Your kit - would you do it differently starting again?
Discussion
Changing a system/brand in photography is always a major PITA and very often causes a big financial loss, so for me those would always be big factors to consider...
So, people with a lot of kit. Let's say u lose all your gear and get a massive insurance payout. Do you change brands or move to/from micro4/3s etc?
So, people with a lot of kit. Let's say u lose all your gear and get a massive insurance payout. Do you change brands or move to/from micro4/3s etc?
Killwilly said:
I shall be very interested in reading your comments on the 7r, Rob, as I was thinking of swapping from Canon to Sony.
I've been a sony shooter for 8 yrs now and for the first time I am thinking of moving over to another brand 
because of the mess sony are making with having a 2 dslr mount system. most of my best lens' are old minolta primes so fit the A alpha mount........now they announce the E mount system is to run alongside and not just for nex compact style but for dslr style bodies.......seems like madness to me to have 2 main dslr mount systems and has to impact on lens development on one or even both. even though you can use an adapter between the 2 systems I am not convinced I would trust an adapter to manage the likes of my 25 plus year old minolta 300 apo g hs 2.8 which is a tank of a lens coming in at 2.5kg........RobDickinson said:
With big lenses you just support the lens. Its not a problem, had a 400/2.8 on an eos m... (via adaptor)
agree rob, and the decision does annoy me personally because like a large percentage of sony users I have invested in legacy lens' from minolta (as you no doubt picked up!) but my point was more aimed at the "brand" confusion message having two lead mounts may lead to such as I would be surprised to see tamron, sigma etc in the future produce lens' for both mounts, most likely they will concentrate on the E mount from herein as sony seem to be doing.........probably leading to the end of the A mount in the long run not a major problem for those coming new to sony I admit.
Had all canon stuff and chopped it all in for mirrorless NEX stuff. Would go this route again if starting over but would be seriously squaring off these with the m4/3 system as well.
When I started you could only have an SLR style body but for me, the much smaller mirrorless cameras are easily now the weapon of choice.
When I started you could only have an SLR style body but for me, the much smaller mirrorless cameras are easily now the weapon of choice.
My first DSLR was an Oly E410, which was ok for holiday snaps and other outdoor stuff. The moment I started taking indoor sports pics and other low-light photography, it had to go (only supported up to 1600 iso, no IS, no video etc). This was around the time that the E5 was launched and, because of the company's then situation, was arguably the last Olympus DSLR with no further development. The only reason I went with Olympus was brand loyalty as I had been a long-term OM film user.
So, in answer to the OP's question, yes I'd have done it differently if I knew then what I know now. I agonized over whether to go Canon or Nikon and ended up with a 7D, 15-85 and 70-200 with some old Zuiko and Tamron OM primes. I've not regretted my decision one single bit. Oh and I gave my Olympus to my aunt to allow her to acclimatise to digital photography.
So, in answer to the OP's question, yes I'd have done it differently if I knew then what I know now. I agonized over whether to go Canon or Nikon and ended up with a 7D, 15-85 and 70-200 with some old Zuiko and Tamron OM primes. I've not regretted my decision one single bit. Oh and I gave my Olympus to my aunt to allow her to acclimatise to digital photography.
20D, 40D, 5D2. Currently wondering if I'll upgrade to a 5D3/1Dx this year or jump ship to Nikon 
mainly due to the comparative cost of super-teles hipflask said:
Killwilly said:
I shall be very interested in reading your comments on the 7r, Rob, as I was thinking of swapping from Canon to Sony.
I've been a sony shooter for 8 yrs now and for the first time I am thinking of moving over to another brand because of the mess sony are making with having a 2 dslr mount system. most of my best lens' are old minolta primes so fit the A alpha mount........now they announce the E mount system is to run alongside and not just for nex compact style but for dslr style bodies.......seems like madness to me to have 2 main dslr mount systems and has to impact on lens development on one or even both. even though you can use an adapter between the 2 systems I am not convinced I would trust an adapter to manage the likes of my 25 plus year old minolta 300 apo g hs 2.8 which is a tank of a lens coming in at 2.5kg........Edited by Killwilly on Monday 3rd February 13:54
I'm very happy with the kit I have but do currently have a bit of gear-lust for a m43 system. There is just something very tempting about an OM-D with a decent set of lenses that can all be shared with a PEN E-PL5 when portability matters.
Either that or chop it all in and go completely back to film. A couple of nice M-mount lenses and spend the rest on a body to hang them off...
Either that or chop it all in and go completely back to film. A couple of nice M-mount lenses and spend the rest on a body to hang them off...
I have been using Nikon professionally for over 20 years (originally an F3) but a few years ago was asked to use the just launched Sony Alpha 900 for a Sony event that the press were at, I had little time to practice with it and I can't deny I missed a few shots due to lack of familiarity but I was very impressed with the IQ and focus. The kit is also cheaper so it would be my first choice if I had to move. However, I just can't aford the time it would take for me to get up to speed i.e to be able to use it to pro standard with the different interface so I am stuck with Nikon and happy with that.
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