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

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.
Right now I am trying out the Sony A77ii DSLR. Super quick, big EVF viewfinder. Weather resistant and not too heavy.
 
The mirrorless cameras I use don't get in my way.

All cameras have disadvantages of some sort.

All cameras are ill-suited to one application or another.

A similar list:
" annoying viewfinder lag, or noisy shutter, or slow autofocus, or small buffer, or lack of simple controls, or non-traditional menus?
could be made for DSLRs except some of the items would be different.

Because I'm not interested in action photography I'll never us a DSLR again. Although I did do some action photography with one of the newest mirrorless bodies and was very pleased with the results. I did take me about 15 minutes at home researching how to optimize the all the relevant menu options and another 10 minutes of practice at the event to optimize my technique.

Frankly I think it's good idea you didn't pull the trigger. Something motivated you to explore the mirrorless market. Every year the cameras improve and the issues on that list are less of a concern.

Sometimes you just have to wait. After I decided to stop using film, I waited almost two years for something like the X100 to appear. After the first month I almost sold it. Then I invested time and effort figuring how to eliminate or minimize my frustrations. The camera became my daily camera and I never looked back. For me this adjustment was well-worth the effort.


My missed-shot rate with mirrorless cameras is similar to my missed shot rate with rangefinder cameras and using manual focus lenses on DSLRs. But this doesn't necessarily mean mirrorless systems are as easy to operate as those cameras. It could just mean I was (am) a mediocre camera operator.
 
EVFs in principle will always lag somewhat, because electronic signal processing takes time to happen, and always will.

Because for much of my photography I desire the near- and far-ground be in sharp focus, I wanted a small-sensor camera with good dynamic range, but an optical VF. I chose a Fujifilm X10, and shoot it in the high dynamic EXR mode. Since this camera's native format is 4:3, I attached an Olympus micro-4/3 external VF to the hot shoe, that has frame lines for the 35mm equivalent angle of view. Being placed almost directly above the lens, the external VF has less parallax issues than using the built in optical VF, and having framelines means I can anticipate objects outside the image space.

More and more, this is my go-to rig.

P1090709a by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr

~Joe
 
[...]I chose a Fujifilm X10, and shoot it in the high dynamic EXR mode. Since this camera's native format is 4:3, I attached an Olympus micro-4/3 external VF to the hot shoe, that has frame lines for the 35mm equivalent angle of view. Being placed almost directly above the lens, the external VF has less parallax issues than using the built in optical VF, and having framelines means I can anticipate objects outside the image space.

More and more, this is my go-to rig. [...]
~Joe
That sure looks good, and if it produces the results you're after then there's not much to argue with. My choices have been different but yours seem pretty sensible (probably more sensible than mine in many ways).

...Mike
 
Silent? Panny GX7

Silent? Panny GX7

I've been using the GX7 for some time now and like it a lot. It's like a more up-to-date version of the GF1.
Better low light capability, focus peeking with non-AF lenses and - if you want - absolute silent shutter. And in silent mode you can set it to a max of 40 shots a second! Haven't used that yet, like many more features on it.
 
I thank all of you who chimed in with different thoughts on my frustration.
Some of your good ideas hit the mark for me.
Yes, every camera system has some limitations.
As my buddy, jsrockit, points out, if that were not so, then "we'd all be using the same camera".
If I could cobble together a camera which combined the best features of all the CSC's that I examined at Adorama, that might solve my problem.
In the meantime, my Leicas will continue to shoot B+W film outdoors, and my Nikon DSLRs will do the indoor color work for the print media and the websites.
I'm happy but I'll still be on the lookout.
 
I'd be recommending the x-t10 or picking up a used x-t1. There are no issues with this generation of EVFs in any of the mirrorless cameras. The Fujis - especially the x-t1 do have the best viewfinder optics which results in a clearer/sharper evf display all the way to the edges. I actually tried the sony a7II and the x-t1 side by side in store and noticed this straight away.

With the fujis, they take about 5-10 minutes to set up out of the box and they act exactly as a Nikon f3 or similar would. I rarely use menus - only to format the card.

Personally I think Nikon DSLRs have one of the worst menu systems of any pro level camera - if you can figure that out you will have NO problems with the fujis.
 
Mike, that's a great shot.

I went for Sony to shoot portraits, mostly indoors. I use the superb Sony Zeiss 55 f/1.8 lens. I also like MF SLR lenses; focus peaking works very well on these cameras. First was NEX-5n, but the A6000 is another big step forward.

I still use a DSLR for action and long telephoto (e.g. birds).
 
A thought just occurred to me while re-reading some of the posts. If I could find a camera with just one shortcoming I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. Gads!
 
I've been fairly happy with my Sony A7 and manual focus lenses.
Shot this with the A7 and the 50mm F3.5 Elmar LTM.
For manual focus it beats my D800.

U3357I1434220399.SEQ.1.jpg
 
Nobody mentioned the Canon 100D (don't know the American name) - small and add the 24mm STM for the prefect small DSLR set-up. I keep being tempted by it, even if I have no use for it as my small cameras needs are met by a Sony Nex F3 with an EVF. I know that Canon isn't as sexy as Nikon these days, this camera is underrated imho.....

The Leica Q is great for somebody looking for a Leica feel and reports say it has great AF, but it is very expensive. I'm wondering if Sony will respond with a RX2 or RX1 mark II with build in EVF.
 
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