Sensenacai
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I'm all the way over in Ontario, unfortunately.
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Torn between MFT camera options to buy as a beginner for casual photography
- Thread starter Sensenacai
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gary0319
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I bought an E-M5 II on Fred Miranda from a guy in Canada. I presume it can go the other way as well.
Go on the Fred Miranda website and go to the Buy-Sell forum and post a WTB ad for a Panasonic GX85. They go for around $250 on Fred Miranda.
Sensenacai
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I've taken a look at the Fred Miranda forum and I don't even want to begin figuring out how that website works. The interface looks so outdated.
gary0319
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Just curious, when is it needed? Panasonic made a bunch of these tilting EVF so there must be some condition that is escaping me.
gary0319
Forum Pro
Don't mean to be harsh, but you have received a lot of good advice from people trying to help you out, and you seem to have a reason to discount almost all of it.
If the Fred Miranda site is too difficult for you, maybe sticking with the cell phone would be a better idea, after all.
Sensenacai
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Maybe for framing/composing at tight angles.
gary0319
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I guess that would be one, but I've never had an occasion to really want to do that. Thanks.
Sensenacai
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I don't have a lot of money laying around so I'm being as diligent as I can with deciding on what I will end up buying and from where or from who.
gary0319
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Fair enough, good luck.
People seem to prefer using the tilting or fully articulated LCD screens rather than tilting viewfinders on the whole. Three different means to the same end except you can’t see when shooting from up high with a tilting EVF while you can with the 3” screens.
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Sensenacai
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True. I imagine a tilting EVF could be useful in a situation where there the angle for capturing an image is tight or where space is limited and pulling the camera further back towards yourself that the only available view is from the EVF tilted at 90 degrees could make a big difference.
David5833
Senior Member
For some of us, if we don't like what we buy we can just return it or sell it. I get it that not everyone has that luxury and you want to make the best decision you can at this point. Camera gear is not cheap and when you have budget constraints it makes it harder. However, TBH, it seems like you are overthinking everything. Your posted photos are pretty good. Of course, if the EVF bothers you it won't be a good choice, so maybe you should just use your cell phone camera until you can get to a brick and mortar store somewhere and see firsthand what works for you.
Nothing is perfect and sometimes you end up kissing a lot of frogs. If you have no experience with adjustable digital cameras, you will almost have to get sucked into learning about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, depth of field, noise, post processing, lens choices, and a host of other technical variables, not to mention the artistic elements. It can be a slippery and expensive slope, but just about any adjustable camera will be fine for a beginner. In the end you might decide it's not worth the expense or the effort and that the cell phone was good enough.
Sensenacai
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Usually my overthinking pays off in most cases, particularly when it comes to buying technology and so I always want to get the absolute best my budget can afford with no room for regret.
But I'm in need of a digital camera because there are many moments where I want to take a picture of something but the cameras on my phone prove to be inadequate to capture it or produce underwhelming results even after exhausting the limited manual controls and I'm left wishing I had something more capable.
I have contemplated upgrading to the recently released Sony Xperia 5 IV that has rare features missing from many phones like a headphone jack, microSD slot support up to 1TB, 120Hz OLED display with no notch or camera punch hole, a 21:9 aspect ratio, a dedicated camera shutter button, and Sony's own dedicated photography and video apps with features and manual controls from their Alpha cameras... but the thing costs over $1000 CAD and I thought why not find an interchangeable lens camera for less than that.
Learning about digital cameras and lenses has been overwhelming and frustrating but I feel fairly sure that investing in one will be worth it that will serve my needs for years to come.
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cba_melbourne
Veteran Member
Do you rather have a bargain, or a flash looking website?
Sometimes luck will find you a bargain where you did not expect one to be. Then you have to decide quickly or it slips away. But in general, you have to put in some time and work. Sometimes a lot. If that is not acceptable, there is always new and refurbished off the shelf.
In my experience it always costs time, new or used. If new, you earn all the required money by converting your time into a wage, and pay income tax on it. If used you spend much/most of your time searchning, comparing, investigating and bartering. Pick what you like doing best.
I spent a year finding my two GM5, at the price and in the condition that I wanted.
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grsnovi
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Is this really a life or death decision?
If you buy it and you end up hating it you can sell it to MPB.
Yes, you'll lose money.
Is this the last camera you ever expect to purchase?
It's a great little camera that will support all of the great Oly and Panny MFT lenses.
UrbaneHobbit
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It sounds like this will be a big transition, going from smartphone to a system camera. Perhaps the best and lowest-risk path involves borrowing a mirrorless camera from a friend, to understand what the experience will be like. Most modern digital cameras have similar enough feature sets and controls, and – dare I say – image quality for you to tell if this is the way forward for you.
All but three of my cameras have tilting screens [not EVF’s] that are only used for about 2% of shots. They are very useful for those 2% of course and the number of shots is maybe higher than you imagine, since I take around 8000 images in a good year like this one. No burst shooting.
At no time have I ever wished for a tilting EVF.
Of the three that have fixed screens, one does not even have a viewfinder [it’s a budget thing that works similar to a phone and takes an average of 15 shots a year]. Another is my little Fuji X20 which I love but hardly ever use. The other is used sporadically for perhaps 500 exposures annually.and is my most expensive but very simple camera and that’s a Leica Q2. No frills on this one but the fixed EVF is excellent, the fixed screen about average. It is no hardship using it, believe me.
That link is sold by Amazon and says returns are valid until Jan 31st. If it was sold by a third party I'd be worried but it appears that one is safe.
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Sensenacai
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Except I'm not looking to lose money.
And I expect to purchase a camera without having to buy / upgrade to another for years.
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