dfrost01 Loc: Princeton, NJ

I am taking two major wildlife photography trips this year, one to Alaska and one to 3 countries in Africa. I want to lighten my load so I'd like to purchase a new mirrorless system. Am waiting for the successor to the Sony A6000 and also looking at the Fuji xT1. I know the successor to the Sony hasn't been announced yet so all I can judge from so far is the current version. I do like the fact that the Fuji has the important controls on the top of the camera and not in some menu somewhere. I'm not really sure what lenses are out there for either one. Anyone have any suggestions or advice for me. Not travelling until July.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

I had an a6000 on my Mediterranean cruise this summer. Came back and sold it to revert to my Nikons. Bought an X-E1 and used it heavily for a few months. So, not an XT1, but I have some comparison.

On the basis of that, I have purchased another a6000 AND am also planning to buy the a7000 (Or 6100) if it has a standard mic jack. The a6000 is an amazingly competent machine. It's true that the Fuji puts a couple more controls on top, but I found the whole thing clumsier to use and operate.

I have not been a Sony fan. But I came back with a lot of really good images, limited only by my own lack of skill.

I'm not putting Fuji down. There is a large group of Fuji users who love their cameras. It just wasn't right for me. I found it too difficult to find the right combinations. The a6000 lets you put important controls available with just one button push. It has great focus-peaking and it's combination of phase and contrast detection AF are superior.

The other thing the a6000 has is a third party book by David Busch. (The Gary Friedman book, which I bought is better than nothing, but not good.)

Lenses are another issue. Both have a wide variety of lenses, but the market must still be too small for much from Tamron, Sigma, and others.

Jim_In_Plymouth Loc: Plymouth MN

In the true tradition of UHH I am going to mention an alternative. I just picked up an Olympus OM-D EM-1 and find it powerful. Depending upon your needs there is the EM-1, EM-5 ii and EM-10 ii. They do have a broad variety of lenses. The bodies have five axis stabilization so they will work with hand held travel photography.

Notice I used the word mention and not recommend; I believe that decision must be yours. But I will strongly recommend, regardless of your camera choice, that you get the camera far in advance and use it on a daily basis for several months. I am new to the OM-D series and am finding the learning curve quite steep and am having difficulty making the camera second nature. I suppose if I were to set the camera on P or Auto and bang away that would not be a problem but I wish to use the features that made the camera affordable but not cheap.

I have learned one thing since starting on the learning curve, I came to the conclusion that I did not buy a camera. I bought a computer that accepts a variety of lenses.

Good luck and enjoy.

Jim_In_Plymouth Loc: Plymouth MN

"I do like the fact that the Fuji has the important controls on the top of the camera and not in some menu somewhere."
One more thing: The OM-D series has many external controls but for what I am working on, focus stacking and bracketing, I am having to hit the menus and go several levels deep.

Tigger1 Loc: Surrey, BC Canada

Hi dfrost01; I have been to both Alaska and Africa so may be able to give a few suggestions. What type of pictures do you want to take? i.e. landscapes, animal both big and small, birds in flight? In the case of Africa, what countries will you be visiting? I ask that question simply because it may well influence what lenses you choose to take with your final camera choice.
Best regards,
Garth

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

I was recently at a large Best Buy store that has a very good, large camera display that included both the Fuji XT-1 and the Olympus OMD-EM1 and EM-5ii. This was the second time I have handled the Fuji, and I didn't care for it. Somehow it seemed cluttered in the manner in which the controls and buttons were laid out. It was one of those things that I can't articulate exactly, but it just didn't suit me. It just seemed "clunky" to me. On the other hand, I was impressed with the Olympus OMD's. I really liked the OMD-EM5ii for some reason, even though it doesn't have the largish hand grip the EM-1 has. It's also lighter than the EM-1.

There is a large group of M4/3 folks here on UHH, all of who have nothing but praise for the OMD series and M4/3. While I probably would not buy an Olympus camera, as I prefer a DSLR, I do like the OMD series.

On the other hand, I have had, and am fond of the Sony A6000. I think it is probably somewhat dismissed as "lesser" camera, the truth is, it is an extremely competent camera, and very affordable. It's only shortcoming isn't the camera, itself, but rather the somewhat short list of native lenses available for it. However, with the Sony LA-EA3 or 4 lens adapters, there is a decent choice of Sony A-mounts and Minolta lenses that will work just fine with it. And they can often be had for a lot less money than the E-mounts lenses. And if you are looking to lighten your load on your trips, the A6000 is noticeably lighter than either the Fuji or Olympus offerings.

Jim_In_Plymouth Loc: Plymouth MN

" there is a decent choice of Sony A-mounts and Minolta lenses that will work just fine with it. And they can often be had for a lot less money than the E-mounts lenses."

When going to the A mount lenses you sacrifice the compact nature of the A6000. I am finding that with the OMD. The 70 - 300 4/3 looks like a quart soda bottle compared to the M4/3 lenses.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

I've been focusing (you'll pardon the expression) on Micro 4/3rds myself, but between the two choices you mentioned, I would go with Sony a6000 (and wouldn't bother to wait for some pie-in-the-sky successor). One reason might be the availability of numerous good portable third-party user guides.

Drala2k Loc: Vermont

A couple of things.

1. The a7000/a6100 upgrade may not be out until fall, or so I heard. It is pie-in-the-sky at the moment.

2. I have the a6000 and I really like it. However the body is not weather resistant so you will have to take extra precautions to protect it. The Fuji is weather resistant and would prove to be more durable in those environments. The new Fuji 18-135 lens is also weather resistant. On the other hand, as the a6000 body is so cost efficient at the moment, you could buy two with one for back up.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

The official word I got from Sony at CES this year is that NO A6000 successor is currently in the works, the recent firmware update they released supposedly increased the cameras functions significantly so no near future update is planned.

Drala2k Loc: Vermont

With MT's news, best not to make plans around the a6000 successor just yet.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

I love my Fuji X-E2. I also switched because of the weight of my Nikon D300 which I love. My first mirrorless was an Olympus EM-5. After talking with professional photographers affiliated with B&H, I tried the Fuji X-E2 which had just come out. I love having the controls on the camera. Rarely do I have to dig in a menu. I like the film simulation and the JPEGs are great. Fuji also frequently improves their cameras with firmware updates. And their lenses are great. You can easily hop on the train to NYC Pen Sta. it's one block from B&H. Try the cameras for yourself. Fuji is coming out with new cameras on Friday.BTW we often visit Princeton. I love the museum and always stop in Landaus to shop. I live in Union County. Enjoy your camera shopping. I'd also recommend buying used from B&H or KEH. I buy lenses that way.

Bonkles Loc: St Albans, UK

You will not be disappointed with the Sony A6000. I have the kit lens and the Sony/Zeiss 16-70 f4 Vario-Tesser the latter becoming a permanent attachment to the camera. I have been a user of the camera since launch in April 2014, its very portable and easy to use.

jwestman Loc: Grand Rapids, MI

I have XT-1 and love it. It's weather resistant and the Fuji lenses get consistent high marks. It is not as fast as my Canon 70D but much, much quicker than the X-E1 mentioned above. If you have the opportunity, try one for a few days.

VitoM

If you are considering Fuji there is yet another option. Tomorrow Fujifilm will be announcing their new XPro-2 camera. Lots of upgrades including a 24.3 megapixel sensor. You can read the full list of specs here:

http://product.fujifilm.com.au/products/consumerProducts/xCamerasLensesAndAccessories/x-pro2/specifications