Which CSC camera, Nex 5N or GX1?

Ev0

Ev0

Ev0

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I'm looking to buy a 'compact system' camera in the next few weeks and can't decide on what to get, so to OCUK I go for some help and advice :)

To be honest I was all set on a GX1 with that pancake zoom they have and the 20mm prime to go with it in the near future.

However a friend of mine on Friday night said he'd just bought the Nex C3 and we could borrow it for the weekend.

I play roller hockey and wanted to try it out as taking any sort of hockey shots on a normal compact just isn't possible, or just very difficult, as the speed just isn't there.

So my wife was photographer today and whilst the pictures aren't perfect, the fact it was able to snap away with no noticeable lag was nice. They were even better when she realised that you could zoom with the 18-55 lens so second game shots were better :p

So a CSC is on the cards, but which to choose?

As said I was all set on the GX1, but would the sensor size of the Sony's really make a lot of difference, especially when taking pictures inside say a sports hall with not great lighting?

I know everyone always says the Sony's don't have a great lens selection, and the compactness of the GX1 package is very appealing, but are things going to be noticeably better with the Sony?

The price of the 2 doesn't really matter, they are both in the same ball park.

The camera would also be used as just a general carry around, most likely with a prime the majority of the time with some zoomage for some of the sports stuff (which the Sony seemed to handle ok).

So which to get, or any other recommendations around that pricing area?
 
I should have my GX1 arriving today (NZ time) so will report back with a quick review. I went for it because I already have a GF1 (which this will replace) and a G3 so have a selection of lenses I can already use.

The reviews on all of the higher-end CSCs are pretty good, I've always liked the menu system and feel of Panasonics so haven't felt the need to move brands but you'd struggle to buy a bad one in the price range you're looking at. Probably worth a trip to a camera shop to have a play with a few and see if one 'clicks' (no pun intended).

For what it's worth I sold over 20k of camera gear (D700 and a heap of pro lenses) and don't regret it for a second, I take more photos than ever due to the portability and the quality from these 4/3 cameras is very impressive.
 
That's the thing, have had a whole weekend with the Nex C3 and whilst my wife was shooting our games today there are some really good shots when our normal compact would have been useless.

She liked it and found it easy to use, pity I can't get a GX1 on loan for a weekend as well!
 
I know the GX1's autofocus is very fast indeed, obviously the actual sharpness of the photo will also depend on the lens being used. I'll see if I can get the dog to run around the garden and take some shots to give an idea of how it handles moving objects :)
 
I was thinking about a GX1 to eventually replace my GF1 ...but that might change on the 8th of February :)

Olympus_om_d5.jpg


Edit:
Apparently AF is MUCH faster than the E-P3/GX1 (3D tracking and on-sensor phase detection?) It could be the best CSC for sports?
 
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ricky1981 said:
I know the GX1's autofocus is very fast indeed, obviously the actual sharpness of the photo will also depend on the lens being used. I'll see if I can get the dog to run around the garden and take some shots to give an idea of how it handles moving objects :)
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Cheers, here's one that was taken earlier.

I'd set the camera into an auto 'sport' mode with continuous focus so my wife just had to hold the shutter release half way, move the camera around and just snap when she wanted the picture. So wasn't sure how it'd work out with the camera doing all the work.

http://www.theintaweb.co.uk/hockey/maxstick.jpg

Now bear in mind at the time of this shot the guy coming in is belting along, and the guy swinging is going for it pretty hard (as you can see from the stick deflection), I didn't think it was all that bad.

Oh and I suck at processing, only had my first go at it tonight :p
 
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It's a tricky one as they are all pretty good. I think the C3/5n has the best sensor until the new Fuji comes out (which is very expensive) but the newer 4/3 cameras have better control layout and AF performance. The sensor differences probably aren't really noticeable unless your blowing up images really large or pixel peeping. And again the AF issues are blown out of proportion by a load of threads over on dpreview forums, the AF on the Sony is fine for most stuff as you've seen.

Lens wise the 4/3 probably have more good native lenses but again the kit lenses are all probably fairly similar, the 18-55 sony is very sharp in the middle and goes a bit soft at the edges. I think where the 5n really shines though is if you want to put some nice MF glass in front of it. You have tilt screen, pixel peeping and a really easy to use focus zoom feature. You can get some crazy sharp lenses for not that much money if you look for them.
 
If you're keen on low-light-level shooting, you want the fastest glass you can get (low f-number).

For m4/3 this is easier, because the sensor size is a little smaller, the aperture doesn't need to be so big, so less glass is needed in the lenses - so the fast lenses tend to be cheaper than they might be on Nex.

As for sensor size - well m4/3 is smallER, but it isn't small - compare the green (APS-C, most SLRs) to the red (4/3) here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sensor_sizes_overlaid_inside_-_updated.svg

Try out the GX1 then go with the one you prefer the handling of :)
 
Well if you don't mind going MF then you have loads of lenses you can buy, I've done this and haven't used the kit lenses for ages now. Still have a couple more to get to complete my mini set :)

super tamukar 55 1.8 smc for portrait £50~
Voigtlander Heliar 75mm 2.5 for portrait and weird rendering £220~
contax zeiss biogon 28 f2.8 (super sharp and contrasty) £250~
contax zeiss planar 45 f2 (super sharp and contrasty) £250~
contax zeiss sonnar 90 f2.8 (super sharp and contrasty) £120~

None of them break the bank and the Zeiss will shoot the pants of most own-brand kit. Or you could splash out £800 on the zeiss sel 24 1.8 giving AF and really good rendering.
 
Cheers guys, whilst I like the idea of going lens mad the reality is it's going not goign to be used that seriously, especially as it has to be wife friendly.

So MF lenses are probably not in the equation for me, just standard/native offerings.

Might sound mental to then be saying I want one of these, why not go for something cheaper, but this does give me the flexibility and performance I'm after.

I think I need to go try out a GX1 if I can find anywhere local with one, don't think the X series zoom package is available anywhere local to me so will have to try it with the standard 14-42mm.
 
GX1 should be here tomorrow or Monday.

Decided to get it with the new 'pancake' zoom as my thinking was if I want to get a normal type lens in that range it'll be quite cheap (the 14-42 I've seen for £100, or even the 14-45 isn't that much more). Whereas if I got the normal lens to start with and then wanted the X series one that's £350 or so.

Will also be ordering the 20mm very soon :)
 
Nikon 1 series has by far the best autofocusing of these small cameras and would be top of my list for anyone want to try to shoot sport or fast moving subject.
 
Ev0 said:
GX1 should be here tomorrow or Monday.

Decided to get it with the new 'pancake' zoom as my thinking was if I want to get a normal type lens in that range it'll be quite cheap (the 14-42 I've seen for £100, or even the 14-45 isn't that much more). Whereas if I got the normal lens to start with and then wanted the X series one that's £350 or so.

Will also be ordering the 20mm very soon :)
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Choice :)

I bought my GF1 with the 20mm f1.7 as kit lens, acquires a 14-42, got bored of it (and it was pretty big), so sold that and now have the 14mm f2.5 and olympus 45mm f1.8 and everything's grand :)
 
I'm pleased you went for the gx1. The bottom line in the nex vs m43 comparison is lenses. The nex range are great, the sensor in the 5n is nothing short of incredible, but the native lenses let the system down. Its well known that the m43 lenses are better, plus you have a wider lens selection.

Another problem with the nex system is that the fantastic larger sensor gives a larger lens mount which naturally gives larger lens diameter, which sadly makes the likes of the zoom lenses massive. You should see the 55-200mm or 18-200mm in person. You might as well buy a DSLR if you intend on using those lenses.

If shallow DOF is priority go with the larger sensor (however the 50mm 1.8 nex lens is in short supply). And if your cool with high quality manual focus glass the nex is awesome. But when the m43 lenses like the 20mm (I have one) are so good and so sharp, and the zoom lenses are so compact, and the focus speed is quite a bit snappier, it's hard to see why you would go with the nex system.

Both are ace, but for me I prefer my gf1+20mm to the nex system. I would love a nex 5n though for its wide angle adapter and Excellent video performance, plus a very slightly more shallow DOF.

D.P. said:
Nikon 1 series has by far the best autofocusing of these small cameras and would be top of my list for anyone want to try to shoot sport or fast moving subject.
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The Nikon might have great auto focus BUT the epl3 is better in every respect than the Nikon system (aside from video performance and burst rate). The epl3 is lighter, the lenses are lighter, there are more lenses, the sensor is bigger - better low light performance. The Nikon csc's are so well built and feel ace, but the compact m43 cams will give much better pics.
 
ashatron said:
The Nikon might have great auto focus BUT the epl3 is better in every respect than the Nikon system (aside from video performance and burst rate). The epl3 is lighter, the lenses are lighter, there are more lenses, the sensor is bigger - better low light performance. The Nikon csc's are so well built and feel ace, but the compact m43 cams will give much better pics.
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The picture quality and low-light performance is highly debatable. The Nikon sensors are much better than the aging m4/3 offerings, there is very little difference between them. In fact, the Nikon 1 sensor has a very definite edge in terms of dynamic range which is great for landscape work.


the rest may be true to varying extents, certainly there is much less CX-mount native glass, but with the F-mount adapter you can mount more or less any F lens form the last 50 years. The smaller sensor size will allow the Nikon 1 series to offer some truly small lenses with time. Certainly at the current moment if having a large lens collection of native mount lenses is important then m43rds is the only way to go, but then you mostly miss he point of you are lugging 10-15 lenses with you.
 
The 4/3 cameras are only really smaller when you put a pancake or the new collapsing lenses on them. The 5n with kit 18-55 is slightly smaller than my gf1 + 14-45 kit zoom (not that I ever used it). The funny thing is that I don't have a dedicated bag for either so I carry them around with lens attached in my Nikon 16-85 lens bag :D They are both WAY smaller than any dslr.
 
Another problem with the nex system is that the fantastic larger sensor gives a larger lens mount which naturally gives larger lens diameter, which sadly makes the likes of the zoom lenses massive. You should see the 55-200mm or 18-200mm in person. You might as well buy a DSLR if you intend on using those lenses.
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This is slightly misleading in that if you put any lens that size on a camera it will be bigger. the thing is you can also put the 16mm, 18-55mm, 30mm macro, 50mm and lots of MF lens as well of all sizes. However you can never make a DSLR small like you can a CSC camera.

I have the 5 and waiting on the 7 however the GX1 is a great choice especially if you want the lens choices however the 5n is a superb camera, I have a few mates who have them and they really are superb, the IQ is just amazing. Sony and 3rd parties just need to get a few more lenses out there.
 
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