Seeking Compact Camera

MassWineGuy

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I’m an advanced beginner, maybe intermediate looking to buy an advanced rangefinder style compact with fast autofocus, that’s good in low light and has great image quality. I don’t shoot much RAW, but am interested in this and in learning about image editing. Very interested in shooting black & white.

Had and sold an Olympus E-M10. Never felt comfortable and didn’t like IQ or dynamic range. Or it focusing. Looking for a camera with a larger sensor.

Must have a viewfinder.

Need something that’s a pretty good all arounder: Landscapes, family/people, animals, street photography. Very little if any sports or action. No long distance animals in the wild shots.

Budget: $400 to $1,100 or so. Either fixed lens or interchangeable. Used is fine.

The Sony A6300 felt good in hand, as did the RX100 v. 3. Also the Fujifilm X 100F and X E3. Fuji’s image quality sounds great on paper. Don’t know if fixed LCD screen would be an issue.

I welcome and invite your ideas. Thanks.
 
Rangefinder style = mirrorless.

Kids?
Shooting kids can be like shooting sports. They move FAST.
And therein lies one difference between mirrorless and dslr. Many/most of the mirrorless do not focus as fast as dslrs. I think the Sony is close.

Fixed or pivoting screen depends on how you use it.
I would love a pivoting screen, as it would let me shoot low angle shots (puppy eye view) without laying on my belly in the dirt. Been there, done that, did not like it.
Or a high angle shot, holding the camera over your head, and still be able to aim the camera.
But some people will never do this, so a pivoting screen won't matter.
 
Not a lot of kids.

Yesterday I went into Boston to Bromfield Camera, one of the very few small, independent photo stores left standing. Very laid back and friendly, unlike Hunt’s, where the guy would hand me a camera and then stand there watching me. Anyway...

The guy at Bromfield showed me a Sony A6000, which felt good in hand and weighs less than the 6300. Nearly identical specs, too. I also looked at an RX100 (1st gen.). I love the size, and the viewfinder seemed good. I’d but a v. 3, though. They’re getting a bunch of Fujifilm cameras soon, so I may go back to look at some.

Both Sonys felt very good and I think I’d be much more likely to carry either one with me than the E-M10.
 
About the stores. I found that it depends very much on the individual sales person you get. Same store, 2 different sales guys, 2 very different experience. A guy who is into photography and helping the customer will give much better service than someone there just to get a paycheck.

The A6000 does not have in-body-image-stabilization, which I think the A6300 has.
If you have to shoot at low speeds in low light, IS will help. I don't need IS often, but the one time I really needed it was at my niece's wedding, without IS. I had to use every trick that I knew to do those 200mm tele shots at 1/60 sec on a DX/crop camera. Equivalent to a 300mm lens on a FF body.

I was told by a couple Sony users that the camera is great, but the user interface (both hardware and software) sucks.

I have seen reviews that say the AF on the Sony is much better than the EM-10, on fast moving subjects. Fast AF seems to be a weak link in mirrorless cameras in general. Technology just has to improve.
 
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Did the user interface improve with the 6300?
 
I "think" the Sony uses optical stabilization (OS) in the lens.
If so then you can probably get a OS lens.

Blacks look better in the 6300.
I think they upgraded the sensor.
 
You should check the Sony sub-forum, as there is where the Sony guys hang out.
 
Fujifilm X100F.
APS-C - 24MP
Fixed 23mm lens. Optional screw in lens for slightly longer and slightly wider.

The 23mm on APS-C format delivers a 35mm FOV in Full Frame/35mm film equivalent.
With the long converter the 35mm FOV becomes equivalent to a 50mm FOV.
With the wide converter the 35mm FOV becomes equivalent to a 28mm FOV.

Fuji lenses are world class.
Fuji JPEGs are considered amongst the best camera processed JPEGs.
Fuji engineers put a “Fuji” twist on their cameras. One of the twists is a non-Bayer Color Filter Array (CFA). The CFA produces a slightly different look to their images. To my eye, the Fuji system is more film-esque over the very digital looking MFT cameras with Nikon and Canon being inbetween Fuji film-esque and more digital-ish looking bayer type sensors/CFA. Additionally, Fuji X cameras have all the primary controls/settings on the exterior of the camera, managed via dials and switches.

I am a Fuji fanboy.
 
I wouldn’t recommend the XPro-1. It is the first generation Fuji X series camera. While it is a simply gorgeous camera and uses the X-Trans CFA, it does everything slow. It focuses slow, it writes slow and it reads slow. Worse of all, the EV updates requires a lot of skill to work around. In low light the EV smears with subject action. (Of course you can always use the optical viewfinder.)
 
I’m an advanced beginner, maybe intermediate looking to buy an advanced rangefinder style compact with fast autofocus, that’s good in low light and has great image quality. I don’t shoot much RAW, but am interested in this and in learning about image editing. Very interested in shooting black & white.

Had and sold an Olympus E-M10. Never felt comfortable and didn’t like IQ or dynamic range. Or it focusing. Looking for a camera with a larger sensor.

Must have a viewfinder.

Need something that’s a pretty good all arounder: Landscapes, family/people, animals, street photography. Very little if any sports or action. No long distance animals in the wild shots.

Budget: $400 to $1,100 or so. Either fixed lens or interchangeable. Used is fine.

The Sony A6300 felt good in hand, as did the RX100 v. 3. Also the Fujifilm X 100F and X E3. Fuji’s image quality sounds great on paper. Don’t know if fixed LCD screen would be an issue.

I welcome and invite your ideas. Thanks.
I’d check out the a6000. I like pivoting screen, sensor and very quick focus. The difference in price with the a6300 could buy another lens.
 
Thanks, everyone. Great ideas. The A6000 seems good. No IS is ok. Some have commented that the user interface is poor. Personal experience, anyone? How bad could it be

I am also still very interested in Fuji, but the ones I like are too expensive.
 

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