DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Advice on new camera & lens - Back to DSLR!
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 12 of 12, (reverse)
AuthorThread
04/28/2016 05:24:16 AM · #1
Well, i've been very happy with mirror less for quite a while now and with mostly manual focus lenses but a couple of things have made me think I want to add a DSLR back into the mix. Basically, my Sony A7 and 60 year old Leica 90mm has been playing up. The camera has been jamming in cold, slightly wet weather. It's nowhere near weather sealed so it's my own fault thinking I could use it as I do - in wet and cold Wales on beaches and up mountains. I'm assuming that's the problem anyway. The camera jams and I have to turn off - take out and replace battery then re-start then it works again for a bit. Indoors it's fine but obviously it's no good for a wedding to have that. The other situation is with a few very fast moving kids. I've been 98% happy with manual focus in weddings and elsewhere but I admit very occasionally auto focus can be a help. Plus, i'm warming back to auto focus after using my Sony 35mm 1.4 a lot more.

So, i've decided against just getting a more up to date Sony A7 or lens such as the Zeiss Batis 85mm or new Sony 85mm 1.4 and thought i'd add a robust weather sealed DSLR and fast short telephoto in the 70-90 range (or DX crop to get me there) to use alongside the A7's. There are a few options i've narrowed it down to but they all have pluses and negatives so i'm going round in circles a bit so some advice would be good. I'm very much coming at this from a 'choose lens then body' angle as I want a lens which is suitable - fast, creamy and soft etc. There are a few lenses that I really like the look they produce so i'm starting with that and will choose a body second. Here is what i'm considering so far…

Sony/Zeiss 50mm f1.4 A-mount with either a Sony A77II or even Sony A68 - gives me a 75mm focal length plus i'll be able to use on my A7 with adaptor which will be handy and keep my whole kit related. Also the RAW files will be similar, Looks like a nice lens. Meant to be good autofocus on the a-mount cameras.

Pentax K3II with Pentax 77mm f1.8 or Pentax 55mm f1.4 - I've no experience with Pentax but i'm really intrigued by the K3ii. It looks like it's got some great features like stabilisation and pixel shift for doing non people work. Both the lenses are meant to be good - the 77mm a classic and i'll be able to use that on the A7 with adaptor. They are both old lenses though and the 55mm is meant to be very slow AF. The 77mm on the new full frame K1 looks like it might be great but pricey.

Nikon 58mm f1.4 on either Nikon FF OR DX - I *really* like the look of this lens and its characteristics look perfect for me. On a DX it'll give nice 87mm so maybe a D7100 or something. I'm thinking even a used D800 might be possible which will give me a nice choice of focal lengths - 58mm and then 67mmm and 87mm in crop modes. I used to use the D300 and D700's a lot so know what to expect with Nikon.

Canon 50mm f1.2L and DX option - Lens looks lovely but might be overkill to just use it on a DX body. It's also a bit old now. I haven't used a Canon camera in 15 years or so so really don't know the current best but an older camera may be ok. Or a FF with an 85mm perhaps. I really don't know much about possible Canon options.

So, that's what i've narrowed it down to. Currently i'm veering towards the Nikon option as I love the look of that 58mm and a used D800. That will probably change though as I keep reading up. Any advice here?

Message edited by author 2016-04-28 05:28:26.
04/28/2016 07:29:48 AM · #2
If you have any questions on the Pentax gear, PentaxForums.com has a visitors' forum that will be happy to respond to your questions. Tell them how you plan to use the equipment and they will let you know if there you are on the right track.

PentaxForums.com

Tim
04/28/2016 08:54:59 AM · #3
I have been experimenting with a d800 with a standard set of lenses. It has been a tough time, a lot of concessions, but a real growth in attitude and technique. At the moment we are at shutter priority with a leaning exposure compensation and low iso. It is more hit and miss, but, intuitively I like the direction. There are more opportunities because I don't have the pressure of pleasing a client, which is different from your scenario. The appeal for dslr is still strong, as mirrorless isn't really there yet for me. It is down to the autofocus speed and accuracy, Dslr still rules regardless, for speed and opportunity. It is still really the elephant in the room. I imagine it is only a matter of time until there is a significant change, but it hasn't happened yet for me, and the economics of it doesn't make thing any easier. Don't know if this is of any help, but only my take on it at the moment.
04/28/2016 10:59:16 AM · #4
I think you really have only two true choices: stick with the Sony which will keep you all in the same family, or the Nikon, with which you have experience, and offers the lens you REALLY like ;)
04/28/2016 12:09:40 PM · #5
Originally posted by atupdate:

If you have any questions on the Pentax gear, PentaxForums.com has a visitors' forum that will be happy to respond to your questions. Tell them how you plan to use the equipment and they will let you know if there you are on the right track.

PentaxForums.com

Tim


Thanks Tim. Yes, that does seem a good idea. I definitely want to find out more about the two lenses if I start down the Pentax route. The K3ii looks like a wonderful factor in so many ways it's a tempting, but unknown, option.

Originally posted by daisydavid:

I have been experimenting with a d800 with a standard set of lenses. It has been a tough time, a lot of concessions, but a real growth in attitude and technique. At the moment we are at shutter priority with a leaning exposure compensation and low iso. It is more hit and miss, but, intuitively I like the direction. There are more opportunities because I don't have the pressure of pleasing a client, which is different from your scenario. The appeal for dslr is still strong, as mirrorless isn't really there yet for me. It is down to the autofocus speed and accuracy, Dslr still rules regardless, for speed and opportunity. It is still really the elephant in the room. I imagine it is only a matter of time until there is a significant change, but it hasn't happened yet for me, and the economics of it doesn't make thing any easier. Don't know if this is of any help, but only my take on it at the moment.


Yea, that is helpful John. I do like the idea of the D800 but that huge leap to 36MB will be tricky i'm sure and is probably not needed for most of my purposes. But that's why i'm keen on having it as an option along with the 1.2 and 1.5 crop modes which may be more manageable for weddings etc.

Originally posted by tanguera:

I think you really have only two true choices: stick with the Sony which will keep you all in the same family, or the Nikon, with which you have experience, and offers the lens you REALLY like ;)


Yes, perhaps so. I'm certainly leaning towards the Nikon particularly because of that lens. There is not a huge amount of difference in price between the lenses apart from the Pentax 55mm. The Nikon is the most expensive but not by a great deal. That and a D800 is probably out of my budget straight away though so perhaps i'll get the 58mm and an older DX camera then get a used D800 a bit later. I think the Pentax lenses are maybe just too old (although the camera looks great). The Sony Zeiss 50mm will fit in with my Sony Zeiss 35mm 1.4 so there is that but i'm not particularly keen on using the chunky adapter to get the true 50mm on the A7.
04/28/2016 12:25:45 PM · #6
You could always go Leica SL! That way you can continue to use your M Lenses. It's weather sealed, the 24-90 is also weather sealed and is a fabulous performer... Price is high but it ticks a lot of your boxes. I doubt it will ever break.
04/28/2016 01:18:28 PM · #7
I have the D750 and love it, especially the movable LCD screen. But I don't know if you can get them cheap/used just yet. If you can get a used D700, you'd be golden. It's a tank and a real workhorse. OTOH, the 750 is a smaller/lighter body than the 700.
04/28/2016 01:27:30 PM · #8
quote=Paul] You could always go Leica SL! That way you can continue to use your M Lenses. It's weather sealed, the 24-90 is also weather sealed and is a fabulous performer... Price is high but it ticks a lot of your boxes. I doubt it will ever break. [/quote]

Yea, i wish! If I had the money I definitely would.

Originally posted by tanguera:

I have the D750 and love it, especially the movable LCD screen. But I don't know if you can get them cheap/used just yet. If you can get a used D700, you'd be golden. It's a tank and a real workhorse. OTOH, the 750 is a smaller/lighter body than the 700.


I did think about the D750 but it's probably a bit much at the moment. A used D700 is definitely an option as that's what I used to use for a wedding season or two. I think i'm a bit spoilt with the 24MP of the Sony's now though. Whenever I go back and play with the D700 files from a couple of years ago i'm always disappointed in comparison. It'll probably be my most used camera at weddings as I tend to use a short telephoto the most (although I will carry on using the 90mm Summicron when I can) so i really want around 24MP to match the other cameras.
04/28/2016 04:09:46 PM · #9
Sensor works much better on the Nikon IMO, even if it's a Sony one. I live the A7 series but D750 is another story, at least for photography, video is another matter. And no doubt files are better than the D700 ones (I used all the cameras I mentioned and worked with their files).
04/28/2016 04:15:55 PM · #10
Check out the new Nikon D500. It's not cheap, but it has a sensor that can beat the D750 or D800 with regard to noise. And it's designed for pro use.

Or you could go with the Fuji! XPro-2 or the upcoming X-T2 (X-T1 is still a good option too). I don't recall if you'd had one, but they are weather sealed, lightweight, All metal build, and have fantastic lenses, especially primes, as well as being adaptable. And the fantastic primes of course have autofocus. Not to mention, they are a lot less expensive than Sony/Zeiss lenses and especially Leica.
04/28/2016 04:34:57 PM · #11
Originally posted by Neil:

Check out the new Nikon D500. It's not cheap, but it has a sensor that can beat the D750 or D800 with regard to noise. And it's designed for pro use.


The D500 does look fantastic. I hadn't really thought about that. Might be out of my budget but it's definitely something i'll look into.

Originally posted by Neil:

Or you could go with the Fuji! XPro-2 or the upcoming X-T2 (X-T1 is still a good option too). I don't recall if you'd had one, but they are weather sealed, lightweight, All metal build, and have fantastic lenses, especially primes, as well as being adaptable. And the fantastic primes of course have autofocus. Not to mention, they are a lot less expensive than Sony/Zeiss lenses and especially Leica.


Yea, i had a couple of Xpro-1's and an XE-1 a couple of years back and did about 25 weddings and lots of other shoots with them. I liked a lot about them but a few things bugged me - auto focus wasn't great but neither was manual focus so i switched to the Sony for the great manual focus experience. Those were first generation cameras so I guess the auto focus will be much improved. The two Fuji lenses i had - 23mm 1.4 and 56mm 1.2 - were superb though, so perhaps it might be an option to go back to the 56mm with one of the new bodies if the weather sealing etc and auto focus is much improved. I do love the smaller form and handling. I wasn't massively enamoured by the X-trans sensor but maybe that has improved some as well. Feels a bit more odd mixing two mirror less systems that mixing mirror less/dslr though for some reason.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice everyone. Lots to think about.

Message edited by author 2016-04-28 16:36:31.
04/28/2016 05:22:12 PM · #12
Originally posted by rooum:

Originally posted by Neil:

Check out the new Nikon D500. It's not cheap, but it has a sensor that can beat the D750 or D800 with regard to noise. And it's designed for pro use.


The D500 does look fantastic. I hadn't really thought about that. Might be out of my budget but it's definitely something i'll look into.

Originally posted by Neil:

Or you could go with the Fuji! XPro-2 or the upcoming X-T2 (X-T1 is still a good option too). I don't recall if you'd had one, but they are weather sealed, lightweight, All metal build, and have fantastic lenses, especially primes, as well as being adaptable. And the fantastic primes of course have autofocus. Not to mention, they are a lot less expensive than Sony/Zeiss lenses and especially Leica.


Yea, i had a couple of Xpro-1's and an XE-1 a couple of years back and did about 25 weddings and lots of other shoots with them. I liked a lot about them but a few things bugged me - auto focus wasn't great but neither was manual focus so i switched to the Sony for the great manual focus experience. Those were first generation cameras so I guess the auto focus will be much improved. The two Fuji lenses i had - 23mm 1.4 and 56mm 1.2 - were superb though, so perhaps it might be an option to go back to the 56mm with one of the new bodies if the weather sealing etc and auto focus is much improved. I do love the smaller form and handling. I wasn't massively enamoured by the X-trans sensor but maybe that has improved some as well. Feels a bit more odd mixing two mirror less systems that mixing mirror less/dslr though for some reason.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice everyone. Lots to think about.


FWIW: Not trying to sell you on it at all, but I thought I'd fill in where your concerns were....At least starting with the X-T1 and the first major update they did to the firmware, focus speed is not really a problem, and accuracy is probably better than my Nikons (D600, D7100). Some older lenses can focus slowly, especially with continuous mode, but I normally use single focus. And continuous focus is pretty cool because it may take longer, but when it hits, it's DEAD ON. Great for macro shooting.

The X-T2 might be worth waiting for if you go that way though...the little joystick on the back promises to be a significant upgrade for autofocus. (See the X-Pro2 for a view of that and reviews). Plus, dual cards, articulating LCD, 24 MP instead of 16 with even better ISO performance (presumably).

And finally, manual focus on the X-T series is a breeze...the viewfinder is one of the largest available...slightly larger than the optical viewfinder on the pro Canon EOS-1D X.

My main regret with the X-T1 is that it doesn't have internal IS. The Sony's and Pentax choices win on that. Plus, I would like a lens like my 18-200 VR or 28-300 VR for those times when I want to carry a single all purpose lens. Or better yet, a 25-400mm f/2.8-f/4 lens like my Panny FZ1000 ;)

Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 01:16:51 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 01:16:51 PM EDT.