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davidI
12-27-2015, 05:19 PM
So my 5D MKII has been stuck in Yemen for the last 10 months while I've been off traveling the world and only having my GoPro and OnePlus Two to take photos with.

I spent some time with some very successful travel bloggers / vloggers and they were highly recommending I get a Sony Mirrorless (they're shooting with A7II S and A7II R) but they're very pricey and my blog isn't anything too pro yet (though I've decided to focus more on my photos and go back and re-export higher resolution versions to host on SmugMug or Flickr).

I'm trying to decide if I should stick to something under $1k for basic travel photos / YouTube vids or if it's worth going all out on a full-frame mirrorless Sony and selling my 5D MKII when I finally get it back.

I've seen some recommendations out there for Olympus and Panasonic APS-C / Micro Four Thirds but I'm not sure how much better having a full-frame sensor is these days and if it's worth 3x the price.

Anyone shooting mirrorless? What are you shooting? Ideas / advice / suggestions?

Kavy
12-27-2015, 11:15 PM
The Sony A7rii is bloody amazing, its a bit bigger then other mirrorless and the lenses are much larger then one would expect. I am a huge fan of Sony's mirrorless. The a6000 would be a perfect pack and go camera if it had a touchscreen.

I did try a Olympus EM10 and was very impressed by it, I do believe that is about 1/3 the price of a A7rii and I think I would go with that if I was looking to get great while spending the least. I have only tried the GX8 when it comes to panasonic so I cannot give any suggestions there.

Mitsu3000gt
12-28-2015, 12:52 AM
The thing with full frame mirrorless is most of the lenses aren't any smaller than DSLR lenses, given that you still need the diameter to cover the FF image circle. You still end up with a similarly bulky system. The A7rII is only 170g lighter than your 5DM2, and you will save about an inch of depth in most cases.

Now, if you plan on using a pancake lens or something similarly compact, you can make a combo that is appreciably smaller than a DSLR no doubt. If you plan on getting a wide angle zoom, mid-range zoom, a 70-200, etc. I suspect you will be wishing you had your 5DII back. If you just shoot with a couple small primes, it's easier to make the size argument.

Another thing to keep in mind is if you're traveling, these mirrorless cameras have a fraction of the battery life you're used to with your DSLR. Ergonomics are very different as well. I have large hands and I can barely hold onto some of these mirrorless cameras.

For basic travel photos and a web blog, I don't see why you would need a $4,000 FF mirrorless and 42MP files. Just stick with your 5DII and/or go for maximum compactness with a top-end P&S. Even with the A6000 many of the good lenses are still relatively heavy (same as an APS-C DSLR). Honestly for a basic travel blog, a Sony RX 100 III would probably work just fine for 99% of the content unless shooting action was a concern and will only set you back $750.

Here's a link showing you the size difference between your 5D2 and an A7R II with a common zoom (16-35/4):

http://j.mp/1Ud3xFq

And here they are with 70-200/4's:

http://j.mp/1OgrJX6

Here they are with 50/1.8 primes:

http://j.mp/1OgrQ4Z

And finally with pancakes:

http://j.mp/1OgrSKo

I'd save my money and go the cheaper route if I were you, just my $0.02. You will still have your 5DM2 for the more demanding tasks.

msommers
12-28-2015, 01:17 AM
The real question is: what do you shoot most of the time?

bigboom
12-28-2015, 11:19 AM
I picked up an Oly Em5 MII during the black Friday sale and have been really impressed with it. Have the 17 and 25mm prime for it along with the 12-40 and it essentially can fit in a jacket pocket with the primes on it.

Took a little bit getting used to the EVF but now that I'm using it I actually prefer it to the optical.

mork
12-28-2015, 12:32 PM
I've taken a Sony Alpha a6000 all over the world and love it as a travel camera and I've had good results with the compact kit zoom. I used to be into carry lots of lenses with me, but there is something to be said or simplicity.

The only knock is battery life, so I bring three batteries with me.

I do almost zero video.

davidI
12-28-2015, 06:48 PM
Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
The thing with full frame mirrorless is most of the lenses aren't any smaller than DSLR lenses, given that you still need the diameter to cover the FF image circle. You still end up with a similarly bulky system.

I'd save my money and go the cheaper route if I were you, just my $0.02. You will still have your 5DM2 for the more demanding tasks.

You raise a good point regarding size. Given I won't get much for my 5D MKII if I ever do get it back it may make more sense to have a small travel system. I honestly often left my SLR behind when I went traveling due to the bulk (which is why it is currently stuck in a war zone) so it would make a lot of sense to have both options.


Originally posted by msommers
The real question is: what do you shoot most of the time?

I love nature / landscapes which is why I appreciate full-frame but given how easy it is to stitch panoramas these days I guess my main motivation in picking up a mirrorless is zoom lenses, video capability, and ability to do some long exposures with a tripod.


Originally posted by bigboom
I picked up an Oly Em5 MII during the black Friday sale and have been really impressed with it. Have the 17 and 25mm prime for it along with the 12-40 and it essentially can fit in a jacket pocket with the primes on it.


Sounds like I should get my hands on a couple Olympus systems and an A6000 and see how I like them.

taemo
12-28-2015, 07:22 PM
basic travel photos that you can use for blog/vlogs then the RX100 III or IV will be enough, it can also be used for landscape as well.

if you want to go with a mirrorless with interchangeable lens capability, you can also look on the old A7, you don't need to get a A7S II or A7R II, the old A7 will still be a huge upgrade compared to your old 5D II. one
Also the A7 (body only) should fit your budget (750-900 used) pair it with an old Nikkor 28-50 or 28-85 lens (100-300$) and you got a good kit, only caveat is the lens is manual-focus only.


edit: you can also look for an old Fuji XE-1 with 18-55 kit lens or even A6000 with 18-50 kit lens as well.

pizdets17
12-28-2015, 10:33 PM
I have an a7ii in addition to my 5d3 and its a fantastic camera.

jsn
12-28-2015, 11:19 PM
Originally posted by Kavy
The a6000 would be a perfect pack and go camera if it had a touchscreen.

I'm using a a6000 right now. I swapped from a mirrorless camera with a touchscreen, so my biggest concern was was that using a non-touch screen camera would be difficult to get used to. I honestly have not missed having a touchscreen at all.

I guess it's a nice feature to have, but it's all personal preference. I don't feel the need for one at all.

msommers
12-29-2015, 12:32 AM
Originally posted by davidI
I love nature / landscapes which is why I appreciate full-frame but given how easy it is to stitch panoramas these days I guess my main motivation in picking up a mirrorless is zoom lenses, video capability, and ability to do some long exposures with a tripod.


To be honest, none of this makes any sense but I think I know what you're wanting the camera for :)

What taemo suggested I think is your best bet - RX100IV. Unless of course you're wanting to zoom longer than portrait focal length or do wildlife photography. Landscape this thing can definitely handle. You can do a wide variety of shooting with a range of 24-70, especially at 1.8 - 2.8. Like that's amazing!

It's incredibly small and yet an incredibly powerful piece of gear. Everything you listed as a want it can do and do well. Don't dismiss it because it seems like a crappy point and shoot because it is anything but.

We are at a point where DSLRs are becoming more and more targetted for special groups and less about cream of the crop capabilities.

I have a fairly large size setup and every time I have a pro body with grip and a pro lens on there I think - oh ya that's quality and feels great in my hands. And it does. But then when I want to travel, or go hiking, or just take a camera for a small event I think - fuck this thing is huge and why is it so heavy.

If at the end of the day you want to bring something travelling and with some of the best results possible because you like photography that much, want to print large and have a very focused subject group you shoot like landscape, yeah go for a Nikon 14-24 and A7RII plus Zeiss lenses or better yet a 17mm TSE. But if you're wanting something very similar but a hell of a lot cheaper, lighter and smaller, get the RX100IV. I'd really be curious how those two even compare, especially stopped down for landscape stuff. Sized for Facebook, blogs or general web images? No way there is some massive difference (if one at all at that scale). Want to blend shots? Photoshop. Panos? Photoshop. Focus stacking? Photoshop. All possible with the Sony - well any camera but that's the point, it doesn't have to be an SLR.

Astrophotography stresses gear to its limits. The Sony definitely seems to do plenty fine here:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3840/14806920456_82da37baa7_o.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/oyrkA1)Milky Way Lake Tahoe Emerald Bay (https://flic.kr/p/oyrkA1) by coryinsc (https://www.flickr.com/photos/94013673@N04/), on Flickr

Mitsu3000gt
12-29-2015, 11:50 AM
If you go the RX 100 route, have a look at my original suggestion of the III before spending another $400 on the IV. Most of the differences lie in 4K video and shooting speed that you may not need.

davidI
01-02-2016, 10:27 AM
Originally posted by msommers


To be honest, none of this makes any sense but I think I know what you're wanting the camera for :)



Haha, I can see how that would all be confusing since it seems very contradictory!

When asked about my favourite type of photography it is true I like landscapes and thus having a full-frame / wide angle is very nice. That said, in good light conditions, my mobile phone can take pretty decent landscape wide angle photos so that's not my primary motivation in getting a mirrorless, though obviously landscape photo quality will also be improved.

My main motivation in having a mirrorless is having more optical zoom (since that is a huge limitation of a mobile phone camera), the ability to shoot video, and more manual control for difficult shots (low light, better depth of field / bokeh, slow shutter speed). Another thing I haven't mentioned is that I'm doing a lot more underwater photography and I'm thinking in the near future I'll want to step up from a GoPro so I'll have to research underwater housing prices as well before making a final decision.

The RX100 does look like a great camera but one limitation appears to be that it only supports an internal microphone which could be limiting if my YouTube channel does well and I get more into vlogging.

I've been reading more about Olympus micro 4/3rds and they sound like pretty decent units in relatively small packages so perhaps I need to play around with one a bit and research the available glass further. It seems like a lot more lens options for 4/3rds than APS-C but realistically I only want a couple of lenses so it may not be a huge concern.

davidI
01-02-2016, 10:31 AM
Love that stars photo by the way. How long was the exposure? Must have been tough for the subject to stay still!

davidI
03-14-2016, 10:41 AM
After much deliberation back and forth between models I think I'm going to get a Panasonic DMC-G7. It has 4k video capability, an external mic port (important for me and not available on the EM-10 MII), and the 14-140mm lens looks like a great one lens travel kit.

I was doing some size comparisons with http://camerasize.com/ and it will be a much smaller set-up than any Full Frame or APS-C options.

I played with my buddies RXIII a bit last week and while I do like it and think it would make an excellent dive camera, I felt limited with the focal length and changing settings was confusing as all hell for someone used to Canon DSLR controls.

Anything else I should consider before pulling the trigger on the G7?