Suggestions - mountain hike smaller camera-good sensor

After this weekend's winter mountain hike of 7 miles on snowshoes and microspikes, I no longer want to carry a DSLR with me, yet my larger sensor point and shoot sensor is too noisy for me under lower light conditions. Have spent countless hours reading the mirrorless reviews, Sony Nex, RX series, etc,

Requirements-decent wide angle to perhaps 85 on long side lens
Very acceptable noise up to 11 x 14 prints when shooting at ISO400 (ISO200 may not be fast enough to freeze frequent winds blowing alpine vegetation) 
Does not need to be pocket size but definite weight and volume reduction from DSLR
Using a table top tripod 
Liveview- not sure
Ability to attach a polarizing filter
Under $500
Sensor size performance on detail captured -not a letdown from a DSLR 1.6 crop
Shoots RAW and convertible in LR5.x

Thanks

Jeff

Anything with a Sony 1" or APS-C sensor will do that. Now it just depends on what model and what manufacturer fits your budget. The RX-100 Mk II should be gettable for $500. The a6000 is probably the best small form factor APS-C camera on the market but only the body can be had in the $500 range. You would still need a lens and the kit lens they offer it with isn't very good.

How about this?

Sony NEX-5TL Compact Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens

Look more at a Sony NEX model. Small body bodies with several small lens options. Plus great APS C sized sensors.

I have the NEX 6 with the PZ 16-50 kit lens. Very easy to carry on hikes. I wear it around my neck when biking. The NEX 6000 is the new version. Running about $650 or so right now. If you can go without the EVF the NEX 5000 is even less.

I did a review article  on the NEX 6 here on NSN two years ago.

I pair it with a small Sirui tripod. Perfect for travel. Some decent lens options. The 16-50 is decent but not great. It is a kit Lens but good enough at f/8. Plus the power zoom feature that makes it very small when not in use, like say when snow shoeing. I think the small size far outweighs any other issues. Some may scof at not being an f/2.8 but then you are back to big and bulky. Sony made the right choices 

I also have a Samyang fisheye for it that is ridiculously sharp .  They also make a 12 and 16 that might be of interest. Super small, sharp and cheap. 

NEX will be far more capable than a point and shoot without the DSLR bulk.

Good luck. 

That 16-50 powerzoom lens offered with the NEX-5 is the lens that EJ mentioned isn't very good.

I'd recommend an RX-100 M3 (a slight stretch on your price), an RX-100 Mark 2, or a Sony Alpha 6000 with kit 16-50 powerzoom (again a slight stretch on your price, and save up for the 16-70 CZ lens when you can).

The NEX-5 series is just not as capable, and you don't save enough $ versus the Alpha 6000.

No such thing as a NEX 6000. The NEX name has been dropped. It's an Alpha 6000 or a6000

Fuji X-E2 or X-E1.

Have you looked at the smaller entry level DSLRs like the Canon T4i?  They are pretty small and light. Add a couple of smaller zoom lenses, or for more light, the pancake lenses and you have a pretty light kit.

By the way, the sensor size is not the source/cause of poor low light performance.  It is the lens.  On smaller sensors, we tend to use smaller lenses to get the same field of view (e.g. 50 mm f/2.8 on full frame versus 25 mm f/2.8 on 2x crop: the 25 mm f/2.8 lens collects 1/4 the light).
Edit: to collect the same amount of light from the subject on the 2x crop, get a 25 mm f/1.4.

Roger

I bought the Nex6 and paired it with a Zeiss 24/f1.8 for my trip to Ireland. It was great and the images are excellent. However that combo would break your 500 cap. You might check the used market and find something that works for you at your pricing point. The Nex6was reduced in price by Sony and they are showing up on the market for about 400 dollars.

Much larger than perhaps desired, but to stay with APS-C vs 1" or smaller sensor, how about a Canon SL1 with the lenses I already own.

Please keep the answers coming. I get asked this question all the time and have a difficult time giving a good recommendation. Is there any Panasonic/Lumix or Leica product that qualifies?

Joe Smith

I have been more than happy with the original Sony RX100 for backpacking. Great image quality, sharp, fast lens with a versatile zoom range, good dynamic range, long battery life, and Raw. All in a package this is almost too small.

[font=Calibri]Menus can be a little deep, but the camera has so many features I don't know how to avoid this. No viewfinder which takes some getting used to. Full manual control when you want it, and impressive snapshots when you don't.[/font]

[font=Calibri]When backpacking I use it on a small gitzo tripod with a homemade L bracket that allows panning about the nodal point. I've set up one of the custom presets with all the settings I use for panos, which helps. Will also take a filter with an after market adapter, I carry a polarizer and ND filters.[/font]

[font=Calibri]I have a 17 image pano of MIter Basin in the southern sierra's printed 2' x 10' on the wall behind me, the detail is incredible.[/font]

Good luck with your search, Dave

There is a firmware update for the rx100 available from Sony now.

Yes a small Rebel might be a possible solution. They are fairly small and lightweight. You may want to look to find the right lens to pair with it. You mention decent wide to about an 85mm. That is pretty close to most kit lenses.

When I went full frame I had my older 50D and a Panasonic LX3 as a point and shoot. What I found was there was no size advantage to ever taking the 50D over the 5D2. The LX3 was small but the sensor was too. The NEX 6 replaced both. Great APS C sensor in a very small package. It is small and light enough to wear around your neck all day. You never say that about an SLR. Paired with the Sirui 025X tripod and the Samyang fisheye I have a tiny kit. Great for riding my bike or work travel or other times I want a camera but not the whole DSLR kit.

I suppose you could also look at a small micro 4/3 kit as those are often under $500 too. While there are more lens choices in m43 I kinda prefer the APS C size sensor . people seem to rave about the Fuji but those are above your price range.

In the end its what works for your needs. I had debated a couple other options like the GX1 before getting the NEX 6 but think I got the best kit for me. Good luck.

i'VE LOOKED AT THE G7X FROM CANON. Wish it had a viewfinder.

Considering the lens, sensor size, and other features while being more flexible on price and size, the Canon G1x mk2 seems to have risen to top of my list. Meanwhile, a 7D mk2 purchase on hold while observing the Af discussions.