SLR/Mirrorless Recommendation?

I used to have a pro camera setup with a Canon 40D and a couple of the white L lenses. That became too heavy to deal with for travel and I have been on a slow but decent superzoom.

I want to get back to an APS-size sensor, mainly for depth of field effects (bokeh), absence of shutter lag and low light performance.

My de facto choice would be to get a Canon since I'm familiar with them. The main thing is that I want to keep the investment low as possible but the lens must be sharp wide open and provide 28-100mm or so 35mm equivalent view.

With a Canon, I could get a 50mm/1.8 lens for "product shots" (I think?) but what would be a good all-around lens for that? Has the 18-55 come up in quality as it was pretty poor back with the 40d. Are there any 3rd party all-around lenses which would fill the "sharp wide open" bill? I don't want to go with the L lens route.

Otherwise - any mirrorless suggestions?

Honestly I prefer an SLR viewfinder but an EVF or LCD screen is fine.

Thanks for suggestions!

I am New to B&B but your question is up my alley. The real question is what do you want to do with the camera. What kind of photography? APS or APC sized sensors only increase the depth of field compared to full Frame. bokeh is a result of the lens not the sensor.


The 7d is a great camera to keep you in the canon camp but you will have the same problem with size. If you want something. Small, light and mirror less then the Fuji tx-1 is what you will want. Image quality is outstanding even at high ISO. I don't own it yet but will be getting it my self shortly.

As for your question about lens... There really is no easy answer. All depends what you want to do. Do you need lenses that are 2.8 and larger?

sigma lenses are a good choice for less of an investment then the canon equivalent.

I've been a Canon shooter for years. I use one for my professional work. It does what I need it to do without fail day in day out. It is a great system for me and the work I do, but I too was looking for something a bit smaller to use on trips and for personal work. So last summer I bought a Fuji X-E2 with the 18-55 lens and the Fuji 23mm f1.4 lens along with several M42 screw mount lenses. For me X-E2 was a great unobtrusive travel camera. I recently traded up to the Fuji X-T1. The real time EVF is great. I've never owned a camera with a tilting screen like the X-T1. It is an very nice feature and has made shooting low angles and focusing manual lenses much easier for me. So far I've been very satisfied with the Fuji X system. I found the X lenses I've used to be very sharp. I really love the 23mm f1.4. I just bought a Zeiss X mount lens but I haven't had a chance to really put it through the paces.

My old X-E2 with M42 Fuji lens.


My current X-T1 with Zeiss Touit 32mm.

Thanks, gents. I still have my prized Fuji F30 (cult camera) so could really get into another Fuji. I literally had no idea! I used to rabidly follow dpreview but there's just too much out there so your real world experience is appreciated. Happy to hear other suggestions. I see a darn fine deal on a Nikon J1 right now but not sold on that one.

BTW, with depth of field I am more interested in narrow dof rather than deep - the small sensor models tend to get to hyperfocal much closer than the larger sensors with a given focal length. I love a very sharp subject and very soft background.

Photography interests - portraits, landscapes, candids, ebay product shots and NO selfies

I own a 40D, but recently switched to the Rebel SL1, the smallest DSLR available, for the same reasons you are looking for a change. It's smaller than some mirrorless models, and the kit 18-55 takes great, sharp pictures despite its cheap feel and price. Technologically, it's a step up from the 40D because it's newer, but it lacks a few bells and whistles (e.g., easy selection of focus points with buttons you can use with the viewfinder at your eye).

The 40d is awesome and since you already have the white lenses, I'd say you want to stay with Canon. Canon builds a very compelling camera, heck my ole 10d is still alive and kickin' and produces awesome images. How bout the new 70D?

That Fuji XT-1 is very nice and I do believe it has an APS sized sensor - but again, you have the white lenses which dictates you stay with Canon.

Myself, I wanted something a bit smaller so I went with the Oly E-M5. I do miss the light gathering properties of the bigger sensor, but Oly makes some pretty nice, fast lenses to make up for the smaller sensor. Still, not as good as a dslr under poor lighting.

Canon usually has some nice deals on refurb'ed 70d's. Good luck.

Steve

I have an X100S, which is fantastic. Not a zoom but a lovely, fast 35mm equiv lens. Before that, I had an X30, by Fuji again, which is zoom but not good image quality. I would recommend the X100S / T for excellent pictures with no fuss, for a pocketable travel camera.


For a DSLR, I have a D7000 Nikon, which is an awesome camera. I use a 17-50mm 2.8 Sigma lens, 90% of the time and have some really nice pictures.

Where I live, you need an OVF/ EVF, as the LCD gets washed out too easily in bright sun.

a shame you are not already in the Nikon camp. I'm 90% certain there is an adapter that allows the Nikon 1 to use the regular SLR lenses

Lots of variables, of course. In my case, I'm a fairly avid hiker/backpacker who decided after a number of years that DSLR equipment was just too big and awkward to carry around in the backcountry. In the end, I ended up settling on an Olympus mirrorless body (OM-D EM5), and I've been extremely pleased with it. Much smaller and lighter than a DSLR, the camera body is weather-resistant, and there's a surprisingly good variety of quality micro four-thirds lenses for the system. I also like the in-body image stabilization in the OM-D line.

For me, the main disadvantage to the OM-D has been a slightly-awkward UI ... it took some getting used to.

In the past I have owned a Canon 40D and 7D w various L lens to go along. Sold all the Canon gear off due to weight and went mirrorless. I got the Fuji X-Pro 1 with 18 mm and 35mm prime lenses. The Fuji does produce some fine images with their x-trans sensor but I found myself wanting the feel and features of my dslr. The Fuji had terrible autofocus which the x pro 1 is now famous for. But more than that, the camera interface was not intuitive at all and many other small things added up to eventually selling it and looking elsewhere. The Fuji made fantastic images but I decided the most important feature I wanted/missed was a nice optical viewfinder. After much research I purchased a Pentax K-3 and Sigma 17-50 f2.8 lens. I also purchased Pentax's fine 100mm f2.8 macro lens for close up work. I am very pleased indeed. This camera is the most "fun to use" camera I have ever owned. So easy to navigate the controls. Build quality is also the best I've owned. Yes head and shoulders above the Canon 7D! Highly recommend is the Pentax brand. Ricoh has taken over the brand and seems that they have a commitment to place Pentax back in the hunt with the big boys (Canon and Nikon). Pentax deserves at least a serious look in my opinion.......... Enjoy the chase. Nothing more fun than getting a new camera!

I love the (b&w) pictures that my Canon 5D allows me to take. It's almost 10 years old now, but still does anything I want.
However, I do not love the bulk, especially when coupled with a 17-40/4L lens.
I never really seriously looked into the mirrorless cameras, but if they give me the same ease of use, and picture quality, in a smaller package, then I'd be very interested.
For most of my photos I use something between 20mm and 40mm on the 5D, so that would be a great range for me.

Nikon 1 is fantastic and also a big fan of the sony mirrorless items

If you want to stick with the Canon, the 40mm pancake lens is a nice piece of glass. Saturday I bought a used Fujifilm X100 and love it. I just tested the macro function on it versus my Canon Rebel T3i with Tokina 100mm f2.8 macro lens and the 40mm pancake. The Fuji wasn't quite as sharp. It faded on the outside at shallow depth, but I've read that if you adjusted the aperture to say f5.6, the image will be sharp. The Fuji takes in tall trees and buildings, landscapes and potraits very well and the color is brilliant. The lens is a fixed 23mm and acts as a wide angle lens, I think.

I highly recommend that Tokina 100mm lens. Great for macro and beyond.

I just picked up a Nikon V1 Micro 4/3 with 2 lenses, 3 batteries and an adapter for $300. Haven't used it yet, but looks like it will work well as intended ... a "briefcase" camera to capture better shots on the fly than my old point and shoot.

jonboy1544 said:

Nikon 1 is fantastic and also a big fan of the sony mirrorless items

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and there is an adapter to allow the nikon 1 to use nikon DSLR lenses

Eeyore said:

I love the (b&w) pictures that my Canon 5D allows me to take. It's almost 10 years old now, but still does anything I want.
However, I do not love the bulk, especially when coupled with a 17-40/4L lens.
I never really seriously looked into the mirrorless cameras, but if they give me the same ease of use, and picture quality, in a smaller package, then I'd be very interested.
For most of my photos I use something between 20mm and 40mm on the 5D, so that would be a great range for me.

Click to expand...

The Fuji X-Pro1 is an absolute bargain nowadays (in Europe), so I also bought one two weeks ago, after reading many reviews of various cameras. The user interface is a bit quirky, and it is not an action camera, but so far I am impressed. I am used to processing my own RAW files, but the in-camera JPEGs are really good! And the 27mm Fujinon lens is a gem.

My workhorse is a Sony A6000. I suspect any of the new mirror less cameras are high quality and simply a matter of preference. I have no frame of reference as I have very limited experience