Suggestions for mirrorless?

HSV · 03-08-2013, 11:43 AM

I'd like to get a smaller mirrorless "for the road", and the reason why I post in this forum is that I'm not quite sure Pentax is the right choice for me. I wanted something small and light, for traveling and looking more casual, while having enough ISO and AF performance to be used indoors. In a lot of places, I have not wanted to carry the K-5 out in order to not attract attention or getting people scared.

Been considering between a NEX and a K-01, and so far I'm undecided...so I'd like to know suggestions.

In my line of though, I've considered the following:

Advantages of a NEX: smaller, very K-mount glass friendly thanks to peaking and the LCD showing the resulting exposure, tilting LCD, EVF, electronic front curtain shutter (not sure of the real advantage in longevity)
Disadvantages: crappy flash system (not that I use a lot of flash when on the road), price

Advantages of K-01: native K-mount support, slightly better flash system (but still no wireless P-TTL support from the built in flash), price
Disadvantages: much bigger, LCD does not show resulting exposure, fixed LCD, no EVF

I'm a tad biased towards Pentax, but after handling a NEX, I was actually surprised of how good they are.

I'd like to know y'alls suggestions on this topic.

Thanks in advance.

JinDesu · 03-08-2013, 11:50 AM

Having played with both, if you have quite a few AF Pentax lenses, it's probably better to go K-01. The K-01, while bigger than the NEX series, isn't too large with most of the Pentax primes. In addition, while you can mount K-mount on the NEX, you need the adapter which adds thickness to the combo - thus not saving you too much.

The NEX has better focus peaking, EVF capability, and some nice Sigma lenses coming out for it for cheap, but the K-01 isn't really a slouch in the usability department. The menus will be intuitive to you, as a k-5 user, and the AF has been improved quite a bit in the latest firmwares.

Nesster · 03-08-2013, 12:49 PM

I had the same dilemma. A used Nex C3 from KEH solved it for me

I thought about the K-01, the native (read: auto aperture) support of K lenses is something pretty good, something the NEX doesn't do.

I planned to use the NEX mainly as a platform for vintage lenses that don't have a digital platform available: OM, Leica screw... M42... Minolta MD...

The issue with the NEX is that the lens to camera ratio is way off: mostly lens, very little camera. With the adapters the package isn't small.

Mine came with a kit Sony zoom which is fine enough. The tilting LCD is helpful, and almost as essential as I thought it might be.

I do miss the shake reduction. When you have to hold the camera away from you, there's bound to be more shake than if you held it against your head, or belly.

HSV · 03-08-2013, 05:58 PM

Thanks for the input!

Arguments for the K-01 are certainly very convincing...the only thing that's I have doubts with the K-01 is the LCD.

When I used the NEX, the LCD had something very peculiar, it worked as a "always on" exposure preview and DOF preview. I think that these 2 features, along with the peaking, give me a pretty accurate idea of how the final image is going to be. That was the aspect that surprised me the most.

On the K-01 forums, I've read that it basically focuses and meters as a DSLR...wide open all the time (except when too bright outdoors). The exposure on the LCD is always "the correct one" (well, what the K-01 considers to be correct), irrespective of the exposure parameters. For instance, in manual, you could be way overexposing, yet the LCD shows a normal exposure before the shot.

With the K-01 is there any way to work around and get a exposure and DOF preview simultaneously?

Jasvox · 03-09-2013, 12:38 AM

I bought the NEX-5n about a year and half ago and have been nothing but pleased. a few months later, I bought the EVF attachment along with some adapters so I could take advantage of using some of my Pentax and Olympus glass and have enjoyed shooting manually more and more with the camera than ever. I have absolutely no regrets with this camera and would buy another one in a heartbeat, but if I were to replace this one for some reason, I would go with the NEX-6 simply because of the form factor having a built in EVF and better AF technology.

I never could see the real advantage of the K-01 over the K-5 other than the fact now they are so dang cheap.

Jason

KungPOW · 03-09-2013, 12:49 AM

I bought a NEX-5N about 8 months ago.

I use it primarily with k mount manual primes.

very happy with the camera. I like it better then the K10D I sold to buy it.

I expect my next camera will be an NEX-6.

I never thought I would have bought a Sony.

Clavius · 03-09-2013, 01:01 AM

The NEX is a very good camera for the job you describe. Yes it does have a crappy flash system, but so does Pentax. And you already stated that you won't be using flash much anyway.

Are those PK lenses you're using FF? There is an FF NEX comming up: (SR5) Full Frame mirrorless from Sony coming in almost exactly one year! 24 or 30-32 Megapixel! | sonyalpharumors

It may be worth to hold out just a bit.

Laurentiu Cristofor · 03-09-2013, 01:30 AM

Originally posted by HSV

When I used the NEX, the LCD had something very peculiar, it worked as a "always on" exposure preview and DOF preview.

This will happen with all mirrorless cameras and adapted lenses because the camera cannot control the aperture of the adapted lens, so it has to display the result using whatever aperture is already selected on the lens.

MILCs should offer this behavior with native lenses as well, but for some reason, they don't always offer this choice. It's funny how in this case, it's better to adapt the lens than to use it on the native mount.

If you also have M42 lenses, that would be another reason to avoid the K-01 - you can get adapters that lock properly onto the mount with the NEX.

nickthetasmaniac · 03-09-2013, 04:13 PM

Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor

MILCs should offer this behavior with native lenses as well, but for some reason, they don't always offer this choice. It's funny how in this case, it's better to adapt the lens than to use it on the native mount.

This was something that drove me mental with my GH2, it was impossible to have permanent 'live-view' with native, electronic lenses.

Unsinkable II · 03-11-2013, 03:39 AM

Rx100

HSV · 03-11-2013, 01:48 PM

Thanks for the input...didn't know that the NEX' were the only MILC that had that preview feature.

Honestly, I think it's the best platform for adapted lenses (Pentax being 2nd place).

nickthetasmaniac · 03-12-2013, 08:35 PM

Originally posted by HSV

Honestly, I think it's the best platform for adapted lenses (Pentax being 2nd place).

I'm curious which Pentax platform is any good for adapting lenses?

HSV · 03-12-2013, 09:13 PM

In my opinion...the k30, k-01 and Q.

My criteria is:
1. can effectively do some form of metering
2. can focus peak

Most manufacturers are not willing to put the above 2 features for obvious marketing reasons.

The Q can mount anything due to the flange distance. The K mount is a bit more restricted but still allows a lot of possibilities.

Steve Beswick · 03-13-2013, 12:43 AM

Originally posted by HSV

In my opinion...the k30, k-01 and Q.

My criteria is:
1. can effectively do some form of metering
2. can focus peak

Most manufacturers are not willing to put the above 2 features for obvious marketing reasons.

The Q can mount anything due to the flange distance. The K mount is a bit more restricted but still allows a lot of possibilities.

Except for extreme telephoto, adapting anything to the Q is a joke. The K mount is second worst for adapting lenses, with the F mount taking the lead for worst.

Clavius · 03-13-2013, 02:41 AM

Originally posted by Steve Beswick

Except for extreme telephoto, adapting anything to the Q is a joke. The K mount is second worst for adapting lenses, with the F mount taking the lead for worst.

You're forgetting about macro. The DOF of the small Q sensor is a huge advantage for extreme macro too. It even has professional applications that no other camera can do. So it's not a joke at all. Think of using this for photographing a jeweler's products. Or the products of an electronics manufacturer.

03-08-2013, 11:43 AM	#1
HSV Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 321	Suggestions for mirrorless? I'd like to get a smaller mirrorless "for the road", and the reason why I post in this forum is that I'm not quite sure Pentax is the right choice for me. I wanted something small and light, for traveling and looking more casual, while having enough ISO and AF performance to be used indoors. In a lot of places, I have not wanted to carry the K-5 out in order to not attract attention or getting people scared. Been considering between a NEX and a K-01, and so far I'm undecided...so I'd like to know suggestions. In my line of though, I've considered the following: Advantages of a NEX: smaller, very K-mount glass friendly thanks to peaking and the LCD showing the resulting exposure, tilting LCD, EVF, electronic front curtain shutter (not sure of the real advantage in longevity) Disadvantages: crappy flash system (not that I use a lot of flash when on the road), price Advantages of K-01: native K-mount support, slightly better flash system (but still no wireless P-TTL support from the built in flash), price Disadvantages: much bigger, LCD does not show resulting exposure, fixed LCD, no EVF I'm a tad biased towards Pentax, but after handling a NEX, I was actually surprised of how good they are. I'd like to know y'alls suggestions on this topic. Thanks in advance.

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03-08-2013, 11:50 AM	#2
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	Having played with both, if you have quite a few AF Pentax lenses, it's probably better to go K-01. The K-01, while bigger than the NEX series, isn't too large with most of the Pentax primes. In addition, while you can mount K-mount on the NEX, you need the adapter which adds thickness to the combo - thus not saving you too much. The NEX has better focus peaking, EVF capability, and some nice Sigma lenses coming out for it for cheap, but the K-01 isn't really a slouch in the usability department. The menus will be intuitive to you, as a k-5 user, and the AF has been improved quite a bit in the latest firmwares.

03-08-2013, 12:49 PM	#3
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072	I had the same dilemma. A used Nex C3 from KEH solved it for me I thought about the K-01, the native (read: auto aperture) support of K lenses is something pretty good, something the NEX doesn't do. I planned to use the NEX mainly as a platform for vintage lenses that don't have a digital platform available: OM, Leica screw... M42... Minolta MD... The issue with the NEX is that the lens to camera ratio is way off: mostly lens, very little camera. With the adapters the package isn't small. Mine came with a kit Sony zoom which is fine enough. The tilting LCD is helpful, and almost as essential as I thought it might be. I do miss the shake reduction. When you have to hold the camera away from you, there's bound to be more shake than if you held it against your head, or belly.

03-08-2013, 05:58 PM	#4
HSV Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 321 Original Poster	Thanks for the input! Arguments for the K-01 are certainly very convincing...the only thing that's I have doubts with the K-01 is the LCD. When I used the NEX, the LCD had something very peculiar, it worked as a "always on" exposure preview and DOF preview. I think that these 2 features, along with the peaking, give me a pretty accurate idea of how the final image is going to be. That was the aspect that surprised me the most. On the K-01 forums, I've read that it basically focuses and meters as a DSLR...wide open all the time (except when too bright outdoors). The exposure on the LCD is always "the correct one" (well, what the K-01 considers to be correct), irrespective of the exposure parameters. For instance, in manual, you could be way overexposing, yet the LCD shows a normal exposure before the shot. With the K-01 is there any way to work around and get a exposure and DOF preview simultaneously?

03-09-2013, 12:38 AM	#5
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107	I bought the NEX-5n about a year and half ago and have been nothing but pleased. a few months later, I bought the EVF attachment along with some adapters so I could take advantage of using some of my Pentax and Olympus glass and have enjoyed shooting manually more and more with the camera than ever. I have absolutely no regrets with this camera and would buy another one in a heartbeat, but if I were to replace this one for some reason, I would go with the NEX-6 simply because of the form factor having a built in EVF and better AF technology. I never could see the real advantage of the K-01 over the K-5 other than the fact now they are so dang cheap. Jason

03-09-2013, 12:49 AM	#6
KungPOW Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Vancouver, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,699	I bought a NEX-5N about 8 months ago. I use it primarily with k mount manual primes. very happy with the camera. I like it better then the K10D I sold to buy it. I expect my next camera will be an NEX-6. I never thought I would have bought a Sony.

03-09-2013, 01:01 AM	#7
Clavius Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: De Klundert Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,150	The NEX is a very good camera for the job you describe. Yes it does have a crappy flash system, but so does Pentax. And you already stated that you won't be using flash much anyway. Are those PK lenses you're using FF? There is an FF NEX comming up: (SR5) Full Frame mirrorless from Sony coming in almost exactly one year! 24 or 30-32 Megapixel! \| sonyalpharumors It may be worth to hold out just a bit.

03-09-2013, 01:30 AM	#8
Laurentiu Cristofor Banned Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: WA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,055	Originally posted by HSV When I used the NEX, the LCD had something very peculiar, it worked as a "always on" exposure preview and DOF preview. This will happen with all mirrorless cameras and adapted lenses because the camera cannot control the aperture of the adapted lens, so it has to display the result using whatever aperture is already selected on the lens. MILCs should offer this behavior with native lenses as well, but for some reason, they don't always offer this choice. It's funny how in this case, it's better to adapt the lens than to use it on the native mount. If you also have M42 lenses, that would be another reason to avoid the K-01 - you can get adapters that lock properly onto the mount with the NEX.

03-09-2013, 04:13 PM	#9
nickthetasmaniac Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 2,361	Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor MILCs should offer this behavior with native lenses as well, but for some reason, they don't always offer this choice. It's funny how in this case, it's better to adapt the lens than to use it on the native mount. This was something that drove me mental with my GH2, it was impossible to have permanent 'live-view' with native, electronic lenses.

03-11-2013, 03:39 AM	#10
Unsinkable II Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,352	Rx100

03-11-2013, 01:48 PM	#11
HSV Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 321 Original Poster	Thanks for the input...didn't know that the NEX' were the only MILC that had that preview feature. Honestly, I think it's the best platform for adapted lenses (Pentax being 2nd place).

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03-12-2013, 08:35 PM	#12
nickthetasmaniac Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 2,361	Originally posted by HSV Honestly, I think it's the best platform for adapted lenses (Pentax being 2nd place). I'm curious which Pentax platform is any good for adapting lenses?

03-12-2013, 09:13 PM	#13
HSV Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 321 Original Poster	In my opinion...the k30, k-01 and Q. My criteria is: 1. can effectively do some form of metering 2. can focus peak Most manufacturers are not willing to put the above 2 features for obvious marketing reasons. The Q can mount anything due to the flange distance. The K mount is a bit more restricted but still allows a lot of possibilities.

03-13-2013, 12:43 AM	#14
Steve Beswick Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Ontario, California Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,736	Originally posted by HSV In my opinion...the k30, k-01 and Q. My criteria is: 1. can effectively do some form of metering 2. can focus peak Most manufacturers are not willing to put the above 2 features for obvious marketing reasons. The Q can mount anything due to the flange distance. The K mount is a bit more restricted but still allows a lot of possibilities. Except for extreme telephoto, adapting anything to the Q is a joke. The K mount is second worst for adapting lenses, with the F mount taking the lead for worst.

03-13-2013, 02:41 AM	#15
Clavius Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: De Klundert Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,150	Originally posted by Steve Beswick Except for extreme telephoto, adapting anything to the Q is a joke. The K mount is second worst for adapting lenses, with the F mount taking the lead for worst. You're forgetting about macro. The DOF of the small Q sensor is a huge advantage for extreme macro too. It even has professional applications that no other camera can do. So it's not a joke at all. Think of using this for photographing a jeweler's products. Or the products of an electronics manufacturer.