JRM993

Film camera user looking to purchase first digital SLR camera
but
where to start
(also new to Hedgehog)
first of all...a lot of the information is dated...
so looking for advice in the here and now
mirrorless???
full frame???
dx vs fx???
should I look for a camera that would accept my previous lens...have several???
let's limit this to NIKON
as I am a loyal NIKON fan
Thank you for your input.

JimmyTB

First of all, welcome to the Hog. I don't shoot Nikon so I can't help you there but expect others to ask what things you would like to shoot and what lenses you currently have. Best of luck and looking forward to your pics.

Naptown Gaijin

You are about to get inundated with replies from many so-called photographers offering you a lot of opinions. I am going to offer you some FACTS:

1. In comparing DX to FX, you will observe that FX is heavier and larger in size than DX.
2. Weight and/or size may be an issue for you. These facts apply to both camera bodies, as well as to lenses of similar focal length and aperture (f stop).
3. FX bodies and FX lenses are more expensive than DX bodies and DX lenses when comparing bodies with the same capabilities and/or lenses with the same capabilities.
4. Mirrorless is more quiet than SLR because there is no mirror slap and because some mirrorless cameras have an electronic shutter mode.
5. Mirrorless is generally more compact in size and lower in weight than SLR (assuing equivalent capability/features).
6. You can use most, if not all, FX lenses on a DX body with no problems, but if you use a DX lens on an FX body you may encounter problems depending on your needs and settings/focal length(s), etc.
7. Most professional photographers use FX because they can squeeze out a better image from that black box and they know how to get the most from their camera.
8. Some professionals use DX for a variety reasons.
9. Anything Bill Burke or Linda of Maine writes on this website is gospel fact and trumps what I have written.

Now for a few OPINIONS:
1. Unless you are a professional photographer, smaller, lighter, and cheaper is better than bigger, heavier, and expensive.
2. Unless you are: a street photographer desiring to be inconspicuous, a nature lover taking photos of deer in the woods, a spy, or a private investigator, the noise of mirror slap is not a big deal.
3. Anything Bil Burke or Linda of Maine writes on this website is gospel fact and trumps what I have written.

Good luck.

ELNikkor

I was the same as you a "few" years back. I had shot film with Nikons, and still have and use my FM2 and F3. I always somewhat sneered at the very concept of DX, but when I went to digital, that was all that was reasonably offered, and so I went for DX at first. I could no longer sneer at DX once I realized how great my photos were turning out, especially on my D5100. However, I still wanted to use my vintage, manual lenses with digital, and didn't like the crop factor, so, when I could, and FX became reasonably priced, lighter weight, and versatile (articulating screen, built-in flash), I bought the D750 (with the 24-120 f4 lens as a kit), which has been my mainstay for the past 4 years. I have used all of my vintage film-era lenses on the D750 with no problems. I can not criticize DX, but, coming from a film background, I am much more satisfied with the D750, and I think you would be too, as a first digital camera.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Welcome to the hog. Budget? What do shoot? Landscape , portrait, macro, Wildlife, night & astro? More mega pixels/resolution gives much more detail & the ability to crop & print large. If you want to stay with Nikon & can afford it, Z7ll mirrorless with the appropriate Nikon S-lens for what you shoot. The new S line lens for the Z models are reported to have a better image quality.? Nikon has a adapter(FTZ) for attaching older lens but, you will have to check & see which ones will work with them. Coming a little cheaper is the Z6ii at about half the mega pixels as the Z7 models but still plenty enough to take great photos with & should have better low light ISO performance. And even a little cheaper is the Z6 & Z7. The Zll models have 2 processors , better & faster focus systems. If you decide to go with a mirror(nothing wrong with that either) DSLR, the Nikon D850 is one of the best Full Frame cameras made. If your budget doesn't allow, you can shop used or get a crop sensor model like the D500 or D7500 which are also very capable cameras.
If after doing a comparison you can't decide, go to a local camera shop or call B&H, 800-831-2434.
Also, are you digitally developing your photos now? An added cost (computer) to consider. You can use Nikons software & downloaded for free from their website. You should check the computer requirements for the software you will be using. I had to get a computer with more ram which I didn't realize when purchasing the camera. My labtop wasn't upgradeable.

BebuLamar

Since you used Nikon film cameras then you they must be 35mm I assume. In that case go for FX Nikon. Start with something like the D850 or Z7 or Z7 II. If you buy the Z use your old lenses to start and then switch to Z mount lenses.
If you can look thru the viewfinder of the Z cameras. If you like what you see then the the Z is better than the F.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Welcome to the forum.

Consider what DSLR models will accommodate your existing lenses first.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

The camera body is important for the details but it’s the lens that produces the image.

Coming from film your lenses will probably be good for FX but depending on the age they may be manually focused and probably won’t have up to date VR.

If you do any low light work (and I find it very important for some family shots) the current version of VR is very useful because it allows lower shutter speeds to be used (although not for action shots). Most of the current bodies are much better at low light work than they were a few years ago.

FX lenses can be used on DX bodies but not DX lenses on FX bodies. Having FX lenses ensures that you can upgrade from DX bodies to FX if you want later without having to upgrade lenses also. On the other hand they are bigger and heavier (as are the FX bodies).

Welcome to the hog and be sure to show us the pictures.

whfowle Loc: Tampa first, now Albuquerque

First, welcome to the Hog. Here are some ideas from a Nikon user who uses both film and digital Nikons. It would help if you mentioned what Nikon film cameras and lenses you have used since they run from purely mechanical to having features almost like early digital Nikons. There is some adaptability of old Nikon lenses to modern digital Nikons. One of the factors you will face is the computerized approach to making pictures that goes with digital cameras. You will experience a learning curve getting all of the items in the menu to help produce your digital pictures. I would suggest you go straight into mirrorless Nikons since they will be the future. If at all possible, visit a camera store and look at what they offer. Nikon has both APS-C mirrorless as well as full frame mirrorless cameras. The Z50 is APS-C and the Z5 is full frame. If you are going to keep your film Nikons and Nikkor lenses, consider buying a FTZ adapter since those old Nikkors will mount. In fact, with the right third party adapters, you will be able to buy cheap old film lenses from other manufacturers that work just fine on your mirrorless Nikon. They just don't auto focus. You can use your light meter to adjust exposure or just look in the electronic view finder. What you see is more or less what you will get since the view finder is showing the exposure result. The big advantage of using digital cameras is you get to see the result immediately rather than waiting a week or two to get your processed film back. I wish you success in the transition. Come back to the Hog often and you will find a lot of experienced photographers here who are more than willing to offer advice.

John Maher Loc: Northern Virginia

Read this article (an earlier listing on UHH)
https://photographylife.com/dslr-has-no-future

You may find that this is a good time to go mirrorless. You have to decide.

I am a Nikon DSLR user with no foreseeable need to upgrade to mirrorless.

DSLRs have reached the end of potential innovations -- seller motivation to upgrade. While both DSLR and mirrorless are digital, future development (enhancements) will be in mirrorless. They need to stimulate buyers' need to have the latest and greatest -- whether they need it or not.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

As has been mentioned, this forum is populated with folks who are strong on opinion and sometimes a little short on objectivity and facts. I'm going to say three things to start out...I shoot a Nikon D500, D810, and D850, I came to that position after shooting film with an extensive Olympus system, and I will not try to tell you what to buy. I will give you some things to think about.

For someone who is an experienced film shooter, I do not believe that there is any reason beyond perhaps budget to start with the entry level Nikon cameras. They are really enhanced menu - based interchangeable lens point and shoot cameras which will present you with a new and awkward user interface which is almost certain to quickly become frustrating. They will also have limited ability to use some of your lenses. As an experienced photographer, there is no need for you to begin with a limited camera.

There is nothing wrong with choosing a DX (crop frame) camera. A good one can do just as good a job as a full frame camera. The one exception to that is that full frame models facilitate wide angle photography much better if that is something that is important to you. Some claim that full frame is a much better choice for low light situations. In my experience, current cameras tend to have a slight edge there, if you know what you are doing.

The big reason that full frame cameras and lenses carry a weight penalty is that almost no professional grade lenses are made for crop frame cameras. Lenses made of metal are just heavier than lenses made of plastic. You have to decide if that is important to you.

There is a virus here making people believe that DSLRs are suddenly obsolete garbage and everyone must buy mirrorless cameras now. That is unmitigated bunk. The new technology offers some nice features to help photographers, especially those who don't fully understand what they are doing. But DSLRs still work just fine, and the best ones can take any picture you can imagine. And the cameras and lenses are about 30-40% less expensive than comparable mirrorless choices.

You don't mention budget, and there are some older lenses that are not usable on the new cameras. In fact, trying to mount a non-AI lens on some Nikon cameras will damage the camera. So do a little reading, visit the NikonUSA website, and, if possible, visit a local camera store. Good luck as you choose, and have fun.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

It appears you have already narrowed the choices down to an Interchangeable Lens Camera (ILC). This leaves out several simple choices such as Mega-Zooms or Bridge cameras. Many people have both these plus ILCs, so you might consider one to start. These include the Canon SX70 HS, Nikon Coolpix (several models), Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80 or DMC-FZ series, or the Sony DSC series. There are also those with less telephoto range, but better low light performance. These are the 1" sensor models as opposed to the 1/2.3" models. Whichever you consider, I recommend lean towards those with viewfinders. If you can tolerate even less zoom range, pocketable models also exist with both sensor sizes.

As far as DX vs FX in the ILC class, DX is smaller, lighter, less expensive, and has a greater number of available lenses. FX has better low light performance and can have better resolution. Micro 4/3 (MFT) is even smaller, but I don't think Nikon makes them.

Nikon has not had mirrorless choices as long as some others, and mirrorless choices seem to be more expensive. Furthermore, they use a different set of lenses, although adapters are available for older mount types. There are also adapters for older types to DSLR. If the old lens did not support auto focus or auto aperture, it will not have it on the digital body. However, mirrorless is the newest and having the most new features.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

I was in your position a little over a month ago happily shooting film with my incredible F100, but finally wanting to move up to digital.

I never considered moving to a cropped (DX) sensor camera because I wanted my existing wide angle lenses to act like wide angle lenses. I am planning on picking up a 14mm ultra-wide and want that one to give me 14mm results...so a full frame was my only choice.

I really wanted to get a D750 but I have limited income and didn't want to spend that much of the last stimulus payment on a camera so I could also get the 14mm. As a result I managed to find a mint condition D610 on eBay for a total of $600 including tax and shipping. It gave me the same 24MP as the D750 with a few less features that I may not have used anyway. So far I'm very happy with the purchase.

The D610 also came with the vertical battery grip that I haven't tried yet. It also came with an extra battery.

Another reason for passing on the DX format was that with the entry level models I would lose AF with my existing AF-D lenses. Those cameras don't have built-in AF motors which the lenses require.

I will not tell you what to buy, but those were my thoughts coming from a situation similar to yours.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Tell us what lenses you have today as that impacts your decisions on a digital body that leverages those lenses to compliment anything you buy next.

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

I would go mirrorless if you do not have any present digital equipment. I prefer Full Frame digital camera's.
Canon, Nikon, and Sony make good quality Full Frame digital camera's that will produce nice images provided you have some basic knowledge of the imaging process.
So, since you identify yourself as a Nikon fan, I would steer you toward the Nikon Z7II. My favorite Nikon Z lens to date is the very sharp 14-30 mm lens. Couple that with a 50 mm and you will be set.
If you like wild life photography, Nikon will be introducing a 200-600 mm zoom later this year.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.