Which weapons for a noobie like me??

[n_icole26]

Hey guys,I need advice on which type of camera is better as I'm thinking of getting a interchangeable lenses kind of camera. I can't really decide between a Nikon J1 , Nikon V1 and Olympus E-PL3. Can you guys help me? Thanks!! ^^

 

[Derrel]

Those little white Nikons are realllllly cute....

 

[jamesbjenkins]

Welcome to the forum!

What type of photography would you like to be doing? A little bit of everything, or something specific?
You say "interchangeable lenses kind of camera" and then mention 3 mirrorless bodies. Are you also open to DSLR bodies/systems?

The good news is that there are MANY entry level choices that will do everything you want it to. Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, etc.

If you can give us a better idea of what you're wanting to do with your camera, we can give better advice. Regardless of what camera you choose, the only way you're going to get the best images out of your camera is practice, practice, practice. Fundamentals like composition, exposure triangle, white balance, etc. are way more important than the type of camera you choose.

 

[Derrel]

Check out Welcome to sans Mirror | Sans Mirror ? mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras | Thom Hogan

 

[Jeff_M]

Those little white Nikons are realllllly cute....

and the ashton kutcher is sooo dreamyyyy

those nikons feel so cheap. I like the Sony NEX line up, but if you can, go full body SLR

 

[n_icole26]

What type of photography would you like to be doing? A little bit of everything, or something specific?
You say "interchangeable lenses kind of camera" and then mention 3 mirrorless bodies. Are you also open to DSLR bodies/systems?
.

I'm kind of thinking of just a little bit of everything for a start and then branching out into more specific areas when I'm more familiar to photography. Honestly speaking,being so new to photography,I do not actually know all the terms to it. Is there a difference between the interchangeable lenses type of cameras and mirror less bodies? What does mirrorless bodies actually meant?? :O

 

[mjhoward]

Hey guys,I need advice on which type of camera is better as I'm thinking of getting a interchangeable lenses kind of camera. I can't really decide between a Nikon J1 , Nikon V1 and Olympus E-PL3. Can you guys help me? Thanks!! ^^

With those 3 options, you're going to find more support for the M4/3 format vs the new CX-mount. There are relatively few lenses available in the CX-mount and quite a few lenses available in M4/3 mount.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

IMO the sony's aren't worth considering because the 24 1.8 is the only decent lens in the line up. It's Olympus or Fuji.

 

[Solarflare]

If you want the best bang for the buck, get an entry level DSLR from Canon or Nikon. These are powerful and flexible systems that can be used for all kinds of photography. Thanks to the mirror box, they have space for a large and grownup Phase AF system that works well at action photography even under bad light conditions. Also the relatively large APS-C sensors of entry level DSLRs offer good performance and put less demands on the optics than smaller system. Additionally, both Canon and Nikon are known for great optics. And you can get lenses from alternative producers - such as Zeiss themselves, but also Sigma, Tamron, Tokina etc. Really the only reason not to use these cameras is if you want a smaller camera.

Nikon 1 is a good system, conceptionally. It has a Phase AF on chip and combines it with a Contrast AF. Phase AF knows which direction to go and how much. Contrast AF doesnt know either, but it knows if its in focus or not - thus it doesnt need calibration. This means Nikon 1 can offer you a working AF-C - meaning you can actually track action, such as athletes, running around children, animals etc. Its not as good as real DSLRs, but its pretty good. However, sadly Nikon 1 is an isle solution - you can only get lenses from Nikon itself. I'm not sure if this system will actually last. They really should have made it an Micro Four Third - Nikon certainly can compete with the other companies in that field.

Olympus does Micro Four Thirds. This is an open standard. There are truely awesome lenses available for this system. Specifically Olympus is the leading company in this field, their cameras offer lightning fast AF-S - i.e. for relatively static motives, you can get the shot faster than even with many DSLRs, except if the later use really expensive optics. They have no Phase AF, though, so their AF-C is sadly useless.

There are by the way also Four Thirds, without the "Micro". These are real DSLRs, with Phase AF systems, too. They just need different lenses, but the sensor size is the same as the MFTs - 1/4 of full frame, or crop factor 2. These kind of cameras have not much of a market, though, since APS-C DSLRs are so cheap now, and FourThirds arent actually that much smaller than the later.

Fuji has been mentioned. This is an APS-C system (crop factor 1.5). Fuji X is a very young system, but they already offer awesome image quality. Right now they dont have Phase AF, though. I hope they will add it in near future, since thats the last bit this system needs to turn really awesome.

I would strongly recomment against Sony Alpha Nex cameras. Those are lifestyle cameras. On top of that, they are IMHO butt ugly, especially if a Hassleblad "designer" goes all rampage over them. Their AF isnt that great either. Sony has yet to understand that having more Megapixels or having higher Burst Rates than everybody else actually means rather little for good photography...

Canon EOS M needs to be mentioned too. IMHO its a great example for big company arrogance. The system offers simply squad. No electronic or optical viewfinder, no phase AF on chip, just crop factor 1.6. They dont even offer a lens roadmap. The only reason to consider it is to have a cheap secondary camera in case your Canon EOS DSLR would stop working. And about cheap, its not even that cheap, either.

 

[CelticWolf1]

Get a DSLR. No ifs, ands, or buts. You will thank us.

 

[usayit]

Solarflare has some good input on mirrorless.... Micro 4/3 would be my recommendation among those: Either Olympus or Panasonic. Olympus uses IBIS while Panasonic uses In-lens IS. The lenses are interchangeable, numerous, AND there are so many bodies to choose from.... there something from everyone at all sorts of budgets.

If I were to choose micro 4/3 with a modest budget.

1) Olympus E-PL2 w/ 14-42 kit
= (refurbished @ cameta) $279USD

2) Panasonic 14mm f/2.5
= ebay commonly brand new for under $200USD (My co-worker got his for $170)

3) Panasonic 20mm f/1.7
= BH or amazon for $360USD

4) Olympus 45mm f/1.8
= BH or amazon for $400USD


Those are the three high value prime lenses + a kit zoom.

* Alternatively, you can check out the Panasonic G3 instead of the E-PL2.
* A better wide angle prime... check out the Olympus 12mm f/2
* A better normal lens.. check out the Panasonic/Leica 25mm f/1.4 Summilux
* A macro... check out the Panasonic 45mm f/2.8 macro
* A good quality wide angle zoom... checkout the Olympus 9-18mm
* An even better quality wide angle zoom... checkout the Panasonic 7-14mm
* A long telephoto (a bit slow aperture)... Panasonic 100-300mm
* A medium telephoto... Panasonic 45-200 or Olympus 45-175.
* A fast pro-ish zoom... Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8

... and the list goes on and on and on....

Four Thirds | Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds | Chart(Lenses)


Not to mention third party, like the voigtlander 25mm f/0.95 or any number of lenses that can be adapted.




As Solarflare mentioned, the biggest disadvantage to this system is its ability to track moving subjects (ie sports).

 

[StandingBear1983]

you get much more bang for your buck with a starters DSLR kit...forget the mirrorless 3/4 sensors..., it almost costs as much as a DSLR but doesn't give you half of what a starters DSLR will give you.

 

[n_icole26]

Get a DSLR. No ifs, ands, or buts. You will thank us.

LOL okay. But lightweight is kind of the top on my list though. And DSLRs are like heavy..

No one said Life was a bed of roses.

 

[swiftparkour94]

LOL okay. But lightweight is kind of the top on my list though. And DSLRs are like heavy..

No one said Life was a bed of roses.

Get the Canon T2i with kit lens and save the money for a lens you'll end up wanting after you feel like you are very limited with it. That's what I've been doing. It's really not that heavy at all, go to a store and get hands on with them. The weight helps IMHO because there won't be as much jerking with the camera and can go hours on end holding it. As I tell everyone else, don't get Nikon if you're getting an entry level DSLR (Nikon owners, sorry but I'm only a fan of the compact cameras ) because you can install Magic Lantern on it for free and get several more tools that no other expensive DSLR has (if it's not compatible with it). Google it and you'll see, but it'd only be of use to you if you find them beneficial to your needs. If I had to recommend a great fixed lens camera, it'd be the Canon Powershot SX40 (may have spelled it wrong, it's been awhile). My aunt has it and I've used it, it helped me tremendously with the basics and can zoom to I believe the equivalent of a 200-250mm lens

 

[usayit]

you get much more bang for your buck with a starters DSLR kit...forget the mirrorless 3/4 sensors..., it almost costs as much as a DSLR but doesn't give you half of what a starters DSLR will give you.

lol.... Can be as good for half the size that is..... lol