The Photographers' Corner 2013-2020

[ShokWaveRider]

Advice and Recommendations needed.

What is a good all round camera for someone who would like to take up photography in retirement. Not a starter camera as such, but one that you would buy for keeps. Does not need to be cheap, more interested in overall functionality and perhaps ease of use too. I like to take photos of wildlife and vistas mainly, perhaps the odd video.

I have owned some good Cameras but not really for the photography usage aspect. I bought them to design mounts for commercial drone applications and sold them after the projects were complete. So currently I only have a small point and shoot. I used to have a few Canon Lenses, but again all have been sold off to fund the next project. So I am really starting from scratch now.

I think I would like a full frame camera as I have never owned one.

Some in order of the latest are:

Sony 6500 - This was a nice camera, but seemed very complicated.
Sony 5000
Ricoh GR
NX-1100
Canon 7D
Some older Canon EOS DSLR Models.

Any Recommendations would be helpful.

 

[Dave J]

I was staying in Kanab, Utah last spring for the various sights in the region. I went out to the Toadstool Hoodoos four different mornings. Here are the best 3 shots.
.

Excellent series, Roy. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Freedom56]

Looks great!

Which processing software did you use?

I use Vegas Pro (version 14) for editing and post processing. You need a lot of CPU power to edit and process 4K video. I used Sonic Fire Pro 6 and Smartsound to create the audio track.

 

[Freedom56]

Advice and Recommendations needed.

What is a good all round camera for someone who would like to take up photography in retirement. Not a starter camera as such, but one that you would buy for keeps. Does not need to be cheap, more interested in overall functionality and perhaps ease of use too. I like to take photos of wildlife and vistas mainly, perhaps the odd video.

I have owned some good Cameras but not really for the photography usage aspect. I bought them to design mounts for commercial drone applications and sold them after the projects were complete. So currently I only have a small point and shoot. I used to have a few Canon Lenses, but again all have been sold off to fund the next project. So I am really starting from scratch now.

I think I would like a full frame camera as I have never owned one.

Some in order of the latest are:

Sony 6500 - This was a nice camera, but seemed very complicated.
Sony 5000
Ricoh GR
NX-1100
Canon 7D
Some older Canon EOS DSLR Models.

Any Recommendations would be helpful.

I own both Canon (I own two DSLRs) and Panasonic Cameras (one mirrorless). Canon make good lenses but compared to Panasonic, Canon camera bodies are generations behind. For me I chose Panasonic because of it's compact size and ability to shoot 4K video. I am easily able to adapt my Canon lenses to my Panasonic. Olympus is another good option. If you want a full frame mirrorless camera I would choose Sony or the Panasonic S1. I would stay away from Canon.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I own both Canon (I own two DSLRs) and Panasonic Cameras (one mirrorless). Canon make good lenses but compared to Panasonic, Canon camera bodies are generations behind. For me I chose Panasonic because of it's compact size and ability to shoot 4K video. I am easily able to adapt my Canon lenses to my Panasonic. Olympus is another good option. If you want a full frame mirrorless camera I would choose Sony or the Panasonic S1. I would stay away from Canon.

Thanks I will check them out. I assume the Panasonics are the Lumix ones.

 

[Freedom56]

Thanks I will check them out. I assume the Panasonics are the Lumix ones.

Yes. The lenses for the Panasonic S1 are from Leica.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Yes. The lenses for the Panasonic S1 are from Leica.

The Sony A7R III looks nice....

 

[explanade]

I use Vegas Pro (version 14) for editing and post processing. You need a lot of CPU power to edit and process 4K video. I used Sonic Fire Pro 6 and Smartsound to create the audio track.

The night shots look very clean, obviously long exposures using low ISO to avoid noise?

I've seen various ways to produce time lapses but for now, I'm content to use the built-in time-lapse processing in my camera so that I don't have to do post processing.

But that limits what I can do, for instance really long exposures or the ramping of exposures as the sun sets or rises and get really no or low-noise time-lapse videos as the result.

However, I don't think I'd ever have the patience to capture for hours, waiting for the sun to set and all the city lights to come on.

What I've done is capture for 20-40 minutes at most with 2 second intervals, resulting in videos ranging from 30 to 120 seconds. Again, the camera combines all the shots together into a 4K24 video and it has good cloud motion.

Only time I'd capture longer is if the place I'm staying at has a nice view and I can let the camera capture for a couple of hours while I do other things, keeping an eye on the camera on a balcony.


Also not ambitious with music either. I started downloading some no-royalty music and used them with my drone videos.

But videos like yours certainly shows how much more I could try to do.

 

[explanade]

The Sony A7R III looks nice....

The Sony full frame mirrorless definitely have a head start, if what you want are full frame mirrorless gear.

I bought the Nikon Z mirrorless a few months ago and have used it on a couple of trips. I did have a couple of Nikon lenses so that was the natural choice, to be able to use the lenses I had.

For wildlife though, if you mean things like shooting birds, you need long lenses and a crop sensor is probably better suited to that.

For low light, you might want something with lower pixel counts and better low-light capabilities.

The A7R3 is over 40 megapixels and it's their third iteration so it's pretty refined, probably would work for low-light.

 

[Freedom56]

The night shots look very clean, obviously long exposures using low ISO to avoid noise?

I've seen various ways to produce time lapses but for now, I'm content to use the built-in time-lapse processing in my camera so that I don't have to do post processing.

But that limits what I can do, for instance really long exposures or the ramping of exposures as the sun sets or rises and get really no or low-noise time-lapse videos as the result.

However, I don't think I'd ever have the patience to capture for hours, waiting for the sun to set and all the city lights to come on.

What I've done is capture for 20-40 minutes at most with 2 second intervals, resulting in videos ranging from 30 to 120 seconds. Again, the camera combines all the shots together into a 4K24 video and it has good cloud motion.

Only time I'd capture longer is if the place I'm staying at has a nice view and I can let the camera capture for a couple of hours while I do other things, keeping an eye on the camera on a balcony.


Also not ambitious with music either. I started downloading some no-royalty music and used them with my drone videos.

But videos like yours certainly shows how much more I could try to do.

Vegas Pro was only used for the editing, titling, the zooms in/out, and some brightness correction. I shot at ISO 200 at 1 second intervals. The shutter speed was as slow as 1/2 of a second. The Tokina lens that I used with the Viltrox adapter brings it down to F/2. The Lumix lens that I used was F/1.7. So they were good for low light situations. Also for low light shots, I often took the exposure down 1 full stop to avoid light saturation. For this video I shot a maximum of 90 frames per sequence (3 seconds) which took 90 seconds to shoot plus set up time. My wife helps out also with the shooting. She is a very good photographer herself. My Lumix camera was used to convert the pictures to video. I used Vegas Pro to synchronize the clips that I finally used to the soundtrack. For sunrises or sunsets I normally use a graduated ND filter.

I'm in my fifth year of retirement so I have more time to focus on my hobbies. I always liked photography but with 4K TVs and 8K TVs (coming soon), video has become more practical media to document our travels. I am focusing on generating high quality videos with professional soundtracks.

 

[Freedom56]

The Sony A7R III looks nice....

It's a good camera. But it's really a camera intended for cinematographers just like many Panasonic Lumix cameras. Given that the vast majority of people are taking pictures with smart phones and selfie sticks, any camera would be a step up from what people use today. In my case, I wanted a lightweight camera with interchangeable lenses and the ability to shoot 4K video and with a built-in time lapse function. I normally mount my camera on a gimbal or tripod when shooting videos, so I like to keep the weight as low as possible.

 

[Freedom56]

I was staying in Kanab, Utah last spring for the various sights in the region. I went out to the Toadstool Hoodoos four different mornings. Here are the best 3 shots.
.

You should have done a time lapse of those scenes. Very nice!

 

[explanade]

I was staying in Kanab, Utah last spring for the various sights in the region. I went out to the Toadstool Hoodoos four different mornings. Here are the best 3 shots.
.

Very nice, especially the Milky Way shot.

Do you have to drive far to get to a place dark enough for something like that?

Also seems like light painting?


Went to a talk to a guy who specializes in those shots and he said you'd have to drive about 75 miles away from the Bay Area to get a dark enough sky, though he also said some light pollution from cities in the distance could add to milky way photos without blocking out the stars because they are too bright.

 

[DrRoy]

Advice and Recommendations needed.

What is a good all round camera for someone who would like to take up photography in retirement. Not a starter camera as such, but one that you would buy for keeps. Does not need to be cheap, more interested in overall functionality and perhaps ease of use too. I like to take photos of wildlife and vistas mainly, perhaps the odd video.

I have owned some good Cameras but not really for the photography usage aspect. I bought them to design mounts for commercial drone applications and sold them after the projects were complete. So currently I only have a small point and shoot. I used to have a few Canon Lenses, but again all have been sold off to fund the next project. So I am really starting from scratch now.

I think I would like a full frame camera as I have never owned one.

Some in order of the latest are:

Sony 6500 - This was a nice camera, but seemed very complicated.
Sony 5000
Ricoh GR
NX-1100
Canon 7D
Some older Canon EOS DSLR Models.

Any Recommendations would be helpful.

Put a Nikon D7500 on your list.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Put a Nikon D7500 on your list.

Thanks, but it is not full frame or Mirrorless. I think I may as well go for the latest.

 

[Ronstar]

^ Then consider a Nikon D810 or D850.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

^ Then consider a Nikon D810 or D850.

Nice cameras, but I think I am leaning towards a Mirrorless.

 

[Ronstar]

Nice cameras, but I think I am leaning towards a Mirrorless.

I probably would too if I was starting out with all new equipment

 

[Ronstar]

Matthiessen State Park in Utica, Illinois a few days ago. Too early for fall color, too late for water features.

 

[Freedom56]

Nice cameras, but I think I am leaning towards a Mirrorless.

I would avoid buying a reflex mirror camera. I have both and took me time to get used to an electronic viewfinder but now I prefer it as you see your exposure in real time. Plus with the viewfinder zoom features, manual focusing is much more precise. Keep in mind that the camera body is just a down payment. The cost and availability of good lenses should be the deciding factor. The lens makes all the difference in the world. The best light weight mirrorless cameras are from Sony, Panasonic, Fuji, and Olympus. The Nikon Z6 looks good but too heavy for my needs. The Canon mirrorless cameras have a horrible rolling shutter problem and terrible crop factor when shooting 4K video. Then there are the other accessories such as tripods, filters, camera bags, remote shutter releases, gimbals (if you are shooting videos) and post processing software. The other thing you should consider is if you plan to use your camera for travel, you want to keep your equipment as light as possible. This is one reason I walked away from Canon and my Canon DSLRs are used primarily for taking photos of items that I sell on Craigslist. Just keep in mind that the photography industry is going through another transition phase. With plunging sales due to smartphone photography, the manufacturers are focusing primarily on mid to higher end cameras and lenses to remain profitable. Panasonic, Fuji, Sony, cameras are primarily for cinematographers and those who want a light weight camera for travel. Canon and Nikon are battling it out for the few photo enthusiasts that remain.

 

[explanade]

I have a Z7 myself, which I got a few months ago.

I was previously using a Nikon D750, which has been a great workhorse the previous 5 years.

One thing to consider though is that even if you're starting from scratch, you might find the DSLR lenses to be slightly cheaper than a new mirrorless system lens.

Canon and Nikon are putting out several lenses over $2000 for their mirrorless systems. Maybe they will make some less expensive lenses for people who aren't pros. or willing to spend thousands for each lens.

 

[Gotadimple]

Just keep in mind that the photography industry is going through another transition phase. With plunging sales due to smartphone photography, the manufacturers are focusing primarily on mid to higher end cameras and lenses to remain profitable. Panasonic, Fuji, Sony, cameras are primarily for cinematographers and those who want a light weight camera for travel. Canon and Nikon are battling it out for the few photo enthusiasts that remain.

I wouldn't characterize Panasonic or Sony as primarily for cinematographers, even though there are many who use them for that purpose.

I have a Sony A6000 and while it is very useful to video bloggers, it has extensive features that make it a lightweight full frame mirrorless with the ability to change lenses. A good friend uses a Panasonic Lumix LX100 which is a point and shoot - but all the functions you need to take high quality photos are available even if the lens is fixed. The key is the sensor, your interest in taking still photos, and whether you feel the need to be able to change lenses.

- Rita

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I see the Sony A7R IV is due out soon, but 62mp seems like overkill.

 

[Freedom56]

I wouldn't characterize Panasonic or Sony as primarily for cinematographers, even though there are many who use them for that purpose.


- Rita

I'm just going by what the CEOs of both companies stated. They both conceded that just as smartphones have killed DSLR and compact camera sales, and mirrorless cameras and bridge cameras have killed video camcorder sales which has resulted in fewer and fewer camcorder models. In a few years camcorders and compact cameras will be completely obsolete. They conceded that they neither company was going to displace Canon or Nikon for the professional DSLR photographer (who are in decline), but they were going to invest in video features for 4K and 8K shooting for their mirrorless cameras which is the only growing segment of the photography market. If you take a look at Panasonic Lumix or Sony Cameras, many models support color profiles, headphone jacks external microphone input, in body stabilization, 10 bit video recording that would never be used for still photography.

 

[Freedom56]

I have a Z7 myself, which I got a few months ago.

I was previously using a Nikon D750, which has been a great workhorse the previous 5 years.

One thing to consider though is that even if you're starting from scratch, you might find the DSLR lenses to be slightly cheaper than a new mirrorless system lens.

Canon and Nikon are putting out several lenses over $2000 for their mirrorless systems. Maybe they will make some less expensive lenses for people who aren't pros. or willing to spend thousands for each lens.

You can use lens mount adapters on your Nikon. I'm using a Viltrox EF-M2 which allows me use my Canon EF lenses on my Lumix.