CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Consider using <quote reply> to better focus your replies, such as an earlier random follow-up question / reply.

The DSLR is going away. As well as, I have personal long-term questions about Nikon, but their Z9 release seems to have bought some time.

But, to your situation, you have a 24MP camera intended to last a decade or more of heavy use. It couldn't possibly be worn out yet. There are real benefits of newer mirrorless cameras, game changing benefits, but still, none of those benefits negatively impact existing DSLRs, especially the most recent (final) releases.

The real difference of mirrorless bodies is the newer mirrorless lenses. A high density sensor doesn't care whether a mirror flops opens (or not) in front of it. But, a sharper lens, especially at the widest apertures, makes that sensor (any sensor) seem improved. So, again, changing to a mirrorless body is just a first step to realizing actual improvements, where the lenses are needed to finish the journey to nirvana.

bbradford Loc: Wake Forest NC

Very well explained. Thanks again.

Canisdirus

Canon or Nikon?

Canon.

ELNikkor

(Don't ever consider Mr. CHG_CANON is not the magnanimous sort, a mirrorless Canon man who sees the virtues in a non-Canon DSLR)...I also have the D750, which was a huge step up from my D5100, which had been a huge step up from my D40. The D750's abilities have made me very patient to wait for mirrorless Nikon cameras to become such another "huge step up" to merit consideration...(if I ever even need that "huge step"!)

trackmag

Nikon is not going to fold. The Z9 is incredible and the new lenses are also. Can not believe some of the imeages were have captured.

User ID

Its like renting a different car at every destination. No learning curve. All alike except for superficial stuff such as the infotainment panel. Likewise, changing brands may change your menu system, possibly too challenging for pea brains ? Actually no big deal.

BebuLamar

The Z9 wouldn't buy any time if Nikon can't deliver it fast enough.

Photec

I always tell people, "it is not the brand, it is the way the camera feels in your hands and up to your eye that matters". If you have been using brand A for a while, and switch to brand B there may be more of a learning curve, to be sure. There is also a learning curve with learning a new model of your current brand. That said, it will be a smaller curve with more intuitive menus and button locations. The quality of the images with either brand will likely be indistinguishable in prints between the different brands. Some features do make a difference, and only you can decide what you like and is important there. It is like buying a car, take a test drive with both to see what feels right, but don't believe what the salesperson says. He/she may have a different feel for what is right. Good luck.

rangel28

Nikon is in the process of reinventing itself (becoming more than just a camera company). It is highly unlikely they will go out of business; in fact, my guess is many of us participating on this message board will likely fold before they do. That being said, they will likely remain the No. 3 camera company behind Canon and Sony. The Z9 has given them lots of momentum moving forward and the Z lineup of lenses if very, very good.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Look harder, and you'll find a review to persuade you to buy the Nikon.

Don't worry about the Menu or controls. I use Nikon, Canon, Fuji, and Sony, and switching is not a problem. Spend some time with the manual and the camera, and you'll be fine.

Haydon

The PF lenses make it a compelling argument to stay with Nikon from a price and quality perspective.

User ID

Amen. The whole UHH "Learning Curve" trope is just so much parrot chatter.

If photography makes sense to the user, then the menus are a breeze. For users who are not familiar with photography, blaming ones confusion on "the menu structure" is a really feeble excuse.

You could say that menus sort out the "users" from the "real photographers".

ELNikkor

Right!

tjc321

Nikon makes a point of keeping its menu system similar from model to model to keep the learning curve at a minimum. I personally like that very much. I have upgraded through the Nikon model line from a D90s to my current Z9, but I have friends who love their Canons. A truly independent sales person who knows the characteristics of both Canon and Nikon would be ideal to talk to. I've been to stores where you go to the Canon counter and a different counter for Nikon. The store that gets all my business has salespeople trained in all the major brands, so they are not pushing one line over the other so you believe you have made an informed decision. They are a small family owned business with a nationwide customer base because of that great service.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

There are ways to accomplish focus stacking with a D750.

And, with stationary subjects you can "amplify" the resolution of any camera by using a multi-shot technique and stitching the images together (which obviously doesn't work well with moving subjects).

Besides.... what do you do with your images? Do you make large prints? You'd have to make prints 16x24" or bigger before you'd start to see much difference between a 24MP camera and a 45MP camera. Don't rely upon viewing your images on a computer monitor... especially not at ridiculously high magnifications. On most monitors anything more than 33% is just silly when it comes to evaluating resolution, sharpness, noise, etc. Yes, retouching and some other things can be done at high magnifications. But viewing 24MP image "at 100%" is like making a 40" by 60" (five foot wide!) print, then viewing it from 18 to 20" away! Or do you find yourself cropping a lot? That's another way to cause worries about resolution. But the solution may not be the camera. Maybe your money would be better spent on a longer telephoto lens so that you can "fill the viewfinder" with your subject and crop less or not crop at all.

As to shutter count... that's always just an estimated life. It's what the engineers who designed the camera think that the materials and construction can be expected to do over time and with use. Nikon rates the D750 to do 150,000 clicks, while Canon rates the R5 to do 500,000.

This site shows "real world" that over half of D750 reported survived over 500,000 clicks. However, it needs to be noted this isn't a very scientific survey. It's purely voluntary, relies upon people giving accurate info without any way of confirming it, and the numbers are too small to be considered a very accurate survey (there are only 27 total D750 reported with 500,000 or more clicks). Still, it's all we've got:

https://www.olegkikin.com/shutterlife/nikon_d750.htm

Many (most?) cameras exceed their manufacturer's click count ratings. Often, though not always. (Canon 40D for example, fell quite a bit short of its 100,000 rating. But the 30D that preceded it and the 50D that followed both easily met the same predicted life span. I doubt anyone other than Canon knows why.)

The R5 is too new and not in enough hands for there to be similar durability reporting. Check back in 5 or 6 years. D750 is close to 8 years old now, was intro'd in mid-2014. The R5 is only approaching 2 years, intro'd in mid-2020. Even so, with D750 selling in the $2000 range and the R5 selling for virtually double that, there are likely to be far fewer R5 in circulation than there are D750.

Besides, a camera's shutter isn't the only part that wears out and not all "clicks" are created equal. It's like car mileage... a rather crude method of tracking usage. A car that's only ever used around town for short trips will have a lot more wear and tear than a car that racks up higher miles on far fewer long road trips at highways speeds. It's similar with cameras. Since many cameras are now able to shoot both video and stills, the wear on many components can differ wildly depending upon their primary use. A camera that's used to shoot a 15 minute video will have a single click on its shutter count. But that same 15 minutes is equivalent to 225,000 actuations at 1/250 shutter speed. A camera used a lot for video may have very low shutter count, but a whole lot of "time" on all the electronic components. Conversely, a camera only ever used to take stills may have a very high shutter count, but very little total time on those same electronic components.

All this IS NOT to say there aren't some definite advantages to mirrorless and the Canon R5 is one of the better models out there right now. But there are also a lot of positives about DSLRs and the D750 is one of the best examples of those.