Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Other Diversions › Photography › Anyone gone mirrorless?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Anyone gone mirrorless?

post #1 of 63
7/28/11 at 1:29pm
Thread Starter 
Still holding out for the fabled Nikon Entry to the mirrorless landscape, but I gotta say I'm tempted to buy either a last year Micro 4:3rds on closeout or bite the bullet and give the Olympus E-P3 a shot, with the new prime...

http://www.vimeo.com/26947459
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wSXu6YsJRs&feature=relmfu
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1029688

Nikon leak:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1029226
Reply
post #2 of 63
7/28/11 at 1:42pm

I have a Panasonic GF1 that I use for a change of pace. But I've thought about selling it off and on for the last year. It's a fun camera to use, but there's a dearth of prime telephoto lenses for the format, so it's been kind of frustrating in that respect. If only I wanted several mediocre zooms...

Reply
post #3 of 63
7/28/11 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
I hear ya... I intend to use this as the cam I leave in the car for general use or carry around town like a street leica when I don't want to lug the DSLR bag soteles aren't really factored in my consideration...
Reply
post #4 of 63
7/28/11 at 3:28pm

Yeah, if I think of it as a rangefinder then it's not so bad. But given how frequently I use it, the controls always take a bit of getting used to and I wonder, "Why didn't I just bring my DSLR?" :)

Reply
post #5 of 63
7/28/11 at 6:03pm
While the thought of having something smaller is appealing sometimes, I just cannot bring myself to invest in another set of lenses that are not compatible with what I already own. If I want to go small, I'll just take my 7D with a 28mm f/1.8 lens attached. That's fairly portable, and I do not have to compromise on quality, auto focus performance, viewfinder, or cumbersome controls.
Reply
post #6 of 63
7/28/11 at 11:01pm

I may wind up going that route myself.

Reply
post #7 of 63
7/30/11 at 12:58pm

Well, it took this thread to finally take the step and I'm selling my GF1. Thinking I will get the 28mm f/1.8 with the monies.

Reply
post #8 of 63
7/30/11 at 6:32pm
Thread Starter 
Just curious but what do you think you will ask?
Reply
post #9 of 63
7/30/11 at 8:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cameron Yee View Post

Well, it took this thread to finally take the step and I'm selling my GF1. Thinking I will get the 28mm f/1.8 with the monies.


I think you'll like the 28mm f/1.8, Cameron. It gives you a FoV similar to 50mm on a full frame body, and I would compare it favorably in image quality and auto focus performance with the Canon 85mm f/1.8 -- if you are familiar with that lens. I did have difficulty finding a lens hood for it when I purchased it last year, as everyone was out of stock on the Canon brand hood (damn Canon for not including hoods with all their lenses). I ended up buying a Pearstone hood instead, and it works fine. It fits a little tight, but the lens is still small enough with the hood attached that I never even bother to reverse it when storing the lens.

I considered the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 as an alternative, but didn't feel like playing the lottery to get one that focused accurately. Also, the Sigma is for crop sensors only, and I didn't want to buy a prime lens that wouldn't work on a full frame body. You never know when a good deal on a 5D MKii will fall in your lap. biggrin.gif
Reply
post #10 of 63
7/30/11 at 9:08pm

I started the auction at 495.00, which includes the LVF1 electronic viewfinder and 20mm f/1.4 lens.

Quote:
Just curious but what do you think you will ask?

 

I am familiar with the 85mm. It's one of my favorites!

Quote:
I think you'll like the 28mm f/1.8, Cameron. It gives you a FoV similar to 50mm on a full frame body, and I would compare it favorably in image quality and auto focus performance with the Canon 85mm f/1.8 -- if you are familiar with that lens.

 

Reply
post #11 of 63
8/24/11 at 5:02pm
Thread Starter 
Whelp, glad I waited. Now do I go for the NEX-7 or continue to wait for Nikon to get off the pot, or both smiley_wink.gif
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m6QSS5UVQ2CB2?ie=UTF8&ref_=ent_fb_link#?ie=UTF8&tag=photorumors-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-NEX-7-Compact-Interchangeable-Camera/dp/B005IHAIEI/ref=zg_bs_3017941_2

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1108/11082419sonynex7overview.asp
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/NEX7/NEX7A.HTM
Edited by Sam Posten - 8/25/11 at 9:54am
Reply
post #12 of 63
8/28/11 at 4:09pm
Thread Starter 
Hrm, 3 weeks till announcement? Better than waiting till PhotoPlusExpo I guess.
http://nikonrumors.com/2011/08/28/nikon-in-white-mirrorless-camera-event-in-vienna.aspx/
Reply
post #13 of 63
9/14/11 at 8:33pm
Thread Starter 
Well, I jumped. For the Sony NEX-7. Sadly it doesn't ship till November.... So I got a NEX-5N to tide me over. =)

If you buy a 5 or 5N at Best Buy you can get the 16mm f2.8 for $99, so I picked one of those up too.

Still playing, but so far I'm impressed for what this lil guy can do. No it won't replace a DSLR for me, but as a carryaround it's a LOT more compelling than 15 pounds of gear!

Next up:
Wrist strap
Nikon Adaptor

Then lots of experiments.
Reply
post #14 of 63
10/20/11 at 8:35am
Thread Starter 
Looks like the NEX-7 is delayed indefinitely due to the floods in Thailand =(
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/242211/sony_delays_new_camera_launch_due_to_thai_flooding.html

Damn =(

A new quicklook:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1110/11101420sonynex7videopreview.asp

On the plus side, I'm enjoying my NEX-5n in the meantime. I got a Gordy's wrist strap for it and that rules.

Amazon just got the 30 macro in too, I placed my order today and it should be here tomorrow.
Reply
post #15 of 63
10/28/11 at 10:27am
Ive still been eyeing the Oylmpus P3 but cant swallow the $900 price point.

Almost 3 times this week I have purchased the the P2 at $479 from Amazon...but still thinking. The p3 cant we worth twice the price ?

What are my other options ?
Reply
post #16 of 63
10/28/11 at 11:06am
$469 with free shipping!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Olympus-Micro-Digital-Camera-EP2-%26-Lens/140627368694?_trksid=p1468660.m2000037
Reply
post #17 of 63
10/28/11 at 1:24pm
Thread Starter 
Greg check out the Sony NEX 5n, loving mine! Better sensor than the m4/3rds, but not as wide industry support obviously
Reply
post #18 of 63
11/16/11 at 6:09pm
Even with Olympus likely going out of business due to their scandal, the Olympus PEN cameras are still worth considering.

I almost got a Sony NEX instead, but waited, long enough to see the Sony NEX 5n and C3 iterations, but ultimately, I just do not like the way Sony images look.

Olympus images are always nicely dark and have a brownish cast to them. Sony images are always too bright and have a yellow-green cast to them.

I just mean they have slightly different tints, and expose in slightly different ways. So as a personal preference, Olympus wins.

But they are all good choices.
Reply
post #19 of 63
11/17/11 at 2:11pm
Thread Starter 
I'd love to see specific examples of that. Cause I have no idea what you are talking about. And I'd expect you might be judging based solely on JPEGs? Or specific shooters who have palettes they gravitate towards?

Anywho, for those excited about the NEX-7 it looks like it's back in production, hopefully not too long a wait for it. 1 hour 45 minutes of in depth description on the new Sony's from their customer relations guy at a huge B&H promo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co2Qa9y_1Ns

I came -this- close to buying an Olympus E-P3 and I am sure it's a great camera, but if you are seriously considering buying -anything- that company makes right now with an expectation that they are going to have a long life you aren't paying attention.
Reply
post #20 of 63
11/17/11 at 8:25pm
I spent what seems like the last two years comparing the NEXs and the PENs as they rolled out new models, so trust me when I say, "trust me". I based my opinion on situations when reviewers took both cameras out and shot the same subjects. One I remember clearly is a water fountain with those mottled-green-grey statues of cherubs. Maybe I can find that site again.

Different companies have different ideas of what tones look best. As do all the other companies, for that matter. I've always been most sensitive to greens, so to my eye I notice the greens going yellow-green on Sony and brown-green on Olympus. The overly-bright Sony images are common knowledge, which many people just compensate for with a little underexposure. But as a pale person, I can use all the help I can to not look solid white in pics!
Reply
post #21 of 63
11/17/11 at 8:28pm
Here's one I just found -- NOT the example I was referring to, not even the same website, but again it shows on the left the Olympus tendency towards brown and, on the right, the Sony tendency towards green:

445
Reply
post #22 of 63
11/17/11 at 9:10pm
Another blog with examples of the NEX and the PENs, the color tendencies of each:

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/08/26/sony-nex-c3-vs-olympus-e-p3-jpeg-test/

Really good examples there.
Reply
post #23 of 63
11/17/11 at 9:15pm
And even in video mode, you can see how Olympus has chosen a certain look which is less yellow-green, or how Sony prefers yellow-green (and overexposure). It isn't all differences in how they do their white balance - these are choices made elsewhere:

Reply
post #24 of 63
11/17/11 at 9:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Posten View Post

I came -this- close to buying an Olympus E-P3 and I am sure it's a great camera, but if you are seriously considering buying -anything- that company makes right now with an expectation that they are going to have a long life you aren't paying attention.

Absolutely right. It may effect the ability to get an Olympus camera repaired. And it would certainly mean less chance of firmware updates for other-brand lenses. The other brand being Panasonic, since Panasonic and Olympus both pioneered the micro4/3rds format and can use each other's lenses.

It is a niche, and possibly a vanishing niche if no one buys Olympus' camera division and continues the direction they've been going on.
Reply
post #25 of 63
11/18/11 at 7:06am
Thread Starter 
More rumors of yakuza involvement swirl...
http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/18/2570781/police-suspect-olympus-organized-crime-financial-loss?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Reply
post #26 of 63
11/29/11 at 2:08pm
Thread Starter 
You are crazy if you consider spending serious money on Olympus gear until this is sorted out.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/29/us-olympus-idUSTRE7AS0BA20111129?type=companyNews

The camera operations lose money. They could be jettisoned to save the endoscope business which is their bread and butter profit.
Reply
post #27 of 63
11/30/11 at 10:42pm
I wouldn't go so far as to say "crazy". Most people never need to have their camera repaired, and since micro4/3 lenses are not particular to Olympus (Panasonic makes them too) there's no shortage there. In fact there's a particular Panasonic lens which is a very popular choice for Olympus users.

There is no RELIABLE information on what years the camera division made money and when it did not - it has all been lies for 20 years. Certainly the most recent few years have been very good for them. Even the American who blew the whistle on this whole thing likes the camera division and the medical imaging division:

Woodford says: “The problem for Olympus has always been the dominance of Canon and Nikon in the DSLR market. Their dominance was rather like our business in endoscopes, but the advent of mirrorless cameras has brought about a renaissance.”

Note that he is specific that the renaissance for Olympus' camera division is because of their micro4/3 cameras - their "PEN" line - not for DSLRs (does Olympus even make DSLRs?).
Reply
post #28 of 63
12/1/11 at 6:11am
Thread Starter 
If you go into an Olympus purchase at this time fully aware of their very serious troubles and still make that leap of faith then it's all good. As I tell people buy what works for you today, don't expect that improvements to a system will make it even better down the road. And if all you want is a cam and kit lens and you aren't thinking of this as a system you will stick with for a decade or more then the initial purchase is even more benign. It would be fooling to say "just go in with open eyes" because who knows what other craziness lurks for all these different companies. But since this part of it is out in the open and they are getting absolutely pounded, I'd hope most folks at least consider the future as one part of their buying checklist.
Reply
post #29 of 63
12/4/11 at 4:03pm
Okay...I been vasilating between the EP3 and the NEX-5 now for a while. The EP3 is 779 on amazon right now and the NEX-5 is $399 on ebay (daily deal). I just did the NEX-5....hopefully the money saved will be able to get me the needed accessories.

So what accessories do I need? Extra battery ? (size?). I was thinking of a fixed lense vs the zoom (trying to keep it as compact as possible). With my Nikon 35 mm stuff, my portable lense was always a 35MM focal length. what is the 4/3 equivalent?

TIA!!

Gregg
Reply
post #30 of 63
12/6/11 at 9:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gregg Loewen View Post

Okay...I been vasilating between the EP3 and the NEX-5 now for a while. The EP3 is 779 on amazon right now and the NEX-5 is $399 on ebay (daily deal). I just did the NEX-5....hopefully the money saved will be able to get me the needed accessories.
So what accessories do I need? Extra battery ? (size?). I was thinking of a fixed lense vs the zoom (trying to keep it as compact as possible). With my Nikon 35 mm stuff, my portable lense was always a 35MM focal length. what is the 4/3 equivalent?
TIA!!
Gregg

If you are referring to Nikon full frame 35mm, then something around 17mm would be the 4/3rds equivalent. If you are referring to Nikon's crop sensor dSLR's, then 24mm would probably be the closest 4/3rds focal equivalent.

Nikon crop sensor = 1.5x crop factor
4/3rds = 2x crop factor
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Photography
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Other Diversions › Photography › Anyone gone mirrorless?