NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Camera Talk => Topic started by: Knut S on June 18, 2016, 00:39:21
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These days it seems that the most important thing with camera gear is its size and weight. It should be as light and small as possible. A lot of photographers are selling their dslr(s) to enter the nirvana of mirrorless heaven. I was in that boat two years ago, and this is what happened.
Photographing has been my main hobby for the last 12-15 years and 7 years ago I bought a house in Lofoten. (So tired of living in tent in ALL kinds of weather, summer or winter. :P) And of course, spending time here you ends up walking in the mountains. A problem occurred over time; the all to heavy camera backpack. (I'm rather picky when it comes to camera gear. Guess I'm not alone?? ::)) So I start searching for lighter gear. Tried Nikon P7000, then Fuji X10, Canon G1x and Fuji X-e2 with 18-55mm and an adapter for all my Nikkors. All those cameras worked great while I was carrying them up and the hills, the picture quality useful, but there was a lot of compromises. Bad viewfinders, poor battery life (espessialy in the winter), way too small to operate with gloves and the shooting experience wasn't as good as it should be etc, etc.. So I wasn't satisfied with the situation. So in the end I asked myself, when is the camera most important? When I'm carrying it or WHEN I'M PHOTOGRAPHING? So the story ended as Bjørn J suggested right from the beginning. I ended up with the camera of my dreams, the magnificent D3x. So when I'm walking and want to take some shots I drag out the Domke bag from my backpack and I'm not missing anything. 16mm/3,5 28mm/2.0 50mm/1,2 105mm/2.5 makes me ready for the most. 8) But that is me. We live in a free world, so..
Just wanted to share my thoughts.
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Waking up from Nirvana may be more painful than entering the state of bliss, but probably more helpful in the longer run. Good luck with your Lofoten endeavours.
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;) Hehe.. And thank you.
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I also used to own the D3x - and loved it.
My weight issue is linked to my tripod. I can carry my bodies - and even though they become heavier every 10 yards of carrying them - its the tripod that kills me right off. Therefor Tripod stays - and I miss so many shots.
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Good luck to you Knut, as you say it's a free world!
I've gone through the agonies of ditching my Nikon stuff in favour of a Fujifilm system based on an X-T1 and various lenses!
My Nikon gear was super quality, but the weight was the killer, what is the point of having top notch lenses if you leave them at home because of the weight factor. There were also other reasons in wanting to change, and I didn't like the way that Nikon was heading, it always to me seemed larger and heavier and Nikon's support to existing models in my view is lacking for one of the premier brands! E.G. The D600 debacle, and a corporate ethos of not owning up to gear issues, ignoring or actually denying a problem doesn't make it go away! So sad.
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. Bad viewfinders, poor battery life (espessialy in the winter), way too small to operate with gloves and the shooting experience wasn't as good as it should be etc, etc..
This pretty much sums it up for me also.
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I love my D3, but since I have my D600 (which undeservedly received a lot of bad press due to a communication issue at Nikons) I do not use it anymore. The rare cases in which I need speed are now covered by the D500.
The X100T is a nice camera to carry as a backup on a light weight trip. Image quality is amazing but -- sorry -- I cannot accept her as a professional tool.
Knut. You got the best of both worlds: a sturdy heavy glove compatible camera with light weight primes (16mm/3,5 28mm/2.0 50mm/1,2 105mm/2.5) ... that is my way too. I tried Zooms over and over again ... last attempt was a 200-500/5.6 ... these will never be my friends. The weight issue is solved by light (manual focus) primes. They might be all metal but they are still small and light weight because they do not zoom-af-vr ... that they are much better suited for my style of shooting.
The 300PF is a light weight prime too, esp for a 300mm high quality lens and it still features AF and VR.
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With time, I tend to lug less and less lenses around. It used to be three, then two, now often one (out of a nice collection), and restrain myself to what I can do. Making up one's mind and choosing the lens is part of the shooting exercise (what is it that I want to achieve ?), so it is not "painful".
Df plus anything is mostly over one kilogram, but I can still survive it. I can put it into my usual bags with up to the 180/2.8 mounted (or even the 300 PF), so that's OK. This is "my way" to solve the size and weight issue.
I carry zooms only for one type of shots now: public performances where I cannot easily choose my shooting position, also because I need their brilliant AF performance. It is not primarily about "having a wide range of FLs", it is because of the use case.
When I absolutely need to be discreet (size, noise...), the OM-D does the job. OM-D plus the very good Panasonic pancake 20/1.7, and the excellent 75/1.8 for reach and the sheer pleasure is a very good combo.
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With time, I tend to lug less and less lenses around. It used to be three, then two, now often one (out of a nice collection), and restrain myself to what I can do. Making up one's mind and choosing the lens is part of the shooting exercise (what is it that I want to achieve ?), so it is not "painful". When I cannot, any 50 will do (esp. Voigtländer 40/2 or Zeiss 50/2 MP).
Df plus anything is mostly over one kilogram, but I can still survive it. I can put it into my usual bags with up to the 180/2.8 mounted (or even the 300 PF), so that's OK. This is "my way" to solve the size and weight issue.
I carry zooms only for one type of shots now: public performances where I cannot easily choose my shooting position, also because I need their brilliant AF performance. It is not primarily about "having a wide range of FLs", it is because of the use case.
When I absolutely need to be discreet (size, noise...), the OM-D does the job. OM-D plus the very good Panasonic pancake 20/1.7, and the excellent 75/1.8 for reach and the sheer pleasure is a very good combo.
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The battle between DSLR vs mirrorless, regarding weight and portability is a matter of personal preference and what makes you bring the gear to your choice of location. I have tried different solutions, but I have a hard time making a rock solid decision about what suits my needs best. Its even harder for me to try to convince anyone else, what might suit their need best. Any photographic situation has its optimal choice of gear. What I however have learned is that Im not able to meet those requirements every time. If the situation require a picture I have to make due with whats at hand. For the time being I have only DSLRs except my AW1. Most often I find that I bring the Df with a 40 mm pancake and a couple of lenses more specific for the task at hand. However, when Im dead certain what Im about to photograph, I pick more carefully. On those occasions I carry whatever wight required. Daytime landscape photography is IMO what needs the least specific gear. The existing software can handle stitching in such a way that any modern FX, DX or M4/3 camera with a kit zoom or a slow prime can handle any photographic situation between sunrise and sunset in such a manner that you won't be able to see the difference in print or at web output. It all boils down to in what way the photographer is able to handle the gear and software. Find the gear that you are comfortable using and have fun. Knut seem to have found his holy grail, others might find it in super expensive, well corrected lenses, but what suits you is still an open question :)
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Of course it is a personal thing, but I agree the optical quality, and therefore the results, are the only thing that matters to me. Apart from the nice handling of the Nikon DSRL instead of that upgraded smartphone's....., the lenses with the Nikon-mouth are available for every taste.
Different occasions ask for different lenses. For me the versatility is important, therefore I like the 17-35/2.8 and the Angenieux 35-70/2.5 for the wider views. They also enable the close-ups I want. I find weight and size not important.
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I go a couple of times per week to the gym to work out. :D
If necessary I walk all day with my D500 + Sigma 150-600 Sports and D810 + 300PF
Of course less weight is more comfortable and then the Df with a nice selection of MF-lenses is a very good alternative for me.
This one is already a few years back:
Kata backpack; D3s + 600, D700 + grip + 200-400, 16-35, 24-70, 70-200/2.8, Gitzo 55xx and Wimberley
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That is Chris!!!
Very good characterising shot. Lovely.
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If I have to get a job done I tend to take more equipment than necessary. My ThinkTank eats a lot, my car trunk eats
even more. If I need the shot and it is a one chance business like
Kofi Annan arrivin in car and entering a building or a wedding,
I will surely wear a second body available in 2 seconds.
If I go on a casual shoot I carry one lens one body.
A bottle of water and a little pic nick or an emergency
rain coat is usually more important
than more equipment.
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Congrats Knut on your new precious :)
Brings back some fine memories of my D3s, these are ultra dependable cameras, especially when using some hard to break manual focus lenses.
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This is a lovely picture, Knut! So in the end a photo is good when it is shot with a D3x or when a D3x is in the picture...
I went the other route, from D700 to X-T1 and am mostly satisfied of my choice.
It is more than good enough for my casual way of shooting, and the EVF is a big plus for me.
To each his own, there is no absolute answer anyway as everyone is in a different position. You are obviously very demanding (and rewarded with remarkable images as seen in your Lofoten series!) on your equipment, so I guess you made the right choice.
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"So in the end I asked myself, when is the camera most important? When I'm carrying it or WHEN I'M PHOTOGRAPHING?"
That's the point, glad you realized it ;D
As much as the image quality of the D810 impresses me every time, the D3X is still my favourite camera.
A pleasure to see my old 180/2,8 in good use, now I have only one left...
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Chris, the macho man! Love it!
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For me it is also about the use of the gear. It shouldn't get in my way. There are plenty of good cameras that deliver good image quality. However, they don't offer what a DSLR offers for me. The "not-getting-in-the-way" factor.
Even a (more) simple DSLR brings me more than a fancy non-DSLR.
It's not about taking many lenses with me. I'd happily go into a town or on a day trip with my D810 and a 35 or 50mm lens.
I once took my AW1 on a city trip with friends because i thought a DSLR would get in the way. It frustrated me the entire 4 days i was on the trip.
YMMV, but i'm with Knut 8)
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"I'm selling my DSLR equipment because I want something lighter" is a statement that I'm reading very often. For somebody like me, still active in the military, quite hard to believe, in perspective to the payload we are used to carry. But I have finally admitted that the problem has to be a genuine one.
The "solution" !?: "Well, I have an iPhone 6s Plus; this smartphone makes very good pictures and weights just under 200 grams" I'm not entirely joking, but the answer we are looking for, is somewhere else: a "mirrorless ?": well, I had the opportunity to briefly test the Sony Alpha 7s, as well as the Leica SL: for the Sony one, although the body is small, the lenses are as bulky and heavy as the ones of a regular DSLR; the Leica has no real size and or weight advantage. And they both "benefit" from an EVF: although EVFs have made big progress, they give still the impression of disconnecting me from the "reality", not speaking from the lag effect which is an absolute killer for someone who is usually shooting action, sport.
"What is left ?": for me, if I want to operate light: I choose carefully One lens and One body, who should do it through the journey; I've always been a man of a single lens and body, so not too much a problem, even if it implies making some compromises, using less "noble" lenses such as a 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 e.g.
As a last addition, I want to cover "huge". I'm not a street photographer, but walking on an air show with a pro monobody, equipped with a 400mm f/2.8 makes you to the crowd belonging to the "pro category", giving you a gentle / kind advantage, such as a better access to the scene, or avoiding that people are walking just before your lens and hide the action ..... ;)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/27297775343_679c764786_b.jpg)
Nikon D4s & Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 VR at the Air14 air show (CH, 2014)
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I like to have a camera with me most of the time. That also includes commuting to work with my bicycle. For these occasions I like the Fuji mirrorless and usually only one 23mm lens.
For more deliberate photography I use the D750 with only compact primes up to the 300mm PF. Still a lightweight solution carried in a f-stop backpack.
Yesterday I took the kids to the museum of transportation in Lucerne and had the Fuji with me. I tried some panning shots of the kids racing on carts.
The EVF made the panning difficult and it took many attempts to get something usable.
I'm keeping DSLR and mirrorless system - just need to know which to choose for the day.
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I'm keeping both systems and am very happy with them.
NIkon and Fudji system
or
KIDS and camera system...
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NIkon and Fudji system
or
KIDS and camera system...
Elsa!
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Knut, I agree it's all about the image. Some of us put up with a little inconvenience to get the shot! Yeah, I'd love less weight, but when I use certain equipment that puts a gleam in the eye, when you're looking through a nice OVF and you're in the zone - well, then it's all worth it. I recently acquired a second system which is HEAVIER than my Nikon set-up.
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(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7745/18194312721_d4a0bdae69_b.jpg)
Knut, I know exactly what you are talking about.
Back in film days I used a Nikon FM2 but added an MD-12 to add some bulk. Especially at night this added bulk helped me keep the camera steady at 1/15th of a second at up to 50mm. It also balanced well with the 80-200 f4.
My first experience with digital was with a Nikon D100 and that was still ok, but my first digital Nikon was a D70s instead, which was just too small and the controls were too limited in use to make me ever really like th ecamera. When I bought a D200, not too much later, I started enjoying digital a lot more and started using the FM2/MD12 less and less.
Then mirrorless reared it's head and I thought about the days where I went out with a bare FM, 50mm f2 and 17mm f3,5 in a coat pocket and jumped on the mirrorless bandwagon. I was duly disappointed because the ergonomics I knew from my D200 and D300 was gone. The optical viewfinder was gone. I just could not adapt, even though the image quality was good.
So I sold the Sony and bought a D3. In short, I have never been happier with a camera!
Everything is in the right place. The camera is perfect with bigger AF lenses, but also feels perfectly aligned with the small yet dense manual focus lenses I like using so much.
Same as you, I'm outdoors a lot and under any conditions, so the ability to handle the camera naturally when wearing gloves is not just a bonus. It is a must!
Size and weight? Yes please! Size really is directly related to ergonomics. Too small a camera is no longer easy to handle when you rely on external controls and need to change certain variables often and quickly to keep up with the situation.
As far as color goes, I really love the 12 Mp D3 sensor and it's output. I almost exclusively shoot NEF, but I shot an 80 picture portfolio yesterday selected from 400 pictures and I converted about half of the files from NEF to JPG without editing. The rest needed WB adjustments and some shadow recovery because the light kept changing. I have never used a camera with output that much to my liking.
(https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/428/18970455581_92211d56f7_b.jpg)
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I agree that the bulk and the weight are beneficial to the quality image.
That said, there are cases that the heavy professional grade cameras are not always the most suitable tools. For casual snapshots or even serious street photography, the sheer size of the equipment sometimes make the people back off, and their relaxed facial expressions disappear. Their often loud shutter noise can disturb the atmosphere of the gatherings. In such cases, a very non-professional-looking non-black small camera would work better.
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Very true. I use a Nikon F in such cases ;)
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... In such cases, a very non-professional-looking non-black small camera would work better.
Very true. Fuji X-T1/10 and even Nikon Df panda silver are very handy in that respect. Df doesn't scare people away, in-fact it does the opposite. ::)
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i couldn't agree more with the general sentiments here.
the very first priority for me is getting the shot, more or less properly exposed and in focus. PDAF is a must.
the second is the image quality. lots of DR and resolution.
the third is the experience of shooting, which, in the end, i usually do for enjoyment, not profit. EVF = instant disqualification. if i wanted to watch the world on a little TV, i'd stay home.
if weight is an issue on a particular day, i take the d810 with a single f/1.8 prime. i find it hard to imagine that any reasonably healthy adult can't carry 1.3kg for a day or a week. when i'm less concerned about weight, i'll bring two bodies, tripods and lots of lenses including f/1.4 primes, f/2.8 zooms, tilt-shift lenses, big telephotos, etc.
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if weight is an issue on a particular day, i take the d810 with a single f/1.8 prime. i find it hard to imagine that any reasonably healthy adult can't carry 1.3kg for a day or a week. when i'm less concerned about weight, i'll bring two bodies, tripods and lots of lenses including f/1.4 primes, f/2.8 zooms, tilt-shift lenses, big telephotos, etc.
... and a drone? :D
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if weight is an issue on a particular day, i take the d810 with a single f/1.8 prime. i find it hard to imagine that any reasonably healthy adult can't carry 1.3kg for a day or a week. when i'm less concerned about weight, i'll bring two bodies, tripods and lots of lenses including f/1.4 primes, f/2.8 zooms, tilt-shift lenses, big telephotos, etc.
It really depends. Quite a lot of my photography involves taking "record shots" of rare birds or unusual birds, like birds in an unusual plumage or hybrids. When I'm out birdwatching, I almost always carry (apart from my binoculars) a scope and a tripod. That's with a lightweight tripod (Gitzo 2541) and videohead and the Nikon EDIIIA about 3.5 kg. Add to that some raingear on longer trips, water, some food, and, in difficult terrain like the Alps, some safety gear, it all adds up to quite a bit of weight, so I have to try to keep the weight down as much as I can.
For birds, even for record shots, I need long lenses. If I were to take a fast DX body (D300, D500) I'd need at least something like the 300/f4 PF with a 1.4x converter. The consumer bodies with their low speeds and small buffers just don't cut it for that kind of photography. Adding to that a 35mm prime for landscapes and so on I'd end up with a minimum of 2kg weight. Quite a few friends use the Canon 7DII with the Canon 100-400mm for that purpose, and that's too much weight as far as I'm concerned, at least for many of my trips. A fullframe body would be even heavier.
So my present setup is the Nikon 1 V1 with FT1 + the 70-300. That's a tad under 1.5kg, including a spare battery and the (excellent) 18.5mm/1.8, and covers my basic needs. Sure, the image quality isn't as good that of a decent DX body, the user interface of the V1 and the EVF are pretty awful, but that setup works OK.
Actually, the image quality isn't that bad as long as I keep the zoom down to ~240mm on the V1 giving me the equivalent of ~650mm. Not ideal, but in many cases sufficient.
Hermann
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Use the gear that ticks the most boxes on your requirement list for a given assignment.
That pretty much sums it up for me. Planning the trip in advance helps alleviate most problems. When I'm in the field, I use what I have available and don't lament what isn't there.
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So my present setup is the Nikon 1 V1 with FT1 + the 70-300. That's a tad under 1.5kg, including a spare battery and the (excellent) 18.5mm/1.8, and covers my basic needs. Sure, the image quality isn't as good that of a decent DX body, the user interface of the V1 and the EVF are pretty awful, but that setup works OK.
Actually, the image quality isn't that bad as long as I keep the zoom down to ~240mm on the V1 giving me the equivalent of ~650mm. Not ideal, but in many cases sufficient.
Hermann
My DSLRs 300s and 700 is mostly used when travel by car is included, and there is a photographic propose, is the travel is more a turns type of journey I will use my Nikon 1s (V1 and V2), but I do also use the small Nikons bor birding as the CX70-300 gives a great reach in a light weight package, a D300s and the 200-500 zoom is heavy but for sport and BIF, the OVF is much better that the EVF of the Nikon1's.
I often use the CX70-300 @300mm, and for my purposes the picture quality is OK.
The photo is taken in the harbour of Gudhjem on Bornholm with my V2 and the CX70-300 @300mm.
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Yeah, the picture quality is OK. The image attached was taken in the evening, and even though it's not quite as sharp as I would have liked, it's also OK. Shows you can take BIF (as long as the birds are slow and large ...) even with an EVF and the (also slow) FX 70-300 VR on the FT1.
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I have not yet the same skills i BIF with the V1/2, but have also usted the FT1 and the 200-500 with god results. The benefit is the reach, but it is not as travel friendly ::)