Replacing Nikon D300: My Nikon D300 is getting a little heavy for my old hands. I would welcome suggestions for a high quality replacement, with price as a consideration but not...

Donld

My Nikon D300 is getting a little heavy for my old hands. I would welcome suggestions for a high quality replacement, with price as a consideration but not determinant. I like landscapes, scenic, flowers, old barns, general and still lifes; do not need movies.

phlash46 Loc: Westchester County, New York

Try an m4/3 (micro four thirds) system. I was a Nikon shooter for over 40 years and just got an Olympus EM-1 and some lenses/flash/remote and it has made a world of difference (I chose Oly because of in body vibration compensation and an exceptional EVF). Everything is small, light, sharp and less expensive and, except for shooter battery life than you are used to and a bit more DOF at any aperture, there are no downsides.

amehta Loc: Boston

Donld wrote:

My Nikon D300 is getting a little heavy for my old hands. I would welcome suggestions for a high quality replacement, with price as a consideration but not determinant. I like landscapes, scenic, flowers, old barns, general and still lifes; do not need movies.

The D7100 (24oz) is only a little lighter, about 5oz, so it might not be enough of a change. The D5300 (17oz) is considerably lighter, and all your AF-S lenses will work with it.

A more interesting option would be the Olympus OM-D E-M1, also about 17oz, but the lenses would also be lighter. The E-M1 would be comparable to your D300 in overall build and image quality. If you want a cheaper and lighter option, the E-M10 is also excellent. With both of these, it is important to make sure you are comfortable with the electronic viewfinder.

Donld

Thanks for your help. Will look at Olys. Had a Pen D years ago and it was good.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Donld wrote:

My Nikon D300 is getting a little heavy for my old hands. I would welcome suggestions for a high quality replacement, with price as a consideration but not determinant. I like landscapes, scenic, flowers, old barns, general and still lifes; do not need movies.

OOPs didn't see the message post

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Donld wrote:

My Nikon D300 is getting a little heavy for my old hands. I would welcome suggestions for a high quality replacement, with price as a consideration but not determinant. I like landscapes, scenic, flowers, old barns, general and still lifes; do not need movies.

Why not use a tripod? It will add weight but will relieve the strain on your hands and arms when shooting. It will also make you slow down and really look at your subject in the viewfinder.
BTW I am 74 yrs old and I did switch to the D7100, not because of weight but for the high mp and low noise. I do wish Nikon would make a camera in the price range of the D300 with all of the quality of same.
The tripod makes a good tool for getting up off the ground when shooting flowers etc.

craggycrossers Loc: Robin Hood Country, UK

Donld wrote:

My Nikon D300 is getting a little heavy for my old hands. I would welcome suggestions for a high quality replacement, with price as a consideration but not determinant. I like landscapes, scenic, flowers, old barns, general and still lifes; do not need movies.

If you want something lighter, a little smaller, but with high build and image quality, please don't only look at Olympus cameras. There are others in the "mirrorless" systems available which also demand your attention.

If "mirrorless" camera systems are new to you, then take the time and make the effort to learn about them before journeying down any particular road. This website will give you lots of unbiased information about the different systems available.

http://www.sansmirror.com/

craggycrossers Loc: Robin Hood Country, UK

Donld wrote:

My Nikon D300 is getting a little heavy for my old hands. I would welcome suggestions for a high quality replacement, with price as a consideration but not determinant. I like landscapes, scenic, flowers, old barns, general and still lifes; do not need movies.

I hit "send" before adding the following ...... !!

Like you I'm a long-term Nikon DSLR user, but, for certain situations, much like those you are describing, I have gravitated to the Fuji X-Series, in particular the X-T1 and the X-E1/X-E2. Take a look at those models here at the Fuji website .......

http://www.fujifilm.eu/uk/products/digital-cameras/interchangeable-lens-cameras/?utm_campaign=home-widget

This is a simple review which gives a good overview of the X-T1, and your own further research will throw up many praiseworthy reports and reviews.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcR57bw9hEY

Here's a good UK user review of the X-T1.......

http://photomadd.com/fujifilm-x-t1-review-real-world/

Have fun in your search !!

Picdude Loc: Ohio

Donld wrote:

Thanks for your help. Will look at Olys. Had a Pen D years ago and it was good.

That Olympus will be a good camera. Only thing to keep in mind - If you switch to Olympus, your Nikon lenses either won't work, or you will have to buy an adapter(s) for the lenses and you will probably not have the full f-stop range for them.

If you don't have multiple lenses for your D300, then this is not really a big consideration.

Picdude Loc: Ohio

Manglesphoto wrote:

Why not use a tripod? It will add weight but will relieve the strain on your hands and arms when shooting. It will also make you slow down and really look at your subject in the viewfinder.
BTW I am 74 yrs old and I did switch to the D7100, not because of weight but for the high mp and low noise. I do wish Nikon would make a camera in the price range of the D300 with all of the quality of same.
The tripod makes a good tool for getting up off the ground when shooting flowers etc.

Tripod is a good suggestion. Another thing to think about is a Monopod. It doesn't have the rock-solid stability of a Tripod, but does have more flexibility in terms of set-up and portability. Also, you can use a Monopod many places (crowds) where a Tripod is disallowed.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

craggycrossers wrote:

I hit "send" before adding the following ...... !!

Like you I'm a long-term Nikon DSLR user, but, for certain situations, much like those you are describing, I have gravitated to the Fuji X-Series, in particular the X-T1 and the X-E1/X-E2. Take a look at those models here at the Fuji website .......

:thumbup: :thumbup:
I normally shoot with a Nikon D800 and the good (heavy) glass.
When I went to Europe recently, all I took was my Fuji X-E1 and the 18-55.
It took me a bit to get used to the electronic viewfinder but I got over it and don't regret my choice at all.
I couldn't work without the eyelevel finder and you can review photos in that instead of the LCD- great when it's sunny.
Good luck doing THAT with a DLSR!
Lightweight, small, great build quality.
Great image quality- even jpegs sooc.
You can shoot with several Fuji film simulations.
If you shot film in the 70's and 80's, you'll really like the interface.

Donld

craggycrossers wrote:

If you want something lighter, a little smaller, b... (show quote)

Thank you. Good advice. Have and use tripod and monopod but still find that when picture opportunities arise, I don't have the heavy equipment with me.

Gobuster Loc: South Florida

Donld wrote:

My Nikon D300 is getting a little heavy for my old hands. I would welcome suggestions for a high quality replacement, with price as a consideration but not determinant. I like landscapes, scenic, flowers, old barns, general and still lifes; do not need movies.

I've just ordered a Nikon 1 V3 a small 1" sensor (CX 2.7 crop factor) camera with 18mp. It comes with a detachable EVF, detachable grip, 10-30mm lens (27-81mm equiv.) and, best of all, an adapter that allows you to use AF-S Nikkor DSLR lenses. So, with this little body, you could still use the AF-S lenses you may have for the D300. From the images I've seen on line, the IQ looks good, and, if you don't print large, should work well for you. When using the adapter with AF-S lenses, all the functions of the camera work, AF, AE and VR in the lens if so equipped. This is the only compact camera I could find that could use Nikon DSLR lenses without loss of AF or AE. Nikon also has a nice range of light compact lenses for the V3 that would substantially reduce size and weight of a flexible system.

In conclusion, you might want to take a look, especially if you have a collection of AF-S lenses for the D300 and want to continue to use them. Another camera well worth a look is the Sony RX10.

Donld

craggycrossers wrote:

If you want something lighter, a little smaller, b... (show quote)

Thanks. Will do.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

GoofyNewfie wrote:

:thumbup: :thumbup: br I normally shoot with a N... (show quote)

Goofy: Would you be willing to post some of your Europe photos, including some taken indoor/low-light using the Fuji X E1?

<In another thread if necessary....>

Thanks,