Nikon D5500

[Gate Keeper]

Originally Posted by uk_dave&gill

Some interesting points well made gents, and also some good links

Does sound as though a mirrorless would probably have been a better bet with our intended usage (dog photos) Having said that, not going to give up on the D5500 just yet. It would be ironic if the Canon 750D might have been better speedwise, as the choice between which to finally go for, that or the Nikon, was only determined by what I could find available at the right price first....

Guessing I could still get my money back if I do decide to sell the Nikon..

Here is a shutter lag link, various big name cameras affected. Worst offender is a Nikon!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutter_lag

I gather that shutter lag is one feature not missed in a mirrorless camera. With this in mind, I revisited Sony this evening and came across the Sony A7s-II. Interesting, as I read that with an adaptor it can take any 35mm lens. If true, it's a game changer as the Sony flagship 500mm lens sells on Amazon for £12,499
Pauls a good sport and has the hands on mirrorless experience I lack. He might know if what I read is correct or not What I find attractive is the images they produce. Crisp, detailed and in high resolution.

[Rocket]

Originally Posted by Gate Keeper

Here is a shutter lag link, various big name cameras affected. Worst offender is a Nikon!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutter_lag

I gather that shutter lag is one feature not missed in a mirrorless camera. With this in mind, I revisited Sony this evening and came across the Sony A7s-II. Interesting, as I read that with an adaptor it can take any 35mm lens. If true, it's a game changer as the Sony flagship 500mm lens sells on Amazon for £12,499
Pauls a good sport and has the hands on mirrorless experience I lack. He might know if what I read is correct or not What I find attractive is the images they produce. Crisp, detailed and in high resolution.

Most mirrorless cameras (Sony included) have a shorter flange focal distance (google is your friend here as I will waffle on) than a DSLR

This means a DSLR lens can be fitted by using an adapter between the camera and the lens.

So yes most lenses can be fitted, but how successful auto focus, aperture control etc will work is a bit hit and miss.

On SOME Sony cameras Canon lenses work very well with an adapter that will cost a few hundred pounds. You get full auto focus etc plus all the Sony goodies like face detection and eye auto focus. Some Canon using pros have gone this route. It means they keep all their lenses and can use Canon or Sony bodies'

The Nikon adapters work less well.

Adapters for other makes are available = Leica, Pentax, even old m42 lenses and many more but Canon is the one that works best on SOME Sony bodies

You can buy dumb adapters that render the lens fully manual. These are quite cheap.

The A7s II is really aimed at video makers. It has low megapixel count but superb low light performance. It can of course work fine for photographs. Panasonic is quite popular for video at the moment the GH5 I think but I am not a video guy.

For photographs my choice would be the A7r II a great 42 mp camera that captures great stills but can of course also do video.

Both cameras are full frame. Both cameras are fantastic and both cameras have downsides Both cameras are not cheap.






On my Sony A6000 I can mount my old manual M 42 lenses that I used with my Pentax 12 mp DSLR. On that camera I was pleased with the performance of the lenses. On the Sony 24 mp camera the old lenses do not have the resolution to do the sensor justice. It is not a mirrorless v DSLR thing, just the jump from 12 to 24 mp has shown the lenses are really only ok up to 12mp ish

Hope that helps a bit but the topic of which lens works with which camera and with which adapter gets a bit complicated and I am no expert on it

[uk_dave&gill]

Having a quick footle around at the moment, and now quite intrigued by the mirrorless concept! I have to admit that this was not a format I was really familiar with - I was aware of it, but didn't realise it was an interchangeable lens system

Quite like the look of the Canon EOS M3. It's got a flippy screen (although not fully articulating) 24mp and is based around the same platform as the 750D. It's also got a viewfinder which it appears a lot of mirrorless cameras don't have. I know I've said I want the flippy screen, so this sounds counter to what I've already banged on about, but I'd also like the option of both, as sometimes sun on a screen can render it useless! A review I have just read says "Focusing speed and continuous shooting still behind competition" but then if the completion is blisteringly good, that's not a problem!

Worryingly, the review also says "Lacking built-in viewfinder" so I need to check this a little more

Price is good: I could get one new for less than the cost of the D5500 second-hand, so as long as I could sell the latter for what I paid for it, I should be OK. Of course, I still need to think about it a bit more!

[Gate Keeper]

Originally Posted by Rocket

Most mirrorless cameras (Sony included) have a shorter flange focal distance (google is your friend here as I will waffle on) than a DSLR

This means a DSLR lens can be fitted by using an adapter between the camera and the lens.

So yes most lenses can be fitted, but how successful auto focus, aperture control etc will work is a bit hit and miss.

On SOME Sony cameras Canon lenses work very well with an adapter that will cost a few hundred pounds. You get full auto focus etc plus all the Sony goodies like face detection and eye auto focus. Some Canon using pros have gone this route. It means they keep all their lenses and can use Canon or Sony bodies'

The Nikon adapters work less well.

Adapters for other makes are available = Leica, Pentax, even old m42 lenses and many more but Canon is the one that works best on SOME Sony bodies

You can buy dumb adapters that render the lens fully manual. These are quite cheap.

The A7s II is really aimed at video makers. It has low megapixel count but superb low light performance. It can of course work fine for photographs. Panasonic is quite popular for video at the moment the GH5 I think but I am not a video guy.

For photographs my choice would be the A7r II a great 42 mp camera that captures great stills but can of course also do video.

Both cameras are full frame. Both cameras are fantastic and both cameras have downsides Both cameras are not cheap.






On my Sony A6000 I can mount my old manual M 42 lenses that I used with my Pentax 12 mp DSLR. On that camera I was pleased with the performance of the lenses. On the Sony 24 mp camera the old lenses do not have the resolution to do the sensor justice. It is not a mirrorless v DSLR thing, just the jump from 12 to 24 mp has shown the lenses are really only ok up to 12mp ish

Hope that helps a bit but the topic of which lens works with which camera and with which adapter gets a bit complicated and I am no expert on it

Thanks Paul that does help. I ran it past Jessica about buying a new mirrorless and she is okay about it. The Nikon adaptor for the Sony claims to have mechanical coupling for auto focus and TTL, comes in at £99. On top of that the Sony body is £2499. A lot of camera for a lot of money. I have a friend who is a sales director for Sony Europe and he reckons he can get an excellent discount for anything Sony. Decisions, decisions. To make the leap of faith or

[Gate Keeper]

Originally Posted by uk_dave&gill

Having a quick footle around at the moment, and now quite intrigued by the mirrorless concept! I have to admit that this was not a format I was really familiar with - I was aware of it, but didn't realise it was an interchangeable lens system

Quite like the look of the Canon EOS M3. It's got a flippy screen (although not fully articulating) 24mp and is based around the same platform as the 750D. It's also got a viewfinder which it appears a lot of mirrorless cameras don't have. I know I've said I want the flippy screen, so this sounds counter to what I've already banged on about, but I'd also like the option of both, as sometimes sun on a screen can render it useless! A review I have just read says "Focusing speed and continuous shooting still behind competition" but then if the completion is blisteringly good, that's not a problem!

Worryingly, the review also says "Lacking built-in viewfinder" so I need to check this a little more

Price is good: I could get one new for less than the cost of the D5500 second-hand, so as long as I could sell the latter for what I paid for it, I should be OK. Of course, I still need to think about it a bit more!

Good evening Dave, I am going to dip out of your thread as I do not have any mirrorless experience. Others have and there are experts in the field who know much more than I do. Be lucky!

[Rocket]

Originally Posted by uk_dave&gill

Having a quick footle around at the moment, and now quite intrigued by the mirrorless concept! I have to admit that this was not a format I was really familiar with - I was aware of it, but didn't realise it was an interchangeable lens system

Quite like the look of the Canon EOS M3. It's got a flippy screen (although not fully articulating) 24mp and is based around the same platform as the 750D. It's also got a viewfinder which it appears a lot of mirrorless cameras don't have. I know I've said I want the flippy screen, so this sounds counter to what I've already banged on about, but I'd also like the option of both, as sometimes sun on a screen can render it useless! A review I have just read says "Focusing speed and continuous shooting still behind competition" but then if the completion is blisteringly good, that's not a problem!

Worryingly, the review also says "Lacking built-in viewfinder" so I need to check this a little more

Price is good: I could get one new for less than the cost of the D5500 second-hand, so as long as I could sell the latter for what I paid for it, I should be OK. Of course, I still need to think about it a bit more!

View finder is a must for me. I like using the evf most of the time then if I need to shoot high or low just flip the screen and use that. I shoot low to the ground way more than I used to because it is so simple to do. I'll put a couple of low shots in my picture thread. Of course using rear screen or evf requires no selection in menu you just look at either and press the button.

I must say Dave your experience with live view has taught me a thing or two. I had no idea that on some cameras taking a picture in live view could take so long. It is a topic rarely talked about in reviews but for me it would be quite an important feature.

[Rocket]

Originally Posted by Gate Keeper

Thanks Paul that does help. I ran it past Jessica about buying a new mirrorless and she is okay about it. The Nikon adaptor for the Sony claims to have mechanical coupling for auto focus and TTL, comes in at £99. On top of that the Sony body is £2499. A lot of camera for a lot of money. I have a friend who is a sales director for Sony Europe and he reckons he can get an excellent discount for anything Sony. Decisions, decisions. To make the leap of faith or

The Sony full frame cameras are fantastic and most are great at video also. I would urge you to fully investigate using Nikon lenses as there seem to be many that don't work or work slowly and the adapters can cause problems also. Having said that I have not owned one so cannot speak from experience. A7sII is fantastic 4k video camera but it is only 12mp sensor. A7rII best for stills.

I also urge you to make yourself aware of the downsides. Battery life is poor for a start.


Having said the above Phil I would be over the moon to own a A7r II with a selection of Sony G master lenses. Now where did I put that £6000.

[uk_dave&gill]

Originally Posted by Rocket

I must say Dave your experience with live view has taught me a thing or two. I had no idea that on some cameras taking a picture in live view could take so long. It is a topic rarely talked about in reviews but for me it would be quite an important feature.

I also had no idea!

Don't get me wrong - the D5500 is clearly an amazing camera, but the inherent limitations of the Live View system are making me wonder if it's the right one for me

Problem is, if it isn't, I'm not sure what the right one is, or if it exists at my price point....

[uk_dave&gill]

Noticed something with the Nikon the other day, and wasn't sure if I was imagining it!

Was doing some test shots, and kept getting confused when I zoomed in, basically turning the zoom ring the wrong way. Then it struck me that perhaps there was a difference between Nikon and Canon zooms. Just got round to checking this and it appears there is!

Nikon is clockwise to get zoom in, whilst Canon is anti-clockwise! Guessing this is the same across the whole range for each manufacturer? I know I'll get used to it, but when you have done something without hundreds of times, it's hard to break the "muscle memory"!

[Rocket]

I have not owned a Canon or Nikon but I expect to rotate clockwise to zoom in.

As you say, it is just getting used to it.