III. ENTHUSIAST-LEVEL MIRRORLESS
Here, you need to start thinking further down the road. Since a mirrorless camera is a “system” camera, you will propably spend quite some money purchasing accessories and lenses as time goes by and you delve deeper into your passion. You will find that quality lenses can easily be the most expensive equipment you can buy and, while you may upgrade your camera model, you will almost certainly still keep on using the same lenses over many years and camera model upgrades.
So now, you need to carefully and deliberately think about which “system” you want to attach yourself to for the lonng haul. Consider wWhich camera brand and lenses you are most comfortable using, and determine to stay with them for many years. This allows you to learn all the ins and outs of your camera and system.
Too many photographers obsess over the little quirks in their camera (forgetting that there is no “perfect” camera) and constantly change from one model to the latest one, from one brand to another–and never really learn to get the most from their equipment and become better photographers. Changing camera brand and lenses often can also be an expensive proposition. Now is the time to settle on one camera brand, lens mount and lenses.
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M5 MARK II
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II features a large high resolution 2.36M-dot OLED EVF, a large 3.0-in. high resolution (1.04-million-dot) Touch Swivel LCD and 5-axis in-body image stabilization to help reduce or eliminate blurred images due to hand shake. The Micro Four Thirds (M43) lens mount means that it can accept any lenses designed for that mount, e.g., M43 lenses designed for Panasonic mirrorless cameras. You can record Full HD 1920 x 1080 movies.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II
A new high-resolution option combines 8 shots in-camera into a single JPEG that is equivalent to a 40MP resolution image. The all-metal body is weather-resistant and allows operating down to -10 Celsius. Built-in Wi-Fi allows you to post images to social sites and the free OI.SHARE app lets you remotely control the camera with your smartphone or tablet. Shooting modes include AUTO, Scene Modes, and PASM modes. Art Filters allow for creative shooting. A small external flash is included.
Full specifications: Manufacturer’s site
Buy from B&H:
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera (Body, Black)
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera (Body, Silver)
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Limited Edition Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera (Body, Titanium)
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera PRO Kit (Black)
PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-G7
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 features a Micro Four Thirds (M43) lens mount which means that it can accept any lenses designed for that mount, e.g., M43 lenses designed for Olympus mirrorless cameras. It has a high resolution (2.36-million-dot) OLED EVF and a large 3.0-in. high resolution (1.04-million-dot) Touch Swivel LCD. Though there is no built-in image stabilization, many Panasonic lenses include optical image stabilization to help reduce or eliminate blurred images due to hand shake. You can shoot 4K video with stereo sound, as well as 4K Photo and 4K Burst (the latter 2 modes at 8MP resolution).
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7
Built-in Wi-Fi allows you to post images to social sites and the free Panasonic Image app lets you remotely control the camera with your smartphone or tablet. Shooting modes include AUTO, Scene Modes, and PASM modes. Art Filters, time-lapse and stop-motion animation allow for creative shooting. An electronic shutter lets you shoot unobstrusively in total silence.
Read our hands-on preview of the Panasonic G7
Full specifications: Manufacturer’s site
Buy from B&H:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera with 14-42mm Lens (Silver)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera with 14-42mm Lens (Black)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera with 14-140mm Lens (Black)
PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-GX8
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 features a Micro Four Thirds (M43) lens mount which means that it can accept any lenses designed for that mount, e.g., M43 lenses designed for Olympus mirrorless cameras. It has a high resolution (2.36-million-dot) OLED EVF that conveniently tilts up 90° and a large 3.0-in. high resolution (1.04-million-dot) Touch Swivel LCD. This is also the first Panasonic mirrorless camera that features in-body IS (image stabilization) and can take advantage of both in-body sensor-shift IS and the optical image stabilization in its lenses for even more powerful handshake reduction. You can shoot 4K video with stereo sound, as well as 4K Photo and 4K Burst (the latter 2 modes at 8MP resolution).
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8
The body is magnesium-alloy with splash/dustproof construction. Built-in Wi-Fi allows you to post images to social sites and the free Panasonic Image app lets you remotely control the camera with your smartphone or tablet. Shooting modes include AUTO, Scene Modes, and PASM modes. Art Filters, time-lapse and stop-motion animation allow for creative shooting. An electronic shutter lets you shoot unobstrusively in total silence.
Full specifications: Manufacturer’s site
Buy from B&H:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera (Body Only, Black)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera (Body Only, Silver)
SONY ALPHA 7 II
The Sony α7 II features a Sony E lens mount and accepts the Sony FE lenses designed specifically for its full-frame sensor. It features a 117 phase-detection points and 25 contrast-detection points for improved subject-tracking performance and focusing speed. Compose on its high resolution (2.4-million-dot) XGA OLED EVF or on the large 3.0-in. high resolution (1.23-million-dot) Tilt LCD. The built-in 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization helps reduce or eliminate blurred images due to hand shake. You can record Full HD 1920 x 1080 movies with stereo sound.
Sony α7 II
Built-in Wi-Fi and NFC allow you to post images to social sites and share between devices. The free PlayMemories app lets you remotely control the camera with your smartphone or tablet. Shooting modes include AUTO, Scene Modes, and PASM modes.
Full specifications: Manufacturer’s site
Buy from B&H:
Sony Alpha a7 II Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only)
Sony Alpha a7 II Mirrorless Digital Camera with FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens
INTRODUCTION
I. ENTRY-LEVEL MIRRORLESS
II. SERIOUS-LEVEL MIRRORLESS
III. ENTHUSIAST-LEVEL MIRRORLESS
IV. PRO-LEVEL MIRRORLESS
