good mirrorless camera under 30 k

[bkpeerless]

Hi I am looking for a good mirrorless camera to replace my bulky DSLR d5100. What r my options and which one is the best. I generally use my camera for photography. and occational video. OO And i expect the camera to work well on low light condition.

 

[kaz]

Think twice...or may be a million times.....

Because what you are going to do, I wouldn't ever....
Reasons:
1. No mirroless camera in this range would produce decent images like the D5100... Not even the one available at 50k... The least you should get is an X-E1
2. You will miss OVF...EVF is choppy and in dark places useless
3. Not as many lenses as DSLR

Just for reducing the BULK of a DSLR consider an RX100, its much better than the Mirrorless in its price range ....

 

[sujoyp]

the problem I see with small mirrorless are
1. poor grip
2. no viewfinder
3. costly lenses
4. less availability of lenses

I think nikon j1 with twin lens combo for 23k is a good offer ...or you can go for sony nex-3NL for 24k and with remaining budget try to get a prime like 16mmf2.8 which will work like 30mm in 35mm sense
*img6a.flixcart.com/image/lens/wide-angle/f/t/z/sony-wide-angle-sel-16mm-f-2-8-400x400-imacypecjhnznqtv.jpeg
it cost 15k

*www.digitalreview.ca/pics/Sony_NEX/Sony_Alpha_NEX_5_16mm_Lens.jpg

 

[izzikio_rage]

As a person who has been using a Sony NEX6 for the better part of a year I'd disagree with most of the comments above. The problems listed are correct but that does not make it a bad camera.

1. Image quality: The sony NEX series and now the alpha series have similar or better image quality than a lot of APSC DSLRs. Think about it, removing the mirror does not in anyway affect the performance of the sensor. You can check out image tests at DPreview and other sites and you'll find generally favorable image quality reviews. The NEX6 for example produces images at par with the Canon T4i. Low light images are usable upto ISO 1600 or in some cases even ISO 3200. BTW since there is no mirror shaking the whole camera you get images that are absolutely vibration free

2. EVF: of course it cannot compare to the image quality you see from an OVF in a dimly lit room. But then, it allows you to zoom in, shows you which areas are in focus via focus peaking, Will give you overlays and no mirror means that the cam is super small. So it's a trade off that you need to see your comfort level with.

3. Lenses: Yup there are a very limited selection of lenses and the ones from Sony are crazy expensive. However you still have the selection of lenses that a normal person would need - 50mm prime, wide angle 16mm, a zoom lens 50-200mm. Plus if you are a little adventurous then you have the option of using adapters (under 1000 bucks) and mounting old manual lenses (which you can get secondhand on ebay.com etc for about 5000 to 10000 types). Infact the NEX system is really good at this sort of thing and I've been using a Panagor 28mm f/2.8, A sigma 35-70mm and a sigma zoom 70-210mm for quite some time on my NEX6.

4. Grip: they are a little small so you don't get the amazing feel that you get from a DSLR. Plus the small space means that you have very limited number of buttons so you can't have a button for every setting. But once you get used to it, it all falls into place. We all use slim smartphones without a problem right, so why should a small cam mean that we can't hold it right. Same goes for the menu system, once you learn the ropes its not that hard to maneuver

The proof is usually in the pudding so here is my flickr photo stream *www.flickr.com/photos/izzikiorage . Flickr will even tell you which lenses and settings i've used

So which should you buy? The sony system is good since it's seen a lot of development lately. Even I had considered the canon (because of the brand and availability), Fuji, Olympus, (awesome camera's but either out of my price range or did not have all that I wanted). but eventually came down to sony as they seem to be focusing solely on this which means more lenses, apps, firmware updates in the future. Check out the NEX5 and NEX6 which got a price drop or even the newer A5000 and A6000 if you can get your hands on them.

 

[sujoyp]

@amlan ...mirrorless also have nikon 1 and m4/3 series which have poorer IQ then NEX
and at 30k OP wont get a NEX with EVF ...but D5100 and 600D have OVF

I do like mirrorless as a small as goot picture taking device...but its wide angle lens is too costly and long zoom lens are not even available ...soo we have normal lens only...for street its best

 

[izzikio_rage]

Well the prices of the older NEX models has dropped a lot. So might be that you get the nex 3 or 5 in that range. But you are right they don't have the EVF.

 

[ghemanth90]

I bought Sony NEX 3n from US for around 19K ($300+tax), here it retails for 25K I guess. Extremely pleased with the buy so far. It is compact, ergonomic and fun to use. NEX 3N does better in low light conditions compared to RX100, I suppose (Even DXOmark agrees with it).

 

[sujoyp]

yes nex3N will obviously do better...but its lens is still pocked out ...soo it is not pocketable ...and then as discussed before it have limited usage for someone who wants to do birding or wide angle photography

 

[izzikio_rage]

You can check out some images clicked using adapted lenses here

Fun with Adapted Lenses (Image Thread)

 

[sujoyp]

those are nice pics...what lens do you have amlan for wide angle...and whats in 35mm widest you have....

 

[Gen.Libeb]

Since you already have a DSLR & you want this camera to avoid bulk, I can only recommend Sony RX100 . it could be pocketable.

 

[izzikio_rage]

My kit is a 16-50, i also have a panagor 28mm f/2.8, sigma 55-70mm and a sigma zoom 70-210 f/4.5

 

[ithehappy]

I totally agree with the fourth comment here, and absolutely disagree with the second post. I was at one time obsessed with photography and image quality, so I bought a Canon 350D back in that time, and last year a D5200. Needless to say they provided fantastic photos, 350D was brilliant at that era, same goes for D5200. But then I lost interest in photography for my business and sold both of them. Another definite reason for selling them was their bulkiness, oh man, I am just a skinny guy of 64 kilo and those thing were heavy. I always believed that the camera you will be using more is the camera you want, with the D5200 I just knew I had a great camera but as soon as I looked at it it was like oh God, no I ain't carrying that.

Now about picture quality, I think some people have not used Micro four thirds here but they do comment about them! I don't know about the 3N, but I have used my friend's F3 and it was fantastic, I took lots of shots at night of his wedding and they all came brilliant. Were they as close as D5200? No, but with slight editing they were somewhat comparable. You can go for higher range NEX, maybe they are better, but I am not sure.

And I absolutely am against the RX series here, they are extremely overpriced for their purpose IMHO. Whatever jibber jabber technology it uses it's still a tiny sensor! I will never pay 15k if not less for a P&S. And no, for low light it can never provide shots like NEX series!

 

[sujoyp]

^^ No body is saying that m4/3 or Nex have poor picture quality ...what I was saying is its great for travelling and day to day purpose ....but the poor agronomic like poor grip, some have no EVF ...and big lenses will not make it balanced ..specialized lenses with 2.8 aperture for m4/3 are much costlier

But yes its always advisable to go to the market and check personally