn new tricks. They portend the future of the field, I believe. As I said earlier I do photography for the pictures as opposed to reveling in features, but these new features really help with the pictures. They are surpringly good.<div></div>

<p>I want one that has a native Leica M mount and a GREAT focus confirmation light that works with any lens attached to it. I like Fuji's approach to the "Leica look". If they had made an interchangeable version with these features, I would snap it up.</p>

<p>The Nikon V1 gets too much bad press. Here's the thing. You set it on "A" so you can adjust the stops a bit and change a thing or two in the menus, maybe adjust the exposure comp a bit then you go shoot. That is what this camera does better than most. It gets it right without your input.</p>

<p>You want control? You don't need much control with this gem. Simple is good. Let go, enjoy.</p><div></div>

<p>EP-2 for me - great camera that rivals my D3 for image quality, even surpasses it in some respects</p>

<p>I recently bought the Panasonic GF-3 with the new 14-24 lens that retracts when the camera is off, making it a very portable camera. The lens zooms using a switch rather than a turn of the lens which makes for smooth video, and it is stabilised to boot. <br>

They dropped the thumb dial and hot shoe, but you can use a different dial which I find convenient enough. The camera is smaller than the predecessors and is very noticeable when you hold it. Carry a gorillapod in your bag and you've got a good kit.<br>

I carry it on small outings when I would normally be camera-less because of the size of my D300 kit, so I'm glad I bought it. I was initially planning on getting the 20mm 1.7 but I'm pretty happy having just the zoom.</p>