Getting back in to photography

[me15]

So I've had very little to do with photography for quite some time. I started with a Pentax MZ50 film SLR many years ago, gradually progressing to a DSLR over the years and ending up with a 40D (which I loved) and a nice collection of lenses. For various reasons they had to go and apart for a brief ownership of a Nikon D90 bought solely to photograph my nephews wedding then sold on again my daily camera has been on an iPhone. Things have changed, I have some cash and it looks like I'm able to go shopping

However, where do I start? Do I purchase new or second hand and maybe get better spec or glass? Do I want full frame, crop or compact system camera? I like the look, feel and control layout of the Fujis and I like the 'look' of the images they produce, but I loved the size of my 40D. I have tried LED viewfinders in the past and wasn't that impressed (a couple of point and shoots and a couple of m4/3s) but from what I understand they have come on leaps and bounds.

So at the moment (if I go for new) my choices seem to be

Fuji XT-1 plus 18-135
Fuji XT-10 or XE2 with 18-55 and 55-200
Canon 70D with 18-135
Nikon D7200 with 18-105 or 140
Push the boat out and buy a 7D mk2

Budget wise I could possibly stretch to 1500 pounds at a push, but less would be a bonus as it could go towards saving for more glass

My other constraint is a bit more of a problem. I work in Saudi Arabia and I've seen some fantastic photo opportunities but it is definitely not the most photographer friendly place in the world. It's against the law to photograph government buildings (that's an awful lot of them as most industries seem to be part owned by them for example), people do not like having their photo taken and can get rather unpleasant and the religious police (friendly chaps) have some rather bizarre ideas about what is morally acceptable and what they think you shouldn't photograph (believe me, you don't want to upset them).

At the moment I'm going round and round in circles. Every time I think I've decided I come up with a negative. Fuji - great images (positive), not sure on compact size(negative), Canon/Nikon - bigger (positive and negative). I'm leaning towards Fuji, but again which one? If I get an XT10 or XE2 will I regret not having the amazing viewfinder of the XT1? Is it worth paying the extra? I guess the weather sealing would help with the dust (you wouldn't believe where dusty sand finds it's way).

Any help would be really appreciated.

Alex

 

[snerkler]

Best advice would be to try them out and see which feels best for you. It's very important to get a camera that feels right and has a layout you like.

If you do decide to go DSLR out of those two the D7200 is a better camera IMO than the 7D-II and is cheaper so is a no brainer for me. But this of course depends on what's important to you. The sensor is better on the Nikon with better DR and lower noise, AF systems are swings and roundabouts, and the Canon has faster fps.

Electronic viewfinders have come on in leaps and bounds and are very good on your mid to higher end stuff. Continuous autofocus on mirrorless cameras has improved a lot too, although still not quite a match for good DSLRs. The Sony a6000 is one of the best mirrorless in terms of autofocus.

 

[Gsrai]

Like yourself I came back to photography after many years of absence and went down the Fuji route (xe2 and a few lenses).

I love the style of the camera, the images it takes but recently I've struggled a lot to take good pictures of fast moving objects so if you think this is something you will do id suggest go down the XT1 route if Fuji is your thing but maybe look at other brands. If the majority of your pics don't need fast tracking focus the Fuji all the way, I loved the dials for aperture and shutter speed - it's like going back to film cameras

 

[wack61]

I'd go used, apart from a Nikon D3 about 5 years ago everything I've ever bought had been used.

I had a skint spell but recently I've got back into it, I spend a bit of time searching and found these

7D with 900 clicks for £350 , a 17-55 2.8 for the same and i spent £400 on a 70-200 f/4 and 1.4 TC from a friend

So for £1100 I'm covered up to 280mm with decent glass which is what it's all about

There's little point spending most of your budget on a 7D mk2 and nothing on the lens

If you're shooting anything moving forget bridge cameras, utterly useless unless something has changed in the last couple of years

 

[plamen_gb]

If you want to be a bit more discreet when shooting go for the Fuji, they are considerably smaller than any DSLR, though the lenses are pretty much the same size. I've had few Fuji's and they were all great. I own a Sony A7 that I love and I am keen to keep it, I bought an Sony adapter for Sony AF lenses and that opened up the choices immensely as Sony/Minolta have tons of great glass avail. Used A7 is around £500 now, kit lens for £150, adapter £200 and then feel free to pick any of the legacy lenses and shoot away

 

[gary43]

Hi Alex

Saudi sounds like it is not exactly photographer-friendly. Like plamen_gb, I would be tempted to get something discreet and go for a high quality compact (LX100 ? RX100 ?) or M4/3 camera (I have been very impressed with the Pano GX7) . Of your choices, I was not a big fan of 7D or 7D2, I have owned two of each, so would look elsewhere anyway.

 

[me15]

Thanks guys. Size is probably the key factor as I travel a lot, mainly by plane with hand luggage only (I hate waiting for luggage to be unloaded) and I need something relatively discreet while I'm in Saudi. I had seriously considered a good quality compact but I know I will end up wishing I had gone for something with more flexibility or better image quality etc. and the more I think about it the less I think a DSLR would currently be the right answer for me. I do seem to be leaning towards the Fuji range, although I hadn't even considered Sony before so I definitely need to have a look at what is available, maybe have a look at one when I'm home this weekend. I'm still not decided for definite so any further advice, or shared experience would be greatly appreciated.

I used to enjoy shooting motorsport occasionally and my daughter's show jumping competitions but I'm not going to get the opportunity to do much of that for quite a while. I want to try to build a catalogue of images to remind me of my time here, landscapes, architecture, people I have met and the odd place of interest. There is a park (if you can call an expanse of sand with the odd shrub and palm tree a park) by where I am living that has a variety of wildlife I wouldn't mind photographing. Birds, rodents, lizards and such like. They only tend to come out of a morning, which is good for me as most of the population are in bed till lunch time of a weekend and there is no one about.

 

[me15]

Hi Alex

Saudi sounds like it is not exactly photographer-friendly.

It's not particularly friendly for a lot of things unfortunately. No alcohol or pork at all (unlike Dubai or Bahrain), no cinemas or theatres, segregated areas in shops and malls for families and for single men (women shouldn't go out on their own) and some of the worst driving in the world. And yes, they really do have the harshest punishments for crime anywhere in the World all of which are carried out in front of my local supermarket, next to one of the mosques on a Friday morning.

On the flip side they are very friendly, polite people who are very friend and family focused. The first thing you learn when you arrive is it is nothing like the media would lead you to believe. Have you ever been anywhere in the West where the immigration officer want's to chat about what the weather is like in London, if Manchester United or Chelsea are a better team and where the best place for them to visit in the UK would be whilst he's finger printing you, taking your photograph and checking your visa? They even smile and say things like please and thank you!

 

[gary43]

The Fuji system is really good in terms of excellent high iso and lovely rich colours but I really could not get on with the AF-C mode in any of the Fuji cameras that I have owned (x10, x100T, XE1 and XE2).

I would suggest that for the showjumping you might want to look elsewhere.

Someone might tell you that XT-1 is great I might add.

Sony A6000 seems to tick some boxes ?

BTW, thanks for the description above. I have never been to Saudi but I have taken some images of it's sand. The bit of Saudi I imaged was coincidently last week when I looked at some of their sand at about x300 000 magnification. Doubt that many of the macro-shooters here will get magnification quite that high !

 

[me15]

BTW, thanks for the description above. I have never been to Saudi but I have taken some images of it's sand. The bit of Saudi I imaged was coincidently last week when I looked at some of their sand at about x300 000 magnification. Doubt that many of the macro-shooters here will get magnification quite that high !

That has got to be the extreme end of macro. If you want any more I can lay my hands on several million tonnes at very short notice

 

[gary43]

Hi Alex, if pushed I could do x1 000 000, or so, magnification but with carrying out such microanalysis I only need tiny quantities.

Besides, surely your baggage allowance is not THAT high unless you are a VVVIP guy ?

 

[ChrisR]

I'd have thought that the weather sealing of the XT-1 would be very valuable in sandy and dusty conditions. Don't know about the non-foojs in that respect.

 

[snerkler]

I'd have thought that the weather sealing of the XT-1 would be very valuable in sandy and dusty conditions. Don't know about the non-foojs in that respect.

Olly EM5-II is pretty good for weather sealing.

 

[me15]

Hi Alex, if pushed I could do x1 000 000, or so, magnification but with carrying out such microanalysis I only need tiny quantities.

Besides, surely your baggage allowance is not THAT high unless you are a VVVIP guy ?

Here it's not about who you are, it's who you know

I'd have thought that the weather sealing of the XT-1 would be very valuable in sandy and dusty conditions. Don't know about the non-foojs in that respect.

I agree Chris, that's possibly the biggest selling point for me of any of the cameras I've looked at so far. The dust and sand literally gets everywhere and in everything that's not sealed.

Looks like the XT-1 is probably the best choice, but then do I go for the 18-135mm or buy the 18-55mm and 55-200mm?

 

[hobodan]

I would probably go for the Canon 70D with the 18-135 stm lens. It has much better autofocus than the Fuji and also has very good video tracking. I've owned the XT1 but sold it off because focusing on moving subjects is challenging to say the least. Fuji make some lovely small primes, but they are not cheap; Canon has a much bigger lens and accessory market to choose from aswell.

 

[Carousels Spin]

Looks like the XT-1 is probably the best choice, but then do I go for the 18-135mm or buy the 18-55mm and 55-200mm?

If there's sand and dust everywhere, would you be happy changing lenses whilst out and about? Also, the 18-135 is weather resistant which I don't believe the 18-55 or 55-200 are, and there's not an awful lot of point in a weather sealed body without a weather sealed lens to go with it.

 

[Iiyama]

I have an EM1 and have recently sold a GX7 and Fuji X100T. Both small and discreet. Picture quality excellent on them all.

 

[me15]

I would probably go for the Canon 70D with the 18-135 stm lens. It has much better autofocus than the Fuji and also has very good video tracking. I've owned the XT1 but sold it off because focusing on moving subjects is challenging to say the least. Fuji make some lovely small primes, but they are not cheap; Canon has a much bigger lens and accessory market to choose from as well.

I was originally drawn to the 70D because I used to love my 40D and it provided me with many years good service. However I'm not sure if I want to be carrying such a large camera around with me. I'm not too concerned with photographing fast moving objects. As I said the opportunity for shooting my daughter competing and the odd trips to Brands Hatch are not going to occur for quite some time (probably years) and from what I understand the latest firmware upgrade from Fuji has improved the focusing on the XT significantly.

I have an EM1 and have recently sold a GX7 and Fuji X100T. Both small and discreet. Picture quality excellent on them all.

I had originally dismissed m4/3 based on my experience of buying one of the original Pens from Olympus but I've noticed some good deals on the GX7 and I like the styling. The GX8 looks good too and would fit within my budget. How does the image quality compare to the Fuji?

 

[Iiyama]

I had originally dismissed m4/3 based on my experience of buying one of the original Pens from Olympus but I've noticed some good deals on the GX7 and I like the styling. The GX8 looks good too and would fit within my budget. How does the image quality compare to the Fuji?

In general use the Fuji image quality was excellent. However, I preferred the skin tones from the GX7 and EM1.