I have been pretty happy with the Canon S110 point-and-shoot I got a few years ago, but now the poor lense has been scratched to death and it is really showing in photos. It didn't take long for the lense caps to stop working and I'm pretty sure some grit got under them too (ouch), and besides that I'm admittedly hard on my camera(s) and can improve on that myself.

Either way I've been thinking about replacing the Canon and a buddy suggested a mirrorless camera. The balance between more compact size and lighter weight plus having a bigger sensor and lenses sounds attractive for something to take along on hunting and paddling trips. I am already used to looking at electronic screens and not through optical viewfinders too. Here's some pics from a camping trip last September to give you an idea of what I'd be shooting: http://imgur.com/a/7s7ac (I am the young guy with the pike and bass)

I haven't been able to try one out for myself yet and intend to (won't buy anything without trying for myself first), but has anyone used one in the field? Any reasons I shouldn't? Budget will probably be $400-500 and I'm okay with not having the latest and greatest. Can go with another point and shoot if that is still best for my use, but I'm curious.

Thanks!

A lot of people are using mirrorless cameras, and most cost a lot more cash than what you want to spend, unless you can buy one that is used.

What I would do is to take my time to put more money aside, because a mirrorless camera and lens can be as expensive as the average DSLR. The same for the lenses for such a camera, since they have a Pro version of each lens. For example, if you want the Pro version of an Olympus 7-14mm wide angle lens, the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 7-14mm f/2.8, with a $200.00 discount this month it costs $1,099.00.

If you buy a similar lens but non-Pro lens, it's relatively cheap, however.

The problem with rushing into a purchase of a cheaper product, camera in this case, is that you end-up spending a lot more money later on. For example, sooner or later you would want to buy some of the pro lenses.

I bought the Olympus lens above as a present to my wife because she does not have a wide-angle lens for landscape photography, and for taking photos of the Auroras. A fast lens like that allows for using lower ISO speeds when photographing the Auroras.

I have several mirror less cameras, and they are great.

But, hunting and every day use, I prefer cameras with a fixed lens.

Currently I carry a Panasonic TZ90, which has a 30X optical zoom, and takes great pictures, in addition to great video up to 4K.

It is also small enough to find in my pocket.

Another camera I carry is the SONY RX 10 III..

This one has a one inch sensor and a 600mm optical zoom.

I arrived at the mirrorless option from the other direction - got sick of lugging around my big digital slr and the 100-400 lens I most commonly used for wildlife pics (Canon).
I settled on the LUMIX GX8 and am well pleased with my choice after 8 months.
Not sure how this fits your price range ?
Although I have one of the Panasonic lenses which are reasonably priced, I also went with the Leica / LUMIX 100-400. Its shorter and lighter than my old gear but not by much !
So far it hasn't sucked up any Zambian dust which was a problem with the Canon.
I cart it around in the vehicle with me every day out in the bush and it hasn't let me down.
Image quality is very good. I tend to use the manual focus as I'm often shooting thru some degree of foliage which confuses the hell out of autofocus sensors.
The other units I considered were the Fuji and Sony if I remember correctly.
I wouldn't return to the old style units again.
Best of luck with your decision.

quote:

Originally posted by Ridgeman:
I arrived at the mirrorless option from the other direction - got sick of lugging around my big digital slr and the 100-400 lens I most commonly used for wildlife pics (Canon).
I settled on the LUMIX GX8 and am well pleased with my choice after 8 months.
Not sure how this fits your price range ?
Although I have one of the Panasonic lenses which are reasonably priced, I also went with the Leica / LUMIX 100-400. Its shorter and lighter than my old gear but not by much !
So far it hasn't sucked up any Zambian dust which was a problem with the Canon.
I cart it around in the vehicle with me every day out in the bush and it hasn't let me down.
Image quality is very good. I tend to use the manual focus as I'm often shooting thru some degree of foliage which confuses the hell out of autofocus sensors.
The other units I considered were the Fuji and Sony if I remember correctly.
I wouldn't return to the old style units again.
Best of luck with your decision.

A lot of the mirrorless cameras are dust and weather sealed. And so all their Pro lenses. I am amazed at the IQ of the photos my wife takes with her Olympus M5. The lens I posted above is not necessarily small and light. But let me tell you...it's fast and focus is completely silent. You can tell that it's a high quality lens the soonest it is on your hand.

But I used heavy canon cameras and lenses for wildlife and for taking photos of the Auroras.

Some of the Sony cameras are very expensive, but incorporate a top of the line FF sensor.

If you are stepping up from a point and shoot, I would suggest looking at the Panasonic GX850 or Olympus PEN E-PL8. These should be in your price range with a 14-40mm kit lens. Or you can go the used route for a model a couple years old. The technology is mature, so you aren't losing much, if anything, going older. As an example, my Olympus mark 1 EM5 has the same image quality as the mark 2.

Both offer a lot of control if you want it, and also have good auto modes for simple shooting.

The kit lens on both is pretty decent and better than any P&S lens save the top end large sensor P&S cameras.

These are very similar spec cameras. The important differences are the Oly has in body image stabilizations, and it is good, but it doesn't do 4K video. The Panasonic needs stabilized lenses, which make them a little bulkier in general, but it takes really good 4K video.

Oly and Panasonic lenses work on either camera since they are m4/3 mount. The only thing to remember is that without in body stabilization, the oly lenses aren't stabilized on the Panasonic body. Although, both make a good selection of quality lenses.

A few years ago I split off and built a small Olympus system on the OMD EM5 for backpacking and travel. Choose lenses carefully, and you get a really solid system that weighs half or less than half as much. My Canon 300mm F2.8 weighs 6 pounds on its own, no body. My Oly EM5 with a 100-400 Leica lens attached weighs 3.5 pounds.

Sometimes the larger sensor, and associated gear is needed. Other times, you trade it off for portability.

Jeremy

I really appreciate everyone's advice here. Got some thinking to do.

quote:

Originally posted by farbedo:
If you are stepping up from a point and shoot, I would suggest looking at the Panasonic GX850 or Olympus PEN E-PL8. These should be in your price range with a 14-40mm kit lens. Or you can go the used route for a model a couple years old. The technology is mature, so you aren't losing much, if anything, going older. As an example, my Olympus mark 1 EM5 has the same image quality as the mark 2.

Both offer a lot of control if you want it, and also have good auto modes for simple shooting.

The kit lens on both is pretty decent and better than any P&S lens save the top end large sensor P&S cameras.

These are very similar spec cameras. The important differences are the Oly has in body image stabilizations, and it is good, but it doesn't do 4K video. The Panasonic needs stabilized lenses, which make them a little bulkier in general, but it takes really good 4K video.

Oly and Panasonic lenses work on either camera since they are m4/3 mount. The only thing to remember is that without in body stabilization, the oly lenses aren't stabilized on the Panasonic body. Although, both make a good selection of quality lenses.

A few years ago I split off and built a small Olympus system on the OMD EM5 for backpacking and travel. Choose lenses carefully, and you get a really solid system that weighs half or less than half as much. My Canon 300mm F2.8 weighs 6 pounds on its own, no body. My Oly EM5 with a 100-400 Leica lens attached weighs 3.5 pounds.

Sometimes the larger sensor, and associated gear is needed. Other times, you trade it off for portability.

Jeremy

Very good points, Jeremy.

Just bought an Olympus M.Zukio 7-14mm f/2.8 as a present for my wife, and I was amazed by its built quality. Expensive, but that's the price to pay for good lenses.

The Olympus 12-40mm PRO is also an excellent lense. Mounted on a PEN-F, it is a damn fine combination of portability and professional quality in my opinion. The 25mm F1.2 PRO is also a crazy good lense.

I recently upgraded from a 5D Mark II to a Mark IV. Terrific camera but couple it with a 24-70 F2.8 or even a prime L lense and you are hauling a load around. The Olympus is so much more convenient and easy to carry that it's the camera that ends up going with me most of the time.

quote:

Originally posted by Ray Alaska:
Just bought an Olympus M.Zukio 7-14mm f/2.8 as a present for my wife, and I was amazed by its built quality. Expensive, but that's the price to pay for good lenses.

I've read pretty much only good things about the OM-D E-M1 II, rugged build, weatherproofing, etc. But one feature I found interesting is it seems that it has the fastest autofocus of any existing mirrorless camera.

Combined with its other features, that is a very good thing.

A couple of months ago I bought a small pocket camera, a used Nikon Coolpix A. Used because they don't make them anymore. It doesn't have any of the features people seem to want, like fast autofocus, zoom lens, wifi connectivity, etc. On the other hand, it takes good pictures, which is what I was after, and it really does fit in a pocket.

Mt. Ruapehu in New Zealand




Taranaki Falls





I suppose a Leica Q is even better (and it won't really fit in your pocket), but I spent a lot less on this obsolete Nikon.

Fantastic photos Wink.

Still, I tend to pick a long zoom on a hunt over ultimate quality.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Fantastic photos Wink.

Still, I tend to pick a long zoom on a hunt over ultimate quality.

I'm not getting rid of my other equipment, but I know which camera to have with me when I just want a pocket camera for general photography. The image quality on this one is as good as my D7000, maybe even slightly better.

Wink,

Great images, as always. I too have a pocket camera from Nikon that I am overjoyed with. It is a Coolpix 7100 that I've had somewhere around ten years now. I bought it specifically for situations where I didn't want to be without a camera, but also didn't want to lug my SLR gear, or couldn't. I've left little quality, if any, behind with it. Images taken with it, at a minimum, rival the quality of images made with my D7000.

TT

I read that Nikon is readying a mirrorless full frame camera!!??

They are trying to compete with Sony.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I read that Nikon is readying a mirrorless full frame camera!!??

They are trying to compete with Sony.

I think Nikon is competing with everyone, not just Sony. I know a professional extreme sports videographer who used Canon 5D cameras for years, then moved to Sony for the size and weight considerations. He regrets his move however, since the Sony is not nearly as robust or as weather-sealed (according to him). When you're working in extreme conditions, that can make a difference.

Here's what Nikon Rumors is saying:

https://nikonrumors.com/2017/1...nd-predictions.aspx/

Seems the next Nikon mirrorless is coming out pretty soon.

https://www.sansmirror.com/new...ess-teaser-from.html


https://nikonrumors.com/2018/0...er.aspx/#more-123810

So now it’s (Nikon) available for preorder. Specs look good but no hands-on reviews yet.

Prices are high, so I don't think other than dedicated photographers are going to jump on the two models available. I have so much already invested in Nikon F mount lenses that until some detailed reviews of how well the mount adaptor works I won't be jumping on this. But, if the mount adaptor works well it will allow me to obtain image stabilsation for all my non-VR lenses, which would be very interesting. All my high end image quality fixed focal lenses (28, 85, 105mm) do not have VR. With in-body image stabilisation on the new Z cameras it might even improve my odds for sharp pictures with my existing lenses. This is a significant option for improving results.

I saw the reports.

I would imagine it will be at least as good as the D850, in which case, it will be fantastic!

Pre-ordering the Z6 with the 24-70mm lens and the FTZ adaptor as a bundle is probably the way to go, unless you really need 45 megapixels. In France this would cost around 3.050 Euros. For the 45 MP Z7 it jumps to 4.500 Euros for the same bundle. That's a lot more than most would pay, but I bet they will still be hard to get for awhile.

While the Z6 is "only" 24 megapixels, it does have a 12 frames per second continuous high speed frame rate. For sports and birds-in-flight that is significant. Even the 9 fps of the Z7 is more than most need.

These cameras ostensibly target professional photographers and have a few "pro" attributes that may not be attractive to the amateur, advanced or not. For instance, XQD memory cards. Unless you have a Nikon D5 then you probably don't use XQD cards, which are expensive, hard to find, require XQD card readers, etc. But I think "pros" will nitpick the fact that there is only one card slot. They're pretty used to having two, with options for back-up, or file format differences, like RAW on one card and jpeg on the other. Also, no built-in flash, which is not unusual on a pro camera, but almost always exists on a high end advanced amateur camera (like my D810). Another pro nit-picking point will be battery capacity. The electronic viewfinder uses battery power and the number of shots per battery charge will be much lower than on an optical viewfinder camera. Since no one has tested one yet in real world conditions, I'm sure there will be other nit-picking points, like color bit depth in high speed frame rates, focus mode options and performance compared to existing DSLR pro cameras, the fact that Z mount lenses with f/1.4 or f/2.8 for zooms they will want won't be available for 3 years and who knows what else.

I forgot another pros-won’t like of the Z6: it has an anti-aliaising filter (also known as a low-pass filter). Sharpness fanatics won’t like that.