Camera advice...

[Bg]

obviously nows a great time to get into mirrored dslr, everyones selling their stuff for the next snake oil gibson, erm Nikon mirrorless camera!

[Gringo]

I've been into photography for the past 5 years. All my guitar GAS money went to Camera GAS money!

Tricky with type of photography you want to do - which is almost in at two ends of the spectrum. Just with guitars its hard to find one 'tool' that can do everything, so there will be some compromises based on what's more important to you.

For gig photography - you'll need a fast lens and a camera body that performs well in the dark, so good autofocus and good hi-ISO performance. A fast lens is a 'prime' such as a 35, 50 or 85mm.

Happy to chat and all if you need more info/advice.

Jay (formerly AYP)

[Hamburgla]

Another vote for going mirrorless.

A few years ago when I got my first camera - I asked around a few friends who had Canon/Nikon setups. Most of them commented that they didn't often take them out, kinda because they were bulky. I've shot mirrorless for a few years, and I've got regular use out of my gear + it makes me happy.

I do some gig photography - but mostly portrait + live comedy. My work is here. I've had a m4/3 body for a while (currently Olympus, previously Panasonic), and picked up a Fuji x100S last year.

Some thoughts:

Interchangeable lenses & budget: If you feel you really need interchangeable lenses, and you're budget conscious - m4/3 has the edge. The Olympus 45mm 1.8mm is excellent for portraits (I use mine for paid work) + tight shots live. (~NZ$390 new, imported from Japan via eBay). The Panasonic 20mm 1.7 is a classic, and ~NZ$330 second hand. Gig-stuff feels good at this price point. Looking at the $$ for the Fuji 56mm etc just seems a bit wrong for shooting a $10 entry gig...

(And yes, Ed has that very 45mm for sale + an Olympus body. If you're lucky, that body may even have in-body image stabilisation)

Feels real good: On the other hand, my Fuji x100s is a step up in image quality (it only 'matters' about half the time). (The x100t is the upgrade). And the silent leaf shutter is surprisingly amazing - no more shutter clack. If you can handle the 35mm (equiv) fixed lens, it's happy days.

Whatever else Fuji have going on (XT1, XT10) is probably great. Just price out what lenses you think you think you may want to accumulate over a ~3 year period, and make sure that's in budget. People rave about the 14mm, 35mm & 56mm, I believe.

Zack Arias' article 'A camera walks into a bar' is a cool article about fuji being the new Leica. (And perhaps 'Life without DSLRs'). It's definitely 'drink the koolaid' stuff, but it's a handy check for what gear you'll enjoy using, and a good counter-point to the larger DSLRs...

Primes: A shoutout to prime lenses. (Relatively) cheap, and usually optically superior.

Smaller: For the other folk reading - If form factor is the dealmaker (ie.: It must absolutely fit in a coat pocket) the Sony RX100 is insanely good. The mk I/II/III/IV scatter the price points - but it has the largest sensor of all point & shoots, and a f1.8 (ie.: It's good in low light. "The best camera is the one you have with you.

Hope this helps - and good luck finding something that kicks ass.

And remember: "Gear is good, vision is better"

[Capt. Black]

I edited my post to make sure everyone else got the same mindfuck.

Is this blacko also 30in and good looking in small hands?

30in round the biceps maybe. Nobody ever described Capt Black as dimunitive.
But he does have a thing for small girlfriends so, yeah.

Ahem!

FFS, I'm right here!

Crowy, come see me at photo warehouse Ponsonby.
I have everything here from Lomo to Leica.

[sizzlingbadger]

Bet you can't persuade him to buy a PhaseOne back and a couple of lenses

[Capt. Black]

What you prepared to wager?

[The Scarecrow]

So.... I ended up getting a whole bunch of Harvey Norman vouchers through credit cards rewards and took a trip there on the weekend - ended up getting a Canon EOS 1200D which is pretty entry-level as far as DSLR's go, but the price was right, and it feels quite a lot more professional than I was expecting. Results have been pleasing so far, and it is definitely good for someone like me who is probably wanting something beyod point+shoot, but doesn't get the finer points of bells+whistles just yet. May look to get a better lens in future once i get into it, but spent a good half-day yesterday snapping away, most impressed.

[KentNZ]

DSLR is dead eh? Man I'm out of touch. Love my Canon 70D, ex Photowarehouse too. Capt, have you been there a long time? Have been in and out of there for years.

My only advice if going that way is... One lens that's does everything 28-200 or similar. And then prime 50 or 85 or both later if you get serious... Or 400 if you get crazy.

Oh. You have already gone that way. Nice one.

[WellyBlues]

So what would be good for sports, like rugby, and maybe theatre performance? My son is looking at doing journalism with a focus on sport and commentary and we have suggested that being good with a camera would enhance his future prospects in this area. He's also looking at stage performance (acting) in future.

Given that these things can be of short-term interest we wouldn't want him to spend a lot at this stage.

Thanks in advance.

[Jay]

Sony A7II is the all-rounder, A7S Specialises in video and is more expensive, A7RII is massive mega-pixels and massive price. (don't get the older A7 or A7R)

Sony A6000 or Fuji XT10 would be my recommendation and I'd probably take the Fuji if it was my money.

Revisiting this thread... Five years later now, so models have changed quite a bit I imagine. I am looking for a mirror-less camera and thought the Nikon Z6 would be a good choice. However, its AF is sheit according to many reviews.

What would you experts recommend these days? My requirements - good low light shooting, full frame, good AF, wireless/bluetooth nice to have

(I have an old Nikon FE from the early eighties with a few lenses but unlikely I can reuse those so any brand considered)

[NippleWrestler]

Sony A7II is the all-rounder, A7S Specialises in video and is more expensive, A7RII is massive mega-pixels and massive price. (don't get the older A7 or A7R)

Sony A6000 or Fuji XT10 would be my recommendation and I'd probably take the Fuji if it was my money.

Revisiting this thread... Five years later now, so models have changed quite a bit I imagine. I am looking for a mirror-less camera and thought the Nikon Z6 would be a good choice. However, its AF is sheit according to many reviews.

What would you experts recommend these days? My requirements - good low light shooting, full frame, good AF, wireless/bluetooth nice to have

(I have an old Nikon FE from the early eighties with a few lenses but unlikely I can reuse those so any brand considered)

At what budget? I've been shooting professionally for 13 years and have shot Canon that entire time so my knowledge is there. Nikon's market share has shrunk year on year for the past 5 or so, ever since Sony came along and ate that up.

But, the Nikon mount hasn't changed since the 40s so any lens you have now will work on a modern body (albeit manual only if it doesn't have AF etc) which is something to think about. A mate of mine only shoots manual lenses on his modern DSLR but since you want good AF that's probably not something you want to delve into.

The Z6 looks decent enough on paper and DPReview reviewed it favourably (https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z6/9) but I'd look for a used one.

If you're system agnostic though then look at Canon. Their stuff is top-drawer and the lens choice/market is absolutely huge which keeps prices reasonably nice.

[Capt. Black]

Sony A7II is the all-rounder, A7S Specialises in video and is more expensive, A7RII is massive mega-pixels and massive price. (don't get the older A7 or A7R)

Sony A6000 or Fuji XT10 would be my recommendation and I'd probably take the Fuji if it was my money.

Revisiting this thread... Five years later now, so models have changed quite a bit I imagine. I am looking for a mirror-less camera and thought the Nikon Z6 would be a good choice. However, its AF is sheit according to many reviews.

What would you experts recommend these days? My requirements - good low light shooting, full frame, good AF, wireless/bluetooth nice to have

(I have an old Nikon FE from the early eighties with a few lenses but unlikely I can reuse those so any brand considered)

Heya Jay, I'm still the oldest, most knowledgable guy at Photo Warehouse in Auckland. Things have moved on dramatically in the last 5 years.
Opinions on Z6 and many other cameras are 98.5% based on what people wish. Which is usually $10K camera performance for a sub $1K price.
Apples and oranges etc.

Reality is that Z6 and a lot of the other cameras that cop a bit stick are vastly better at EVERYTHING compared with cameras from even a couple years ago. So it's all relative and of course, which camera is best for YOU might not be best for me or BG or Slowy. Best plan is to get good advice from knowledgeable sales people (Like ME .... or if you are not in AK, some of my colleagues in other stores) then choose one that does what you need it to, with a little bit of room to grow into.

Be pragmatic about advice from a friend (or my favourite, a "professional") They will often recommend what they already own or else something they've watched a Vlogger talk about. IME, it'll be inappropriate for your needs. They'll mean well but they only know what they know.

Feel free to hit me up if you'd like to chat more. And next week you can visit a store to get your hands on some cameras. Yes, they can be like guitars. Handling is as important as specifications IMHO.

[Jay]

Thanks CB, i will check out a couple more brands first. Where is your shop?

[vyfster]

But, the Nikon mount hasn't changed since the 40s so any lens you have now will work on a modern body (albeit manual only if it doesn't have AF etc) which is something to think about.

The Nikon mount changed with the release of their mirrorless cameras.

If I wasn't invested with Nikon gear I would look at the Canon R5. On paper this looks like a beast and very good value for money (but not cheap). IMHO Nikon mirrorless seem to be lagging behind Sony and now Canon. I'm hoping they catchup with a decent body in the next year or so.

I'm just a hobbyist photographer so it's probably best to speak to Capt. Black but thought I'd throw in my 2c.

[Capt. Black]

Thanks CB, i will check out a couple more brands first. Where is your shop?

Ponsonby/Grey Lynn. Where are you?

All brands in store.