decision based on a single lens ... is it right?

[runnah]

The canon 24-105 is a great "L" series lens. It covers all the most popular focal lengths. It's well built and would be a perfect all around lens. It is heavy but not uncomfortably so.

I would however skip the 40mm. I have one and only use it when I want to do some quasi-macro shots. I would instead look at the 50mm 1.4 or the 35mm 2.0.

The nikon is also a good choice but I am not familiar with that lens.

The Fuji is super nice but I have found that mirror less cameras aren't "quite" there yet. If anything I'd go for the Sony A7 series.

Have you shot with an XT1? Zack Arias did advertisements for Range Rover with it, amongst some other pretty huge clients. Like what do you mean by "not quite there yet?" Just wondering what this is based on?

To me the EVF is the biggest thing that needs to be fixed. Rapid movements and qucik action are still a bit tricky.

I think we are maybe 1-2 generations away from perfection.

But what are you basing this on, which models have you used? That's all I'm asking.

Nope, haven't used one but I've seen and read lots of reviews.

 

[fjrabon]

Some fascinating stuff discussed and shown here, RE the newest developments FujiFilm has made:

Fujifilm interview Secrets of apodization 5-stop IS OLED EVFs with 5-millisecond lag really and more

Yeah, I read that about a month ago (yes, I obsessively google search everything that mentions my cameras). The most recent Fuji EVFs are definitely a pretty big step forward. 500 candela and 400% increase in DR is game changing for EVF only.

 

[fjrabon]

The canon 24-105 is a great "L" series lens. It covers all the most popular focal lengths. It's well built and would be a perfect all around lens. It is heavy but not uncomfortably so.

I would however skip the 40mm. I have one and only use it when I want to do some quasi-macro shots. I would instead look at the 50mm 1.4 or the 35mm 2.0.

The nikon is also a good choice but I am not familiar with that lens.

The Fuji is super nice but I have found that mirror less cameras aren't "quite" there yet. If anything I'd go for the Sony A7 series.

Have you shot with an XT1? Zack Arias did advertisements for Range Rover with it, amongst some other pretty huge clients. Like what do you mean by "not quite there yet?" Just wondering what this is based on?

To me the EVF is the biggest thing that needs to be fixed. Rapid movements and qucik action are still a bit tricky.

I think we are maybe 1-2 generations away from perfection.

But what are you basing this on, which models have you used? That's all I'm asking.

Nope, haven't used one but I've seen and read lots of reviews.

If you read the article Derrell just posted, it explains pretty well why the most recent gen Fuji EVFs are a big jump from even two years ago.

 

[runnah]

The canon 24-105 is a great "L" series lens. It covers all the most popular focal lengths. It's well built and would be a perfect all around lens. It is heavy but not uncomfortably so.

I would however skip the 40mm. I have one and only use it when I want to do some quasi-macro shots. I would instead look at the 50mm 1.4 or the 35mm 2.0.

The nikon is also a good choice but I am not familiar with that lens.

The Fuji is super nice but I have found that mirror less cameras aren't "quite" there yet. If anything I'd go for the Sony A7 series.

Have you shot with an XT1? Zack Arias did advertisements for Range Rover with it, amongst some other pretty huge clients. Like what do you mean by "not quite there yet?" Just wondering what this is based on?

To me the EVF is the biggest thing that needs to be fixed. Rapid movements and qucik action are still a bit tricky.

I think we are maybe 1-2 generations away from perfection.

But what are you basing this on, which models have you used? That's all I'm asking.

Nope, haven't used one but I've seen and read lots of reviews.

If you read the article Derrell just posted, it explains pretty well why the most recent gen Fuji EVFs are a big jump from even two years ago.

Well that is why I am saying that its only going to get better. I would personally wait until the advancements levels off, especially if they keep making dramatic jumps with each new model.

 

[fjrabon]

Some fascinating stuff discussed and shown here, RE the newest developments FujiFilm has made:

Fujifilm interview Secrets of apodization 5-stop IS OLED EVFs with 5-millisecond lag really and more

also I just remembered how stoked I am about that 56mm f/1.2 APD lens. That's just game changing bokeh quality, which especially makes a difference on an APS-C sized sensor.

 

[fjrabon]

The canon 24-105 is a great "L" series lens. It covers all the most popular focal lengths. It's well built and would be a perfect all around lens. It is heavy but not uncomfortably so.

I would however skip the 40mm. I have one and only use it when I want to do some quasi-macro shots. I would instead look at the 50mm 1.4 or the 35mm 2.0.

The nikon is also a good choice but I am not familiar with that lens.

The Fuji is super nice but I have found that mirror less cameras aren't "quite" there yet. If anything I'd go for the Sony A7 series.

Have you shot with an XT1? Zack Arias did advertisements for Range Rover with it, amongst some other pretty huge clients. Like what do you mean by "not quite there yet?" Just wondering what this is based on?

To me the EVF is the biggest thing that needs to be fixed. Rapid movements and qucik action are still a bit tricky.

I think we are maybe 1-2 generations away from perfection.

But what are you basing this on, which models have you used? That's all I'm asking.

Nope, haven't used one but I've seen and read lots of reviews.

If you read the article Derrell just posted, it explains pretty well why the most recent gen Fuji EVFs are a big jump from even two years ago.

Well that is why I am saying that its only going to get better. I would personally wait until the advancements levels off, especially if they keep making dramatic jumps with each new model.

From what I've seen, there's essentially not much to be gained EVF wise after the most recent jump. lag is basically undetectable, DR covers what you'd be able to print/display anyway. Those were always the big complaints about EVF, lag and minuscule display DR.

I still like OVF, but that's probably because it's what I'm used to. I think at this point EVF might technically be better actually. It's more realistic to what you will actually see when you take the picture than any OVF can be. I use the eyepiece EFV a lot on my X100T, which makes me think 99% of the difference at this point is simply looking in the eye piece v. at a screen. I just can't get used to a screen personally, but that's probably habit as much as anything.

 

[Derrel]

I do not do much night-time photography, but the artificial brightening introduced by the EVF is one of **the** biggest negatives, according to Thom Hogan...he has frequently listed the negative impact the EVF has on one's night-acclimated eyesight as being a drawback of EVF viewfinding. But see, to me, that's not a big issue, since I only have optical viewfinders, and I seldom shoot at night. Now, if I did a lot of nightime work, then that might be a factor for me.

RE EVF's: the last one I checked out thoroughly was on the Sony A7. The quality and clarity of the image, looking at a human face from about 7 feet away in a portraiture situation, was so poor that I did not feel that I could actually, literally, SEE the expression of the subject well enough to evaluate expression. I thought that the EVF's image was sucky, and I immediately thought, "No f***** way I am buying this to replace my D3x...I can't SEE what I am framing up well enough."

Using the rear LCD screen, the image was big and clear, which would have made it fine for landscape shooting and composing on a tripod or whatnot, but the actual through-the-camera, held-at-eye-level viewfinder image was substantially lower in quality than what I personally, am used to. For somebody who was migrating upward from say, a crappy pentamirror viewfinder $389 beginner-level d-slr, they might have though the Sony A7's EVF was perfectly fine.

 

[runnah]

Well and there is the issue I've had with all mirrorless cameras, the size and weight are the only huge advantage over a DSLR. Other than that there isn't really much reason to switch.

 

[fjrabon]

Well and there is the issue I've had with all mirrorless cameras, the size and weight are the only huge advantage over a DSLR. Other than that there isn't really much reason to switch.

There's also no mirror induced camera vibration. For some people this can give an extra couple of usable stops in low light. Silent operation is a big deal to some types of shooters.

 

[Derrel]

I was serious about the OP's dilemma...all three of those possible buying decisions sound okay to me. As far as the "decision based on a single lens"...I did not understand that; it seemed to me like it was also a question of a dslr outfit PLUS a mirrorless camera, and the "one lens" was the little Canon 40mm pancake for a 6D.

And as to the Nikon D700 for choice one, or the Canon 6D for choice three...I don't get the idea of a 2008-era Nikon D700 + a Fuji compact; and to me the Canon 6D seems like a very stripped down body that was rendered sort of under-spec'd when Nikon came out with the D610...the Fuji XT-1 choice in the middle makes sense I guess, but it's APS-C, not full-frame, so why not get a D7100 for, is it half the price? of a Fuji XT-1 body.

The Canon 6D has a deliberately down-spec'd AF system, limited in specifications I think so as not to cannibalize the old 5D-II inventory of two years ago, and the then-new 5D Mark III. I do own a Nikon manual focusing 45mm f/2.8 pancake lens--and I can say that YES, using a 1-inch-long tiny lens like that makes any d-slr more-packable....I actually use it on the ginormous D3x so that the camera fits in one of my waistpacks...no other lens I have will allow that monstrous body to fit in the pack with the top zipped up, and the focal length is VERY useful, it really is a handy focal length, for everything from close-ups to landscapes. A 6D + 40mm pancake would be easier to carry than the same camera with many other lenses.

The Canon or Nikon buying options also leave open a dual APS-C and FF format option, with plenty of low-priced used bodies available, where the Fuji is a bit more exclusive a camera. Used Canon and Nikon bodies are cheap. That 40 pancake on a Digital Rebel would make a nifty lens.

The Fuji XT-1 is the sexiest-looking camera to hit the market in many years...it's just..so pretty. I get its appeal on looks. And they have good lenses too, plus a nifty "look" to the images. Cameras like the XT-1 and x100T are really beautiful instruments, where the Canon 6D is...double-bagger ugly..and the Nikon D610 is...about 10 beers deep ugly...

 

[runnah]

The Fuji XT-1 is the sexiest-looking camera to hit the market in many years...it's just..so pretty.

What about the DF?!

Well and there is the issue I've had with all mirrorless cameras, the size and weight are the only huge advantage over a DSLR. Other than that there isn't really much reason to switch.

There's also no mirror induced camera vibration. For some people this can give an extra couple of usable stops in low light. Silent operation is a big deal to some types of shooters.

Still, while somewhat useful to some folks it's still not enough for every DSLR user to switch.

 

[Derrel]

As far as the mirror causes vibration idea: Sony's A7r, their 36 MP model....it has serious vibration problems. But not from a mirror--from the mechanical first curtain shutter. Why? Camera is in live view...live view must be quickly interrupted and then the first shutter curtain slams closed, then opens immediately, the exposure is made, and when the second curtain slams closed, the exposure has been made.

The fix found so far is to fabricate and then attach a 23 to 24-ounce solid bar of METAL underneath the camera via the tripod socket, to dampen the shake the shutter creates.Joseph Holmes - News Sony A7R Shutter Shake Followup 1

diglloyd Photographers Ask Sony to Address the A7R Shutter Vibration Issue

Is it interesting that Nikon's new D810 has replaced the mechanical first curtain shutter system used in the D800 with an electronic first curtain shutter? The lens and system accessory catalogues that Nikon and Canon have are big reasons they are #2 and #1, and have been for so many years.

 

[fjrabon]

The Fuji XT-1 is the sexiest-looking camera to hit the market in many years...it's just..so pretty.

What about the DF?!

Well and there is the issue I've had with all mirrorless cameras, the size and weight are the only huge advantage over a DSLR. Other than that there isn't really much reason to switch.

There's also no mirror induced camera vibration. For some people this can give an extra couple of usable stops in low light. Silent operation is a big deal to some types of shooters.

Still, while somewhat useful to some folks it's still not enough for every DSLR user to switch.

Sure, I agree there, just pointing out that size and weight aren't the only pros to mirrorless.

 

[Didereaux]

hello all,
i am having a tough time deciding which camera and lens combo to buy. my options are based on everyday needs and also sometimes small paid weddings and ceremony. my cash is limited therefore i have broken down my needs to the following options.

1) i could buy a nikon D700 + 24-85 VR lens along with a cheap Fujifilm X-A1 for normal everyday use.

2) buy the Fujifilm X-T1 with 18-55mm kit lens and 35mm f1.4.

just browsing yesterday, a canon 40mm Stm lens caught my eye.... and it opened me up for another option.

3) Canon 6D + 24-105mm and 40mm stm lens.

basically traveling around with a big body and big lens is just overkill for me for normal everyday use. my shooting style mostly includes family pics... i am a shooter which wouldnt tell my wife to stand alone and i would take a pic of her with some creamy bokah... rather i would stand with my wife and tell someone else to take a pic at F7-F8.. So that we both are nice and sharp... with this 40mm lensm i could make the whole 6d setup small enough to travel everyday.. and also when i need it for weddings, my zoom lens could come in handy..

is it a good idea to base my whole decision just on the 40mm lens? i know other brands do 35mm but are just to expensvie..

In your instance I would say #3 hands down.
3) Canon 6D + 24-105mm and 40mm stm lens

 

[enerlevel]

thanks for all the replies... here is my logic behind the cameras..
choice 1 which is D700 and the X-A1 , is that i can keep the D700 for my More free profesional services while i could use the X-A1 for normal use... The D700 is just too big to travel around for family dinners etc.... plus the whole set would cost me about £1200

the second option was XT1 along with 35MM and 18-55mm.. this will also cost me around the same price but i can use it everyday due to size advantage.... the problem i might face is low light performance due to sensor size...

so the canon made my list ONLY because of the 40mm pancake lens. the 6D along with the lens makes it small and easy to handle... plus i can use low light advantage of the camera for serious stuffs....


All the people who have used EVF, can you help me with a situation....
in a dark situation, the camera selects Auto iso 6400. at this setting i can see a very noisy live image in the EVF.
now suppose you want to use a flash and reduce the iso to 1600 for less noise.. selecting this Iso makes the image in the viewfinder totally Black.. you cant see anything.. but as soon as i take the pic, the flash makes the image lighten up....
Question is, if the viewfinder is totally black, how am i suppose to compose the image and how will the camera auto focus?