I'm curious to see what you see as the m4/3 or mirrorless proliferation around you.

[emorgan451]

While on my vacation in Europe I had an idea for this thread. I couldn't help but glancing around at all the cameras I saw around other tourists necks, and started trying to keep mental tabs on what I saw. I really only paid attention to the interchangeable lens cameras and for the most part the split was pretty much what I expected.
-SLR was about 70%. In that the breakdown appeared to be 55% canon, 35% nikon, 5% Olympus E series, 4% Sony A mount, and a lone pentax.
-Mirrorless was the other 30%. Sony was about 35%, m4/3 and nikon 1 each 20%, fuji and canon and Samsung 10%.

These are just approximate of what I saw, so I am interested in what other people see in the wild.

I was excited to see a a good number of E-M1 & 5s, various pens, gx1,gh3, and one couple had a pair of fuji xt1s. Probably the biggest surprise for me was the amount of Olympus E series SLRs. I never expected that.

-Eli

 

[sigamy]

I went on a meetup.com photo walk in early July here in New Jersey, US. There were about 25 people, most over 50 years old. 90% had DSLRs, with a good mix of Canon and Nikon. One woman was shooting on her iPhone.

The only young person there was a 20 something male. He had a DSLR and what I believe was a Fuji X100S. He mentioned that it was a fixed lens. I'm not sure if Fuji has another model with fixed lens.

I had my Lumix GH3 and my 11 year old had her G5. I'm pretty sure we were the only M4/3 shooters there.

 

[agentlossing]

On a recent trip north to the coast of Oregon around Seaside/Lincoln City, I saw the highest concentration of mirrorless cameras yet: Probably 40%, with the remaining 60% a mix of compacts and dslrs. I think the crowd of people on the coast were largely from Portland, so it seems there's a large following there. I did see several m4/3, but the majority of the mirrorless models were Sony.
GX1•17/2.8•30/2.8

 

[ex machina]

My core group of urban explorer buddies use mostly DSLRs; a lot of Canon 5D variants and prosumer Canons, Nikons are fairly well represented as well as a smattering of Fuji, Sony, and some higher-end point-&-shoots, but a couple or three of us shoot m43 exclusively. Several of the DSLR users have m43 cameras as second or backup kits.

I do personally know three people who have left the Nikon world behind for Oly M43 cameras, two of those are in my group and the third is an old friend I ran into recently at an outdoor festival who was showing off his new E-M10.

 

[nstelemark]

Virtually nil. I saw a guy shooting with a Sony last night and that was a rarity.

Everyone is shooting with a DSLR, or a phone.

I ran into a guy who was using a Canon body of some sort (maybe the T3i) and an L series 70-200 + 2xTC. We talked a little about shooting and he commented he was always shooting in burst mode for sports. I watched him shoot later and based on what I could hear I figured he was shooting single shot, and then I realized no, this was all the burst he could manage. He would have been better served by using an EM10 or EM5 with one of the 70-300 m43 lenses, and he would have spent a good deal less.

But realistically he got a pro looking body and kit lens for $500 to start so it looked good to start. Then he spent a couple of grand more for a lens and TC. So $2500 total. Best aperture of f5.6.

The EM10 would have been $800 + $600 for the 100-300 - call it $1400 - max aperture f5.6 The higher burst rate would have given him more keepers in the context we were shooting in.

 

[Jay86]

I have seen ZERO mirrorless here. Like none in the 1.5 years I have been shooting mirrorless...

EDIT: Now that I think about I have seen a 2 or 3 NEX's but thats it.

 

[agentlossing]

When I was on the east coast, I saw a bazillion DSLRs and I think only one or two Sonys and one M4/3. The east coast is full of heathens.

 

[synthetictone]

Here in Atlanta... I hike with groups and attend meetups for model shoots. I'd say most I run into are shooting Canon and then next would be Nikon. Surprisingly, I seem to find at least 1-2 people in most groups shooting with a mirrorless. Most of the mirrorless are Olympus, a few Sony and rarely a Panasonic other than myself.

It is fun to stand around model shoots listening to guys talk gear and how they can't wait to get their full frame camera etc. Then when I get up to shoot, I usually get a few puzzled looks with my GH3 especially if it has the Oly 60mm on it. Sometimes I get asked what's my focal length since it looks like such an odd lens. More amusing is how much my photos are just as good or better than the bigger cameras. I've told a few of them, it really doesn't matter what sensor you are shooting with if you are shooting with a strobe around the F/8 range because that range of settings and light is not pushing the limits of the camera or lens ability.

 

[robbie36]

Just a quick story. Last weekend I am in a store in Thailand buying a second hand a7r. The shop ask me what I shoot and I told him an EM1. He said why don't you buy a big camera like a Canon or a Nikon.

 

[usayit]

Almost zero... mostly Nikon in my area followed by Canon DSLRs. Sea of iphones.

 

[RemiBureau]

I can't remember seeing anyone shooting with mirrorless, except a collegue of mine.

He's the one responsible for my "ongoing" switch from a-mount dslr to m43...

 

[Deleted member 20897]

Whenever I am out it is either cell phones or Nikon/Canon DSLRs.

Unless I am at a proper camera store. I live close to Midwest Photo Exchange. When I am in there - I see more people selling DSLRs and going with either Fuji or Olympus. However....I'm not seeing that same on the street proliferation.
I'm the only person that I know locally that has a Nikon Df and have never seen one other than mine in the wild. Then again, Columbus, OH is not a go-to vacation destination, so take all this in that context.

 

[dccase]

I think I spotted one near Harvard yesterday. Lens hood and everything.

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[JudyM]

We went to the railfan weekend at the Cass Scenic Railroad in May. Out of 150+ photographers, I saw one E-M5 and one G or GH series. Everything else was Canon or Nikon, point & shoot, phones and an iPad. We went to a wedding a few weeks ago, and it was the same thing minus the m43 cameras. Just my opinion, but iPads have to be the most irritating thing to work around...ever. They're big enough all by themselves, but add a cover that unfolds doubling the size of the obstruction, and it's impossible to shoot around someone holding one.

 

[InlawBiker]

I've been looking for them for years but I'm only seeing them recently. At a weekend event in Seattle I saw three Micro 4/3 cameras in a row! That's always been unheard up til now.

At the same event there are a lot of pro photographers roaming the street. I saw lots of big DSLRs but several were supplementing with a secondary mirrorless camera. I believe they were all Sony A7's. Again a first for me.

 

[Ross the fiddler]

Just a quick story. Last weekend I am in a store in Thailand buying a second hand a7r. The shop ask me what I shoot and I told him an EM1. He said why don't you buy a big camera like a Canon or a Nikon.

That just sounds typical of the 'unconverted'! Did you tell him to wake up & sell those great small cameras too?

 

[OzRay]

I don't remember ever seeing anyone with a m4/3 camera in Oz (other than myself).

 

[emorgan451]

We went to the railfan weekend at the Cass Scenic Railroad in May. Out of 150+ photographers, I saw one E-M5 and one G or GH series. Everything else was Canon or Nikon, point & shoot, phones and an iPad. We went to a wedding a few weeks ago, and it was the same thing minus the m43 cameras. Just my opinion, but iPads have to be the most irritating thing to work around...ever. They're big enough all by themselves, but add a cover that unfolds doubling the size of the obstruction, and it's impossible to shoot around someone holding one.

Everytime I see someone taking a photo with an iPad or a tablet I immediately want to go drop kick it. That is the most obnoxious way to take pictures...the picture on the screen is bigger so the photos are better

By the way I want to thank everyone for the responses so far. It's really interesting to see.

 

[fortwodriver]

At Ripleys in Toronto there were mostly iPhones and Samsung phones snapping away. There was one guy who had a Canon 1D with a 70-200 2.8... Yes, that bazooka inside an indoor aquarium! He bonked more than a few people on the head and was politely asked by security to put the lens away.

At the Toronto Zoo I've seen quite a few men and women toting 4x5 cameras on 'pods.

Visiting OCAD I noticed a lot of people milling about had PENs and in Kensington Market I always see a lot of FILM cameras!

Over the past year I've seen about 10 E-M5s around town. Non-tourists don't tend to walk around with their cameras in full view outside of typical tourist spots.

Everywhere else around here it's Canon and Nikon - mostly SLRs and lots of backpack camera bags.

 

[Ross the fiddler]

I think I spotted one near Harvard yesterday. Lens hood and everything.

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What's he doing pointing the camera at the grass when there's a beautiful subject riding by?