How about the original Leica Q used?
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
I guess great minds think alike! I'm still using my D700 and Fuji X100 with complete satisfaction. For a small P&S, I have the Fuji X10 and X20, and the LeicaSonic D-Lux 6. I bought the X20 and the D-lux 6 because their RAW files can be read by Aperture on my Mac laptop, and the X10 RAW files could not be. I never sold the X10 because its JPEGs are very good--actually good enough--so I still use it at times (did I really need the X20).
And I do have the Leica M9. Except for the drama over getting its sensor replaced before the time limit ran out, it has been trouble free. All the cameras I mentioned have been trouble free.
I bought the LeicaSonic D-Lux 3 and D-Lux 4 as soon as they came out. These two tiny little cameras traveled all over France with me and my wife, as well as a number of USA trips. Eventually the joystick control on the D-Lux 3 quit working. It would have cost a couple hundred to get it fixed, and you can pick up another D-Lux 3 for less than that. I gave it to my wife, because she is not into selecting shutter speeds and apertures; she's fine with letting the camera worry about that. And by putting the D-Lux 3 into program mode, the joystick is not needed.
So just two glitches with all my digitals: the M9 sensor bother, and the D-Lux 3 joystick. And they both had a good ending. Not bad, I would say!
Godfrey
somewhat colored
My only disappointment with the Olympus E-1 is that they based the system primarily around zoom lenses. The lenses are nearly all excellent and better, but the only truly compact, light lenses are the 25/2.8, 35/3.5 Macro, and 50/2 Macro, and of those three only the 50mm is in their "High Grade" spec mount with the water sealing. (It is, happily, an absolutely terrific lens!)
One of the neat things that Olympus did ... When they came out with the E-5, the upgraded the battery spec. And the new batteries are compatible with the E-1: they give more than double the number of exposures per charge in the E-1!
G
mpaniagua
Newby photographer
Canon 6d for me. It has outlived some of my film cameras so quite robust
Had some other digitals but like its ergonomics better. Also, like the color I get on low light better than others (Nikon/Sony) but that's just personal preference.
Marcelo
Had some other digitals but like its ergonomics better. Also, like the color I get on low light better than others (Nikon/Sony) but that's just personal preference.
Marcelo
AlwaysOnAuto
Well-known
If you're considering a Sony A7ii, I would highly recommend you look at a used A7iii instead. I have both and the iii is worth the extra $.
That said, I like using my A7ii with adapted manual lenses. Bought it used while the A7iii was bought new. I'm now getting used to a new-to-me used A9.
The latest Sony 40mm and 24mm G's are getting a workout too.
That said, I like using my A7ii with adapted manual lenses. Bought it used while the A7iii was bought new. I'm now getting used to a new-to-me used A9.
The latest Sony 40mm and 24mm G's are getting a workout too.
shawn
Veteran
Even within similar generations the Sony's have different functions. I had an IR converted A7II and a A7RII. It was very annoying that I couldn't configure the two cameras the same way. On the A7RII I had it set to require a button push to switch from EVF to LCD. The A7II couldn't be configured that way. If you are considering either of them make sure you also look at new prices. The A7II is $1k and the A7RII is $1200 brand new now. Of the two the A7RII sensor is amazing (not just resolution but also dynamic range and noise) and it has a bigger EVF.
Shawn
Shawn
JeffS7444
Well-known
IMO, Sony's 3rd-generation and newer A7 cameras are where things got really interesting: They incorporate Olympus IBIS and higher-capacity NP-FZ100 batteries, and the battery upgrade alone is pretty terrific.
I sold my 7 year old A7 and replaced it with an A7R4 last year. I had carried the older camera around on a daily basis, but I handle all of my cameras with care, so it was still in very good condition and had never given me any problems. Original A7 has slow startup time, and lens mount is plastic: Okay for lightweight lenses, not so good for SEL90M28. I replaced lens mount with all-metal part from A7R/A7S. (I also like that Sony sells parts for many of their products).
As for the A7R4, I think it's possible that I could still be using it 10 years from now: It certainly seems to be built well enough, and image quality is outstanding. For video, you have other choices which can do 8K, even 12K resolution, higher frame rates, greater bit depths, etc.
3rd party support: Great, because Sony has sold a ton of FF mirrorless.
I sold my 7 year old A7 and replaced it with an A7R4 last year. I had carried the older camera around on a daily basis, but I handle all of my cameras with care, so it was still in very good condition and had never given me any problems. Original A7 has slow startup time, and lens mount is plastic: Okay for lightweight lenses, not so good for SEL90M28. I replaced lens mount with all-metal part from A7R/A7S. (I also like that Sony sells parts for many of their products).
As for the A7R4, I think it's possible that I could still be using it 10 years from now: It certainly seems to be built well enough, and image quality is outstanding. For video, you have other choices which can do 8K, even 12K resolution, higher frame rates, greater bit depths, etc.
3rd party support: Great, because Sony has sold a ton of FF mirrorless.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Q with loose lens!
https://youtu.be/MEH6-NWKOvk?t=32
I checked Q in the store. My eye was kind of sore after its EVF. Maybe it showed too many $$$$ for this kind of used camera.
David Hughes
David Hughes
My only disappointment with the Olympus E-1 is that they based the system primarily around zoom lenses. The lenses are nearly all excellent and better, but the only truly compact, light lenses are the 25/2.8, 35/3.5 Macro, and 50/2 Macro, and of those three only the 50mm is in their "High Grade" spec mount with the water sealing. (It is, happily, an absolutely terrific lens!)
One of the neat things that Olympus did ... When they came out with the E-5, the upgraded the battery spec. And the new batteries are compatible with the E-1: they give more than double the number of exposures per charge in the E-1!
G
Exactly; I've often wished for a few more primes from them but I have the Leica M9 and they make some pretty good lenses too.
I didn't know about the E-5 batteries, thanks.
Regards, David
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
I checked about year ago. Some of Nikkor manual focus lenses were still available new. With DSLR it might be very robust kit.
Canon 6d for me. It has outlived some of my film cameras so quite robust
Had some others digital but like its ergonomics better. Also, like the color I get on low light better than others (Nikon/Sony) but thats just persona preference.
Marcelo
Interesting. Two days ago I asked about 5D alternative for close to it rendering and one person mentioned 6D.
But even with 40 2.8 it just a bit heavy for daily use. And people seems to be more and more intimated by large gear pointed at them.
narsuitus
Well-known
I have used the following digital cameras:
Vivitar Vivicam 3615 Digital Camera 2.1mp point & shoot
Hewlett Packard Photosmart M425 5mp point & shoot
Canon PowerShot G5 compact (owned 2)
Canon PowerShot G11 compact (owned 1)
Canon PowerShot G15 compact (owned 2)
Olympus E-P1 micro 4/3
Olympus E-P3 micro 4/3
Fuji S5 SLR (Fuji modified Nikon D200 SLR) (owned 3)
Fuji X-Pro1 mirrorless (owned 3)
Fuji X-Pro2 mirrorless (owned 1)
Leica M10 rangefinder (owned 2)
The two point & shoot cameras were not advanced digital cameras but produced images that were good enough to convince me to buy more advanced digital cameras.
The Canon PowerShot compacts were more advanced than point & shoot but they only had fixed zoom lenses. One broke when I dropped it on a carpeted floor from a table height.
The Olympus micro 4/3 cameras had great interchangeable lenses but the bodies were not reliable. They broke too many times to be considered reliable.
Fuji S5 SLR accepts my inventory of Nikon film lenses. I own three of them and have had no breakage problems with any of them. However, they are now too old by digital standards.
The Fuji X-Pro mirrorless have great interchangeable lenses and have been very reliable. I have owned three X-Pro1 bodies and one X-Pro2 body. I broke one X-Pro1 body when I photographed a solar eclipse. The other bodies have survived heavy usage.
The Leica M10 rangefinder is the most expensive camera (digial or film) I have ever owned. I owned two of them and I paid over $6,000usd for each. Both were big dissapointments. The first one was so defective that Leica told the dealer to refund my money. The second one broke when it was out of warrenty and Leica informed me that it would cost over $2,000 for them to repair it.
Maybe someone's suggestion of the Canon 6D or 6D II could work then...
madNbad
Well-known
For a couple of years I owned a Nikon Df. It worked well with older MF lenses and even had the little flip up lever for using non-Ai lenses. When I tried using it with a modern G zoom, it was heavy and unwieldy. Sold it and went back to film. Now I have a Sony A7II that is mostly used for scanning negatives. It’s a great camera but the battery life is poor, so you end up adding a battery grip and loose the compactness. The later versions have better battery life but my annoyance with Sony is they never release any firmware updates for their older cameras. You could probably find an XPro for not a lot of money and give it a try. Compact enough to carry every day and produce good images. Good luck with your search.
willie_901
Veteran
Not really.
Selling lenses is easy - selling lenses to maximize price is difficult. Changing brands can be expensive.
I am not interested in using adapted lenses.
I care about a camera's technical image quality (analog signal-to-noise ratio), format (2X3 aspect ratio) and whether or not I will enjoy using the camera.
SNR determines the camera body dynamic range and MTF-50 (especially in shadow regions).
Aspect ratio is a completely subjective preference.
Camera enjoyment is purposefully ambiguous. Build quality, size and weight, focusing capabilities, menu systems, water resistance, the finder and other attributes have different prioritized differently by each photographer.
I started using Nikon DSLRs in 2007. These cameras were practical. But I did not enjoy using them. It wasn't until 2012 I found a digital camera I enjoyed using - FUJIFILM X-Pro 1. It isn't take long for me to decide to sell all my Nikon gear.
My most used and advanced camera these days is the X-Pro 2. I also have a X100T - just because I enjoy it.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
If I were looking in that direction, it's the Q2 Monochrom that has my eye. The high resolution sensor works better for a fixed lens camera, IMO, and it's such a niche product anyway that a monochrome niche makes it somehow even more appealing to me.
But if I were going to spend that kind of money, I'd more likely spend half as much and buy a Plaubel Makina 67 ... Something that I've wanted and resisted for years.
G
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
RP is same sensor as 6D MKII. RP is smaller, but still robust. Where is just no compact WA AF lenses for it. 6D series are more bulky, but compact lenses. I just don't think where will be Samyang 24, 35 2.8 tiny lenses in RF mount.
Newer than A7 Sony's, other than RP from R series, Nikon Z are just as heavy as 6D.
A7C didn't impressed me by its EVF at all. Except huge electronic level
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
I also came to conclusion to have cameras which I enjoy. Not just functional tools. But I don't have disposable income to pay for modern Leica.
https://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3049902&postcount=31
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Just another thought: I've already stated how much I like the Leica CL for this particular meme of compact, easy to carry, use a lot camera. Fitted with the MS Optics Aporia 24mm f/2, it really is a "carry and use anytime, anywhere" based on its quality, size, weight, and imaging capabilities ...
—
Japanese Maple Tree in Evening Light
Leica CL + MS Optics Aporia 20mm f/2
ISO 200 @ f/4 @ 1/40
And, of course, you can stick any other lens you want on it.
G
—
Japanese Maple Tree in Evening Light
Leica CL + MS Optics Aporia 20mm f/2
ISO 200 @ f/4 @ 1/40
And, of course, you can stick any other lens you want on it.
G
agentlossing
Well-known
You'll laugh, but my Panasonic GX85 was absolutely bulletproof. There were a few reports of the rear thumb dial going spotty but I believe those were very infrequent and could usually be solved by adding a bit of spray lubricant around the cracks. As I said, zero issues through over three years of constant use by me. Panasonic cameras are generally bulletproof.
Darthfeeble
But you can call me Steve
I bought an X100 when they first came out, had to search like crazy to find someone with it in stock. That was 2011 according to my files, it's been dropped on concrete, converted to IR and is still turning out excellent images. It right now is my oldest regularly used camera. Beyond that are the two Epson brothers I have, both work, the older one is retired to shelf life but the younger x model gets taken out about once a month.