Need suggestions for camera upgrade please!

[prasad23]

Need your suggestion on this one please..

I have been using my Nikon D5300 for Landscape and Astrophotography. I got a Tokina 11-16, a 50mm f1.8 and the 18-55 kit lens.

I mostly shoot in challenging weather conditions while trekking in himalayas. I would also love to explore bird photography in future.

So recently, I have been thinking of upgrading the gear !

My important requirements are:

1) Good Battery life for cold weather
2) Weather sealed & robust body but lightweight as every gram matters while hiking.
3) Can invest only Rs 80,000 (including lens if I decide to switch to Canon/ sony)

Looking for great photography dslr with good dynamic range and dont expect great video capabilities.

For my requirements, a new Nikon D7500 would be the great option considering the compatibility of my current lenses. Cheapest and best suitable option for me, in my opinion.

OR I could sell off everything, divorse Nikon and switch to Sony (A6400) / Canon (EOS RP/ R10) which will be expensive including lens, not as weather sealed and poor battery life.

OR I could buy the crappy FTZ adapter along with a used Nikon Mirrorless under my budget (which kills the purpose of lightweight body)

What would you suggest considering my requirements and budget?

Any firsthand experience of the Nikon D7500 would be also appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[ashutosh1979]

Hi,
My two cents

Short version try a mirrorless Nikon or otherwise ... longer version read on ......

1. D7500 will increase your weight anyway.

2. Going mirrorless is generaly best suited for ligher weight.

3. Any added weight for FTZ adaptor will be set off by the reduction in body weight, with possiblity for future uprades to native lense, to reduce weight

4. If you don't upgrde to mirroless you do loose out on all future lenses wchich are genrealy lighter and better (atleast in Canon world, can't be sure of Nikon)

5. You will have to trade off with less battery life no exceptions, but carrying additional batteries can offset that, although it will increase weight, which will negate the reduction in weight, but will give extra redenduncy which has its own benifits.

6. For Astro and Landscapes , AF speed is not top priority, apart from that I don't think I've heard any problems with adapators in general

Hope it helps

Regards
Ashutosh

[prasad23]

Hi Sir, Thanks for the detailed reply.

I agree with your points, but considering my budget, full frame nikon mirrorless (weather sealed and robust) are beyond my budget, also the lens are more expensive and heavier.

Crop sensor Mirrorless camera options closer my budget are Nikon Z50 or Z50ii, (and an FTZ adapter gonna spoil my budget) but I think these entry level mirrorless apsc cameras are not as well built as the d7500. (Not to mention poor battery life)

I will not be looking to upgrade my camera gear anytime soon after d7500 which will be a great upgrade over my current camera anyways. There are many good quality, lighter, cheaper (used/ new) lens options available to help me hone the craft better at lower price. (For example the classic Nikon 200-500 telephoto lens, as I'm looking forward to explore bird photography)


A relatively heavier body of d7500 is not a concern as the dx lens are lighter and I can manage extra 200gms over my current setup.

That's my case for d7500 which feels perfect for my current requirements.

[DeepakS]

For my requirements, a new Nikon D7500 would be the great option considering the compatibility of my current lenses. Cheapest and best suitable option for me, in my opinion.

This sounds like you have already made up your mind

OR I could buy the crappy FTZ adapter along with a used Nikon Mirrorless under my budget (which kills the purpose of lightweight body)

For somebody who admittedly does not use a mirrorless camera you have a pretty strong opinion. A wrong one.
Millions of people continue to use very high end DSLR mount lenses on Mirrorless camera bodies - on both Canon and Nikon, with great success.

2. Going mirrorless is generaly best suited for ligher weight.

3. Any added weight for FTZ adaptor will be set off by the reduction in body weight, with possiblity for future uprades to native lense, to reduce weight

4. If you don't upgrde to mirroless you do loose out on all future lenses wchich are genrealy lighter and better (atleast in Canon world, can't be sure of Nikon)

This is good advice. All true

I will not be looking to upgrade my camera gear anytime soon after d7500 which will be a great upgrade over my current camera anyways. There are many good quality, lighter, cheaper (used/ new) lens options available to help me hone the craft better at lower price. (For example the classic Nikon 200-500 telephoto lens, as I'm looking forward to explore bird photography)


A relatively heavier body of d7500 is not a concern as the dx lens are lighter and I can manage extra 200gms over my current setup.

That's my case for d7500 which feels perfect for my current requirements.

Again, you have already made up your mind. IMHO the purpose of this thread was to get people to say "yeah go for it, great choice" You want a bunch of strangers on the forum to approve and agree. No more. No other suggestions are welcome, even though the heading says so.

[prasad23]

Thanks for the reply!

As I already mentioned previously, I do agree with the points Mr. Ashutosh said.
BUT, considering my budget constraint, I proposed an option with my limited knowledge and research, and expect suggestions for other possible options WITHIN THE BUDGET

There's always something better beyond our budget, but my expectation from this post is to assess what could be best possible option for my requirements WITHIN MY BUDGET.

I Hope this makes it clear!

[JessePinkmanYo]

I mostly shoot in challenging weather conditions while trekking in himalayas. I would also love to explore bird photography in future.

So recently, I have been thinking of upgrading the gear !

My important requirements are:

1) Good Battery life for cold weather
2) Weather sealed & robust body but lightweight as every gram matters while hiking.
3) Can invest only Rs 80,000 (including lens if I decide to switch to Canon/ sony)

You might want to approach this differently.
A few points that may be relevant here :-

(1) The D7500 wont actually get you any significant IQ upgrade over your D5300. The only thing you will gain is battery backup and durability/handling. The marginal gain in AF speed may not even be relevant to your use case. To that extent, spending 8-10K on swapping the D5300 against the D7200 might be a better idea.

(2) By your account it would appear most of your shooting is done at the wideangle end. So instead of focusing on the camera, you might want to focus on the lens you want to shoot. The Tokina was a great lens back in the day (it still may be for many) but it is hardly lightweight or versatile. Coupled with the D7500, it weighs ~1.3kgs ! It is rather low on transmissivity and resolving power compared to its modern peers even if it may best them in distortion control. To me this is the weak point in your current setup. You probably need to look more at changing your lenses than your camera. Just to put the weight argument in perspective, the Nikon Z5 paired with the Z17-28mm F2.8 weighs only ~1.1 kgs and is not that far from the 80k you want to spend ! Same thing for the A7II/III with Tamron 17-28mm if you prefer to go the Sony route.

(3) If you plan on sticking with Nikon APSC, just get the Nikon 16-80 F2.8-4 DX. It ticks a lot of the boxes for "trekking" and can replace both the Tokina and kit lens in most cases. You should be able to upgrade to the 16-80mm alongwith D7200 for 25-30K incremental, much less if you are lucky.

(4) If you decide to go FF, you will gain majorly in the IQ department. You should be able to get the A7II with Tamron 17-28mm within your budget (battery will always be a suspect though). Or you can stretch by 10-15K, get the Z5 with the Z17-28mm or the A7III with Tamron 17-28mm. Alternatively, you can get the 28-75mm instead of the 17-28mm in above combos if you think you can make do with 28mm at the wide end. The Sony also has another great option of Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 which would cost less than 17-28mm and be much more versatile.

I have experimented with several lightweight setups for my hiking trips. For a long time I was with the Sony A6300+Zeiss 16-70mm combo (before shifting to the R8 as my primary trekking camera). It weighed roughly 700 gms and worked very well in most situations except when the temperatures started to drop below 5-6 degrees at which point the batteries would become exceedingly unreliable and often would just stop working. I would therefore vote against getting the A6100/A6300/A6400 for Himalayan expeditions.

[Roy]

Hi,

From someone who has not shifted to mirrorless, I will suggest you to look at an used D750 (around 35-40K) and Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 OSD (25K approx). This will nicely cover your travel and landscape needs. For birding you may save up to get the Nikon 200-500mm VR.
If you want an apsc body within budget, look for a well maintained D7200 instead of D7500. The former is a great buy even today.

Hope this helps.

[prasad23]

I mostly shoot in challenging weather conditions while trekking in himalayas. I would also love to explore bird photography in future.

So recently, I have been thinking of upgrading the gear !

My important requirements are:

1) Good Battery life for cold weather
2) Weather sealed & robust body but lightweight as every gram matters while hiking.
3) Can invest only Rs 80,000 (including lens if I decide to switch to Canon/ sony)

You might want to approach this differently.
A few points that may be relevant here :-

(1) The D7500 wont actually get you any significant IQ upgrade over your D5300. The only thing you will gain is battery backup and durability/handling. The marginal gain in AF speed may not even be relevant to your use case. To that extent, spending 8-10K on swapping the D5300 against the D7200 might be a better idea.

(2) By your account it would appear most of your shooting is done at the wideangle end. So instead of focusing on the camera, you might want to focus on the lens you want to shoot. The Tokina was a great lens back in the day (it still may be for many) but it is hardly lightweight or versatile. Coupled with the D7500, it weighs ~1.3kgs ! It is rather low on transmissivity and resolving power compared to its modern peers even if it may best them in distortion control. To me this is the weak point in your current setup. You probably need to look more at changing your lenses than your camera. Just to put the weight argument in perspective, the Nikon Z5 paired with the Z17-28mm F2.8 weighs only ~1.1 kgs and is not that far from the 80k you want to spend ! Same thing for the A7II/III with Tamron 17-28mm if you prefer to go the Sony route.

(3) If you plan on sticking with Nikon APSC, just get the Nikon 16-80 F2.8-4 DX. It ticks a lot of the boxes for "trekking" and can replace both the Tokina and kit lens in most cases. You should be able to upgrade to the 16-80mm alongwith D7200 for 25-30K incremental, much less if you are lucky.

(4) If you decide to go FF, you will gain majorly in the IQ department. You should be able to get the A7II with Tamron 17-28mm within your budget (battery will always be a suspect though). Or you can stretch by 10-15K, get the Z5 with the Z17-28mm or the A7III with Tamron 17-28mm. Alternatively, you can get the 28-75mm instead of the 17-28mm in above combos if you think you can make do with 28mm at the wide end. The Sony also has another great option of Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 which would cost less than 17-28mm and be much more versatile.

I have experimented with several lightweight setups for my hiking trips. For a long time I was with the Sony A6300+Zeiss 16-70mm combo (before shifting to the R8 as my primary trekking camera). It weighed roughly 700 gms and worked very well in most situations except when the temperatures started to drop below 5-6 degrees at which point the batteries would become exceedingly unreliable and often would just stop working. I would therefore vote against getting the A6100/A6300/A6400 for Himalayan expeditions.

Thanks for such a detailed reply! Your detailed insights including the gear options are helpful.
I would personally avoid sony as I prefer the Nikon ergonomics and colour rendition.

May I ask a couple of things for clarity please..
 
1) I think your recommendation of Z5 with Z17-28 f2.8/ Z28-75 f2.8 are for a used gear and not new, right? Because, as I can see, the price of the lens, the Z5 body is around 80K each. So it should cost around 1.6L new. Way beyond my budget!

2) Could you comment on the weather sealing/ build quality of Z5? How would this entry level mirrorless cameras handle the harsh and cold weather conditions? Any comment on battery life in such conditions?

Thanks again !

[JessePinkmanYo]

1) I think your recommendation of Z5 with Z17-28 f2.8/ Z28-75 f2.8 are for a used gear and not new, right? Because, as I can see, the price of the lens, the Z5 body is around 80K each. So it should cost around 1.6L new. Way beyond my budget!

2) Could you comment on the weather sealing/ build quality of Z5? How would this entry level mirrorless cameras handle the harsh and cold weather conditions? Any comment on battery life in such conditions?

Yes all quotes are for used equipment in fresh shape. If you want to buy new, your options will dwindle down to almost nothing. No question of FF. Even in APSC, probably the A6600 is the only thing I'll recommend which will leave you with hardly 20k for the lens.

The Z5 (or the Z6 for that matter) are fairly weather sealed as far as mirrorless cameras go. Bear in mind though that the sealing will never rival DSLRs simply because there are too many vulnerable spots in mirrorless cameras. Same thing is true for battery life. The EN-EL15b/c in Z5/Z6 will outlast the EN-EL14 in your D5300 but not by much (20-25% maybe). So the same EN-EL15b/c that gives you 700-800 shots in the D7500/D7200 will give you 300-400 in Z5, They will however be almost as reliable as when working in D7500/D7200 in terms of response to harsh weather since it is essentially the same battery.

[prasad23]

1) I think your recommendation of Z5 with Z17-28 f2.8/ Z28-75 f2.8 are for a used gear and not new, right? Because, as I can see, the price of the lens, the Z5 body is around 80K each. So it should cost around 1.6L new. Way beyond my budget!

2) Could you comment on the weather sealing/ build quality of Z5? How would this entry level mirrorless cameras handle the harsh and cold weather conditions? Any comment on battery life in such conditions?

Yes all quotes are for used equipment in fresh shape. If you want to buy new, your options will dwindle down to almost nothing. No question of FF. Even in APSC, probably the A6600 is the only thing I'll recommend which will leave you with hardly 20k for the lens.

The Z5 (or the Z6 for that matter) are fairly weather sealed as far as mirrorless cameras go. Bear in mind though that the sealing will never rival DSLRs simply because there are too many vulnerable spots in mirrorless cameras. Same thing is true for battery life. The EN-EL15b/c in Z5/Z6 will outlast the EN-EL14 in your D5300 but not by much (20-25% maybe). So the same EN-EL15b/c that gives you 700-800 shots in the D7500/D7200 will give you 300-400 in Z5, They will however be almost as reliable as when working in D7500/D7200 in terms of response to harsh weather since it is essentially the same battery.

Thanks alot. I'll keep an eye on used cameras.