Sold my stuff - big mistake. What to replace it with?

If nothing else, I now know my budget (£1600) for a get me in kit and now looking at options.
you can get a Canon RP Mirrorless for less than half that amount so leaves some play room for lenses.
 
Have you tried the S5 in person?
As far as the guy allowed in Wex. I have a few jpg to play with at home and I have to say, I was impressed with the results.

I looked at the Sony but the body is just out of my league and price point. Ironically I work for Carl Zeiss and get a healthy discount off of their lenses but it still works out well out of affordability for me.
 
If you want to reignite your passion for photography go Fuji XT-3

If you want clinical efficiency and a huge choice of third party and native lenses go used Sony A7 III or A7R III

Panasonic S5 is cheap / on offer for a reason, the AF isn't great, easy to be tempted by what appears to be a great deal then be frustrated after.

Honestly sounds to me like Fuji is your best option by far, just fantastic cameras and an absolute joy to use.
 
If you want to reignite your passion for photography go Fuji XT-3

If you want clinical efficiency and a huge choice of third party and native lenses go used Sony A7 III or A7R III

Panasonic S5 is cheap / on offer for a reason, the AF isn't great, easy to be tempted by what appears to be a great deal then be frustrated after.

Honestly sounds to me like Fuji is your best option by far, just fantastic cameras and an absolute joy to use.
If i were to return to Fuji i would want one of the bodies with IBIS, don't underestimate how useful that can be
There is a reason most manufacturers including Fuji incorporate it in their cameras now.
 
Ignore the hype about FF - unless you need/want to print massive or crop heavily. M4/3 is a great choice and very versatile. Panasonic m4/3 leans towards video a bit more than Olympus, but ignore the button and they are both fantastic systems with a lens hierarchy which spans both body makes.
Agreed, M4/3 are great for most stuff. The only negatives are when the light gets tricky and if you want the extra shallow DOF, but on the whole they're a great system.
I tried M4/3 many years ago with the Panasonic GX1 and also seemed to have issues with distortion and I put that out of the mix this time around. Thoughts about make / models to look at?
As mentioned already distortion is nothing to do with the camera system.

In terms of recommendations I'd recommend the Olympus E-M1 mark II (£424 excellent condition) or E-M5 Mark II (£354 as new) and 12-40mm f2.8 Pro (£429 like new) and maybe a prime such as the 45mm f1.8 (£124 excellent condition).

If you want to go FF I'd recommend the Sony A7 III (£1200 like new) and 24-70mm f4 (£400 like new). You're getting into the mirrorless system with all the benefits that come with it, and into the mirrorless system with the cheapest native lenses for when you want to expand your kit.
 
If i were to return to Fuji i would want one of the bodies with IBIS, don't underestimate how useful that can be
There is a reason most manufacturers including Fuji incorporate it in their cameras now.
Basically, because it sells. I have an XT3, and I can't say I have suffered as a result of not having IBIS.
 
If i were to return to Fuji i would want one of the bodies with IBIS, don't underestimate how useful that can be
There is a reason most manufacturers including Fuji incorporate it in their cameras now.
Of all the bodies I’ve had the X-T3 was so easy to use I never missed IBIS, the handling with the added Fuji metal grip was spot on. If the OP wants IBIS a mint X-H1 can be had for about £550, fantastic handling.

I’m going to shut up now before I sell my Sony gear and go back to Fuji, talking myself into it aren’t I lol
 
Basically, because it sells. I have an XT3, and I can't say I have suffered as a result of not having IBIS.
I’d say the opposite, IBIS or lens OS has proven vital for me at times. Olympus has had the best I’ve used, I was able to handhold at 1s quite easily at 24mm eq, with Sony I can only manage about 1/4s if I’m lucky.
 
Panasonic S5 is cheap / on offer for a reason, the AF isn't great, easy to be tempted by what appears to be a great deal then be frustrated after
I understand that there are issues with AF but I thought that this had been significantly address with a firmware update? Wondering if you have experience with this camera and know this to remain a problem?

There is so much information in this thread for me that I'm thinking that a further trip, possibly to WEX in Norwich to see what options they have, both new and secondhand, within budget, and decide from there.
 
I understand that there are issues with AF but I thought that this had been significantly address with a firmware update? Wondering if you have experience with this camera and know this to remain a problem?

There is so much information in this thread for me that I'm thinking that a further trip, possibly to WEX in Norwich to see what options they have, both new and secondhand, within budget, and decide from there.
I had a quick play in a showroom, wasn’t impressed.

Wex have huge used stock but their prices aren’t great in my opinion, if you can wait until Easter they’ll probably run a used promotion.

LCE Bristol often have very keen used prices, not used that branch myself but they seem low compared to elsewhere, Colchester also have some good deals sometimes.
 
AF on the Lumix cameras is fine for still / portrait / macro / landscape and things like that (I have S5 and S1). If you want to shoot fast moving subjects or wildlife like birds in flight the S5 will struggle compared to some other options (it does have a 6k photo mode with pre burst which I use as do others and that covers those needs pretty well). But for general photography it's great. Also, very well made and IBIS is fab. Have a look at the L Mount thread on here and DP review and you'll find lots of happy people.

I tried Sony but the bodies are tiny and I couldn't grip the camera with a lens attached without my fingers being pinched between the grip and lens. Even on the flagship model I tried in wex it was just too small.

The canon felt better in the hand but they are playing games with their new mount and won't let 3rd parties make lenses for them.
 
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I tried Sony but the bodies are tiny and I couldn't grip the camera with a lens attached without my fingers being pinched between the grip and lens. Even on the flagship model I tried in wex it was just too small.
I had that issue with the Gen 3 and older, but the new ones are much better for me.
 
I had that issue with the Gen 3 and older, but the new ones are much better for me.

I tried the A7iii and A7iv and the really expensive one is it the A9 something or other?? I think it's all personal. I'm 6"4 and have larger hands so I probably sit on the other side of the bell curve to the majority.
 
I tried the A7iii and A7iv and the really expensive one is it the A9 something or other?? I think it's all personal. I'm 6"4 and have larger hands so I probably sit on the other side of the bell curve to the majority.
Yep definitely all personal which is why you should always try for yourself. I’m 6’4” too with shovel hands yet I find the newer Sonys OK, again another example of why it’s importatnt to try first. The only lens I had an issue with was the Samyang 85mm f1.4 so that went back.

The really expensive one is the A1 (y)
 
So planning a trip to see camera shop tomorrow and intend to feel the difference between M4/3 and the LUMIX S5 and see what fits best. The second user Nikon d7100 is now out of consideration but I’m also looking forward to seeing their 2nd user Nikon full frame cameras with an eye on what lenses I can walk away with.

The Canon RP seemed to be a worthy contender but both the bodies and lenses seem difficult to get hold of. Fuji seem outside of my budget.

Looking forward to it, it seems my wife less so. Clothes shopping is a worthy task, camera shopping much less so it seems!
 
So planning a trip to see camera shop tomorrow and intend to feel the difference between M4/3 and the LUMIX S5 and see what fits best. The second user Nikon d7100 is now out of consideration but I’m also looking forward to seeing their 2nd user Nikon full frame cameras with an eye on what lenses I can walk away with.

The Canon RP seemed to be a worthy contender but both the bodies and lenses seem difficult to get hold of. Fuji seem outside of my budget.

Looking forward to it, it seems my wife less so. Clothes shopping is a worthy task, camera shopping much less so it seems!
What's your budget ? That surprises me that the S5 plus glass is within budget but Fuji outside ?
 
So planning a trip to see camera shop tomorrow and intend to feel the difference between M4/3 and the LUMIX S5 and see what fits best. The second user Nikon d7100 is now out of consideration but I’m also looking forward to seeing their 2nd user Nikon full frame cameras with an eye on what lenses I can walk away with.

The Canon RP seemed to be a worthy contender but both the bodies and lenses seem difficult to get hold of. Fuji seem outside of my budget.

Looking forward to it, it seems my wife less so. Clothes shopping is a worthy task, camera shopping much less so it seems!
Have discounted Sony then?
 
So planning a trip to see camera shop tomorrow and intend to feel the difference between M4/3 and the LUMIX S5 and see what fits best. The second user Nikon d7100 is now out of consideration but I’m also looking forward to seeing their 2nd user Nikon full frame cameras with an eye on what lenses I can walk away with.

The Canon RP seemed to be a worthy contender but both the bodies and lenses seem difficult to get hold of. Fuji seem outside of my budget.

Looking forward to it, it seems my wife less so. Clothes shopping is a worthy task, camera shopping much less so it seems!
I think the S5 is about the same size as the Panasonic G9.
Lenses need to cover the FF sensor and are by necessity much larger.
Depends what you use it for, but I find M4/3 is fine and prints A3 at 300 dpi
 
Probably, but not completely. I get 30% off Zeiss lenses but even so, Sony is expensive.
Sony A7iii is the same price as the S5, i.e. £1599.

I’m not trying to sway you either way but just make sure you consider the options carefully as well as consider where your photography may take you in the future as changing systems down the line can be expensive. I should know I’ve probably done it more than most :headbang: :LOL:
 
G9 and S5 are virtually the same size (I have both). Lenses are typically smaller for the G9 but I'd say image quality of the S5 and it's low light performance is much better.

I'm in London at the moment and I'm taking some rather long, hand-held shots and the low light performance is great.
 
Depends what you use it for, but I find M4/3 is fine and prints A3 at 300 dpi
M4/3 still a possibility and probably the main contender against the S5. I think that the low light ability interests me and having two primes chucked in also pretty attractive but very keen to feel the difference.

Sony A7iii is the same price as the S5, i.e. £1599.
And you are right for bringing this up, but without glass a body is pointless. My income is limited and I earn nothing from photography So whatever I go for should to be aimed at enthusiast with enough variation to last me until I can afford to fill a gap in glass.
 
M4/3 still a possibility and probably the main contender against the S5. I think that the low light ability interests me and having two primes chucked in also pretty attractive but very keen to feel the difference.


And you are right for bringing this up, but without glass a body is pointless. My income is limited and I earn nothing from photography So whatever I go for should to be aimed at enthusiast with enough variation to last me until I can afford to fill a gap in glass.

Did your £1599 include all 3 lenses? That's a good deal.

I'd probably look used for an A7 III around a grand, then pick up the 24-105. This lens focusses very quickly and the built in stabilisation helps further. Image quality at f4 is probably better than on the Nikon 28-105 at optimum aperture, comparing lenses I've used a lot.

But I do get that M43 is very attractive for lower weight and price.
 
M4/3 still a possibility and probably the main contender against the S5. I think that the low light ability interests me and having two primes chucked in also pretty attractive but very keen to feel the difference.


And you are right for bringing this up, but without glass a body is pointless. My income is limited and I earn nothing from photography So whatever I go for should to be aimed at enthusiast with enough variation to last me until I can afford to fill a gap in glass.
I understand that which is why, imo, it is good to look at a system that has a great range of third party lenses.

As previously mentioned I’m a big fan of the Olympus m4/3 system but I would advise getting the fast zooms (f2.8’s) over the slower (f3.5-5.6) ones for low light situations as m4/3 is less forgiving and you want all the light you can get in these situations.

Another thing to consider is that whilst the increased DOF of m4/3 is often seen as a negative is can also be a positive such as shooting landscapes as you can use wider apertures (thus faster shutter speeds) and get large DOF. For example, if you shoot at 24mm f8 on full frame, you can shoot at 12mm (24mm eq) and f4 on m4/3 and get a similar framing and DOF.
 
I like the RF style MFT cameras, GX9 and GX80. The 16mp GX80 can sometimes be found at bargain prices but the more expensive 20mp GX9 has more physical controls and a tilting EVF. I do prefer these to the bulkier mini SLR style MFT cameras but the mini SLR style 20mp G100 is small and light too.

Good luck choosing.
 
Did your £1599 include all 3 lenses? That's a good deal.

I'd probably look used for an A7 III around a grand, then pick up the 24-105. This lens focusses very quickly and the built in stabilisation helps further. Image quality at f4 is probably better than on the Nikon 28-105 at optimum aperture, comparing lenses I've used a lot.

But I do get that M43 is very attractive for lower weight and price.
Yes, all three lenses. It is a great deal - albeit as mentioned previously, probably for a reason.

If they have a Sony iii and 24-105, will certainly look at it, thank you. The Panasonic 24-105 would likely be the next purchase for the S5.
 
Yes, all three lenses. It is a great deal - albeit as mentioned previously, probably for a reason.

If they have a Sony iii and 24-105, will certainly look at it, thank you. The Panasonic 24-105 would likely be the next purchase for the S5.
Wow I read it as £1599 for the S5 then you’d need to get the other lenses, £1599 for the S5 and 3 lenses is a good price.

If you don’t plan on doing anything demanding for the AF it could serve you well.
 
Food for thought, sigma have just announced that full frame lens demand is high, APS-S lens demand is on the decline and m4/3 lens demand is on a severe decline.

I can’t honestly see m4/3 disappearing as it’s apparently been “dying” for years yet new cameras and lenses are being developed all of the time, but I thought I’d just mention it (y)
 
Food for thought, sigma have just announced that full frame lens demand is high, APS-S lens demand is on the decline and m4/3 lens demand is on a severe decline.

I can’t honestly see m4/3 disappearing as it’s apparently been “dying” for years yet new cameras and lenses are being developed all of the time, but I thought I’d just mention it (y)
Their M4/3 offerings weren't very interesting anyway.
Designed for APS-C and consequently rather large and heavy.
Not exactly a shortage of native lenses, in fact it's a very well served format.

I'm not one of those apologists who keeps trying to defend the smaller format.
Just happens to be what I have and remains suited to my purposes.
My photographs are mainly travel related not requiring highly specialised expensive kit.
 
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I changed to Olympus MFT about 4 years ago after heart failure , needed to reduce carried weight . Once you learn the system and how to get the best from it it’s stunning . Something along the lines of a used omd 1 mkiii will give you 5+ stops of i.bi.s , and so many bells and whistle options it will take a while to learn , lenses are compared to other brands cheaper and lighter but not nastier .. I have yet to find an olympus lens that’s not sharp .
Although I major on wildlife I have not used a tripod or monopod in four years even though I have them as a just in case . Your best bet is to go on Flickr or juza and compare results from camera bodies + lenses
 
Their M4/3 offerings weren't very interesting anyway.
Designed for APS-C and consequently rather large and heavy.
Not exactly a shortage of native lenses, in fact it's a very well served format.

I'm not one of those apologists who keeps trying to defend the smaller format.
Just happens to be what I have and remains suited to my purposes.
My photographs are mainly travel related not requiring highly specialised expensive kit.

I changed to Olympus MFT about 4 years ago after heart failure , needed to reduce carried weight . Once you learn the system and how to get the best from it it’s stunning . Something along the lines of a used omd 1 mkiii will give you 5+ stops of i.bi.s , and so many bells and whistle options it will take a while to learn , lenses are compared to other brands cheaper and lighter but not nastier .. I have yet to find an olympus lens that’s not sharp .
Although I major on wildlife I have not used a tripod or monopod in four years even though I have them as a just in case . Your best bet is to go on Flickr or juza and compare results from camera bodies + lenses
Some of the best images I’ve taken have been with Olympus, but to really showcase what Olympus can do I always link to this guy.

 
Called WEX Norwich yesterday to confirm they had stock of Lumix S5 offer with 85mm and the discount code still applied and they did. Drove there this morning, 85 miles had a look at all the other options that competed and was told nope, discount had finish. And it was going to cost an additional £400. p***ed off, left and on the drive back home to Huntingdon and mid point decided that I shouldn’t be churlish and buy the S5 kit with out the 85mm so called WEX Cambridge and they confirmed they had stock - I made them actually check they had the box there - so diverted, eventually parked up and walked to their shop, went to the display case to see they were still offering the kit with the 85mm. Excited that I didn’t have to compromise, went to the desk and found out they didn’t have that kit in stock but I could order it.…else collect it from Norwich. After some conversation on the phone, Cambridge WEX confirmed with Norwich WEX that the code worked, they had the kit and I could go collect. Got 20 minutes into the hour trip back to Norwich from Cambridge and wife checked my phone email to see that the basic kit had been ordered, not the 85mm. Called WEX Norwich to find out that the discount code doesn’t work. They were insistent they would not sell it to me at the reduced price. I asked them to call Cambridge but more irate turned around and headed back towards home. Just as we we’re approaching Cambridge again got a further call - WEX Norwich now understand that the 85mm did work with the code and they had put one aside for me to collect But I needed to be there before they closed at 5:30. Satnav said we'd be there around 17:10 so turned around again. Got stuck in traffic at Mildenhall and just gave up. No way we were going to make it.

So we left home at 08:15 this morning, went to Norwich, went to Cambridge, went to Mildenhall and came home to Huntingdon around 17:30. Half a tank of fuel now gone. Wife is p***ed off. I'm p***ed off. A chunk of me thinks that I should just never trouble WEX again, but want the kit. No one at WEX seems to care and was unable to speak with anyone other than shop staff.

Not too sure what to do next.
 
Called WEX Norwich yesterday to confirm they had stock of Lumix S5 offer with 85mm and the discount code still applied and they did. Drove there this morning, 85 miles had a look at all the other options that competed and was told nope, discount had finish. And it was going to cost an additional £400. p***ed off, left and on the drive back home to Huntingdon and mid point decided that I shouldn’t be churlish and buy the S5 kit with out the 85mm so called WEX Cambridge and they confirmed they had stock - I made them actually check they had the box there - so diverted, eventually parked up and walked to their shop, went to the display case to see they were still offering the kit with the 85mm. Excited that I didn’t have to compromise, went to the desk and found out they didn’t have that kit in stock but I could order it.…else collect it from Norwich. After some conversation on the phone, Cambridge WEX confirmed with Norwich WEX that the code worked, they had the kit and I could go collect. Got 20 minutes into the hour trip back to Norwich from Cambridge and wife checked my phone email to see that the basic kit had been ordered, not the 85mm. Called WEX Norwich to find out that the discount code doesn’t work. They were insistent they would not sell it to me at the reduced price. I asked them to call Cambridge but more irate turned around and headed back towards home. Just as we we’re approaching Cambridge again got a further call - WEX Norwich now understand that the 85mm did work with the code and they had put one aside for me to collect But I needed to be there before they closed at 5:30. Satnav said we'd be there around 17:10 so turned around again. Got stuck in traffic at Mildenhall and just gave up. No way we were going to make it.

So we left home at 08:15 this morning, went to Norwich, went to Cambridge, went to Mildenhall and came home to Huntingdon around 17:30. Half a tank of fuel now gone. Wife is p***ed off. I'm p***ed off. A chunk of me thinks that I should just never trouble WEX again, but want the kit. No one at WEX seems to care and was unable to speak with anyone other than shop staff.

Not too sure what to do next.
Wow, that's a disgrace. I've had nothing but excellent service from Wex but that's diabolical and if it happened to me I wouldn't buy it from them out of principle.

Did you at least get to try the S5 to see if you liked it? If so is there nowhere else doing a similar deal?
 
The S5 is now, or at least was, my primary choice - I am unable to find the deal duplicate at either Park or Clifton so either suck it up and go up tomorrow again to Norwich else get it delivered. Or not. Still undecided.
 
The S5 is now, or at least was, my primary choice - I am unable to find the deal duplicate at either Park or Clifton so either suck it up and go up tomorrow again to Norwich else get it delivered. Or not. Still undecided.
It does sound like a good deal getting the S5 and 3 lenses for £1599 as everywhere else is £1799 for just the Camera and 20-60mm. I can only imagine is a listing mistake from Wex but that doesn't matter, they should stand to it. Might be worth taking a screenshot in case they argue against it again.
 
It isn’t a listing mistake, they now accept that the offer is valid. Just got to go get it - just a pain after a wasted day today.
 
I would swallow my pride and get it delivered, no point wasting more time and fuel
A few times I have cut off my nose to spite my face, learnt my lesson now.
 
It isn’t a listing mistake, they now accept that the offer is valid. Just got to go get it - just a pain after a wasted day today.
Doesn’t sound like you have another option, I’d get it delivered but double check that it’s got the right items in the confirmation email.
 
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