RX1/R, Df, EM1, A7. what to buy?

zimm

Expedition Leader
im currently shooting with a minolta x-370 and kit 1.8-50... yep, you read that right.

a decade ago, i couldnt commit to some 4000 dollar 4 MP dslr, always wondering why the whole shebang couldnt be an affordable slim 35mm sensor and optical view finder, much like what lieca evolved into. (i guess that just goes to how little i know about optics.) id shop, then something new would come out... then id shop... then something new would come out... then id shop... then something new would come out. i can keep this up, but im boring myself typing about my camera buying behavior. i think you get the hint.

ive had point and shoots, but they have been replaced by my samsung note 3 artificial intelligence module.

i dont take a boatload of pictures, but i realized yeaterday, none of my film advanced from late novenber to ... now. oops. it was like counting bullits in a movie.. "i know this gun should be empty, but it keeps on firing.' (retard)

so im gonna make a leap in january.

heres what i like.

nikon df- its the hot chick in the group, but, with personality! i really dont want an slr, but damn, if something suits an old film guy that likes a manual steel camera... all it lacks is a fake film advance for me to booger up. apparently its so good at high iso, that a flash is superfluous.

sony rx1/r- probably the one that most resembles what i dreamed of a decade ago. .. the fixed lens though... i mean, it would do for 95% of what i want. i can crop at 24mp, and my feet work as a zoom. a slow zoom. great iso performance. essentially its a full frame sensor welded to a top of the line lens. built in flash. great build. best images ever. simple simple simple. its what HCB would own today...assuming he couldnt afford a lieca. downside? its a fixed lens.

olympus omde1dm ggs- 1 think they need more letters so i added them. why stop at 6 letters, two spaces, and a dash, when naming a camera? anyway, its NOT a full frame sensor as i dreamed of, but from the tests, the 4/3 seems to do just fine. in theory, everything a 4/3 could do, a full frame should do better, so one wonders "what if" oly hadnt committed to that little sensor. why is it so LARGE for a little sensor? or are the sony's just doing the typical sony 10lbs of **** in a 5lb bag magic they do so well? but this is photography right? and the end result is the end result, if the camera is usable. and what a camera it is! freeze, water, shock proof, almost latest full sensor high iso performance in the little 4/3, excellent lenses (75-200 is really a 150-400, and the fstop stays as built). the size in hand may be just right.

the sonys- nex, a7. - i dunnknow. i toyed with an nex-6. a bit too computery. if i was gonna deal with that, i think id want the a7. whats not to like about an a7? the AF apparently isnt as fast as the new em-1. its not water/shock proof.

right now im leaning olympus. with two good lenses, its 3000.00. the nikon would be 4700.00 with two good lenses, the rx1/r is 3200 with rangfinder, and the a7 is 4000.00 with 2 pieces of good glass.

as far as style goes, the rx1 is all its own. the oly overlaps with the a7 due to body style, the a7 overlaps with the nikon due to full frame lens swapping. the oly and nikon dont really share anything other than pushing a button to get a picture, but i guess that 95% of the equation, or they both wouldnt be in the final cut.


all opinions welcome.



edit: for those that bring up a new dslr, and the fact they are still kinda better, i do have a film elan 7 i quit using. not deliberately, it just sorta happened, because its too frigging big with even the smallest lens. since this is now a rwnj site, i'll make a gun analogy. "what use is a gun if its too big and you always leave it home?"
 
Last edited:

ywen

Explorer
Fuji X series cameras are amazing.

X100 for a fixed lens experience. if you like rx1, you'll likely also like the x100 esp at a fraction of the rx1's price.
 

Rallyroo

Expedition Leader
I want to like the Nikon Df, but something is just holding me back. When the Df got announced I dug out my FM2n and advanced the film level and fired the shutter a couple of times. Oh wow, how I miss the big optical view finder and the split screen focusing. I still don't like today's flat matte screen when I need to manual focus adjust or when using old MF lenses.

The camera I grab and use the most is an Olympus E-P3. It's a great camera to travel with as it's light enough to hang around my shoulders all day for street & travel photography, but high iso is lacking.

I not a fan of the focusing in the X100. It seems twitchy as the camera is trying to decide on the plane of focus and I kept hearing the AF motor whirling. Not sure if the X100s fixed that quirk.

I'm at the crossroads to decide on the Nikon Df, Olympus E-P5 or that new omde1dm ggs you're talking about. Olympus needs to work on their model naming on their OM-D line.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
i get you on the split screen focus. at 18 the corps had me at 20/15 or better. i finally went to an ophthalmologist this year and im now 20/25. i guess im right on track. first the hair, then the memory, now the eyes... i still have my teeth but it appears im gonna exit as i came in, blind, bald, toothless, incontinent and uttering gibberish.

the Df doesnt have a split screen from what ive read, and if i cant focus my eyes, i need something to line up focus with. i want to shoot manual, and 2800 for a "classic" design without a split screen, is finding out the hot chick has pads in her bra.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
Fuji X series cameras are amazing.

X100 for a fixed lens experience. if you like rx1, you'll likely also like the x100 esp at a fraction of the rx1's price.

ive heard the build quality is uninspiring. a bit "hollow". unfortunately, the only real photo shop left in pittsburgh is bernies, and i dont think they carry much digital. i may have to do the B&H buy/return/buy method to get my mitts on one. i hate that ****.
 

ywen

Explorer
the build quality is just fine.. not hollow at all. It actually has some heft to it and is a solid chunk of machine. Granted it's not heavy brass bodied like a Leica, but that's not something I would want anyways.... Build quality on par with canon pro-sumer DSLR models.

check out these works http://500px.com/search?tag=fuji x100
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
the x-pro1 looks really good on paper, outside of being 2 years old. i wonder if theres going to be an x-pro2 soon. the xe2 looks nice, and is getting great reviews, but lacks the hybrid VF.
 

ywen

Explorer
the xe-2 is suppose to have awesome AF performance.

To by honest, I really don't use the OVF in the X100.. The idea of OVF is kinda cool.. but in practice, the true view you get in an EVF (for focus confirmation, etc) is hard to beat.

Perhaps if I do more snapshots of landscapes, the OVF will be useful (sunny 16!), but for portraits, I find the EVF to be essential.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
due to ywens input, i was down to the oly, the a7, and the xe2. while the Df is sexy and the best picture taker, i think im just being myopic with slr familiarity married to old F camera longings. i guess im like rallyroo, i really have to tear myself away from that one, if the cost with kit lens was within a couple hundred of the em1 with a voigtlander, it'd be tough to pass up.

i looked as in depth as i could at the fugi's without actually touching one, and i think im going to go EM1. the only downside i see is the IQ, and its still great. i think having the camera work in tough situations will be the final decision maker, considering the camera does all else well. the body is 1300 cheaper than the Df body, and the high iso noise is still close even with the 4/3 sensor.

i was sort of on the fence since the 4/3 lenses will be quite specialized, but, im not wedded to my existing old minolta or canons, and there are some super fast voigtlander .95's that cant be matched by much else for the price, a 600mm equiv panasonic, great AF oly and pannys.

i think if one commits to the system, its a keeper. it'll be 1 stop behind the full frame, but... that stop is right on the edge of use anyway. the sensor size bugs me, but apparently not for any informed reason, just prejudice.

the oly is the smart purchase. its tougher moving from film than i thought it would be. i find myself wishing the Df was made by oly so it would have the 5axis and weather sealing.
now the 2 week waiting period before i buy. i need to not look at this **** for a spell and see if i feel the same.
 

Rallyroo

Expedition Leader
At least you came up with a deadline of 2 weeks in which you have to make a decision by. That's a good start.

I think what I'm going to do is rent a couple different cameras to demo. Reading reviews is just...well, reading reviews. And to have the expectation that no single digital camera is perfect. If I did not transition out of the film age I'd still be shooting with my Nikon FM2n. Too bad digital cameras don't have as "long" of a life as film cameras.
 

zimm

Expedition Leader
Too bad digital cameras don't have as "long" of a life as film cameras.

yea. like i noted, im using an old x-370... and outside of dealing with film limitations, i enjoy pushing the button. i suppose what im doing is trying to find a keeper, and using film as the base line. i think its doable with todays cameras, they are better than film... on the other hand, one has to stop reading about the newest improvements once a choice is made, otherwise, youll go bonkers every 6 months.
 

ywen

Explorer
the em1 is a great cam.. oly out of camera jpegs are awesome.. if i had not parted out my 4/3m kit, i would get the em1.. however having gotten accustomed to the x100.. i'm totally on board with fuji x now...
 

schunkb

Observer
I pulled the trigger on the e-m1 with the 12-40 pro zoom, a decent tripod and a handful of filters to start. It's my first real camera since shooting with a 35mm slr for high school yearbook a few (plus some more) years ago. Looking forward to getting it and making some truly lousy pictures with great kit while I learn. :)
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,538
Messages
2,875,655
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top