General Photography thread

[Bodian]

I know almost nothing about photography or cameras. But Mrs TG has become very keen and pretty accomplished. Her current camera is a Nikon D3300 which she has had for 8 or 9 years. She would like to upgrade her camera. The features which she is looking for are.....light, mirrorless, swing out viewfinder, image stabilisation, bracketing. Probably not full frame and she is doubtful about 4/3, although she wasn't able to really explain why. ( I was given a lesson in all this yesterday, and also some examples to help me start to get over the sticker price shock....I now understand that the cost will be into 4 figures..... )

She is rather going round in circles. This is a significant purchase but there is no obvious right or wrong choice. Both she and I would like not to spend more than is necessary but enough to meet her needs. ( She is wary of second hand, ebay, etc but not entirely closed minded. )

I would be very grateful if any of the knowledgeable folks on here had any suggestions and advice about how to go about researching all this and deciding on a short list of suitable purchases. And any suggestions of which cameras should be on the list.

Any thoughts are much appreciated.
Thanks.

There is far too much choice.

The only ones with image stabilisation in the camera rather than the lens that I'm aware of is Sony.

Sony A6600 paired with Sigma 18-50 f2.8 meets most of those requirements - except the viewfinder is up and down rather than swing out. No flash though. Not cheap though - you can probably find/negotiate the bundle for around £1,600.

The new Fuji's have been getting good reviews as well.

 

[Wozza]

I know almost nothing about photography or cameras. But Mrs TG has become very keen and pretty accomplished. Her current camera is a Nikon D3300 which she has had for 8 or 9 years. She would like to upgrade her camera. The features which she is looking for are.....light, mirrorless, swing out viewfinder, image stabilisation, bracketing. Probably not full frame and she is doubtful about 4/3, although she wasn't able to really explain why. ( I was given a lesson in all this yesterday, and also some examples to help me start to get over the sticker price shock....I now understand that the cost will be into 4 figures..... )

She is rather going round in circles. This is a significant purchase but there is no obvious right or wrong choice. Both she and I would like not to spend more than is necessary but enough to meet her needs. ( She is wary of second hand, ebay, etc but not entirely closed minded. )

I would be very grateful if any of the knowledgeable folks on here had any suggestions and advice about how to go about researching all this and deciding on a short list of suitable purchases. And any suggestions of which cameras should be on the list.

Any thoughts are much appreciated.
Thanks.

What does she shoot?

What's the budget range?

And is the "swing out viewfinder" negotiable?

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

There is far too much choice.

The only ones with image stabilisation in the camera rather than the lens that I'm aware of is Sony.

Sony A6600 paired with Sigma 18-50 f2.8 meets most of those requirements - except the viewfinder is up and down rather than swing out. No flash though. Not cheap though - you can probably find/negotiate the bundle for around £1,600.

The new Fuji's have been getting good reviews as well.

Fuji cameras have in recent years included IBIS (in body image stabilization). I have two Fuji cameras, the older X-T1 and a newer but more budget model, the X-T200. They both have more features than I could ever possibly use and are incredibly good cameras. One advantage with Fuji is that their cameras have built in film simulations for jpegs which means that unless she is set on using raw for post processing, your wife will be rewarded with a wide range of in camera options. Fuji jpegs are really rather good, even used by some professionals straight from the camera without any use of Lightroom etc. I love my Fujis!

 

[tronnogull]

What does she shoot?

What's the budget range?

And is the "swing out viewfinder" negotiable?

She has mainly concentrated on landscapes and wildlife so far but wants to do more with portraits and family photos.
Budget......I've been shown options in the £1200 to £1600 range. .....
Viewfinder has to be at least ' tiltable '

 

[tronnogull]

Fuji cameras have in recent years included IBIS (in body image stabilization). I have two Fuji cameras, the older X-T1 and a newer but more budget model, the X-T200. They both have more features than I could ever possibly use and are incredibly good cameras. One advantage with Fuji is that their cameras have built in film simulations for jpegs which means that unless she is set on using raw for post processing, your wife will be rewarded with a wide range of in camera options. Fuji jpegs are really rather good, even used by some professionals straight from the camera without any use of Lightroom etc. I love my Fujis!

Yep, set on raw, although I understand that doesn't rule out Fuji.

 

[Wozza]

Viewfinder has to be at least ' tiltable '

It's a very, very niche request, as most cameras now have a tilting screen.

Last camera I used with a tilting viewfinder was the Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 (Micro 4/3).

 

[Wardy's twin]

There is far too much choice.

The only ones with image stabilisation in the camera rather than the lens that I'm aware of is Sony.

Sony A6600 paired with Sigma 18-50 f2.8 meets most of those requirements - except the viewfinder is up and down rather than swing out. No flash though. Not cheap though - you can probably find/negotiate the bundle for around £1,600.

The new Fuji's have been getting good reviews as well.

Pentax cameras have had in body stabilisation for many years. Olympus micro 4/3 models have it.

 

[Bodian]

Pentax cameras have had in body stabilisation for many years. Olympus micro 4/3 models have it.

Every day's a school day! And looking up Pentax, I didn't realise that Pentax is basically the brand name for Ricoh. I had a fantastic Ricoh point and shoot in 1990, then bought a Ricoh SLR which I used until the digital era, and it was excellent.

See what I mean - too much choice. Bit like going to posh pubs for food - I get overawed by the menu; and I always end up going for the steak-and-ale pie.....

 

[Wardy's twin]

She has mainly concentrated on landscapes and wildlife so far but wants to do more with portraits and family photos.
Budget......I've been shown options in the £1200 to £1600 range. .....
Viewfinder has to be at least ' tiltable '

It's an LCD screen rather than viewfinder the the latter is what you look through. You can get some LCD screens which are tiltable and others that are fully articulated i.e. you can view from below or side etc. If you are using Nikon what sort of lenses do you have would it be better to stay with them. The d3300 range is the lower end of the ranges they also have d5600 and d7800 ranges. If your wife likes wildlife then aspc will be better than full frame as you get a longer focal length due to rip factor. Note micro 4/3 gives you a 2 X crop factor so a 300mm lense is effectively 600 and the Panasonic 100-300mm is a very light lens. Lots of choice you might also think about using some of your budget for lenses.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Every day's a school day! And looking up Pentax, I didn't realise that Pentax is basically the brand name for Ricoh. I had a fantastic Ricoh point and shoot in 1990, then bought a Ricoh SLR which I used until the digital era, and it was excellent.

See what I mean - too much choice. Bit like going to posh pubs for food - I get overawed by the menu; and I always end up going for the steak-and-ale pie.....

Pentax were a separate company which got bought out by Ricoh...Pentax were a major player from the 60s but got squeezed out by canon and Nikon.Pentax have lots of features that you don't get with other brands e.g. use of stabilisation to do astrophotography.

 

[tronnogull]

Thanks folks. The amount of choice and the general discussion here underly why she is going round in circles. There is obviously no clear right or wrong answer.
Having held some of these cameras in the store in Burgess Hill she found the Canon R7 most comfortable and is looking hard at that....

 

[tronnogull]

It's an LCD screen rather than viewfinder the the latter is what you look through. You can get some LCD screens which are tiltable and others that are fully articulated i.e. you can view from below or side etc. If you are using Nikon what sort of lenses do you have would it be better to stay with them. The d3300 range is the lower end of the ranges they also have d5600 and d7800 ranges. If your wife likes wildlife then aspc will be better than full frame as you get a longer focal length due to rip factor. Note micro 4/3 gives you a 2 X crop factor so a 300mm lense is effectively 600 and the Panasonic 100-300mm is a very light lens. Lots of choice you might also think about using some of your budget for lenses.

She has looked at Nikon so she can use her existing lenses but is put off by needing a converter to use them as that will add to the length and weight of the camera in use. As I mentioned before, I'm not quite sure why she isn't keen on the Olympus 4/3.

 

[Wardy's twin]

She has looked at Nikon so she can use her existing lenses but is put off by needing a converter to use them as that will add to the length and weight of the camera in use. As I mentioned before, I'm not quite sure why she isn't keen on the Olympus 4/3.

Might be wrong, as i have never used Nikon, but i thought the lenses were interchangeable for the aspc cameras so the d5*** and d7*** ranges and that they would work on full frame in DX mode (reduced FF capability). Is she looking at the nikon mirrorless ones as I think they might have different lens mounts. Its a complicated subject with so many options and ultimately some compromise. Good luck

 

[tronnogull]

Might be wrong, as i have never used Nikon, but i thought the lenses were interchangeable for the aspc cameras so the d5*** and d7*** ranges and that they would work on full frame in DX mode (reduced FF capability). Is she looking at the nikon mirrorless ones as I think they might have different lens mounts. Its a complicated subject with so many options and ultimately some compromise. Good luck

Yes, she is looking at mirrorless which is why she would need a converter to use her existing lenses.

 

[Wozza]

Yes, she is looking at mirrorless which is why she would need a converter to use her existing lenses.

Those converters aren't heavy (don't have glass in them). They add a little length, but that's mostly offset by the smaller size of mirrorless cameras.

If she has several Nikon lenses already, I would go with Nikon Z range. Looks good value for me.

For context, I shot Fuji X, but shifting to Canon R (because I wanted full frame; and had legacy EF lenses) and Micro 4/3rds too.

You need this site, btw - https://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Nikon/Nikon-Z-System

 

[Bodian]

Those converters aren't heavy (don't have glass in them). They add a little length, but that's mostly offset by the smaller size of mirrorless cameras.

If she has several Nikon lenses already, I would go with Nikon Z range. Looks good value for me.

For context, I shot Fuji X, but shifting to Canon R (because I wanted full frame; and had legacy EF lenses) and Micro 4/3rds too.

You need this site, btw - https://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Nikon/Nikon-Z-System

I've gone from Sony DSLR to Sony e-mount. But to use my super old Minolta lenses I did splash out on a fully functional converter - and I'll gradually change my lenses over time I think. As you say, adds a little length, but weighs next to nothing. And the length of lens/converter/e-mount camera is the same as DSLR/lens. But far lighter overall. I wander round with it in one hand now, where I was never really comfortable doing that before. So, it all depends how functional (AF etc) the converter is, and whether you're happy to pay the extra for it.

 

[Wozza]

So, it all depends how functional (AF etc) the converter is

Aye.

Both Canon's and Nikon's DSLR-to-Mirrorless convertors are fully wired, and fully functional (AF etc) with most lenses, so a very smooth upgrade path.

 

[tronnogull]

Those converters aren't heavy (don't have glass in them). They add a little length, but that's mostly offset by the smaller size of mirrorless cameras.

If she has several Nikon lenses already, I would go with Nikon Z range. Looks good value for me.

For context, I shot Fuji X, but shifting to Canon R (because I wanted full frame; and had legacy EF lenses) and Micro 4/3rds too.

You need this site, btw - https://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Nikon/Nikon-Z-System

Thanks, especially for the link....

 

[Wozza]

No worries.

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/items-for-sale.15/ is a great resource for second-hand camera gear (you'll need to register).

Fuji X-T4 potentially a good S/H option, btw (first in series with in-built stabilisation). X-T5 just announced so loads of folk are selling earlier model.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Took a bunch of shots around Brighton today, for some reason I like this one best. Taken from a bus after parking at my son's house near the Amex.