Suggestions for a new camera

MaximS

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I'm sorry this is a book of a post, but I'm looking for something specific, so if you shoot LANDSCAPE, I would very much appreciate your help.

I'm sorry to clutter the pages of the forum with another one of these threads. But I've reached a dead end with my current film photography setup. My fe2 has done well in my learning of photography but now I'm looking for something specific.

I spend many many weekends doing long hikes (50km+) deep into untouched wilderness, and have since found a love for landscapes........ That I take in Panorama mode with my LG V30 phone (*gasp* I know I know).

Anyways. I'm currently in the military full time and have little time outside of my weekends to dedicate myself to photography the way I would like to, so I've come once again to ask for your help. What I need is a camera that will TRANSLATE landscapes better than my phone. I'm willing to spend up to $2000 CAD for a decent body and wide angle lens. Now, I know, for a wide angle and body it is not exactly the most practical price point. But here's the thing.

I DON'T care about video quality at all
I DON'T care about shooting 100fps continuous
I DON'T care about how many million auto focus points there are
I DON'T care about cropping 1/70000 of a picture and still getting ultra sharp focus
I DON'T care how it shoots in AUTO, or AUTO ISO, or anything for that matter.

I need crisp image quality and something that I can rely on to translate landscapes. I've spent the last 2 years shooting strictly manual photography, with manual focus, and I'm comfortable with moving on shooting full manual RAW in the digital world now.

I DO need a camera that has decent weather proofing

Here's the thing, I need something that can hold up to being banged around a little, I will obviously do my best to keep it safe, but when hiking up mountains sometimes you fall. I need something that will hold up in the winter. Good battery life would be a pro. I'm willing to settle for a crop sensor, but since I don't care about any of the tech, I just need a good sensor and platform to mount a solid wide angle lens. I'll only be carrying a few lenses, as I don't have space for an enormous amount of kit on long distance hikes, and will be using a tripod obviously. So should I got with a used full frame? Like a Nikon d800? Or something mirorless and more compact? I assume a used full frame would make the most sense, as like I've said I don't care about features, rather just a good quality image. But I'm also new to digital, so I'm not 100% sure which direction to go.

Thanks in advance for sticking through this post if you've read this far, I appreciate any and all help/suggestions.
 
Hmm, you got any good wide angle Nikkor MF lenses already ? ... just checking since you included body + lens in your budget.

I am not primarily a landscape shooter ... but I think full frame would benefit you.

Hmm, just realized we haven't heard from you in a while ... welcome back, where are you stationed?
 
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No that's the thing, I don't have anything really dedicated to setup shooting landscape. I was shooting more street photography and just generally anything that interested me while learning film. I sold all my film equipment since I joined last year (why I haven't been active), as there's no way I can develop film while constantly on the move. I'm currently posted to Trenton until June/July/August, but I'm transferring out of the RCAF to the army and should hopefully (this will sound crazy) be in Gagetown, New Brunswick by August for Combat Engineer. Right now I'm on course near Ottawa and drive down to hike in the Adirondacks (Upstate New York) just about every weekend.
 
Ok, so weather proof/resistant body + lens primarily for landscape = CAD$2000

Hmm, as a Sony user ... can't think of one for that budget ... I will leave it up to the others to suggest.

Umm, if you are up by Ottawa, why not Algonquin Park (I think the ice is gone now) ?
 
Yep that's kind of what I figured, I was aiming more for something like a used Nikon D800 + $1000 for a MF Lens, but I dunno. Algonquin is really nice and I go often but the Adirondacks have incredible hiking trails and mountains! Plus I don't know when I'll get another chance to go back. If I get posted to Petawawa I'll be literally beside Algonquin for the next however many years though.

Edit: Just realized the D800 isn't weather proof. EOS 6D?
 
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Buy a potato. Drill a whole and insert a glass tube. Bake it to get the best focus. Otherwise fry it.
 
Buy a potato. Drill a whole and insert a glass tube. Bake it to get the best focus. Otherwise fry it.
You're probably middle aged and thought that was funny. I forgot the kind of people photography attracts :sleeping:
 
Edit: Just realized the D800 isn't weather proof. EOS 6D?

yes it is, just as weather proof as the 6D.

both have weather sealing...

Nikon-D810-Weather-Sealed.jpg

source: nikon
 
Another option is Micro 4/3.
  • A benefit is size and weight reduction over FF cameras. Especially for hiking, where you have to carry it.
    • My Olympus EM1 + Panasonic 12-60 is 44% lighter than my DX/crop Nikon D7200 + 18-140, and almost 60% lighter than a FX/FF Nikon D810 + 24-120. Note that neither the Panasonic 12-60 nor Nikon 18-140 are pro grade lenses.
    • Comparison pix; the Olympus EM1 + Panasonic 12-60 on the left, Nikon D7200 + 18-140 on the right.
    • camera comp EM1 vs D7200.jpg
  • Weather sealing
    • Olympus OM-D EM5 and EM1 are weather sealed. As are some of the Panasonic cameras.
    • But you must match them to weather sealed lenses. Not all lenses are weather sealed.
    • And there is a discussion, even though both are m43, the mount is just slightly different between Olympus and Panasonic, that for weather sealing, you should stay with the same brand body/lens.
The cons of m43 are:
  • Max resolution is 20MP, compared to the FF D850 at over 40MP. However not all FF cameras have that much resolution. And the D850 is an expensive camera.
  • The smaller sensor does not have the low light performance that the larger FF or even the crop APS-C sensors have.
I do not know how rugged the m43 cameras are, and how much abuse they can put up with. I would try to keep them in a padded pouch/case.
 
Pentax K-70+ 16-85 lens. L bracket, tripod, and CS 310cable release.

24 point something MP. Weather resistant, pixel shift capability, and probably some change back from your 2K.
 
Cool thanks guys. ac12 I've actually just spent the day browsing MFT's and I'm probably going to head that route. I'm really liking the Olympus OM-D EM5 ii paired with the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 pro. Seems like a very well liked body and lens, and they're both rain, dust and freezing proof, which is superb.
 
Cool thanks guys. ac12 I've actually just spent the day browsing MFT's and I'm probably going to head that route. I'm really liking the Olympus OM-D EM5 ii paired with the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 pro. Seems like a very well liked body and lens, and they're both rain, dust and freezing proof, which is superb.

m43 has a 2x crop factor, so the 12-40 would have a similar field of view as a 24-80 on a 35mm film camera.
 
Cool thanks guys. ac12 I've actually just spent the day browsing MFT's and I'm probably going to head that route. I'm really liking the Olympus OM-D EM5 ii paired with the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 pro. Seems like a very well liked body and lens, and they're both rain, dust and freezing proof, which is superb.

m43 has a 2x crop factor, so the 12-40 would have a similar field of view as a 24-80 on a 35mm film camera.

Yep I understand how it works. I've managed to do some digging on Amazon, and since I'm 5 minutes from the border here I'd be able to get everything bought and shipped to a Ship it Shop on the New York side for about $1500 CAD. Which is great, because it leaves me with $500 for some other goodies.

Coming from film the 2x crop factor is pretty unappealing to be honest, but for the reduced size and weather proofing it seems like a compromise I can live with. Maybe grab a Rokinon 12mm to try and get some starry night skies up in the hills at f/2.0.

I'm just really a fan of how confident Olympus is with the weather proofing, and with the type of excursions I do that would be extremely beneficial, not having to worry about moisture seeping in.
 
Cool thanks guys. ac12 I've actually just spent the day browsing MFT's and I'm probably going to head that route. I'm really liking the Olympus OM-D EM5 ii paired with the Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 pro. Seems like a very well liked body and lens, and they're both rain, dust and freezing proof, which is superb.

m43 has a 2x crop factor, so the 12-40 would have a similar field of view as a 24-80 on a 35mm film camera.

Yep I understand how it works. I've managed to do some digging on Amazon, and since I'm 5 minutes from the border here I'd be able to get everything bought and shipped to a Ship it Shop on the New York side for about $1500 CAD. Which is great, because it leaves me with $500 for some other goodies.

Coming from film the 2x crop factor is pretty unappealing to be honest, but for the reduced size and weather proofing it seems like a compromise I can live with. Maybe grab a Rokinon 12mm to try and get some starry night skies up in the hills at f/2.0.

I'm just really a fan of how confident Olympus is with the weather proofing, and with the type of excursions I do that would be extremely beneficial, not having to worry about moisture seeping in.

Don't forget the batteries.
I have no idea what you will need for a multi day hike with the EM5 ii.
For my EM1-mk1, I went with the estimate of using 1 to 1-1/2 batteries a day (still only, no video), and bought 2 spares for my upcoming vacation. I "hope" to be able charge everything every night.
The problem with the early mirrorless is that the used a small battery, so that they could make the camera small. BUT a mirrorless uses as much or more power than a dslr, so you really need a BIG battery. I understand that some of the latest mirrorless finally got that right with a bigger battery.
 

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