My Current System
My current system based on the camera body shown below for the last ten years has grown to include:
Nikon D7000
Tokina 12-24mm zoom
Nikon AF-D prime lenses at 35mm, 85mm, 180mm and 300mm focal lengths
Tamron 90mm macro
Two Nikon SB800 flash units
I use every lens except the macro when I travel. I use the macro lens, the 35mm lens and flash units in my makeshift studio.
Travel, Family and Tabletop Photography
Over the last month or two I have carefully evaluated the benefits of several systems with regard to those three primary types of photography. I considered five mirrorless systems from Olympus, Panasonic Lumix, FujiFilm and Nikon, and two dSLR systems from Nikon. Sensor formats included M4/3, APS-C and full frame. My comparison chart took into account 17 characteristics (3 that are must-have, 7 that are important, 5 that are helpful and details about weight and the cost of buying new equipment).
My New System -- EDIT: all purchased
Nikon Z6 camera body
FTZ adaptor
Native Nikon 24-70mm f/4 S lens
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-P VR lens
Tamron 90mm macro (holdover from current system)
Two SB800 flash units (holdover from current system)
All of my decisions about those products were made with the idea of using equipment that is high-quality but not extravagant.
Primary Advantages Compared to Current System (no order of importance)
Focus peaking
Focus bracketing
Image in view finder changes when exposure settings change.
Histogram displays before releasing the shutter.
Captured image can be displayed and magnified in the view finder (great when bright light makes viewing the rear LCD difficult)
Ease of using zoom lenses
Only two lenses while walking around; only one lens while hiking
Image stabilization built into the camera and the 70-300mm zoom
Far superior high ISO (I've seen acceptable images at ISO 51,200)
Tilting (though not fully articulating) LCD
Automatic switching from LCD display to viewfinder display
Full-frame and cropped modes (APS-C, 1:1 and 16:9)
Eye auto focus for photographing humans, cats and dogs
Diffraction compensation
Equipment typically carried in my bag now weighs 2.5 pounds (37%) less
Rear LCD is a touch screen.
Virtual horizon also indicates how much the camera is pointed upward, downward or not at all.
Top LCD doesn't need to be brightened in low light; contrast is far superior.
Polarized sunglasses don't affect the display in the viewfinder.
Mode dial that locks into place.
Green focus indicator easy to find in the viewfinder
Lots of other minor details
Primary Disadvantages Compared to Current System
No vertical grip with button and dials that control the camera -- OUCH!
Effective longest focal length reduced from 450mm to 300mm
Can't use existing memory cards
Can't save settings to a low-capacity, cheap memory card (because none exist in either of the required formats)
Commander system must be configured on the flash unit unless I buy an SB-500
Upcoming Purchases
I'm in no rush to buy the new equipment and might take up to the end of this year to make that happen. That's because I'll be looking for excellent sale prices of new equipment and for refurbished and otherwise used equipment. See my next post, please, for specific questions about equipment.
EDIT: It's all purchased now. I bought all of it used for $2670 compared to a regular (non-sale) new price of $3380. That's a savings of 21%. I even got the Nikon five-year warranty on the 70-300mm lens.
My current system based on the camera body shown below for the last ten years has grown to include:
Nikon D7000
Tokina 12-24mm zoom
Nikon AF-D prime lenses at 35mm, 85mm, 180mm and 300mm focal lengths
Tamron 90mm macro
Two Nikon SB800 flash units
I use every lens except the macro when I travel. I use the macro lens, the 35mm lens and flash units in my makeshift studio.
Travel, Family and Tabletop Photography
Over the last month or two I have carefully evaluated the benefits of several systems with regard to those three primary types of photography. I considered five mirrorless systems from Olympus, Panasonic Lumix, FujiFilm and Nikon, and two dSLR systems from Nikon. Sensor formats included M4/3, APS-C and full frame. My comparison chart took into account 17 characteristics (3 that are must-have, 7 that are important, 5 that are helpful and details about weight and the cost of buying new equipment).
My New System -- EDIT: all purchased
Nikon Z6 camera body
FTZ adaptor
Native Nikon 24-70mm f/4 S lens
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-P VR lens
Tamron 90mm macro (holdover from current system)
Two SB800 flash units (holdover from current system)
All of my decisions about those products were made with the idea of using equipment that is high-quality but not extravagant.
Primary Advantages Compared to Current System (no order of importance)
Focus peaking
Focus bracketing
Image in view finder changes when exposure settings change.
Histogram displays before releasing the shutter.
Captured image can be displayed and magnified in the view finder (great when bright light makes viewing the rear LCD difficult)
Ease of using zoom lenses
Only two lenses while walking around; only one lens while hiking
Image stabilization built into the camera and the 70-300mm zoom
Far superior high ISO (I've seen acceptable images at ISO 51,200)
Tilting (though not fully articulating) LCD
Automatic switching from LCD display to viewfinder display
Full-frame and cropped modes (APS-C, 1:1 and 16:9)
Eye auto focus for photographing humans, cats and dogs
Diffraction compensation
Equipment typically carried in my bag now weighs 2.5 pounds (37%) less
Rear LCD is a touch screen.
Virtual horizon also indicates how much the camera is pointed upward, downward or not at all.
Top LCD doesn't need to be brightened in low light; contrast is far superior.
Polarized sunglasses don't affect the display in the viewfinder.
Mode dial that locks into place.
Green focus indicator easy to find in the viewfinder
Lots of other minor details
Primary Disadvantages Compared to Current System
No vertical grip with button and dials that control the camera -- OUCH!
Effective longest focal length reduced from 450mm to 300mm
Can't use existing memory cards
Can't save settings to a low-capacity, cheap memory card (because none exist in either of the required formats)
Commander system must be configured on the flash unit unless I buy an SB-500
Upcoming Purchases
I'm in no rush to buy the new equipment and might take up to the end of this year to make that happen. That's because I'll be looking for excellent sale prices of new equipment and for refurbished and otherwise used equipment. See my next post, please, for specific questions about equipment.
EDIT: It's all purchased now. I bought all of it used for $2670 compared to a regular (non-sale) new price of $3380. That's a savings of 21%. I even got the Nikon five-year warranty on the 70-300mm lens.
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