Why I HAVEN'T switched from X to Y

lizzy23 said:
It stops me getting off the beaten track,,, the xpro1 is half the weight of my 7d before sticking a lens on the front, I've thought about this long and hard and really believe for that side of my photography it's the way to go I am keeping the 7d but it will be for action shots of the dogs, at the moment I'm not going out doing landscapes because the thought of lugging my kit around puts me off
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Surely an extra kg or 2 can't stop you getting off the beaten track ? It literally the difference between going to the toilet before you leave :-) if I'm going landscaping I've a bag 1 camera and a max of 2 lenses , I did have at one stage an xpro kit and there really was nothing in it ( for me anyway ) I'm getting better image quality with my 5d so the xpro went so the extra kg or 2 is worth carrying . As they say each to their own and I'm certainly not say what's right or wrong for anyone just what I've noticed from my own experience .
 
woof woof said:
Yes, I think gear has been pigging out.

DSLR's and their lenses do seem to be bigger and heavier than their 35mm equivalents from the film days. When MFT came out I bought into the system but if DSLR's were still the same size and weight as they used to be I probably wouldn't have bothered.

Another factor for me personally is that I find DSLR's to obtrusive. In these days when many people think every bloke with a camera is a paedophile anything which makes my harmless little hobby less noticeable to the pitch fork wielding crazies is very welcome.

5D, A7, G1.

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So your only reason for changing is size only? I must be odd I'm going the other way , last camera I bought was a 1d and I'm now looking into medium format film . Lol :-)
 
stumac said:
Surely an extra kg or 2 can't stop you getting off the beaten track ? It literally the difference between going to the toilet before you leave :) if I'm going landscaping I've a bag 1 camera and a max of 2 lenses , I did have at one stage an xpro kit and there really was nothing in it ( for me anyway ) I'm getting better image quality with my 5d so the xpro went so the extra kg or 2 is worth carrying . As they say each to their own and I'm certainly not say what's right or wrong for anyone just what I've noticed from my own experience .
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You dump 4lbs on a morning do you? My god, you must loose a few internal organs :(
 
stumac said:
So your only reason for changing is size only? I must be odd I'm going the other way , last camera I bought was a 1d and I'm now looking into medium format film . Lol :)
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Not just the size. It was also the unwanted attention that big gear brings. I hate attention from others when I'm out with my camera.

I'm an amateur and the biggest print I've ever done is A3, done quite a few of those. These days I print on average once a week and most of my pictures are shared and viewed electronically and just about any camera bigger than a phone or traditional compact is ok for me. I do wonder how many people on this forum are truly honest about their needs. There must be quite a few people here with very capable kit who will very rarely if ever use it to its limits.

At the moment I have two MFT cameras and a Sony A7. The A7 is capable of very good image quality and I bought it for two reasons, to use old film era lenses on and as luxury kit when I want the best image quality I can get.

stumac said:
Lol , I'm an afternoon man actually !
But you know what I'm saying
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:D I grew up with film cameras that would fit in a small pouch/bag. A 35mm compact, RF or SLR is IMVHO nearer the size of a CSC like MFT, Fuji or Sony A7 than a modern DSLR. Actually my Panasonic LX5 fits perfectly in my old 35mm compact case. The first time I went out with my G1 rather than 5D I honestly had to keep checking that it was still in the bag such was the weight saving over my 5D. When I go out I can take my A7 + 50mm f1.4, 28mm f2.8 and 85mm f2 in a bag that would hold my 5D and one lens and the CSC kit weighs a lot less.
 
stumac said:
Surely an extra kg or 2 can't stop you getting off the beaten track ? It literally the difference between going to the toilet before you leave :) if I'm going landscaping I've a bag 1 camera and a max of 2 lenses , I did have at one stage an xpro kit and there really was nothing in it ( for me anyway ) I'm getting better image quality with my 5d so the xpro went so the extra kg or 2 is worth carrying . As they say each to their own and I'm certainly not say what's right or wrong for anyone just what I've noticed from my own experience .
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That mighty kg is certainly the one that could stop you leaving! :) So maybe this is where weight shedding should take place? :p
 
I do think that weight / size is a factor. My camera and lenses weigh about 2.9kgs and then there's extra batteries, a flash, filters etc so I guess in the region of 3-4 kgs when in the rucksack. Altogether it's quite a lot to lug around so I've taken to leaving most stuff at home and taking the bare minimum with me.

But that makes me think what's the point in buying all this kit and just leaving it at home ? Surely there's merit in having less bulk ?

I'm also tempted by the IQ that I see from the likes of the e-m* range. Whilst my d7000 can produce some lovely images, it can also miss the subject ( probably my fault for shooting at shallow DoF ? ) and I see new technology as having leapt forward since the d7000 came out.

Ultimately, change is down to money. If I sold everything, I might get £1000. Which doesn't buy me an e-m1 + 12-40 :(
 
damianmkv said:
I do think that weight / size is a factor. My camera and lenses weigh about 2.9kgs and then there's extra batteries, a flash, filters etc so I guess in the region of 3-4 kgs when in the rucksack. Altogether it's quite a lot to lug around so I've taken to leaving most stuff at home and taking the bare minimum with me.

But that makes me think what's the point in buying all this kit and just leaving it at home ? Surely there's merit in having less bulk ?

I'm also tempted by the IQ that I see from the likes of the e-m* range. Whilst my d7000 can produce some lovely images, it can also miss the subject ( probably my fault for shooting at shallow DoF ? ) and I see new technology as having leapt forward since the d7000 came out.

Ultimately, change is down to money. If I sold everything, I might get £1000. Which doesn't buy me an e-m1 + 12-40 :(
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Having the kit gives you a choice, I have 3 lens, flash gun etc, but just take what I think I need, which isn't always the right choice, but it isn't as bad as carrying the whole kit.
 
Indeed..so if you changed from x to y, could/would you carry everything ? ( if "y" was smaller of course :) )
 
But do you have to carry everything you own? There is always a sensible selection of kit for every job. If you do portraits you have a lot more to worry about stands, lights and all that, and there aren't a m4/3s version of those :p

Then you go to the gym and lift weights, etc... it fails my mind.
 
I'm happy with my Sony SLT, as it's pretty close to the size on my old Minolta 7000 (slightly larger, but also lighter). I've tried a couple of the higher end Nikons and was really put off by the sheer bulk of the things - presumably the bigger Canons are a similar bulk.

There is definitely a 'right size' for everything, though that might be a different size for different people, and one can go too small (OMD and Samsung NX series - looking at you) as well as too large.
 
If I'm completely honest, 5D3 is a little too small on the grip side, while addon grip just doesn't quite blend in seamlessly. 1-series are perfect shape and it has to be since Canon has designed it to be that way. I need to upgrade to 1D X. That is all I can say. It's a reassuring feeling when you have a solid brick of steel in your hand in places like Glasgow, London or Marseille.
 
My OM-D is the same size as my OM-2. It's not too small. I'd actually like a Panny GM5. But it has too few direct controls.
 
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daugirdas said:
My tripod and 410 head weigh around 4kg alone. I think by this time everything else is pretty immaterial unless we at talking 400mm f/2.8 heavy lens. Maybe you lot have the wrong sort of bags? Only backpacks can distribute weight properly. Slings, etc are a good way of wrecking your back.
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Yes, but not all of us can wear a backpack due to injury or similar issues. I need a bigger waist bag...have to use a monopod to support my 5D3 with 70-200 on board. Still hurts :(
 
I prefer to go bag free. So camera on a shoulder sling. Second lens in a small belt pack. And as the OM-D kit is so light, the tripod can be smaller too. Even more weight saving. This week's photo outing with the club the DSLR users either lugged a big tripod with them or risked not bringing one. I slung mine over the shoulder and forgot it was there. As it happens I didn't use it. But it's nice to make a decision on the fly and not when leaving home.
 
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daugirdas said:
If I'm completely honest, 5D3 is a little too small on the grip side, while addon grip just doesn't quite blend in seamlessly. 1-series are perfect shape and it has to be since Canon has designed it to be that way. I need to upgrade to 1D X. That is all I can say. It's a reassuring feeling when you have a solid brick of steel in your hand in places like Glasgow, London or Marseille.
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Interesting that you place heft and feel in the hands above image quality.

(Arguably...) if image quality was your main concern you wouldn't be shooting Canon :D You've made decisions and compromises to suit you, others make different ones. C'est la vie.
 
ianp5a said:
My OM-D is the same size as my OM-2. It's not too small. I'd actually like a Panny GM5. But it has too few direct controls.
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IIRC the original Olympus cameras were a bit smaller than typical film SLRs of the 80s. The biggest problem with digital cameras is that the controls almost all rely on push buttons, and the smaller the body, the closer together and harder to find with cold, sightless fingers they become. I'd love a DSLR with dual control wheels fixed for aperture & shutter, mechanical dials for PSAM, ISO and compensation and 2 large buttons to lock exposure and focus, and in a camera very much like my A58. Everything else can be run through menus, but these are the parameters I want to adjust and control when I'm looking through the viewfinder.
 
I'm just in the process of getting rid of my Sony dslr equipment because I bought the Fuji X-T1.The main reason as others have posted was size and weight and it honestly just felt like a chore taking the camera out to get some family shots.
 
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