Reliability of Mirrorless Cameras

[Pablito]

Like many, I use both DSLR and mirrorless for pro work, the choice depends on circumstances, the type of work, etc.

Though I have an X100s which is good for some situations (esp. given the silent shutter), mostly I use various NEX cameras, mostly with the Sigma, Voigtlander and Leica lenses, also the Sony superwide zoom and the Zeiss 23mm.

Recently my NEX-7 stopped working and Sony advised that it had internal corrosion and could not be repaired. They offered a refurbished one for $400 and I accepted, given my investment in lenses and I do need the 24MP for some specific projects that require big prints.

I am curious to know who has used these mirrorless systems extensively and what problems have come up.

The NEX-7 NEVER got wet with rain, sea spray, etc. NEVER got dunked. the ONLY thing that could have caused corrosion was sweat. I do work in hot climates and the camera could well have gotten sweat dripped on it.

Now, I understand the new Fuji X-T1 is sealed, and while that won't give me 24MP, it will give me a sealed camera that presumably won't quit due to getting a bit of human perspiration on it.

By the way, the Sony service experience was pretty awful. For instance, I sent the NEX-7 overnight by FedEx, and FedEx confirmed delivery, but Sony claimed the camera did not arrive for about 10 days. Curious to know what others have experienced with Sony service, Fuji service, and general reliability of these camera under moderately heavy use.

 

[GaryLH]

Fuji service is excellent. I talked to a tech about my 27 pancake which stopped working. Sent it in, they sent back a note about receiving it.. The day after it arrived, they sent me back a replacement lens.. W/ email about it the next day.

The new Sony a7 is suppose to be weather sealed, but after the Internet found the light leak issue, people have found the mention of weather sealing removed on some Sony websites. I never really double checked myself. That would get u to your 24mp and it is a ff that I believe u can still use your e mount lenses on in apsc mode (something > then 24mp though).

Olympus omd em1 and em5 are weatherproof as well as the Fuji xt1. If u are ok w/ 1 inch sensor, there is the Nikon one aw1 which can be submerged to a depth of around 100 feet if I remember correctly.

If u don't mind out of production, the Ricoh gxr w/ a12 28 and 50 are said to be weather sealed.

Right now I can't remember if there are others..

Gary

 

[rybolt]

as a 33 year veteran of the retail photo business I can report that 'water damage' is a very common diagnosis and one that's very hard to argue with.

 

[gavinlg]

My x-pro1 has been extremely reliable, and my experience with fuji's service is that they are very very keen to please. Just recently a whole bottle of water leaked in my bag and drenched the body. I dried it in a box of rice overnight and it continues to work like nothing happened. This is on top of the dents and scrapes it already has.

 

[YYV_146]

Well, my experience with Sony was excellent. They replaced the shutter of my NEX-7 after about 60,000 clicks in less than a year (I use it as a second body for basketball games), when it began to fail at higher speeds. Cost was acceptable, turnaround a bit longer than two weeks. Not as good as the service I received for my X-E1, but respectable.

I've use my NEX-7 in extremely cold weather (-4F°), in the rain without any protection, during snowstorms and wet, hot places such as Hong Kong. Still going strong, with ~90,000 shots and maybe ~70 hours of video. I've noticed the sensor get noticeably noisier and some of the rubber on the grip becoming sticky, but other than that it's as good as it was on day 1. There might be some sample variation involved, but IMO between the metal body and mirrorless design, cameras like the NEX-7 are as sturdy as most DSLRs, although probably not up to 1D standards.

 

[Pablito]

as a 33 year veteran of the retail photo business I can report that 'water damage' is a very common diagnosis and one that's very hard to argue with.

Yeah, and "corrosion" is even harder to argue with because it implies water damage without stating it outright.

 

[Lss]

Curious to know what others have experienced with Sony service, Fuji service, and general reliability of these camera under moderately heavy use.

No issues with Sony service.

My NEX-5N has been to service due to the initial audio issues with this model. No problems with the electronics. The camera has some physical damage from minor bumps.

 

[kbg32]

I have a Panasonic G1, G3, Olympus OMD, and had a Panasonic GF1. All extremely reliable. My G1 had been dropped a couple of times and still functions perfectly. I have used my G3, before getting the OMD, in the rain, and it functions perfectly.

 

[Godfrey]

I've been using mirrorless cameras quite a lot since 2008 (Panasonic G1, GF1; Ricoh GXR; Olympus E-PL1 and E-M1; Sony A7). I use them in all conditions—heat, wet, dust, whatever—of course doing my best to keep them from harm but not babying them. I've not yet needed to send a camera in for service.

The E-M1 has extensive weather sealing. The A7 is supposed to as well, but it seems much more lightly built than the E-M1, and likely isn't as weather-proof.

(GaryLH: The GXR is not listed by the manufacturer as weather-sealed to the best of my knowledge. Ricoh claims that the modular camera unit design eliminates the problem of getting dust on the sensor, but I don't recall seeing anything about weather sealing.)

G

 

[Gary Sandhu]

Ditto on the GXR - never heard of read if it having weather sealing and it doesn't look or feel like it goes (I have it).

 

[GaryLH]

I've been using mirrorless cameras quite a lot since 2008 (Panasonic G1, GF1; Ricoh GXR; Olympus E-PL1 and E-M1; Sony A7). I use them in all conditions—heat, wet, dust, whatever—of course doing my best to keep them from harm but not babying them. I've not yet needed to send a camera in for service.

The E-M1 has extensive weather sealing. The A7 is supposed to as well, but it seems much more lightly built than the E-M1, and likely isn't as weather-proof.

(GaryLH: The GXR is not listed by the manufacturer as weather-sealed to the best of my knowledge. Ricoh claims that the modular camera unit design eliminates the problem of getting dust on the sensor, but I don't recall seeing anything about weather sealing.)

G

Actually I read about this when it was investigating the gxr before buying it. Someone had the premise that it should be weather resistant since they claimed dust proof and went out shooting in the rain... Now that I rethink about this.

But you are absolutely correct not a claim of Ricoh. I stand corrected.

Gary

 

[Pablito]

Anyway, it is good to hear such praise for Fuji service. And while I'm glad some of you had good or acceptable service from Sony, my experience was really unpleasant. They don't even tell you where to send the camera until you've given them your credit card number.

 

[charjohncarter]

I once had a Konica C35 that I bought new and used for 2 years in Panama'. When I came back to the States it stopped working. I opened it up and everything inside was corroded. Like you it was never abused and it was stored while in Panama' in central air conditioning.