Starting Again and Open to a New System

The23rdman

The23rdman

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Dean
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I've lost my job. Bit of a crappy way to start the year, but that's how it is. I recently sold up all my Nikon gear and find myself seriously considering shooting again for cash. I had a nice little business going a few years back that I decided to dump when we moved to Northampton, but testing the water I've got a lot of interest in doing some part-time shooting again.

I'm starting from scratch so considering all systems and manufacturers. I'll be shooting babies, kids and families. I prefer to work with primes, but have no issue with zooms. okay, now to the part where I hope that people respect that I know what I'm doing here and don't want an argument about needing pro gear - I'm on a tight, tight budget to begin so will probably be looking at consumer/prosumer cameras tops. 70% of the stuff I do indoors will be with lights so high iso capability isn't a huge concern. I'm looking at Nikon to begin with because they have the 35mm f1.8 - a lens I love and trust. Do any of the others produce anything to match it for the price? It might make people flinch, but I'm also considering matching it (for now) with an 18-105. It punches above its weight for the wider stuff - again, with lights in the lens sweetspot so no IQ worries.

So, what else do people suggest?
 
can I ask how tight a budget and if it needs to include lighting etc?
 
Tight. 800 quid tops. No, I kept my lighting gear.
 
okie dokie im not a Nikon guy have canon and Fuji.........

imho maybe a Fuji x100s if you like shooting 35mm...... its a cracking camera performs well in any situation.... only prob is that its fixed lens....

if going canon perhaps a 7d with nifity fifty and 35mm

lens wise depends on what you left over for budget


like I said I can only comment on Fuji and canon as own both systems but if you wanted something different the x100 can be had for £500 and could poss get a cheap dslr body with longer lens if needed within bugdget
 
X100 is too restrictive. I like 35mm, but not for everything.

Yeah, considering a 7D, but what Canon 35mm is as good as the Nikon for 150 quid?
 
it sounds like you need a good quality zoom to be honest for budget you wont get a better 35mm as the sigma art is the best which I own but is close to £600...... I have very little knowledge of Nikon I do know that canons 50mm 1.8 is well respected and cost about £75 or cheaper but focal length depending

do you have to use fast autofocus would manual focus bother you?
 
The23rdman said:
X100 is too restrictive. I like 35mm, but not for everything.

Yeah, considering a 7D, but what Canon 35mm is as good as the Nikon for 150 quid?
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Yongnuo are bringing out a 35mm f2.0 at some point in the near future according to rumors.
 
I don't want manual focus - I shoot kids. I can't blow my budget on one lens and don't really need f2.8 on a zoom because that will be used with lights.

I'm not bothered about 50mm - they all produce decent ones. It's 35 or a touch wider that matters.
 
I know you can get a 35mm f2 canon Im not sure on price though I think they are under £300 ish though
 
Is that still the only reasonable option for Canon? I might stick with Nikon then if that's the case.
 
was going to suggest a 24 -105 l with a 7d to be honest mate should be within budget hell of a camera with great lens again unsure of Nikon alternatives but cracking combo
 
Yeah, that's an option along with a 50 f1.4, but might not be wide enough on a crop.
 
if not perhaps the 17-50 tamron or similar mate good quality glass for budget
 
The23rdman said:
Every mm counts at the wide end.
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You seemed to like the wide angle and the wide aperture, have you look at the sigma 18-35 f/1.8? It's a fairly recent lens. Pretty unique as there's nothing similar around and review says it's as sharp as prime lenses but maybe even sharper! And I guess it's made for canon or Nikon.
 
Lemaildetom said:
You seemed to like the wide angle and the wide aperture, have you look at the sigma 18-35 f/1.8? It's a fairly recent lens. Pretty unique as there's nothing similar around and review says it's as sharp as prime lenses but maybe even sharper! And I guess it's made for canon or Nikon.
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Great lens, but over budget for now.
 
First off sorry to hear about the job, that sucks. But it is good to see you back, always liked what you produced.

I'd suggest sticking with Nikon, a D7000 would produce the goods but you may prefer a D300 as it was similar in build and layout to the D700 you had. The D7000 though has better IQ. You could get a D7000 and 35 f1.8 DX for not much more than £400, maybe £450 and that would leave enough for the excellent 85mm f1.8G
 
PaulButler said:
First off sorry to hear about the job, that sucks. But it is good to see you back, always liked what you produced.

I'd suggest sticking with Nikon, a D7000 would produce the goods but you may prefer a D300 as it was similar in build and layout to the D700 you had. The D7000 though has better IQ. You could get a D7000 and 35 f1.8 DX for not much more than £400, maybe £450 and that would leave enough for the excellent 85mm f1.8G
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Thanks Paul. I've had both of those cameras - love the functionality of the D300, but I need more resolution now. The D7000 was a decent camera too, but, man, that buffer shooting RAW was a massive pain in the backside. Lens wise I need some kind of zoom to cover the wider end and shoot in tighter spaces, but I also do natural light shallow dof stuff too. The reason I was considering a D5200 for now is the excellent sensor. I would probably upgrade down the line a bit - maybe a D7100? Has the buffer improved at all?
 
The23rdman said:
Thanks Paul. I've had both of those cameras - love the functionality of the D300, but I need more resolution now. The D7000 was a decent camera too, but, man, that buffer shooting RAW was a massive pain in the backside. Lens wise I need some kind of zoom to cover the wider end and shoot in tighter spaces, but I also do natural light shallow dof stuff too. The reason I was considering a D5200 for now is the excellent sensor. I would probably upgrade down the line a bit - maybe a D7100? Has the buffer improved at all?
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The buffer is worse in the D7100 when shooting raw, shame too as otherwise it is an excellent body. The best zoom for wide angle imo/e is the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. The issue with the D5200 is lack of on body controls, I think that will drive you nuts long before the buffer on the D7000. Mind you having 24mp is a nice boost, but be warned the shadow recovery on the D5200 (and D7100) sensor isn't as good as the Sony sensors, they use Toshiba units.
 
If you need a 35mm or slightly wider on a crop, the best bet on a budget is the slightly older model Sigma 30mm f1.4. It's really good in low light, fast AF and second hand you can get them for about £180. Partnered with a Canon 7D or Nikon equivalent will give you a great setup.
 
PaulButler said:
The buffer is worse in the D7100 when shooting raw, shame too as otherwise it is an excellent body. The best zoom for wide angle imo/e is the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. The issue with the D5200 is lack of on body controls, I think that will drive you nuts long before the buffer on the D7000. Mind you having 24mp is a nice boost, but be warned the shadow recovery on the D5200 (and D7100) sensor isn't as good as the Sony sensors, they use Toshiba units.
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Okay, that's interesting about the buffer. I'm not that bothered about shadow recovery - I tend to ETTR. Yeah, that's the only thing that's bothering me about a consumer body. Mmm, food for thought. I don't want an ultrawide - I shoot people. 18mm is about as wide as I need for indoor small family shoots.

ABTog said:
If you need a 35mm or slightly wider on a crop, the best bet on a budget is the slightly older model Sigma 30mm f1.4. It's really good in low light, fast AF and second hand you can get them for about £180. Partnered with a Canon 7D or Nikon equivalent will give you a great setup.
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I'm always wary of Sigma. They seem to promise so much, but fail on AF performance. I've owned or used about half a dozen Sigma's and the IQ was great, but AF accuracy has been from poor to terrible.
 
and I do realise that compromises will have to be made with this budget.
 
Is the 18-70 a possible and maybe cheaper than the 18-105?
 
Nod said:
Is the 18-70 a possible and maybe cheaper than the 18-105?
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Yeah, it sure is, but the extra reach is an advantage. They're both cheap as chips and have great IQ. It's more the primes and body/manufacturer that are the issue, I think.
 
Wild card! Sony A580, same sensor as D7000 and buffer is double the size. About £250 second hand. Build quality is squeaky but screen is articulated. Full on live view etc. Slap on a Sony CZ 16-80 for £350 - £400 second hand. Then you could add minolta 50mm prime for £70 or so if you want. Sony G lenses are also top notch.

Sample images for the CZ lens: http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/topic11663.html

The sony e-mount cameras are also worth a look. If you buy from somewhere second hand like Harrison cameras you have a full 12 month warranty. That may offer you what you want for less money but with less risk as most second hand places only really offer 6 months.

I wouldn't necessarily discount the fuji systems either as they seem to actually get the results even though you think they wouldn't.
 
7D and 24-105 is an option here now along with a 50mm f1.4.
 
srichards said:
Wild card! Sony A580, same sensor as D7000 and buffer is double the size. About £250 second hand. Build quality is squeaky but screen is articulated. Full on live view etc. Slap on a Sony CZ 16-80 for £350 - £400 second hand. Then you could add minolta 50mm prime for £70 or so if you want. Sony G lenses are also top notch.

Sample images for the CZ lens: http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/topic11663.html

The sony e-mount cameras are also worth a look. If you buy from somewhere second hand like Harrison cameras you have a full 12 month warranty. That may offer you what you want for less money but with less risk as most second hand places only really offer 6 months.

I wouldn't necessarily discount the fuji systems either as they seem to actually get the results even though you think they wouldn't.
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The only problem with Sony is that I only have trigger/receivers for CaNikon...
 
The23rdman said:
The only problem with Sony is that I only have trigger/receivers for CaNikon...
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Pretty certain you can get sony triggers as well. Sony cameras also have built in wireless flash so you can use the built in pop up flash to trigger lights. I've used that method to trigger an old flash gun with slave mode before now so I'm assuming you could make it work with studio lights as well if they have a mode for it.
 
The23rdman said:
I'm always wary of Sigma. They seem to promise so much, but fail on AF performance. I've owned or used about half a dozen Sigma's and the IQ was great, but AF accuracy has been from poor to terrible.
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I've had a couple of Sigmas too, and I've heard about people having issues with focus accuracy, but if you get a camera with lens micro adjustment (like the Canon 7D does, I don't know which Nikons do) then you can sort that out easily.
I've not had problems with my Sigma 18-50 f2.8 though and would definitely recommend it as a budget all purpose zoom.

If you're on a budget and not fixed on one particular system, why not consider the current deals on the Fuji XPro 1: eg X Pro 1, plus 18mm f2 and 27mm f2.8 for £699 ? http://www.cameraworld.co.uk/new-eq...fujifilm-x-pro-1-18mm-f2-xf-27mm-f2-8-xf.html
Then part-ex the 18mm for a Fuji 35mm f1.4 ?

The23rdman said:
7D and 24-105 is an option here now along with a 50mm f1.4.
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I'd go for that set up too, I have the 50mm 1.4 and love it. The 24-105 is great. But I don't think you'd get all of that for your budget. 7D: £350-400, 24-105: £350-400 then 50mm for £200ish
 
Can't comment too much on Canon bodies, I've used the 7D and wasn't impressed with the output, but that could well have been down to the idiot holding it ;) The 5DMkIII on the other hand was lovely, but out of range at the mo'.

I think you would adapt quite quickly to the D90/D7000/D7100 type bodies as they have most controls on the body, the more consumer oriented means pressing two buttons and turning the only dial, lovely IQ from these bodies particularly considering the cost.

If you don't need ultra wide then the Tamron 17-50 or Sigma 17-50 may work well, I've used the Tammy 17-50 and it has good IQ and decent focus both with in built motor and without - and that's another reason why the D7000 is a better bet, it has an in body focus motor, the D5xxx range and below doesn't. If I bought a Nikon crop again I'd buy the Nikkor 16-85 which is a thoroughly good lens all round, nicely wide, good range and has VR. Doesn't seem as popular as it should be to me, though not a f2.8 ...
 
Heres my 2p if your used to nikon stay with it, if you want to look at others I would look at 2nd hand 5dmk2 and a 24-105
 
ABTog said:
I've had a couple of Sigmas too, and I've heard about people having issues with focus accuracy, but if you get a camera with lens micro adjustment (like the Canon 7D does, I don't know which Nikons do) then you can sort that out easily.
I've not had problems with my Sigma 18-50 f2.8 though and would definitely recommend it as a budget all purpose zoom.

If you're on a budget and not fixed on one particular system, why not consider the current deals on the Fuji XPro 1: eg X Pro 1, plus 18mm f2 and 27mm f2.8 for £699 ? http://www.cameraworld.co.uk/new-eq...fujifilm-x-pro-1-18mm-f2-xf-27mm-f2-8-xf.html
Then part-ex the 18mm for a Fuji 35mm f1.4 ?


I'd go for that set up too, I have the 50mm 1.4 and love it. The 24-105 is great. But I don't think you'd get all of that for your budget. 7D: £350-400, 24-105: £350-400 then 50mm for £200ish
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No, not micro adjust issues, lousy accuracy issues with Sigma.

Fuji isn't out of the question, but I think the AF performance of the X-pro 1 would drive me nuts.

PaulButler said:
Can't comment too much on Canon bodies, I've used the 7D and wasn't impressed with the output, but that could well have been down to the idiot holding it ;) The 5DMkIII on the other hand was lovely, but out of range at the mo'.

I think you would adapt quite quickly to the D90/D7000/D7100 type bodies as they have most controls on the body, the more consumer oriented means pressing two buttons and turning the only dial, lovely IQ from these bodies particularly considering the cost.

If you don't need ultra wide then the Tamron 17-50 or Sigma 17-50 may work well, I've used the Tammy 17-50 and it has good IQ and decent focus both with in built motor and without - and that's another reason why the D7000 is a better bet, it has an in body focus motor, the D5xxx range and below doesn't. If I bought a Nikon crop again I'd buy the Nikkor 16-85 which is a thoroughly good lens all round, nicely wide, good range and has VR. Doesn't seem as popular as it should be to me, though not a f2.8 ...
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No Learning curve required - I've owned D90, D300, D7000, D700 and D3 in Nikons range. Good point about focus motors though.

Yes, a Tammy 17-50 is an option. I found the AF a little unreliable on the two I've owned though. The 16-85 is an option - great lens.

Graham W said:
Whatever system you settle on can i suggest you consider used gear. There's some stonking stuff in the classified section.



And no, none of it's mine! (At the moment.)
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Check out my feedback. ;)

wave01 said:
Heres my 2p if your used to nikon stay with it, if you want to look at others I would look at 2nd hand 5dmk2 and a 24-105
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I'm used to both. Owned lots of Canon gear too. I couldn't own a 5DII though - the autofocus is pants for moving targets.
 
srichards said:
Pretty certain you can get sony triggers as well. Sony cameras also have built in wireless flash so you can use the built in pop up flash to trigger lights. I've used that method to trigger an old flash gun with slave mode before now so I'm assuming you could make it work with studio lights as well if they have a mode for it.
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I use speedlights and have triggers and receivers for CaNikon. Seems daft spending more on Sony ones when my budget is so tight. :)
 
the x-e2 is very very good I sold mine as I didn't have good enough glass it wouldn't be my first choice if your used to a dslr though

I would get the 1.8 mkii 50mm if going canon then it will be within budget can always upgrade the 50mm if needed
 
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