# Which would you pick for a wife camera sony nex 6 or eos sl1?



## KKCFamilyman (Mar 23, 2013)

I am torn between keeping my sony nex 6 for the wife or getting her the new sl1 with a 40mm pancake. She just uses auto and wants to shove it in her purse just on occasional outings where lugging my 5d would be overkill. I think the sl1 is more versatile since all my lenses will serve a dual purpose and she like my 60d when I had it. She is just not the type to want larger heavy gear but I thought with either I could start to teach her how to use the pasm modes to control her photo's at times. Does anyone have an opinion? I just dont want to get her the eos if everyone thinks that its much larger and bulkier. I have noone else to ask.


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## Hillsilly (Mar 23, 2013)

Fuji xe-1?


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## Botts (Mar 23, 2013)

I'd consider M43 instead of the Sony just for lens selection.

Above all though, I'd consider whether or not your wife wants to learn the PASM modes. I know that my fiancé would simply be frustrated with my teaching, as she is quite happy with her iPhone at the moment. She may be further ahead, but I would wonder if she might want something smaller and easier.

I'd seriously consider a Panasonic ZS30 for her if I were you. Lots of zoom, very good automatic mode. And PASM if she eventually wants to progress to this. It has a 24-480mm equivalent zoom range. I wonder if your wife would feel constricted by the 40mm prime. 40mm on crop is still pretty narrow/tight.

The Panasonic ZS cameras, are a great option IMO.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 23, 2013)

AS noted by others, my wife only uses full automatic unless I am there to set up the camera for her. She does fine with the G1X I bought for her. I am not reluctant to use it either. Its a very good low light camera, of course my FF is better, but for the price I paid, the G1X was a bargain.


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## markbyland (Mar 23, 2013)

Pentax Q/Q10


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## Zlatko (Mar 23, 2013)

I would much prefer the SL1 because of the viewfinder. If buying for someone else, I would ask them which style of shooting they prefer. But I'm not sure either of those is small enough to put in a purse. Even a G1X is a little big. Depends on the purse, of course.


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## jebrady03 (Mar 23, 2013)

It sounds like portability is a deciding factor here. Take her to a camera store (if you can find one) and let her see lots of options in person and let her decide which she likes best. Honestly, for what you're describing, any medium-ish sensor camera will do a great job - IF it's with her.


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## mbpics (Mar 23, 2013)

The Fuji X100s seems to be the winner in the APS-C compact arena, but the Sony RX100 is also a fantastic little camera. If portability is the most important factor and you don't want to skimp on sensor size, then I'd also look at the new Nikon Coolpix A as an APS-C option, though it will likely drop in price sharply soon.

If you're okay with sacrificing sensor size, an E-PL5 or E-PM2 with any one of the many fantastic normal m4/3 primes would also work very very well - 17.5/1.8, 20/1.7, or 25/1.4. The 20 is a pancake lens and is quite fantastic, though its AF speed lags behind its rivals. Both the E-PL5 and E-PM2 have sensors very similar to the OM-D; 16mp Sony, 2x crop. They all take very good pictures, and compare very well with Canon's APS-C offerings in ISO performance despite the smaller sensor area.


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## elflord (Mar 23, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> I am torn between keeping my sony nex 6 for the wife or getting her the new sl1 with a 40mm pancake. She just uses auto and wants to shove it in her purse just on occasional outings where lugging my 5d would be overkill. I think the sl1 is more versatile since all my lenses will serve a dual purpose and she like my 60d when I had it. She is just not the type to want larger heavy gear but I thought with either I could start to teach her how to use the pasm modes to control her photo's at times. Does anyone have an opinion? I just dont want to get her the eos if everyone thinks that its much larger and bulkier. I have noone else to ask.



micro 4/3 with a small prime (the Pany 20mm or 25mm). DSLR is a bit of an overkill for a purse. The new Olympus bodies have Sony sensors and the micro 4/3 mount has much better lens offerings.


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## ScottyP (Mar 23, 2013)

If you get her the EF camera, and if you are good with strategy, you could start "giving her" lenses that "she needs" for "her camera", if you know what I mean. So if they happen to be lenses that you yourself would want, well that is just a happy coincidence. Win-win.


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## RLPhoto (Mar 23, 2013)

I've been using my g15 a lot lately and I quite like it a lot. It also adds capability to my current kit than DSLR simple cant do.


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## verysimplejason (Mar 23, 2013)

Fuji x100s or Sony RX100 or Canon Gseries. SL1 might still be big for her taste. If she can carry a bit more weight, a EOS M with 22mm pancake is a very good IQ/weight combo though there will be added expense 'cause you need to buy the P90 flash for low light.


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## jasonsim (Mar 23, 2013)

Neither, get her a Sony RX100. Or just let her choose her own camera.


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## RGF (Mar 23, 2013)

Personally the ability to put my lenses on the extra body is highly valuable. Even if I only do this infrequently, knowing that I could, would seal the deal.


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## post-films (Mar 23, 2013)

jasonsim said:


> Or just let her choose her own camera.



that 

My other half went from 30D, Fuji X10 to S100 all recommended by me of course. In the end... she uses her iphone the most with a bunch of apps ;D


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## KKCFamilyman (Mar 23, 2013)

Thanks everyone. Lots of good advice. Yeah she already ok'd the sony nex 6 and it has an evf so we could keep that but then if I went that route I would consider the nex 3nl since its half the price with all the same stuff she uses. Just not sure if squeezing in the eos would be better for the fact that hopefully i can get her a 17-50 2.8 someday and it would be a better combo. Never been a fan of the 4/3's cameras. She looked at the rx100 and hated the flash placement. I want the eos m but everyone seems to not be satisfied with the af speed and grabbing you kids you need all the speed you can get.


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## Botts (Mar 23, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> Thanks everyone. Lots of good advice. Yeah she already ok'd the sony nex 6 and it has an evf so we could keep that but then if I went that route I would consider the nex 3nl since its half the price with all the same stuff she uses. Just not sure if squeezing in the eos would be better for the fact that hopefully i can get her a 17-50 2.8 someday and it would be a better combo. Never been a fan of the 4/3's cameras. She looked at the rx100 and hated the flash placement. I want the eos m but everyone seems to not be satisfied with the af speed and grabbing you kids you need all the speed you can get.



That 17-55 2.8 is a wonderful piece of kit. It's unparalleled in Canon's full-frame line. The 40STM is a great lens too, but I found it too wide as an everyday walk around piece on my crop 7D, and I still find myself wanting to switch to the 35mm quite a bit, even on the FF 6D.

Have you played with Olympus' m4/3s? They are another astonishing camera, with IQ that is lens limited, not sensor limited when compared with the T1i-T4i. This may change if the SL1 or T5i have new sensors though. They are also a very ergonomic series, specifically the OM-D.

In the end though, with what you mention in your later posts, specifically shooting kids, and likely some day in the future, kids sports, I would probably go SLR for the AF and long lens advantages.


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## KKCFamilyman (Mar 23, 2013)

Botts said:


> KKCFamilyman said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks everyone. Lots of good advice. Yeah she already ok'd the sony nex 6 and it has an evf so we could keep that but then if I went that route I would consider the nex 3nl since its half the price with all the same stuff she uses. Just not sure if squeezing in the eos would be better for the fact that hopefully i can get her a 17-50 2.8 someday and it would be a better combo. Never been a fan of the 4/3's cameras. She looked at the rx100 and hated the flash placement. I want the eos m but everyone seems to not be satisfied with the af speed and grabbing you kids you need all the speed you can get.
> ...



Exactly. I thought eventually she could carry the 18-55, 55-250 combo and be set if she was at some indoor sports. I know these cameras are not meant for high iso but it has to be better than ps and m4/3's. but i could always get that when the time comes. They are going to be 6 this year so I guess we have sometime.


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## Dylan777 (Mar 23, 2013)

Another vote for Fuji X100s...I might get this camera since my wife been using my Sony RX1.


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## brianboru (Mar 23, 2013)

We are going on a vacation in a few weeks and my wife wanted a new camera with video capabilities and the ability to take good landscapes. The s95 has served her well when traveling before but all I've been able to do to date is get her to shoot RAW so I have a bit more ability in post. 

I showed her the various choices. At micro4/3 the Panasonic GH2/3 looked really good but were over budget and were impractical to tap into our existing EF lens collection. The various premium compacts were nice, but about the same price as the GH* to hit something much better than the s95. The EOS-m, fit the bill but I know she would have killed me over missed shots from the slow focus. We ended up with a T4i and she really likes it. The Q menu and touch screen makes it much easier to understand settings. I put a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM on it that I had picked up a month or so ago on fire-sale. I explained aperture to her (at which point she watched several YouTube videos to find a better teacher) and she was off and thrilled. She shared that she always felt intimidated by the 40D and 7D we have but loves the T4i. 

The SL1 might have been an even better fit but it wasn't available.


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## c.d.embrey (Mar 23, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> I am torn between keeping my sony nex 6 for the wife or getting her the new sl1 ...



Why do *you* think that *you* should pick *her* cameraa ??? Let *her* pick *her own camera*.

BTW a Panasonic G5 is a better camera than either of your choices. A small/light camera with small/light lenses that will make prints that even a pixel-peeper couldn't complain about.


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## c.d.embrey (Mar 23, 2013)

brianboru said:


> ...all I've been able to do to date is get her to shoot RAW so I have a bit more ability in post.



Just set the camera to *P (for professional)*. The jpegs will amaze you!!

More than a few professionals shoot jpegs. If you get it right in camera, you don't have to waste time in post.


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## EvilTed (Mar 23, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> I am torn between keeping my sony nex 6 for the wife or getting her the new sl1 with a 40mm pancake. She just uses auto and wants to shove it in her purse just on occasional outings where lugging my 5d would be overkill. I think the sl1 is more versatile since all my lenses will serve a dual purpose and she like my 60d when I had it. She is just not the type to want larger heavy gear but I thought with either I could start to teach her how to use the pasm modes to control her photo's at times. Does anyone have an opinion? I just dont want to get her the eos if everyone thinks that its much larger and bulkier. I have noone else to ask.



I tried to get my wife into photography by buying her a Fuji X-Pro 1 when it came out last year with a 35mm F/1.4. She used it once and it became my favorite camera over my 5D MK3.

I replaced it with the NEX 6 + 16-55 kit + 50mm F/1.4 and she loves it.
Video is a big thing for her and the Fuji's are pretty basic in that department.

I've since sold the X-Pro 1 and replaced with the the XE-1 + zoom but she has no interest in this either...

ET


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## Don Haines (Mar 23, 2013)

What if she is the better photographer and has nicer gear than you do?


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## sdsr (Mar 23, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> Thanks everyone. Lots of good advice. Yeah she already ok'd the sony nex 6 and it has an evf so we could keep that but then if I went that route I would consider the nex 3nl since its half the price with all the same stuff she uses. Just not sure if squeezing in the eos would be better for the fact that hopefully i can get her a 17-50 2.8 someday and it would be a better combo. Never been a fan of the 4/3's cameras. She looked at the rx100 and hated the flash placement. I want the eos m but everyone seems to not be satisfied with the af speed and grabbing you kids you need all the speed you can get.



If she wants a camera she can put into a handbag, she mightn't be entirely amused if you handed her a DSLR, no matter how small, with that big, heavy 17-50 2.8 attached to it! I'm with those who suggest micro 4/3 - which ones have you seen and not been impressed by? I was more than a little skeptical about all the hoopla around the Olympus OMD E-M5 until I rented one; it's capable of quite spectacular images, especially with some of the available fast, light primes, and it's very hard to find any reviews/comments about it that aren't, well, skepticism-provoking. (And if you really want an equivalent of that 17-50 2.8, its micro 4/3 equivalent, the Panasonic 12-35, costs around the same but is a fraction of the size and weight.)

As for the flash placement on the excellent Sony RX100, that camera has a rather fast lens and performs more-or-less as well at high ISOs as Canon APS-C cameras (unless the newest two are better in that regard); so there may well be no need to use it anyway.

I wouldn't bother with a DSLR unless she needs the speed of handling which seems to be the sole advantage of an APS-C DSLR. 

But of course, ideally you would take her to a decent camera store that would let her play around with a handful of cameras; B&H in NY at a less busy time of day would be nice....


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## EvilTed (Mar 23, 2013)

Don Haines said:


> What if she is the better photographer and has nicer gear than you do?



Then pony up the 2.8K or 7K for the Sony RX-1 or Leica M 240 
Personally, I went with the M...

ET


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## Botts (Mar 23, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> Exactly. I thought eventually she could carry the 18-55, 55-250 combo and be set if she was at some indoor sports. I know these cameras are not meant for high iso but it has to be better than ps and m4/3's. but i could always get that when the time comes. They are going to be 6 this year so I guess we have sometime.



I had rented the OM-D before, and I'd give it the edge in high ISO quality over my 7D and T2i. It'll be interesting to see if the SL1/T5i have finally gotten a sensor that can beat modern m4/3 cameras. Time will tell once they get into people's hands.


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## mrsfotografie (Mar 23, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> I am torn between keeping my sony nex 6 for the wife or getting her the new sl1 with a 40mm pancake. She just uses auto and wants to shove it in her purse just on occasional outings where lugging my 5d would be overkill. I think the sl1 is more versatile since all my lenses will serve a dual purpose and she like my 60d when I had it. She is just not the type to want larger heavy gear but I thought with either I could start to teach her how to use the pasm modes to control her photo's at times. Does anyone have an opinion? I just dont want to get her the eos if everyone thinks that its much larger and bulkier. I have noone else to ask.



Obviously you care a lot more about photography and kit than she does. Just let her choose something she likes and is comfortable with


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## VanWeddings (Mar 23, 2013)

shashinkaman said:


> Hi! Since most folks on the CR forum only seem to care about FF and such, I am afraid they will advice you to get a bigger, stronger improved wife that can lunge around at least two Eos 5D MarkIII's with a bunch of f/2,8L zooms...



lol @ this!

my vote is for a m43 camera. perhaps with a pancake zoom. something other systems only wish they had


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## Vivid Color (Mar 23, 2013)

Is this camera really for your wife or are you hoping it will be an extra one for you? If it is for your wife, and unless she told you to just go pick something out, please just ask your wife what kind of camera she wants. Run down all the options with HER. I'm a woman who has a 6D and a T1i and I think the smaller form factor of the EOS SL1 is a great idea. But, even with a 40 mm pancake attached I still wouldn't be able to put it in most of the purses I carry or even my work satchel when it is full of papers. So, when I have a small purse and a full satchel and I don't want to carry yet another bag, I'll either use my s100 or my iPhone. It's fine to use this forum to get ideas about options and ideas you can discuss with your wife, but let her do the choosing. Even if the choice is the phone on her camera.


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## elflord (Mar 23, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> Never been a fan of the 4/3's cameras.


The latest offerings are worth another look even if you haven't "been a fan". Olympus switched to using Sony sensors, so sensor performance has gotten a lot better -- just a tiny bit behind Sony APS-C (due to the smaller sensor). You get the best of both worlds -- Sony sensors and the m43 lens selection. Take a look at the DxO mark scores for the OM-D (and the other new olympus cameras like the EPL5/EPM5 etc) compared to the previous generation (EP3/EPL3/EPM)


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## jdramirez (Mar 24, 2013)

Has this query been posed yet... "Do you still love your wife?" I think that would sway my suggestion.


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## KKCFamilyman (Mar 24, 2013)

jdramirez said:


> Has this query been posed yet... "Do you still love your wife?" I think that would sway my suggestion.



Of course not sure how thats relevant?


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## jdramirez (Mar 24, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> jdramirez said:
> 
> 
> > Has this query been posed yet... "Do you still love your wife?" I think that would sway my suggestion.
> ...



I think you are missing punctuation... it can be interpreted in a few ways...

The most likely candidate is: Of course! Not sure how that's relevant. 
But I like: Of course NOT! Sure....? How's that relevant?


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