Another "what shall I buy" thread

Ripleysbaby

supernatural anesthetist
Location
Cumbria UK
Name
Garry
Ok, here goes. I'll admit to having too much gear. I want to simplify. Currently sporting a GoPro, GX8 with 12-35 f2.8, A7r with 35/55 and 85. And a Ricoh GR. and an iPhone 6s. I know it's too much ! I spend much time deciding what to take whe I go out. I've decided that the GoPro and Ricoh are staying regardless. Basically because they are, imo The best at what they do. So the lovely Gx8 kit and the awesome a7r kit needs to be replaced. 2 criteria. I don't do video and I rarely feel the need for long lenses. I suppose the clue was keeping the GR and GoPro. Also looking back over the last few years of shots, my favourite turned out to be from the Nikon V1 and 10mm . So one camera to keep me happy for the next couple or three years. Shove me in the right direction folks :) Oh yeah, budget ? I'm not very flush right now but I have a absolutely fabulous credit rating. But my new 4x4 is thirstier than the manufacturer lead me to believe. Awesome car though !
 
Invest in a gold fish bowl. One of the round clear ones. Then write the names of all your different cameras on hundreds of bits of paper. One camera per piece of paper. Fold them individually and throw them into the bowl. No water in the bowl, mind. The paper would just get soggy and illegible . Give the bowl a good shake and stir. When you are next going out stick your hand in the bowl and pull a piece of paper out. Whatever camera is named, stick with it and only it for the day. Keep doing this for three months. You will eventually know by the groan that escapes your lips when you read the bit of paper which camera you need to ditch. Or, alternatively, you will have learned to love the ones you have. Once the exercise has finished, buy a goldfish!
 
Short question: Why do you want to get out of *both* systems?

M.
I was wondering the same. Why not sell off one of them and buy another lens or two from the one that remains. I'd probably keep the A7R but that's just what I'd do - nothing to do with you. I got rid of a lot of stuff when I got my DF and have just played around the edges of buying and selling (lately selling) cheap old MF lenses for it. But the m43 and Fuji gear left the building when that took over...

-Ray
 
Short question: Why do you want to get out of *both* systems?

M.

This question needs to answered before anyone can make a decent suggestion. With the shots you have been getting from the Sony, I would DEMAND to know why you want to get rid of it. And if I had the money, I'd hop on a plane and fly over there and buy it from you before you came to your senses.
 
Yep, I could understand getting rid of 1 or 2 of the lenses for the Sony but not the camera itself, the A7R is not bog standard and 36 mega pickles is fantastic for landscapes. One of those cameras that's worth compromising on and working around its limitations imo.
 
With a 7d mk2 with 100-400L and 17-40L, X-T1 with 35mm and 10-24mm and a GR and a GRD3 I am qualified to say that I have been there, done that, got the t shirt washed it and ironed it a few times. I hesitate and argue with myself all the time. I have decided (until I change my mind again) to divest myself of the canon and possible the Fuji and put the money towards the new RX1. I am going to concentrate on one form of photography.....street shooting and have the camera for holiday shots. I am determined to rid myself of the tyranny of GAS. A bit like smoking I guess. You miss it for a while when you give up, but it becomes the norm and you adjust. What do you like to shoot most? Get the best you can for that and wean yourself off having a choice. Easy for me to say as I have not tried it yet!
 
If we're talking clean slate here, I'll just recommend the one camera/lens combo I would consider worth going for from my very own point of view: The Olympus E-M1 II with 12-100mm f/4 PRO. Why? You get a catch-all combo with fantastic overall feature set and very good image quality that's not too big (though bigger than your current :mu43: setup).

I've tried the lens - it's great in terms of usability, and in absolute terms (say, compared to the Sony/Zeiss 55mm), it's pretty compact, while all reviews so far found it to be plenty sharp and supremely versatile.

As for the camera: I haven't used it, but I've handled every other OM-D (including the E-M1), and all of them where convincing cameras - and when taking into account the impressive number of improvements in the E-M1 II, if it's a one-off solution you're after, it's kind of no-brainer.

If you really let go of everything, the funds shouldn't be that big of a problem. An it's the only new camera that really got me thinking - not even the Nikon D500 had that much pull. Nothing against Canon, btw. - I just think you'd need to go for one of the pro bodies to get anywhere near the performance of the E-M1 II, and that'd land you with one beefy setup indeed ...

Second suggestion, somewhat against the whole mirrorless wave: Nikon D750 (the best bang-for-the-bug FF DSLR at the moment, IMO - and not that big and heavy in absolute terms) with your choice of either Sigma or Tamron (or Nikon, come to that) primes - I chose Sigma, but I think you'd probably lean towards Tamron because of size and weight considerations - or one of the many capable zooms available: Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E (or G), Nikon 24-120mm f/4G, Sigma 24-105 f/4 Art (my choice - but I own the Olympus 12-40mm as well), Sigma 24-35mm f/2 Art (see below ...), Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 etc. - all solid to great performers, and extremely useful; pick your poison! It may not sport 36Mpix, but the files are a joy to work with, and with the right lenses, there are no real limits to what you can do. If I'm unsure what camera to pick, I grab the D750 and add a suitable lens or set of lenses. Lastly, the honorary mention: The Nikon 35mm f/1.8G ED and 85mm f/1.8G are great lenses, really quite small and light, and cheap ... if you add the somewhat lesser Nikon 50mm f/1.8G, you can put the camera and three lenses in quite a small bag, no problem. And the 20mm/24mm/28mm f/1.8 primes are all very good, too ...

Finally, on a more personal, but maybe also quite revealing note: The E-M1 II is the only camera I would consider giving up my Nikon APS-C stuff for - it's so powerful it would make me forget the (slight) loss in maximum IQ. But I'm still attached to my D5500 with Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 Art - this combo is such a revelation ... But seeing where you're coming from, I'd never dare recommend this - it would feel too much of a downgrade, I guess. But the Sigma zoom is worth every ounce and cent ...

M.
 
I would find it difficult to find a single camera/lens that covered all eventualities. The A7R is a great camera and the colour you're getting from it really makes your pictures pop in my opinion. Cropping ability is also a plus!
 
It's not an easy choice to make, is it? I have waffled so much on gear, buying and selling my way through Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Fuji, back to Olympus, back to Fuji . . . and that's where I've decided to make my stand. One of my goals in SiJ 17 was to see if I could stick with the X-E1 and 24mm Rokkor. While the IQ is excellent, I like the form factor of the X-T1 better. The X-E1 goes on sale as soon as SiJ is completed. That will leave me with the X-T1 and X30. I presently have no native lenses. I was leaning toward getting the XF 23mm WR, but I'd really like a wider lens for landscape purposes. The Rokinon 12mm f/2 is looking might appealing.

Must. resist.
 
Shooting my dogs and landscapes is pretty much all I do. Even my dogs are mostly static these days. My walks in the countryside are getting shorter and shorter because of their age.
Taz is happy to stay at home, but Buster just has to ride shotgun where ever I go. And I just can't leave him behind.
How is all this related to photographic equipment ? I don't know. I'm just rambling, trying to find a photographic direction. There is nothing wrong with any of my gear. I'm old enough and wise enough to know new cameras won't make me a better photographer .
After over 45 years into this hobby I know I am as good as I'll ever be. The longest I ever owned camera wise was my Bronica gear. About 2 years . My GR has surpassed that by a mile. Sony an Panasonic are both doing well . All of these cameras do so much more than i"ll ever need.
Even the stills from my GoPro totally blow me away when viewed on a 4 foot 4K tv ! I miss the top lcd on my Canon DSLR's. Seeing the settings without the viewfinder or screen. I did like the XE1 for seeing shutter speed an aperture set. But any system camera bought will in time lead to lens purchases. And most of the time they will stay at home or in the bag because I can't be bothered to change them. Most of the time I pick one lens to go out with and leave the rest behind.
I do have the new X100 on my mind. The LX100 also. I suppose I will admit to preferring a camera in my pocket to carrying any type of bag.
I'm still scratching my head ! And thank you all for your input. Trouble is it all makes sense.
One thing fore sure. Next time ebay offers me £1 final value fee Its all going on. It would help If I knew what I was going to spend the cash on.
 
@Ripleysbaby Don't get me wrong, but I think as long as you keep the GR, you won't get a lot of additional usage out of either the LX100 or the X100F, though I think that Fuji got that one pretty much right ... Just another word about the LX100: I really like that camera, it's still my go-to EDC, but coming from the GX8 or the A7R, it'll feel like a rather expensive toy, a downgrade in almost every respect. A miniature rangefinder replacement this is not. It's a reasonably competent compact with an impressive feature set, but its performance is limited.

Anyway, with your kind of background, I'd take a long hard look at two other cameras, both a lot more premium, but really unique and worth their price: the Sony RX1R II and the Leica Q. The Leica may be a bit big, but in terms of handling and IQ, it leaves nothing to be desired. I fell in love with it after using it for only a couple of minutes. Now, I know that I'd not get enough mileage out of such a camera to ever justify buying one, but if it's your main camera (and it sure deserves to be), it's not as expensive as it may first appear - you get very useful and well thought-out features in a very convincing package, from the lens to the sensor to the EVF and the all-over appearance and feel. As for the RX1R II - well, in all honesty, when I tried this camera, I instantly hated it about as much as I loved the Q. I adore the intuitive, direct handling of the Leica; the beeping, blinking, packed screen of the RX1R II, along with its somewhat more sedate pace in every respect, just put me off. But - and that's a huge "but" at that price point - the files from the RX1R II are yet in another league than the already gorgeous ones from the Q. That means that the Sony represents the ultimate in quality vs. size. If you can muster the patience to set up the RX1R II to your liking (disabling and shutting off most of the christmas tree decoration display, probably), it'll deliver the best quality in a fixed-lens compact you can get at the moment, period. And it's a lot smaller than the Q!

Having said all that, I'll end with something decidedly sober: I think that in many ways, you already have the best camera for the job: the GR. It's capable, small and straightforward to use. Its files are very solid and malleable - not the best on the market, but hard to beat if you consider its price, let alone its size. The wide-angle might be a bit of a problem, but that's about it for limitations, and that's something you can wrap your head around.

Take the money, travel to amazing places, take the GR with you and shoot the hell out of it.

M.
 
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