Mirrorless or not?

[John flightpath]

Personally speaking I shoot in jpeg as I have not explored RAW yet, but will be doing in the future to see how or if it improves the image.

Cheers
John 'flightpath'.

[TREBAX_RAVEN]

D850 RAW files 14bit uncompressed are roughly 92mb each!

[slogen51]

Nikon D850 fine jpeg file size is 'only' 25mb!

That will make my window 10 lap top sweat when I load the photo app to crop the image

On balance I will stick with a DSLR rather than mirrorless mainly for price and also because the battery on a Mirrorless doesn't last for as many shots.

If only the Nikon D610 didn't have a OLPF

[sft]

Hello slogen51 - yes those file sizes I quoted (D800) are for RAW. After cropping to suit it really is only a couple of clicks on nikons capture program to get them sorted.

[daggerfan]

If you can get a secondhand D610 from a dealer on approval give it a try. You should have some room to manoeuvre especially if you buy mail order.

I try not to get too bogged down with magazine and online camera tests and reviews and instead prefer to try out gear I'm interested in (admittedly easier said than done in some cases). Take a few test shots and say to yourself "does this look sharp enough to me?" If the answer is Yes, job done! If No, try something else.

And let's not forget that no matter how high-tech and super-duper your gear is, the results are only as good as your eyesight!

[slogen51]

Just purchased a second hand D610 - 9000 shutter activations so just a baby.

All I have to do now is work out what all the buttons do!

Already used it at 'Noridge' on a SATA DH8D (CS-TRD)

The camera feels very refined and I reckon I will enjoy using it

[Weazel69]

Good Luck with your New ( to you ) Camera. Personally I agree with Daggerfan comments after all its the old saying "one mans meat is one mans poison"
and as for all the buttons, if like me you will probably find a set up you are happy with and stick to it
just wait for the finished images to get posted now

[daggerfan]

Well done on your purchase. I'm sure you won't regret it. As Weazel69 said, find a set-up you're happy with, then you can ignore some of the other buttons!

If I might also make a suggestion, I find the camera fitted with a 70-200 or 100-400 handles a wee bit better if you add a MB-D14 battery grip. Mpb have a few used examples round about the £60 mark, plus you have the option to then add another battery.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

[1marshn30]

Hi all
Hi have just finished testing an Olympus OM-D-EM1 MkII great bit of kit

[TREBAX_RAVEN]

Hi all
Hi have just finished testing an Olympus OM-D-EM1 MkII great bit of kit

i second that, EM-1 MKII is incredible, it also goes a lot cheaper nowadays since Olympus had released the EM-1 x.

[1marshn30]

Hi is mirroless . I Have posted some shots on the Current Mil page from Brize and from Enstone .
Hope this helps

Ni

[slogen51]

Further to my posts above relating to the presence optical low pass filter: ( Sorry not actually relevant to Mirrorless!)

I compared my Nikon D3300 DX to the second hand D610 FX that I recently purchased. I set up a shot of a barcode and some text ( a label hanging from a plant about 30' away in the garden). I set both cameras to the same settings ( ISO 200 and aperture F/2.8 JPEG fine) and used the same Lens on both cameras by swapping between bodies.

I found the D3300 crop sensor to be noticeable sharper than the D610 ( I could see more barcode line and read the text). The D3300 is a crop sensor so effective focal length is 280mm as compared to 200mm when on the D610

Also my partner has a Nikon D3400 which does have a OFLP so I Compared that.

The D3300 ( no low pass filter) is sharper than the D610 ( has a low pass filter)
The D3300 is slightly sharper than the D3400
The D3400 DX is a bit sharper than the D610 FX and both have a OLPF!!

All the above cameras are of similar mega pixel count.

I put a 1.4x converter on the D610 but it still was not as clear as either Crop sensor D3300 or D3400

The above is only noticeable at maximum zoom or crop but there is a difference.

I am not saying the crop sensor cameras take better pictures than the full frame D610 but in this instance they are sharper. I still prefer the D610 due to its better auto focus capabilities in low light. I am looking forward to using the D610 in good light at Lakenheath so I can compare to shots I have previously taken on the DX camera.

I took some photos with the D610 at Lakenheath in grey wet conditions and was pleasantly surprised how well the camera coped so I can't wait to get out into bright conditions

[Pete Da Bear]

The latest edition of Amateur Photographer which goes on sale Tuesday 14 May is a "mirrorless special". It covers many of the pros and cons of switching to the system.
Hope mods don't think this gratuitous advertising, I have no connection to the publication other than being a subscriber.

[Theo1]

Hi All,
For more than 3 years I have a mirrorless camera, an Olympus OM D 10 II (Micro for Thirds M4/3). Before that I had several Canon digital cameras and lenses. I am more then happy switching from Canon to Olympus. The gear is smaller and lighter and therefore much easier to carry with you. The only thing missing is the continuous autofocus. But if you know the camera you still are able to get action shots with it. The more expensive Olympus OM D 1 II or X have a far more better (continuous) autofocus system.
If you are interested in what you can achieve with these kind of systems then you might want to check out my Flickr account.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/153188826@N07/albums

Cheers Theo

[PR9]

Hi All,
For more than 3 years I have a mirrorless camera, an Olympus OM D 10 II (Micro for Thirds M4/3). Before that I had several Canon digital cameras and lenses. I am more then happy switching from Canon to Olympus. The gear is smaller and lighter and therefore much easier to carry with you. The only thing missing is the continuous autofocus. But if you know the camera you still are able to get action shots with it. The more expensive Olympus OM D 1 II or X have a far more better (continuous) autofocus system.
If you are interested in what you can achieve with these kind of systems then you might want to check out my Flickr account.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/153188826@N07/albums

Cheers Theo

You have an impressive set of images Theo. I have the e-m10 mk1 and the Oly 75-300 but have gotten nowhere near as good as your shots.
Could you advise how you set up your AF/settings and which shooting mode you prefer?

[John flightpath]

Personally speaking I only got into DSLR about 4 years ago so I think I'll be sticking with it. I don't want to be doing with the upheaval of changing the system all over again. Quite happy with the kit i've got.

Cheers
John 'flightpath'.

[B58Hustler]

Personally don’t like EVFs but one day I will have to accept them.
Was the same converting from film to digital.
Also love playing vinyl and nor do I wish to throw away all my CDs in this age of blutooth connectivity.
I will have to accept defeat sooner or later though.
I currently use a D600 and a D7200 and can honestly say that when browsing my files I have to check which body they were taken on.
The D600 images always seem ‘cleaner’which is probably down to the larger photo sites.
The lack of OLPF becomes irrelevant if you do any kind of post processing.
D600 at least a stop better at handling noise also.
When it’s reach I need,D7200 every time.

[Theo1]

Hi All,
For more than 3 years I have a mirrorless camera, an Olympus OM D 10 II (Micro for Thirds M4/3). Before that I had several Canon digital cameras and lenses. I am more then happy switching from Canon to Olympus. The gear is smaller and lighter and therefore much easier to carry with you. The only thing missing is the continuous autofocus. But if you know the camera you still are able to get action shots with it. The more expensive Olympus OM D 1 II or X have a far more better (continuous) autofocus system.
If you are interested in what you can achieve with these kind of systems then you might want to check out my Flickr account.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/153188826@N07/albums

Cheers Theo

You have an impressive set of images Theo. I have the e-m10 mk1 and the Oly 75-300 but have gotten nowhere near as good as your shots.
Could you advise how you set up your AF/settings and which shooting mode you prefer?

Hi PR9,

Thank you for your kind words.
I use the following settings for my camera:

Select center AF point.
Turn ISO 200 (or higher depending the weather/action)
With the Oly 75-300, f8 gives the best sharpness so I try to keep it there, if possible.
Select S-AF mode.
Use mode A (aperture-priority mode)
Turn IS 2 (only for vertical mode)
Turn off face detection.
Disable the “touch-screen” function of the rear monitor display (so the monitor will not react when touching it)
Pre focus for more precise timing for that perfect moment.

After shooting I load my images in Lightroom for adjustments, horizon and framing. I seldom use extra sharpening or other tricks. I shoot in Jpeg.
And yes sometimes I miss some action shots because my camera can’t response that quick to the action but that’s a thing I can live with. For landing aircraft you should not have any problems with above mentioned settings. Just keep tapping the release button half-way so the camera focuses on the plane and press the release button at the right moment.

Hope these points might be helping you.

Regards,

Theo

[2e1var]

I'm a sony user and switched from an A230 to an A58 a few years back. the view finder takes some getting used to and helos do seem weird, throws you and makes you mess up the shot, gives the impression you've frozen the blades !
I noticed no difference really but I'm hardly a pro. The big thing for me was the EVF allows you to view/change menu settings and review your shots also, great on a sunny day when you're struggling to view on the back of the camera. One watch out, many a time I've got carried away reviewing images only to put the camera down only to realise I was pointing it at someone while I was looking at my pics, you get some odd looks !

[Bilvo]

Personally speaking I only got into DSLR about 4 years ago so I think I'll be sticking with it. I don't want to be doing with the upheaval of changing the system all over again. Quite happy with the kit i've got.

Cheers
John 'flightpath'.

Then stick with it but everything IS going mirrorless - rumours are that Nikon are stopping production on ALL models of DSLR other than mirrorless imminently and Canon will be doing the same.

Expect Nikon to announce new DX models of mirrorless bodies in the next few months (before year end).

Also a lot of perceptions out there over EVFs are unfounded and simply not true, the tech has moved on - a LOT These ARE the future