Changing Camera System

[Mike G]

Thanks Schwett, those are only the two most burning issues. Also the D810 albeit a fine camera is still going to be a great big lump, I don't carry all the lenses in my Domke F2, but I still end up leaving at least one of the lenses behind at where ever I'm staying! The next question is as Armando said do I need 36 or maybe 42 MP and the answer is no I don't.

Also the viewfinder question to me is of major importance, I picked up the Fuji and lo I can see the whole of the VF,  not 3/4 of it! in a £2300 camera just not good enough, this is a personal choice and is not a rushed decision but has been under consideration for about two years! I have considered three makes Fuji, Olympus and Sony and the Fuji won out for a number of reasonsNot least was when I saw the various pictures posted by others (have a look at the images posted by Sash) with the Nikon images I spent hours fettling them into some sort of shape to post, Way too long. The biggest thing to overcome was reluctance to abandon Nikon and now the decision is made I find it liberating!

Thanks Armando

[Bjørn Rørslett]

It's up to everyone whether or not they should change tools and workflow. That aspect is not open for debate as such.

However, rational evaluation of the underlying reasons can save anybody a lot of money in the longer run. This applies to any product of any make. Sentiments alone can be be a precarious guidance in all walks of life.

Again, I hope you can show us, by future examples,  that the switch was beneficial to your commitment to photography at large. We very much want our members to be happy

[Mike G]

Thanks Bjorn, put ten photographers in a room and you will get ten different opinions!

I need to get well first as well as changing the system!

[Olivier]

Mike, don't worry, you'll be fine. I've moved from D700 to X-T1 last June and am very happy with my decision. The camera is light well designed, produces lovely JPGs and will suit your style of photography perfectly, I am sure.

[Mike G]

Thanks Olivier, now the decision is made I'm quite relaxed!

It will still be a wrench to see the Nikon stuff go though.

[Tom Gresham]

As professional golfer Lee Trevino used to say when people asked him about his clubs, it's not the arrow.  It's the Indian.   

Of course, with cameras, it's also the experience of using them.  Many times, that is the defining characteristic.

I have the Fuji X100s (delightful!), the XE-1, XE-2, 14mm, 23mm, 35mm, 60mm macro, and 55-200 (all Fujis).  Plus adaptors which allow me to use Nikon, Olympus, and Leica lenses on the Fuji bodies.  Also have the Sony A7ii. 

The Fuji glass seems to be quite good. The bodies have been a disappointment.  VERY slow AF.  I often go manual and use focus peaking.  I thought I was going to sell all the Nikon gear, but after more than a year of shooting the Fujis, I'm back to Nikons, and just bought the D810 and four Zeiss lenses.  (shrug)   Probably will sell all the Fuji stuff other than the X100s. 

My only suggestion is to not sell anything.  Run two systems for a few months. 

[Gary]

Mike, don't forget to take a peak at the newest Fuji, the X-Pro2, 24mp, but still the same footprint as the original XP1. The XP2 is scheduled to be release in February.

[Hugh_3170]

Mike, I think that Tom's advice is really very good advice indeed. 

All systems have their pros and cons, and it is early days for you in respect of the Fuji X-T1.  I would not sell your Nikons until you have notched up several thousand images on the Fuji and have gotten into what the Pros and Cons mean for yourself.

I have had an Olympus OMD E-M1 kit now for over 18 months, but my jury is still open about going solo with just the Oly.  But that is just me.

One good thing in your financial favour is that the prices for new Nikon gear are climbing rapidly ( )and this will spill over into the second hand market (which is  for you).

Just my 0.02c worth.  Either way, good luck with your new tool kit.

............................................................................. 

My only suggestion is to not sell anything.  Run two systems for a few months.

[Mikes]

Mike, I think that Tom's advice is really very good advice indeed. 

All systems have their pros and cons, and it is early days for you in respect of the Fuji X-T1.  I would not sell your Nikons until you have notched up several thousand images on the Fuji and have gotten into what the Pros and Cons mean for yourself.

I have had an Olympus OMD E-M1 kit now for over 18 months, but my jury is still open about going solo with just the Oly.  But that is just me.

One good thing in your financial favour is that the prices for new Nikon gear are climbing rapidly ( )and this will spill over into the second hand market (which is  for you).

Just my 0.02c worth.  Either way, good luck with your new tool kit.

Couldn't agree more. I bought the X-T1 and some primes 12 months ago based on the reviews it had been getting, but I still find myself getting frustrated occasionally with the selector/button pad, as it is too small/not tactile for my fingers. This results in slowness (for me) in selecting/moving focus point/s and thus in missing shots. I like using it, but struggle with moving targets e.g. as in street photography. For me, it is an excellent camera system for light travelling/hiking (the 14/2.8 lens is great), but it is not without faults, so don't rush to sell your existing system yet. I find that I now use the Df for 55% of the time, the X-T1 25% and the D800e 20% (for its resolution). If I didn't have the Df it would probably be around 50/50 - I never intended go solo with the X-T1. Selecting a camera is such a personal thing.

[tommiejeep]

Mike, from viewing your images for quite some time, I think the Fuji will probably be a good fit.  There are many things I like about my Olympus and Sony gear but, for what I shoot and how I shoot, the EVF just doesn't work for me.   I cannot pick up the sudden shift of action ( Soccer), or a BIf , that I spot out of my peripheral vision, fast enough with an EVF.   I can swing my Nikons and follow the action and get Focus Lock immediately.   That is not just me talking.  I am in contact with some extremely good Action sports photographers and they all have the same problem.  We can all get some decent images but the keeper rate and getting the critical moment, not dependable... so why bother  .

Enjoy your new gear and the small, lighter weight gear.  I only shoot my heavy lenses for specific things but I find that the walkabout with the Df and D750 with primes is fine.  I , as with you, use my 24-120 f4 vr more than I ever expected  .

 Interesting, I would love to try a Fuji but some Fuji used prices hold up very well.   I was even watching some X-T10s, w18-55 2.8-4 on eBay UK the past few days.  Cheaper than the X100T  .  My wife is in UK for another 10 days so who knows 
All the best,
Tom

[Mike G]

Thank you all for the messages of support, I have enjoyed the big Nikon stuff immensely but for me it is time to move on!

I wish I was a good enough photog to take advantage of the Nikon gear, but hey I'm not destined for that honour. So onward and upward(I hope) I have to admit that the X-T1 is a trial machine until the X-T2 is released later in the year. It is my training aid so to speak and very enjoyable it is. When my health improves I will be able to get out a bit more and make more use of it! I also need to to learn the nuances of processing X Trans files in LightRoom.

I shall hang on to my D810 and a pair of small primes(50 + 35)for a fair while, but the big heavy stuff has to go!

Gary, I'll wait for the X Pro 2 to appear in the X-T2 form!

The support I'm getting from our members is phenomenal, thank you all soooooo much.

[Tom Gresham]

Just to add to my comments above, I was disappointed with the very slow focus speed the X-E2 had. 

But . . . last night I installed the latest firmware update (4.0) as soon at it was released.  Now I have a new camera.  Stunning upgrade.  AF speed is now very fast, and I checked it only in an office with light that wasn't very bright.

Anyone who has an X-E2 should do this firmware update immediately.  While I was doing it, I updated the FW for five of the six Fuji lenses in my bag (one does not have a newer firmware). 

Fuji is to be applauded for continuing to provide updates for older cameras.  I did the updates for the X-E1 and X100s at the same time.

[armando_m]

... it's not the arrow.  It's the Indian.   

Love this comment !

[aerobat]

I have also updated my X-E2 to FW 4.0 and really like the improved AF and new user interface.
The X-E2 has served me well for two years and now I enjoy basically a new camera. This is clever marketing.
Even though people get more functionality for free and don't have to buy the latest camera I believe it will generate more sales mid to long term.
I'm very happy having bought into this system.

[richardHaw]

this is a very personal decision and just like what was mentioned previously, you should use both systems for a reasonable amount of time to judge which system suits you. I did exactly that and just stayed with Nikon.

i will admit that i was initially swayed by the hype of the "mirrorless revolution" fad but realize that it is all just marketing hype and remembered that nIkon said the very same thing about DX during the time when they never had the means to produce FX cameras.  i stayed with nikon because of the familiar ergonomics, speed, responsiveness and the battery life to mention a few. i also realize that the weight problem exists in my lens selection, once i got smarter with what lenses to ring and just brought what I need instead of always bringing the 70-200VRII and 24-70 on unimportant shots, the weight issue became insignificant.

these are all just my opinions. i know many people who decided to switch and were happy they did, but on the other end of the spectrum I know many people who regret the decision and just got the D750 and got their photography lives back together.

good luck! only you can say if it works for you or not. do not believe the hype coming from mirrorless users and also do not listen to people who are afraid of change and stuck to slr's.
i never got serious in my early years of photography, in fact i learned nothing back then in the film days apart from composition. but back in the days, nobody cared if you shot pentax, rollei, nikon, canon, leica, yashica or whatever. people talked about brands but nobody labeled anybody anything just because he was not using the same brand as he did. have fun