DSLR's Dead?

[Wandering Man]

I've got a Nikon D5500, which I bought in 2015, and upgrade from my old Minolta X700. It took a long time for me to upgrade from film to digital. Now I see that the trend is toward mirrorless. One of the things I regretted when I did the last upgrade was having to give up my lenses. I'd had some of those lenses since 1974, when I bought my first SLR, a Minolta SRT101.

I am still not extremely knowledgeable about working with the D5500, but get by. During our vacation this year, I decided there might be an advantage to carrying two cameras with different lenses (please disadvise me of this notion if it is wrong).

So, I've started investigating my next purchase. I've been looking at the Nikon Z6 III. I've also been looking at the price, and wondering how many new lenses I'd have to buy. I currently have four lenses for the D5500, 3 are Nikon AF-S's and one is the huge Sigma 150 - 600.

Last night, it occurred to me that I could probably get the D850 for less money, and not have the lens dilemma.

I'd like to hear your predictions about the future of photography and any advice.

For what its worth, I'm now in my 70's, so probably won't need a camera to take me much beyond 15 to 20 years.

 

[SharonHearn]

I have a Nikon D3500 and a Z50, I bought a lens mount adapter and can use a lot of my D3500 lenses with the Z50 now.

 

[Ysarex]

I've got a Nikon D5500, which I bought in 2015, and upgrade from my old Minolta X700. It took a long time for me to upgrade from film to digital. Now I see that the trend is toward mirrorless. One of the things I regretted when I did the last upgrade was having to give up my lenses. I'd had some of those lenses since 1974, when I bought my first SLR, a Minolta SRT101.

I am still not extremely knowledgeable about working with the D5500, but get by. During our vacation this year, I decided there might be an advantage to carrying two cameras with different lenses (please disadvise me of this notion if it is wrong).

So, I've started investigating my next purchase. I've been looking at the Nikon Z6 III. I've also been looking at the price, and wondering how many new lenses I'd have to buy. I currently have four lenses for the D5500, 3 are Nikon AF-S's and one is the huge Sigma 150 - 600.

Last night, it occurred to me that I could probably get the D850 for less money, and not have the lens dilemma.

I'd like to hear your predictions about the future of photography and any advice.

For what its worth, I'm now in my 70's, so probably won't need a camera to take me much beyond 15 to 20 years.

All of my cameras are mirrorless now and no way would I go back to a DSLR. There are mirrorless advantages that I'm not willing to give up.

Mirrorless cameras have a shorter flange distance which permits superior lens design in the wide angle range. I have wide angle lenses now that are completely distortion free (not possible with a DSLR) and I won't go back.

Exposure aids in mirrorless cameras are live in the viewfinder before the photo is taken. I set exposure using the camera's highlight alert function and I won't give that up.

 

[cgw]

Weight, bulk and iffy ergonomics ended my affair with DSLR Nikons. Still enjoy a D7200 with primes but fell for Fuji and the X-T series. Top deck analog-like dials, minimal menu-hunting and right-size body, especially with an all-day shooting battery grip. A cheap adapter put fave MF Nikkors back in business, too.

 

[Wandering Man]

I have a Nikon D3500 and a Z50, I bought a lens mount adapter and can use a lot of my D3500 lenses with the Z50 now.

I was wondering how clunky things would get attaching my old lenses to a Z camera.

 

[KJ_North]

I'm a Canon guy but from what i have heard the D850 is a real workhorse. I dont think you would go wrong picking up one of those. It all comes down to what do YOU need in camera? A lot of the newer upgrades help in certain areas, auto focus , FPS to name a few. But overall picture quality the D850 is right there at the top.

 

[smoke665]

Last night, it occurred to me that I could probably get the D850 for less money, and not have the lens dilemma.

I'd like to hear your predictions about the future of photography and any advice.

For what its worth, I'm now in my 70's, so probably won't need a camera to take me much beyond 15 to 20 years.

I'll be 75 in a little over a month. I've been with Pentax since the 70's. One of the main reasons for that is their backward forward compatibility on glass (no adaptor needed). Over the years I've upgraded bodies and kept the best of the glass. I can shoot all day with the K1MII & K3ii without changing batteries, and after 50+ years I don't need a bunch of gimmicks to nail exposure or focus. However, if I did there's plenty there to suffice on either body. Over the years muscle memory takes over on controls letting me adjust on the fly without looking. So, unless Pentax comes out with a significant improvement on the K1MII or it dies, I don't see me upgrading bodies. Glass....now that's a different matter.

 

[snowbear]

Same here. The D750 will be the last body I buy; I'm not interested in any more film bodies. There are a couple lenses I'd like to get, but ...

 

[JBPhotog]

I was wondering how clunky things would get attaching my old lenses to a Z camera.

Not clunky at all, you simply mount the FTZ II adapter on the Z body of your choosing and attach your F-mount lenses as you would on an F-mount camera body. If you don't own any Z less then simply leave it attached to the camera. The advantages of a Z-mount body, say a Z5 II or Z6 III are significant over an older F-mount body.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

DSLR isn't dead but on life support. Don't want mirrorless.

I have a preference for Nikon manual focus glass. I have two directions I am considering with bodies. One, ditch the DX and buy a full frame DSLR. Two, quit digital and just learn to print B&W. Leaning towards the latter. I can develop B&W film already. Not real good at it but time will fix that. Always wanted a darkroom now I have a second bathroom I never use anyways. Biggest problem is a well with lots of dissolved iron particulate. Don't know I I can make it clean enough.

 

[cgw]

Was out today with my small "street bag" before things got too hot. Trailing edge gear, Fuji X-100T and Ricoh GR II. Thankful for the reduced weight and missing fuss with lens swapping.
28mm to 35mm perspectives suit me for the urban/street/candid shot style I prefer.
But then I'll load up a film back or two(20 shots max)for a Mamiya RB67 Pro S+tripod and
schelp that around for weight training. No brains...

 

[PhotoHobbyist]

Now is a golden age for those wanting to get into photography with a DSLR for a fraction of the cost.
The market is flooded with DSLRs as people are dumping them for expensive mirrorless cameras.

 

[Don Fischer]

I've got a Nikon D5500, which I bought in 2015, and upgrade from my old Minolta X700. It took a long time for me to upgrade from film to digital. Now I see that the trend is toward mirrorless. One of the things I regretted when I did the last upgrade was having to give up my lenses. I'd had some of those lenses since 1974, when I bought my first SLR, a Minolta SRT101.

I am still not extremely knowledgeable about working with the D5500, but get by. During our vacation this year, I decided there might be an advantage to carrying two cameras with different lenses (please disadvise me of this notion if it is wrong).

So, I've started investigating my next purchase. I've been looking at the Nikon Z6 III. I've also been looking at the price, and wondering how many new lenses I'd have to buy. I currently have four lenses for the D5500, 3 are Nikon AF-S's and one is the huge Sigma 150 - 600.

Last night, it occurred to me that I could probably get the D850 for less money, and not have the lens dilemma.

I'd like to hear your predictions about the future of photography and any advice.

For what its worth, I'm now in my 70's, so probably won't need a camera to take me much beyond 15 to 20 years.

I think camera company's keep designing new cameras to earn money. To do that they have to convince the people that this new camera is better than your old one. More expensive? yep! Better, maybe. Question you need to ask is does the camera your using now satisfy you? If it does then what improvement are you looking for? I shoot a D7000 and recently thinking about a mirrorless. Where I stumble though is I simply can't see where the mirrorless camera is gonna make me better pictures! Seems that photography company's seem to think the way they survive is to convince the photographer's that the newer more expensive camera's will make them better, I don't believe they will. And unless you are really good at understanding how camera's work, you'll never figure out all a newer one might have to offer. So you end up stepping out of something you might, probably don't, know how to use into something you don't and have to start all over just figuring out how to take photo's and soon as your getting photo's you like your there! Shoot I shot film a long time then stepped up to digital and had to start all over. Did I get better photo's? To my eyes, no. What did get better was my ability to process and print my own photo's. Took a long time but gave up on the idea getting more expensive equipment was gonna make me better. It won't but then I get stuff I like, process my own and print all my own. Lot less expensive that way! I also picked up on making my own frames and that really got less expensive! My frames I cut out of wood from scrap piles and they work for me. Bunch of other's around here also, ranch community and pretty much all of them have a number of my frames hanging in their house.

If I was to go looking for a new camera I'd need a better reason other than it will make me a better photographer because it won't. There is only one thing that will make a better photographer and that is learning to take better photo's, and learning to see what might have made them better. Then your old stuff will bring you up a long way. One of my favorite photo's is a buck deer I did with a D70 when I first started digital and printing my own stuff. Had a few good 8x10's but discovered the 13" printer and learned how to better my stuff and that old entry level has now given me a 12x24 photo that I dearly love. Couldn't have done that that long ago and up grading the camera just wasn't necessary. Get a new one, get something your reasonably familiar with.

Some of my favorite photo's to do are pointing dogs and started that I think with my D7000, maybe my old D5000. Discovered it takes more than a well exposed photo to make a special shot! DSLR got in the way a lot in the field and I went through several different Point and Shoots looking for a better way. All of them took better photo's than I could at the time. They also had a short life span and went in the garbage way to soon. Today I have what I believe to be a much better Point and Shoot in a Panasonic that has a fixed 25-250 lens and it goes everywhere with me. Wish I could afford a multi thousand dollar Lecia but cant and don't know that it would be much improvement over my $600 Panasonic. Keep in mind while your looking, it ain't the wrench, it's the mechanic!

Dog photo taught me a lot I think!

Two things I got wrong here for sure. Dog should be higher and butt back more toward that side of the photo. It's a learning process and I learn slow!
Same dog about a year ago. Notice he's pointing into the photo and bird is actually in line with where he's pointing. He's coming into the photo! [url=https://imgur.com/cOYcML4]

My computer skill's leave lot's of room for improvement!

 

[smoke665]

think camera company's keep designing new cameras to earn money. To do that they have to convince the people that this new camera is better than your old one. More expensive? yep! Better, maybe. Question you need to ask is does

You wouldn't stay in business long if no one upgraded. By and large we humans are vain, buying something new feeds that inner feeling of abilities and worth. Manufactures spend billions on research, marketing, and advertising, just to find the key hot words that will make you part with your money. Unfortunately we humans aren't always the best at judging fact from fiction, when someone is stoking our vanities. You see their examples and assume if you buy their camera you'll be taking the same images right out of the box, never considering they were done by a professional team, likely capable of squeezing the same IQ out of your old camera.

 

[aardwolf]

DSLRs are like old pickups. They’re a little heavier, a little louder, but dang if they don’t still get the job done with character. Mirrorless might be the hot rod, but not everyone wants to live in sport mode 24/7.