Quoted By:
I'm putting together a list of compact camera systems. For now, I'm ignoring the technical faults with each system (like ergonomics or AF accuracy) and just focusing on certain criteria which meet my needs. Maybe they will meet your needs too. The idea is to have a camera slung around my neck while hiking and if the camera is too unbalanced, it will bounce around, hence the emphasis on compactness. I would appreciate any reactions or thoughts people have about this list.
My criteria:
>sensor size of at least APS-C
>camera + lens must be relatively compact in depth
>no limits on weight of camera, but the lens shouldn’t be so heavy as to unbalance the camera when slung on a neck strap
>at least one compact lens covering the "wide normal" (35mm-ish equivalent) range
>lens needs to be "ready to go" immediately, so no retractable zooms or power zooms
>system needs a minimum of 2 compact lenses
>only autofocus, unadapted lenses of reasonably recent vintage, which are reasonably competent at what they do are counted
So far, I'm looking at the following cameras and lenses:
Canon APS-C
>EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM pancake
>EF-S 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake
>EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Canon is the weakest for compact lenses, but the system does give you two pancakes and a lightweight, fast portrait lens that all make for a nicely balanced and compact package. You also get DSLR ergonomics (a plus) and access to all the other excellent EF lenses for when you want to use bigger lenses.
Fujifilm X-mount
>XF 14mm f/2.8
>XF 18mm f/2 pancake
>XF 23mm f/2
>XF 27mm f/2.8 pancake
>Zeiss 32mm f/1.8
>XF 35mm f/1.4
>XF 35mm f/2
>XF 50mm f/2
Fuji has a lot of fast, sharp, compact lenses, and it’s also worth noting that there are also a few compact, lightweight standard zooms (18-55 and 16-50) that are a little too big for this list, but work well with the same minimalist design philosophy.
