mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Completely agree. I am a life long Canon shooter, but the weight and bulk of the large bodies and lenses were starting to get to me. I just dipped my toes in Nikon's magic waters and purchased the 13oz Z fc with the film camera form factor. I could not be happier.

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Hi
When you are looking about for a replacement camera consider Fuji XT series. Good for video and stills. And you aren't restricted to a tiny sensor. They have just released a 70-300 mm lens that accepts both of their teleconverters 1.4 and 2.0 versions. For just over a pound the lens can work as a landscape lens alone and/or as a birding lens with an equivalent focal length of about 640 mm to about 880 mm adding the T/C. I can personally say that the image quality is very good and focus is fast. Also if you aren't looking for a long lens, Fuji has several small, pocketable lens. Not purse size system but a reasonable size/weight system with excellent optics. I have found that going too small or light creates its own issues. Good luck- lots and lots to choose from out there.

Bill_de Loc: US

I have the Z fc ordered with the 28mm. I had a delivery date until Nikon put a delay on the 28mm.

It's one of those things I don't need, so I'm not concerned with how long it takes.

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IDguy Loc: Idaho

I have been 50% successful at repelling the GAS attacks. My 28 mm has been on order over a month.

Not sure I can hold out much longer on the other 50%. I see Nikon offers a trade option. Not sure why I’d need a Z50 and a Zfc. It might come to me eventually. Being a previous D5600 owner the fully articulated screen exerts a strong pull. But the lack of a pop up flash on the Zfc helps my resistance.

Bill_de Loc: US

Getting into the retro mind set, I think I'll put a 125 iso color s/d card in one and a 400 iso b&w s/d card in the other.



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johnsond1d

Hi Kathy,

I had the same problem but with Canon equipment. My wife and I spend a lot of time walking with our dogs and I've missed a lot of photo opportunities because it was too much of a pain lugging around all of the gear. My wife has a small Sony and the pictures she was taking were nearly as good as mine. After researching I sold it all and bought a Sony HX99. It's not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes and will easily fit into a pocket. The telephoto on it is incredible for such a small camera. Now I always have the camera with me. There are lots of reviews on YouTube.

Good luck with your search.
Denny

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

1st - Welcome to UHH!
2nd - If you click "quote Reply" as I did here, we can tell who you are addressing.

As for your question, there are many factors in answering your question.

For ultimate portability a pocketable camera like the Sony HX99, Panasonic DCZS80, or Nikon A1000 should be fine. But these are not great in low light and their built in flash is weak. Make sure you pick a model with a viewfinder, best outdoors in bright sunlight.

Next, for the ultimate in focal length range are the bridge cameras in small classic shape such as the Canon SX70 HS, Sony DSC-HX400V, Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80, Nikon P950, P1000 or the lesser B500.

Then there are the cameras with a better sensor such as a 1" and they also come in similar form factors of pocketable and small classic shape. These are better than the previous models in low light but have less "reach" or less long telephoto end of the lens zoom.

Even better sensors (better low light and/or higher resolution but less "reach") are the micro 4/3 (MFT) types and then APS-C types. All smaller than the full frame interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs)

There are many models it the last 2 categories. If interested, ask!

crphoto8 Loc: Anaheim, California

Hi Kathy, I'm in the same boat here. So four years ago I switched from a FF Canon 5D3 to the Olympus 4/3 system. I started with the E-M1 Mk2 and 3 Pro lenses, added over time more lenses, flash, etc. I took several trips with the new gear, found it much easier than the heavy FF system. The quality is great so I've no regrets about the switch.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Hi Kathy,

I looked at your previous posts here on UHH and those suggest you're shooting with a Nikon D750 and at least one relatively large telephoto (80-400mm). In another post you also commented that a 70-200mm f/2.8 felt too heavy.

Your best bet to reduce weight would be to switch to a mirrorless, APS-C (DX) camera. You don't need to switch from Nikon to achieve this. They offer two different DX format mirrorless cameras: Z50 and the recently released Zfc. Either of those cameras will be about half the weight of your D750.

Changing to a crop sensor camera also allows you to use smaller lenses, especially telephotos. Due to the crop, on one of those DX cameras your 70-300mm will seem like it has more "reach" than your 80-400mm does on your D750. On a crop sensor camera, that 70-300mm will "act like" it were a 105-450mm lens on your D750.

Those two DX cameras have slightly lower resolution than your D750... they are both 21MP rather than 24MP. However, I suspect you won't see much difference in image quality (even using both at similar high ISO), because the two mirrorless DX cameras 6 or 7 years newer, with more recent sensor designs as well as other improvements.

The new Zfc also has In Body Image Stabilization (the older Z50 doesn't), which can help steady shots even with lenses that don't have VR and probably will help lenses that do have it work even better (this is a new Nikon camera, so I don't know how well the in-body and in-lens stabilization work together... the Canon R5 and R6 introduced IBIS for the first time and it really works well in conjunction with their IS lenses, increasing them from 3-4 stops of assistance to as much as 6 or 7 stops worth. Hopefully the Nikon camera will give similar.)

The new Zfc is a "retro" styled camera. It looks a lot like the Nikon FE and FM series film SLRs from the 1980s. They've even made a similarly retro-style, compact 28mm lens to offer with it (designated "SE" or "special edition"). Nikon did a retro style full frame DSLR some years ago (the Nikon Df), but that camera was very expensive considering it's overall specifications. The Zfc will be considerably more affordable and is even available with a variety of different color leatherette (on a matte chrome body). Personally I like the gray and "camel" colors (the others are too flashy or will get dirty too easily for my tastes), though so far only the black leatherette cameras appear to be available in stores. The Zfc have just started arriving on shelves with Nikon's 16-50mm "kit" lens and will be selling for $1100. With the optional "retro" 28mm it will be about $100 more, but don't appear to be in stock yet.

The Nikon Z-series are relatively new. Nikon launched them in 2018 about the same time Canon introduced their R-series mirrorless (However, so far Canon's are only available full frame, offering some weight savings, but nowhere near as much as a crop sensor mirrorless camera can... I have little doubt Canon will eventually offer a crop sensor R-series camera, but they aren't rushing into it because they already have an APS-C format M-series that's enjoyed some success and popularity. But I'm sure they will want to consolidated into a single system eventually, rather than continuing to produce two that are largely incompatible with each other.)

Today there are somewhat limited lenses in the new Nikon Z-mount (same with Canon's RF-mount). While they are working to roll out more as rapidly as possible, it takes time. They've had 70 years to develop today's F-mount lenses, such as you use on your D750. We're only about 3 years into the new Z-mount. Something that might concern you is that there aren't yet many long telephoto lenses for the Z-mount. In fact, there's one FX zoom that reaches 200mm and a DX zoom that reaches 250mm. Don't worry though... you can easily adapt the lenses you have now for use on the camera. Obviously doing to won't reduce the weight of the lens, but keep in mind that on the DX camera your 70-300mm will be able to "act" even longer than your 80-400mm does on you D750. So you will be able to enjoy the same or even better "reach" while using smaller, lighter (and potentially less expensive) lenses.

Besides weight reduction, there are some other real advantages to mirrorless cameras. Most use an electronic viewfinder (EVF) instead of an optical one (OVF) like your D750's. This is both a plus and a minus. On the plus side, an electronic viewfinder can give you an exposure preview that really speeds up changing settings. The EVF also can let you see things much better in low light conditions. On the minus side, an EVF draws quite a bit of power from the battery and needs to be active the whole time you're shooting with the camera. As a result, mirrorless cameras get a lot fewer shots per battery charge than DSLRs do. Figure around 1/3 or 1/2 as many shots (there are a lot of variables). So you may need to carry a spare battery or two and charge up your batteries more often.

Mirrorless camera autofocus systems also are a significant step up from DSLRs in a number of ways. First, they have far more AF points covering much more of the image area. (I haven't checked the Nikon Z50 or Zfc, but some mirrorless cameras' AF systems cover 95% or even 100% of the image!) Second, because the AF sensors are built right into the image sensor and on exactly the same plane, there's no calibration ever needed. Any and every lens' autofocus will always be the best it can be in terms of accuracy (any focus error will be due to other factors, such as user error!) Mirrorless AF systems also offer some neat capabilities that weren't available in DSLRs' OVF based array... such as face detection and eye detection! I don't know about the Z50 and Zfc specifically, but some mirrorless also have amazing ability or "stickiness" tracking moving subjects, offering animal and bird detection, now even motor vehicle detection in some of the more advanced models.

Sony also offers mirrorless cameras, both full frame and APS-C crop models... They've also been developing their system longer than Nikon or Canon, so offer a a more complete selection of lenses at this point (though it's still nowhere near as many lenses as Nikon and Canon have offered for their DSLRs). Just as above with Canon, I'm not necessarily recommend you switch to Sony. Their a6000-series cameras use a different design that allows them to be quite compact (relocating the viewfinder eyeport to the rear corner of the camera instead in a hump on top), but to me they seem almost too small.... especially not very well balanced when paired with a larger, nose-heavy telephoto lens. If you start reading reviews you'll likely see that many think Canon and Sony mirrorless are offering the most capable AF systems... but the Nikon really isn't far behind. You also might see talk of the innovative lenses Canon has been offering.... such as an RF 100-500mm and an 800mm that each are lighter than your 80-400mm. Some of the Canon lenses are amazing, but expensive! Nikon appears to have been more focused (pun intended) on affordable lenses for their new Z-mount. You can adapt Canon EF (DLSR) lenses for use on Sony cameras. I have heard that the same is possible with Nikon F-mount (DSLR) lenses like yours. But I also know that Canon lenses adapted onto Sony cameras do not deliver the same level of focus performance as they do on Canon cameras. I don't know, but would suspect the same would occur adapting Nikon F-mount lenses onto Sony cameras. Finally, they've apparently improved a lot on some of the most recent models, but a common complaint about Sony has been that their menus are nowhere near as well organized and intuitive as Canon's and Nikon's. If you consider any of the Sony models, be sure to check into this.

I still think your best bet would be a Z50 or Zfc.... and it would give you a path to gradually convert from DSLR to mirrorless, allowing you to continue using some of your current gear a while longer. A Nikon mirrorless also would be compatible with other accessories such as flashes, if you have those for use with your D750.

I'll leave it to you to check out the Nikon Z50 and Zfc, if you wish.

EDIT: Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic and Leica all also offer mirrorless cameras (Pentax doesn't). Full frame Panasonic and Leica share an L-mount, but so far have relatively few lenses... and are expensive, not to mention large and heavy. At the other extreme, Panasonic and Olympus share a Micro 4/3 format mount, with cameras using sensors even smaller than the APS-C discussed above, which allows a lot of their gear to be quite compact and lightweight. And between them Panasonic and Olympus have produced a pretty complete system of lenses and accessories. Fujifilm also has an extensive system behind their APS-C format mirrorless cameras. All these offer some excellent gear, but none of them would make for a very smooth transition from your current system. It may be possible to adapt some lenses, but only with some limitations. So it would be more of a clean break... out with the old, in with the new. Also, none of these offer as advanced, high performance AF system as the latest from Canon, Sony and Nikon. Finally, Olympus was sold late last year. The new owners have said they will continue to support the gear and have so far, but it's early days. Of course, some are saying Nikon is struggling to stay above water, too. (Canon has been doing fine in spite of the pandemic and Sony has had some real windfalls from other divisions, such as video games and movies.)

delder Loc: Maryland

Bought a used D90 [Full Frame] which I found heavy [Compared to my N4004] when it failed within warranty,
I obtained a D3100 [2/3] which I found to be much easier to carry and hold up.
Prior suggestion of Monopod [WITH a good grip] and lighten your kit to a walkaround lens.
[Whole range of ideas here]
They also make harnesses that carry your camera while allowing you to raise it to shoot.

LEWHITE7747 Loc: 33773

It sounds like you don't want a dslr or a mirrorless. They all are heavy and you can't use a tripod. A bridge camera is the answer. Try the Canon SX70. No more hauling around lens and heavy bodies. This camera will solve your problem.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Generally nice post.

But the Nikon Zfc does not have IBIS.

Nikon’s DX Z lenses have VR.

mffox Loc: Avon, CT

I switched to Olympus micro 4/3 when I hit age 78, and have no regrets.
Mark

Miamark Loc: Florida

I used to use only Nikon or Leica equipment. I now use mostly Fuji cameras which are APS-C.sensors I currently use a Fuji XT2 and a variety of Fuji lenses. I travelled around Portugal with the XT2, and 23 mm, 50 mm, and 55-200 lenses in a small Domke bag. My Nikon D75O with only an 85 f1.4 fills the entire bag and weighs more. (The only Fuji lens that I did not like is the 18-55 kit lens). The newer Fuji XT4 has more features, including image stabilization. You can use a $20 adapter to adapt your Nikon lenses to the Fuji mount but you will lose autofocus. Fuji’s take great pictures and weigh significantly less than Nikons. I also use a Leica Type 109 (micro 4/3) when I really want to be a minimalist. To sum it up, if you are looking for an interchangeable lens camera, the Fuji’s are great. Also, you can consider a Fuji XE4 if you want a very compact camera with interchangeable lenses or the X100V if you would be satisfied with a fixed 23 mm lens. Welcome to the forum.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

One more comment on weight. If you have a 70-200 f2.8, then much of the weight is there and not in the camera body. Sorry if I misread a response. In any event, look at lenses on Nikon's website and compare weights. If weight is your major concern, you may eventually migrate to mirror less lenses.
Secondly and more important I believe you can download the user manual from Nikon's website and go through that and look at features and controls before committing to a purchase.
Thirdly, I ordered the FTZ adapter with my Zfc and it adds about 5oz. weight and is bulky with the small body of the Zfc. The adapter was on sale for $100 instead of the "normal" 200 or so. Caution: not all Nikon lenses work with the adapter.