Blimey. I’m glad I’m just an amateur. That all sounds a bit of a minefield!
G
1 Like
I’m surprised that your D5 is not that good at AF, I have had mine for 18 months (it had 2k clicks when I got it), partnered with a s/h 24-70 f2.8VR it is a stunning combination, wonderful AF and delightfully sharp images, I use it for general photography as I just love using it but bought it primarily to use for action shots as it was way quicker than my Z7 (anything is quicker than that) and I couldn’t afford a Z9 at the time.
But time moves on and now I wouldn’t mind a Z9 (maybe a Z9 MKii when it gets released - 2026 World Cup?) need to change a few lenses to Z mount though as I’m not a fan of the FTZ.
Have you visited anywhere yet to have a play with any options?
The 24-70 f2.8vr is a stunning lens. Not many lenses are better in the history of photography. It’s the thought of giving up lenses like this for Leica and then finding out in the true world that that they’re not better and in fact worse. The not-German bit is disappointing.
If I’m shooting a house from 20m away and I want the letterbox crisp, I don’t want something 1/2m behind it sharp instead. It’s generally the wide angle lenses that cause the problem.
1 Like
Not yet. I tend to know what happens anyway. I’ll see the new Z9 or SL3 and instantly think this is nice. Brand new, fresh start and all that, but once I’ve used it for a month, think it’s just the same old, same old.
Nothing will ever match what Nikon did in 2008 with the D3. Best developed and photography changing camera ever.
1 Like
Always fancied a D3s, even long after it was out of production. Had a D300s, then a D700, and then a disappointing D750. Then I was done with Nikon. I should have stayed with the D700. It was a great camera and a poor man’s D3s!
3 Likes
I sympathise with the wide angle issue, my 16-35 and long departed D750 just did not gel as a combo, I could never get a decent image and the focus was never where I wanted it to be, however with the Z7 the 16-35 works fine even though it looks sooooo long when attached to the Z7 via the FTZ it could be mistaken as a telephoto zoom.
Assuming you’re UK based I’ll be interested to see how far to the east you go, I do hanker for a Leica but what is there to gain from ditching my Nikon kit to go to Leica (or any other brand).
Well this is just what I’m contemplating recently. If I was ever going to change brands, this would be the time. I don’t want to use a lens converter and so all my lenses will be redundant, except for a back up camera system.
Big points for the SL3 are:
Higher resolution viewfinder
Higher resolution sensor
Apparently better dynamic range (we’ll see)
Smaller lighter body
Rear screen looks great
And finally the quality of the lenses (which looking at the non German bit, I’m not sure).
The partnership with Sigma and Panasonic, yes i’m not sure about that either. If I went to Leica an SL3 plus a couple of lenses (standard zoom and tele zoom) is probably all that I would need, my 16-35 is rarely used so for the odd occasion where I might find one necessary I could go with a Sigma or get a Nikon Leica adapter for the 16-35.
Something to contemplate over the next few months.
1 Like
Have you tried using DXO Clearview. I’ve used it in DXO10 and DXO3, it’s very good, DXO will also correct to some extent deficiencies in lens used.
DXO will probably be available on trial if you wanted to try it. Or upload an image and I’ll modify it in DXO, to test if it will cure the problem.
.
Thanks for that @Fatcat. I do use Topaz Photo AI but I was just concerned the lens wasn’t performing as it should. I’ve attached an example which has no processing, 1/640 SEC F6.3 ISO 1600 at 600mm. Probably about 240m away from subjects on a dull day. The second one is cropped and processed with Topaz Photo AI and Lightroom. This was 1/640 SEC F7.1 ISO 1600 and again about 240m away.
Tim
Probably due to haze when shooting over water at distance. Nothing in sharp focus.
1 Like
Applying clearview in DXO and doing nothing else seems to remove the haze, but whether it’s increasing detail, I wouldn’t like to say.
I doubt any lens correction has been applied by DXO, I wasn’t promped to download the data pack for you type of camera/lens. It probably needs an unmodified image from the camera.
The lens correction feature is worth having. It improves things even at a distance.
DXO lens correction.
.
Thanks for doing that, it is very helpful. I have the DXO NIK collection but will explore their other products to see if they can improve on Topaz Photo AI. Which as a product I feel has started to deviate from what it was originally good at doing.
Thanks
Tim
Blimey.
f4 a bit disappointing, no?
G
M/format sensor. So equivalent to 3.2/28mm isn’t it?
Still not that flexible. I couldn’t do without the f1.7 on my 28mm.
G
Is that a Q of some sort?
An interesting camera, for an easy-to-carry medium format to use for landscape photography I can see it having a market. I could be tempted if the price was right and pairing it with a crop Fuji camera for wildlife shots the pair could meet all my needs.