Small Camera equal or better to................

Raincloud

Raincloud

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Guys, i have a Canon 550D with a 50mm lens of which i must adimt is a great combo.

Thing is, with a fair bit of travelling coming up, is there an alternative that will give me the same results but in a smaller package?

I love the prime and the ISO of the combination. As we are travelling a fair bit this year i need something that can give me the same results in low light etc and is easy to hide away.
 
Any recentish m4/3 will equal it, Sony A7 will beat it by miles but cost a bomb. Theoretically you could keep Canon AF lenses as well if you want to spend £300 on an adapter.
 
Fuji X100s, XE1, XE2 or even better X-Pro1, they're BETTER in low light and at high ISO's than your canon, the lenses are equal to canon L glass.

I came to the X-Pro1 from a 500D & fast glass, but the Fuji's iQ is way way better as is the noise handling & high ISO, in fact with the canon I had to shoot raw and do a fair bit of post processing to get a decent result, with the X-Pro1 I just shoot jpg, I dont need to shoot raw any more, the jpg's straight out of the camera are that good (subject to correctly exposing your shots of course).

It's light weight as well at only a shade over 400gm for the body (All metal body on the X-Pro1) so ideal for travel as well as everything else and there are some stonking deals available at the moment on it.

PS you can shoot clean up to ISO 3200 with no discernible noise and up to ISO 6400 is still very useable.

I also have an OM-D EM1 I use for shooting birds but to be honest the X-pro1 knocks spots of it on iQ and the smaller MFT sensors get noisy really quickly, the EM1 sensor is a vast improvement over previous sensors but its still noisy at anything over ISO 1600, So I would not recommend that format for low light shots unless you want to shoot raw and do a lot of post processing.
 
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magicaxeman said:
Fuji X100s, XE1, XE2 or even better X-Pro1, they're BETTER in low light and at high ISO's than your canon, the lenses are equal to canon L glass.

I came to the X-Pro1 from a 500D & fast glass, but the Fuji's iQ is way way better as is the noise handling & high ISO, in fact with the canon I had to shoot raw and do a fair bit of post processing to get a decent result, with the X-Pro1 I just shoot jpg, I dont need to shoot raw any more, the jpg's straight out of the camera are that good (subject to correctly exposing your shots of course).

It's light weight as well at only a shade over 400gm for the body (All metal body on the X-Pro1) so ideal for travel as well as everything else and there are some stonking deals available at the moment on it.

PS you can shoot clean up to ISO 3200 with no discernible noise and up to ISO 6400 is still very useable.

I also have an OM-D EM1 I use for shooting birds but to be honest the X-pro1 knocks spots of it on iQ and the smaller MFT sensors get noisy really quickly, the EM1 sensor is a vast improvement over previous sensors but its still noisy at anything over ISO 1600, So I would not recommend that format for low light shots unless you want to shoot raw and do a lot of post processing.
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How do you find the X-Pro 1 in low light and AF. I have a similar requirement to raincloud, but want it mainly to photograph my young children who don't sit still.

Raincloud, the LX7 and RX100 might also be worth looking at, or the Fuji xf1 which is discounted at Curry's currently (I've no practical experience of any but people seem to like them)
 
How small do you want to go? If you want something to slip into a shirt pocket, you'll be after a decent compact and the one that springs to mind is the Fuji XF-1 (now replaced I think) which can turn in excellent shots. Not up to very shallow DoF at 50mm EFL but pretty damn good in fairly low light at its short end of 25mm EFL.
If pocketability isn't a priority, there are loads more options, from the X-20 (soon to be replaced by the X-30) Fuji up through assorted CSC systems. Not sure which other CSC systems allow the use of SLR lenses but I know the Nikon 1 series can use AF-S lenses on the FT-1 adaptor to great effect. The problem that comes with that is size - the body's much smaller but an SLR lens is significantly bigger than a CSC one!
 
Raincloud said:
Thanks but the X-Pro1 is a lot of money. Money i cant afford.
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Revealing your budget might be a useful next step. It's easier than everyone trying to guess.

(including whether you're prepared to sell the 550D, the 50mm and any other lenses you may have)
 
Most of the CSC, Fuji options are "replacement" for what you have - do you want to replace, or is this something to have in addition to (for the travelling light moments).

I had the same issue (with Nikon kit) and purchased a Sony RX100. Gives all of the performance I need, good enough wide-angle / telephoto range, and fits in a pocket. The RX100M2 gives about one stop better performance, but for the huge price gap I reckon the smaller body of the original RX100 is the better option. That approach might fit your needs, and keep the Canon for when you need your full kit.
 
I have just bought a Canon EOS M with the 18-55 lens. I already have a 5Dmk2 and a number of lenses so thought this would make a good addition for one to go in the pocket, though will get the 22mm pancake lens so it will go in smaller pockets. Additionally it came with a free Canon adaptor so I can use all my lenses on it. With the added crop factor over the full frame camera it will add a welcome boost to the longer lenses if I need them, plus I can use it as a second body.

Been very pleased with it so far, and as it is also Canon the menus are very similar so it's easy to find the settings I want.
 
Is there something about your 50mm on APS-C sensor that makes it desirable?
If so, you're quite limited in trying to replace it with a smaller combination, but
if you have leeway on DOF-control, or framing there are many that will do an excellent job and give you fast AF and good high-ISO noise.

More details plz k thx.
 
Depends on budget. Assuming it's not huge how about:

A used x100 for brilliant quality fixed 35mm equivalent (loved mine, replaced by X100s)
Canon S95/100/110/120 depending on budget for a proper camera that genuinely fits in jeans pocket (have taken my S95 on numerous trips and holidays, excellent kit)
LX7 excellent ,low light, lovely to use, good quality kit. Take it when I have bigger pockets...
 
Sorry. Budget is basically what i could sell my existing for and a tad more.

I may just keep what i got and get a 40mm to travel with. I do admit the 550D is a stunning bit of hardware.
 
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