Is it a good choice - Mirrorless

[Michael J.]

For now I keep my D5100 and maybe later this year I am going for a D7100 or a D7200. I wanna keep on DX cos I got lots of great lenses. As Roy sais, I can use my DX. Not sure I can use the Sigma 10-20 on D7200 but this is not a problem I can go after for a Nikon 10-24

 

[gqtuazon]

I have found all systems to have short comings. With that said, I think the most important advice is to do a lot of research. When changing from a mainstream system, you need to be very certain you will stick with it or be prepared to take a bath at resale.

One of the benefits of Nikon (or Canon) Fx and Dx is if I didn't like a lens, or frequently changed gear, I'd only lose about 30% when I sold it. This is not the case with any other system, you could lose 50% or more.

With that in mind, I had to be very dedicated to my decision to switch to Olympus. The new Holy Trinity of Oly glass will cost me about $4,000, much less than Nikon's, but with greater loss if I change my mind. I am very happy I switched, but some are not.

I'm trying not to give any fan-boy advice so I won't embellish the positives which would surely incite my Nikon friends . Research everything!

Excellent advice Rick. Every system has their own pros and cons. The flaws that you may discover later on may disappoint you and could lead to resentment.

 

[gqtuazon]

How is the AF on those MILC's? Beside my D700 which has excellent AF accuracy and speed, I have a Fuji X100s, excellent camera but AF is slooooooow and in low light even impossible. I heard the D750 has even faster AF than the D700. Are there any MILC's with such AF? A friend of mine has a panasonic GM7 (besides his nikon stuff) and says it has fast AF. Don't know if that's true.
AF speed is beside IQ my biggest concern.

Panasonic GH3 an GH4 are the better models and excels on video. The IQ on stills have room for improvement. Sony has a pretty good AF system but like what Rick have previously motioned, do a lot of research before you dip your feet. Learning on the system works can become a challenge if you are not familiar with their controls.

 

[Ad B]

Hi,

I switched to mirroless nearly 3 years ago.
I had a Canon 5D MKII. In June 2012 the Olympus OM-D E-M5 came on the market.
I was overwhelmed by its looks and its performance. And of course it weight and size...
But in the years I missed quite a few very nice photos, using the E-M5.
Alltough the AF was very fast, its accuracy wasn't good enough.
I bought its successor, the E-M1. But even this didn't do it.
A full day visiting the Photokina Cologne, trying a lot of different camera's, didn't make me smile.
The months after, I tried several very good camera's.
The E-M1, which I had...
The sony A7, A7R and later the A7II. The Fuji XT1, several times. The Panasonic GH4.
All very good, quite to very fast... but all, not the accurasy of a DLSR, certainly not at a long tele end.
As you all now, in that time the new Nikon, the D750, was presented.
I tried him once... saw his ISO capabilities (it's a beast!!)... and I knew it, despite its weight and size, THIS IS IT!!(for me...)
Maybe a few mirrorless camera's are faster, but deu to its accurasy, with the D750 I could take every picture I want to take.
The making of this choice kept me busy for 6 months!
I have the D750 for 1,5 month now, together with the 24-120 f4 VR and 70-200 f4 VR lenses.
Also a Kenko 1.4 PRO 300 extender, which works with both lenses. I probably want to buy the Tamron 150-600, later this year.
Now I take and can take every picture I want to take.
I conclude: mirrorless isn't the replacement for a DLSR for me. Maybe in several years...
It needs more development, to make it as accurate as a DLSR. That's the main point for me.
...and if we could take that high ISO pictures as with the D750, convince in that time, maybe I'll sell the D750. But for now, absolutely NO!

Ad B

 

[AC016]

Sorry for my late reply and for causing a churn in this discussion.

To make it clear, Fuji does have a descent system and their prime lenses are also nice without a doubt. I only have a Fuji X10, so I guess that doesn't count much as a well-seasoned Fuji user such as yourself.

Re: Lens line-up. My statement holds true when comparing the Fuji lens line up compared to Nikon and Canon and I also stated that it is pretty good.
Fuji offers no advantages in size and weight from 50mm and above. Observe how quickly the lens size and weight grows as the focal length increases. It has reached the point where the Fuji lenses are about the same size and weight as the Nikkor DX lenses. This is true even with mirrorless fullframe such as the Sony A7 series. The primary advantage of a small and light system as implemented in the mirrorless cameras is lost once the focal length go past 50mm. The exception to this is the m4/3 system where light and compact is possible even beyond 50mm such as the Panasonic 12-35mm f2.8 and 35-100mm f2.8 zoom lenses.

The Fuji RAW file may have indeed improved but in my opinion is still no where close to the RAW files of the current D8xx or even D750 FX cameras as far as recovering shadows. If you are interested, I can send you a link of a under exposed RAW file taken by my D800E and manipulate it to bring it to proper exposure (from near dark image and removing the shadows). You can then compare the flexibility of that Nikon RAW file and compare it to your Fuji to get a first hand comparison.

To be clear, I am not putting down Fuji or any other system. You just so happen to prefer Fuji, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Of course, everything that I post is subjective and is open for further discussion.

First, let's get something out of the way. There is a right tool for everything. Therefore, depending on what you are doing, choose the right tool for your application. Not everyone needs a DSLR and not everyone needs a milc. You have to ask yourself what you are shooting and how. I can only speak of my XP1 against the Nikon DSLR that i have had and the only con, is the AF. No, it is not as fast and snappy as my D7100 was. But.... i don't need that fast and snappy AF for the majority of the photography that i do. With that being said, i have done just fine doing my plane spotting, some sports and birds with my XP1. It's all a personal choice based on what your needs are as a photographer.

It's silly to compare Nikon's or Canon's lens line up to a camera system that has only been around for a few years. It's like saying Ford has made more cars then Tesla. It's stating the obvious. If the X mount lasts as long as the F mount, i can guarantee that Fuji will have loads of lenses for "collectors" to choose from. As it stands now, they have a very good line-up that would please the majority of photographers. Further, keep in mind that Fuji is mimicking the range finder cameras; therefore, the lens line-up will be somewhat different from that of a DSLR system.

In regards to weight, it seems that everyone thinks that weight should be the driving force behind switching to mirrorless. That is not the case and was not for me. There are a plethora of other reasons to consider. Though, if you would like to talk about weight, why solely concentrate on the lenses? Nikon D7100, body only = 675g. Fuji X-Pro1, body only = 450g. That's a saving of 225g. I have done this before, many times and overall (in my case), my MILC will be lighter. Even if the Fuji lenses may be heavier in some instances (by a couple of grams??), they are not "plasticky" like the DX lenses.

Comparing an FX sensor to APS-C sensor... really? Fine, why don't we compare a medium format, Phase One IQ180 digital back with 80mp to the Nikon 8XX or 750. Kind of ridiculous, no? If you want to do comparisons, let's stick to apples to apples. I know for a fact that the X trans sensor is great with noise and when doing ETTR, you can get a ton of detail from the shadows. It is far ahead of the 16mp APS-C sensor found in any other camera. RAF files have a ton of flexibility. You just have to know how to work with them and with what tools.

 

[Michael J.]

So far I can say, I love my Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II. I am just delighted how fun photography can be with the right gear.

 

[Danno]

So far I can say, I love my Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II. I am just delighted how fun photography can be with the right gear.

I am glad to hear that Michael... That is all that really matter isn't it. Being content with what we have purchased. I will say the photos you take with the new equipment are as excellent as ever.

 

[Michael J.]

@Danno, thanks for your kind words.


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