I guess the word best has different meanings to everyone, but I'd like to get some opinions as to which camera produces the best IQ.
Ease of handling or many different functions/dials are nice but it is not critical for me...
After all, I'm still using Contax N Digital and Kodak SLR/c.....

Within a year or two, I think many excellent cameras came out, and it is pretty tough to decide...
Please help me out...
BTW, I have used Nex 5N.... But wants something better...

My budget is up to $2000, more or less.
And I take all kinds of pictures, from candid street shots to landscapes.
And, I don't mind a single lens camera....as long as it produces top class IQ.

Thanks again for your kind inputs.

Which aspects of IQ are most important to you? I don't think any camera is best across the whole spectrum. Two likely candidates are the NEX-7 and the OM-D E-M5, depending on what you are after. The E-PL5 will make a very compact MFT top IQ camera when it is out. The new Sony RX1 will likely also be relevant. And of course, the M9, M-E and M.

Paul Yi wrote:
BTW, I have used Nex 5N.... But wants something better...

I don't think you'll find anything better, if you use the best glass. I had the 5N and the IQ was just amazing with Leica and ZM lenses. The OM-D, that I have now, isn't in the same league in my opinion.

Edit: Oh, and I switched to the OM-D because of handling, large aperture AF lenses and the 4:3 aspect ratio.

Nex 7 zm lenses and Voigt 35mm 1.2

Leica x2 for auto focius

Good luck joanlvh

The Sigma DP2 Merrill has people comparing it to the likes of the D800 in another thread here if you shoot at base ISO. If IQ is the only thing you care about it's probably worth looking at.

I love my OMD but the IQ isn't going to beat the 5N, possibly match it in some respects, but probably not beat it.

Get the RX1.

Sigma DP2M for the best absolute IQ of anything short of a 24+meg FF DSLR

Sony RX100 to partner with it for things like fast AF, good battery life etc for all the things the DP2M isn't so good at.

$1649 for both, quite a steal

Thank you all for the nice input...
I've decided to try OMD em-5.

Any suggestions for a long telephoto zoom lens...?

For me, it hasn't been made yet, a FF Evil(NEX-9),
Till then my NEX-7 will do.

If you don't need EVF take a look at E-PL5 it has the same sensor as OM-D. Couple it with 14 f/2.5 ($160), 20 f/1.7 ($300), 45 f/1.8 ($350) extra $$$ for FL-600R and more.

Paul Yi wrote:
Thank you all for the nice input...
I've decided to try OMD em-5.

Any suggestions for a long telephoto zoom lens...?

Probably an Olympus 45-150mm f4.0-5.6. I heard it's decent for price.

First, you have to decide which level of corrections you want and which final format is needed. I like to correct my daft framing mistakes, freak colour casts and to isolate interesting bits and pieces. In film days I tried larger formats. The compact Linhof 6x9 was an excellent solution, but still too big, so I went back to 35mm.

When digital came in, I reluctantly shifted to a Kodak SLRC full frame , but have moved to Canon, to get a stop or possibly two over 400 ASA -at the expense of worse colour.

For travel, however, the camera that travels with you has to be small light and possibly unobtrusive, in order to be used. Huge 35 mm Leitz R- glass cannot fit in a pocket. In film days I used both the really small Minoxes and their bigger 35mm brethren as well as the Rollei 35 for travel, not my big guns.

Smaller sensors give VERY much smaller optics. For the time being, I have found that the 4\3ds is a good compromise. Terrible graininess in the shadows if you underexpose, but otherwise, still a bit of freedom to re-frame.

In the early days of 4\3ds I used an old tele Elmarit for long distance shots, and some Kinoptiks destined for 16mm, but of late, i am using the native zooms. They can be carried in a jacket pocket and perform quite well. For darker situations the two Schneider 0,75s are excellent but a bit big. Imagine how large they would have been if for 35mm! The 35\1,6 Docteroptik Tevidon is both tiny and not too dim.

Your choice is between portability and fredom of cropping and transformation. I still use my Olympus P1 for travel. Once the Sony merger is finished and they come out with a no-frills small camera, I may get a more sensitve and higher pixel count sensor. Remember, to human sensory input, the perception of the pixel count only increases by the log. of the number, not by its numeric value. Just like for HiFi power numbers where !watt to 10 Watts is perceived as the same jump as from 10W to 100W. Hence the pixel count race can be taken in your stride.

p.

Get a fuji x-series

Paul, I am voting with my wallet: X-E1 (and I had all the others mentioned here except the DP2 Merrill).

The OM-D was very good, but for ergonomic reasons I preferred the GX1 I am using now until the X-E1 arrives. That body plus the excellent Fuji 35/1.4 will be a lovely combination. The DP2M still interests me, but not EVF kills it.

I have been wondering about this question as well but in the end of the day its not so simple.

Image quality for a landscape shot, a portrait, a street scene are not the same image quality. The sharpness and detail in a landscape shot is terrible for portraits, for a street scene you might want less detail and a more gritty look which means noise becomes preferable.

Basically you have to get the right camera for the subject. Otherwise the best image quality in a small camera is in the entry level DSLR market where a D5100 or D3200 pretty much trumps most mirrorless and more so with quality lenses they support.

The best camera is the right camera for the subject.

Having a different camera to shoot landscapes, portraits, and street photography is just silly ... unless you have very deep pockets.

A simple solution is to buy the best/sharpest camera system ... and use post/software to soften portraits and add noise to street photography, etc.

And that would be the OM-D IMO.

Exdsc wrote:
I have been wondering about this question as well but in the end of the day its not so simple.

Image quality for a landscape shot, a portrait, a street scene are not the same image quality. The sharpness and detail in a landscape shot is terrible for portraits, for a street scene you might want less detail and a more gritty look which means noise becomes preferable.

Basically you have to get the right camera for the subject. Otherwise the best image quality in a small camera is in the entry level DSLR market where a D5100 or D3200 pretty much trumps most mirrorless and more so with quality lenses they support.

The best camera is the right camera for the subject.

OM-D outputs sharp and crisp images thanks to its excellent image stabilization. To the average Joe photographer, detail and sharpness = image quality.

Image quality is the right look for the subject matter, and that is not something that one can cook up in post processing, or pin down to detail and sharpness, image quality has to be intrinsic in the image when it was captured.

But this is beside the point.

I say that m43 is the best SYSTEM for offering a variety of cameras at various price points as well as a large selection of both zoom and prime lenses.

NEX is said to be better for using legacy 35mm manual-focus lenses.

Thank you all for the nice input... I've decided to try OMD em-5. Any suggestions for a long telephoto zoom lens...?

Try the Panasonic 45-175. I thought is was not so hot when I used it on my GH2 but it really sings on the E-M5. The E-M5 IBIS seems to make the difference. I've used it quite a bit the last couple of weeks and Its performance amazes me.

A big plus is the small size and light weight. It handles very well on the camera.

Larry

Lleuallen wrote:
Thank you all for the nice input... I've decided to try OMD em-5. Any suggestions for a long telephoto zoom lens...?

Try the Panasonic 45-175. I thought is was not so hot when I used it on my GH2 but it really sings on the E-M5. The E-M5 IBIS seems to make the difference. I've used it quite a bit the last couple of weeks and Its performance amazes me.

A big plus is the small size and light weight. It handles very well on the camera.

Larry

Ditto!