I've been thinking of getting a Digital SLR again, But!

[tube-a-lou]

Hi all,

I been using my Fuji X-pro1 which I love but been thinking of getting a older SLR and not
expensive like a Canon 5D Classic or a Nikon D2X, does anyone still have theirs?

Thanks

 

[No Money]

I have a Nikon D3, I bought it from a friend who had it as a backup to his 'blad H4 (or something), but he never used it. Really good camera, being full frame with large receptors (only 12 megapixel, but what great pixels they are) it does low light work amazingly well. I have done some very big enlargements from it which have held up well.

But these days I hardly use it myself. I carry a Sony A7ii with me and do most of my "slow" or studio work on 5x4 (and sometimes 10x8) film.

 

[Markoneswift]

I've been to DSLR, to mirrorless, back to DSLR.

Just wondering, what would a DSLR do for you that the Fuji doesn't ?

 

[cratz2]

I'm no help in deciding if you should get a DSLR but I will point out that, in my opinion, the original 5D is still a valid camera, I'm not sure how much I'd recommend a D2 or D2x.

There's a very good chance it's been used A LOT. And since it's a crop sensor camera (not a full frame like the Canon 5D or Nikon D700) there's not a really compelling reason to get it unless you want the fairly high frame rate for sports or other action.

Good luck. I'm still a big fan of DSLRs, esp Nikons, because you can get great deals on older non-AF lenses.

 

[Bob]

I'd get a Panasonic L1 or L10. displays a green light when you use a manual lens
and manual focusing. and at that time it had the most non-43 lens adapters at the
lowest cost.

when the 43s moved to m43s they lost phase detect and gained contrast detect and
lost focus detection. but that's life and progress.

 

[mhedges]

There’s another recent thread on this.

I just got a Nikon D5500. I like it, although I didn’t realize that it didn’t AF the older screw drive AF lenses. Realistically its not that big of a deal - to get something equivalent I’d have to spend twice as much on a D7500, and it makes more sense instead to spend that $$ on DX AF-S VR lenses.

 

[Bob]

if you're looking at existing models as opposed to older, out-of-production models, then wait.

both Nikon and Canon are developing mirrorless SLRs for next year. target is best of all worlds
using APC lenses of their respective lines and providing full frame without the compromises
at lower costs. of course, all this can change since, until they are announced, they are rumors.

and my guess is that since they are not TOTL to preserve their legacy products, it will be cheaper
and give you all the benefits without the drawbacks.

 

[mhedges]

if you're looking at existing models as opposed to older, out-of-production models, then wait.

both Nikon and Canon are developing mirrorless SLRs for next year. target is best of all worlds
using APC lenses of their respective lines and providing full frame without the compromises
at lower costs. of course, all this can change since, until they are announced, they are rumors.

and my guess is that since they are not TOTL to preserve their legacy products, it will be cheaper
and give you all the benefits without the drawbacks.

Counterpoint to this is that there will always be something new on the horizon. And while lots of people like mirrorless SLRs there are a fair number who don’t.

My take is get the cheapest body you can, provided it has the features you have to have. Spend the rest on lenses. Lenses, especially the expensive fast ones, hold value way better than bodies. And they allow you to do different things.

 

[Chip Chester]

Don't know if you want to go as far back as a Canon Digital Rebel, but might have one available. CF cards.

Chip

 

[Bob]

yes buy the that canon if you love SLRs with the flapping mirror that scares folks and
make them look at you. ask me how I know - had one or two or three and moved
to the mirrorless for weight, cost, and lens adaptability. and street invisibility.

I had that Panasonic L1 mentioned above. I sold it because in the countries I
used to visit, I was always asked about the camera, the camera guys knew about
it even though it was not sold there - like attaching a sign. Same in NYC -
carrying a large SLR attracts attention that requires you to update your
TaeKwanDo skills. and especially those WHITE lenses from Canon.

that Fuji is pretty good - I'd consider that over the monster SLRs from Canon
and Nikon and their 4 figure priced lenses. but better than the legendary,
the storied, the wonderful Leica with their 5 figure lenses.

I just love the battles here on brand loyalty - I'd buy the stock then let the
price increase, dividends, and covered calls, pay for the TOTL cameras.

this is like tubes vs SS, SE tube amps vs PP tube amps, boutique Vcaps vs common
Orange drops, cryo'd cables, tubes, and YES - resistors.

the OP is probably overloaded with these opinions - and perhaps to understand
whether our advice was good or not, maybe the OP will post his decision.

but on an another topic, enjoy the music and let it help you decide whether it's
SLR mirrors or mirrorless.

 

[mhedges]

yes buy the that canon if you love SLRs with the flapping mirror that scares folks and
make them look at you. ask me how I know - had one or two or three and moved
to the mirrorless for weight, cost, and lens adaptability. and street invisibility.

I had that Panasonic L1 mentioned above. I sold it because in the countries I
used to visit, I was always asked about the camera, the camera guys knew about
it even though it was not sold there - like attaching a sign. Same in NYC -
carrying a large SLR attracts attention that requires you to update your
TaeKwanDo skills. and especially those WHITE lenses from Canon.

that Fuji is pretty good - I'd consider that over the monster SLRs from Canon
and Nikon and their 4 figure priced lenses. but better than the legendary,
the storied, the wonderful Leica with their 5 figure lenses.

I just love the battles here on brand loyalty - I'd buy the stock then let the
price increase, dividends, and covered calls, pay for the TOTL cameras.

this is like tubes vs SS, SE tube amps vs PP tube amps, boutique Vcaps vs common
Orange drops, cryo'd cables, tubes, and YES - resistors.

the OP is probably overloaded with these opinions - and perhaps to understand
whether our advice was good or not, maybe the OP will post his decision.

but on an another topic, enjoy the music and let it help you decide whether it's
SLR mirrors or mirrorless.

Sure, mirror noise is a factor. Some people aren't bothered by it, or may even like it because it is what they are used to. It all depends on what you are doing. If you aren't doing wildlife or trying to photograph people unawares then I don't see how it's an issue.

??? I'm not really seeing a ton of brand loyalty fights here. At least not in this thread. Not sure why you brought that up.

And I would certainly NOT recommend anyone buy stock in any of these companies - this is a market that is still evolving and struggling in places. I for one can't see how the market is big enough to support as many various flavor bodies/systems as are out there. I don't really know Canon or the others but Nikon has 9 bodies in their current lineup. That's crazy to me.

 

[Bob]

sorry you didn't my gist, if you are totally in brands, like apple/nike/Marlboro then
buy the stock. rather than single out losing stocks - plenty of folks don't play,
if the product is a winner then the stock is. like apple.

second, is that SLR vs mirrorless is a good topic and interesting to note but
it's also about choice. the Fuji the OP has is not exactly into one side or the
other. so if mirrorless is mentioned and someone doesn't like it because
he owns some large, heavy full-frame - its the same as brand loyalty.

in the bay area, you bring a large canon with a large white lens, you don't
get into the game. bring a mirrorless with an equivalent lens and they let you in.
far more people taking pix at ball (football, soccer, baseball, high school)
games than wildlife pic taking but that's my guess - you can cite stats and
prove me wrong. the OP's Fuji is known for street and people pics so
this wildlife thing is a little bit out of the way.

My input to this thread is that it's better to offer choices, describe why, and
then the OP/buyer is better informed. there was another thread where
the OP was looking for a replacement iPhone. there are choices or
simply buy another iPhone in which case, choice is not an issue.

I totally agree with you on too many companies doing cameras. Nikon survives
on their lithography division - it was mandated by the Japanese govt.
without it, Nikon goes under, and you might get a nickel on the dollar
for all those great cameras. Canon is much larger and with more products
so they will survive. Olympus nearly went under because of their
book keeping scandals. I track stocks and companies in 3 countries.

with camera phones, dual back cameras, and HDR capabilities they
only lack the last IQ of the dedicated cameras. for me this is sad that
phones with cameras now destroy the standalone camera business
and sales.

and like the Garrard Zero 100 (their last gasp at TT) the upcoming
new monsters from Canon and Nikon may very well be their last. Sony
with their sensor factories always have first crack at the latest tech.
everyone follows and some are years behind.

this is not going to end well. but the good news is that you get a
chance to spend 20-30K on bodies and lenses when one of them
goes under. Leica nearly went under a while back and now
there's waiting lists, and limited runs selling out and all for
5 figures. amazing.

 

[mhedges]

in the bay area, you bring a large canon with a large white lens, you don't
get into the game. bring a mirrorless with an equivalent lens and they let you in.
far more people taking pix at ball (football, soccer, baseball, high school)
games than wildlife pic taking but that's my guess - you can cite stats and
prove me wrong. the OP's Fuji is known for street and people pics so
this wildlife thing is a little bit out of the way.

They really won't let you in because of the camera you have? That's crazy! What's the reasoning? Are you talking pro sports or kid stuff too?

As far as the lithography- I work in the semiconductor industry and both Canon and Nikon are second fiddle at best to ASML. Not sure which one is doing better - they are both hurting.

Personally I doubt Canon or Nikon cameras would totally disappear, even if there was a bankruptcy. There would be a period of transition while the assets were sold off but someone would buy them. I would guess that the product line would be trimmed pretty drastically, which might not be a bad thing. Personally I think it makes sense to ditch full frame and just go all in on APC/DX format, but that’s just me.

 

[nj pheonix]

I've been using Canons for a while. After a bit you're married to your lense collection. Probably no better or worse than Nikon. I will say between me my father and my son we've had 8? canons (maybe more) . I never had a failure of any kind over 15 years? That's not bad.

 

[Markoneswift]

I had a similar experience going to a concert with a Sony NEX5. Lots of guys (and girls) were being asked to leave their 'professional' cameras at the bag check. I, on the other hand, walked straight in. They asked me about the camera, I showed them, they smiled and said 'you won't get much with a point and shoot. Go ahead'.

When I got in the venue, I ramped up the ISO, put on the 100/2.8 I had slipped into my jacket pocket and got the 2x teleconverter out of the wife's bag

 

[pishta]

you want a big honkin wedding camera? I got a very good condition 6MP Fuji S2 Pro that STILL WORKS! Most are dead and buried due to a bad run of Sony CCDs. Beauty is that it takes Nikon lens. I say wedding camera because the dynamic range for black and whites is legendary on this camera with its Super CCD sensor, but its supposedly not the best for action but I disagree. Sure FPS is terrible but who takes shots like that? has extended battery holder that makes it even bigger...$60. I also have a beige body Pentax K-x that has a bad internal flash, $75.

 

[mhedges]

you want a big honkin wedding camera? I got a very good condition 6MP Fuji S2 Pro that STILL WORKS! Most are dead and buried due to a bad run of Sony CCDs. Beauty is that it takes Nikon lens. I say wedding camera because the dynamic range for black and whites is legendary on this camera with its Super CCD sensor, but its supposedly not the best for action but I disagree. Sure FPS is terrible but who takes shots like that? has extended battery holder that makes it even bigger...$60. I also have a beige body Pentax K-x that has a bad internal flash, $75.

I’m very tempted on that Fuji. How’s the battery? Does that price include shipping?