Need new camera- what would you buy for £3000?

Steve

This day and age camera wise there is not that amount of difference between makes. Where the difference really lies is in cost and lens choice. Sorry you objected to the photo I put it up as an example , I don't think any other make owner, bar one, has offered up similar. We can all say this is better than that, it is down to personal choice but a photo gives a better idea of what to expect. I could have taken it with my Nikon D300 or D800 but I didn't have them with me

I notice in the thread you have not shown any photographic examples from your camera on this thread, so I would be interested in seeing what yours can do
 
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@morpheve... I moved like many because of the weight of my Canon and heavy lenses. The m4/3 systems are so light weight and the pro lenses are superb, image quality is second to none.
 
Steve

This day and age camera wise there is not that amount of difference between makes. Where the difference really lies is in cost and lens choice. Sorry you objected to the photo I put it up as an example , I don't think any other make owner, bar one, has offered up similar. We can all say this is better than that, it is down to personal choice but a photo gives a better idea of what to expect. I could have taken it with my Nikon D300 or D800 but I didn't have them with me

I notice in the thread you have not shown any photographic examples from your camera on this thread, so I would be interested in seeing what yours can do

I think what @jakeblu was saying wasn’t that there was anything wrong with your image, just simply that any £3k camera combo is likely to deliver images to a standard where presenting at web resolution cannot tell you anything. And actually viewing at almost any resolution cannot really reveal much either. They have all become so good that at best a side by side full res comparison would be needed, but more likely its graphs and lab tests. We are somewhat spoilt these days, you just can’t go out and buy a bad one.
 
Steve

This day and age camera wise there is not that amount of difference between makes. Where the difference really lies is in cost and lens choice. Sorry you objected to the photo I put it up as an example , I don't think any other make owner, bar one, has offered up similar. We can all say this is better than that, it is down to personal choice but a photo gives a better idea of what to expect. I could have taken it with my Nikon D300 or D800 but I didn't have them with me

I notice in the thread you have not shown any photographic examples from your camera on this thread, so I would be interested in seeing what yours can do
Sorry, we seem to be at cross purposes. I wasn't criticising the image at all, or the camera. I'm sure D810 is a great photographic tool. I was just pointing out that posting an image on the web at the resolution you have really doesn't do the camera justice, and at that res and size, it could even be from a smart phone.
 
Yes, you could have.

Your 35 combo is 148g lighter, an A7iii has 3 times the battery life of an A6000, add another 120g (2x npfw50) and your setup weighs as much as the Sony FF when considering ONLY battery life, not all the other benefits.

Your setup isn't 35/50/85.
No I don't have a "50". I find it unnecessary when having the "35" and "90". Instead I went for a wide "18". Why would I carry around 2 extra batteries when one is enough. Thought of getting a second spare but I've never manage to deplete both of the 2 batteries I have for the camera yet.
 
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I think what @jakeblu was saying wasn’t that there was anything wrong with your image, just simply that any £3k camera combo is likely to deliver images to a standard where presenting at web resolution cannot tell you anything. And actually viewing at almost any resolution cannot really reveal much either. They have all become so good that at best a side by side full res comparison would be needed, but more likely its graphs and lab tests. We are somewhat spoilt these days, you just can’t go out and buy a bad one.
For the web any 1k camera combo will deliver in good light. Even this shot taken over 10 years ago with what was then a moderately priced compact works OK for the web:
Milford sound, NZ by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr
 
For the web any 1k camera combo will deliver in good light. Even this shot taken over 10 years ago with what was then a moderately priced compact works OK for the web:
Milford sound, NZ by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

Is it my eyes going wonky or is the image slanted? I automatically tilted my head when glancing at it, looks a beautiful place though
 
Or he was falling over while taking the shot? :D

Good news is you can straighten it up on Flickr without disturbing anything else about the image - the date posted, comments etc
I've straightened this one on Flickr before, IIRC it removed it from all the forums it had been linked too - & now it's gone askew again...

My only excuse is I was upside-down while taking it. :cool:
 
Thanks, did not consider Fuji before - why should I? what sense would be good for landscapes?

Eve, I used to have a full Canon set up, 7D Mk2 & 6D full frame, with a number of lenses. They were heavy and needed a big bag to go anywhere with 2 bodies.

I now have a pair of X-T2's with a few lenses. I shoot wildlife and landscapes, but this week also shot a wedding for a good friend. The technology in the mirrorless bodies is brilliant, such as silent shooting, histogram in the EVF, the list goes on. The most important thing for me though was all of the major controls are external.

Aperture is on the lens ring, ISO & shutter speed are on the top dials, exposure comp is also on a top dial, Shooting modes (single hi & low FPS etc) is under the ISO dial, metering is under the shutter speed dial, and to top it off, the focus point joystick is just so good. Stick on one of the many excellent prime lenses and you have a small light camera which will take excellent images.

This maybe the same with other makes, but nothing I have picked up seems as tactile and as user friendly as the X-T range from Fuji. The new X-T3 is even better, but I would look at at a T2, 16mm f1.4, 23 or 35mm f1.4, and one of the zooms (I have the 10-24 f4, 50-140 f2.8 & 100-400 f5.6, but the latter is really used for wildlife). I can get 1 body with the 10-24 attached, the 16mm & 35mm plus a small flash and 2 spare batteries into a small billingham bag or small sling. It's revolutionised my photography, the camera comes out more often and I'm shooting more. What's more, I'm enjoying taking photos much more than I was 2 or 3 years ago.
 
I used to lust after the Fuji dials but in use I'm sure I'd prefer the more usual these days little front and back wheels to dials on the top plate of the camera as IMO the little wheels are easier and more comfortable to use with just a thumb or finger without moving my hand rather than the top dials which may require my hand to be moved.
 
I used to lust after the Fuji dials but in use I'm sure I'd prefer the more usual these days little front and back wheels to dials on the top plate of the camera as IMO the little wheels are easier and more comfortable to use with just a thumb or finger without moving my hand rather than the top dials which may require my hand to be moved.

I looked at the Fuji's before buying the EM1.2, and that was my thoughts exactly, I shoot mostly motorsports, I live in shutter priority mode, and often adjust the shutter speed between shots, being able to do so without taking my eye from the viewfinder or hand from the grip is a necessity for me, and that would either be difficult or impossible with the Fuji.

There's no substitute for going into a camera shop and getting your hands on the cameras to see how they feel. The Olly is perfect for me, but I can see how it might not suit someone with bigger hands, for example.
 
I used to lust after the Fuji dials but in use I'm sure I'd prefer the more usual these days little front and back wheels to dials on the top plate of the camera as IMO the little wheels are easier and more comfortable to use with just a thumb or finger without moving my hand rather than the top dials which may require my hand to be moved.
You can adjust shutterspeed with either front or rear wheel in T-mode
 
Like i said, it really works for me. The OP asked why should he go with Fuji, I gave him my thoughts.

I used to shoot a lot of motorsports on my 7D's haven't really tried with the Fuji's, but I know of at least one pro motorsport guy on here that shoots Fuji exclusively, and he does work for F1 teams, so I guess they're OK :)
 
With Fuji you can look down at the top plate of the camera and immediately know where your settings are at, no need to even look at the LCD, some may prefer to turn the LCD off altogether, it's possible to this and still change settings on the fly with Fuji. There's pros and cons to any system. It's also the lenses that attract many people to Fuji, I don't think they make a bad one tbh
 
Yes but have you got dual card slots, wi-fi, bluetooth, face and eye detection, a red soft shutter button and a poncy leather hand strap ? If not then you're not a real man :D

Hahaha to funny, my cameras do not have any of those fancy features.
 
@morpheve... I moved like many because of the weight of my Canon and heavy lenses. The m4/3 systems are so light weight and the pro lenses are superb, image quality is second to none.

Thanks for info, I will explore this option as well [emoji1303]
 
MFT image quality being "second to none" is to be honest a bit of a stretch. The later bodies are very nice though and the lenses have always been nice.

This is a MFT picture I kept in my "test" folder, it was taken at with a Panasonic GX80 and 45-150mm f4-5.6 at ISO 16,000 which would have been science fiction not too long ago. Viewed at 100% this isn't going to challenge a "FF" shot but it's useable as a whole picture with very little processing.

P1010803.jpg
 
That quality loooks amazing! 16000 ISO! Science fiction indeed.

Maybe I should put that d850 purchase on hold (for even longer.....)

Careful :D Remember that looking at it here it's been processed, if only slightly, and it's downsized to 1,000 pixels wide. It is IMO ok though and would make a nice A4 print and maybe larger with a bit more care.

I really only posted for a bit more balance because nice as these cameras and lenses are I don't think the image quality is quite "second to none" as Gandalf said, with respect to Gandalf. APS-C is going to be a teeny tiny bit better and FF will move things on a bit more and using very nice lenses can't overcome the disadvantage the system is at compared to the larger sensor systems. The later MFT cameras and lenses are very nice though and maybe good enough for lots of us lots of the time.
 
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Eve, I used to have a full Canon set up, 7D Mk2 & 6D full frame, with a number of lenses. They were heavy and needed a big bag to go anywhere with 2 bodies.

I now have a pair of X-T2's with a few lenses. I shoot wildlife and landscapes, but this week also shot a wedding for a good friend. The technology in the mirrorless bodies is brilliant, such as silent shooting, histogram in the EVF, the list goes on. The most important thing for me though was all of the major controls are external.

Aperture is on the lens ring, ISO & shutter speed are on the top dials, exposure comp is also on a top dial, Shooting modes (single hi & low FPS etc) is under the ISO dial, metering is under the shutter speed dial, and to top it off, the focus point joystick is just so good. Stick on one of the many excellent prime lenses and you have a small light camera which will take excellent images.

This maybe the same with other makes, but nothing I have picked up seems as tactile and as user friendly as the X-T range from Fuji. The new X-T3 is even better, but I would look at at a T2, 16mm f1.4, 23 or 35mm f1.4, and one of the zooms (I have the 10-24 f4, 50-140 f2.8 & 100-400 f5.6, but the latter is really used for wildlife). I can get 1 body with the 10-24 attached, the 16mm & 35mm plus a small flash and 2 spare batteries into a small billingham bag or small sling. It's revolutionised my photography, the camera comes out more often and I'm shooting more. What's more, I'm enjoying taking photos much more than I was 2 or 3 years ago.

I joined the FujiX system five years ago and would pretty well agree with what you're saying here. Nevertheless now that the dust is beginning to settle on the new round of mirrorless releases, I'd advise the OP to seriously consider staying Nikon at that budget if you want to be to some extent future-proof. The Z6 is not yet available but the bundle with the 24-70 f4, F mount adaptor and QXD card is comfortably under £3000 which is not the case for the Z7 which is very similar apart from the hi-res sensor. Despite some initial scepticism, I'm increasingly impressed with what I've been seeing and reading on the Z system from more reputable websites (like Photography Life which likes both Nikon and Fuji). The reason is in particular the lenses which look like the beginning a completely new level of image quality thanks to the way the Z mount has been designed. Of course initially there are few available but they will come and a more consumer-orientated range will also be introduced. In the meantime you could for just over £500 add the well-reviewed Nikon fairly new AF-P 70-300 which seems to use similar technologies seen in the S lenses. Nikon have seemingly produced a superior viewfinder to just about anything else out there which to me is very important and much better than the one on the Sony A7iii which is the obvious competitor. The latter probably uses much the same sensor though it's possible Nikon will tweak even better IQ out of it. The eye AF tracking has already become legendary with this camera and if one of the most important things for you is shooting people on the move, there's probably no better option out there as it seems that CAF still needs a bit of work with Nikon. There are more lenses out of the gate of course though the better ones tend to be expensive and often surprisingly large and heavy.

I'm in the situation where the novelty of the "retro" dials and haptics of my Fuji X-Pro2 is beginning to wear off though the Fujis are in general the best looking cameras out there. The real joy of the Fuji system to me if for street photography if you use the delightful light primes. The new X-T3 looks like being a formidable video and action competitor as well. However, if you do a lot of lowlight photography or require maximum clarity and post-processing ability for landscape, moving up to so called full frame will give an edge with comparable lenses. Even with mirrorless, FF will tend to be a bit more expensive and heavier but the Fuji 50-140 telephoto for instance, is far from light or cheap and much depends on how exactly you build your system. I'm frankly on the fence about staying with Fuji or jumping back to Nikon now that they're finally embraced the mirrorless technology with all of its advantages. Fuji colours are often praised and I agree there is a certain something there but I find actually that Nikon's are often more natural. If I do switch my main system, I'll surely get a X-100 series Fuji eventually as there's nothing with the same charm.

David
 
Careful :D Remember that looking at it here it's been processed, if only slightly, and it's downsized to 1,000 pixels wide. It is IMO ok though and would make a nice A4 print and maybe larger with a bit more care.

I really only posted for a bit more balance because nice as these cameras and lenses are I don't think the image quality is quite "second to none" as Gandalf said, with respect to Gandalf. APS-C is going to be a teeny tiny bit better and FF will move things on a bit more and using very nice lenses can't overcome the disadvantage the system is at compared to the larger sensor systems. The later MFT cameras and lenses are very nice though and maybe good enough for lots of us lots of the time.


Yes, but ISO 16000! I hardly ever use my 5d3 above 1600.
 
personally I'd buy a blower brush and lens cloth to clean up my current kit, then spend the rest on travel and accomodation while I got out and actually used the damned stuff I've already got...

I think most people come to the realisation at some point that the only thing that holds you back in photography is the amount of time you can actually spend going out taking photographs.

GAS is a whole other kettle of fish and is best separated from that
 
Like i said, it really works for me. The OP asked why should he go with Fuji, I gave him my thoughts.

I used to shoot a lot of motorsports on my 7D's haven't really tried with the Fuji's, but I know of at least one pro motorsport guy on here that shoots Fuji exclusively, and he does work for F1 teams, so I guess they're OK :)

Well I know more now, and I am a bit wiser what will be best choice for my photography style and budget.

I really like Fuji XT-3 it reminds me my first camera I fall in love with 35 mm photography.
It was Praktica MTL 5b (I still got it)

I have rethink everything and decided for now upgrade my cropped sensor camera as I got all my lenses for that system.

Buy wide angle lens for cropped sensor (any recommendations welcome) and go to Iceland at the end of November.
Do ice cave trek, find northern light and many other famous Icelandic landscapes.

When I come back I start to save up for Fuji XT3 and landscape lens and a few spare batteries [emoji367].

That’s the plan!
 
With Fuji you can look down at the top plate of the camera and immediately know where your settings are at, no need to even look at the LCD, some may prefer to turn the LCD off altogether, it's possible to this and still change settings on the fly with Fuji. There's pros and cons to any system. It's also the lenses that attract many people to Fuji, I don't think they make a bad one tbh

I really like Fuji now! It’s growing in me and I think I have a crash [emoji7] as I adjust my plans I am going to Iceland and then will save up for that little body and landscape lens.

Exciting :)
 
I think most people come to the realisation at some point that the only thing that holds you back in photography is the amount of time you can actually spend going out taking photographs.

GAS is a whole other kettle of fish and is best separated from that
I deal with GAS by collecting old cameras - I buy a 'new' one very couple of weeks. For my working cameras, I just use what I have and do not ever think about upgrading them.
 
I really like Fuji now! It’s growing in me and I think I have a crash
emoji7.png
as I adjust my plans I am going to Iceland and then will save up for that little body and landscape lens.

Exciting :)
I'll assume you meant 'crush'. ;)

If this post doesn't contradict your preceding post, then I would recommend a Sigma 10-20mm lens as a good value wide angle option. It is not something that I use that often, but it is a nice lens to have 'just in case'. :)

If you indeed are intending to move to Fuji then I would look for used items, or even better rent for the duration of your trip. If renting a lens you could go for a slightly higher quality wide angle too. If the intention is to move in the short to mid term, then buying anything new is going to lose a lot of money quickly when it come to resale or trade in imho.
 
I'll assume you meant 'crush'. ;)

If this post doesn't contradict your preceding post, then I would recommend a Sigma 10-20mm lens as a good value wide angle option. It is not something that I use that often, but it is a nice lens to have 'just in case'. :)

If you indeed are intending to move to Fuji then I would look for used items, or even better rent for the duration of your trip. If renting a lens you could go for a slightly higher quality wide angle too. If the intention is to move in the short to mid term, then buying anything new is going to lose a lot of money quickly when it come to resale or trade in imho.

Blxxdy predictive text! Yes of course I meant crush, so funny.

Good idea I will have a look at this option.
 
I joined the FujiX system five years ago and would pretty well agree with what you're saying here. Nevertheless now that the dust is beginning to settle on the new round of mirrorless releases, I'd advise the OP to seriously consider staying Nikon at that budget if you want to be to some extent future-proof. The Z6 is not yet available but the bundle with the 24-70 f4, F mount adaptor and QXD card is comfortably under £3000 which is not the case for the Z7 which is very similar apart from the hi-res sensor. Despite some initial scepticism, I'm increasingly impressed with what I've been seeing and reading on the Z system from more reputable websites (like Photography Life which likes both Nikon and Fuji). The reason is in particular the lenses which look like the beginning a completely new level of image quality thanks to the way the Z mount has been designed. Of course initially there are few available but they will come and a more consumer-orientated range will also be introduced. In the meantime you could for just over £500 add the well-reviewed Nikon fairly new AF-P 70-300 which seems to use similar technologies seen in the S lenses. Nikon have seemingly produced a superior viewfinder to just about anything else out there which to me is very important and much better than the one on the Sony A7iii which is the obvious competitor. The latter probably uses much the same sensor though it's possible Nikon will tweak even better IQ out of it. The eye AF tracking has already become legendary with this camera and if one of the most important things for you is shooting people on the move, there's probably no better option out there as it seems that CAF still needs a bit of work with Nikon. There are more lenses out of the gate of course though the better ones tend to be expensive and often surprisingly large and heavy.

I'm in the situation where the novelty of the "retro" dials and haptics of my Fuji X-Pro2 is beginning to wear off though the Fujis are in general the best looking cameras out there. The real joy of the Fuji system to me if for street photography if you use the delightful light primes. The new X-T3 looks like being a formidable video and action competitor as well. However, if you do a lot of lowlight photography or require maximum clarity and post-processing ability for landscape, moving up to so called full frame will give an edge with comparable lenses. Even with mirrorless, FF will tend to be a bit more expensive and heavier but the Fuji 50-140 telephoto for instance, is far from light or cheap and much depends on how exactly you build your system. I'm frankly on the fence about staying with Fuji or jumping back to Nikon now that they're finally embraced the mirrorless technology with all of its advantages. Fuji colours are often praised and I agree there is a certain something there but I find actually that Nikon's are often more natural. If I do switch my main system, I'll surely get a X-100 series Fuji eventually as there's nothing with the same charm.

David

Just wanted to briefly add an update to the above. Now decided I will stay with Fuji at least until Nikon have a fully developed mirrorless system to analyse which will take a couple of years anyway, I'd imagine and recent scares about the Z7 being a dust magnet and a having a mediocre AF system made me hesitate a bit. Restructured my Fuji to put more emphasis on zooms for simplicity while retaining my 23 +35mm f1.4's plus 60mm. For travel I've now got a 10-24 and 50-140 (and 35 to fill the gap) and sold 4 others. I don't like the space the 50-140 takes in the bag but the lens bowled me over when borrowed from a friend and with outstanding OIS it beats the hell out of the 55-200. The likewise stabilised (if not to the same degree) 10-24 is so much more flexible than the 14. Doesn't change my previous advice but I'm now more in line with previous setups such as Nikon where I found a wide angle + telephoto zoom is best for mixed travel photography where landscape will dominate. For more people orientated photography or street, I think primes are still the way to go.
 
I am also a Fuji fan. I went from Canon FF to Fuji a while back and haven't regretted it apart from for my most recent interest which is Birds and for that, my Fuji didn't seem to me to be as suited to the job as Canon DSLRs. Mind you even there a number of people seem to enjoy using them. Other than that I love my Fuji gear. It has given me a good saving in weight compared to FF DSLRs, and if I went with a lighter X model I'd get even more saving but the real bonus for me is that they feel great. I honestly haven't really loved a camera the way I love them since my OM1 of 40 years ago! I really, really like the IQ too.

Each will have their preferences and Fuji do seem to be a marmite brand for some reason so the advice that used to be given ( before we all realised that small technological differences were somehow the most vitally important thing about cameras :D) to handle the camera and see how it feels sounds pretty good to me.

BTW I'm off to Iceland at the end of November too. I'm hoping to try my first attempt at astro-photography for the Northern Lights. Hope they are in evidence and I don't cock it up if they are. I have no idea how to do it and I am seriously over-analysing my approach. Ah well, best foot forward and all that ;)
 
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I am also a Fuji fan. I went from Canon FF to Fuji a while back and haven't regretted it apart from for my most recent interest which is Birds and for that, my Fuji didn't seem to me to be as suited to the job as Canon DSLRs. Mind you even there a number of people seem to enjoy using them. Other than that I love my Fuji gear. It has given me a good saving in weight compared to FF DSLRs, and if I went with a lighter X model I'd get even more saving but the real bonus for me is that they feel great. I honestly haven't really loved a camera the way I love them since my OM1 of 40 years ago! I really, really like the IQ too.

Each will have their preferences and Fuji do seem to be a marmite brand for some reason so the advice that used to be given ( before we all realised that small technological differences were somehow the most vitally important thing about cameras :D) to handle the camera and see how it feels sounds pretty good to me.

BTW I'm off to Iceland at the end of November too. I'm hoping to try my first attempt at astro-photography for the Northern Lights. Hope they are in evidence and I don't cock it up if they are. I have no idea how to do it and I am seriously over-analysing my approach. Ah well, best foot forward and all that ;)

Thanks for reply! How is the battery life in Fuji. As it use live view to review pictures as well as see all data, I expect battery life expectancy is much worse than DSLRs with and optic view finder?

How many are you taking with you for all day shooting?

Or shall I ask how many are you talking to Iceland [emoji1127]?
I will be in Iceland 28/11-02/2018 good luck with chasing Northern Lights, and other great landscapes.
Hope weather will behave!
Good luck with your astrophotography!
 
Hi. Battery life is pretty bad, I take a spare 3 with me, though in fairness I never have had to use more than one of these. I don't know how it would equate to your usage. If I use EVF with eye sensor I usually get by for most of the day with oner but that includes a bit of chimping. Generally I just accept it as pretty poor and take the 3 spares with me as it means I will never run out of juice. I am taking 4 with me to Iceland but also the charger so I will have a total of 4 fully charged available every day.

I am in Iceland the exact same dates as you. Are you looking for the Auroras too?
 
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Battery life is not poor on Fuji if you turn off in between shots, it's also quicker than waiting for it to come out of sleep mode. I've had over 1000 shots on one battery, just a case of learning how to use it properly.
 
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Hi. Battery life is pretty bad, I take a spare 3 with me, though in fairness I never have had to use more than one of these. I don't know how it would equate to your usage. If I use EVF with eye sensor I usually get by for most of the day with oner but that includes a bit of chimping. Generally I just accept it as pretty poor and take the 3 spares with me as it means I will never run out of juice. I am taking 4 with me to Iceland but also the charger so I will have a total of 4 fully charged available every day.

I am in Iceland the exact same dates as you. Are you looking for the Auroras too?

Going to Ice Caves, and yes chasing Auroras!
Finger crossed.
One important thing, keep your batteries warm.
If believe if batteries kept in cold for to long then will perform worse.
 
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