narrowing down my choices for a MILC

[jaomul]

I have a D7100, but im not looking for a mirrorless to compete with it.
i am just looking for something compact enough to easily carry around.
something my wife can stick in her purse when we go to the park or zoo.

I have the d7100 and use the EPL5 exactly for that. Something light and easy to carry. Its not your only option, there are many, example given just as a reference

 

[Ron Evers]

I too was wondering about the APS-C restriction but let it be. However, I will now also give an example of a m4/3 low light shot with an Olympus E-M5.

ISO 2000

View attachment 65704

 

[pixmedic]

I think the E-M5 is out of my price range of $600 with a lens.
I don't know why there is such surprise about me wanting a particular feature.
doesn't everyone that is serious about buying a camera decide what features they really want in order to narrow down the choices?
no one even blinked about me requiring a hotshoe mount, but wanting an aps-c sensor is somehow weird.

If my budget was higher, there would be better m4/3 options, like the E-M5. Or, you know...a Leica.
But for the budget I have set, I really think the cameras I have listed are pretty good choices.
I suppose i can look around and see if there are any E-M5 body/lens combos on amazon or ebay at the $600 mark, but so far I am seeing body's alone for $600+, putting that camera outside of my set budget.

Could I budget more money? yea.
am I going to? maybe +/- $50 or something like that, but otherwise no.

now, if anyone has any options within my budget that I have missed that might be a better camera system, i am all for looking into it.

 

[jaomul]

Sorry Pixmedic. I only asked if you were set on aps-c because there was an option I knew that had a hotshoe and was in the price range. Certainly wasn't trying to push a product.
Bowing out.

 

[MGRPhoto]

While I can't compare the ones you have listed to the Olympus EPL5 I own I will say it is almost as good as my Nikon d7100 until really high iso. I would say it has excellent low light ability. I picked this system for size. The fact that it had some excellent small lenses helps. I am working now. I will post examples later if you want them.

The EP 5 generation will compete with some of the CSC models but not something like a D7100. The E-P5 and the NX300 are about on par with each other where the NEX 5t is about 2/3 of a stop better.

Have you used both the Nikon d7100 and EPL-5?

No I've used the E-P5 which I believe is close enough to the E-PL5 to make a valid comparison and my experience is that it's accurate to what dxomark shows as being around 1 to 1 1/3 stops behind the D7100. The NEX 5t falls right in the middle and as I said the NX300 has about the same performance as the E-P5. I haven't had a chance to use the Fuji X-M1 and it hasn't been tested on dxomark either but I'd really love to get my hands on one.

 

[Ron Evers]

I think the E-M5 is out of my price range of $600 with a lens.
I don't know why there is such surprise about me wanting a particular feature.
doesn't everyone that is serious about buying a camera decide what features they really want in order to narrow down the choices?
no one even blinked about me requiring a hotshoe mount, but wanting an aps-c sensor is somehow weird.

If my budget was higher, there would be better m4/3 options, like the E-M5. Or, you know...a Leica.
But for the budget I have set, I really think the cameras I have listed are pretty good choices.
I suppose i can look around and see if there are any E-M5 body/lens combos on amazon or ebay at the $600 mark, but so far I am seeing body's alone for $600+, putting that camera outside of my set budget.

Could I budget more money? yea.
am I going to? maybe +/- $50 or something like that, but otherwise no.

now, if anyone has any options within my budget that I have missed that might be a better camera system, i am all for looking into it.

I posted my example only because it was my thought that m4/3 was being dismissed in this thread. I acknowledge the E-M5 was out of the price range you specified but wanted to further demonstrate that m4/3 cameras were capable of delivering quality @ higher ISO not exclusive to larger sensors.

 

[MGRPhoto]

I think the E-M5 is out of my price range of $600 with a lens.
I don't know why there is such surprise about me wanting a particular feature.
doesn't everyone that is serious about buying a camera decide what features they really want in order to narrow down the choices?
no one even blinked about me requiring a hotshoe mount, but wanting an aps-c sensor is somehow weird.

If my budget was higher, there would be better m4/3 options, like the E-M5. Or, you know...a Leica.
But for the budget I have set, I really think the cameras I have listed are pretty good choices.
I suppose i can look around and see if there are any E-M5 body/lens combos on amazon or ebay at the $600 mark, but so far I am seeing body's alone for $600+, putting that camera outside of my set budget.

Could I budget more money? yea.
am I going to? maybe +/- $50 or something like that, but otherwise no.

now, if anyone has any options within my budget that I have missed that might be a better camera system, i am all for looking into it.

I posted my example only because it was my thought that m4/3 was being dismissed in this thread. I acknowledge the E-M5 was out of the price range you specified but wanted to further demonstrate that m4/3 cameras were capable of delivering quality @ higher ISO not exclusive to larger sensors.

I'm not sure what advantages an E-PL5 or something along those lines would have over a Fuji X-M1 or even X-A1? Great lens selection with what should be a much better performing sensor the either the same money as the E-PL5 or less money than the E-P5. As I said though if picture quality is of central concern then I would scratch the Samsung off the list.

 

[Derrel]

Fujifilm X-M1 | Sans Mirror ? mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras | Thom Hogan


Fujifilm X-A1 Review | Sans Mirror ? mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras | Thom Hogan


Sony NEX-5 Review | Sans Mirror ? mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras | Thom Hogan

Maybe I am biased: I bought the Fuji S1 Pro, S2 Pro, and S5 Pro d-slr cameras. To me, the COLOR ideas that Fuji has had over the years have all been outstanding. THere's something about those greens wirth the extra added yellow, and the slightly-too-warm skin tones that makes Fuji's color palette just almost irresistably beautiful. I think of SOny as cool, and neutral, and Nikon-like. I think of Canon as fake and digital and excessively yellow and cheezy. I think of Fuji as Monet, or Renoir, and with lots of white wine and cheese and fluffy bread and afternoon naps and so on...it's an emotional response to color that Fuji has NAILED, where the competition has been about hitting the Pop Photo Color Accuracy metric....

I dunno...I reallly think Fuji has something that nobody else has quite equalled. Olympus seems close. Canon and Nikon seem miles away, on another planet almost.

 

[brunerww]

I dunno...I reallly think Fuji has something that nobody else has quite equalled. Olympus seems close. Canon and Nikon seem miles away, on another planet almost.

I didn't say it this well, but this is what I meant when I referred to the X-Trans color filter array as the one of the reasons to choose the X-M1 - I have been impressed by the color in just about every JPEG I've seen from this sensor, and even more impressed with the RAW.

In my view, at $649, the X-M1 meets all the criteria and is the best value-for-money camera on the list.

Cheers,

Bill