Is It What You Have or Being Happy With What You Use?

AshC

AshC

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16
Name
Ashley
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Hi Everyone, I thought I'd Ask the question as Im in a bit of a predicament about the moment over Camera Gear. I've been an avid wildlife/bird Photographer for about 5-6 years now and over the years have been through a fair bit of gear and switched systems a couple of times trying to find the ideal setup for me. However all I seem to do is find myself going backwards or with issues I didn't expect. I thought I had gone for the ideal Setup this time when I sold my Canon 7D MK II and 100-400mm MK I and went for a Nikon 500mm F4 VR (used) and a D810 (new) with 1.4x TC Mk3. I'd had the 500 VR before But only used with the D300 and D7000 and found the IQ to be extremely good, though I decided to sell as I had a beat up copy and at the time the D800 was the only camera option and it's speed put me off it. I also purchased a few other lenses, the 18-35mm FF to do landscapes, a Sigma 150mm Macro OS and the 50mm F1.8G. I was pleased with the results I was getting from the Camera and the 18-35 and 50mm which I got first then I got the 500mm F4, and things didn't go to plan.

I found I had issues getting the focus where I wanted it, I put that down to a slight micro adjust issue, getting use to FF sensors and the unforgivingness of 36 Megapixels. However I learned that although Micro Adjust was doing a pretty good job solving the issue with the lens on it's own, with a TC it required a lot of Micro adjust (above +15 with the TC and about +10 without), and I couldn't be certain of where it was meant to be. I had to wait till after a holiday but I sent the Camera, TC and lens in for Calibration, it went to Nikon and after some time I got it back and still found myself unhappy with it. Testing out against my dads Sigma 150-600mm Sport and 1DMK3 (10Mpx) I was getting worse Sharpness. So it went back and even after that I was still not sure about it being right. I did my own calibration and found +15 was the sharpest point for the lens on it's own and with the TC well it was anyones guess. But Maybe I am wrong and the lens is just focusing inconsistently.

I thought maybe that one issue was over cropping on the D810 and got a D7200, which would also give me a Comparison incase the camera was at fault as no one I knew had a Nikon to try. I found myself no better off with the D7200. I decided to sell the D810 as I knew I wasn't gaining anything having both the D7200 (which was handy for the crop factor) and the D810 (for it's FF Quality). Maybe it was a rash decision but with the issues I had I knew I needed to look at other options. This tied in with an unplanned trip and I wanted a low weight lens and camera to take with and at this point being unsure if I wanted to invest any more money into Nikon gear which wasn't delivering for wildlife I opted for a 7D MK2 and Borrowed a 400mm F5.6 from a Friend. I had no problems with that setup, focus was fine and accurate though I didn't use it much, but I've had a 400mm F5.6 before and did very well with it.

So now here's where Im at, I've had A 500mm F4 for most of the year, One of the best wildlife lenses but have found myself not having the confidence in it, so much so I've been doubting my own ability. I keep wondering if Im looking for too much from the Raws image, but I know that I've had no problem with looking at images 1:1 even with the 7D MK2 and seeing sharp detail and focus, same goes with the shorter lenses on the Nikon.

My Choice is now to either stay with Nikon or jump ship back to Canon. If I did that I'd probably have to move back to a shorter lens, or compromise again and get something like the old 500mm Canon or 600mm. The reason I moved to nikon in the first place was to benefit from the Dynamic Range benefits and low noise but now I've come to realise that without spot on focus all that means nothing. I can either try and see if I can perfect the Nikon Gear over the winter and maybe miss some special shots because it's not just right or say it's time to move on and go back down the canon route and put up with a shorter lens for a while like the 100-400mm MK2. I feel happier with the feel of the canon cameras, and lenses even if the IQ isn't exactly as good as Nikons ( subjective of course) but will happiness come at a cost of getting Rid of "good" gear I have on the Nikon setup.

Sorry it's been such a long post I wanted to keep it short but I had quite a bit to explain. Thanks for reading if u made it this far :)
 
Have you researched what other photographers produce with the gear you talk about,if so do they succeed in producing the results your looking for,there is a road its all to easy to go down,the road of the grass always being greener.;)
 
Just think of all the cash you've wasted jumping from camera to camera, lens to lens, system to system.

There will always be something you don't like about a camera/lens combination.

Why not just stick to one thing and learn to get the best out of it? As you've probably realised by now, your photography is not getting any better by buying new gear. It reminds me of the film days, when people would jump from film to film, developer to developer... all the truly wise people knew that you pick a film and dev, and get to know it intimately.

You seem to be happier with Canon gear, so flog your Nikon stuff... go Canon... then just stop arsing about, and get on with getting to know your gear inside out. :)
 
only you can decide the way forward. Is there a Nikon Pro dealer you where you could maybe try another 500 on your body?

One thing I noticed is that you said that after coming back from Nikon where you sent them to be calibrated it was still way out. That's just completely unacceptable for it to come back like that. they should have at least got the calibration right on the lens to body.

Its frustrating I'm sure but if your happy with the body and your other lenses then it's worth trying to see if you can get the use of another.

A chap I know went from Nikon to Canon because of Nikons lousy service in his words. I can see now from this and other threads that Nikon need to up their game considerably with regard to looking after their customers. I hope the pro guys get better service although after reading Stewart R post recently it doesn't seem to be the case.
 
It's frustrating when you have no confidence in it. Did you buy new or used? If new can it go back in as warranty repair again specifically asking for it to be calibrated and checked (I know you already have done this)? If bought used has it take a knock that put the AF slightly out. Is there a TP member who has the same setup as you where you could try it out together. Another thing to check is checking focus when it's locked down on a tripod with high shutter speed with vr off. There are weight differences between the canon 100-400 and the nikon (or canon) 500mm f4 that means different technique is required and long lens soon show this technique up especially on 36 mp sensor.

It does sound like you are happier with canon as you know them better but it is going around in circles. To be honest Im lost on canons mainly because I've only used nikons for the last 5 years. I couldn't even work out how to turn a canon dslr on when I tried one at bird fair! I've bought and sold a few lens in the last few years trying to find the 'ideal' setup but I'm coming to the conclusion that it doesn't exist! I'm considering a degrade/reduced to go to a smaller lighter setup (24-120 f4, 70-200 f2.8, 200-500 f5.6) because it seems to cover most bases I need and weight is what stops me using some gear ( its not fun carrying a 15kg backpack around). Also for a hobby I don't need thousands of pounds worth of gear, it doesn't make us better wildlife photographers, it just gives us extra problems. Chasing the ideal gear is never going to make us better, it's just a circle where you think something else with give you that slight advantage that in the real world doesn't matter. Reading books and getting out trying more makes us better and in the end gives us better luck too.

What was your problems with the 7d2 and 100-400? Would you be happy staying with that and getting to know it properly rather than wanting to change again? Think about what makes you happy to stick with until it fails and you need to change.
 
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Sounds like you need to stick to something for a good few years and learn how to use it to its best. Do you really think there is such a huge difference between one brand and another for your particular needs? If there is then fine, use that brand but be sure it is not that you need to improve your skills with the kit you have.

AshC said:
I can either try and see if I can perfect the Nikon Gear over the winter and maybe miss some special shots because it's not just right
Click to expand...

There will be "special" shots every winter, and spring, summer and autumn as well, take your time to practice and learn.
 
To be blunt, it sounds to me like " A bad workman always blames his tools !"

Maybe a bit harsh, but my point is that there are thousands of incredible images out there using any of the setup lens/camera combinations you have used.
If the equipment is faulty, get it fixed or calibrated, and it will be better,
If the equipment doesn't "fit" you very well, then change it until you find a setup which fits.
When you have decided on your gear setup, just go out and use it.
The more you use it, the better it/you will get.
 
Maybe worth asking about the Nikon in the Bird section, I believe theres a few users of the D810 & 500 f4 combination, who get very good results.
 
You have to have really good experimental technique to chase small differences in IQ with long lenses. Long lenses are so affected by the quality of air and light, thermal turbulence, and tiny sources of camera instability that are hardly noticeable. In addition different lenses have different virtues and vices which will cause them to shine in some conditions and disappoint in others. If you have a lens which mostly disappoints, but sometimes does much better, that's the clue that it's your technique that's at fault, not the lens. And you must do your tests with careful manual focusing, given that it's not at all uncommon for factory calibrated DSLRs and lenses of over 250mm not to AF accurately. That's why in the most expensive DSLRs with the best AF you also get AF lens micro-adjustment.

Next time you change systems, don't sell your best lenses. It'll save you money when you change back.
 
•
Since I'm in Austria, there is no Austrian Nikon service, it all goes to the bigger
brother in Germany!

So, the only chance I got is to do most myself and that goes through a lot of study
time. For instance, I would not buy any lens without the guaranty that I could
return for exchange in say 2~3 days… just enough time to perform the AF FineTune
and test it to my satisfaction.
 
Cheers for all the comments, I didn't expect so many. Most of you have suggested things Im aware of such as Technique, atmospherics with long lenses, weight difference for the 500mm and so forth. I have tried to be careful with all these aspects when testing and using the 500mm but compared to other lenses I've used it's just not been accurate with focus even after the calibrations, hence why I've had to set the Micro Adjustment value myself again. I have read threads on other forums that mention that with the 1.4x TC in use the 500mm needs quite a lot of micro adjustment typically. This helped me realise it wasn't just me having problems with this lens. I guess I was lucky to get one originally that had no focus issues but sadly not this time. I've tried different converters while at the camera shop and obviously now tried it on 2 Different bodies and found the same issue.

Having sold the D810 already, today I did a comparison between the D7200 and 50mm F1.8 G and the 7D MK II and 40mm 2.8 Pancake as they were the most similar lenses I had on both systems. I found the Nikon setup clearly had more sharpness and detail but otherwise I found more positives with the Canon. I preferred the white balance and colours from the Canon, Nikons highly saturated greens was quite a negative for me. I also found exposures were often more consistent on the canon with the Nikon producing more over exposed images. I think even though I was in evaluative metering the nikon is using the focus point towards metering more sensitively than canon. I know the cameras will use the focus point to assist with this but it was a good test for typical use. These tests are only in my opinion of course and to my preference, I could have adjusted colour and wb as I only shoot Raw but I wanted to see what I was getting straight from the camera. I feel I would have to do more adjustment on the Nikon files.

Overall I think I would be happier on canon at this point. I will take my 500mm out when I get chance this week and see how it performs but Im really thinking I may have made up my mind. The shots I took today saw no huge advantage to Nikons Raw images straight out of the camera. I know with the better Sensor in the D7200 I'll be able to lift shadows with less noise but I think the advantage is small for my needs over my happiness In actually using the gear.
 
Thought I'd update on what I've ended up doing. I ended up getting the 100-400mm MK2 to go with my 7D MK II and carried on Selling all the Nikon Gear. I still have the 500mm for Sale as Im not wanting to let it go too cheaply. I've also kept the D7200 as I can shoot with the 500mm and it's not sitting about.
I've found that the Canon setup is working for me extremely well. The sharpness is right up there and the 100-400 MK2 is fantastically sharp even wide open and very fast to focus. Needless to say Im very pleased. I've also found my 7D MK II body working very well with focus, it does seem more accurate than the original one I had that may have been iffy from the first batch, In fact as I helped the buyer with warranty I know the AF system on that camera failed so it would seem canon did have some quality control issues on the first batch.

The troublesome thing now is seeing that specs for the D500 and D5! It's made me wonder if Im now doing the right thing especially as I know the D500 has an automatic AF fine tune option so the Micro Adjust issues Iv'e been having (more so with the TC) should be corrected automatically without all the hassle of trying to get it right. What sways me though is cost, put simply at £1700 for the D500 it's just too similarly spec'd to the 7D MK II that I wouldn't benefit much more than having Lower noise and more DR. Im happy with the AF from the Mk II and the Speed and Im happy with my canon lenses so why keep the Nikon other than save myself loosing out when I sell the 500mm. I guess it's just new gear lust, I've just gotta remember Im happy with my canon setup. Lets hope the 1DX MK II and 5D 4 are a big leap forward.
 
AshC said:
Thought I'd update on what I've ended up doing. I ended up getting the 100-400mm MK2 to go with my 7D MK II and carried on Selling all the Nikon Gear. I still have the 500mm for Sale as Im not wanting to let it go too cheaply. I've also kept the D7200 as I can shoot with the 500mm and it's not sitting about.
I've found that the Canon setup is working for me extremely well. The sharpness is right up there and the 100-400 MK2 is fantastically sharp even wide open and very fast to focus. Needless to say Im very pleased. I've also found my 7D MK II body working very well with focus, it does seem more accurate than the original one I had that may have been iffy from the first batch, In fact as I helped the buyer with warranty I know the AF system on that camera failed so it would seem canon did have some quality control issues on the first batch.

The troublesome thing now is seeing that specs for the D500 and D5! It's made me wonder if Im now doing the right thing especially as I know the D500 has an automatic AF fine tune option so the Micro Adjust issues Iv'e been having (more so with the TC) should be corrected automatically without all the hassle of trying to get it right. What sways me though is cost, put simply at £1700 for the D500 it's just too similarly spec'd to the 7D MK II that I wouldn't benefit much more than having Lower noise and more DR. Im happy with the AF from the Mk II and the Speed and Im happy with my canon lenses so why keep the Nikon other than save myself loosing out when I sell the 500mm. I guess it's just new gear lust, I've just gotta remember Im happy with my canon setup. Lets hope the 1DX MK II and 5D 4 are a big leap forward.
Click to expand...
There is always going to be something 'better' and newer. If the kit you have gets you the image then you don't need anything else.
 
I think you were just seeing the limitations of high resolution sensors at 1:1...
I frequently use a D810 for wildlife/birds... and quite frequently there is no benefit or even a slight drawback to using it.
 
I think being happy with what you use ,I use Canon gear always have but im sure id be just as happy with Nikon gear if that was where I started .

Rob.
 
It took me some time to realise that the kit I have is far better than I am at composing a shot so the kit was never the limiting factor - it was (and is) me!

So I chose a system I felt comfortable with ergonomically and am now going through a process of learning how to improve on the shots I take so to answer your title question I think its about being happy with what you use :)
 
Strangely enough just managed to sell the 500mm Today. So Im now fully bak to Canon. My friend is having the D7200 off me as he's holding out for a D500 till any bugs are worked out the first batch, a wise decision I backed him on. Looks like I can focus on getting good images again with the gear I have and also consider a longer lens to make things easier shooting small birds ( and to some extent big birds). But Im not going to jump into anything at the moment.
 
•
This is no issue for me… us, as my sons are clicking along.

Decades ago, I started with Nikon and, as a science photographer
then and just pro now, I can do anything I want and can get all I
need.
 
jerry12953 said:
Pookeyhead has it on the nail (for once......;)); but there's another thing -

Just stop "testing" cameras and lenses. You will always be hypercritical of your gear if you're testing it all the time. Go out and USE it!
Click to expand...
This is the best advice on this forum and should probably be stickied in every gear thread, use it only test it if you are sure there is a problem!
 
jerry12953 said:
Pookeyhead has it on the nail (for once......;)); but there's another thing -

Just stop "testing" cameras and lenses. You will always be hypercritical of your gear if you're testing it all the time. Go out and USE it!
Click to expand...

a1ex2001 said:
This is the best advice on this forum and should probably be stickied in every gear thread, use it only test it if you are sure there is a problem!
Click to expand...

True. I flourished with a 5Dc and a set of good primes. Regret selling a lot of it, but an engagement ring was required!
 
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