looking for a camera, for a friend

[msbarnes]

My friend is looking to get into photography.

He is looking to step up from his smart phone without breaking the bank. His photographic interest is landscape photography and since he hikes a lot, he is looking for something small and light. His budget is a few hundred dollars and definitely wants interchangeable lenses (normal and tele in particular).

I showed him my Hexar AF and Leica II to gauge what size is acceptable. My hexar af is a little too big while my Leica II is fine. My advice to him was to skip APS-C and start with an M43 + 20mm lens. If he likes the IQ, size, and experience, then he can grow from there.

Anyways, it's been a while since I looked into M43's but...

1. What bodies do you recommend? He's OK not having an EVF, flash, and manual controls.

Years ago, I went with an E-PM1 and loved it. No regrets. Preferrying Olympus over Panasonic, I recommended to him an E-PM2 or E-PL7. Last time I searched, the E-PM2, E-PL5, E-PL6, and E-PL7 share the same sensors but vary in features, which seems to mostly be wifi and the articulating screen.

I then searched Panasonic and discovered the GM1 and GF7. Those two cameras seem similar to the E-PM2 and E-PL7. The sensors are different, but I'd expect the image quality between the two brands to be comparable. The big plus for the GM1/GF7 is that they both have wifi and are cheaper than the E-PL7.

Anyone have general recommendations between these cameras?

2. Are there any other mirrorless system that he should consider? I showed him pictures of the Fuji cameras, and they are too big. I thought about the Ricoh GRD but it's a fixed lens and a wide (he prefers normal to tele). Last time I checked, the Fuji, and M43's were the only smaller than full frame cameras that I considered. I'm not sure about the Nikon and Canon mirrorless cameras because last time I checked, they weren't well received. Have things changed?

By the way. The new Oly cameras look amazing. I'm considering one of the higher-end models.

 

[nikonosguy]

fuji it's an awesome system

 

[peterm1]

I bought an Olympus E PL2 a while back (second hand) and am enjoying it. At the moment I am using it more than my Sony NEX camera just because its fun even though the NEX with its bigger sensor is tehnically a better camera. A second hand body is a good way to try out a system without having to spend too much and I can recommend it. If he is happy with a 12 or a 16 megapixel sensor something of that vintage would be fine. I have been using Panasonic, Olympus and Sigma lenses - all of them primes. One thing I like about the Olympus is that it has a good add on EVF which is the best of any I have seen. One thing to warn him about with a lot of small body cameras of this sort. I have found that most manufacturers sell them with default settings which make the image too soft as noise reduction is turned up too high. Warn him of the need to turn NR down or off to get good outcomes.

 

[mh2000]

Personally, if you're willing to go used, I'd go with an E-Px body -- they have always been the "flagship" bodies and aside from IQ, you get more joy in shooting. I'd look at E-P2 or E-P3.

The only "serious" digital camera I own and shoot is my original E-P1. Just love the camera still and photos are great. No, I don't need flash or fast AF... others probably will, but my daughter has a newer E-PL camera and even though it gives 16MP, I haven't seen anything that compelling for me to upgrade since I like shooting mine so much.

"Feel" in a camera adds to capability more than people realize. If you love picking up a camera you'll love using it!

 

[dfatty]

my brother recently got a gm1, and has said it's difficult to use because of the lack of manual controls. but if your friend doesn't care about that, that's not an issue.

i have an epl5 that i compared to the gm1, and it's really only slightly bigger, and also has a movable screen and IS. personally, to me the screen and IS are worth it for slightly larger size.

fwiw, the panasonic gx7 is a great deal now. even though your friend doesn't currently care about evf, flash, or manual controls, if those things ever become important, the gx7 has them. and the grip is nice, and it has IS, though allegedly not as good as oly's IS. the gx7 has a panorama mode that i've never tried, but which might be good for landscape. the handling of the gx7 is better than the epl5, but the gx7 is bigger.

 

[AlexBG]

E-p3 with the sigma 19mm is a good start. He'll like the touch screen focus if he's used to smart phones. Maybe then get a 12mm lens. I had one for a couple of years before moving to an A7. For wifi I used an eye fi card. Pictures went straight to my ipad at the time.

 

[Larry H-L]

I agree with the aboves posts, an Oly E-Px or E-PLx with an Oly 17mm f2.8 is quite small. An EVF can be added later if desired. A Pano GM-1 is tiny too.

Since your friend is a landscape shooter, Olympus probably has better "out of the box" color over Panasonic (though I am a Pano fan myself).

You could probably find an E-PL1 and 17mm f2.8 for around $200 or less.

 

[srtiwari]

I recently bought a used Lumix LX100, as I thought 4K video might be fun on trips.
Did not enjoy video shooting as an activity, and returned the camera to B&H.
However, the LX100 is an incredible camera, being small, very sensible zoom, EVF, and excellent IQ. If I didn't have an a6000, I would have certainly kept it, and recommend it highly.

 

[GaryLH]

Panasonic LX100. I original bought mine for vacation w/ the idea of shooting 4K video if I need to. Rarely shoot video except vacations. I'm shot probably 99% still. Anyway the lx100 turns out to so much fun to use, it ended being one of my everyday carry cameras along w/ my Rich GR. Though it uses a 43 sensor, it's actual size is between 1inch and m43 sensor size because it does not use the whole sensor. Slightly less than 13mp out of 16..however, it maintains that mp count no matter if u shoot 3:2 aspect ratio or 4:3 or 16:9 or 1:1. It has the ability to go full manual. kind of looks like a mini Fuji xe1 w/ the aperture and shutter rings plus the xpro sure comp dial. It sports a fast zoom (24-75fov f1.7-2.8). Has full program mode as well as a dummy mode (intelligent auto). The evf pretty good.

In terms,of m43, the only thing about Olympus is the menu system s not easy to figure out, but if u are helping over the hurdle.. Panasonic menus are definitely easier to navigate. What about an em10 or em5mk1?

On the Panasonic front, I would go w/ gx7 it was the first Panasonic ilc w/ ibis and built in evf. The gx8 has better ibis but nothing beats the Olympus ibis. Unless your friend has small hands, not sure the gm1 or gm5 is a good idea. Touch screen is nice feature though. I think the LX100 or GM5 maybe the two lightest options.

Lenses
- 12 to 32 collapsible zoom is actually not bad at all or the normal kit lens but they can't beat the primes
- the 20 is my all time favorite
- 25 Leica
- 19 sigma
- maybe the new 30f1.4 sigma that was announced
- definitely the 60 sigma

Gary

 

[mh2000]

I agree that the Oly 17 is a great small starter lens. Very small and responsive and under appreciated lens! Pair that with a Sigma 30mm and you have a knockout set of quality budget primes!

 

[Bingley]

The Pany GX1 is very small -- about the size of a Leica CL -- and has a nice, intuitive menu system. Put the Lumix 20/1.7 or the Oly 17/2.8 on it and you've got a very nice compact m4/3 kit. The Olympus E-P* may be a more capable camera in some respects (e.g. auto-focus, stabilization, color, flip out screen in back) but the recent iterations of that series are larger than the GX1. However, the E-P5 is roughly the same size as a Leica IIIc. Based on personal experience, I'd recommend both the GX-1 and E-P5.

 

[traveler_101]

The Pany GX1 is very small -- about the size of a Leica CL -- and has a nice, intuitive menu system. Put the Lumix 20/1.7 or the Oly 17/2.8 on it and you've got a very nice compact m4/3 kit. The Olympus E-P* may be a more capable camera in some respects (e.g. auto-focus, stabilization, color, flip out screen in back) but the recent iterations of that series are larger than the GX1. However, the E-P5 is roughly the same size as a Leica IIIc. Based on personal experience, I'd recommend both the GX-1 and E-P5.

To the OP: you just missed a fire sale on the E-P5 (closeout when the Pen-F was released). The best deal now will probably be the Pen Light, E-PL7: should be on sale in fairly soon as Olympus just released photos of the new E-PL8. I think the E-PL7 is what you are looking for - a light, easy to use camera with a fold out screen and a metal body that has the new tech features I would look for in Olympus: 16mp sensor, 3-axis IBIS (internal stabilisation). Many of the other cameras mentioned here lack these features.

 

[mh2000]

To the OP: you just missed a fire sale on the E-P5 (closeout when the Pen-F was released). The best deal now will probably be the Pen Light, E-PL7: should be on sale in fairly soon as Olympus just released photos of the new E-PL8. I think the E-PL7 is what you are looking for - a light, easy to use camera with a fold out screen and a metal body that has the new tech features I would look for in Olympus: 16mp sensor, 3-axis IBIS (internal stabilisation). Many of the other cameras mentioned here lack these features.

As with all things, without a budget constraint, it's hard to advise. Currently the E-PL7 body is going for $450 cheapest and excellent used E-P3 for $100-150. Kind of a big difference for some. I'd personally rather be shooting an E-P3, even though it doesn't have the highest tech built in. If I had more money to spend, I'd probably jump to an OM-D. Looks like you can get the full kit for ~$400. There is no "right" answer, just different options to consider.

 

[JoeV]

Given that your friend is interested in landscape, I'd recommend an EVF-equipped camera, since he'll be using it under conditions where the rear screen might be unusable. I know there's lots of love here for Olympus, due to their IBIS and faux-rangefinder styling, but I'd recommend a used Lumix G5. They're old enough to be inexpensive, accept interchangeable lenses, use a fairly modern sensor (same as GH3 era), have a great EVF and also a side-flipping rear screen, that makes the camera very usable for low-to-the-ground shooting.

A G6 would be good also, but the prices are higher on the used market and the sensor isn't much different from the G5.

~Joe