I have a Nikon DSLR camera with 6 lenses. Looking at getting the new $900 Z50 from Nikon and the adapter so I can use my current lenses. I don’t want to spend $2000 or more for the other Nikon mirrorless models. Anyone have a mirrorless model from Nikon, Canon, etc?
I’ll let someone with Nikon gear give more specific answers.
I have been using Fujifilm mirrorless cameras for the past several years and I wouldn’t use anything else. They are more compact than SLRs and can operate almost silently.
I can easily carry two bodies and several lenses in a small shoulder bag (this one).
With that said, look into other people’s experiences with the kind of photography you do. I do portraiture, and so the Fuji XPro2 with 95mm lens is the perfect setup. I use a X100t rangefinder camera for more casual photography. Nevertheless, I don’t know that anyone would ever recommend this Fuji gear for video, and I don’t think I would be recommending any mirrorless camera for sports photography, where a real TTL optical viewfinder is a must.
I just got the Fujifilm X-T30 and I’m loving it so far.
I’m moving over from a Nikon D90 (I take my time between upgrades) with a few lenses. Two of my lenses are cheap old zooms that aren’t really sharp enough for digital. So, that left me with the 18-108 kit lens, the 35mm 1.8G lens, older 50mm 1.8 and 1.4 lenses from my film days, and a 105mm f/2 portrait lens. I also have a Nikon flash, but that seemed to be failing.
I looked hard at the Z50, the X-T30, and one of the Sonys. I took the Sony off the list first because it’s so menu-driven and I like having lots of manual controls. Then, I read review after review, and here are some of the reasons I chose the Fuji over the Nikon:
- Fuji has great support for APS-C lenses. Nikon seems to be going more in the full frame direction and I was concerned the Z50 would end up being orphaned.
- Fuji has been making mirrorless cameras longer. This is really Nikon’s first generation (except for their 1-inch sensor cameras which were OK) and they probably have lots to learn.
- Fuji’s out-of-the-camera JPEGS seem to get rave reviews. I’m done with RAW processing – I just want to shoot and enjoy it.
- The Fuji is smaller and lighter than the Z50. One of the main reasons I was upgrading was to get a camera that I would be willing to carry around more often, so size and weight were important.
I bought a cheap Nikon F-to-Fuji X adapter that will work with my lenses whether they have aperture rings or not, but of course everything is manual focus. That has been fun for me, actually – if I’m using my old primes, then I’m probably doing something artsy and have time to manual focus anyway. Ironically, the old 105 portrait lens works better on the Fuji because the D90 wouldn’t meter with it, but the Fuji does.
After I bought the Fuji, I realized why I was initially attracted to it – it looks more like my old FM-2 than any of my digitals, including the Z50. It has a shutter speed dial and an aperture ring (or most lenses do).
The Z50 is, no doubt, a fantastic camera and if the lenses you have are good ones, you may want to stick with Nikon. For me, my favorite lenses were manual focus anyway, so it didn’t matter.
The new Fujis are getting very good reviews for video. I take almost no video, so that wasn’t a factor for me, but just FYI.
What extra money? The Z50 is comparable to the D7500 (same generation, similar sensor specs, etc). The Z50 body is $856; the D7500 body is $997 list price / $897 current street price (B&H). Even if you include the FTZ adapter price, Amazon has a Z50 + FTZ bundle for $910.
Personally I switched to mirrorless when the Olympus E-M1 came out (2013?) and later switched to Sony, currently using an A6500. I much prefer mirrorless cameras - the LCD display offers far more flexibility in use, the cameras are lighter and more compact, and the viewfinder shows exactly what I’m going to get in the final image.
My camera is $500 so I thought of getting another one for my GF to use and we can share the lenses. I probably will get the Z50 but I will wait and see if the price drops in the next month or 2.
Excellent! I’m sure it will be fantastic. It was a very close call for me, and I kept going back and forth between the Nikon and the Fuji. It was only when I got them in my hands that I made the decision – the smaller size sold it.
Have fun! Some day, you’ll be able to go places again and take pictures!
If you’re planning on using the same lenses from your DSLR on the mirrorless camera, I think the reduction in size is going to be really minimal, at least compared to how it would be if you used a mirrorless camera with a proprietary lens, so you might as well just keep using the DSLR. If you go mirrorless, go all the way with a compact lens designed for the compact camera. I traveled around Montreal and the Canadian Maritimes with a Fuji X100, after several times traveling with a full-frame Nikon DSLR. Night and day difference in terms of the kind of “the perfect shot just happened” moments, which always happen when you’re NOT looking for them - because the camera’s small enough to take anywhere with you and you forget it’s even there!
Size and weight are important to me, I was surprised how heavy a full frame camera is but it’s too expensive anyway. I have a D5600 and I’m very happy with it.
I have mirrorless micro 4/3 and use some lenses that were from the 4/3 DSLRs, mostly Olympus but some Panasonic. As you may know, Oly stopped bringing out new DSLRs awhile back. My E30 continues clicking away 100K plus shots later but its days are numbered. One other thing about the system is I don’t think they ever “held back” a sensor for exclusive use in the higher end bodies. In other words when a sensor was ready it might up in an entry level camera even if it was going to outperform the top of the line model. I’d heard other manufacturers didnt do that. These days on trips the Mrs. will use the E30 and I use the Panasonic G6 and an Olympus E-PL1. However that means owning, charging, and carrying three different batteries + chargers. Also the E30 uses CF cards while the others use SD. The adapters ran about $100 each and I think I lost some function with certain lenses. They aren’t awfully slow but I’m sure the native micro versions would focus faster. But I didn’t want to go buy my ultrawide zoom for $500+…again…so I can live with it.
Got a nice tax refund so I am getting the Z50. I read that one downside is the battery life is shorter than what I have now but I don’t mind carrying extra batteries.
I’m not a video guy, so take this with a grain of salt, but I think it was never a question of video quality, more a question of ergonomics–how the menus were set up and what kinds of video features there are.
In contrast, the x100f and the XPro2 that I use both have still photography ergonomics down to a T: All settings are on very visible dials, just like old-school cameras, and they have a clever rangefinder-style viewfinder that swaps between digital and optical at the flip of a lever.
And, as you said, you can’t go wrong with Fuji still photos–straight-out-of-camera JPEGs are absolutely amazing, and that’s what I shoot these days. I set it to either Classic Chrome for color and Acros for B&W. I always shoot JPEG+RAW so that if I need to rescue a shot with bad lighting I can grab the RAW, but as long as it’s in good shape, I throw away the RAW after I’m finished editing.
Also, as long as I have the RAW still on the card, I can use the camera to reprocess it with a different film simulation or pushed or different white balance.
Mirrorless is neat. And if you set the shutter to electronic, you can take absolutely silent photographs with a camera like the x100f–rolling shutter and LED flicker issues apply.
Saw that camera sales in Japan are way down so I might wait a little while to see if US prices go down on the Z50.