Lecia goes full frame mirrorless

[Don Lacy]

So much for the weight savings of mirrorless
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/744...ica-sl-typ-601

[Anita Bower]

I am wondering if anyone on this forum has used a mirrorless (not the Leica) for closeup and macro photography, and what their impressions are.

[arash_hazeghi]

Hi Anita,

I own one of the popular mirror-less camera systems, the Fuji XF format. I have the Fuji X-T1 (this their flagship model) with a few lenses and I have also used the Sony A7 II cameras that are quite popular these days. IMO, these cameras work fine when your subject is stationary and you are not under pressure (i.e. plenty of time to adjust and experiment with things, many repeat opportunities, no harsh weather, no action etc.) . The AF on these cameras isn't ready for prime time despite the claims made by the manufacturer and the online fans, it cannot reliably track anything that moves, slow or fast. The shutter and view finder lag is also prohibitive when it comes to shooting action. the EVF becomes grainy and slow in low light as well, it cannot respond to rapidly changing light and sometimes has color distortion. My other complaints are very poor battery life and tiny buttons (useless if you are wearing gloves) ans awkward ergonomics. The lens selection is quite limited too if you are after specialized lenses, Fuji has quite a few good lenses at descent prices but Sony optics don't really hold a candle to Canon L lenses or the comparable Nikon lenses in terms of optics, IS or AF technology. Some folks use adapters to mount their SLR lenses on these cameras but that is silly IMO as it negates the advantage of a small light camera system to begin with. IMO these cameras have still a long way to go and some of their limitations are somewhat fundamental to their design (e.g. AF, EVF) so I don't see them as a substitute for a DSLR system, especially for specialized subjects and for working pros. For the casual shooter they might be good enough. If you currently don't have a camera system you should rent and try it out, but if you already have a Canon/Nikon system I would invest the money on expanding your current system

hope this helps

Arash

[Anita Bower]

Hi Anita,

I own one of the popular mirror-less camera systems, the Fuji XF format. I have the Fuji X-T1 (this their flagship model) with a few lenses and I have also used the Sony A7 II cameras that are quite popular these days. IMO, these cameras work fine when your subject is stationary and you are not under pressure (i.e. plenty of time to adjust and experiment with things, many repeat opportunities, no harsh weather, no action etc.) . The AF on these cameras isn't ready for prime time despite the claims made by the manufacturer and the online fans, it cannot reliably track anything that moves, slow or fast. The shutter and view finder lag is also prohibitive when it comes to shooting action. the EVF becomes grainy and slow in low light as well, it cannot respond to rapidly changing light and sometimes has color distortion. My other complaints are very poor battery life and tiny buttons (useless if you are wearing gloves) ans awkward ergonomics. The lens selection is quite limited too if you are after specialized lenses, Fuji has quite a few good lenses at descent prices but Sony optics don't really hold a candle to Canon L lenses or the comparable Nikon lenses in terms of optics, IS or AF technology. Some folks use adapters to mount their SLR lenses on these cameras but that is silly IMO as it negates the advantage of a small light camera system to begin with. IMO these cameras have still a long way to go and some of their limitations are somewhat fundamental to their design (e.g. AF, EVF) so I don't see them as a substitute for a DSLR system, especially for specialized subjects and for working pros. For the casual shooter they might be good enough. If you currently don't have a camera system you should rent and try it out, but if you already have a Canon/Nikon system I would invest the money on expanding your current system

hope this helps

Arash

Arash:
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. It is good to get the views of a serious photographer on how these cameras perform in actual use. Renting one is a great idea. Thank you.

[Don Lacy]

Hi Anita, The one benifiet you might like if you manual focus your macro images is the ablity to focus peak to achieve accurate focus otherwise much like Arash I have not yet drank the mirror less koolade for all the reasons Arash has stated. I find it humorous that on another site they are reccomeneding that you take 4-5 batteries for two days of shooting I shot 6 days in Moab last year and charged my battery once.

[arash_hazeghi]

Hi Don,
I personally don't find focus peaking that useful, this is because my Fuji lenses are focus by wire, the motor always lags behind a bit making it frustrating to make fine adjustments.