Bought any photography stuff today?

[hazeyblue]

I'd been using a micro 4/3 mirrorless for a while (panasonic GX7), which cost me 10x as much!, and though it was very cool, can do video, and has some advantages over a DSLR (EVF's are pretty neat in low light, and the focus aids are great for old manual lenses), I never totally got on with it's tiny little buttons and important stuff hidden in menus

I had a similar experience moving from Nikon SLRs to Olympus Micro Four Thirds. I haven’t reversed that move yet, but I must (though the small size of Micro Four Thirds is so nice to carry).

The D200’s lack of live view would bother me. The D700 you mention remains a highly capable camera by modern standards.

The beauty of these professional-class Nikon SLRs from a few years ago is that they were built tough, which makes them a smarter than average used buy. Nikon SLRs, like bicycles, are now going plastic, but the D700 was made to last a hundred years. Just look at the mag alloy body on page 16 of this PDF brochure!

Not sure what you mean by your last comment - which of the current professional class Nikon bodies are going plastic? The current crop are still tough as old boots.

[hazeyblue]

Got myself a replacement for my old semi destroyed Nikon D200, in immaculate condition, low shutter count, and for ridiculously cheap....

Have to say, I've fallen back in love with the D200, it might be old but still makes great images and is pretty much perfect ergonomically....a bit heavy to take on the bike, though once you factor in lenses the GX7 probably only saves a few hundred grams

seeing the prices of D700's these days is starting to rekindle my desire for something full frame though

Loved my old D200, at low iso the files were of real quality. That said, if you do go for a D700, you will wonder why you didn't sooner... It's such a great camera.

[Samuel D]

I was thinking of cameras like the D600/D610 and D750. Perhaps these are not called ‘professional’ by Nikon, but they have professional prices!

At any rate, Nikon is steadily applying more plastics to camera construction. This may not be wholly a bad thing, of course. This guy seems to think it’s a positive step.

[mike]

after far too much navel-gazing and measureabation, I'm going to take a suitcase full of DSLR kit on safari in November - I'm probably never going to get the chance to go again and would be gutted if I get home and wished I'd gone to the effort of taking it. 

So I've been busy 'investing' on ebay and got a 2nd hand 100-400 zoom which I can re-sell when I get back, and sold my 6d and bought a 7d mk2 (probably to be swapped back again when I get home, although I've never really liked the focus on the 6d).    Buying & re-selling used kit feels more sensible than hiring.

[LEE]

I've never really liked the focus on the 6d).   

I'm about to press "BUY" on the next low-mileage 5D Mk3 I see.

I looked long and hard at the 6D but knew I'd always regret not getting its big brother.  The advent of the 5D Mk4 should hopefully see nice Mk3s hit the used market.

The Mk3 is as much camera as I need. 1080p video is perfectly fine for me and Magic Lantern firmware opens the camera up the way Canon should have done in the first place. 

The differences between each new generation of cameras are getting smaller and smaller.  An extra £1500 upgrade buys you less and less.  I'm sure the Mk3 didn't suddenly become a bad camera overnight. 
The majority of high-quality professional images around the world, in the last 10 years, were probably shot on a Canon 5D of some kind.

The Mk3, especially used, seems to be at the perfect bang-for-your-buck price point.

[mike]

agreed. My workhorse for weddings is the 5d3 and it's brilliant.  I looked at the spec for the mk4 and apart from more cropping flexibility, a bit better dynamic range and slightly better high ISO, I can't see the benefit for me - I never do video and don't need high FPS.  When my 3 dies I expect I'll get another one the same.

[David Martin]

Sigma 105mm Macro. Seems very nice so far but yet to test it in the wild.

[LEE]

agreed. My workhorse for weddings is the 5d3 and it's brilliant.  I looked at the spec for the mk4 and apart from more cropping flexibility, a bit better dynamic range and slightly better high ISO, I can't see the benefit for me - I never do video and don't need high FPS.  When my 3 dies I expect I'll get another one the same.

I don't really understand Canon. 
The 5D Mk2 gave the world a high-quality video camera (Movie Quality in fact) for relatively tiny money.
The Mk3 took it to an even higher level.

I realise that they try to protect their Cinema-Line equipment but I'm certain that, if they'd used the Mk4 to take it to the next level (Native 4K, not cropped, RAW, Log-based Codecs that the industry demand..etc) they wouldn't have been able to keep up with demand.

They've surrended the market they created.

[LEE]

Bought this for a fiver, a Manfrotto Pocket Tripod.

I've got some small flexible tripods but the genius if this is that is attached to your camera in an unobtrusive way, like a baseplate.

The legs are adjustable and fold flat when you're done.

[LEE]

Canon 6D Full-frame. (Used but mint with only 200 shutter activations)

Canon 24-105mm f/4 L

I already have some EF lenses I can use, a 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8 and a 40mm f/2.8 "Pancake".


I only had about an hour to play with it before it went dark today but I can see already that it's amazing.

[Samuel D]

I only had about an hour to play with it before it went dark today

I don’t think that matters with that camera.

The 6D has tempted me. Built-in GPS seems important to me but almost no-one else, so few SLRs have it. The 6D does and is small and light for what it is. Interchangeable focus screens too, unlike the later 5D models.

[LEE]

I only had about an hour to play with it before it went dark today

I don’t think that matters with that camera.

Agreed.

I'm not making any claims to taking a great photo here... it was getting very dark and I was keen to play.  (ISO 100, 85mm f/1.8, 1/60 second). 

What I will say though is that there is a clear difference in "quality" between the 6D and my 100D (crop-sensor).  There's a "Wow-factor" even in very poor light.



BIGGER

I wouldn't describe it as light or compact though.. maybe compared to a house-brick, but not to my old 100D.

[Jaded]

I felt exactly the same when I went from D7100 to D750 - a different experience.

[Samuel D]

I wouldn't describe it as light or compact though.. maybe compared to a house-brick, but not to my old 100D.

For sure, but I think it’s still the smallest/lightest full-frame DSLR ever made.

The 100D doesn’t have a prism, which saves a fair bit of weight. The 6D has a lovely viewfinder, especially with the optional Eg-S focusing screen.

[mike]

I only had about an hour to play with it before it went dark today

I don’t think that matters with that camera.

Agreed.

great camera, I use mine a lot in low light wedding receptions where I leave it on auto ISO with a 1.4 lens on the front and it's pretty good for everything - about a stop better than the 5d3, I recon.  I found it a lot easier when I switched to using back button focus to make recomposing easier and only use the centre focus point.

[LEE]

I only had about an hour to play with it before it went dark today

I don’t think that matters with that camera.

Agreed.

great camera, I use mine a lot in low light wedding receptions where I leave it on auto ISO with a 1.4 lens on the front and it's pretty good for everything - about a stop better than the 5d3, I recon.  I found it a lot easier when I switched to using back button focus to make recomposing easier and only use the centre focus point.

I toyed with the idea of a 5D Mk3, the focus system is just fantastic, but then I almost never take photos that require a Sports/Wildlife level of focussing speed or tracking.  I'm happy with Portraits and Landscapes.  That meant I could ditch the 5D3 focus system and save a grand.

I've yet to really play with it but it will be nice not to worry about using higher ISOs.  I put a limit of 6400 ISO and stuck it in Auto ISO.  Seems to be what most people do.  It's also transformed my 40mm f/2.8 "Pancake" lens into a perfect lens for "Street Photography".  It was stuck in no-mans-land when I used it on my crop-sensor, I mean nobody really wants a 65mm f/2.8 do they?

[Jaded]

I see you went for the Art lens.

[andrew_s]

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Link not working.
It's a good rule of thumb that anything hosted on google won't be visible to half your audience

Which one is it - the 85 mm 1.4?

[Ben T]

Congrats on your purchase Lee but even more so congrats on not making everything mono except the pumpkin. A lot of weaker willed folk would have not been able to resist. 

[Samuel D]

The photo cannot be seen at my end.

[LEE]

Which one is it - the 85 mm 1.4?

I already had a 40mm f/2.8 STM "Pancake" , 50mm f/1.4 , 85mm f/1.8 and now I have the 24-105mm f/4 L (IS USM).

The 24-105 L is a beast, built like a brick out-house.  I bought it because all those Wedding photographers, whose livelihood depends on such things, can't be wrong.

F4 on a full-frame gives a nice shallow depth of field once you get to portrait focal lengths.  Having the super-shallow DoF on the prime lenses is nice but best used sparingly I think.  It's very hard to get eyes in focus with about 5mm to play with (but looks amazing when you actually nail it, ears and nose blurred, eyes tack-sharp).

I'd like the 70-200 f/2.8 L as the final part of the kit  It gets rave reviews and completes the camera bag.  Pricey though.

Below, an artsy image of my new "Breeze Block" (seriously.. it's a heavy combo..reassuringly so)

[LEE]

Magic Lantern firmware installed (first time).  Some very nice extras in there (That Canon should provide by default... given that the capability is clearly there under the covers).

I mean why not give users Focus-Peaking and Zebra-striping.  If a 3rd party can hack your code and turn it on then why not do it better?

[LEE]

Loving the 6D.  It's extraordinary in fact (well..in my opinion).

It resolves images when it really has no right to.



Here's a crop into the image



Got to love those big sensors and L-series glass. I never even noticed the cobwebs when I was there.

I'm sorry but, as an ex-35mm film person, I really have no desire to ever use film again.  ISO 3200 isn't even pushing it on a modern DSLR.

[mike]

that's beautiful.

[David Martin]

Agreed on the 35mm film. However, playing with big film is fun.