I fancy a mirrorless camera - but which one?

FlyTVR

FlyTVR

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I've been out of photography for...... years. I now fancy getting back into it and getting a mirroless camera. Never been that interested in following tech and I certainly haven't kept up with the latest offerings in mirrorless cameras. Therefore, I thought I'd put this question out to those more clever than I :)

I still have my old kit, 2 xCanon 5D3s, a 5D2, 85 F1.2, 35 F1.4, 24-70 F2.8, 70-200 F2.8 and a 400 F5.6. Got loads of flash triggers, some 600EXRTs, etc. So, either going Canon, or something like Sony with an adaptor may be sensible? Or, just sell the lot and start from scratch.

Not interested in photgraphing people anymore, probably just cars (natural light, possibly remote flash).

So, what are my options?
 
Like you, I'm bought into Canon too, have some nice glass. I did run some Fuji gear alongside it but sold it as I wanted to simplify things, with menus etc. I bought an R7, very nice camera but it has its issues. I also have a 5Div, hence the nice glass, and I'm sticking with it, with a change to completely mirrorless when the time comes.

Sony and the rest, nice kit but I do have a soft spot for Fuji, I just love dials and switches, it's a more immersive experience than the somewhat clinical menu based cameras.

If I was starting from scratch, it would be Fuji.
 
It would make sense to stick with Canon. As you are invested in the lenses already. I suppose you have to ask yourself if you want to sell your kit and start from scratch with another brand, or not. That's something only you can decide.
 
I suppose one option is to not buy a mirrorless camera and just use the gear you have, since for taking pictures of cars it might be a bit overkill for all the bells and whistles that mirrorless cameras have. Of course, having said that and being someone who suffers from GAS I can completely understand why you might dismiss my comments out of hand -- I know I would :D.
 
FlyTVR said:
I've been out of photography for...... years. I now fancy getting back into it and getting a mirroless camera. Never been that interested in following tech and I certainly haven't kept up with the latest offerings in mirrorless cameras. Therefore, I thought I'd put this question out to those more clever than I :)

I still have my old kit, 2 xCanon 5D3s, a 5D2, 85 F1.2, 35 F1.4, 24-70 F2.8, 70-200 F2.8 and a 400 F5.6. Got loads of flash triggers, some 600EXRTs, etc. So, either going Canon, or something like Sony with an adaptor may be sensible? Or, just sell the lot and start from scratch.

Not interested in photgraphing people anymore, probably just cars (natural light, possibly remote flash).

So, what are my options?
Click to expand...
My tuppence worth advice is;

Stick with what you have, that's a very comprehensive/impressive Canon system you already have there along with that varied quality range of glass.
If you change it all you'll only have to replace it all again.

Fools rush in and all that jazz....


Regards.
peter
 
I can definitely recommend you r8. You have all the tech power in a reasonable price. It is mirrorless and full frame, you can use an rf to ef mount adapter for ef lenses (if not cropped, even maybe it is cropped i don't have any info). If you will go also for video, i might recommend r7 because of ibis. But either choices are good i think. If you want to spend more money, You can check other r type but i don't think you should change from canon.
 
Welcome back to the fold :)

The R5 is probably the closest to what you're used to in terms of the range. Although the R6 is more than adequate, and if 20mpix is enough, then it's superior in every other way to a 5dIV*.

In your shoes I'd sell two bodies and buy the R6 and adaptor (and 2 TP batteries w charger). And I wouldn't think twice.

*except build quality, which is good enough, but not built like a tank

Sony's are perfectly adequate, but there's no good reason to take the step down in EF lens compatibility (you can get an adaptor, but it won't work as flawlessly as the Canon adapted)
 
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You have a great set of lenses there, i would take advantage of the free Canon test drive scheme, and see how you get on

Canon Test Drive

The ultimate no obligation try before you buy service. Test Drive is managed and facilitated by Try The Kit, a trusted partner of Canon UK.
www.canon.co.uk www.canon.co.uk
 
If you were starting from scratch, I'd suggest Sony - they were first into the FF mirrorless market, and kept their lens mount specifications fairly open, so have far better 3rd party support than Canon or Nikon - but with a good selection of Canon lenses, and the very good support for legacy Canon lenses via their adaptor, they are the obvious choice for you.
 
Only relevant for portraits, but your 85 will become the lens on mirror-less you always wish it were on dslr.

Eye focus, no calibration...

Feels like cheating. I willl never use a wide aperture lens on a dslr again.
 
A few blokes I know who switched over (canon shooters) all just got a mirrorless body and used their usual lens with the addaptor. None of them seem to have any issues and all seem happy.
 
Having previously adapted lenses I could never recommend that again it’s just a hassle and one of the benefits of mirrorless is smaller and in some cases much sharper lenses so when my time came I sold everything and went with the mirrorless manufacturer that was investing heavily in mirrorless when the big boys (and as a result now the small boys) were dismissing it!
 
As a full frame Canon shooter, I would think you'd be happy with a full frame mirrorless Canon as you'd be familiar with the menus and everything you have will work.
Equivalent 5D is the R5, but if you don't need 45mp there is the R6 or R8 options.

Over time you could transition to RF lenses, but EF lenses work seamlessly with the adaptor.
 
I was in a similar situation to you re. lens's ( plus a 100-400l ii) / bodies and was recently given an R7 as a retirement present.

Early days getting used to the extra control (esp. the more sophisticated / complicated AF) and using a crop sensor body again, but so far so good as far as I'm concerned.

I will probably replace my 5Diii with a full frame mirrorless when funds permit.







 
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It is pretty obvious that the equipment you already have will give the results that you want more than adequately and more than likely better than you might need.

However there are so many ways of lookin at this issue that it is near impossible to give concrete advice.

The usual considerations include...

Money..is money is no object than any choice becomes attainable.

Weight, Size and convenience.... In retirement and with injury or age related issues, these become primary concerns and smaller lighter kit become an obvious choice. As does the convenience factor. It's obviously tre that you are more likely to take a small lightweight kit with you even on social occasions which are not primarily "photographic" outings. It would take far more commitment to take out your present kit.

It Quality and not size is the overriding factor, then medium format like the Fuji Gfx system is an obvious choice.
If size and weight with some quality compromise can be accommodated, then the Olympus or some other MFT system fulfills the needs.

If weight and cost are irrelevant the full frame offerings of Canon and Nikon can not be overlooked.

Probably Fuji offer the best offerings in the middle range of APS cameras. Their quality is not a compromise, but there is usually a visible difference between very large prints from APS and Full Frame images. Though on screen and normal sized enlargements show little to no difference.

There is no doubt at all that in the near to long term DSLR cameras will become totally obsolete and impossible to repair. Spare parts for many recent models are already unavailable.

Mirrorless cameras have the advantage of all the latest advances in technology and software. This is very noticeable in the case of lens designs and their resolving power and control of aberrations.

Personally I have not touched my Canon DSLR equipment since I changed to Fuji Mirrorless.
For me size weight and the convenience and ease of use and quality of Mirrorless cameras was overwhelming.
Even though I had spent a lifetime professional use of traditional cameras.
 
+1 for Canon as the main option, given your selection of lenses which will adapt perfectly. As mentioned above, focus with your 85 1.2 wide open will be far more reliable.

In my case, I made the move from 5DM3 and 5DM4 to 2 x R5 a couple of years ago and been very happy.

If you have other considerations like size and weight and want to trade in all your lenses, then you have way more options. Personally, I also like Fuji and have a couple of those too.

Best to get your hands on and test out what works best for you.
 
TimHughes said:
Best to get your hands on and test out what works best for you.
Click to expand...
I agree - both Canon and Fuji do free 48 hour loans to test out equipment.
 
the older full frame EOS R has some mixed reviews but i found it to be perfectly fine for general use
 
I may be miles off the mark here, but in your position I think I'd probably be like "I want to sell all my gear and start again, but I *should* just get a new Canon camera and keep all these lenses", and I'd be posting in the hope that people tell me to sell everything and start again with lots of shiny new toys :)

If you genuinely haven't made your mind up, toss a coin: heads, you keep your lenses and go Canon; tails, you sell everything and start again. If the coin lands and your first thought is "Dammit" then you know that what you *really* want is the other option. Then you can proceed with a clear mind.
 
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The Canon test drive service works well - I hired a camera, an RF lens and a EF/RF mounting adaptor. I had to leave a deposit but I got it all back very promptly. If you hire over a weekend you'll end up paying a fee, but a midweek hire will ultimatly cost nothing. The camera I hired came with an extra battery, plus a suitable memory card and reader.

Test Canon Cameras & Lenses Free for 48 Hours

Try Canon cameras and lenses free for 48 hours with next day delivery. No commitment — just the kit you want, when you want it.
testdrive.trythekit.com testdrive.trythekit.com
 
In your situation I would definitely stick with Canon rather than switching to Sony.

I was in a similar situation but a Nikon DSLR user and incrementally added MILC and Z lenses alongside the DSLR lenses
 
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