Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras

Forums › Digital Imaging › Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras - thoughts?

lchiu7

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#108200 26-Aug-2012 09:58

I have a Nikon DSLR with a couple of lenses but it hardly gets used because of its size. I hadn't really thought about mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras till I saw the new Canon EOS-M the other day and played around with it.

It has a nice size, good optics, 18 megapixels resolution and can record movies in Full HD 1920x1080 resolution at 30, 25 or 24 fps with stereo sound, using the highly-compatible MOV format and H.264 compression.

While it doesn't have a flash apparently it will come bundled with the new AAA-powered Speedlite 90EX though I forgot to ask the Canon to confirm that.

Looks like something I could carry around more often and so be able to take better quality pictures on a whim versus those that a camera phone takes.

Any guys with mirrorless ILC's have any thoughts or experiences on the genre?

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#677050 26-Aug-2012 11:00

I like the idea of a compact camera with a large sensor, I'm just starting to look at the options myself. For me the big requirement is a lens that's very wide - on holiday I do lots of landscapes, around 16mm on full frame. I doubt Canon will give away the flash, you'll be paying for it one way or another. Having a hotshoe's nice, and if you have a Nikon flash you can probably use that - in manual mode, or maybe (unlikely) some kind of auto mode.

Fuji have a camera in this space, the pro 1 I think it's called with a cheaper version about to be released. Nikon has one too.

Jaxson

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#677069 26-Aug-2012 12:00

Is this new Canon EOS-M a full frame sensor or will lenses still be subject to the 1.6ish 'magnification' factor?

timmmay

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#677071 26-Aug-2012 12:07

Almost all "large sensor" compact cameras are APS-C sized sensors around 20mm, not 35mm. That's still MUCH larger than most phones and compact cameras.

There's no crop factor as such as that just describes what happens when you use a lens designed for a larger sensor on a smaller sensored camera. They use the own lens system, so no crop factor, but 30mm on that system won't look the same as 30mm on 35mm system.

timmmay

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#677072 26-Aug-2012 12:09

Here are some I know about

EOS M

Nikon J2

Fuji X1 Pro

Sony NEX F3

Leica X2 (expensive)

alasta

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#677088 26-Aug-2012 12:36

I currently have a Nikon D90 but have previously tinkered with a Panasonic GF1. The extra portability of the mirrorless camera is fantastic with wider lenses, although the size difference becomes less significant with telephoto lenses. At the end of the day though I still prefer my D90 because the auto-focus is much more competent at tracking moving subjects, and the ergonomics are better in that there are dedicated buttons for all main controls which naturally sit right by your fingertips.

One advantage of a smaller camera is that it's much easier to get underwater housings for them. If you have any interest in shooting around water or in bad weather then I'd suggest that you look into the availability of underwater housing for different models before you decide what to buy, as a lot of people don't consider this.

jonherries

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#677117 26-Aug-2012 14:18

Just bought (Monday) the Sony NEX-5N with twin lens kit for $999 at JB Hifi.

Great camera.

lchiu7

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#677148 26-Aug-2012 15:53

jonherries: Just bought (Monday) the Sony NEX-5N with twin lens kit for $999 at JB Hifi.

Great camera.

That's a great deal and from the reviews looks like a great camera.

Out of interest is the external mic input standard or proprietary?

Thx

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jonherries

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#677154 26-Aug-2012 16:14

Proprietary i believe, as it fits onto the accessory port, same place as flash/viewfinder.

60fps video at 1080p is pretty good though!

Jon

timmmay

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#677170 26-Aug-2012 16:43

The Panasonic Lumix GX1 looks pretty nice too. It's about US$500 at Amazon, and it's micro 4/3 so it can take a range of lenses. No built in IS, but the GX2 may arrive later this year with that.

Batman

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#677180 26-Aug-2012 17:25

are there any disadvantages with mirrorless? eg with regards to

- depth of field
- sharpness/smoothness/picture quality
- etc?

i'm about to invest in a canon 5d mk ii ...

timmmay

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#677184 26-Aug-2012 17:44

Compared with the 5DII you'll find mirrorless cameras to have less DOF and inferior picture quality due to the smaller sensor and more limited lenses, slower to focus. They do video well, they're compact, and they're cheap.

Personally, I'd like to have both. I have full frame pro DSLRs and I want a little camera for travel with, but something with decent image quality at least.

Jaxson

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#677215 26-Aug-2012 18:50

timmmay: but 30mm on that system won't look the same as 30mm on 35mm system.

That's where it gets annoying trying to work out how wide a lens/package really is on any particular system.

timmmay

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#677220 26-Aug-2012 19:14

Angle of view would be far more useful.

Jaxson

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#677245 26-Aug-2012 19:53

timmmay: Angle of view would be far more useful.

That get's a +1 from me.

Currently I/(they?) try to link it back to the 35mm film world. It throws a whole new scheme in the mix if the 'viewing angle' of a particular 'mm' lens is different again in the 4/3s / mirrorless world. I might have to try some googling to see what's what on that side of things.

lchiu7

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#677289 26-Aug-2012 21:13

timmmay: Compared with the 5DII you'll find mirrorless cameras to have less DOF and inferior picture quality due to the smaller sensor and more limited lenses, slower to focus. They do video well, they're compact, and they're cheap.

Personally, I'd like to have both. I have full frame pro DSLRs and I want a little camera for travel with, but something with decent image quality at least.

The ILC camera would not be as good as the full frame 5D II to be sure but they are really different beasts.

I have a APS-C Nikon 40DX DSLR and I think the Sony would be as good as that given it uses the same sensor size abd is 15mp versus the 10 of my camera. But I do have a 80-200 mm lens with the Nikon which to get the equivalent with the Sony would be quite expensive.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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