Canon EOS M.

ST - No I havent, I actually really like the camera, but that AF is useless for me really, if you are used to DSLR speed of AF then this will be a huge disappointment. But if you have a P&S then this would be great.

BUT! and its a big but. This is Canons first offering and I didn't want to wait so went and bought a Sony NEX 5N. The new one is about to come out so I managed to get the 5n with the 18-55mm and the 16mm pancake lens for £400!!! This camera is amazing but obviously the lack of lenses is a problem. But for me I wanted a camera that I could just chuck in my bag, carrying a DSLR is a pain. But the images out of this thing more than match the 18mp sensor of the 7D I have been more than impressed with, it actually focuses more accurately than the 7D when your on the fly, you need to concentrate a lot more with the 7D and 5D MKIII to make sure you have sharp images, and obviously beats the 5D MKII because AF is awful on it anyway, but still impressive for a mirrorless. Also the IQ is staggering from this APC sensor high ISO is really impressive. The flash is also really good. Great package, and the lens reviews haven't been great but I have found them very sharp, slight barrel distortion and a bit of vignetting maybe some CA too but easily cleaned up in post.

8144260723_e5a10a1a3b_b.jpg
Sony NEX 5N by tom_scott88, on Flickr

Great looking little thing. Its also great for my automotive photography because you can mount it on a rig and the rig wont bounce all over the place with the weight! Stays very still and because it has full DSLR control with a really nice 16mp sensor I have no problem using these images professionally. Ive done a shoot with it using my car and my dads Porsche so Will put some images up when im done editing them, to show the quality.

So atm I would go Sony. Because you have to remember to use any of the lenses you have you will need the adaptor. So by the time you buy the camera which RRPs at what £750ish then another £100 for the adaptor, your looking at a very very expensive little camera and there are better cheaper alternatives atm. But you cant get away from the lens choice. I would let the market cool and they will be bargains in 6 months time. Like the 5D MKIII you can buy them for as I write £1950 from Digital rev yet they were £3000 body only just 8 months ago.

Will I buy one? Yes, eventually. When the pro version comes out, and I believe it will be FF offering too, also hopefully it will have a few more dials to alter aperture and shutter speed without using the touch screen. The system just needs to evolve a little. I am pretty disappointed, as when I read about it I was sold, but im not sure how much difference a firmware update will make because its a slow system anyway.

So if you can find one, get a Sony im beyond impressed with it. Very rugged, very sharp looking and the lens build quality is great, full metal construction. Just a lack of lenses unfortunately. But depends what you use it for.

The mirrorless market is a brilliant sector. I am looking at it with a lot of excitement. They are full blown SLRs with no mirror so tiny and offer the same IQ and features.. looking at the NEX7 and the Fuji XPRO1 they are brilliant cameras. If you are traveling one of these will halve your weight. The fact is these cameras offer the IQ people want in a small point and shoot size with being able to use the whole EOS lineup you have a vast range of opportunity. These cameras are also very inconspicuous, so if you shoot street photography etc people aren't affected like they would be if they saw a huge camera.

Lets be fair they aren't going to replace DSLRs any time soon, but having one to work with a DSLR or one you can take to family events and stick in your pocket is great. But if you are an amateur and still want the IQ of a DSLR but dont want the negative points of one you cant go wrong. DSLRs are cumbersome, they are also much more likely to get stolen, or targeted. For a pro its not so much of an issue but if your using a DSLR for family holidays ETC the size is just annoying, unless im working I hate the weight the size, extremely cumbersome.

Have a look at Gordon Laing from Cameralabs.com he is doing an experiment atm seeing if he can work while traveling. But what he has done is not bothered taking a DSLR but a micro 4/3s and taken a lot of wonderful leica glass. He is a pro and has completely set aside his DSLR for his trip around the world.... Thats how good these cameras are!

Check it

[youtube]EkAv5JD4KaE&feature=share&list=UUmjNQjjxPOP9jMTQAqaP1PQ[/youtube]

Hope this was useful
 
I have a 40D and a Powershot SX2x0 (cant remember the exact model) as a compact.

For me, the compact wins due to its size for convenience, and the 40D for more control, quality etc. Its one of the other....this sort of thing blurs the distinction between them, cos slap a lens on the front and you lose the convenience (70-200 etc).

I can see your point on the weight difference for travelling luggage etc, but not in use.
 
But these systems also have dedicated lenses for their lens mounts so small lenses with full DSLR controls and sensor size, you have to remeber most P&S camera sensors are half the size of micro 4/3s and 4/3s is roughly half the size of APC and FF again is 1.6x bigger. So the increase in quality is staggering.

300px-Sensor_sizes_overlaid_inside_-_updated.svg.png

Look at the size of 1/17 compared to APC, the size is a vast change yet the camera bodies will roughly be the same... thats the main point. P&S the quality is fairly poor and the fact they ram up to 20mp on sensors that small just ruins them makes them extremely noisy. Yet the APC, say the canons is an 18mp sensor but those pixels are not as crammed together but over a larger surface area so the quality is better.

So if your an amateur its pointless having a P&S and a DSLR as this does both in one package and allows you to put on DSLR lenses if you so wish. Then you dont need two cameras for 2 different situations. Neither do you have to be worried about taking pics with the P&S, because if the situation arose and thats the only camera you have, you cant rely on the quality, for big prints or selling images etc You would always want your DSLR with you at that point in time... but now you dont have to worry.

The best EF lenses are:

24mm TS
50mm 1.2
85mm 1.2
135mm 2
70-200mm
16-35mm
24-70mm

These are all in the £1000+ category so if you have them then great and most pros do which is where the attraction comes from, they give a very specific aesthetic which is why DSLR video is now very popular. These lenses are very heavy add a heavy body too and its a very heavy package, with a mirrorless they are so light that you will barely notice the difference with the weight of the camera.

Any of these lenses would be at home on a mirrorless apart from the 70-200mm. Its a compromise.

But with lenses like:

50mm 1.4 or even 1.8
85mm 1.8
40mm 2.8 pancake
17-55mm
10-22mm
70-200 F4 half the weight of the 2.8 version

These are cheaper but still high end and perform as well in terms of IQ to the L counterparts but much less weighty bar the 17-55mm and these all fit too! Really awesome.

Size is the limiting factor. But obviously you no longer have a natural viewfinder which is really the only drawback I see. But from a pro perspective having both is an awesome combination. Because IQ is the main factor for a pro, and if these offer the same then its a no brainer. The DSLR will be used for work and those times when you need control over all factors.
 
Thanks for your previous two posts....I didn't see the 1st of them before my last, will watch the video later.

I have the 70-200 2.8 IS L and yes, it is a heavy beast!

I think this line sums up what I was missing:

"They are full blown SLRs with no mirror so tiny and offer the same IQ and features"

I was thinking it was a step between compact and dSLR, but I guess your saying that in time when they are developed a bit, they could replace full on dSLR bodies (for amateurs at least).
 
Well yes it is a tricky situation because EVF (electronic view finders) cant touch a mirrored body view finder because its all realtime. The EVF also alters exposure like a camera would so what you see isnt what you see. Your eye has an incredible dynamic range and you control the camera to try and capture that, whereas its hard to do the same with an EVF. Its also very slow takes ages to catch up. So for the time being they will be an alternative along side for the foreseeable future.

The DSLR market will eventually die off until only the highest end cameras exist because for 90% of the population these other cameras are more than adequate and handle very similar to DSLRs. If you think apart from the digital sensor photography hasnt really had a game changer since 35mm was invented. Whereas pros like wedding photographers events sports etc need an all out rugged performer, and mirrorless cameras I dont think will reach that kind of high end need that pros want. The market sector for cameras like the 5D and 1D are very very small in comparison to the XXXD and the XXD. So I dont think it will affect the market a great deal.

So yes they will eventually they will replace the DSLR for the general market, but do I think high end cameras will ever take these new tech advancements? No. These cameras are designed to help people take better pictures. Pros dont want a camera to take a pic for them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom