Buying an excellent mirrorless compact camera 2015

Makeahome1

I have been trying to research some of my options available when buying a new camera. I am looking for something not bulky but quite neat.

My budget is approx €1000

I am not looking for a camera with lots of lenses options.

- I would like my general purpose lense which would give excellent picture quality, so for weddings, family events, parties, work functions & events, just top notch in capturing the event really.

- Another lense I suppose for great zoom. I am a teacher and I maintain the school website so I would like a good lense for school matches, sports days, pieces of art work & other events.


- I need excellent picture quality as I plan to use lots of photos for framing in my own home. I will also be putting this on display in school so for framed photo's and creating photo albums etc.

- I would like good sound reduction
- very good video quality (not my main priority though)
- Not bulky - very neat camera but covers all the functions....( good battery, grip etc)
- I also like the RETRO look but again this is not priority


Some of the camera's I had been looking at were;

Sony Alpha A7 or Sony A6000, -
The Olympus Pen E-P5 or OM-D E-M10 or
FUJI of X-T1 or X-E2

I would really really appreciate some good advice from those who really know their photography and possible direct me to an excellent camera that would suit my needs

Thanking you

DaireQuinlan

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8939058598/dpreview-recommends-best-interchangeable-lens-cameras-for-under-1000?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

mc_grens

I know its not one of your options, but I got an xpro 1 in December- I can't speak highly enough about the Fuji x series system. It's reinvigorated my enjoyment of photography to such a degree that I'm now seriously considering selling my Canon stuff, even though I originally bought it as a second, easier to carry option only.

The xpro 1 is not perfect, but as far as I can tell a lot of its weaknesses were addressed in the latest Fuji models that you mentioned. The lenses are excellent, I'm completely in love with the 35mm f1.4, and can't wait to get my hands on the 10-24 or the 14mm f2.8. I'd highly recommend Fuji.

Check out Zack Arias' Fuji guides 1-3 on www.dedpxl.com for in depth info.

Makeahome1

Thanks for replies.

Doing another bit of researching last night, Reviews on Fujifilm X-T1 seem excellent. The main negative I could find discussed with it, is the video quality????

Would anyone know more about that???


Also Anyone any thoughts on Sony A6000 or A7?


Thanks

strandroad

Makeahome1 wrote: »

Also Anyone any thoughts on Sony A6000 or A7?


Thanks

A6000 is amazing value for money and E-mount lens lineup is really good these days. Fast focus will matter for capturing sports. It looks plain but it's a solid, compact and fast camera. I'm on Nex-6 at the moment and only had borrowed a6000 for a while, but will upgrade some time soon, these cameras "just work".
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2014/05/27/the-sony-a6000-digital-camera-review-sony-steps-it-up-again-by-steve-huff/

A7 is in a different league price wise, and lenses are fewer and more expensive. Apparently focus speeds are not quite there yet but I haven't tried it myself. It's a beauty though!

gloobag

I've been using various Fuji cameras since the original X100. At first they were just a decent small camera I could take anywhere and use for snapshots and street photography, but over the years as Fuji have made improvements I've found myself favoring them over my Canon gear more and more.

I now have an X-T1 and an X100T and use them in a professional capacity fairly regularly (editorial, portrait, fashion). The weight was a major factor in me switching over. I found that I was getting terrible pains in my back when using my Canon gear (usually a 5dMkIII and 85mm f/1.2 lens) on long shoots. Also, I can fit both cameras and a couple of lenses as well as accessories in a small shoulder bag. Which means, if I know I don't need my lights for a job, I can literally walk or cycle to the location and still be confident that I won't be short changing a client in terms of quality.

Other things I love would be:

• Fantastic lens lineup. I have the 35mm f/1.4 and the 56mm f/1.2. The 56 is up there with some the best lenses I have ever used. There are also plenty of great zoom options available if that's what you're after.
• The EVF is fantastic (especially on the X-T1). Very little lag, and nice and bright.
• Manual focus assists.
• The jpeg colours.
• The in camera RAW converter.
• The WiFi capabilities.

They aren't great for video. Certainly not in any sort of professional capacity. It's alright for the odd youtube video maybe, but I would never use the video functions of these cameras if it was for a client. The quality isn't great and they suffer from awful moire issues.

There are a couple of other quirks that may put you off. The RAW files. While they have plenty of dynamic range, it would seem that none of the major RAW converters on the market can de-mosaic the files quite right. When you zoom in to 100%, you will sometimes see what's become known as the "oil paint" effect in the small details.

Capture One probably does the best conversion job in my opinion, but that's an expensive piece of software and a bit of a resource hog. Lightroom/ACR does an adequate job, but I would recommend turning off all sharpening, and then do your sharpening in Photoshop with something like Niks RAW Pre-Sharpener instead.

Also, my most hated thing about Fuji cameras, and it may sound petty, but it drives me insane. If you hit the menu button, the menus show up in the EVF instead of the LCD screen. You have to actually switch the view mode to get it up on the screen. I find that navigating menus while looking through a viewfinder is awkward and sometimes makes clients uncomfortable as from their perspective, you're just looking at them through the camera while not taking any photos and not saying anything. Considering how many firmware updates they put out with great new features, it's baffling that they haven't at least added a setting to customize this behavior.

I tried out the Sony A7 series. The cameras themselves seem to be fantastic, but I find them lacking when it comes to lens line up. Camera bodies in the mirrorless market seem to come and go quickly, so the lens line up is key to a good system that's worth investing in. In my opinion, Fuji are ruling the roost in this regard.

Makeahome1

Thanks so much for your detailed response gloobag! Just a couple of questions on it still....sorry!!

I am swinging more towards this X-T1 all the time. When I read over any of your negatives with regard to this camera, I feel it is something that you as a professional would notice and for me I don't think they would be an issue.

If I want the camera as for stated above; general all round purpose great shots from family occasions, weddings, work events etc to bring along to sports, matches, going hill walking, capturing views on holidays! (so a good Zoom lense too -i.e if I wanted to focus in on action in a match, or a child's race etc...

What Lenses Would You Recommend I Would Purchase With It? I feel for myself two would be enough. i.e. 35mm f/1/4 56mm f/1/2/

As you said the Video is not great for yourself as a professional but for myself I think it would be just perfect. It is more about the quality of photo's I want it for.

The only area of concern maybe the RAW files! But then again I doubt I would be using zoom in 100% often??? It is definitely something for me to look in to a bit more on.

The menu button seems like a bit of a nuisance alright but I would probably be ok with it if all else ticked the box. (Again in your capacity as professional it probably proves even more annoying)

With regard to the Fujifilm X-T1 Graphite Silver edition, was this the exact same? Was it released later? Was there any slight improvements?

gloobag

Makeahome1 wrote: »

Thanks so much for your detailed response gloobag! Just a couple of questions on it still....sorry!!

I am swinging more towards this X-T1 all the time. When I read over any of your negatives with regard to this camera, I feel it is something that you as a professional would notice and for me I don't think they would be an issue.

If I want the camera as for stated above; general all round purpose great shots from family occasions, weddings, work events etc to bring along to sports, matches, going hill walking, capturing views on holidays! (so a good Zoom lense too -i.e if I wanted to focus in on action in a match, or a child's race etc...

What Lenses Would You Recommend I Would Purchase With It? I feel for myself two would be enough. i.e. 35mm f/1/4 56mm f/1/2/

As you said the Video is not great for yourself as a professional but for myself I think it would be just perfect. It is more about the quality of photo's I want it for.

The only area of concern maybe the RAW files! But then again I doubt I would be using zoom in 100% often??? It is definitely something for me to look in to a bit more on.

The menu button seems like a bit of a nuisance alright but I would probably be ok with it if all else ticked the box. (Again in your capacity as professional it probably proves even more annoying)

With regard to the Fujifilm X-T1 Graphite Silver edition, was this the exact same? Was it released later? Was there any slight improvements?

There's no difference between the Graphite and the black version. They're the exact same camera.

The 35mm lens is a great all rounder. The best zoom lens in the Fuji lineup is probably the 50-140mm f/2.8. It's pricey though. There are a few other big zooms that might suit your needs, you can check them all out here: http://www.fujifilm.eu/eu/products/digital-cameras/fujinon-x-mount-lenses/

They're all decent optically, but I prefer a constant aperture throughout the zoom range, so personally I'd go with the 50-140mm (if I had the money of course).

I wouldn't worry to much about the RAW file issues. If you're a pixel peeper it might bother you, but for everyday use they're great. As I said, I use them for client work, and no one has ever complained.

Makeahome1

Thanks gloobag for your knowlege on this camera.
I hope to purchase it before the end of summer, just need to save a little more on it...

If anything else crops up or any new info, please do post as I will check in again before I purchase

Thanks again

CabanSail

Reading the OP I am worried that you may be falling into a bit of a marketing trap.

The various camera manufacturers entice people with the ability to get excellent quality photo's if you just spend a bit more money. They allow you to think that the problem with your images is that the camera is letting you down. The latest and greatest camera and lens set will solve these problems, just extend your budget a bit and you too can get photo's like these samples. If it were true there would be no need for any new cameras and professional photographers would not have any work.

The truth is that the camera you choose has only a minor effect on the quality of your images. Buying a more expensive camera will not make you a better photographer, just as buying a Race Car will not make you a better driver.

Now I do not know how skilled you are as a photographer but it seems to me that you have a lot of expectations as to what a new camera will achieve.

kelly1

I just bought the Lumix GM5. Great little camera, love it!

Apart from the size, there's also a great selection of lenses available for MFT.