A note to a few old timers

There are a few of you still around who post and still more who might just drop in from time to time. I have recently changed cameras and my back is enjoying the change. Old set up was Fujifilm-S5 Pro with the Nikon 18-200 VR  and SB800 Flash in a bracket and I also carried the Canon 1DsIII with an F2 135mm Canon lens and the larger Canon flash. I shot the Canon 135 wide open for blurry backgrounds and most of the rest of the shots with the S5 Pro. In the last two years I have switched out the S5 for the Nikon D800E and it is even heavier than the S5. The S5 has always been in my bag however, just in case the harsh lighting gets out of control (no camera I have tried comes close to the highlight protection the S5 gives you).

Based on the review DP review gave the Nikon D5300, I ended up getting one with the 18-140mm VR lens and-lo and behold, a very very good low light performer with about half the weight of my old S5 or D800.  Image quality? Indeed, yes the D800 is better but not unless you are super careful with how you shot the D800.  Especially for available light shots where camera shake is the limiter and not the number of pixels the D5300 delivers images as good or I believe better than the D800 because it is much lighter and therefore more maneuverable.

OK, so I left half of my heavy artillery at home and came back with a better set of photos and they were better because I was able to handle the camera better.

So what about this brick of a thing called the 1DsIII with its heavy flash....

Craigs list to the rescue, $350 netted me a virtually new Nikon D3200 with an 18-55VR which I replaced with an F1.8 85mm Nikon lens and by any measurement I can make, the images from two weddings are also better than the 1DsIII and again, I believe it is because of increased mobility and nothing to do with intrinsic camera capability. I will concede hands down that the 1DsIII on a tripod is better than the Nikon 3200 on a tripod.  However not by much and hand held under pressure the Nikon is significantly better.

Last argument, yeah! but that camera, the 3200, is flimsy and won't hold up to the rigors of wedding photography.....Duuuhhhhh lets see, maybe I can just get another one for $350 if the current one wears out.

So in summary, one D5300/18-140mm lens and one D3200/85mm lens together weigh less by a pound than just the 1DsIII plus its flash.  Oh yeah, and low light quality is good enough on either new camera that flash is rarely needed.  I can easily carry both and use the one appropriate for the shot and carry them all night with out my back protesting.  There were some among you who also struggled with lower back pain late in weddings and even if you don't, the combination of the two cameras is great(once you re-memorize where the darn hidden commands are in the maze that appears on the back when you are searching for something).