Posts for: Dan De Lion
Mar 11, 2014 10:11:18 #
Nikon does have some great glass but also some so-so glass. Likewise for every other manufacturer, even Zeiss. My point is that great pics can be taken with any brand and practically any class of camera. The equipment isn't very important, it's what you do with it.
Mar 11, 2014 10:10:07 #
Still figuring out how to use this board - pls forgive the double post
Mar 10, 2014 11:35:55 #
The Canon ad is rubbish! There are a dozen lens manufacturers whose glass is equal to or better than Canon's. The same can be said for Nikon, Fuji, Sony, Zeiss, Oly... Brands are the least important part of making great pics.
Mar 5, 2014 11:19:59 #
Mar 4, 2014 16:11:38 #
Sony is becoming a very innovative camera company. Their a7r, RX100m2, and RX10 are excellent cameras without competition in their class'. Sony's sensors are absolute leaders and used by several other camera companies.
The downside The selection of FE lenses for the a7 and a7r is appalling. Of the five currently available FE lens: two have no image stabilization, one is a kit lens, one is an old Alpha lens, and the 24-70 Zeiss is a limited range standard lens. The adapters for other lens brands often severely limit those lenses' functionality.
Downside two Sony product cycles seem to run about one year. Buy a new a7, that was introduced last December, and in ten months there be an updated version. The a7r particularly looks like there's room for improvement. I'm guessing the a7r gets image stabilization, a new shutter, and lots of little improvements. Sony's back-lit sensor technology has been moving up in applicable sensor size. It is currently available for the one inch (13x9mm) sensors. How long before it used in 24x36mm sensors?
The downside The selection of FE lenses for the a7 and a7r is appalling. Of the five currently available FE lens: two have no image stabilization, one is a kit lens, one is an old Alpha lens, and the 24-70 Zeiss is a limited range standard lens. The adapters for other lens brands often severely limit those lenses' functionality.
Downside two Sony product cycles seem to run about one year. Buy a new a7, that was introduced last December, and in ten months there be an updated version. The a7r particularly looks like there's room for improvement. I'm guessing the a7r gets image stabilization, a new shutter, and lots of little improvements. Sony's back-lit sensor technology has been moving up in applicable sensor size. It is currently available for the one inch (13x9mm) sensors. How long before it used in 24x36mm sensors?
Mar 4, 2014 13:39:23 #
Hi Psdunner
I find the larger and heavier the camera system, the less likely I am to have it with me. This is particularly true when I'm flying, but also if I'm just walking about for a few hours.
Let me suggest a trade-off scheme: of the following three items, you can have any two but, not the third.
High ISO (above 1600)
Large Prints (13x19 or >)
Portability (size and weight of system)
So, if you want high ISO and portability you'll sacrifice large prints. Likewise if you want large prints and portability you'll sacrifice high ISO. And if you want high ISO and large prints, you'll end up with a large heavy camera and lens.
To the degree the above is true your requirement of large prints and portability will limit you to cameras that have lower IQ (hence smaller prints) at ISO's above 1250 or 1600.
Now let's consider portability and flexibility. It's nice to have a small body but, it is lenses that make a system camera bulky. Because of the ISO constraint (above), you'll want a few relatively fast lenses. In 35mm FF equivalents you'll want three zooms that cover say 15mm to 300mm. Additionally, you want a super fast lens around 35 to 50mm, a macro lens of about 100mm, perhaps a telephoto lens around 500mm, and if your like me a fisheye lens. None of these lens can be cheap or small given your ISO limitation and large print sizes you want.
The more flexible your system, the less portable.
Let's change the paradigm. Keep your D7100 and lenses. That gives you flexibility. - For when you want to go light, buy a small, light, non-interchangeable lens camera with a 24-200 f2.8 lens, good macro capabilities, and the ability to turn out 20x24 pro quality prints at ISO's of 1600 or less.
In the last couple of years I've gone through the above thought process. For me, the Sony RX10 fits the bill. It's Zeiss lens produces large, pro quality prints from f2.8 to F11 and 24mm to 200mm with a constant f2.8 aperture. On the downside: some people will assume you're a rank amateur, no interchangeable lenses, no ISO 12800 shooting. On the plus side: a light camera, a small camera, EVF, fantastic lens, U settings, a camera designed for advanced photographers.
I find the larger and heavier the camera system, the less likely I am to have it with me. This is particularly true when I'm flying, but also if I'm just walking about for a few hours.
Let me suggest a trade-off scheme: of the following three items, you can have any two but, not the third.
High ISO (above 1600)
Large Prints (13x19 or >)
Portability (size and weight of system)
So, if you want high ISO and portability you'll sacrifice large prints. Likewise if you want large prints and portability you'll sacrifice high ISO. And if you want high ISO and large prints, you'll end up with a large heavy camera and lens.
To the degree the above is true your requirement of large prints and portability will limit you to cameras that have lower IQ (hence smaller prints) at ISO's above 1250 or 1600.
Now let's consider portability and flexibility. It's nice to have a small body but, it is lenses that make a system camera bulky. Because of the ISO constraint (above), you'll want a few relatively fast lenses. In 35mm FF equivalents you'll want three zooms that cover say 15mm to 300mm. Additionally, you want a super fast lens around 35 to 50mm, a macro lens of about 100mm, perhaps a telephoto lens around 500mm, and if your like me a fisheye lens. None of these lens can be cheap or small given your ISO limitation and large print sizes you want.
The more flexible your system, the less portable.
Let's change the paradigm. Keep your D7100 and lenses. That gives you flexibility. - For when you want to go light, buy a small, light, non-interchangeable lens camera with a 24-200 f2.8 lens, good macro capabilities, and the ability to turn out 20x24 pro quality prints at ISO's of 1600 or less.
In the last couple of years I've gone through the above thought process. For me, the Sony RX10 fits the bill. It's Zeiss lens produces large, pro quality prints from f2.8 to F11 and 24mm to 200mm with a constant f2.8 aperture. On the downside: some people will assume you're a rank amateur, no interchangeable lenses, no ISO 12800 shooting. On the plus side: a light camera, a small camera, EVF, fantastic lens, U settings, a camera designed for advanced photographers.
Mar 2, 2014 14:23:29 #
For travel I use a RX10 with a backup RX100M2, my wife brings a RX100M1. I also shoot with a large selection of Nikon and Hassy equipment. Here's a RX10 shot I took a couple of weeks ago in Yellowstone.
