DSLR 'Replacement' Suggestions

Blufox

I am thinking seriously about selling my gear -yes, all of it- and buying something much smaller/lighter. So, this brings me to this question for you:

If you were to sell your DSLR and gear -assuming that you own some- what would you buy to 'replace' it? P&S? Micro 4/3? What make/model appeals to you?

I am looking for just that: something to 'replace' my D700 and the rest of my gear. What am I looking for in a replacement? Image quality, RAW capability, low-light ability, macro ability ...

Suggestions?

TIA,
Larry

yendikeno

I would at least consider the Sony Nex-5n, or the soon to be available Nex-7. I got the 5n as a gift, and was amazed by its image quality with the 18-55 kit lens. Does raw, macro, and has very little noise at high ISO's. It also has a larger sensor then the 4/3 cameras. Worth at least a look see.

f-rider

Nikon P7100.
Image quality, check
RAW capability, check
low-light ability, check
macro ability, check

and
Auto HDR as well as 3 or 5 shot bracketing
Movie mode with continuous auto focus (selectable)
ND "filter"
Uses ML-L3 Nikon remote, with both front AND back infrared receiver
Hot shoe for flash
Viewfinder AND a 921,000 dot articulated 3" display
Low noise night mode which runs the ISO up depending on lack of light.

It's no DSLR, no interchangeable lenses but it's a heckuva compact camera. Just my $.02.

ziggy53

Honestly, if you are looking for something like a dSLR but lighter than a D700, the best replacement would be something like a D7000 and some lighter lenses.

You retain respectable AF speed, assuming the lenses can keep up, and respectable high ISO results. All of your current lenses would fit and work. They just wouldn't seem as wide, so a DX superwide zoom might be a good idea for vista landscapes and some architectural photography.

The D5100 is lighter still and has a very nice imager, reportedly similar in image quality to the D7000.

The Sony NEX 5(N or original) is a very nice system but there's not much for lens options yet. Still, worth consideration. Reasonable price and good low light capability.

Pupator

I recommend you go the route Ziggy is suggesting. And you can do so by trading your D700 to me for my D7000 and some lighter lenses!

Chuck289

I personally would go with micro 4/3s. I like to shoot video and the Panasonics appeal to me. And also since olympus and panasonic share the system there is alot of body and lens choices.

Chuck289

f-rider wrote: »

Nikon P7100.
Image quality, check
RAW capability, check
low-light ability, check
macro ability, check

and
Auto HDR as well as 3 or 5 shot bracketing
Movie mode with continuous auto focus (selectable)
ND "filter"
Uses ML-L3 Nikon remote, with both front AND back infrared receiver
Hot shoe for flash
Viewfinder AND a 921,000 dot articulated 3" display
Low noise night mode which runs the ISO up depending on lack of light.

It's no DSLR, no interchangeable lenses but it's a heckuva compact camera. Just my $.02.

Do you know how the ND filter works? Is it an actual filter that moves into place like on the canon?

Blufox

Pupator wrote: »

I recommend you go the route Ziggy is suggesting. And you can do so by trading your D700 to me for my D7000 and some lighter lenses!

Haha, I will keep that in mind!

Blufox

Chuck289 wrote: »

I personally would go with micro 4/3s. I like to shoot video and the Panasonics appeal to me. And also since olympus and panasonic share the system there is alot of body and lens choices.

The only thing that concerns me if I go with a micro 4/3s is that I would continue to satisfy my lens lust and end up with the same amount of money invested.

Blufox

ziggy53 wrote: »

Honestly, if you are looking for something like a dSLR but lighter than a D700, the best replacement would be something like a D7000 and some lighter lenses.

You retain respectable AF speed, assuming the lenses can keep up, and respectable high ISO results. All of your current lenses would fit and work. They just wouldn't seem as wide, so a DX superwide zoom might be a good idea for vista landscapes and some architectural photography.

The D5100 is lighter still and has a very nice imager, reportedly similar in image quality to the D7000.

The Sony NEX 5(N or original) is a very nice system but there's not much for lens options yet. Still, worth consideration. Reasonable price and good low light capability.

I probably should have stated that I am trying to lower my investment, so will probably sell my lenses for that reason. If I were to buy another DSLR -even an entry-level one- I would still have the temptation of adding some quality glass, which I often fall prey to ...

MarkR

Blufox wrote: »

I probably should have stated that I am trying to lower my investment, so will probably sell my lenses for that reason. If I were to buy another DSLR -even an entry-level one- I would still have the temptation of adding some quality glass, which I often fall prey to ...

That lets out micro 43rds, Sony NEX, Samsung NX, etc. cameras, as they all have expensive glass avaialble.

I suspect that since you are replacing, and not supplementing, your DSLR, a large sensor fixed lens you would want some sort of zoom capability. That leaves out the Sigma DP's, Fuji X100, etc.

As near as I can tell, that's going to leave you an advanced p&s-- Canon G12, Nikon P7100, Samsung TL500, Fuji X10 ...

Blufox

MarkR wrote: »

As near as I can tell, that's going to leave you an advanced p&s-- Canon G12, Nikon P7100, Samsung TL500, Fuji X10 ...

Thanks. I have checked out the P7100 and X10 so far. Decisions decisions ...

Blufox

'Out for Delivery'
I ordered the X10, and it will arrive this afternoon. While I am not sure if this is going to be 'the answer', it will at least allow me to try it out. Living in Idaho, there are few opportunities to get a hands-on trial.

Unless I change my mind, I am probably going to hang on to the D700, along with the 105 f/2.8 and the 50 f/1.4. I love shooting macro, and the results from the 105 can be stunning! I also love shooting at night, and am not sure how well the X10 will handle that -or indoors, for that matter- so the 50 will come in handy.

I have already sold my 14-24, and will probably put the 24-70 on the market next.

Being rich would make this all a non-issue ...:D

rpcrowe

Eye level viewfinder
I personally would not get a camera that forced me to use a LCD screen as a viewfinder for through the lens viewing. I want an eye-level through the lens viewfinder.

I would still be shooting film if all digital cameras had only an LCD for through the lens viewing or only an optical viewfinder.

ThatCanonGuy

A DX setup would be lighter and cheaper. The X10 should be pretty nice. If I wanted to get something smaller than a DSLR, I'd probably get a Nikon 1 setup. But there's the problem of adding lenses

swintonphoto

I am actually in the process of doing the same thing. I am selling my 5D mk2 setup for a much lighter system that is a bit less expensive. I am opting to go with the following setup:
The new Panasonic DMC-GX1
Lenses: Panasonic 14mm f2.5, Panasonic Leica 25mm f1.4, Panasonic Leica 45mm f2.8 Macro IS

These lenses are incredibly sharp - As sharp as any high quality prime you can find. And, the new GX1 has very good high ISO performance, and a new 16mp sensor that is already getting rave reviews. Check them out!

Blufox

Just thought that I would post an update to this thread ...

For starters, I still have my D700, but have fewer lenses. The lens that I am having a difficult time removing is the 85mm f/1.4G, because I love that lens! I tried the X10, but didn't like it all that much. I then tried the Olympus E-P3, but found it to be rather weak in low-light. So ... I now have the X100, and so far, so good! No, it isn't replacing my D700, but is definitely a very nice addition to my kit, and does quite well in low light!

For now, I am a happy camper ...