I have GAS

[CuriousMike]

I wanted more reach on my D7100.

Currently, the 70-200f4 is my longest - and with the D7100's 24MP sensor, I'm able to crop quite a bit while retaining detail.

I considered three options for going longer, both with an eye towards economics.
1. 70-300 Nikon or Tamron. < $500, and I'd gain 100mm. Is 100mm more enough? Maybe.

2. TC 1.4/1.7. This is another $3-$500 option. The 1.4 purportedly works "best", but that wouldn't even get me to 300 ( 2*1.4=280 ). The plus to this solution is I'm using my 70-200f4 which is a good quality lens. I'd lose a stop of light.

3. The oddball - get a Nikon 1 body and use the adapter for the 2.7 multiplier. This is a $400 choice ($250 refurb V1 with kit lens, and another $150 for the adapter. ) The positive is the huge reach ( 200 * 2.7 = 540 ),the 10fps and the smaller size. The negative is the 1" sensor and lack of controls.

So, my V1 just showed up and the battery is charging. I'm really trading off quality ( if I had gone with the TC adapter on my 7100 ) for reach, speed and portability... and portability is meh if I'm lugging the 70-200f4 on it.

However, for other times when I'm not interested in reach and am interested in portability ( hiking with the dogger ), the V1 might prove a good companion.

We shall see.

I know a couple of you have Nikon 1 cameras - I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

 

[JohnnyRebel]

Here is Steve Huff's Nikon 1 Gallery. For $249 the V1 is a steal. The kit lens is pretty good, but if you get GAS from the V1 the best prime is $900 and the really nice wide-angle zoom lens is $500. Normal prime $200. This deal might cost you $$$.

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/who-am-i/the-nikon-1-sample-image-gallery/

 

[CuriousMike]

A few of Huff's photos are really nice, and some are meh.

I will agree that a few of them have a nice texture - sure, it's noise, but it's nice noise.

I'll have to use the machine for awhile to see if I actually would want to invest in 1 lenses.... although the wide-angle on the body would make a killer backpacking system.... damn...

 

[iGas]

I wouldn't bother screwing around with anything of lesser quality (both lenses and sensor ) since you already have a good APS-C body. The logical result is to get the Tamron 150-600mm and be done with it, otherwise you will be unsatisfy due to GAS.

 

[CuriousMike]

The Tamron was a consideration, but the price differential ( $400 vs. $1100 ) made it a short consideration.

I'll play with the V1 for awhile and see how it goes... maybe I'll have fun with it, or maybe it'll collect dust.

The body is small and light compared to the D7100 - if all else fails, it might make a good hiking body.

 

[blastingcap]

I use my V1 strictly for telephoto and casual shots. I eventually threw out my DSLR and replaced it with a a6000 since I don't often shoot action, and I wanted more portability, especially wideangle for landscapes. The Sony 10-18 is a pretty good wideangle lens and weighs less than half of my old Sigma 10-20.

I still have an RX100M2 for in-between shots.

 

[CuriousMike]

You seem to have some overlap.

V1
RX100
A6000

I would presume the RX would handle the 'casual' shots better than the V1 due to it's small size. For that matter, the A6000 isn't that much bigger than the V1 ?

What do you mount on the V1 for tele ?

 

[blastingcap]

You seem to have some overlap.

V1
RX100
A6000

I would presume the RX would handle the 'casual' shots better than the V1 due to it's small size. For that matter, the A6000 isn't that much bigger than the V1 ?

What do you mount on the V1 for tele ?

Well the RX100M2 is technically not mine anymore, I gave it to my gf. I can borrow it for casual shots though.

The V1 has gets the 30-110 on it almost all of the time and the 30-110 is my ONLY telephoto lens right now. I sold my Nikon DSLR telephotos since I rarely take telephoto or action shots, and even when I do, it's in the range of the 30-110 most of the time anyway. I will occasionally put the 10-30 on the V1, but between my smartphone, my gf's RX100M2, and my A6000 with 16-50 kit zoom, that's getting to be rare.

The A6000 body is about the same size as the V1's body, due to Sony's size obsession. I only shoot non-telephoto with it, so the lenses are smaller than most DSLR APS-C lenses and not unmanageable. In fact the Sony 10-18 isn't even that much bigger than the Nikon 1's ultrawide, which I temporarily had before I returned it to the store because I wanted to take star trail photos with it and the Nikon 1 system tops out at 2-minute exposures even in BULB.

If you want high-end telephoto, Nikon's 70-200/4 edges out the Sony FE 70-200/4 so I wouldn't change systems if you take telephoto shots much. The V1 + FT-1 + 70-200/4 is apparently popular among some folks like birders so I imagine you are happy with it.

 

[ElFenix]

'reach' is really just pixels on target. the only thing it has to do with sensor size is that smaller sensors are usually more dense. a 200 mm lens is a 200 mm lens - the V1's more dense sensor puts more pixels on the target shot through a 200 mm lens than the D7100 does.

 

[blastingcap]

'reach' is really just pixels on target. the only thing it has to do with sensor size is that smaller sensors are usually more dense. a 200 mm lens is a 200 mm lens - the V1's more dense sensor puts more pixels on the target shot through a 200 mm lens than the D7100 does.

I think most people understand this, but the difference is that you can compose better on a crop sensor made for that size, than a larger sensor cropped down.

Put it another way: yes you can put a 200mm lens on an FX DSLR camera and shoot with it, then crop it down in post so it appears to be 2.7x that focal length. But that'd be only a small section of the image. In fact, during the actual photography, you'd have only a handful of autofocus points on that part of the frame, and you'd have to really squint to see what's going on.

Whereas with a Nikon CX mount, the EVF/LCD blows up that crop and plants dozens of autofocus points all over just that little cropped area, making it easier to compose and track objects.

With FX mirrorless you potentially get the best of both worlds, since you can "digitally" zoom in and fill up the EVF in a way that you couldn't do with an OVF.

 

[Berliner]

Put it another way: yes you can put a 200mm lens on an FX DSLR camera and shoot with it, then crop it down in post so it appears to be 2.7x that focal length. But that'd be only a small section of the image. In fact, during the actual photography, you'd have only a handful of autofocus points on that part of the frame, and you'd have to really squint to see what's going on.

Whereas with a Nikon CX mount, the EVF/LCD blows up that crop and plants dozens of autofocus points all over just that little cropped area, making it easier to compose and track objects.

That makes very little sense. If you crop later, you can just pick your crop later, there is no need to compose in camera and there is no need to use anything but the middle sensor.

 

[blastingcap]

That makes very little sense. If you crop later, you can just pick your crop later, there is no need to compose in camera and there is no need to use anything but the middle sensor.

Then maybe you should think about it some more. Many people disagree with you. Just because something works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone. There are (shock gasp) people who use something than center AF point, and who want AF tracking across the frame to track down fast, erratic movers like small birds.

 

[iGas]

That makes very little sense. If you crop later, you can just pick your crop later, there is no need to compose in camera and there is no need to use anything but the middle sensor.

I agree.

Similarly in the past 6x6 or 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 medium format were the most popular, because it allow the photographer to make quick snap shots then crop for portrait or landscape orientation in the darkroom when they have more time.

 

[CuriousMike]

I've completely ridded myself of the V1. I didn't get along with it.

For something to tide me over until Photokina, I purchased a refurb'd Sony Nex 3N for cheap.

If nothing new shows up at Photokina that floats my boat, I'll likely get a 1.4x teleconverter for more reach on my D7100.