Mirrorless Camera Roundup
Mirrorless cameras are a hot trend right now and are quickly gaining more market share. The advantage of these interchangeable lens cameras are their small size, big sensors, and ability to change lenses. The downside is that they typically have no optical viewfinder and many do not have flash or even a hot shoe. Because there is such a wide range of features it is almost impossible to pick out one of these cameras. To help out this situation, we have put together a list of the most popular models to help you make the most informed choice you can.
The problem with putting together a list like this is that it is virtually impossible to list every feature of every camera to really show the differences between different models. Some cameras will have articulated screens, better ISO performance, faster continuous burst modes, digital levels, and many other options.
What I decided to do was to pick out the top core features for comparison purposes along with the prices and links to the products on Amazon.com. This will give you a baseline to go against to dig deeper into the models you want to do more research on. All of these cameras also have very complete reviews over at DPReview.com so you can really do some hard core comparisons.
Which camera will be best for you will be dependent on what you plan to do with it. If you are looking for a good still camera, than some of the models with image stabilization may be better choices. If you are looking to do video, than the video specs may be more important. I personally think that a built-in flash, or at least a hot shoe, is extremely important so that is a major consideration for me.
| Camera Model | MP | Stabilized | Kit Lens | Video | Flash | Price |
| Pentax K-01 | 16.3 | Yes | 40mm | 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 25, 24 fps) |
Built-in | $900.15 |
| Sony NEX C3 | 16.2 | No | 18-55mm | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Accessory Port | $598.00 |
| Sony NEX F3 | 16.1 | No | 18-55mm | 1080 @ 60 fps Interlaced 24 fps Progressive |
Built-in | $598.00 |
| Sony NEX 5n | 16.1 | Yes | 18-55mm | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps) 1440 x 1080 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Flash Included / Accessory Port |
$699.00 |
| Sony NEX 7 | 24.3 | Yes | 18-55mm | 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps) 1440 x 1080 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Built-in / Hot Shoe | $1,349.00 |
| Nikon 1 J1 | 10.1 | Yes | 10-30mm | 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps) 1280 x 720 (60 fps) 1072 x 720 (60 fps) 640 x 240 (400) 320 x 120 (1200) |
Built-in | $549.00 |
| Nikon 1 V1 | 10.1 | Yes | 10-30mm | 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps) 1280 x 720 (60 fps) 1072 x 720 (60 fps) 640 x 240 (400) 320 x 120 (1200) |
Accessory Port | $746.95 |
| Ricoh GXR | 12.3 | No | 24-72mm | 1280 x 720 (24 fps) 640 x 480 (24 fps) 320 x 240 (24 fps) |
Built-in / Hot Shoe | $580.52 |
| Olympus PEN E-PL2 | 12.3 | Yes | 14-42mm | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Built-in / Hot Shoe | $391.00 |
| Olympus PEN E-P2 | 12.3 | Yes | 14-42mm | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Hot Shoe | $500.00 |
| Olympus PEN E-P3 | 12.3 | Yes | 14-42mm | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Built-in / Hot Shoe | $899.00 |
| Panasonic Lumix DMC GF2 | 12.1 | No | 14-45 mm | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps) 1280 x 720p (60, 30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Built-in / Hot Shoe | $399.00 |
| Panasonic Lumix DMC G3 | 15.8 | Yes | 14-42 mm | 1920 x 1080 (60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 640 x 480 (30fps) 320 x 240 (30fps) |
Built-in / Hot Shoe | $549.00 |
| Panasonic Lumix DMC GX1 | 16 | Yes | 14-42 mm | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 640 x 480 (30fps) 320 x 240 (30fps) |
Built-in / Hot Shoe | $794.99 |
| Panasonic Lumix DMC GH2 | 16.1 | Yes | 14-42 mm | 1920 x 1080 (24, 30, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 848 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30fps) 320 x 240 (30fps) |
Built-in / Hot Shoe | $849.00 |
| Samsung NX200 | 20.3 | No | 18-55 mm | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (60 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Hot Shoe | $659.99 |
| Samsung NX1000 | 20.3 | No | 20-50 mm | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps) 1920 x 810 (24 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Hot Shoe | $336.00 |
If you have experience with any of these cameras, please leave a comment below as that will help other people who are trying to decide which camera may be best for them.
I purchased the Olympus E-PL1 for my 7 year old son last year, it was a smoking deal for $299 including the kit zoom lens from Samy's. The body alone can now be found for about $149, which is quite the value, with image quality that appears equal to the E-PL2. It's not fast, but is capable of very nice images and I find myself borrowing it when I don't feel like carrying my D700 around. I've rarely owned a compact camera, because I usually can't stand the (lack of) image quality. But there are some very nice micro 4/3 lenses available, and that was a key driver for making a selection. Plus, my son easily learned to explore and use the filters and other features effectively. I later bought the Oly pancake lens and it is used as the primary lens now.
missing the fuji x pro 1
The Nex- F3 does in fact have a stabilized kit lenses. It's the same kit lens as the 5 and 7. I don't have the c3 but I believe it does as well.
I would use it to take videos of my students reading to each other. They will be able to see for themselves their good and bad habits while reading. I will use this camera to take footage of myself and my friends while crossing of items on our bucketlist! We wanna make the memories eternal and share them with everyone who wants to watch.