Camera Upgrade - Choices
Derek Smith • 18 May 2020
Camera Upgrade – Choices
So, I would suggest that the first choice that you need to make is DSLR, or a mirrorless camera.
A DSLR as you know has the mirror that swings out of the way to expose the shutter and take the photo. The viewfinder is an optical device essentially looking through a prism and out through the lens, that’s why the viewfinder goes dark as you stop the shutter down, and there’s a preview button to open the aperture so that you see your subject. Focusing, the phase detect array (PADF) sits below the mirror and gives the focus accuracy, occasionally the PDAF array does not align the focus correctly and the camera and lens have to be sent away for recalibration. On the sensor are the contrast detect focus points (CDAF), if you switch to “Live View” the mirror swings out of the way, and the image is now displayed on the rear screen, (as all mirrorless cameras do) and the focusing is by way of CDAF rather than via the more accurate PDAF. This all comes into play when taking a portrait, in a studio, setting up for using flash I’m used to switching to Manual mode, setting the aperture f/2 as an example, and ISO fixed at 100, then increasing the shutter speed until the rear screen goes dark, then adjust the flash until the lighting on the subject is the correct exposure. With a DSLR, you have 2 choices with this situation, either take the shot, and see if the exposure is dark enough, or switch to “Live View”, and use a different focusing system. Wildlife photographers will not be concerned by this as “Live View” is very rarely used, but for macro photography, and portraiture this may be a consideration.
With mirrorless cameras the PDAF, and CDAF sites are on the sensor, in the case of the latest Sony A6xxx APS-C cameras 425 hybrid (combination of CDAF / PDAF) focus points. The viewfinder, and rear screen are essentially TV screens, whichever you look through is exactly what the photo will turn out like, the focusing is quicker, and more accurate. Internally the mirrorless camera loses the mechanism to move the mirror, and the glass prism, making the cameras simpler, lighter, and more reliable (no need for focus calibration), the downside is poor battery life to power the 2 TV screens.
For action, sports, and wildlife photography the DSLR was always the first choice, nowadays mirrorless cameras are more advanced with high shutter speeds, high continuous frame rates, and accurate PDAF subject tracking.
The second choice is between a full frame, or a crop sensor camera.
There is a lot of info, and debate on YouTube regarding sensor size, and I wrote a blog on this a couple of weeks ago.
Once you have made those fundamental choices, you will be able to narrow the choice then to specific manufacturers, and camera models.
I honestly do not think any manufacturer produces a “bad” camera anymore, so in the end the choice of camera body should be decided by features, and budget.
Full frame DSLR listing:
Nikon D850 £2500
Nikon D780 £2100
Nikon D750 £1100
Canon EOS 5D IV £2600
Canon EOS 6D II £1300
Canon EOS 90D £1100
Nikon D7500 £900
Canon EOS 250D £500
Full frame mirrorless models:
Nikon Z6 £1600
Sony A7 III £1700
Canon EOS RP £1400
Canon EOS R £2000
Crop sensor mirrorless models:
Nikon Z50 £850
Fujifilm X-T30 £700
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III £950
Fujifilm X-T3 £900
Sony A6100 £700
Panasonic G9 £1100
Sony A6600 £1400
These are just a few suggestions of camera models, once a short list has been made, I would advise that the next area to research is the lens choice for the short-listed models. The Nikon Z mount, and Canon R mount mirrorless cameras are new additions to the respective manufacturer’s product lines, and therefore have fewer lens options at the present time, whereas both manufacturers have a good selection of lenses for DSLR cameras. For mirrorless cameras Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, and Panasonic all have an extensive range of lens choice, with renowned third party lens manufacturers since as Sigma, and Tamron producing quality lenses, some lenses will also be available on the second hand market further reducing costs.
As an example, personally I like a standard zoom lens with a constant aperture usually in the full frame range of 24 – 70mm. Tamron produce an excellent 28-75mm f/2.8 for the Sony A7 camera. Fujifilm have a new 16-80 f/4 lens (24-120mm equivalent) Sony produce an excellent 18-105mm f/4 for the A6000 range of APS-C crop sensor cameras, and Olympus have a constant f/2.8 12-40mm (24-80mm equivalent) lens in the “PRO” range of lenses. Nikon have recently announced a 24-70 f/2.8 lens, which has very good reviews, however it’s a pricey £1600, compare that with the Tamron (Sony FE) at £650, the Fuji at £700, the Sony 18-105mm at £420, Olympus 12-40mm at £850, and you begin to see why the choice of lens is so important.
Factor in any other lenses, a good 50mm prime, a telephoto, and perhaps a macro lens to give an idea of the budget required to upgrade.
Read camera, and lens reviews, ideally try the camera out usually in a camera shop, but that is not possible now, so maybe ask someone who owns that specific brand of camera. Look out for deals, many camera manufacturers are struggling financially this year especially. Sony often offer cashback deals; Canon have offered a twin lens starter pack in the past.
Hopefully, this article will provide some help in making difficult choices.
Article, and photo: Derek Smith
So, I would suggest that the first choice that you need to make is DSLR, or a mirrorless camera.
A DSLR as you know has the mirror that swings out of the way to expose the shutter and take the photo. The viewfinder is an optical device essentially looking through a prism and out through the lens, that’s why the viewfinder goes dark as you stop the shutter down, and there’s a preview button to open the aperture so that you see your subject. Focusing, the phase detect array (PADF) sits below the mirror and gives the focus accuracy, occasionally the PDAF array does not align the focus correctly and the camera and lens have to be sent away for recalibration. On the sensor are the contrast detect focus points (CDAF), if you switch to “Live View” the mirror swings out of the way, and the image is now displayed on the rear screen, (as all mirrorless cameras do) and the focusing is by way of CDAF rather than via the more accurate PDAF. This all comes into play when taking a portrait, in a studio, setting up for using flash I’m used to switching to Manual mode, setting the aperture f/2 as an example, and ISO fixed at 100, then increasing the shutter speed until the rear screen goes dark, then adjust the flash until the lighting on the subject is the correct exposure. With a DSLR, you have 2 choices with this situation, either take the shot, and see if the exposure is dark enough, or switch to “Live View”, and use a different focusing system. Wildlife photographers will not be concerned by this as “Live View” is very rarely used, but for macro photography, and portraiture this may be a consideration.
With mirrorless cameras the PDAF, and CDAF sites are on the sensor, in the case of the latest Sony A6xxx APS-C cameras 425 hybrid (combination of CDAF / PDAF) focus points. The viewfinder, and rear screen are essentially TV screens, whichever you look through is exactly what the photo will turn out like, the focusing is quicker, and more accurate. Internally the mirrorless camera loses the mechanism to move the mirror, and the glass prism, making the cameras simpler, lighter, and more reliable (no need for focus calibration), the downside is poor battery life to power the 2 TV screens.
For action, sports, and wildlife photography the DSLR was always the first choice, nowadays mirrorless cameras are more advanced with high shutter speeds, high continuous frame rates, and accurate PDAF subject tracking.
The second choice is between a full frame, or a crop sensor camera.
There is a lot of info, and debate on YouTube regarding sensor size, and I wrote a blog on this a couple of weeks ago.
Once you have made those fundamental choices, you will be able to narrow the choice then to specific manufacturers, and camera models.
I honestly do not think any manufacturer produces a “bad” camera anymore, so in the end the choice of camera body should be decided by features, and budget.
Full frame DSLR listing:
Nikon D850 £2500
Nikon D780 £2100
Nikon D750 £1100
Canon EOS 5D IV £2600
Canon EOS 6D II £1300
Crop sensor DSLR listing:
Nikon D3500 £450Canon EOS 90D £1100
Nikon D7500 £900
Canon EOS 250D £500
Full frame mirrorless models:
Nikon Z6 £1600
Sony A7 III £1700
Canon EOS RP £1400
Canon EOS R £2000
Crop sensor mirrorless models:
Nikon Z50 £850
Fujifilm X-T30 £700
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III £950
Fujifilm X-T3 £900
Sony A6100 £700
Panasonic G9 £1100
Sony A6600 £1400
These are just a few suggestions of camera models, once a short list has been made, I would advise that the next area to research is the lens choice for the short-listed models. The Nikon Z mount, and Canon R mount mirrorless cameras are new additions to the respective manufacturer’s product lines, and therefore have fewer lens options at the present time, whereas both manufacturers have a good selection of lenses for DSLR cameras. For mirrorless cameras Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, and Panasonic all have an extensive range of lens choice, with renowned third party lens manufacturers since as Sigma, and Tamron producing quality lenses, some lenses will also be available on the second hand market further reducing costs.
As an example, personally I like a standard zoom lens with a constant aperture usually in the full frame range of 24 – 70mm. Tamron produce an excellent 28-75mm f/2.8 for the Sony A7 camera. Fujifilm have a new 16-80 f/4 lens (24-120mm equivalent) Sony produce an excellent 18-105mm f/4 for the A6000 range of APS-C crop sensor cameras, and Olympus have a constant f/2.8 12-40mm (24-80mm equivalent) lens in the “PRO” range of lenses. Nikon have recently announced a 24-70 f/2.8 lens, which has very good reviews, however it’s a pricey £1600, compare that with the Tamron (Sony FE) at £650, the Fuji at £700, the Sony 18-105mm at £420, Olympus 12-40mm at £850, and you begin to see why the choice of lens is so important.
Factor in any other lenses, a good 50mm prime, a telephoto, and perhaps a macro lens to give an idea of the budget required to upgrade.
Consider also a lower specification camera a Sony A6400, in preference to the A6600, a Fujifilm X-T30, as opposed to the Fujifilm X-T3 (although the X-T3 is due to be replaced by the X-T4, and may be available at a discounted price). An Olympus OM-D E-M5 III, as opposed to the Olympus OM-D E-M1 III.
Dual SD card slots? The Sony A7 III, Fujifilm X-T3, Olympus OM-D E-M1 III
Hopefully, this article will provide some help in making difficult choices.
Article, and photo: Derek Smith
Louth Photographic Society
Good Morning All We have just come back from a week in Northumberland, staying at Newbiggin by the sea. I took plenty of coastal photographs including many of the area's wildlife. Last week while I was away it was the monthly print competition. There is a blog on the website as well as all the results on the competition page. I really just need to congratulate Dave Turner who won both the subject and Open competition. I am not sure if Wednesday night's studio evening is going ahead yet but will let you know. Entries for the local competition, Local Events and Open need to be sent to Harry by midnight next Sunday. We judge this competition in house; I am happy to judge one subject if anyone else would like to judge the other subject? Regards Graham
We held a print competition at our meeting last night with the categories of "Curves" and "Open". Our judge for the evening was the very competent, and accomplished Diane Seddon. Diane gave excellent critique of the prints, and one of the main themes that Diane highlighted was the presentation of the prints, siting print sizes, mount sizes, mount colours, and more thoughtful cropping of images selected for printing. Definitely food for thought, and addressing those issues will improve members points scoring in future competitions. All the prints submitted into this competition were of a very high standard, however, it was Dave Turner who swept the board with 1st, and 2nd placing in the "Open" category, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placing in the "Curves" category, it was a well deserved placing with some stunning prints. The Competition page of our website has been updated with the full results. Thanks to Diane Seddon for judging the competition, and Dave Mann for the refreshments.
Dave Turner, and I attended the LPA Fosters Challenge at Nettleham. The judge for the competition was Sue Wilson from Clay Cross. Axholme took first place with 19 points, Grimsby 2nd, and Cleethorpes 3rd. Louth was awarded 13 points, consisting of: Damselflies Mating – Graham Harrison 4pt Saltwick Bay – Tony Gaskins 4pt The Thinker – Keith Rossington 3pt Muted Swan – Harry Kerman 1pt Pier Number 9 – Dave Turner 1pt It was an interesting competition with some amazing images, a big thank you to Dave Turner for selecting the prints and submitting our entry into the competition.
Good Morning All Last week at the club member Chris Birchmore took us back in time with old photographs and a very interesting talk on one of Louth's old shops Platts stores. Platts stayed traditional for many years but as like most of the old shops eventually disappeared along with it's upside down sign. There is a blog on our website as well to look at. This week, Wednesday 16th April, we will hold our Print competition with the categories of "Curves" and "Open" to be judged by Diane Seddon of Cleethorpes. Harry is also now taking entries for the local PDI competition, with the categories of "Local Events" and "Open". Regards Graham
Our member Chris Birchmore gave an illustrated talk last night titled "The Shopkeeper and his Assistant". Chris related details of his family origins, and family history in Louth, in particular his connection with Platts Provision Store in Eastgate. It was a very interesting talk which evoked many memories with those members who had themselves been raised in Louth. Many thanks Chris, the preparation, and talk was excellent.
Good Morning All With all this warm weather some insects are out and about to photograph, I took this photograph in our garden with a Sigma 105mm lens to get close in on the bee. It is another month now, so you need to think about your "Prime Time" project, if you are taking part. Last week at the club Brian McCarthy FRPS showed us his personal journey in photography, Brian takes most of his photographs in his shed building models with lighting and creating photographs that most of us would never think of. This week, Wednesday 9th April, our member Chris Birchmore who will be presenting a historical talk entitled "The Shopkeeper and His Assistant" specifically talking about a relatives memories of working for Mr. Platt the Shopkeeper. For those who have prints for the next competition, with the categories of "Curves and Open", you need to send Dave Turner a list of your entries and bring the prints in this week. Regards Graham
Good morning, All Last week we held our spring committee meeting, we discussed many topics including the new program which will be available to you all soon and did some preparation for the AGM. This week, Wednesday 2nd April, Brian McCarthy FRPS will be coming along to show us some more of his work. Brian is an ex-member of our club but has more recently been a member of Grimsby Photographic Society. You can also now start sending your print titles for the Curves and Open competition to Dave Turner. Regards Graham
This year’s project is “Prime Time”, simply one photo taken each month with the same prime lens. The resulting 12 images will be shown to members on our “Project Night” next January. Why a prime lens? Well, a lens with a single focal length, a prime lens, provides a photographer with creative options. Composition of the image when using a lens such as this is essential, a photographer must choose a subject and move around that subject to obtain the photo. Every photographer should have a prime lens in their bag, and it doesn't need to be expensive. I recently switched from Fuji cameras to the Olympus / OM Systems camera ecosystem. Now, I use the OM Systems OM-1 camera with two zoom lenses and three f/1.8 prime lenses. For the “Prime Time” project, I'll creatively use the Olympus 45mm (90mm full-frame equivalent) f/1.8 lens, this lens is typically employed for portraits. This tiny, sharp lens, which captures beautiful portraits, was bought used for £149 from a reputable dealer.
Good Morning All Last week at the club we held our PDI competition for March, with the categories of "Including the Moon" and "Open" judged by Mike Bennett. It was a very good night with some excellent photographs entered in the competitions, especially the Open. There were three twenty points awarded out of twenty photographs in each subject, Tony Gaskins had a very good night winning both the subject and the Open. All the results are on our website under competitions. The NEMPF PDI Inter - club competition went ahead recently, not so many clubs entered this year, I think there were only three LPA clubs who had entered, Louth came 11th, I'll leave it there. Thank you to Harry for organising our entry. This week, Wednesday 26th March it is a committee meeting for committee members only to attend. To keep you busy though you could prepare your prints for the next print competition, with the categories of "Curves" and "Open". Regards Graham
At our meeting last night we held our Projected Digital Image (PDI) competition with the categories of "Including the Moon", and "Open". The judge for the evening was Mike Bennett. Mike skillfully judged the 33 submitted entries in the "Open" category, providing excellent feedback on the various images. After the break Mike appraised the 18 images in the "Including the Moon" category, this had been a difficult subject for members to photograph, and was also challenging for the judge. Congratulations to Tony Gaskins for his first placements with "Moonbell, Mablethorpe" in the "Including the Moon" category, and "Dawn, Whitby" in the "Open" category. As is usual, the Competition page of the website has been updated with the top three placements in each category, and full results. Many thanks to Mike Bennett for judging the competition, and Dave Mann for providing the refreshments.
