Camera Gear v8 "Buy A Pentax ME" (Don't buy UV filters, do hail satan)

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Creative Convention > The Dorkroom > Camera Gear v8 "Buy A Pentax ME" (Don't buy UV filters, do hail satan)

Godzilla07: Oct 4, 2008

Mr SuperAwesome posted:

i bought a nikon d3100 like 12 years ago, haven't used it a ton since. i have a 35mm prime lens (AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G, supposedly a decent one), the 18-55mm kit lens (not sure how wide the aperture goes, but its a kit lens so pretty poo poo), and a 55-200mm telephoto lens.

i'm looking to get back into carrying a real camera around since obviously its way better than an iPhone.

i used to enjoy long exposures (night shots, light painting, kinda thing), and HDR with the DSLR; lately ive been using a drone to get perspectives/compositions/angles etc that you can't with the naked eye - the broad idea with both of these is using camera tech to get interesting shots.

the D3100 is cheap and old and can't do anything in-camera, all timelapse/hdr/long exposures needed fiddly gear/apps/manual work etc and was a pain in the arse. plus the screen is hosed after i dropped it, so evaluating shots after taking them (esp in bright natural light) doesn't work.

so i'm thinking about getting a new body. i like having The Best things and will gladly pay for it if thats worth it.

should i:
- stick with nikon to keep the ~�500 of lenses i have already, or go with a different/better brand (no idea what changed in the last 10+ years)
- stick with DSLR, i briefly read that mirrorless is better now and everyone gave up on dslrs? (it seems that if i keep nikon lenses i need an adapter, is that fine or are they lovely?)
- what in-camera features are available for stuff like HDR, long exposures, timelapses, anything else similar? which brands/models should i be looking at for good examples of this, or are they ubiquitous on high (or even low end) models?
- should i care about full format in a new camera or stick with APS-C from my current one?
- did anything else significant change in the last 12 years in cameras lol

The things you mention wanting to do with your camera might make the Olympus / OM System cameras a good fit. Olympus invested more resources into computational photography than other camera manufacturers, e.g. Live Composite, Live ND, HDR all in-camera.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2023 04:57

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 04:28

Godzilla07: Oct 4, 2008

Mr SuperAwesome posted:

thanks for these, ill narrow it down to mirrorless and do this:

reading between the lines it seems that using old f mount lenses with an adapter on the new Z mounts is a bad move? (im guessing because the adapter is extra weight, new lenses arent _that_ expensive, and probably the compact vs full frame makes the focal lengths different ?)

Adapted glass works well within a brand, e.g. Canon EF -> RF, Nikon F -> Z, and you can also adapt across brands, e.g. I've read that Canon EF -> Sony E works well. With your current lenses, I wouldn't really bother adapting glass if you have the budget for modern glass, because modern glass is quietly the biggest benefit of mirrorless cameras.

# ¿ Dec 17, 2023 14:38

Godzilla07: Oct 4, 2008

The Tamron 150-500 is available in Z-mount now. It's worth mentioning as it's similar in size and weight to the Nikon Z 100-400, with extra reach, and a lower price tag than the Nikon 180-600.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2023 19:10

Godzilla07: Oct 4, 2008

You can always rent from a place like LensRentals, or go into your local camera store to see how the cameras feel in your hand before you drop bags on a camera and more money later down the line on lenses.

I did this when shopping for my current setup. I probably would've gone with Fujifilm if I had not rented one based on how cool the cameras looked, and the praise they get online. When I rented multiple Fujifilm cameras, I found out that actually using them made me feel like I was fighting the camera the whole time.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2024 22:32

Godzilla07: Oct 4, 2008

Southern Cassowary posted:

so i often pull out my smartphone to take pictures of birds when i'm on the kayak or otherwise outdoors and it is woefully unsuited to this task and i'd like to get a nicer camera

i'm not totally lost when it comes to interchangeable lens cameras - did a bunch of yearbook photography in high school with an old canon slr film camera and got roped into taking pictures of a few events for work and whatnot based on that - so i know i'm basically buying into a lens ecosystem and the basics of exposure but not enough to make a serious call on what to buy.

spent a chunk of the day doing research but figured i'd ask the photo nerds also - if you were going to spend...2-3k usd to get setup for bird photography, where would you go? have been eyeballing a canon r7+the 100-400 but i'm open-minded to pretty much any brand, second hand, whatever. i can pretend i'd use this camera for other stuff but 99% of it is going to be getting sick action shots of egrets and i am mostly interested in getting the best results for that. good weather sealing to handle use on the kayak would be a major plus.

Beyond Micro Four Thirds, you could check out used Nikon F-mount gear using a crop sensor camera (D500 or D7500) as your body, and the wealth of F-mount telephoto options. The 300mm f/4 PF with one of those cameras would still be competitive with a modern mirrorless setup for size and weight when you're out on the kayak.

Above all else, you should rent the systems you're interested in before committing to one.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2024 14:59

Godzilla07: Oct 4, 2008

The issues with focus speed on the FTZ adapter were really issues with the first-gen Z cameras. Those issues have been resolved with the current-gen Z cameras.

https://youtu.be/Y0GACItDhkg

I think you'd be fine going back a generation on the Sony bodies (A7 III, A7R III, A9, A7C) in the used market if you want to throw more money at lenses. It seems like all the improvements in the latest Sony cameras are all on the video side, which won't make much difference to you if you only shoot photos.

The Canon RF lens situation was a dealbreaker for me when I was looking at new systems. With Canon RF full-frame, it feels like there's a missing middle of lenses to sit in between the kit-level lenses, and the back and wallet-busting pro glass. And you can't get anything nicer than a kit zoom for the RF crop sensor cameras. Canon has not yet filled in these gaps themselves, and they have banned Sigma and Tamron from making lenses that'd fill in these gaps as well. It's a shame since the cameras are pretty good.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2024 15:32

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 04:28

Godzilla07: Oct 4, 2008

big black turnout posted:

My reservation is that I can't find anything about the autofocus speed on the zf with the ztf unlike the z8

e: cuz I do like the styling of the zf

I'd bet that the Zf is nearly identical to the Z8 and Z9 since it uses the same processor as those two cameras.

Definitely pick up a Zf in-person before you commit to see if you can live with the old-school handling that goes along with the old-school looks. FWIW if you're cool with the dials and button placement but just need a bigger grip, there's a number of add-on grips for the Zf.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2024 00:51

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