Shopping for a new camera

Ok, I don’t need a new camera. But after a couple of weeks exploring photography as a hobby I am obsessing a bit over new gear. This isn’t shocking. Obsessing over new gear is a hobby in itself, and one that I’ve enjoyed for many years. The research rabbit hole is a pretty fun pastime and I generally learn a bit along the way.

DSLR vs Mirrorless

This seems to be the big debate, or maybe it was a couple years back. Mirrorless gets all the buzz these days. The reduced size and weight is a great convenience, but I’m open to the idea of getting another DSLR and enjoying longer battery life and startup speed. So, I could go either way.

My current camera is an old, entry level Canon Rebel T3. I have a couple of prime lenses as well as the kit zoom lens. Not a huge investment in lenses, but several hundred bucks of glass with EF/EF-S mounts.

Nominees

There are great options from Sony, Fuji, Nikon, and Canon. But I narrowed down to Canon and Fuji. I’m familiar with Canon, and like both the features and styling of the Fuji. This is merely a hobby for me, and I can’t get too carried away with expensive toys. A couple of ground rules:

  • Ideally less than $1k
  • At least one prime lens, starting with a wide-angle
  • Mic input for possible video work

Canon M50

A mid-range mirrorless cropped-sensor camera from Canon that gets a lotta love on YouTube. It uses Canon’s anemic selection of EF-M series lenses, but there’s an adapter which can be cheaply bundled with the body to use the large catalog of EF/EF-S lenses.

Positives

  • Roughly $600 for the body, kit zoom, and EF lens adapter
  • Though there are few EF-M options, the couple that exist are good and cheap. The EF-M 22mm f/2 STM is $200 and would probably be my first purchase if I buy a native lens. However, with the adapter I can get started with my existing EF-S lenses.
  • Good sensor
  • Digic 8 processor which
  • Excellent auto-focus
  • Fully articulated screen
  • Mic input
  • Touch-screen focus that can be used either with the viewfinder or rear display
  • In-body time-lapse

    Negatives

  • Dismal battery life, so need to buy some spare batteries
  • Micro-USB for data transfer only. No in-camera charging, no powering from commodity USB power banks.
  • Poor 4k video support (cropped, poor auto-focus in 4k)
  • No eye-detect auto-focus in 4k video

Canon SL3

Light and compact entry-level DSLR that uses EF or EF-S lenses. Though DSLR’s aren’t hip, this camera has a lot of appeal to me as a good value.

Positives

  • Body costs $500, which is the same as the M50 but unlike the M50, I won’t need to purchase any lenses
  • Loads of EF & EF-S lenses, some great bargains
  • Same sensor, processor, and screen of the M50
  • Excellent battery life (an advantage of the DSLR) when shooting through the optical viewfinder
  • Better battery life when shooting in live mode than the M50
  • Seems to have most of the mirrorless features when shooting in live mode with the rear screen
  • Has eye-detect focus when using the live mode with the rear screen
  • Mic input
  • Clean HDMI out, though I don’t imagine I’ll livestream (lol)

    Negatives

  • Larger than mirrorless (though it can be a positive too, as the ergonomics tend to be better)
  • Same poor 4k video support as the M50
  • Inexplicably lacks 24fps 1080 video
  • Micro-USB for data transfer only. No in-camera charging, no powering from commodity USB power banks.

Fuji X-T30

Fuji’s little brother to the X-T3 looks like a phenomenal offering. This is definitely a step up from the other two Canon cameras I’m considering. I love the retro-styling of the camera and the abundance of manual knobs and buttons.

Positives

  • Great manual controls for aperture, shutter, and ISO speed.
  • Joystick focus control
  • Very slow shutter speeds for long-exposure photography
  • Large selection of cropped-sensor lenses (though they are pretty pricey)
  • Excellent sensor and processor
  • Better low-light performance than the Canon sensors from most reviewers
  • Useful film simulation modes
  • USB-C for data-transfer, charging, and continuous power
  • 4k video without a crop (10-minute limit)
  • Customizable buttons and dials
  • 120fps slow-motion video

    Negatives

  • Price. The body costs $900 and with a kit lens it jumps to $1300
  • Ergonomics seem poorer with the dainty grip and some awkward button placements
  • The screen can tilt up and down a bit, but not fully articulated
  • 2.5mm mic input requires a 3.5mm adapter
  • 10-minute limit on 4k video

Leanings

Though I’d love to grab the Fuji X-T30, after thinking on this for a couple of weeks I’m hesitant to spend the money. The Canon SL3 feels like the most responsible choice as it will be a noticeable upgrade from my Canon Rebel T3, preserves my investment in lenses, has great battery life, and is the cheapest option.