Looked at 'em all...can't pull the trigger

kkdanamatt

kkdanamatt

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Yesterday, before the NYC RFF monthly meeting at Puck Fair, I spent some time at Adorama comparing some of the highly regarded CSC (formerly known as "mirrorless"): Sony's 6000, Fuji's XE-2, Olympus' OM-D M5, Lumix GM5, etc.

The only "must-have" for me is an eye-level viewfinder, so I eliminated all the other contenders.

Every camera I played with seemed to have at least one short-coming.
So, as much as I want to jump into a new system, I could not pull the trigger.

Do they all have that "annoying viewfinder lag", or noisy shutter, or slow autofocus, or small buffer, or lack of simple controls, or non-traditional menus?

I keep going back to my Nikon DSLR's and my Leica M film systems, which I use for every imaginable shooting situation.
I'd love to employ my Leica and Nikon glass on a mirrorless body, but nothing I've seen so far has made me reach for my plastic card.
Am I alone here?
Are there better mirrorless cameras that I've overlooked?
 
kkdanamatt said:
...
I keep going back to my Nikon DSLR's and my Leica M film systems, which I use for every imaginable shooting situation.
...
Am I alone here?
...
Click to expand...

No, you aren't. I'm checking compact cameras very often, to find one to be small, but on pair with my two old DSLRs for digital color and my film RF, scale gear for b/w film and keep same level of functionality ....
But where are none so far to be at the same level.

So, with realizing of it over and over, again and again, I'm using old dirt cheap Panasonic Lumix PS with Leica lens in it, which seems to have the signature in the images. At least. :)
 
kkdanamatt said:
Every camera I played with seemed to have at least one short-coming.
So, as much as I want to jump into a new system, I could not pull the trigger.

Do they all have that "annoying viewfinder lag", or noisy shutter, or slow autofocus, or small buffer, or lack of simple controls, or non-traditional menus?
Click to expand...

Yeah, each one does have a shortcoming. Sonys are loud and feel like a computer. Fujis are the slowest. m43 is a different animal... you either like or you don't. I don't, though the E-M1 is a great camera. Unfortunately, with mirrorless, you have to accept the shortcoming that doesn't bother you the most. The shortcomings have made me turn to a DSLR and a M9 again (as we spoke about yesterday a little).
 
I have tried the Xpro1, XE1, OMD EM5 but they just don't suit me - I like OVFs and the Xpro was close, but was not any good with zoom lenses IMO. I've ended up using a Nikon Df (took a while to bond / get used to the camera, but now I see it as the best compromise for me) using both AF and manual lenses. There are just too many compromises with CSCs for me although I do own and enjoy using an X100 (with the OVF).
 
i shot the pride parade on saturday and was disappointed at my results...i had better when i shot my rangefinders...the fuji do some things well but i have to work too hard to get some images out of them.
it's the fuji lenses that keep me in the game.
maybe even a nikon d300 would do me better.
 
You are definitely not all alone. I am seriously considering selling my Sony A7R gear because of a variety of nits that add up to a gestalt that makes taking photos non-enjoyable. And if that's going to be the case then what's the point? For digital, I'm sticking with my DSLR's.
 
jsrockit said:
Yeah, each one does have a shortcoming. Sonys are loud and feel like a computer. Fujis are the slowest. m43 is a different animal... you either like or you don't. I don't, though the E-M1 is a great camera. Unfortunately, with mirrorless, you have to accept the shortcoming that doesn't bother you the most. The shortcomings have made me turn to a DSLR and a M9 again (as we spoke about yesterday a little).
Click to expand...

Yes, I must agree with you. I'm a bit stubborn and old fashioned. During the past three years I've bought and subsequently sold these mirrorless cameras:
Leica M8, M9, M240, Sony NEX 3, Lumix GF-1, Fuji X100, XPro-1, and the Epson R-D1s.
It just took me longer to arrive at the same conclusion: Nikon DSLRs and Leica M film cameras are best for me.

By the way, your Nikon Df is quite a nice handful with that new 58/1.4 G lens.
 
kkdanamatt said:
. . . . . . .
I keep going back to my Nikon DSLR's and my Leica M film systems, which I use for every imaginable shooting situation.
I'd love to employ my Leica and Nikon glass on a mirrorless body, but nothing I've seen so far has made me reach for my plastic card.
. . . . .
Click to expand...


What is it that you are looking for?
I can't imagine that any digital camera is going to replace the functionailty that you already have.

My best guess is that maybe a Leica digital body is in your future. ..... OOPS, you typed the post just above while I was typing. Now I really can't imagine what you are looking for !!!
 
kkdanamatt said:
By the way, your Nikon Df is quite a nice handful with that new 58/1.4 G lens.
Click to expand...

I haven't felt this good about a combo in a long time. Thanks for showing me some functions that I wasn't aware of (as I tend to figure out my way of working and never consider others).
 
So, these cameras are good enough for some of the most accomplished and rigorous photographers living today, and yet......
 
I like the idea of EVFs, but do not like the ones currently available. They are laggy in subdued lighting/indoors which I hate. Pan across a room with the latest Sony A7II and watch the image wobble (for example). Manual focussing is very slow, no matter the claims made by certain blogger$ (who also never mention the laggy display). For it to be effective you have to use the image magnification. But that is very distracting and takes away from the composition when one part is magnified, and then it goes back to unmagnified to see the whole scene, which may have then changed, so you need to go back to magnified etc etc.
The OVFs do not deal with any of that. So until the EVFs improve (I'm sure they will) it is either RF or DSLR for me.

(of course the magnifying focus issue does not exist if you use AF lenses, but the lag is still there)
 
Funny thread this, as I now (barring some exceptions) have landed on Nikon DSLR (Df) and my last Leica film camera.

OT: Post#5 is the best. Pick what bothers you least and go from there.
 
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