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NeoGAF Camera Equipment Thread | MK II

V

VAD

Member
Griss said:
Cool, I'd be interested in your experiences with it. How are the dials? They look a little jumbled together.
Click to expand...
I own the Mark I so maybe it's different for the Mark II.
The dials are a little too close to each other, but you get used to it. I think it can be an issue if you have big hands. I like how compact and light the whole thing is. The lenses are also fairly cheap, I bought a used 40-150 Olympus lens for 129€ that is equivalent to 80-300 in 24x36 format.
 
T

TerryLee81

Member
Griss said:
Have been asked to buy a mirrorless camera for a family member. Looking for advice.

1. What is your budget?
About the $700-$1,000 area.

2. Main purpose of the camera?
Social and holiday shooting. Will be going on safari at some stage.

3. What form factor is most appealing to you?
Needs to fit in a woman's bag.

4. Will you be investing in the camera? (buying more stuff for it later)
Possibly but probably not.

5. Any cameras you've used before or liked?
My family member had a Nikon D3100 and enjoyed it and took lessons; but found it far too big to use regularly and ended up wanting rid of it.

NOTE: An electronic viewfinder is recommended because I live in the Caribbean and feel like my family member would struggle to see the screen properly. I'm leaning towards the Olympus OM-D EM10 Mark 2. It has an EVF, it's in my budget, and as a bonus I have 4 Olympus 4/3rds lenses that would work with an adaptor. One of which has an effective range of 600mm, which is always fun, the other which is a truly stunning 50mm macro that takes photos that feel like silk caressing your eyes.

What do you think?

As for me, I bought a D3300 last year to replace my Oly E620. I thought it would feel like a big step up (Nikon so respected! 5 years had passed! More pixels! Better autofocus!), but in many ways it felt like a regression. That old advice about not needing to upgrade your camera if it works for you etc doesn't really sink in until you buy a second one.

In particular, the Oly had in-body image stabilization and imo it kicks the shit out of the lens-based system the Nikon has. Not only that, but after just a couple of days shooting I realised that Oly were obviously producing WAY better kit lenses than the cheap shit Nikon came out with. Even the 35m f/1.8 lens I picked up for my Nikon couldn't come close to the magnificence of my 50mm f/2.0 macro, which was the sharpest lens I ever experienced. Oly's menu system was far superior to the 'noob-friendly' stuff Nikon puts on their entry level cameras, and Oly's dials and button layout were also far, far superior.

Still, though, my reasons for upgrading were solid so I'm happy I did. (Reasons: Better autofocus; Better low-light performance; Lightroom support; More used-lens options; Future body upgrade options.) The auto-focus upgrade in particular was essential - Oly never figured that part of the equation out at all and it drove me crazy. Moving to Nikon felt like a light-year advancement in kit on that single point. And the bigger sensor does in fact lead to less noise and better low light performance.
Click to expand...

With your 4/3ds lenses, you could also see if you can get a used E-M1 for a good price.

I use a E-M5 II and really like it. I think M43 has a great lens system. Great primes from Pana/Leica and Olympus, and also great pro zooms for quite reasonable prices.
 
C

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
Yea the m4/3rds system is great. If anyone is interested i still have my EP2 which at this point ill give away for $25 bucks, my OMD Em5 for $275, the 75mm f1.8 (best lens i've used on m4/3rds) and i have the panasonic 20mm f1.8.

I just use my nikon more often and keeping two systems charged and ready to go is too much.
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
Anyone still sporting a D7000? Have had this vertical grip for it forever. I put it on eBay but there are thousands of knock off ones for $25 on there.
 
lrt75914

lrt75914

Member
Peru said:
Same.. you wouldn't happen to have experience with/ recommendations for a simple, easy to use tracking mount, would you?
Click to expand...

That all depends on what you are willing to pay/ carry around. If you want a small, portable and easy to use tracking mount the Vixen Polarie might be something for you. Vixen mounts are generally known to be well put together and the polarie is small enough to fit into any camera bag/carry case. They do, however, require a second ball head for polar alignment and the max. (2kg) load capacity is relatively small (although vixen is known to undersell the maximum loading weight of their mounts).

The Astrotrac on the other hand is capable of carrying a small telescope (max. load capacity 15kg) and seems to be superbly accurate. The new versions give you the ability to use an additional guide scope that will allow for 5min exposures or more. Unfortunately the astrotrac also requires an additonal wedge and polar scope that makes the overall package really expensive. Furthermore the linear motor needs to be reset ever 2 hours or so.

I currently use the Skywatcher StarAdventurer. It is relatively inexpensive and capable of carrying most camera setups with ease (5kg load capacity). The polar alignment is a bit of a hassle but once you get used to it setting up the mount will take 20 min tops. A big plus is that the AstroPhoto-Set includes everything you need for astrophotography (excluding the camera tripod). The tracking accuracy may not be comparable to the astrotrac's, but I have seen people getting 10 minute exposures out of the mount with an additional guide scope. Unguided the exposure time should be limited to 2 min to get pin point stars.

If you want a good tracking mount that allows for good results and doesn't break your bank account, you should go for the Skywatcher. If transportability is what you seek the Vixen should be your choice. For uncompromising performance (within reason) the astrotrac is the kit to buy.

Hope this helps ;-).

Edit: All of the mounts I mentioned are small and portable. The Vixen Polarie, however, is comparable in size to a compact camera and thus the easiest to carry around.
 
J

jmdajr

Member
New Gear: Nikon D5 DSLR Has a Brand New Sensor, Pushes to ISO 3,280,000

what in the fuck. man my gear is ancient!

lol.

my poor d 7000
 
K

KalBalboa

Banned
Ooh, we have a thread like this on GAF? Are we encouraged to share photos?


A7s/A6000 owner & lover here. I do a lot of personal pet projects on top of my 9-5 video/photo work.
 
O

OmegaSkittle

Neo Member
1. What is your budget budget?

Will be buying this as a gift for the girlfriend. Max budget is ~$250US

2. Main purpose of the camera?

Mainly for outside/nature shots and/or scenery

3. What form factor is most appealing to you?

I know she wants a viewfinder. She hates using a camera that she can't look through an viewfinder on and has to rely on the screen. Bonus points for a rotating display screen.

4. Will you be investing in the camera? (buying more stuff for it later)

She would most likely by lenses down the road. Would love the camera to be set out of the box (or minor tweaks)

5. Any cameras you've used before or liked?

She really liked her friend's camera. I forget what it was but I want to say it was an older (5 or so years) Canon Rebel.


Her birthday is at the end of this month. If needed, I will try and wiggle out information if needed without getting caught.


Thanks everyone!
 
J

jongkookie

Member
jmdajr said:
New Gear: Nikon D5 DSLR Has a Brand New Sensor, Pushes to ISO 3,280,000

what in the fuck. man my gear is ancient!

lol.

my poor d 7000
Click to expand...

Haha yeah, I was following the Verge's liveblog and my jaw dropped the moment they said it has ISO 3,280,000.

I'm more interested in the D500 though, it's seems to be a baby, APS-C format version of the D5.
 
B

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
OmegaSkittle said:
1. What is your budget budget?

Will be buying this as a gift for the girlfriend. Max budget is ~$250US

2. Main purpose of the camera?

Mainly for outside/nature shots and/or scenery

3. What form factor is most appealing to you?

I know she wants a viewfinder. She hates using a camera that she can't look through an viewfinder on and has to rely on the screen. Bonus points for a rotating display screen.

4. Will you be investing in the camera? (buying more stuff for it later)

She would most likely by lenses down the road. Would love the camera to be set out of the box (or minor tweaks)

5. Any cameras you've used before or liked?

She really liked her friend's camera. I forget what it was but I want to say it was an older (5 or so years) Canon Rebel.


Her birthday is at the end of this month. If needed, I will try and wiggle out information if needed without getting caught.


Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

At $250 you may want to look into buying used. You can get a Canon Rebel for that amount. A Canon Rebel T2i will run you that much without a lens. Could probably also get a cheap kit lens to go with it for a start.
 
C

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
jongkookie said:
Haha yeah, I was following the Verge's liveblog and my jaw dropped the moment they said it has ISO 3,280,000.

I'm more interested in the D500 though, it's seems to be a baby, APS-C format version of the D5.
Click to expand...

yes, there was no successor to the D300s, which has caused a lot of people to switch. Nikon needs a pro DX camera. I would buy a d500 in a heartbeat. Put my 300mm on my d800 and a 500f4 on a d500 and id have a great wildlife combo.
 
Rentahamster

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
captive said:
yes, there was no successor to the D300s, which has caused a lot of people to switch. Nikon needs a pro DX camera. I would buy a d500 in a heartbeat. Put my 300mm on my d800 and a 500f4 on a d500 and id have a great wildlife combo.
Click to expand...

It did? I would think that just buying a D4 and using it in DX mode would be cheaper than switching to a whole other brand.
 
J

JadedWriter

Member
jongkookie said:
Haha yeah, I was following the Verge's liveblog and my jaw dropped the moment they said it has ISO 3,280,000.

I'm more interested in the D500 though, it's seems to be a baby, APS-C format version of the D5.
Click to expand...
Would the D500 be worth trading in my D7100 for? I'm a little wet at the auto focus points, but that's a bit it so far.
 
O

OmegaSkittle

Neo Member
BlueTsunami said:
I'm sure it's comparable to the Rebel line. That looks like a good purchase.
Click to expand...

luoapp said:
I was going to recommend that camera deal. It's 1 generation newer than T2i, and factory-refurb is better than used on ebay. Although it's $50 more than your maximum, but I think you should go for it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! I am gonna hang around this thread for the next few days and keep my eye out for camera deals since CES is going on right now.
 
C

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
JadedWriter said:
2 Grand? That's okay Nikon, if I had that amount of cash I'd just get a refurb D750.
Click to expand...

A) thats MSRP
B) used & refurbished, i bought my d800 refurbished saved several hundred bucks and refurbished products are less likely to fail because they've been through higher quality control.
C) you get what you pay for
D) they are different products intended for different audiences. Isnt the d750 more for video people?

Flo_Evans said:
What will Thom complain about now? My guess is lack of "pro" DX lenses.
Click to expand...
Probably, though i dont think he's ever complained about lack of "pro" DX lenses, but more so a lack of a full well thought out lineup of DX lenses, and i think he has a point.
 
W

wachie

Member
H3XAntiStyle said:
I wonder if Sony will put out an a7III with BSI and IBIS. For the same price as the current A7II.
Click to expand...
They are going to refresh the A7S in the 7 series (A7S II), thats the only thing I've read in the rumors or leaks.

From what I've read, they are happy keeping the lifecycle around 1.5-2 years for each so I dont think we'll hear of the A7III anytime soon.
 
J

JadedWriter

Member
captive said:
A) thats MSRP
B) used & refurbished, i bought my d800 refurbished saved several hundred bucks and refurbished products are less likely to fail because they've been through higher quality control.
C) you get what you pay for
D) they are different products intended for different audiences. Isnt the d750 more for video people?
Click to expand...
750 being for video people is news to me. I thought the 750 was an all rounder with the 800 series specializing in fashion and probably landscapes, but I don't know anywhere near as much as you do. I do intend to buy whatever my next camera will be refurbished, I know that much, it's been working for me so far. I wouldn't mind the weather sealing of the D500 as well.
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
Xa3j4zL.jpg


I don't need this... but I kind of want it.
 
C

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
JadedWriter said:
750 being for video people is news to me. I thought the 750 was an all rounder with the 800 series specializing in fashion and probably landscapes, but I don't know anywhere near as much as you do. I do intend to buy whatever my next camera will be refurbished, I know that much, it's been working for me so far. I wouldn't mind the weather sealing of the D500 as well.
Click to expand...
I thought i read that somewhere /shrug

Flo_Evans said:
http://i.imgur.com/Xa3j4zL.jpg[img]

I don't need this... but I kind of want it.[/QUOTE]so, then you need it right?

[quote="Rentahamster, post: 191334455"]Snapbridge sounds neat. I can foresee it cutting down the prevalence of "latergramming" for some people.[/QUOTE]

latergramming?
Click to expand...
 
F

Flo_Evans

Member
captive said:
I thought i read that somewhere /shrug

so, then you need it right?



latergramming?
Click to expand...

Flip screen is kind of useful for video but I wouldn't call it video focused. They really need to up the bitrate it records internally.

IDK D810 suits my work probably better, don't really need insane FPS or low light for studio product shots. Actually it seems the 810 still has the lower base ISO (64) that I really love.

4k video would be nice in full frame but I already have a GH4.
 
S

snaffles

Member
JadedWriter said:
2 Grand? That's okay Nikon, if I had that amount of cash I'd just get a refurb D750.
Click to expand...

They don't really serve the same purpose. The D500 can shoot 10 fps with auto focus and has a claimed buffer of 200 raw files, it would destroy the D750 for sports and wildlife photography.
 
sankt-Antonio

sankt-Antonio

:^)--?-<
The way Nikon shat on mirrorless in its conference lends me to believe that they actually are aware that segment might become a problem down the line.
 
T

Ty4on

Member
JadedWriter said:
2 Grand? That's okay Nikon, if I had that amount of cash I'd just get a refurb D750.
Click to expand...
It's not that bad. The 7D mk2 had an MSRP of 1800.

Only the 1DX and D4/D4S/D5 can compete in AF and burst rate and those cost 5k. I mean 10 fps with a 200 shot RAW buffer...

Edit: 1.6 million ISO? Why shoot static? Ok, maybe it'll look like a Nexus 4 in low light, but that's not much better.
 
S

StopMakingSense

Member
Flo_Evans said:
Flip screen is kind of useful for video but I wouldn't call it video focused. They really need to up the bitrate it records internally.
Click to expand...

The 750 is more a jack of all trades body, and is popular for video use. More professional uses would be using an HDMI recorder anyways.

Ty4on said:
Only the 1DX and D4/D4S/D5 can compete in AF and burst rate and those cost 5k. I mean 10 fps with a 200 shot RAW buffer...
Click to expand...

Yeah, this thing is a fucking monster for Sports/Wildlife/PhotoJournalism/Paparazzi uses
 
J

JadedWriter

Member
snaffles said:
They don't really serve the same purpose. The D500 can shoot 10 fps with auto focus and has a claimed buffer of 200 raw files, it would destroy the D750 for sports and wildlife photography.
Click to expand...
None of which I have any interest in dealing with but I apologize that was mostly my wallet venting. Just got another camera bag. Third in about 6 months. I swear photography is a constant battle of getting more gear and then getting more gear to hold your gear.
 
C

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
JadedWriter said:
None of which I have any interest in dealing with but I apologize that was mostly my wallet venting. Just got another camera bag. Third in about 6 months. I swear photography is a constant battle of getting more gear and then getting more gear to hold your gear.
Click to expand...
Worry about gear less and shoot more.

When I had my medium format digital, I had two lenses. When I had my 617 I had 3 and only used two. I've got 3 now and only ever use two at a time. 35 and 135 for my kids, and 35 and 300 when I go out in nature.
 
J

JadedWriter

Member
captive said:
Worry about gear less and shoot more.

When I had my medium format digital, I had two lenses. When I had my 617 I had 3 and only used two. I've got 3 now and only ever use two at a time. 35 and 135 for my kids, and 35 and 300 when I go out in nature.
Click to expand...
I mainly just needed bigger bag that could hold my camera with a grip on it and lens, my flash, a spare lens (just in case I need an emergency wide angle shot), spare accessories for cleaning, camera strap and my flash diffuser. As an added benefit I can also hold all that and my laptop in it. Pretty much it's an essentials bag of everything I drag around whenever I do a fashion shoot. My last bag was big enough to hold my camera and gear, but in order to get all of it in there I had to dismantle my camera (take off the lens) just to get in in there. Doing that while also taking my hotshoe flash off is just a damn hassle while you're walking around while doing it. I'll keep my smaller bag just as an "out for fun" bag and just keep my gripped camera in it, since it takes up a ton of room and distorts the shape of the bag. I'm still trying to shoot more though. It being cold as fuck is a bit of a deterrent though.
 
Kalamari

Kalamari

Member
I've been thinking about getting out and taking photos of stuff. I had no camera tech moved so fast, I am still rocking a Canon Powershot from 2008.

Will definitely check out that book recommendation on the first page.
 
Q

QualityPixel

Banned
D500 bomba! I, like most had thought Nikon had abandoned the pro DX line. I hope that 20mp sensor is killer because I've been eyeing the D8xx, but don't really have the money to upgrade from my D300...

Fun fact: Half-Life 2 Episode 2 and the D300 came out within months of each other. Your move Valve!
 
T

Ty4on

Member
One issue with the D500 is apart from super telephoto lenses Nikon really doesn't have a good pro or enthusiast DX lens lineup. For a standard zoom you have a bunch of consumer grade stuff, the aging and pricy 17-55 f2.8 and the kind of overpriced 16-80 f2.8-4. For telephoto zooms it's nothing but consumer zooms or FX zooms.

Regarding primes all you've got designed for DX is the 35mm. It's a nice lens, but one every system also kind of needs. Apart from Canon EFS I don't know of any system missing a cheap standard lens.
 
Rentahamster

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
Ty4on said:
One issue with the D500 is apart from super telephoto lenses Nikon really doesn't have a good pro or enthusiast DX lens lineup. For a standard zoom you have a bunch of consumer grade stuff, the aging and pricy 17-55 f2.8 and the kind of overpriced 16-80 f2.8-4. For telephoto zooms it's nothing but consumer zooms or FX zooms.

Regarding primes all you've got designed for DX is the 35mm. It's a nice lens, but one every system also kind of needs. Apart from Canon EFS I don't know of any system missing a cheap standard lens.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if it's worth it to make pro DX lenses. I'm not sure there are many pros who are going to shoot DX exclusively.
 
J

JadedWriter

Member
Ty4on said:
One issue with the D500 is apart from super telephoto lenses Nikon really doesn't have a good pro or enthusiast DX lens lineup. For a standard zoom you have a bunch of consumer grade stuff, the aging and pricy 17-55 f2.8 and the kind of overpriced 16-80 f2.8-4. For telephoto zooms it's nothing but consumer zooms or FX zooms.

Regarding primes all you've got designed for DX is the 35mm. It's a nice lens, but one every system also kind of needs. Apart from Canon EFS I don't know of any system missing a cheap standard lens.
Click to expand...
This is the annoying thing. As a DX user I've kind of just sucked it up and got used to the fact that I might have to get a couple of FX prime lenses. Only two DX lenses I'm even thinking about getting is a Sigma 2.8 17-50 and a Sigma 1.4 30mm Art lens. If I fall into money the Sigma 1.8 18-35 Art as well.
 
T

Ty4on

Member
Edit: ^^^^^ Thank God for third parties. All the Nikon wide zooms look hilariously overpriced compared to Tokina's zooms and Sigma might have the only zoom that can truly saturate aa 24MP sensor.

Rentahamster said:
I'm not sure if it's worth it to make pro DX lenses. I'm not sure there are many pros who are going to shoot DX exclusively.
Click to expand...
That might be the issue. I still think it's worth it to put out some enthusiast gear. Stuff that's expensive, but not four digits and exciting like primes. Fuji has been really good at that.

At two grand the D500 will probably be the main body for a lot of people as well who want 10fps without spending five grand.
 
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