Mirrorless Cameras
Discussion
I’d like a decent companion to help me take great pictures. I’m not good although I did quite a bit of amateur 35mm SLR stuff when I was young. I’m thinking of a mirrorless camera, specifically the Fujifilm X-T200. Any recommendations?
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 25th February 22:12
I have the Fuji XT-20 and my wife has the Sony A6400.
I'd echo the above regards to the lenses - the Fuji lenses are quite a bit more expensive than the Sony equivalents, but the 18-55mm 'kit lens' is a gem and is all most people need at those focal lengths.
I can only help on those two specific cameras - the Fuji has more buttons so you don't have to go into menus so often and has more of a retro feel to it, the Sony is a bit more customisable and the autofocus works MUCH better with moving objects.
Image quality is pretty impossible to tell apart with similar lenses (we both have cheap telephotos), but the Fuji has some nice film simulations if you want a certain look straight out of the camera.
Youtubers / pro photographers Omar Gonzalez and Mo Morales have some good thoughts on these types of cameras
https://www.youtube.com/c/OmarGonzalezPhotography
https://www.youtube.com/user/in2moe
I'd echo the above regards to the lenses - the Fuji lenses are quite a bit more expensive than the Sony equivalents, but the 18-55mm 'kit lens' is a gem and is all most people need at those focal lengths.
I can only help on those two specific cameras - the Fuji has more buttons so you don't have to go into menus so often and has more of a retro feel to it, the Sony is a bit more customisable and the autofocus works MUCH better with moving objects.
Image quality is pretty impossible to tell apart with similar lenses (we both have cheap telephotos), but the Fuji has some nice film simulations if you want a certain look straight out of the camera.
Youtubers / pro photographers Omar Gonzalez and Mo Morales have some good thoughts on these types of cameras
https://www.youtube.com/c/OmarGonzalezPhotography
https://www.youtube.com/user/in2moe
Thanks All, I went with the Fuji, will start with the standard lens and will look at telephoto at some point. The Fujinon X mount lenses aren’t expensive and have good reviews. Looking forward to getting back into photography.
Next question, looking at this article:
https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-l...
What type of lenses do people tend to use these days, is it better to have something like 18-55mm and a second 55-200mm telephoto, or should I just go with a 18-135mm “travel” lens? I’m going to be using it for a real mix of things so convenience is probably the main factor.
Next question, looking at this article:
https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-l...
What type of lenses do people tend to use these days, is it better to have something like 18-55mm and a second 55-200mm telephoto, or should I just go with a 18-135mm “travel” lens? I’m going to be using it for a real mix of things so convenience is probably the main factor.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 27th February 20:06
wormus said:
Thanks All, I went with the Fuji, will start with the standard lens and will look at telephoto at some point. The Fujinon X mount lenses aren’t expensive and have good reviews. Looking forward to getting back into photography.
Next question, looking at this article:
https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-l...
What type of lenses do people tend to use these days, is it better to have something like 18-55mm and a second 55-200mm telephoto, or should I just go with a 18-135mm “travel” lens? I’m going to be using it for a real mix of things so convenience is probably the main factor.
I've got 50-230mm f4.5-6.7(the cheap one) for birds and carsNext question, looking at this article:
https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-l...
What type of lenses do people tend to use these days, is it better to have something like 18-55mm and a second 55-200mm telephoto, or should I just go with a 18-135mm “travel” lens? I’m going to be using it for a real mix of things so convenience is probably the main factor.
27mm f2.8 pancake lens for evenings out when travelling and if I want to be more 'creative' with just a prime
18-55mm f2.8-4 (the kit lens with the XT-20) for everything else
Out and about on holiday I just take the bottom two, it's very rare I want more that the 55mm reach but that could just be the kind of places I go to so for me on holiday the 18-55 is plenty good enough optically compared to the 18-135, plus it's significantly lighter (310g vs 490).
The X-T20 is a small camera and the X-T200 is about the same size ( link) so I'd be a bit wary of putting really heavy lenses on it as all the weight will be on the lens.
wormus said:
Thanks All, I went with the Fuji, will start with the standard lens and will look at telephoto at some point. The Fujinon X mount lenses aren’t expensive and have good reviews. Looking forward to getting back into photography.
Next question, looking at this article:
https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-l...
What type of lenses do people tend to use these days, is it better to have something like 18-55mm and a second 55-200mm telephoto, or should I just go with a 18-135mm “travel” lens? I’m going to be using it for a real mix of things so convenience is probably the main factor.
Given you said you'd shot 35mm film SLR in the olden days, you need to be aware of the crop factor of 1.53 on your new camera, which is to say that if you put a 100mm lens on it, the field of vision will look like you would've had at 153mm on your old film camera.Next question, looking at this article:
https://m.dpreview.com/reviews/buying-guide-best-l...
What type of lenses do people tend to use these days, is it better to have something like 18-55mm and a second 55-200mm telephoto, or should I just go with a 18-135mm “travel” lens? I’m going to be using it for a real mix of things so convenience is probably the main factor.
For most applications, this doesn't really matter, but there are a few things to consider...
1. If you're into wildlife photography, this is a major plus, as your long zoom lens is 153% longer!
2. Going in the other direction, if you're into landscape or architectural photography, you might find you need a lens wider than you'd think you need.
3. The one I found absolutely the most frustrating on a crop body is that almost all manufacturers make a really cheap, really fast 50mm prime lens because that was the closest focal length to human vision on a 35mm SLR but NOT on a crop body. I made the mistake of buying a 50mm for a 1.6x Canon crop body thinking I'd use it as a walkabout lens a lot of the time, and was constantly frustrated when I put the camera up to my eye and of course I was zoomed in closer than just looking through my eyes. Once I bought a 28mm lens, I never, ever used the 50mm again.
Kermit power said:
Given you said you'd shot 35mm film SLR in the olden days, you need to be aware of the crop factor of 1.53 on your new camera, which is to say that if you put a 100mm lens on it, the field of vision will look like you would've had at 153mm on your old film camera.
For most applications, this doesn't really matter, but there are a few things to consider...
1. If you're into wildlife photography, this is a major plus, as your long zoom lens is 153% longer!
2. Going in the other direction, if you're into landscape or architectural photography, you might find you need a lens wider than you'd think you need.
3. The one I found absolutely the most frustrating on a crop body is that almost all manufacturers make a really cheap, really fast 50mm prime lens because that was the closest focal length to human vision on a 35mm SLR but NOT on a crop body. I made the mistake of buying a 50mm for a 1.6x Canon crop body thinking I'd use it as a walkabout lens a lot of the time, and was constantly frustrated when I put the camera up to my eye and of course I was zoomed in closer than just looking through my eyes. Once I bought a 28mm lens, I never, ever used the 50mm again.
Thanks, I’m thinking XF 16-80mm F4 might be the perfect lens for me for the reasons you say. Also as somebody else said, I don’t want to make it unwieldy or difficult to use. Thanks for the input.For most applications, this doesn't really matter, but there are a few things to consider...
1. If you're into wildlife photography, this is a major plus, as your long zoom lens is 153% longer!
2. Going in the other direction, if you're into landscape or architectural photography, you might find you need a lens wider than you'd think you need.
3. The one I found absolutely the most frustrating on a crop body is that almost all manufacturers make a really cheap, really fast 50mm prime lens because that was the closest focal length to human vision on a 35mm SLR but NOT on a crop body. I made the mistake of buying a 50mm for a 1.6x Canon crop body thinking I'd use it as a walkabout lens a lot of the time, and was constantly frustrated when I put the camera up to my eye and of course I was zoomed in closer than just looking through my eyes. Once I bought a 28mm lens, I never, ever used the 50mm again.
I'm lucky in that Park Cameras is about a mile from my house.
When I was after a replacement camera, I went in the shop, told a salesman of what I was after, and he, plus another assistant, spent about 30 mins with me. I'd more or less made up my mind and then the second assistant said, 'You might like to try . . .' The Panasonic G7 mirrorless felt right at home in my hands. I returned the next day and bought one.
I don't necessarily advise getting a G7, but I do suggest you try a number of cameras. You'll be handling you new one for some years, and something that irritates slightly can swell into a major problem in a short time. I'd advise doing what I did.
I'm pleased to say I'm pleased with my choice of camera, but it might be the wrong one for you. Try as many as you can without making up your mind beforehand.
When I was after a replacement camera, I went in the shop, told a salesman of what I was after, and he, plus another assistant, spent about 30 mins with me. I'd more or less made up my mind and then the second assistant said, 'You might like to try . . .' The Panasonic G7 mirrorless felt right at home in my hands. I returned the next day and bought one.
I don't necessarily advise getting a G7, but I do suggest you try a number of cameras. You'll be handling you new one for some years, and something that irritates slightly can swell into a major problem in a short time. I'd advise doing what I did.
I'm pleased to say I'm pleased with my choice of camera, but it might be the wrong one for you. Try as many as you can without making up your mind beforehand.
Fuji lenses I have (used mostly with an X-T1):
18-55 - great all-rounder, not much to say really. Not as sharp as the primes but more versatile.
18-135 - also nice but not quite as sharp as the 18-55 and feels a bit heavy and unbalanced on a smaller Fuji body. Got it in a deal with second hand camera but might sell it on as I don't use it much.
50-230 - cheap but surprisingly sharp, not great in low light due to small aperture though. Very light weight for a telephoto so easy to bring along when you might leave a big heavy lens at home.
23mm f2 - great little lens. Sharp and compact, very fast focussing.
14mm f2.8 - I think this is my favourite, lovely image quality.
18-55 - great all-rounder, not much to say really. Not as sharp as the primes but more versatile.
18-135 - also nice but not quite as sharp as the 18-55 and feels a bit heavy and unbalanced on a smaller Fuji body. Got it in a deal with second hand camera but might sell it on as I don't use it much.
50-230 - cheap but surprisingly sharp, not great in low light due to small aperture though. Very light weight for a telephoto so easy to bring along when you might leave a big heavy lens at home.
23mm f2 - great little lens. Sharp and compact, very fast focussing.
14mm f2.8 - I think this is my favourite, lovely image quality.
My Fuji lens experience.
Favourite. 16mm f1.4. An absolutely lovely lens but quite heavy. I mostly do landscapes and this lives on the camera much of the time.
27mm f2.8 I don't love the feel of this lens but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it optically. I miss the aperture ring.
35mm f2. Just the right size for my t20.
I'll probably add the 50mm f2 and 70-300 this year though I keep looking at the GFX system (and then keep remembering why I got out of my old Canon kit - namely weight / bulk whilst hiking).
Favourite. 16mm f1.4. An absolutely lovely lens but quite heavy. I mostly do landscapes and this lives on the camera much of the time.
27mm f2.8 I don't love the feel of this lens but there is absolutely nothing wrong with it optically. I miss the aperture ring.
35mm f2. Just the right size for my t20.
I'll probably add the 50mm f2 and 70-300 this year though I keep looking at the GFX system (and then keep remembering why I got out of my old Canon kit - namely weight / bulk whilst hiking).
I'm a bit late to the party on this, but I'm really happy with the 18-55 and 55-200 combo, I also like to have a fast(er) prime lens, so have gone for the 23f2. But the 35f2 or even 50f2 are also good options if you prefer longer focal lengths - my advice is to experiment with the kit lens and see how you get on.
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