GregWCIL Loc: Illinois

Hi John,

Congratulations on your retirement. I am soon to retire too, but my wife and I decided to start traveling more about 5 years ago and I ramped up my photography hobby for that purpose. You listed your photography interests so my recommendations are along those lines. But I'd be willing to bet your interests expand as your time for photography increases.

I think Nikon offers three intriguing bodies for you to choose from: the D810, D850 and the new Z7 mirrorless. Since your primary photography is landscapes all three are absolutely the best of the best. (And contrary to some of the responses you got, they are not a bit harder to use than any other DSLR - they just offer more options for you to choose from.)

Now, the tradeoffs: I have a friend who has the D810 and he does some very nice landscape work with it. And it's not bad for action such as air shows. It has a very nice quiet shutter noise. You should go to a camera store and pick one up. It will be heavier than your D90 for sure.

I first bought a D800 five years ago and just replaced it with the D850. Wow, what a difference. I thought the first one was good but the D850 just produces wonderful landscape photos. My computer doesn't have any problems with the large files. The D850 also added a new focus module that puts it just below the D5 professional camera for action. I am absolutely in love with my D850. The image files it creates are way past my expectations. It is fairly heavy.

If I was buying new today, I would look very very hard at the Z7. It has basically the same sensor as the D850 but comes in a lighter package. Its main limitation is fast focusing -especially in dim light. That limits it for dawn, dusk wildlife photography but is likely not an issue for you. I haven't used one, but reports are it is a gem of a little camera. (Did I say it is lightweight?) It has some intriguing features that really take it over the D850 for landscape work. It is Nikon's first body with in-body image stabilization (IBIS). It lets you shoot at up to 4 or 5 stops slower with sharp results. Imagine being able to hike to a remote waterfall with your lightweight camera then take a 1/2 second long exposure without a tripod. I suggest you read some of the reviews of the Z7 and take a hard look at it.

Now for lenses. Many have said you don't need f2.8 lenses for landscapes. Perhaps not but you will want tack sharp lens quality if you buy a great camera body. And, usually the 2.8 lenses have the best glass. I do have the 16-35 f4 and don't feel I give up much quality-wise with it. I also have a 20mm f 1.8 that is tack sharp and has extra stops of light for astrophotography. You can buy the venerable Nikon 14-24 used worth the money. Right now, all sorts of lenses are on sale.

I now circle back to the Z7. You can buy it as a kit with the new 24-70 f4 S model zoom lens. That combo weighs 2.39 lbs which is 2 lbs. (about half) less than a D850 with the 24-70 f2.8 lens. And reviews say the new little zoom is sharper than it's big brother. Pretty tempting. As we get older, it may be less fun carrying around that DSLR weight.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

For sharp landscapes, a pro in our camera clubs always uses a tripod and sets his lens on its sweet spot which is usually F8 or F11 depending on the lens and let’s the shutter speed float. He tests every single lens for its sweet spot. Additionally, sharpness is more about the quality of the glass than the camera body. You also might consider upgrading from Elements. It’s limited to 8 bit technology whereas 16 bit is the better standard in post processing. I use Elements too but I don’t demand that much out of my edits so an 8 bit limit is fine.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

There is nothing like touch/feely. Sony, Canon, Nikon (and others) all make great equipment. I would suggest going to your local camera store and handling all that you want to consider. Once you narrow it down, perhaps rent. Considering you are at retirement age, you should keep in mind weight, especially if you are considering traveling with your gear. I have been a Canon guy for quite some time, however as I retire and plan on traveling, I am moving to lighter gear, specifically Sony. Good luck with your endeavor and have fun.

RickL Loc: Vail, Az

John, I have used a D810 for two years. It is a tremendous

camera. You might also consider a D750

Rick

al13

The cost depends on the camera and how long you wish to keep it. It would cost several hundred dollars if it was down to two cameras and that would be foe a week. That’s not much when you consider some of the cameras he’s looking at and his budget.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

80% landscape shooter you say. Well, that to me would indicate a full frame camera of your choice. My choice for landscapes, Nikon d800, 810 or D850, whichever fits your budget plus the Nikon 16-35 f4, and excellent all purpose lens. If you add the Nikon 24-120 f4 (both lenses share the same filter size) you would be set. IMHO

tcthome Loc: NJ

Nikon has the sale on right now. If you go FF, you can get the D750 & 24-120 /f4 for half your budget. If you go crop sensor you can get the D500 with a similar lens for a couple hundred more.either choice would be a big step up. You can buy from Nikon , B&H, Adorama, or a local camera store, prices should all be the same.

dandi Loc: near Seattle, WA

BebuLamar

That's too much for a $3000 camera. I wouldn't do that. I just need to take a look at the camera and try it out a bit at the stores.

bastro

As a recently retired shooter, I dare not call myself a photographer yet, I asked a similar question here not long ago.
Dpullum makes a great point about having a camera at the ready. As an active hiker I am mentally trying to picture lugging around a bunch of gear vs pulling out my phone which also overlays the picture in the trail map.
On a recent trip to Zion National Park I used my phone almost exclusively. No, the quality isn't as good but I captured enough spontaneous shots to make me happy.
Psychoanalyzing myself, I guess I need to keep my phone handy, but have a decent camera for shots I really want to highlight
What do other active members do? Lug or compromise?

RickTaylor

John, I too started with the D90 when I got back into photography after a twenty year absence. As stated in previous posts get ready to be overwhelmed with responses and recommendations. I will tell you based on my experiences the D90 served me well however I too wanted to get in the full frame sensor cameras. I have since been through the D600, D810,D850,D5,D3 and lastly the Z7. I currently own 4 bodies, the D850 for portrait, the D5 for sports action, the D3 just because I don't want to part with it and depending on what and where I am going to shoot I keep my 28-300 lens attached. The Z7 is an outstanding camera and I am just not sure where it exactly fits but I like the ability of its size, feel and image quality. It is nice in low light restaurants, parties etc. I bought the lens adapter as well as the 24-70 and 35mm s series lens for the camera as well which is incredible. My existing lenses work flawlessly on the Z7 with the adapter. If I had to choose one and only one camera I would probably keep the 850 with the Z7 my second choice. I say this because I am sure you are quite proficient with your D90 and picking up the 850 or Z7 you will be familiar with the settings and overall menu functions for a smaller learning curve that you will be able to grasp quickly. Nikon is quality and the lens selection can't be beat. Good luck with what ever you decide as I am sure you will be pleased with new technology that is available.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I have to agree. It's no use asking this forum since your answer will be all over the place. Every camera the OP mentioned is a fine camera. About the only thing I've got concerning this is that a fast lens isn't necessary for the OP. But with a budget of $5000 he shouldn't have trouble finding a great camera and lens or maybe even 2 or 3 lenses.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Let me give you my take on this and I hope my comments prove to be useful in your decision. Right now and from what I know the Olympus EM-1 Mk. II seems to be the ideal mirrorless camera for sports and wildlife photography. Not the perfect camera but pretty close indeed. I am not familiar with Sony or Panasonic and obviously I have no experience with Nikon or Canon in the mirrorless arena.

You said you are inclined to buy a "full frame" camera and I wonder if indeed you need more than 24 megapixels. The excellent D750 has 24 megapixels and I am going to say those are more than enough megapixels for anyone. I bet you will not be able to tell the difference in the quality of both cameras files using good optics. By the way, modern optics are sharp and sharpness depends more on us than on the lens in use. Good photographic techniques, a good tripod and clean optics go a long way along with how to use the light.

You are correct, a lens with a maximum aperture of f2.8 is not a necessity to shoot landscapes since most of the time photographers use f8, f11 or f16 for the best depth of field. If you are on the fence regardless mirrorless vs dSLR cameras just keep in mind what I just said and favor a dSLR if you are going to be shooting lots of sports, action and wildlife photography.

You are right, the value of a D90 is low which does not necessarily means the camera is useless. With 12 megapixels I am sure it can do an excellent job with landscapes but if you feel the need to update nobody is going to stop you. The D750 I recommend has an excellent prize right now as a refurb saving you the money to buy top optics like the excellent 24-70 f2.8 or the 70-200 f2.8 VR. A prime lens or zoom starting at 24mm in most cases is good enough for many landscape photography. Extreme wide angles are many and the majority of them are of excellent quality.

Good luck with your choices!

wapiti Loc: round rock, texas

wapiti Loc: round rock, texas