Need help on final decision for new camera for personal use

Arts & Media Visual Arts & Design
1

While I technically have a camera right now (my mom and I share it after she ended up dropping my old one after loosing hers.) I'm starting to get tired of not always having a camera whenever I feel like taking some photos.

Currently I have an Olympus Stylus 1, and while it is a fairly good camera (particularily when the only cameras I've ever really used previously were cheap canon point and shoots.), I've been leaning towards getting a camera with interchangeable lenses (either DSLR or mirrorless), with the intention of being able to get the camera to last through my final year of High School (and possibly even college), while having the potential to do more as I improve my photography skills.

I plan on mainly using the camera for nature photography (landscape, gardens, and some wildlife if the oppertunity presents itself). I've never really been into urban drawing/photography (including people). With that, I'm not terribly worried about the camera's video potential, so long as it isn't outright terrible. Budget is a soft limit of $650, and a hard limit of $700 (only including camera and kit lens. I have a bag as well as a ton of SD cards already)

I have done some of my own research already. I've more or less eliminated DSLR's as a possibility as I am prefering the idea of having a smaller camera so I can take pictures while on hikes easier.

So after doing some more research I've narrowed it down to either the Sony a6000 or the Olympus O-MD E-M10 Mark II. I will say that I am leaning towards the M10 because I'm not super worried about a fast focus (I can't imagine focusing can get much slower than my old cannon and I never had too much of an issue), and having the extra stabilization on the M10 seems like it would be nice for (slightly) longer exposures without the need of something to rest the camera on.

So I guess what I'm really asking is if there is anything that I may have overlooked, as well as maybe some other recomendations if there are better cameras out there for what I'll be using it for.

2

I think eliminating all DSLR cameras based on the fact that you'll be mobile is a mistake on your part. You're eliminating the quality standard and compatibility standard based on it sometimes needing to talking hiking pictures , which is just a dumb move.

3

Not 100% sure that I completely follow (so I'm going to respond based on how I understood what you said).

If you are referring to image quality, I do get that DSLR's can be better than mirrorless cameras. But I've never had that much of an issue before with digital camera's (mainly because at the sizes that I usually use the images any differences are small).

As for compatibility (guessing you are referring to the lenses) I'm not super worried about right now. Odds are I won't be getting too much in terms of different lenses to start out, and even when I do, there is still a decent selection (at least for Olympus and Panasonic cameras).

I should say another factor in me taking out DSLR's has been past experiences with one of my friends who has a Canon DSLR, and just comparing images that we took in the same place didn't have enough of a difference (again at the size I use them at, which is a 1600x900 monitor, although we did compare them on his 1440p monitor as well) to really make it feel worth it.

I would still be willing to do a DSLR, I'd just have to find one that I'm really impressed by that I can fit within my budget.