Digital SLR Choice for alongside Olympus OM2n?

Forkbeard

Forkbeard

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I don't want to spend a fortune but would like something half decent. I was thinking possibly used full frame. What is the oldest I should be considering? I've been looking at the original 5D for example. I know it's dated, but I don't need a lot of functions on modern DSLRs (video being the obvious one and super high ISO settings) - I've become really used to the simplicity (and the big bright viewfinder) of my film cameras and a 50mm prime.
 
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If you can run to the price of a good second hand one, then perhaps have a look at the 6D Mk1. It's small and fairly light and delivers very nice looking photos and it's got good low-light capabilities too, which will be better than a 5D or 5DII. You'll spend more, but you'll be getting a much more modern camera, which seems to concentrate on producing results rather than being loaded with bells and whistles. Plus, the longer you save up for one, the cheaper the camera should get due to depreciation, so it should come to meet you price-wise to some extent.
 
Canon 5D2 or Nikon D700 - both landmark cameras that can hold their own today.
 
Forkbeard said:
I don't want to spend a fortune but would like something half decent. I was thinking possibly used full frame. What is the oldest I should be considering? I've been looking at the original 5D for example. I know it's dated, but I don't need a lot of functions on modern DSLRs (video being the obvious one and super high ISO settings) - I've become really used to the simplicity (and the big bright viewfinder) of my film cameras and a 50mm prime.
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If you have any Olympus lenses you could go for a Sony A7 and use your existing lenses via a cheap adapter. I have Zuiko primes from 24 to 135mm and they perform very well on my A7 and manual focus is easy and very accurate (if you have time to manually focus) with the use of the magnified view and peaking. I use Novoflex adapters on my A7 and they're in the region of £90 or so but to be honest the cheap adapters I use on Micro Four Thirds are perfectly adequate and they start at under £10 on evil bay.
 
Anything dslr will feel way different from your om2n with the most analogue feel coming with the FUJI X-T1 and X-T2 though they are not fullframe. For adapting exiting lenses ill second as Sony A7
 
personally I would look for a EF-S body perhaps a used 7d1 or even the lower models with the 18mp sensor ,basically if you go full frame then your lens are gonna cost mega bucks wheres ef.s are cheaper a lot cheaper
 
the black fox said:
personally I would look for a EF-S body perhaps a used 7d1 or even the lower models with the 18mp sensor ,basically if you go full frame then your lens are gonna cost mega bucks wheres ef.s are cheaper a lot cheaper
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Whilst it obviously depends on your focal length wants and needs the Canon EF-S lens line up and the range of APS-C lenses available from others may not guarantee that the user will not need to buy FF lenses. And of course some APS-C lenses are just as expensive and maybe in some cases more expensive than FF alternatives.
 
If the OP wants a companion camera to use alongside a 35mm SLR then I'd suggest a full frame DSLR (which he appears to be considering). A crop sensor camera isn't going to give a similar depth of field to his 35mm film SLR, and I know I was happy to get the option of a shallower depth of field back when I switched from crop to FF DSLR a few years ago, I found this much more like using a 35mm SLR - after all, 35mm is full frame!
 
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If sharing lenses is a consideration, EOS and various mirrorless bodies have suitable glassless adapters, but Nikon is less than ideal, since the adapter needs an additional lens to give you infinity focus. On the other hand, the Nikon Df is the closest digital equivalent to a film SLR, but the retro design comes with a hefty price tag.
 
Thanks for the replies everybody, I'm still at work so I'll read through them properly later. Lens sharing is not a major issue - I love my Olympus kit but a big point of digital for me will be autofocus, so I'll be buying new glass, even if it's just a nifty fifty if I go down the Canon route.
 
If getting very similar photographs is not the objective, but instead having a camera that handles more like the current Oly then perhaps an Olympus E-M1 or similar. Otherwise I'd agree with the A7 suggestions.
 
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