Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3

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    Topic: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3 Read 28573 Times
  • Ken Rennie
    Ken Rennie
    Participant
    Posts: 153
    Cameras, Lenses and Shooting Gear
    on: September 12, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    As I get older and my knees more painful I find that carrying my Nikon D810 with 24-70 f2.8, 16-35 f4 and 70-200 f4 up Cumbria’s hills is getting harder and I know that this is progressive. I often find myself wanting a longer lens than my 200mm but the weight of a 200-500 would be too much to carry. So my choices, change to a Nikon Z7/ Z6 with 24-70 f4 and keep the wide angle and telephoto and add a teleconverter or go for the Fuji XT3 and get the 10-24 to go along with my 18-55 and work out which telephoto. I never print larger than 17″ by 24″ (A2). I still like using my Fuji XE-1 but its limitations in focusing and poor evf and rear screen are annoying. I shoot landscapes 95% of the time. So my question is will I notice the slight, if any, loss in quality? will I still be able to print to 17 by 24? Which Fuji tele? 55-200 lighter but can’t be extended beyond 200mm, 50-140 f2.8 can be extended to 280. 100-400 I am unlikely to need 400mm although it could open wildlife shooting? I know that you can’t make up my mind for me but your thoughts would be appreciated. Ken

    Kevin Raber
    Kevin Raber
    Silver Member
    Posts: 1284
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #1 on: September 13, 2019 at 1:08 pm

    I have an XT3 and XH1 and both are quite nice to work with.  The XH1 with IBIS has come in handy.  The 100-400mm lens is simply great and works super well.  I also have the 50-140mm and use that when I need the 2.8 settings.  One of my favorites Fuji lenses is the 56mm.  You’ll still be able to do 17×22 inch prints with ease.

    Kevin

    Kevin Raber
    Owner and Publisher of photoPXL

    Mark Kinsman
    Mark Kinsman
    Participant
    Posts: 7
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #2 on: September 14, 2019 at 10:24 am

    I have several Fujifilm bodies and lenses, including the XT2 and XH1 bodies.  It is my primary system after many years of shooting FF Canon gear with L -glass. I print large photos all the time and and very pleased with the results. In my case I have back issues and the reduced weight makes it possible to still hike and shoot in the landscape for day long shoot.

    I tested the XT3 body too and as Kevin stated, you’ll have no issues printing.

    Mark

    Ken Rennie
    Ken Rennie
    Participant
    Posts: 153
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #3 on: September 14, 2019 at 12:39 pm

    Thank you Kevin and Mark. I have read your Lula reviews Kevin and have found RAW images to look at and have been impressed. So I will think for a while and will probably make the change. Ken

    Daniel Smith
    Daniel Smith
    Participant
    Posts: 98
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #4 on: October 21, 2019 at 10:29 am

    Try the camera first. Some of us do not play well with electronic viewfinders and prefer optical finders.

    Try it in low light the conditions you will be photographing to see if it works for you.

     

     

    "A good still photograph, studied by an inquiring mind, frequently yields more information than a mile of moving images". Walter Cronkite, New York, June 1989

    Ken Rennie
    Ken Rennie
    Participant
    Posts: 153
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #5 on: October 30, 2019 at 9:20 am

    Try the camera first. Some of us do not play well with electronic viewfinders and prefer optical finders.

    Try it in low light the conditions you will be photographing to see if it works for you.

    Thanks Daniel. I posted on an Royal Photographic Society web site and a local photographer contacted me and I shot with his XT3 with a full set of high quality zooms +primes for a morning in the Lake District. Nice camera but with good lenses not much lighter than what I carry and the main point . I also thought that my 18-55 zoom would produce good results but on critical examination it was easy to see the difference between it and the 16-55 f2.8 or the Fuji primes so more expensive than I thought to change and more weight. On processing the images in Capture One 12 or Lightroom I could not get detail in darker areas when shooting against the light. However I have spent 4 years getting to know how to get the best out of a D810 and this was my first time with an XT3 although I use a Fuji XE1 so I probably would have got better at extracting more out of an XT3 but the drop in usable dynamic range was too much for me so I continue to look (z7, A7R3, A7R4) Ken

    Daniel Smith
    Daniel Smith
    Participant
    Posts: 98
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #6 on: November 12, 2019 at 1:45 am

    Ken,

    I spent a number of years shooting with a 35mm field kit of Nikon F2, later F3 and a 24, 50 and 105 Micro Nikkor. Added a 200 and a 1.4 converter and it all worked well. Light and easy to carry and after a bit I found working with the primes made it easier in many cases.

    You can keep looking bit I don’t think you are going to find a major quality improvement over what you have now by switching to Sony. Why not the D850 and lighter lenses? Biggest plus is not having to deal with Sony menus in the camera. Every  Sony owner I know pisses and moans about them even as they talk about how good the images are.

    Getting used to the feel of a new system may or may not be easy. Then, once again the electronic viewfinders come into play. They are nice for some things but again, some of us don’t play well with them. We are all different. Just as with your Fuji experience – try to actually use some Sony gear in the field. That will most likely make the decision for you.

    "A good still photograph, studied by an inquiring mind, frequently yields more information than a mile of moving images". Walter Cronkite, New York, June 1989

    Ken Rennie
    Ken Rennie
    Participant
    Posts: 153
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #7 on: November 13, 2019 at 9:18 am

    Thanks for the reply Daniel. Although I would welcome a quality improvement it is not the major reason for changing, my reasons for rejecting a move back to Fuji was the quality loss or more specifically the loss of dynamic range. Sony menus, I read about them I even watched a video about how to set them and they do look like a mess however once I have the camera set up I rarely go into the menu system, changing ISO when needed and that is seldom. I do not use jpegs or shoot video and can’t see that changing. When I changed from Fuji ( XE-1) to Nikon (D810) it took me about a year before I produced better shots and expect that a change of system would probably mean the same although many of my initial iproblems with the Nikon were due to lack of depth of field and keeping it full frame camera shouldn’t cause me problems. I can’t see any reason to change to a Nikon D850, an improvement in resolution and better focusing plus slightly more reach but the same weight.  I am looking for less weight and more reach and at the moment that looks like A7Rx with 16-35, 24-105 and 100-400 and a few nights swearing at a camera, moaning about a menu structure that must have made sense to somebody. Before I sink money into it I will beg, borrow or hire a Sony for a few days to see if I can live with it. Ken

    Mike Nelson Pedde
    Mike Nelson Pedde
    Participant
    Posts: 641
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #8 on: November 16, 2019 at 5:04 pm

    Biggest plus is not having to deal with Sony menus in the camera. Every Sony owner I know pisses and moans about them even as they talk about how good the images are.

    As an a7RIII user it took me a bit to get my camera set up the way I want it. True, there are about a billion menu options and some head scratchers (no, you cannot use a flash if…) but one of the best things for me about the Sony is how customizable it is. There’s a Custom menu for things you want to access frequently, a custom Fn menu, a number of customizable buttons and dials… and any number of useful videos (including one from Kevin) on things to consider when setting it up.

    Mike

    _____
    Mike Nelson Pedde
    Victoria, BC
    https://www.wolfnowl.com/

    Don Libby
    Don Libby
    Participant
    Posts: 22
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #9 on: November 17, 2019 at 2:56 pm

    I don’t have a Nikon however I do have the XT3 along with a GFX100.  I bought the XT3 shortly before my trip to Jackson Hole this year thinking it would be a great companion to the GFX50 I had. I no longer have the GFX50 and feel the XT3 is a great walk around camera for those time I don’t need or want to lug the bigger stuff out.  Great little camera with 2-lenses; 16-80 and 100-400 covers everything I might need without being too heavy.

    Don Libby
    Iron Creek Photography
    http://www.ironcreekphotographyblog.com

    Elliot Puritz
    Elliot Puritz
    Silver Member
    Posts: 77
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #10 on: December 12, 2019 at 1:34 pm

    Hi Ken:  I too have been thinking about mirror less and wonder about the dynamic range of FF vs. APSC sensors, and by extension have also been comparing various FF models and the Fuji XT3.  It is interesting indeed to read that you can see a difference in shadow detail in the lighting conditions that many of us encounter in landscape shooting.  Indeed, the Florida sunlight creates such dynamic range issues on a daily basis.  So, the issue is not the size of the print, but the quality of the image!

    Moreover, weight of kit is a problem here as well.  I wonder if a partial solution as to weight is to try to find a mirror less FF camera with a lens that has the focal lengths that one will most often use-and to become comfortable with using only one lens.  I understand of course that “fast” zoom lenses can be quite costly and that the lenses themselves are bulky and heavy.  As a result I am narrowing my search to the new Canon Eos R with the kit 24-105.  Have any here used the Canon, and is so, would they care to comment?  Opinions and help would be gratefully received!

    Elliot

    Paul Sokal
    Paul Sokal
    Silver Member
    Posts: 607
    Re: Thinking of changing from Nikon D810 to Fuji XT3
    Reply #11 on: December 18, 2019 at 3:34 pm

    <p>Ken,</p>
    <p>I’m sure you have long since made your decision and invested in a new system but I wonder if the loss of dynamic range you saw in Fuji was the camera or your raw processor. What were you using? LR? C1?</p>
    <p>Paul</p>

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