Coming back

Messages
999
Name
Paul
Edit My Images
Yes
Evening all.

A few years after selling my last camera, I'm looking at getting back into it. But like anything, things have moved on.

I've always had Canon, but don't have loyalty either way.

I've had a 5D mkII and a 6D was my last camera.

What can people recommend? I'm after full frame and cheap-ish (maybe £500??). I've thought about just buying the same, but when I sold up I knew the Nikon D800 was decent.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on whats decent currently in terms of bang for buck 2nd hand.

Many Thanks.
 
You could at least take a look at mirrorless. It's the latest thing and the future.

I like being able to focus very accurately with both new and old manual lenses and AF wise being able to focus on a face/eye anywhere in the frame frees me up to concentrate on the framing and capturing the moment. Other plus point are the vastly improved focus reliability and hit rate and being able to see how the picture will turn out before you press the shutter, so no more chimping.

It's all at least worth a look.
 
You could at least take a look at mirrorless. It's the latest thing and the future.

I like being able to focus very accurately with both new and old manual lenses and AF wise being able to focus on a face/eye anywhere in the frame frees me up to concentrate on the framing and capturing the moment. Other plus point are the vastly improved focus reliability and hit rate and being able to see how the picture will turn out before you press the shutter, so no more chimping.

It's all at least worth a look.

I know nothing about mirrorless in fairness. What models would be the equivalent to the 6D and D800?
 
I know nothing about mirrorless in fairness. What models would be the equivalent to the 6D and D800?

I don't really know as my last DSLR was the original 5D but I suspect that if you want to match the very best DSLR's ever made for focus performance you'll need a Sony A7III which is a newer model, probably the market leader and will blow you're budget. I have a Sony A7 which I think was the first FF mirrorless if we discount any expensive manual focus Leica RF's that got there first. I also have a couple (a GX80 and a GX9) of Panasonic MFT (Micro Four Thirds) RF style cameras which both easily outperform my old FF Canon 5D. MFT is a x2 crop system. There are also popular APS-C mirrorless systems from Sony and Fuji, Canon and Nikon have smaller sensor mirrorless systems too but I haven't followed them at all.

For your budget of £500 an A7 may be the only FF offering within budget especially if you include a lens but I don't know if the focus would be up to any action shooting requirements as it's accurate but leisurely by the best of the bests standards for AF speed and tracking. Both Canon and Nikon make FF mirrorless now too but may well blow your budget.

I don't know how stuck you are on FF. The performance of the smaller format systems has improved quite a bit probably to the point that FF is really only necessary if like me you grew up with it and can't let go or perhaps like using film era lenses (I do) or demand razor thin depth of field.

You're best bet could be to go to one of the online sellers and see what's on the market and follow up by Googling reviews and checking what's available and for how much on the used market.

I do think mirrorless is at least worth a look even if you discount it and stick with DSLR's.
 
The nearest equivalent to a D800 in mirrorless is the sony A7R, but you may struggle to get one for £500, just like you would a D800.

I dont know Canon kit, but for £500 you might be lucky enough to pick up a Nikon D750: good modern AF and excellent dynamic range, these are still used by thousands of wedding photographers, though a little older now.
 
thanks - I did look at that. I’m edging towards a D600 or D610.
I’ve been offered a D610 and 28-300 3.5-5.6 Nikkor for £660. Pretty tempted. I’d be interested in people’s thoughts.

I would be wary of the D600 as there were a large number of them that suffered with the shutter shedding bits onto the sensor. The D610 has a different shutter mechanism which solved the problem. Having owned both models, I can say they produce beautifully detailed images but the AF system is a little weak if you're trying to track moving objects.

I moved from the D610 to a D800 from LCE and have found it quite difficult to reach the keeper rate that I had with the D600/610 and have had to re-learn to take my time and make sure my handling technique is as good as it can be. All those pixels mean that even the slightest camera movement when pressing the shutter results in a blurred image.

No experience of the 28-300 though.
 
thanks - I did look at that. I’m edging towards a D600 or D610.
I’ve been offered a D610 and 28-300 3.5-5.6 Nikkor for £660. Pretty tempted. I’d be interested in people’s thoughts.

I used a D610 for 3 years before moving to a Sony A7III, and they're great cameras except the AF which needs good light to work OK. As for the lens, I've owned a few both older & newer superzooms, and I wouldn't want another as my main lens - I'd look for a 28-105 or 24-70 f3.4-4.5 plus a nifty 50.

In terms of pricing, a D610 should go for around £400-£450, so I'd say they're asking £100 too much unless it's all immaculate, and even then....
 
I had a D610 - nothing wrong with it at all - in many ways like a 5d3 but with better dynamic range and a slightly plasticier build. It ain't no D800 though which is one of the best Nikon camera's ever made and still more than holds its own today. But £500 might not be quite enough to secure you one of these beasts.
 
Last edited:
I've read the D800 file sizes are problematic. Is that not the case?

I'd ideally want something with excellent AF too.
 
Last edited:
I've read the D800 file sizes are problematic. Is that not the case?

How much storage do you have? How many pictures do you take? How fast is your computer? How patient are you? How long is a piece of string :)
 
How much storage do you have? How many pictures do you take? How fast is your computer? How patient are you? How long is a piece of string :)

I think it could handle it, just that I'd read that the extra resolution wasn't really needed unless you were doing massive prints, which i won't.
 
Better AF than D600/610 and D800? Worth the extra?

I’ve been offered the D610 (75k actuations) and 28-300 Nikkor lens for £600. Good price? Condition on both is good, although used.
 
Better AF than D600/610 and D800? Worth the extra?

I’ve been offered the D610 (75k actuations) and 28-300 Nikkor lens for £600. Good price? Condition on both is good, although used.

Better AF than those, and worth the extra. I sold my D610 with about 45K shots a year ago for £600 including a bunch of lenses, and prices of Nikon DSLRs have dropped since.
 
I've gone for the D750. Managed to get one with the replaced shutter and service for £570.

Lens wise - thinking a 28-300 Nikkor and 50 1.8 will cover everything.

Really appreciate everyone's input, thankyou.
 
I've gone for the D750. Managed to get one with the replaced shutter and service for £570.

Lens wise - thinking a 28-300 Nikkor and 50 1.8 will cover everything.

Really appreciate everyone's input, thankyou.
The 28-300 is a good match for a D750. I use that pairing a lot. I have 'better' lenses but the 28-300 is pretty damned good - and much more versatile. (y)
 
For a lens with a wide zoom range the 28-300 is better than might be expected.

It also has the advantage (if this is of interest) that it focuses closer at the longer end of its range than most non-macro lenses of similar focal lengths. There is noticeable distortion at the short end of the range, but I only find that an issue if there are straight lines in the picture.

All in all it's a versatile tool if there's sufficient light. On the D750 there usually is as higher ISOs are great on that camera.

I think all these pics were shot using a D750/28-300 https://photo.dlst.co.uk/albums/nidderdale-show-2019/
 
Last edited:
Back
Top