Which mirrorless?

[albertospa]

I would appreciate advice and considerations on the purchase of a mirrorless: be inclined to an EM1 or XT1 Fuji or Sony A7?
I do not care about sports photos but I would like a decent autofocus, I like street photography, ambient light and also poor, often use the video. I find it very good with a reflex camera but can not stand the weight and dimensions of these machines. Currently use a Oly EM5 I find great for many things (stabilizer, the Speed, portability, quality of the lenses) but deficient for many other: it is too small and full of small buttons that can be pressed inadvertently, even if high quality does not reach that of a FF, not so much for the definition, but for the gradual tones. I replace it with a EM1 but it's still a m4 / 3. Maybe a XT1 would do to my case, or an A7.
I state that I know well the technical specifications of various machines and I've read around the various tests, but what interests me are your thoughts after a use or a field test.
Thanks to those who want to bring their own direct experience.

 

[quicksilvermike]

I find the Panasonic Lumix GX1 with pancake 14-42mm lens very reliable for street photography and Fujifilm X-E1 with 18-55mm kit lens.

 

[Lss]

If you want video, look at Panasonic and Sony.

 

[rbelyell]

while this is subjective, ive been in the same spot as you, did the comparisons among the three platforms and found a very small IQ difference between latest fuji and m4/3 sensors. i personally found a huge difference, as you described, between those two platforms and FF. the detail, the file recoverability, the tone, really just the depth and richness of the files. if youve already seen this between m4/3 anf FF, you are probably closer to my view and likely will see it bewteen fuji and FF. that being said, imo, its IQ on one side and 'user experience' on the other, which goes to fuji. in my personal journey, ive picked FF because the files just bring such a smile to my face, and i know i cannot replicate that with another platform.

 

[GaryLH]

To me, the jury is still out in terms of Sony's commitment to their new FE lens line (but all reports and rumors show they are looking better). Good native af lenses would be part of my reason to go to the Sony A7 family. There is a rumor that Sony is going to announce more FE lenses soon. Maybe they will publish a roadmap then.

Both m43 and Fuji on the other hand have a great native lens lineup. The ovf experience of the xp1 and x100/s are as close as anyone has gotten to a drf...zone focus and watch the subject move into frame lines.

If u are shooting w/ native lenses, the m43 world tends to be a hair faster then both Fuji or Sony (except maybe the xt1 - I don't own one, so I cannot compare). I have played w/ an a7 w/ a fe lens on it, to me it was about the same as the fastest lens on my xp1/xe1 setup.

I recently added a gx7 and have a 12-32 on the way from Japan. Right now my pany 20 is on it.. I like the handling and control layout of the gx7 better than my em5. To me the files look a bit better then what I am seeing on the em5. The em5 and em1 however has the absolute best ibis out there. The gx7 is just ok in comparison. In terms of af speed, I really can't tell which is faster. I actually like the touch screen setup of the gx7, but I never got along w/ the one on the em5 very well.

I like Fuji for their control layout and Fuji colors. Some people keep on saying they are retro, for me they are the one company that understands, it is back to basics. I don't have to turn on the camera to know f-stop and shutter speed. W/ the xt1, it has now gone beyond that to so much more..like the early Nikon dslrs or film slr's had.

I don't think u can go wrong w/ any of your camera choices.
Gary

 

[Godfrey]

I have both Olympus E-M1 and Sony A7 systems.

I bought the Sony A7 to use with manual Leica R and Nikkor SLR lenses. It can't hold a candle to the E-M1 (with its native lenses) in terms of AF speed, lens line, image stabilization, ergonomics, overall responsiveness, etc.

If you already have an E-M5 and nice lenses to suit you, the E-M1 body nets a nice upgrade with better-sized controls and buttons, even more customization options, etc. I find a detail/DR comparison of E-M1 files to Sony A7 files holds up pretty nicely until about ISO 6400; the Sony has two stops more sensitivity to work with. I only use mFT (and FT) lenses with the E-M1 ... I've used my other lenses in the past and they work well but not better than what Oly/Panasonic supply already. The E-M1 is the one to have if you have any FourThirds SLR lenses, for sure.

The Panasonic GX7 appealed to me on its design and layout and is a darn good camera, although the viewfinder is a step down from the E-M1 and A7. It's a good choice if you like the layout more and want to stick with mFT.

Personally, I have no interest at all in the Fuji cameras or lenses. They're good, I'm sure, but I don't like the sensor, find some of the ergonomics a bit iffy, and won't buy into another dedicated lens line. For my purposes, the E-M1 and its dedicated lenses, and the Sony A7 as my 'one size fits all' manual SLR lens body is just about perfect.

G

 

[aizan]

if you want a camera that's larger than the em1 and is good with video, i would recommend the gh4.

the fuji x-t1 is about the same size as the e-m1, but you might like the controls more. you'd have to see for yourself.

 

[albertospa]

Thank you guys. Everything is becoming more clear to me. I hope they still have some say his opinion.