# Consider getting a mirrorless camera



## sensproof (Aug 24, 2014)

Hi folks!
I have a film Praktica MTL3 with three M42 lenses - 28mm, 50mm and 135mm.
Right now i consider going digital, but i absolutely love my M42 lenses and i want to use them on digital camera (via adapter). I bumped into  Fuji X-A1 and X-E1 on eBay, read a few reviews and liked both of them.
All i want is not too big crop-factor (1:1.5 will be ok), fair image quality and cheap price (i've budget of, like, $500).
Any suggestions? The camera doesn't exactly have to be a mirrorless one, if you know any decent DSLRs, suggest em too.


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## bif (Sep 8, 2014)

M42 lenses can be used with an inexpensive adapter (I shop amazon rather than ebay for stuff like that) on the Canon APS-C sensors like the Rebel series (T2i, T3i should fit well under your budget limit.  Crop factor is about 1.6, something like that will get you started.

My choice would be one of the Micro Four Thirds bodies with an EVF.  Olympus OMD E-M5 and Panasonic GH3 used are some over your limit but could be well worth it.  My preference is Panasonic because the video implementation is generally better.  

A very good buy is the Panasonic G6 with 14-42mm "kit" lens, right now B&H has one in their used dept for $599.  You would have the benefit of fairly recent technological advances, a "kit" lens (in the m4/3 system) that is actually quite useful, your M42 lenses would work in manual mode with a simple inexpensive adapter (amazon lists them from $9.95 to $17.95). 

The m4/3 sensors have a 2X crop factor but that's never bothered me.  Your 28mm would function much like the 55mm "normal" perspective lens that used to come on some film SLRs like Minolta in the 1950s and 1960s.  It was close enough to the 50mm that came with many others.  Your 50mm and 135mm would function like 100 and 270mm optics.  

The G6 sells new for $747 and is still a bargain at that price but the used one above at $599 in 9+ condition won't last long.   Other options might be to look for used G3 bodies but I'd jump on that G6 for a "fairly" modern camera that would give you good service.


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## Derrel (Sep 8, 2014)

Canon digital SLRs work very well with m42 thread mount lenses, in my actual experience. Canon 5D classic is around $500 used these days from the right sellers. Non-current, used APS-C Canon bodies are even lower in price and work well. Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 series cameras are available at low,low prices used.


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## maya11 (Nov 18, 2014)

This poor pensioner sure cannot justify paying that much for the extra speed.


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## nickzou (Dec 16, 2014)

Randy Boulter said:


> Have you considered the Panasonic DMC-GX7?  It has an APS-C sensor mounted in a rangefinder-likie small and compact body.  It has a viewfinder that tilts up and down, and can be tilted flush with the body so you can slip the camera in your coat pocket;.  And its got the best movie mode I have seen on a mirrorless.  Here is a short review of the DMC-GX7.



The GX-7 has a APS-C sensor? DAMMnnnn... I just assumed it was another m4/3 camera.


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## Gary A. (Dec 16, 2014)

The GX7 is a wonderful camera with many features that blow the XE1 away, (IBIS, touch screen, tiltable EVF), but at the end of the day it is still all about IQ, the Fuji has wonderful IQ and an APS-C sensor. I have an Olympus OMD-EM1 and I prefer the IQ from my Fuji's ... but the GX7 has a lot of nice features.

B&H has the GX7 at $497 and the X-E1 at $449.


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## elemental (Jan 2, 2015)

bif said:


> My choice would be one of the Micro Four Thirds bodies with an EVF.  Olympus OMD E-M5 and Panasonic GH3 used are some over your limit but could be well worth it.  My preference is Panasonic because the video implementation is generally better.
> 
> A very good buy is the Panasonic G6 with 14-42mm "kit" lens, right now B&H has one in their used dept for $599.  You would have the benefit of fairly recent technological advances, a "kit" lens (in the m4/3 system) that is actually quite useful, your M42 lenses would work in manual mode with a simple inexpensive adapter (amazon lists them from $9.95 to $17.95).
> 
> The m4/3 sensors have a 2X crop factor but that's never bothered me.  Your 28mm would function much like the 55mm "normal" perspective lens that used to come on some film SLRs like Minolta in the 1950s and 1960s.  It was close enough to the 50mm that came with many others.  Your 50mm and 135mm would function like 100 and 270mm optics.



I use M42 lenses on an OM-D E-M10, and it's a great combination. Somehow, it feels much more natural than on my large DSLR, probably because the OM-D is pretty close in size to my favorite 35mm cameras. The "retro" form factor and control layout are just perfect, and I've got focus peaking and zoom to the center of the frame tied to buttons for manual focusing. Beyond that, live histogram in the viewfinder and blown highlight/shadow preview make exposure simple. With this setup, MF lenses are easier to use than on the bodies they were designed for – it's great.

Fuji mirrorless will give you these same benefits, of course (a long as the camera has the same features), and APS-C is a more natural crop factor, but M4/3 has a better selection of inexpensive and mid-priced lenses in the native format. For your purposes, I would get something with an EVF and focus peaking, which make focusing much easier. So for Fuji, the X-E1 will be the better bet with M42 glass.


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## Benjo255 (Jan 2, 2015)

It depends on what you shot more. I wouldn't suggest a 4/3 if you shoot mainly landscape. And you can find fuji XE2 in your budget. If one day you'll buy a fuji lens, autofocus is really better on xe2 than on xe1.


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## byegad (Jan 14, 2015)

I use several M42 lenses on my m4/3 cameras. Including 28mm, 50mm, 135mm and 200mm legacy lenses. The adapters are cheap on eBay and similar sites (<£10) and the magnify function on m4/3 bodies makes manual focussing easy.


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