johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Hi Dave I would go for an Olympus, I have used them for years and am more than pleased with them. If you want a view finder go for the OM series. Panasonic also have a very good range, any way you won't go wrong with any M43 camera.
John.

Robeng Loc: California

My friends, who pro photographers have switch to Sony a7.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Ditto for the a6000. Have had one for about 7 months. Using it more than my Canon DSLR's. I still use both, but prefer the Sony, especially for low-light, high ISO needs. You can adapt any/all of your Pentax lenses to it as well. Fotodiox makes a decent adapter for $100 that allows AF with legacy lenses, but be aware all of the adapters, regardless of price or brand that allow AF, will slow AF a bit. On the other hand, using MF along with the a6000's focus peaking and manual focus assist is fun and accurate. Lots of features at a very competitive price. Caveat though - manual is crap. Suggest watching Gary Fong youtube tutorials or purchase the Gary Friedman e-book for $25 (highly recommended) to educate yourself on the extensive menu and custom options.

mattdm

I've been a Pentax user for the past decade, going from the K100D quickly to the K10D, then the K-7 and K-5ii, which I've had since that came out. I've been intrigued by mirrorless for a while, particularly the Fujifilm X series and Olympus's OM-D line. The jewel-like Limited prime lenses are what attracted me to Pentax in the first place, and while both of those systems offer nice primes, Fujifilm really seems to have a commitment to it.

Anyway, I decided that to really know something, you have to experience it fully, so I'm selling, shelving, or giving away my Pentax gear and committing to Fujifilm for at least a year. Having tried both, I like the SLR-styled X-T1 and X-T10 more than the rangefinder-like X-Pro, and I decided to start with the X-T10 because it's mostly similar but a lot cheaper. If I stick with it, I'll probably next upgrade to the X-T1's successor (X-T2, I guess?) when that comes out.

So, it's been about a month now, and I've got some early observations.

Things I like about the X-T10:

* Face-detect autofocus is really nice. The eye detection isn't as fast as I'd wish, but it does enable me to get sharp shots at f/1.2.
* The dynamic range is great; I don't have to worry about blowing out skin tones
* The lenses are beautiful. My Pentax lenses — DA Limited 15mm f/4, 40mm f/2.8, and 70mm f/2.4— were really nice, but the Fujifilm 23mm f/1.4 and 56mm f/1.2 are, dare I say it, even better.
* No more mucking with autofocus micro-adjustment. Contrast-detect AF doesn't need tuning. And micro-adjustment is impossible to get right for all focus distances, so it's aways a compromise. (And if you have a zoom lens... sorry.)
* I like using the A ring for aperture selection. Nice and intuitive.

Things I miss:

* In-body image stabilization.
* Many, many more customization options. For example, with Pentax, you can set the rate that ISO increases in auto-ISO mode, and set different NR levels per ISO. With Fujifilm these are simple global options.
* High ISO performance. I didn't hesitate to use my K-5ii at 6400, whereas 3200 really seems like my comfortable limit with the X-T10. Coming from the K-7, though, I think the X-T10 is an improvement.
* More direct buttons, and direct functions. Some Fujifilm choices are puzzling: for example, front dial can't be configured to just change ISO; you have to push it in, and then turn to select from a list. In fact, most options are like this. I definitely miss having a lever for metering modes, for example.
* Custom "user modes" which remember a wide variety of settings. Fujifilm has these, but only for a limited set of options, and you can't rename them (I think renaming was added in the Pentax K-5, so you won't miss this from the K-7). This is particularly frustrating switching from carry-around use to studio lighting setup, where there's a number of options like whether the EVF shows the selected exposure which I'd like to togggle.
* Much more sophisticated in-camera RAW development UI. I shoot in raw+jpeg and use this a lot. Really, neither of them is stellar, but Pentax lets you change more things and gives you a preview of results as you go.
* Burst mode: the X-T10 hits a buffer limit when the K-5ii would just go forever. This is my fault for not springing for the X-T1, though.
* The lenses are definitely bigger. And I miss the integrated lens hoods from the Limiteds.


Things that don't really matter but are worth observing:

* EVF vs. viewfinder. Really, I don't even think about the difference.
* Autofocus. It's half-a-dozen of one and six of the other. Pentax isn't great with tracking AF when something is coming right at you, but the X-T10 definitely is worse — it's hopeless at the "playground test", where you try to take a sequence of shots of a kid on a swing coming right towards (and away from) you. But, on the other hand, especially with face detect, it's less likely to totally grab the wrong thing, and again, no need to microadjust AF.
* The focal lengths don't line up with what I had before. I guess if I had the Pentax 21mm, 35mm, and 56mm, it'd be an easier switch, but as it is, I've now got two lenses squarely in between the focal lengths I'm used to. That's going okay so far. Previously, the 15mm was my least-used, even though it was a very nice lens, so I'm most likely to add at the other end (the new 90mm, maybe?), and maybe I'll get the 35mm f/2 if it turns out to be weather-sealed as rumored.

So that's my impressions so far. Really, if Fujifilm would take some cues from Pentax about customization and control, I'd be happy, and if they found a way to squeeze in IBIS, I'd be _super_ happy.

picturesofdogs Loc: Dallas, Texas.

Sony A7ii.

coyotecall Loc: New Mexico

I'd have to agree....but after all my research (into my bank account) I'm going with the A7 or A7r (when I sell my 70D).

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

A lot of pros are switching or have switched to Sony mirrorless cameras. Jason Lanier and Gary Fong are the first two that come to mind, and they have done REALLY exceptional work with their Sony gear.

Sony has been making technological advances ever since they bought out Minolta, and it remains at the cutting edge of photography.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

m43 for weight savings and lens selection and lens adaptability. The very largest range of native lenses AND adaptable lenses is available for m43 cameras from Olympus and Panasonic.

Panasonic LUMIX GH4 if you want great video in most situations, and top of the line m43 stills. Image stabilization and software lens correction (chromatic aberrations) is in Panasonic's lenses. Olympus lenses will fit.

Olympus OM-D whatever if you like the look of their stills and the small camera size and styling. Image stabilization is in the body of the Olympus camera, but Panasonic lenses will fit. As far as I know, there is no CA correction in Olympus models.

Both Panasonic and Olympus have several configurations of camera body, from full featured pro level bodies to very small, compact travel cameras.

Check out the Metabones Speedbooster adapters for third party lenses...

Consider the Sony A7s for extreme low light performance. Video is good, especially in extremely low light, but Panasonic has better video all around.

Consider the Fuji X-Pro series for their film simulations and lenses. They yield some beautiful images.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

Depends why you want to change. I had an a6000. Mostly took good pix. I did have some beefs with it--like the proprietary hot-shoe. You had to buy a Sony flash and the mic for audio had to be their mic which wasn't very good.

The batteries have a very short charge life. Expect to have to recharge every 100-150 shots. I took mine on a Mediterranean cruise and got some good pix, but I took four extra batteries to be sure I'd have power throughout the day.

On mine, the focus tended to "hunt" a lot. My Nikons have always popped in right away.

picturesofdogs Loc: Dallas, Texas.

Battery is rated at 300-350 shots, less if you use flash a lot, or heavy wifi. The focus will hunt in low lite, but can be improved by using spot focus.
Watson batteries work fine and are $20 a piece.
I find live view makes it easy to shoot in low light.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

I recently purchased a pair of Olympus OM-D E-M5Mark II bodies along with a couple of fast (f2.8) zooms and first impressions are very favourable.
I have noi plans to purchse any Olympus fast primes as I all ready have a good selection for my Canon DSLS.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Re: flashes. I do not yet own a dedicated flash for my a6000, but my Canon and older flash for Pentax work fine in manual mode.
Re: batteries: yes, there is a battery drain issue even when camera is off but it is minimal. Last time I checked it was about 5% in a period of 8-10 days. As far as number of images shot, last time out, I captured 1676 images on the original 7 month old battery and still had 45% battery life left. No flash was used. In June, similar event shot over 1200 images, but did not check battery life left. Maybe adding and using a flash is the cause of shorter battery life? Just asking.

picturesofdogs Loc: Dallas, Texas.

The evf is a heavy drain, some turn off either the evf or screen. Also settings for screen, quality , brightness, and power saving mode time. Gary Friedman offers several suggestions for improving battery life, but sounds like you're doing ok on your own.

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

I suddenly got a case of GAS, so last night I ordered a Sony slt a-65. as I have a lot of a- mount lenses. I now have another camera I didn't need but wanted. it will meet me needs. it will get used.

sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land

And I'll restate for you, their native lens line up is small, no comparison with Panasonic/Olympus lines, no adapters needed there. Second restate Sony gear is excellent but the lens (native) is not there yet....