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Author Topic: changing systems... again?  (Read 7868 times)

dwswager

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #20 on: January 02, 2016, 07:28:50 pm »

I concur with Bernard.  Unless a new system increases the quality of images significantly or allows you to make images you couldn't make before without introducing significant negatives, it just isn't worth the effort.

I've only switched once in about 30 years from Canon to Nikon, but that was based on opportunity.  When Canon obsoleted all my FD mount lenses with the EOS mount, I switched to Nikon for the glass and flash system.  I seriously considered switching back to Canon about 2006 before Nikon got in bed with Sony and released the D3/D300 pair.  Now, the 7DmkII is the only reason I would consider switching to Canon for and it just isn't enough.

I do enjoy playing with other gear, just to see what's out there and possible.

My personal therapy is based on
- the past realization that switching to something else typically creates a larger number of issues than the problems on which it improves
- multiplying systems means that you typically end up knowing them less well, which means that you won't quite use them as optimally as they could be,
- the overall time loss has an opportunity cost that often translates in less images being captured.

It doesn't always work though... ;)

Cheers,
Bernard
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Martin Ranger

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #21 on: January 02, 2016, 10:53:38 pm »

Try this then:
Ilford Witness Camera and Dallmeyer Super Six 2" F1.9 Anastigmat and Case
£13,000

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ilford-Witness-Camera-and-Dallmeyer-Super-Six-2-F1-9-Anastigmat-and-Case-/331736426622?category=0&buyerid=FpRekKD1aqDfYV2nhgIMSg==&emailtemplateid=103683162&sellerid=FpRekKD1aqBpZuxgDLqdIA==&refid=store&ssPageName=ADME:B:SEMK:UK:LISTG

 8)

Thank you, Chris, but in this particular case I think I'll follow Edmund's prescription.

 ;D

I bought a HUGE $100 box of color pencils and spend half an hour every evening doing freehand drawings.

This occupational therapy seems to keep GAS in check. I did buy some more yellow-red pencil shades though.

Edmund

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Martin Ranger
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Eric Brody

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #22 on: January 03, 2016, 06:13:35 pm »

I wrote this originally as sort of tongue in cheek with a grain of seriousness, and happily many of the responses were written in that vein, e.g. "I feel your pain..." I do appreciate the serious and not so serious responses of many of the folks on this forum whose opinions I have come to respect from reading their posts over the years. It appears I'll be sticking with my Fuji for now, there are a few lenses I do not have... yet. But, darn, Phase One just announced the 100MP back for the new XF camera system, something else to consider at a mere US$48K  :)
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eronald

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #23 on: January 03, 2016, 11:32:21 pm »

I wrote this originally as sort of tongue in cheek with a grain of seriousness, and happily many of the responses were written in that vein, e.g. "I feel your pain..." I do appreciate the serious and not so serious responses of many of the folks on this forum whose opinions I have come to respect from reading their posts over the years. It appears I'll be sticking with my Fuji for now, there are a few lenses I do not have... yet. But, darn, Phase One just announced the 100MP back for the new XF camera system, something else to consider at a mere US$48K  :)

bwahahaha.
Here is what I cannot quite justify at the moment:
http://www.amazon.com/Prismacolor-Premier-Colored-Assorted-1800059/dp/B005O2ZU68/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1451881848&sr=8-7&keywords=prismacolor

Edmund

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Paulo Bizarro

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #24 on: January 04, 2016, 05:53:50 am »

For the last couple of years, I have tested and tried several mirrorless systems, to replace my Canon 6D based system. Tried Fuji and Oly, but they really did not click with me. In the meantime, the Alpha 7 system was maturing...

Up to the point where it was mature enough for my needs (landscape, travel, documentary), so I jumped in. My system now consists of A7II, A7, plus 3 Zeiss lenses (Batis 25 and 85, Loxia 35). I am a happy camper. Just to imagine that one can replace a FF DSLR and Zeiss Milvus 21 with a A7 and Loxia 21 is amazing, for example.

chez

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #25 on: January 04, 2016, 09:11:08 am »

This is the main thing keeping me from making the jump, depreciation is bad enough of dslrs but the immaturity of mirrorless means the prices of these tank after a new flavour of the month hits the market. How to invest lens-wise is also far from clear on the sony side.



The beauty of the tanking is you can puck up great valued 2nd hand gear. You don't always need the new shiny model.
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chez

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #26 on: January 04, 2016, 09:14:31 am »

I confess the new Sony and lenses have my credit card finger twitching, but a good antidote I find is to go back and review my 5 star photos and look at the cameras I used - none over 24mp and some in the 10-12mp range. Other than being able to make larger prints, would any of these really have been better with more MP? I don't think so.

Sure...maybe not if you just view them on the screen...but making large prints from them...I've seen a considerable improvement over the years as the sensors improved both in quality and the number of pixels.
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David Sutton

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #27 on: January 04, 2016, 04:38:15 pm »

bwahahaha.
Here is what I cannot quite justify at the moment:
http://www.amazon.com/Prismacolor-Premier-Colored-Assorted-1800059/dp/B005O2ZU68/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1451881848&sr=8-7&keywords=prismacolor

Edmund

Here's one I always wanted as a child and can't justify either:
http://www.pencils.co.uk/en/gb/4428/32098/artists-pencils-120-wooden-box
I never thought when I switched to Fuji of all the lenses from the last 80-odd years that could be used via an adapter. I got suckered in to a Helios-44 (58mm f/2) which is gorgeous for portraiture, and unlike some Russian glass from the period is not radioactive. That's a good thing. Now ebay is absolutely off limits for me if there is a credit card in the house. Umm, but I could use a 2:1 macro....

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ErikKaffehr

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #28 on: February 20, 2016, 03:46:03 am »

Hi,

If you don't need 42MP and full frame or don't need the option to use almost any lens on the planet stay with the Fuji.

It seems to be a great system with great lenses.

Also, the A7rII is small but full frame lenses tend to be large.

Best regards
Erik

I was a perfectly happy Nikon person since the 60's, and ended with a D800E, which I still have, my "last camera" :). Then, in the rush to small and light, I purchased an Olympus OMD, and was happy until I realized I didn't like the noise at base ISO. I then switched to Fuji, began with an X E-1, and now have the X T-1. Over time I have managed to amass eight lenses for the Fuji system and genuinely like it. The images are clean, crisp and realistically fulfill my needs as an aging mostly tripod based landscape photographer. Then... I rented a Sony A7RII, to get it out of my system I said. Big mistake. That camera and 50mm f/1.8 are back at Lens Rentals but I cannot get it out of my head, the Zeiss glass, IBIS, 42MP, and on and on. The financial hit from yet another switch is not trivial, but I could rationalize it. I'm sure others have faced the same dilemma and resolved it. What is an admitted gear freak to do?
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Erik Kaffehr
 

Hywel

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #29 on: February 20, 2016, 04:39:33 am »

I'm of the "buy that camera to do today what you need to do today" school of thought :)

I bought an A7RII, but only because my existing "available light" camera (Canon 7D) was making the sick shutter noises that I know means the shutter mechanism is about to die.

I wasn't expecting the camera to take over in the way it has- I've not taken my GH4 up a mountain in months, and I increasingly find myself picking up the Sony instead of the Hasselblad in the studio too.

It's at that point that I decided it was OK to spend some more money on FE lenses; I expect I will stick with the A7RII as my workhorse camera for the next few years. I can't imagine what it would take to tempt to me move system again at this point, unless I start doing a completely different sort of photography. I was thinking of the Pentax 645Z for when the Hasselblad wears out, but now Hasselblad have cut prices I'd either look for a Hasselblad replacement, or maybe just suck up the loss of leaf shutters and stick with the Sony.

And the Hasselblad and GH4 will have their uses for the foreseeable future too. The Hasselblad's leaf shutter is very helpful for outdoor strobe plus daylight. The GH4 is great for video and timelapse. It's a good general backup camera to stick in the bag with a few small light lenses to cover pretty much every eventuality in case the A system (RED, Hasselblad, Sony) dies on a given trip. It won't do the job as well as any of the A systems, but it'll allow me to get SOMETHING where I might otherwise get nothing in pretty much every shooting situation for me.

Would I pick up a second Sony body if the A7RIII or a new larger body format comes out? Yes, probably.

Will I buy an updated Panasonic GH5, or Olympus m43? Doubt it.

Updated Hassy/Pentax MF? Doubt it at this point. The quality difference vs. FF35 is not compelling enough for me any more, so I'd probably only do it to keep the use of the Hasselblad lenses and Phocus skin tones.

Nikon? Pentax? Fuji? Not unless they release something entirely unprecedented.

Canon? I might get an 80D for video and just to keep a native Canon body around. Will definitely keep an eye out because I have such a lot of Canon fit lenses.

I don't need another camera to shoot today the photos I want to shoot today :)

Cheers, Hywel


« Last Edit: February 20, 2016, 04:44:16 am by Hywel »
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Dan Wells

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #30 on: February 20, 2016, 11:58:21 pm »

How big is your printer? I print 16x24 off an X-T1 very easily, even on high detail subjects, and I can often get away with 24x36 at very high quality, although the X-Pro 2 I have on order will be more comfortable at 24x36 than its little brother is. From everything I've seen in early reviews, there is NO question that an X-Pro 2 will be comfortable at 24x36" (the limit of my printer) on pretty much any subject, looking at the print closely. It will also have dynamic range and noise characteristics equal to the A7rII (it won't have the resolution, of course).

An X-Pro 2 (or the X-T2 that is soon to follow, if you like that body better) will be MUCH cheaper than replacing eight really nice Fujinons with Sony/Zeiss lenses. Depending on which Fujinons you have, there are probably some of them you can't replace at any cost without going for adapted lenses.

 Many people like adapters, especially on the A7rII (which at least maintains full autofocus performance), but I've always personally been more comfortable keeping as few pieces on the camera as I can... There IS finally a name-brand (Sigma) Canon lens to FE body adapter, which is certainly better than something sold only on eBay. I can't tell from the one picture on the web if it maintains weathersealing or not...

I'd keep your Fuji gear (and add a 24 MP body if you want more resolution) UNLESS:

1.) You have a 44" printer the size of a piano and routinely print larger than 24x36" - there's no denying the extra resolution will help there (or you have a 24" printer and routinely print 24x50" panoramas or the like from a single frame).
OR
2.) You are routinely shooting the (tack-sharp) Fujinon 100-400 at 400mm and STILL having to crop to get your composition, and you know what you're going to do for a 600mm lens on the Sony.
OR.
3.)You have a specific fast Sony or adapted lens in mind that provides bokeh you just can't get on APS-C. Perhaps the most obvious candidate is the 35mm f1.4 Distagon ( equivalent bokeh on a Fuji would require a 23mm ~f1.0, which doesn't exist). The Fujinon 56mm f1.2 is awfully close to the new 85mm G-Master (half a stop), and the APD version should provide the half stop of improvement. The other candidate, of course, is a Noctilux on a Leica M adapter (the fastest Sony or Zeiss normal lens in FE mount is the 55mm f1.8, and the Fujinon 35 mm f1.4 is very close to that, not to mention the rumored 33mm f1.0).

Apart from those specialized circumstances (or video - but wait and see what the X-T2 has up its sleeve - Fuji execs have been hinting heavily about that one, and their new processor is MUCH faster than it needs to be unless they're heading for video or medium format), the Fuji system will do what the Sony will, and not only will you save a ton of money, you'll have a very familiar system where everything is beautifully built and works the same way. Sony is making huge strides, but at least to me, their cameras still feel computer-ish.
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eronald

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Re: changing systems... again?
« Reply #31 on: February 21, 2016, 07:03:46 am »

Here's one I always wanted as a child and can't justify either:
http://www.pencils.co.uk/en/gb/4428/32098/artists-pencils-120-wooden-box
I never thought when I switched to Fuji of all the lenses from the last 80-odd years that could be used via an adapter. I got suckered in to a Helios-44 (58mm f/2) which is gorgeous for portraiture, and unlike some Russian glass from the period is not radioactive. That's a good thing. Now ebay is absolutely off limits for me if there is a credit card in the house. Umm, but I could use a 2:1 macro....

I have the equivqlent Coloursoft box. The problem is that variations are in saturation, density, not hue.
I find myself using a lot of Polychromos single pencil groups where I have bought fine shadings of hue.
In defense of Derwent, the texture is gorgeous and few people discriminate color very finely.
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