I think I'm bored with mirrorless systems

wt21

Hall of Famer
Don't know why, but I think I'm just plain bored with mirrorless. Sony, Fuji, m43, EOS M. Just not interested, and not sure why.

I've downscaled my m43 system, but I still don't have any desire to use it. I just ordered an RX100 mk ii. If the low ISO IQ is as good as the mk i, I'm thinking of selling all my m43 gear.

Problem is, I still would really like a pocket "normal lens" (i.e. around 50mm eq.) camera. There just ain't one I'd buy. Sigma DP series comes close, but I know the performance speed and high ISO limits would drive me nuts. I wish Fuji did an RX100 in a 50mm eq.

Oh well. Off to shoot with my 6D, and looking forward maybe to simplifying my gear (RX100 for walk-about/travel and the 6D for everything else).

edit: I didn't mean at all to say that I think DSLRs are better than mirrorless. Was just making a statement about mirrorless systems, and meant to emphasize that outside of my DSLR, I might be more interested in fixed lens cameras, or at least getting away from the idea of a "system"
 
Don't know why, but I think I'm just plain bored with mirrorless. Sony, Fuji, m43, EOS M. Just not interested, and not sure why.

I've downscaled my m43 system, but I still don't have any desire to use it. I just ordered an RX100 mk ii. If the low ISO IQ is as good as the mk i, I'm thinking of selling all my m43 gear.

Problem is, I still would really like a pocket "normal lens" (i.e. around 50mm eq.) camera. There just ain't one I'd buy. Sigma DP series comes close, but I know the performance speed and high ISO limits would drive me nuts. I wish Fuji did an RX100 in a 50mm eq.

Oh well. Off to shoot with my 6D, and looking forward maybe to simplifying my gear (RX100 for walk-about/travel and the 6D for everything else).

I know *exactly* how you feel. I've had a resurgence of interest since buying a mirrorless but I know myself well enough to know the enthusiasm won't last. However I can't use my DSLR so thats going... sometime... when I can bring myself to sell it... or buy a monopod so I can use it.
 
Weird post, W T, but to each his own. Maybe you're just bored with photography? Why would a mirrorless camera be "boring"? Or really ANY camera?

You're not infected with that "well, when I don't shoot a DSLR I don't feel like a REAL photographer" thing are you? Some people seem to only be happy when they "look like" a photographer as they envision one.

Cameras may annoy me with their handling, or whatever -- but I don't think I've ever been "bored" with one -- that's just such an "alien" concept to me! lol
 
Don't think that's anything to worry about... we all go through phases of liking this or that.

pocket 50mm camera -> I'm sure it's not too far off. We've had a couple of semi-pocket 35mm's (X1, X100 and DP2-non-M at 41mm or so), now 3 (semi)pocket 28's (Nikon A, GR, DP1(M)... but the DP2M is the only near-50mm fixed lens large sensor compact. I'd say it's the logical next step for this fairly new category of cameras.
 
I think perhaps you've burnt yourself out on trying all the cameras. Maybe you need a new image based desire to replace your hardware based desire. I'm selling off most of m43 gear (maybe all of it) and just back to basics. The more gear I have, the less I use. I get paralyzed by having too much to choose from. If I leave the house with one camera (or one body and one lens) everything is more enjoyable to me.
 
I think perhaps you've burnt yourself out on trying all the cameras. Maybe you need a new image based desire to replace your hardware based desire. I'm selling off most of m43 gear (maybe all of it) and just back to basics. The more gear I have, the less I use. I get paralyzed by having too much to choose from. If I leave the house with one camera (or one body and one lens) everything is more enjoyable to me.

I do that sometimes (take less).

Another thing that helps is "self assignment". Create a "mission" or "assignment" for yourself that will challenge you in some way and go try to fulfill it. It does a couple of things: 1) It gives you something to actually go do instead of waiting for "opportunity" to present itself. 2) It's a killer way to drill with your gear and attain full mastery of the controls by forcing you to constantly adapt to different conditions.

Yet another consideration: are you an photographic artist or a photographer? They can be quite distinct. In one you are trying to create an image that communicates something somehow that is YOUR vision for an image. In the other, it may be a more documentary approach just using your skill to catch what is before you.

Neither is better than the other -- but from what I've seen photographic artists generally tend to be more interested in making pictures that suit them and their "vision" whatever that might be; and photographers are more interested in capturing accurately whatever is THERE. It's that whole "decisive moment" thing but without a previsualization necessarily. And for all that, there's a great deal of overlap with people who don't have a defined vision, but their photos still say a lot and they too are artists. Some seemingly "spontaneous" shots are actually the result of a photographer camped out, waiting for the shot they know can happen. Street photographers do this often and that is for sure a form of previsualization.

I make these distinctions just as a tool to help you find yourself in the continuum that is photography.

I can be happy with either but what DRIVES my photography/video/music creativity is trying to capture something that says what I want it to say. I'm not a pro, and at times I'm not even that good, lol -- but I like doing it. The cameras are a means to an end and like any modern person I like nice tech -- but it's not the point.

One's photography can be nothing more than just taking pictures -- but much more of yourself can be put into it to really make it self-expression. That's what I keep pushing into with mixed success but undimmed enthusiasm, lol.
 
Are you sure it's mirrorless you're bored with? There are a lot of variations in the cameras you mentioned; about the only thing they have in common is that they don't have a mirror to go "flip-flap". I'm not against SLR's, and the thacking and thudding of the inner curtain, mirror and shudder on my Hasselblad is sometimes music to my ears, but a Mamiya 6 rangefinder would get me to the same place without a mirror and would often be preferable -- but without those Zeiss lenses I so love. So....I guess I don't get it, as mirrorless encompasses a wide range of cameras with totally different operation.

I'm not trying to get under your skin or accuse you of things I could not possibly know. What is it about mirrorless systems the bores you? It's not a challenge; I'm curious.
 
Yeah, it's a lot of what Luke said -- too much gear leads me to a malaise, but it's also some of what John said with "In the other, it may be a more documentary approach just using your skill to catch what is before you" and I haven't had a lot of time to get out and about.

It's also partly being tired of being in front of a computer (ironic that I'm posting this, I know).

I didn't mean, btw, to say a DSLR is better. I use a DSLR specifically to shoot kids' events. I have purpose when I shoot with the DSLR, and nailing the image gives me joy. Having a mirrorless "system" around seems to demand attention to find a reason to shoot with it. Dropping down to just the RX100, which is an "always with me camera" puts less demand on me to go and shoot, and allows me to have it there "just in case."

But I do like the occasional street shooting adventure, and prefer 50mm eq. on a larger sensor, yet from a small camera that's quick and quiet. The EPM series + PL25 has served that purpose in the past. I just wish for one a bit smaller, like with a collapsible lens.

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate the thoughtful feedback.
 
Problem is, I still would really like a pocket "normal lens" (i.e. around 50mm eq.) camera. There just ain't one I'd buy. Sigma DP series comes close, but I know the performance speed and high ISO limits would drive me nuts. I wish Fuji did an RX100 in a 50mm eq.

A small body (Olympus Pen?) with a fast normal pancake would likely be smaller than a DP2 while delivering good high-ISO images and speedy performance. You could treat it like a DP2, i.e. keep the lens fixed.

What keeps me interested in photography is a frequent change in scenery rather than a frequent change of systems. My houseplants are well documented, but my favorite images were captured far from home. With my Canon S95 passed down to my brother and my beloved DP1 in retirement, I have only used one camera in the past year. But I'm as excited as I have ever been about photography.
 
I understand where he's coming from. That's one of the reasons I keep my Pentax kit around. If I get bored, I can switch back from micro four-thirds. Even among my compacts, I can switch between my Pentax Q kit and my LX7. But I don't think it'll be all that long before all cameras - with the exception of a few very expensive high-end devices - will be mirrorless and equipped with EVFs if they have viewfinders.
 
A small body (Olympus Pen?) with a fast normal pancake would likely be smaller than a DP2 while delivering good high-ISO images and speedy performance. You could treat it like a DP2, i.e. keep the lens fixed.

Maybe that's what I'll try. I've got 4 lenses now. Whittle it down to one or two, tops.
 
I think perhaps you've burnt yourself out on trying all the cameras. Maybe you need a new image based desire to replace your hardware based desire. I'm selling off most of m43 gear (maybe all of it) and just back to basics. The more gear I have, the less I use. I get paralyzed by having too much to choose from. If I leave the house with one camera (or one body and one lens) everything is more enjoyable to me.


So *thats* what it is. THanks, Luke... I think thats hit the issue for me, too.
 
I think whether its within a system, among various systems, or fixed lens cameras, having too much to choose from can be paralyzing for some of us. I used to have a VERY full m43 system (and then added a pretty limited Fuji system to the mix). I'd go out with a bag full of lenses and sometimes even two bodies and one of two things would happen - either I'd feel obligated to use them all and I'd switch lenses a lot just in an effort to justify HAVING them all, OR I'd shoot all day with one lens and then feel like an idiot for bringing all the rest of it. Either way, I found it pretty unsatisfying. I'd still shoot a lot and enjoy the actual shooting, but one way or another id feel stupid about all if the gear in my bag. But over time I relaxed and found it was more the latter (shooting with one or maybe two lenses and ignoring the rest) and that ultimately led me to a change in approach - along with some great new gear options.

I just came to realize that I like shooting and DO shoot the vast majority of the time within a pretty narrow range of focal lengths. If I had to pick one, it would be 28mm (at least in my preferred ratio of 3:2 - probably 24mm at 4:3), but I also like shooting at 35mm a lot and occasionally wider at 21mm. I also came to realize that I prefer shooting at 3:2 to 4:3 at any of these normal-wide focal lengths. And then I discovered how good fixed lens cameras were getting and they've suddenly gotten a whole lot better. And now my direction has changed pretty radically. I have two great fixed lens cameras - the Nikon A at 28mm (but the Ricoh GR could have filled this role also) and the Sony RX1 at 35mm. I shoot with one of these two cameras the vast majority of the time now - the Nikon more than the Sony but the Sony more than I've used a 35mm in the past just because its SOOOOOO damn good. I usually just take one of them when I leave the house, occasionally both - either way, SMALL (or NO) bag!

And now my "systems" have been radically scaled back and are role players rather than being my primary go-to gear. I have an OMD for mostly longer focal lengths - the 75mm pretty much lives on there for family candid type of stuff and all around short telephoto use but I also have a 75-300 for the very occasional time I want REACH! I should sell the 75-300 for the amount I don't use it, but every time I don't have a lens like that I find a reason to want one, so I'll probably keep it for occasional use, but it mostly lives on the shelf. I have a few other lenses that get no love and I'll probably sell. The 12mm because its been one of my favorite lenses ever and was my go-to lens when m43 was my go-to system (this is the one I'd use all day and make me feel guilty about the unused stuff in the bag), the 9-18 and the 45mm. And my Fuji X-Pro with the 18mm and 35mm is gone (the functions being completely superseded by the Nikon and RX1, which I just prefer for a variety of reasons) and all I have left is a second hand XE1 to act as a body for the excellent 14mm lens, which seems to be my "ultra-wide" of choice and as wide as I ever use anymore. I used to use the 9-18 Oly a lot and have thought about replacing it with the Fuji 10-24 when it arrives, but I never seem to want anything wider than the 21mm equivalent the 14 gives me now, so I may just hold onto the 9-18 for that rare occasion rather than spending the money for the sure to be expensive 10-24. Or I may sell the 9-18 and just not have anything wider than 21mm...

But the point of all of this is that I've come to understand my own shooting better and my systems now play VERY small roles at best. My 28 and 35mm fixed lens cameras are my every-day cameras because that's where I shoot the VAST majority of the time and they're just incredible cameras. My system cameras now play extremely limited roles at the more extreme longer and wider focal lengths that I wouldn't want to be without, but really use very little. And if I'd stuck with systems instead of the specialty fixed lens cameras, I could just carry the OMD with the 12 and/or 17mm or the X-Pro with the 18 and/or the coming 23mm and achieve largely the same thing. Either way, it was just a matter of coming to terms with where I shoot the vast majority of the time and scaling back to that.

Sounds like you just want a Nikon A or Ricoh GR or X100 at 50mm instead of at 28 or 35. It'll probably happen at some point!

-Ray
 
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