A lightweight camera for landscape?

aguerra.1993

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Hello everyone, I am in search of an upgrade to my Canon t3i and kit lens. I never bothered getting a new lens for it, not sure why. I am considering the Pentax K3/K3ii and the Fuji XT1. I previously considered upgrading to a fullframe camera but I don't think it'll fit my needs. I do a lot of backpacking and light mountaineering (and hopefully soon some thru-hiking) and I want a camera that is tough but lightweight. I shoot landscape and I want to get into some night landscape, moonlit shots, milky way, and star trails. If I get the Pentax, I am unsure if to get the K3ii or save the extra $140 and go with the K3. I'd get a Pentax 16-50mm f/2.8 and maybe buy a vintage 28mm prime as well. If I get the Fuji XT1 I'd probably go with the stock 18-55 which I hear is good, or the 18mm f/2 and eventually save up for the 16-55 f/2.8. I also like the idea of making a few nice large prints. Any help or recommendations would be great, thanks!

Edit- And if I went with the Pentax, I could afford a polarizer and possibly an ND. With the Fuji I'd have to wait a while. Do you think it'd be possible to get up to 36" prints with these cameras with good IQ?
 
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The Fuji with the kit lens will be better then the T3i with the kit lens, but you're really using like 30% of image quality
available from the T3i as it is. Look at my pics from the T2i linked in my signature line below.

Going from T3i to the Fuji will be mostly felt when packing in a bag and holding in your hand, other then that, it's really
not worth typing about using the kit lens on both since both can do a lot more. If landscape is all you do then fine, the
XT1 will be nice, but invest in a good wide angle lens or don't replace the T3i at all, IMHO.

I don't know stuff about the Pentax, sorry.
 
Well, in your situation I would get:

X-T10
XF 18-55mm f2.8-4.0 OIS
Polarization Filter
Gradient ND Filter
ND Filter

You could also try to get stuff used some people quickly find out its not the right system for them for some reason not related to the quality of the system, this way you can save some money and you still get the same thing as new.

Later the excellent XF 16mm f1.4 WR (especially for star photography you really want a bright f/1.4, that really makes a difference !) and possibly a Tripod (but it sounds like you wont be able to carry one).

The XF 16-55mm f2.8 WR zoom is kind of overengineered and optically not as good as the XF 18-55mm f2.8-4.0 OIS. Thus I would rather go for these new primes instead (35mm f2, 90mm f2) that everybody loves. You could also switch the X-T10 for a X-T1 later then you'd be WR all around.


I havent informed myself about Pentax much, so I cant say much about that.
 
Thank you for the input. The reason I was considering a new camera is because I am ready to start a system. I feel like Pentax and Fuji are both bringing new ideas into the market and they would be a good option to go with.
If I get a new lens, do you think the Tokina 16-28mm f/2.8 would be a good choice? I find myself in the wider end of my current 18-55 and I already have a 50mm f/1.8 that I rarely use. Would the IQ be an improvement with that lens?
 
Lots of astrophotographers use that Tokina but that won't get you any wider really. Though not as fast, the newer Canon 10-18mm STM world get you the ultra wide fov you want and be a great match for your current body.
 
Yep, agree, 16-28 doesn't make much sense (would be a nice range on a FF camera tho), 11-16 and 11-20 version however do, on a crop sensor body IMHO.
Also, you can always combine a few images together to get a wider angle view if the lens won't do it in a single shot.
 
Yeah, I don't mind that there isn't much change in FOV. I think 16mm wide would be plenty for my style of shooting. I am more worried about how fast the lens is and the overall performance of the lens. If I ever decide to upgrade to a Canon FX, I could also use it instead of getting a lens specifically for crop frame. I am going to try to rent a couple of lenses, luckily lensrental is really close to where I currently live, which is probably the only good thing about living in Memphis.
 
When talking about lens speed people usually mean how big the aperture is (2.8), and you're probably
thinking about focusing speed, right? Canon lenses are better in this respect. If you want to get a full frame
camera (which would be going the opposite way from your original post since these are rather big) I'd look
at the 17-40 F/4 L canon lens.

This thing isn't big, focuses instantly and has great image quality compared to the kit lens.
On a FF camera, it will be VERY wide, on your camera it'll be wider then what you have now but not by much.

Much better image quality tho.
I like the 17-55 2.8 even better but that's a ef-s (crop) only lens so.. (costs more too).
 
No I am talking about speed as in the F stop. I don't need fast autofocus, I rarely shoot moving subjects. I want a lens that is fast so I can let in a lot of light in night shots. And the FX canon I could possibly see myself upgrading to is the 6D, which is fairly small.
 
Are those the ONLY two cameras you are considering?
 
No I am talking about speed as in the F stop. I don't need fast autofocus, I rarely shoot moving subjects. I want a lens that is fast so I can let in a lot of light in night shots. And the FX canon I could possibly see myself upgrading to is the 6D, which is fairly small.

Ugh.
Well, a 6D would kick ass with night shots since it can go a few stops higher and still stay cleaner
then the T3i. I wouldn't worry about F/4 vs F/2.8 on the 6D at all, and I'd rather have the 17-40
then the 16-28 range anyways.

Did you see the new Tokina 14-20 F/2?
Now that's sick. :)
 
Oh yeah, that new Tokina looks like it will be great.
With the price of the XT1 I could just upgrade to a 6D and that would give me better results with higher ISO.
 
Oh yeah, that new Tokina looks like it will be great.
With the price of the XT1 I could just upgrade to a 6D and that would give me better results with higher ISO.

Even with the kit lens, which is a 24-105 F/4, you'd get A LOT better results at any ISO, will have a bigger range with that
lens (18mm on crop is around 29mm so.. this is actually a lot wider), 105 can do portraits etc.. I'd get it like that, should be
a nice deal by now since that lens is on the cheaper side, but it's a lot more versatile then 17-40 I suggested earlier.

I never looked into the Tokina you mentioned but you'd be very limited with that lens on a FF body.
Oh, you said you have the 50, maybe you'd use it more then.

I'd look more into the 24-35 F/2 Sigma then that Tokina TBH.
 
Initially you said tough but light weight. The 6d will require you to get bigger lenses than the fuji or pentax.

The pentax is tough, with a 24mp highly regarded sony sensor. Its a good call, personally if it was me I'd go for the original and not the mark 2
 
Sorry to keep throwing cameras in but I see the Sony A7 has dropped in price (probably a while ago but I don't usually keep up) and it seems like a good deal as it is full frame and small. Do you think this system would be a good one for my needs?
 

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