Talk me out of switching to Sony.

Chris@sabor

Senior Member
Seriously considering moving to Sony. My photos are starting to sell more and customers are wanting larger prints so I was all set on the D850.

I am noticing that it seems Nikon is slowly abandoning DSLRs in favor of mirrorless. Most Youtube photography channels are saying the DSLR is the past.

The mirrorless offerings by Nikon seem pretty decent but Sony has such a head start. Sony's video autofocus is superior and from time to time I do shoot a little video for facebook and youtube.

I want silent shooting also. I want more FPS for wildlife action. Sony even has the new 200-600mm at a decent price. I'm waiting to hear the specs for the A9ii but, the A7Riv has incredible specs and 61 MP. In crop mode it has 26 MP. I would rather have the A9 because of the no blackout shutter.

There used to be several reasons Sony wouldn't work for me...I think they have solved all the old issues I had...

Change my mind, if you can.
 

mikew_RIP

Senior Member
If you are prepared to risk the wrath of the Nikon God

24330021.jpg


In all honesty if Sony does it for you then go for it.

I got my first Nikon in the early seventies and if the gear was not too heavy for me i would still be using it, as things are though i cant say i find any fault with the Olympus,after all they are just a tool so use the one that fits your needs.
 
Last edited:

mikew_RIP

Senior Member
When the time comes for me to admit i cant chase the birds any more ::what:: my camera choice will be between Sony and Nikon, chances are it will be Nikon.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Seriously considering moving to Sony. My photos are starting to sell more and customers are wanting larger prints so I was all set on the D850.

What types of subjects do you usually shoot? On1Resize utilizes fractal algorithms for enlarging. In the past when I compared PCC to On1 Resize, enlargements with On1 Resize were much better. You might not need to move to a larger sensor size is what I'm trying to convey.

I want silent shooting also. I want more FPS for wildlife action. Sony even has the new 200-600mm at a decent price. I'm waiting to hear the specs for the A9ii but, the A7Riv has incredible specs and 61 MP. In crop mode it has 26 MP. I would rather have the A9 because of the no blackout shutter.
@BackdoorHippie do you have any comparisons to offer? If he shoots wildlife, how do the fps (and any lag time) compare between DSLR and Mirrorless?
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
If I wasn't so heavily invested in Nikon's ecosystems I'd switch to Sony tomorrow. I have a friend that shoots Sony and she can barely hold a camera and her Sony's image stabilization's image sharpness makes my Nikon look like a $2 Holga image
 

Andy W

Senior Member
"I am noticing that it seems Nikon is slowly abandoning DSLRs in favor of mirrorless. Most Youtube photography channels are saying the DSLR is the past."

Nikon just announced the upcoming D6 and a 120-300mm 2.8 lens.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
"I am noticing that it seems Nikon is slowly abandoning DSLRs in favor of mirrorless. Most Youtube photography channels are saying the DSLR is the past."

Nikon just announced the upcoming D6 and a 120-300mm 2.8 lens.

I remember reading that Nikon was going to focus on their pro line of bodies which supposedly is why they stopped upgrading the D3x00 and D5x00 series. And it's supposed to be the reason why the D7500 had some of its specs downgraded. It's a shame although I can understand letting go of the entry level bodies. But I am not a fan of how they reduced specs on the D7500.

I hope Nikon will continue with future upgrades to the D750 series. But pro DSLR's is supposedly what Nikon is focusing on right now so there should continue to be choices among pro bodies.
 

Danno

Senior Member
@Chris@sabor I have the Z6 and I love it, and a buddy has a Z7 and feels the same way. The focus system of the Z is a bit different than the DSLR but I have found it to be very sharp and I have had better luck with it than my D7200. The low light performance is also amazing. I would go so far to say that that it can handle high ISO better than the 750 and 850.

There was a lot of bad press on the Zs when they came out. Most of that was because the folks testing them expected them to be exactly the same as the DSLRs Nikon built and did not take the time to figure them out. The IBIS and rescission of the focus very good. Another cool thing is as improvements are made Nikon rolls out firmware updates. They have made 3 so far and all have helped to improve the product. The other upside is the menu is very similar to what you are familiar with shooting.

I would strongly encourage you rent a Z and take some time with it. Make sure it has Firmware version 2.01. Than try out the Sony.

I think you would like the Nikon, but only way to know is to try it out. Make sure you also get the FTZ adapter too.

I wish you well with your decision.
 

Chris@sabor

Senior Member
Thanks Amigos!

I shoot mostly wildlife action if possible. I do landscapes because they sell better. I take some video for promotion.

Sure Nikon is "developing the D6", it has probably been in the works since the D5 came out. It wouldn't surprise me if it were the last "D".

The Z7 has the MP's but the frame rate is awful in continuous. Video autofocus is better, but pales in comparison to Sony. People have been bitching about it for a decade, Nikon seemed uninterested in making real improvement.

I love my D500 but have additional needs also. I would love to stay with Nikon but want the best possible solution and that is sounding like Sony.
 

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
I have two friends who are pro wildlife photographers and they are in love with their Sony A9 bodies. I also know a wildlife pro who uses a 6 year old Canon (can't remember which model) with lenses that are 10 years old or more. I would not trade my D500 for anything on the market. So, I have offered no real help at all, have I? :)
 

Danno

Senior Member
Thanks Amigos!

I shoot mostly wildlife action if possible. I do landscapes because they sell better. I take some video for promotion.

Sure Nikon is "developing the D6", it has probably been in the works since the D5 came out. It wouldn't surprise me if it were the last "D".

The Z7 has the MP's but the frame rate is awful in continuous. Video autofocus is better, but pales in comparison to Sony. People have been bitching about it for a decade, Nikon seemed uninterested in making real improvement.

I love my D500 but have additional needs also. I would love to stay with Nikon but want the best possible solution and that is sounding like Sony.

I know you have decided Chris , but the video performance is one place where Nikon does shine. Some folks place them as top tere hybrid cameras. The A9 focus is good but Nikon has stepped up on video finally.
 

Chris@sabor

Senior Member
I know you have decided Chris , but the video performance is one place where Nikon does shine. Some folks place them as top tere hybrid cameras. The A9 focus is good but Nikon has stepped up on video finally.

You're right! I saw some more reviews that were very happy with video performance. Unfortunately, that still leaves the issue of frame rate which is a top priority for me...
 

Chris@sabor

Senior Member
I have two friends who are pro wildlife photographers and they are in love with their Sony A9 bodies. I also know a wildlife pro who uses a 6 year old Canon (can't remember which model) with lenses that are 10 years old or more. I would not trade my D500 for anything on the market. So, I have offered no real help at all, have I? :)

I love mine too! I would just love to have silent shooting, more FPS, no blackout on long bursts and better video and live view autofocus. It's a tool and I always want the best one for the job...
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Chris, I have to apologize for the brevity of my first post. I wanted to answer the question but didn't have time to dig into the full post.

I'll say this, if you are shooting wildlife predominantly, which it seems you are, then I don't know that you're going to get much better than your D500 without spending a lot of money (and losing more on the sale of used Nikon gear).

There are 2 things that I can see the D500 not offering you that you state you want:

First, with the larger print sizes, there is good software out there (Topaz Gigapixel AI, for example) that can be purchased for not a whole lot comparatively that will get you there without having to switch up - and it works for your current catalog as well.

Second is the silent shutter. While I cannot help you with that, I am hearing that while the D5 is getting a DSLR replacement in the D6, the D500 will not see a replacement but instead they will likely offer a cropped sensor mirrorless for photogs like us who need the reach and the MP's without cropping. I would recommend waiting to hear what the next line of mirrorless includes before switching brands.

If you want something for the landscape work then you can get a D750 for cheap and the 28MP's are more than enough for large prints - I know first hand.

Just my 2 cents on top of anything else. I've got a pair of Sony's for walking around, but they're purely so I don't have to carry a bigger, more conspicuous, and in some cases "professional" camera (I can't walk into a concert with a D500 or an a6000, but they don't look twice at an RX100 VI with an effective 24-200mm Zeiss on it). Nikon is using Sony sensors and likely will continue, so it's more a matter of waiting for them to catch up with the Z's. That's precisely what I'm doing. Until then I have a pair of D500's and the D750 to keep me happy.
 

Chris@sabor

Senior Member
Chris, I have to apologize for the brevity of my first post. I wanted to answer the question but didn't have time to dig into the full post.

I'll say this, if you are shooting wildlife predominantly, which it seems you are, then I don't know that you're going to get much better than your D500 without spending a lot of money (and losing more on the sale of used Nikon gear).

There are 2 things that I can see the D500 not offering you that you state you want:

First, with the larger print sizes, there is good software out there (Topaz Gigapixel AI, for example) that can be purchased for not a whole lot comparatively that will get you there without having to switch up - and it works for your current catalog as well.

Second is the silent shutter. While I cannot help you with that, I am hearing that while the D5 is getting a DSLR replacement in the D6, the D500 will not see a replacement but instead they will likely offer a cropped sensor mirrorless for photogs like us who need the reach and the MP's without cropping. I would recommend waiting to hear what the next line of mirrorless includes before switching brands.

If you want something for the landscape work then you can get a D750 for cheap and the 28MP's are more than enough for large prints - I know first hand.

Just my 2 cents on top of anything else. I've got a pair of Sony's for walking around, but they're purely so I don't have to carry a bigger, more conspicuous, and in some cases "professional" camera (I can't walk into a concert with a D500 or an a6000, but they don't look twice at an RX100 VI with an effective 24-200mm Zeiss on it). Nikon is using Sony sensors and likely will continue, so it's more a matter of waiting for them to catch up with the Z's. That's precisely what I'm doing. Until then I have a pair of D500's and the D750 to keep me happy.

No need to apologize!
I agree with everything you said but you would probably agree that the DSLR looks like it is going the way of the film camera.
I was all set to spend on the D850 and some good glass, then I saw a few photographers using the A9, which is close to the same price and it got me thinking, if mirrorless is the future and has nearly exceeded the DSLR already do I want to invest more onto it.

The more I shoot wildlife, the more I appreciate FPS and quick autofocus...the A9ii is about to be announced and I'm afraid many wildlife shooters will be very jealous of the specs.

Thanks to all for taking the time to help!!!
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
First, with the larger print sizes, there is good software out there (Topaz Gigapixel AI, for example) that can be purchased for not a whole lot comparatively that will get you there without having to switch up - and it works for your current catalog as well.

Jake, thanks for sharing your knowledge with everything you wrote. Since you have firsthand experience shooting with both a D500 and a Sony Mirrorless, it really helps. And thanks for the info on the Topaz software. That's something I will look into myself.
 
Top