It's not you - it's me.... I've fallen out of love with my Canon system.

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Halfwhelk

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Matt
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As you'll see from the list below, I have a fairly comprehensive Canon system which I have built up over the years.
Trouble is, I dont use it to anywhere near its full potential. It's bulky and heavy and I'm sorry to admit, I use my phone camera more frequently.
I always take it with me in the boot of the car and almost never use it.
I got the 5Dii because I wanted to make videos, but IMO, outside of a studio setup its pretty useless.

What can I replace it (the whole lot) with to rediscover my love of photography?
I'm prepared to spend all of the money I can get flogging it on a replacement.
Thanks
Matt

Canon:
Bodies 5Dii, 5Di, 20D G11, EF 24-105mm L, EF 100-400mm L, 2x multiplier, EF 50mm 1.2, Sigma 12-24mm DSM ART, Samyang 8mm, Speedlight 580EX, Zacuto Z-finder.
 
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Did the same a few years ago, went over to Fuji XT-2's and love it. Much smaller kit bag and lighter. If I'm off out for the day they go with me even if I don't use them.

Went from 5d2 and 1d3. I love the the results from my Fuji kit and don't feel I've lost anything in the changeover.
 
Micro Four Thirds system....... Panasonic or Olympus body(ies) depending on whether stills or video is your primary need.

PS I went for the Olympus E-M1 mk2. Though I still have my Canon 5Dmk3 and it's 24-105 lens it has not been used since I got the Oly kit. I sold the rest of my Canon gear.
 
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I did the same and went for the XT-1.
I kept my 5Dii and TS-E but as it never sees the light of day I might as well sell it but as I don't need the money I think keep it.
 
I went from Nikon D810 to Fuji X-T2 and haven`t regretted the move at all. I did wonder at first if I would miss FF, but nope, not in the slightest. The best part, is being able to go out for the day, with bag loaded up and get home without feeling crippled (y)
 
Another vote for the M4/3 cameras, even the EM1 MKII is smaller than most of the other mirrorless bodies, and the comparable lenses certainly are.
 
Older Fuji body like the X-E2 I just bought ( prefer it to X-T1 with its stupid dial locks )

And the rest on good Fuji glass because they make killer lenses.
 
How about doing something, take a workshop, sign Up for a project, to travel or do an exibition or whatever to spark your photography? Relying om gearchange to do anything great for your interest is like peeing in your pants to keep warm on a frosty day...............
What you need is reviring your brain and in my mind gear focussed actions are poor substitutes.
 
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My wedding was shot with a 5DII and for reasons I wont go into I ended up processing my own wedding pictures and looking at them I do honestly think that the later Micro Four Thirds cameras will give a 5DII real competition for image quality whilst easily thrashing the 20D and 5D both of which I've owned.

Matt's kit will be expensive to replace with FF Sony A7x kit but I'd give serious thought to a MTF system based around the very reasonably priced and capable 16mp GX80 or more expensive 20mp GX9 (I do like the rf style cameras but there are mini SLR style cameras to choose from.) MFT kit seems to be easy to find and reasonably priced on the used market and a relatively complete system could be put together for a relatively reasonable price :D hopefully leaving enough of a budget to seriously think about an A7x and just one or two lens too, maybe a zoom and a prime, for the occasions when quality beyond what MFT can provide is wanted. I don't personally think that there's enough of an image quality difference between the later MFT kit and APS-C kit to worry about especially if bulk and weight could be factors in the decision but if going for APS-C I personally would sidestep Fuji, nice cameras though they doubtless are, and go for a Sony A6xxx.
 
While the 5D2 was the first DSLR to offer HD video recording, it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of usability for that. The later cameras and even ones like the 80D offer much better video. If video isn't a concern anymore, I'd suggest concentrating on getting a good camera for stills and if the DSLR form is too bulk for you to be bothered taking it out with you, you'll be better off looking at the mirrorless options.

If you sell up the entire lot, you've probably got a budget near £3k, so that can get you a great new system.
You don't say what you like to shoot as that can dictate the lenses you buy.
The EOS RP would give you something similar to a Canon 6D Mk2, but in a much smaller package. The problem with it is that native RF lens options are limited meaning you'll likely end up using an adaptor, but it would allow you to keep the 24-105 and 100-400 for example if you wanted those focal lengths.
An XT3 would be a great camera, add the 18-55 kit lens or 16-55 f2.8 if you are happy with a bigger lens. Then your choice of lenses will depend on priorities. The 10-24 for your wide angle, a couple of primes, 23/35/56 or perhaps the 100-400 if you do wildlife/sports.
Sony A7III another great camera, good if you want to keep full frame and also easy to adapt Canon lenses to it.

If you're buying a new system, the best thing is to go and try them in store. Some like the tactile controls on the Fuji cameras, others don't. Some like the Sonys, others hate the menues and boxi-ness of the body.
 
I have a significant Canon system in that I have a 5D4 and a 1DX2. I hankered after something lighter and found myself with an Oly system after borrowing an Oly camera on the Test and Wow scheme. I use both; they are very different and I like that about them. In February, I decided to remove the grip from my 5D4 and found myself loving it for the everyday again. Now, the last two months have been far from normal for me; I had an ACL replacement. On the two very small forays outside with the camera since, I took my 5D4 which feels small again without the grip especially when using the 1DX2 for some sport from a seat as well. So, I wonder if it is gripped? Even with the 35mm 1.4 prime that I traded up to at the photo show, it feels quite manageable. If you don't shoot action /wildlife, then perhaps go Test and Wow. Have a look at the websites of Mike Inkley, Scott Bourne and Steve Gosling who are Olympus Ambassadors. The Oly kit is very light and small; it is much more so than Fuji or Sony ]who produce splendid cameras] especially if you go to FF where the lenses are very big as are the Canon RF lens [and quite startlingly priced]. Good luck!
 
Chipper said:
The Oly kit is very light and small; it is much more so than Fuji or Sony ]who produce splendid cameras] especially if you go to FF where the lenses are very big as are the Canon RF lens [and quite startlingly priced]. Good luck!
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Just to add a bit of balance... some mirrorless lenses are relatively small and compact. I can't comment on the Nikon and Canon mirrorless systems but I do have a FF Sony A7 and 35mm f2.8, 55mm f1.8 and 85mm f1.8 and all are relatively small as are some of the other primes and indeed even some of the zooms. The G Master lenses, f1.4 primes etc tend to be larger but it is possible to make up a kit without these if more compact and lighter kit is your aim. Cost wise it'll not all bad news either but with size and cost you really can't generalise too much and instead you really have to look at the specific lenses you're interested in.
 
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Halfwhelk said:
As you'll see from the list below, I have a fairly comprehensive Canon system which I have built up over the years.
Trouble is, I dont use it to anywhere near its full potential. It's bulky and heavy and I'm sorry to admit, I use my phone camera more frequently.
I always take it with me in the boot of the car and almost never use it.
I got the 5Dii because I wanted to make videos, but IMO, outside of a studio setup its pretty useless.

What can I replace it (the whole lot) with to rediscover my love of photography?
I'm prepared to spend all of the money I can get flogging it on a replacement.
Thanks
Matt

Canon:
Bodies 5Dii, 5Di, 20D G11, EF 24-105mm L, EF 100-400mm L, 2x multiplier, EF 50mm 1.2, Sigma 12-24mm DSM ART, Samyang 8mm, Speedlight 580EX, Zacuto Z-finder.
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A few years ago I had very much the same problem as you: not using the camera or bringing it on holiday and then leaving most of the kit in the hotel because it was too bulky and heavy to carry around all day. I had the Canon 100-400 and it never left the house basically.

I decided to invest in m4/3 thinking it would be a complementary setup to Canon that I would use for travel mainly. My intention was to use m4/3 20% of the time and Canon full frame 80% of the time. Fast forward a few years and I still have a pared down Canon system, but I use m4/3 95% of the time now and am very happy with it. Weight and bulk have reduced drastically, but lens quality and IQ are very very good compared to what I was used to from Canon. I use Olympus bodies (E-M1II, E-M5II and E-M10II) for photography and I also have a Panasonic GH5 for video. All these cameras can share the same lenses.

If you decide to switch to m4/3 or Fuji or anything else, I would advocate getting a basic setup, see if you like it and then make a conscious decision to sell more Canon kit to fund further purchases. For instance I also had the 5DII and 5DI at some point; I sold the 5DII to free up funds to invest in m4/3 but I kept the 5DI while I was assessing the benefits and drawbacks of each system. I did sell the 5DI in the end and got my hands on a 5DIII, but that's another story...

In m4/3 a good starter kit would be the E-M1MkI, the Olympus 12-40 F/2.8 and the Olympus 40-150 f/4.0-5.6. This would cost around £800 used. Then you could add the Olympus 9-18, the Olympus 75-300 II, the Olympus 25 f/1.8 to mirror the focal lengths you currently have. You may find that you don't need to sell all your existing Canon stuff to fund this because m4/3 lenses tend to be cheaper for similar focal lengths and speeds compared to Canon full frame.
 
I had about £9K worth of Canon kit and decided to sell it to go for an XT-3 and a few lenses. I really enjoy the Fuji and don't regret selling the Canon gear, that's not to say I won't revisit a DSLR in the future, but for now I prefer the Fuji kit. My Canon bodies were 5D Mkiii and 7D Mkii for reference.
 
maarten.dhaese said:
If you decide to switch to m4/3 or Fuji or anything else, I would advocate getting a basic setup, see if you like it and then make a conscious decision to sell more Canon kit to fund further purchases.
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I'm about to do something like this, hopefully if my Fuji camera gets here next week. I will be pitting it against my G80, using the same lenses [I have AF adapters for both and some Canon lenses to test] I know they are different sensor sizes but I will try get them as close as possible in field of view, and take a bunch of similar images at the same settings with each set up. It's as much for fun as curiosity, but I will say right now that if the G80 impressed me more than the XH1 I will have some really tough decisions to make. I could always run both, but I would be light on lenses for each that way - for a while at least
 
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It sounds like the problem for you is size & weight (you don't mention what you photograph) but you have a very wide range of kit there that could cover almost anything. It's probably worth borrowing/hiring a camera & suitable lens for a day or 2 to see if the alternative works for you, because these cameras do handle differently and size/weight affects that quite a bit.
 
Going through this myself, finding the D850 and heavy telephotos a chore. I’ve been through a variety of smaller cameras including Fuji, but have settled on the Olympus EM1-II. Great camera, fun to use, and IQ is comparable to FF in most scenarios up to say A3 print. TBH I have three photos on my wall at work which are 75cm wide, 2 are with the D750 and one with EM10 and you can’t tell a difference in IQ.

Yes FF will be better in low light, will have shallower DOF and at pixel level will have better IQ, but in everyday shooting it’s genuinely hard to see a difference. Also, some of the m4/3 lenses now have that elusive depth to their images.
 
There's lots of recommendations for MFT and I own some reasonable MFT kit, but contrary to the above advice my go-to is still the Canon gear, in my case a 6D and 7Dii. I use the MFT gear for specific things and as a camera to take on non-photographic outings but I just find it a bit small for my hands, there's obvious differences in things like DoF, but in general image quality is indistinguishable in a lot of circumstances.

My advice, if you are thinking of switching, is go and try them, see how you get on with handling them. It's a shame the Photography Show has just happened because that is a great place to go and get some hands-on with all the options.

But what I really think is what @soeren said, new kit might peak your interest for a short while but it's no substitute for finding a purpose for your photography and then getting the kit to deliver your objectives.
 
If you do a search, there's a few who have asked similar questions recently.

Myself, I had a 7D2 & 6D1 (plus a 7D1 that was a "spare") with a number of L lenses, a Sigma 150-600 Sport and some other Canon bits (grips etc). Like you, I found it heavy & bulky to the point that it generally stayed in the back of the car. I have a back complaint, and I had lost my photo mojo.

I eventually sold some of it off and traded the rest. I now have a pair of X-T2's, plus a number of lenses. I haven't looked back, love the Fuji system, the glass is excellent, and at least one camera and a couple of lenses go most places.
 
Just to add too, FWIW image appearance always trumps portability for me - speaking as a 57 year old (i.e. not young and strapping). For a few trips I took a crop camera on holiday instead of full frame because I perceived a lighter system would be better, only to wish I'd taken the heavier kit afterwards. Guys like Snerkler/Toby above (who's a better photographer than me) don't see a big difference between crop or M43 and full frame, but I do, so make sure you invest in something you can live with rather than an unsatisfactory compromise.
 
My husband Ian (@camera 2 post below)and myself are just changing over to M4/3 from Canon because of spinal problems. Ian now uses an Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II and I now use a Panasonic G80. @maarten.dhaese, @Cagey75, @snerkler and many others have provided us with great advice and its the best thing we’ve done. Ian found it a bit of a learning curve to get correct settings for nighttime rugby but otherwise the change over has been ok. We still have a lot of old equipment to sell but we both are now a lot happier using lighter equipment and still getting good quality images.
 
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fido18 said:
My husband Ian and myself are just changing over to M4/3 from Canon because of spinal problems. Ian now uses an Olympus OMD EM1 Mark II and I now use a Panasonic G80. @maarten.dhaese, @Cagey75, @snerkler and many others have provided us with great advice and its the best thing we’ve done. Ian found it a bit of a learning curve to get correct settings for nighttime rugby but otherwise the change over has been ok. We still have a lot of old equipment to sell but we both are now a lot happier using lighter equipment and still getting good quality images.
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The G80 and em1 mkII are both fine cameras, I don't think I've even come close to out-growing the G80! There's tonnes of things it can do that I have never even tried. I was a Fuji shooter before getting it though, and always kind of missed that Fuji-Factor, it is there, and once you use a Fuji it's hard let go. But so is IBIS! The reason I switched to begin with. The XH1 wasn't out at the time and when it did arrive it was too pricey for me. Now I have the chance to give it a go, but it's certainly not because the G80 is letting me down, not in the slightest. I've loved using this camera, and bar it sells for what I want, I'll be hanging on to it for a while at least. I used FF Nikon before I switched to Fuji, and to be honest ... I never noticed the huge difference some claim. Yes, you can achieve nicer, shallower DOF using FF, and yes they are much better at higher ISO ... but that's about it.
 
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I’ve moved from Canon 7d to Olympus Em1 mk2. Didn’t think I’d ever make the move away from Canon as my main camera - but the difference from a weight / portability perspective has certainly convinced me it was the right move to make. The image quality is fantastic by comparison, even on cropping images. I shoot mainly rugby and use the Olympus 40-150 2.8 pro lens. Best advice is to do what you’re doing - asking advice on the forum and considering trying kit out before committing to a change. For me, changing has been a good move - definitely encouraging me to try out the new technology on the camera and find subjects other than rugby to shoot!
 
ancient_mariner said:
Just to add too, FWIW image appearance always trumps portability for me - speaking as a 57 year old (i.e. not young and strapping). For a few trips I took a crop camera on holiday instead of full frame because I perceived a lighter system would be better, only to wish I'd taken the heavier kit afterwards. Guys like Snerkler/Toby above (who's a better photographer than me) don't see a big difference between crop or M43 and full frame, but I do, so make sure you invest in something you can live with rather than an unsatisfactory compromise.
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Very kind of you but we’ll have to agree to disagree on that point ;)

As to the m4/3 vs FF there are still certain situations where I can tell (today’s London Marathon for example, which has caused quite a quandary now as to what I do moving forward regarding systems :banghead:) but for everyday stuff and holiday photos I can rarely tell, in fact my current m4/3 wildlife setup is providing better results that the FF setup it replaced :eek:

So for most things the weight saving and joy of using m4/3 far out weighs the very small benefit in IQ for me, but it does look likely I’ll be keeping FF for those few times it shines (y)
 
snerkler said:
Very kind of you but we’ll have to agree to disagree on that point ;)

As to the m4/3 vs FF there are still certain situations where I can tell (today’s London Marathon for example, which has caused quite a quandary now as to what I do moving forward regarding systems :banghead:) but for everyday stuff and holiday photos I can rarely tell, in fact my current m4/3 wildlife setup is providing better results that the FF setup it replaced :eek:

So for most things the weight saving and joy of using m4/3 far out weighs the very small benefit in IQ for me, but it does look likely I’ll be keeping FF for those few times it shines (y)
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To be fair though it looks like you have gone to considerable expense on the m4/3 system.
And are probably experiencing the very best m4/3 has to offer with what looks like pro level m4/3 gear you have listed as owning ?
 
Caerus said:
To be fair though it looks like you have gone to considerable expense on the m4/3 system.
And are probably experiencing the very best m4/3 has to offer with what looks like pro level m4/3 gear you have listed as owning ?
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TBH I'm lucky to have some of the best gear for both systems. I know it probably goes without saying that overall the FF will provide better images, but as per my posts above the differences are so minimal at times it seemed crazy to me to carry such big and heavy FF gear, and as a result I've been making more of a switch to m4/3. My wildlife setup now weighs about 1.4kg vs 3kg that I had with the FF setup. However, I've always loved my 70-200mm f2.8 lens and as good as the 40-150mm f2.8 on the Olympus is it just can't quite match it. It's now a question of whether I'm willing to sacrifice IQ over weight.
 
I just want to say thanks for all of the comments on this thread. Every one made me think about the issue in a new way. Armed with this deeper consideration I took the plunge and part exed my entire Canon system for an XT-3 with a kit 18-55, 50-200, and 16mm 1.4. The free battery grip and £100 cashback made this a cash neutral exchange.
I can only say wow! The technology is just fantastic. Time, and a few thousand images will prove the capability of the sensor, but so far I'm impressed. Happy and impressed.
 
I’ve been watching these FF / 4/3rds/ Fuji Xs threads avidly over the past few months, I am tempted especially by the Panasonic G9, but am worried about the lower light high ISO capabilities, but some of the better quality images I have seen posted lately are something else, spectacular I would say.
It seems that the capabilities of smaller sensors are getting really good now, and pro photographers are turning out some very nice images, but when you delve deep they still keep an FX setup in the background for those special occasions. I use the word ‘pro’ loosely because a good many amateur/ hobby photographers are equally as good as many photographers making a living from photography.
All I can say is keep the threads coming, that’s what keeps-a forum alive. Makes very interesting reading.
 
soeren said:
Relying om gearchange to do anything great for your interest is like peeing in your pants to keep warm on a frosty day...
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/\ this

Maybe downgrade to a simpler lighter system and spend the rest on a photo trip somewhere you’ve always wanted to go!
 
lightshipman said:
I’ve been watching these FF / 4/3rds/ Fuji Xs threads avidly over the past few months, I am tempted especially by the Panasonic G9, but am worried about the lower light high ISO capabilities, but some of the better quality images I have seen posted lately are something else, spectacular I would say.
It seems that the capabilities of smaller sensors are getting really good now, and pro photographers are turning out some very nice images, but when you delve deep they still keep an FX setup in the background for those special occasions. I use the word ‘pro’ loosely because a good many amateur/ hobby photographers are equally as good as many photographers making a living from photography.
All I can say is keep the threads coming, that’s what keeps-a forum alive. Makes very interesting reading.
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If it helps at all...

I've been with MFT since the GF1 and currently have a 16mp GX80 and 20mp GX9. I can't see much if any image quality difference between them at all but I suppose that makes the 20mp the best as you get a bump up in the mp count basically for free... image quality wise.

I'll use my cameras at any ISO up to and including the max 25,600 and IMO the biggest issues are -

- Some artificial lighting which can make even ISO 1,600 look horrible and...
- Pixel peeping.

With the artificial lighting issue if the colours and noise are just too bad I convert to B&W and to be honest the same goes for FF too. Some artificial lighting is IMO a real test no matter what gear you use. The urge to pixel peep is difficult to overcome :D and high ISO pictures can look pretty poor (but still waaaaay better than anything I ever got from film) when pixel peeping but if I can resist the urge and instead look at the whole picture I'm usually less bothered and often actually impressed. Even when pixel peeping it's often the case that despite the noise the level of detail still retained is good.
 
lightshipman said:
I’ve been watching these FF / 4/3rds/ Fuji Xs threads avidly over the past few months, I am tempted especially by the Panasonic G9, but am worried about the lower light high ISO capabilities, but some of the better quality images I have seen posted lately are something else, spectacular I would say.
It seems that the capabilities of smaller sensors are getting really good now, and pro photographers are turning out some very nice images, but when you delve deep they still keep an FX setup in the background for those special occasions. I use the word ‘pro’ loosely because a good many amateur/ hobby photographers are equally as good as many photographers making a living from photography.
All I can say is keep the threads coming, that’s what keeps-a forum alive. Makes very interesting reading.
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I have m4/3 (Olympus EM1-II) and FF (D850 just been traded for the Z7) and in a number of scenarios I cannot see a discernible difference. Yes, viewing at pixel level you will, but who looks at images in that way unless your apply some fine PP? However, as you may have seen from my previous posts on other threads there are times when FF still has that edge and as a result unfortunately I've not been able to make the complete switch to m4/3. I say unfortunately as ideally I'd like just one system, and I prefer the M4/3 size and weight. So it depends what you want to shoot, for most things you would be hard pressed to see the difference imo. I have a love/hate relationship with Fuji, but that 'hate' bit is something I can't see past.
 
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