Is it worth upgrading and switching from a D700 to an A7SII?

[NutsNBolts]

ALwin said his opinion about this in another thread, but I am struggling with this decision.

The only Nikon lens I have invested on is an AIS lens, and its a 50mm 1.4.

The only Nikon mount lens that I have invested on is a Tamron 70-200 2.8 with OS

I have a bunch of M42 and Minolta lenses.

I don't print larger than A4 size anyways.



Seems logical that I move to an A7SII, right? Why not the A7S? I borrowed an A7S a few months back for a week and I have actually sprained my index finger using it, and shooting it with my thumb feels akward, unnatural, and distracting in terms of composing.

Why do I want the A7SII over the A7RII or the A7II? I much prefer low-light performance over resolution, as I print no larger than A4 size anyways.

Isn't the D700 a D3S in a small body, which means its a beast in low light? Well, yes.

Why not keep the D700? Well, I want to know if the A7SII is worth the upgrade as I'm getting kind of GASsed up right now. Is it worth succumbing to GAS in this situation? Or not?


What I do with my current gear outside of work:

1.) Organized photoshoots with friends.

2.) Video, though with a T3i and adapted lenses.
3.) Low-key photography

4.) Evening streetphotography as I find candid photos in the evening to be more special.

5.) Fireworks photography
6.) Take photos of my donger Some candid photography while shooting from the hip at F/8 or even 5.6, similar to number 4
7.) Cosplay photography.

In work, I mostly do event coverages and prenups. But I use my 70-200 for events and my old 50mm 1.4 AIS for prenups, or mix that one up with the 70-200. I don't see myself using 4K so much, but the IBIS and low light performance is really, really tempting on the A7SII.


Nikon's service center here is either trolling me or telling me the truth that my D700 is still gig-worthy. For all I know, I could have some dying pixels here, not dead but dying, and Nikon's representatives are just hiding that from me or are being honest about it. I've heard Sony's customer service in my country is kind of horrible. Nikon could probably be just as bad, if not worse, or just marginally better for all I know. That said, in this decision, I'll just ignore what kind of bullshittery each manufacturer has in customer service.

[ALwin]

You can just replace the D700 body with the A7sII, get some lens mount adapters and all should be fine.  However even if the A7sII can go up to 400K ISO, you probably won't be going above 6400 that often.  Fireworks photography is more about shutter speed than ISO.  But the A7sII will let you record better video than... well the D700 doesn't record video all.

 

However, if you had issues using the A7s borrowed from your friend you may have issues with the A7sII.  My hands cramp up when I use my X-E2 all day, while I feel comfortable with my larger Nikon bodies.  Also I like that a larger DSLR body has more buttons than a MILC, so I don't have to enter the menu as often to change something.  This is something that I dislike with my Fuji X-E2, hence I never use it for professional purposes.

 

Another thing to consider is battery life, MILCs tend to have shorter battery life due to the EVF and greater reliance on the back LCD.  So you may need more battery changes in a single day if you're in the "field".

 

Both A7sII and D700 will be suitable for all the types of photography you do, of course the A7sII having a newer sensor will be an improvement in several areas.

 

Using a lens mount adapter will make most of your lenses all manual (aperture, zoom, focus, no in-the-lens image stabilization) unless you have compatible lenses.

 

What resale value can you get on the D700?  Try to avoid GAS syndrome if you can... I know it's not easy.

 

You just have to weigh out whether you think it's a reasonable investment to upgrade now or keep using the D700 until it dies.  If you sell the D700 body, you'll probably get $1000, and you will need to invest in an additional $2000 for the A7sII body, say about $50-100 on the lens adapter... about $2100 which you can use to buy perhaps some other accessories if you stick with the D700.

[ALwin]

Nikon's service center here is either trolling me or telling me the truth that my D700 is still gig-worthy. For all I know, I could have some dying pixels here, not dead but dying, and Nikon's representatives are just hiding that from me or are being honest about it. I've heard Sony's customer service in my country is kind of horrible. Nikon could probably be just as bad, if not worse, or just marginally better for all I know. That said, in this decision, I'll just ignore what kind of bullshittery each manufacturer has in customer service.

 

Colleagues at my office still have a couple of D2's and D3's they still use to this day.  Of course, as the cameras were purchased with the office's budget they can't get rid of them like I can as my gear was bought with my own money.  But the main tog has upgraded to a D800 a few years ago.

 

So yeah, I agree with Nikon, the D700 is still gig worthy.  I know people who still use old Nikon D40, D70s, Canon 5D, 5DmkII, etc.

 

You can check for dying pixels easily, there are online guides.  I don't know where you live so can't comment about the customer service.  In Switzerland, they charge me about $150 per body to do a sensor cleaning so I've invested in my own cleaning kit.  Nikon charge me at least $500 every time I need something serviced or repaired (about $100-200 just for handling, like taking things apart, testing and putting it back together and the rest is in replacement part costs).  But they are fast, efficient and very professional.

[NutsNBolts]

You can just replace the D700 body with the A7sII, get some lens mount adapters and all should be fine.  However even if the A7sII can go up to 400K ISO, you probably won't be going above 6400 that often.  Fireworks photography is more about shutter speed than ISO.  But the A7sII will let you record better video than... well the D700 doesn't record video all.

 

However, if you had issues using the A7s borrowed from your friend you may have issues with the A7sII.  My hands cramp up when I use my X-E2 all day, while I feel comfortable with my larger Nikon bodies.  Also I like that a larger DSLR body has more buttons than a MILC, so I don't have to enter the menu as often to change something.  This is something that I dislike with my Fuji X-E2, hence I never use it for professional purposes.

 

Another thing to consider is battery life, MILCs tend to have shorter battery life due to the EVF and greater reliance on the back LCD.  So you may need more battery changes in a single day if you're in the "field".

 

Both A7sII and D700 will be suitable for all the types of photography you do, of course the A7sII having a newer sensor will be an improvement in several areas.

 

Using a lens mount adapter will make most of your lenses all manual (aperture, zoom, focus, no in-the-lens image stabilization) unless you have compatible lenses.

 

What resale value can you get on the D700?  Try to avoid GAS syndrome if you can... I know it's not easy.

 

You just have to weigh out whether you think it's a reasonable investment to upgrade now or keep using the D700 until it dies.  If you sell the D700 body, you'll probably get $1000, and you will need to invest in an additional $2000 for the A7sII body, say about $50-100 on the lens adapter... about $2100 which you can use to buy perhaps some other accessories if you stick with the D700.

Well, I just want a clean image at 6400 when the moment arises and IBIS won't save me when motion blur on the subject's movement, not shaky hands, come into play.

The A7/R/S MKII have an actual handgrip now, which is why I didn't consider the older A7S. So, they basically SLR'd an A7 due to feedback on its awkward shutter button placement. As a Fuji XE1 user, Fuji's got ergonomics the wrong way for the sake of nostalgia or something. However, I have never had any ergonomics or control issues with the Micro Four Thirds cameras.

The A7 lineup since the beginning lets users use a powerbank with it. Sure, its going to be awkward, but thats pretty handy. I've always had atleast five batteries per body in my jacket's pockets for work and casual use, so I'll pretty much do the same with the A7SII

There's the metabones adapter, not the speedbooster, that gives exif data, I think. But it will give data through the EVF/LCD on whatever lens that has contacts on. So, I'll be able to use my Tamron 70-200 and still have aperture control.

The thing is, there are signs of unreliability thats happening to my D700, such as screen flicker, which I think the Nikon CSR just sent to Japan and they did a duct-tape/temporary fix, and took more than a month of waiting for it to come back, hot shoe sometimes not registering anything thats plugged to it, which again, Nikon CSR probably sent to Japan and they did another duct-tape fix on it, and both happen from time to time that I just gave up having to send it for repair to them and just deal with screen flicker and hot shoe not registering anything. Having to re-insert at a moment where the money shot for a raise can be crucial, and it has happened to me twice. The YN600 is too large for event use, and LED's that are even 10 feet away, directed at someone's face either intentionally or accidentally, is annoying. I have done that with my D700. I had to use a thin white shirt to soften the light so it won't be bothersome to the guests and clients ontop of the already diffused YN600. But the D700 still keeps fighting.

Do I gamble by using it and having it die in the middle of a client job? Or do I spend ASAP on something that has a lower chance of dying due to youth?

If I let the D700 die, its essentially a brick. Not sure if I can sell that since I live in a country where a hell of a lot of people even lowball a second hand D800E that has under 1K shutter count and even with pristine physical condition to even as low as $800.

[ALwin]

OK I am not sure about whether Metabones has an adapter that lets you control (e.g. iris) of a Nikon F-mount lens electronically.  As far as I know, there isn't a commercially available electronic control enabled adapter that works with Nikon/Nikon mount lenses.  All the adapters so far need aperture rings when using Nikon G lenses or any Nikon mount lens without a manual aperture ring. 

 

The only adapters that send data back to the body use "false" chips attached to the adapter, and they don't take data from the Nikon or Nikon compatible lens.  Some camera bodies will not function or correctly meter the exposure at all without receiving data from a mounted lens, so the adapter has a chip that is programmed to (for example) make the camera think a 50mm 1.8 lens is mounted, even if the actual lens attached to the adapter is a 200mm lens.

 

OK if you ARE having issues with the D700, don't take the risk and go for the upgrade. 

( <_< What kind of pro only has one camera body, and no spare backup? )

 

As for the D700, if you're not going to get much resale value, keep it as a backup.

[NutsNBolts]

OK I am not sure about whether Metabones has an adapter that lets you control (e.g. iris) of a Nikon F-mount lens electronically.  As far as I know, there isn't a commercially available electronic control enabled adapter that works with Nikon/Nikon mount lenses.  All the adapters so far need aperture rings when using Nikon G lenses or any Nikon mount lens without a manual aperture ring.

 

OK if you ARE having issues with the D700, don't take the risk and go for the upgrade. 

( <_< What kind of pro only has one camera body, and no spare backup? )

 

As for the D700, if you're not going to get much resale value, keep it as a backup.

Here's one for the G lenses

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_NFG-E-BM1 (yes, its labelled as "Nikon G to Sony E/NEX mount" but it works with the A7 in full-frame mode)

Here's one for the F lenses

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_NF-E-BT2

My backup is the Canon T3i, which is primarily for video work depending on what my client wants from me. I had to do a McGuiver thing and use full manual. Strangely enough, Canon showed more love and care towards my T3i, here in my country atleast, than my Nikon D700 ever had.

I'd keep the D700 if it still lives.

[ALwin]

Here's one for the G lenses

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_NFG-E-BM1 (yes, its labelled as "Nikon G to Sony E/NEX mount" but it works with the A7 in full-frame mode)

Here's one for the F lenses

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_NF-E-BT2

My backup is the Canon T3i, which is primarily for video work depending on what my client wants from me. I had to do a McGuiver thing and use full manual. Strangely enough, Canon showed more love and care towards my T3i, here in my country atleast, than my Nikon D700 ever had.

I'd keep the D700 if it still lives.

 

Neither of those adapters have any electronic contacts so they will not enable any data communication between lens and body, and get the G version if you're going to get the adapter.  I've seen both adapters, I was considering them for use with my Nikon lens on the Sony video camera I ordered.  Instead I got this adapter instead which works just as well and is cheaper.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1097672-REG/fotodiox_nk_g_nex_p_ii_adapter_for_nikon_g.html

 

The G version has a manual aperture ring so that you can adjust the aperture when using lenses that do not have an aperture ring (i.e. Nikon G lenses).  G version will also work with lenses that have aperture rings.

 

Also, lens adapters are just correcting for flange distance (on versions that do not have corrective elements) so it doesn't matter if the sensor is FF or cropped.  Now a FF lens on a FF sensor, it doesn't matter as the image circle produce by the lens is a perfect match for the size of the sensor.  However, what the Metabones speedbooster does is have a corrective optical element that shrinks the larger image circle of a full frame lens to be more ideal for a cropped sensor.  Without it, the cropped sensor will only see a crop of the larger image circle.

[NutsNBolts]

Neither of those adapters have any electronic contacts so they will not enable any data communication between lens and body, and get the G version if you're going to get the adapter.  I've seen both adapters, I was considering them for use with my Nikon lens on the Sony video camera I ordered.  Instead I got this adapter instead which works just as well and is cheaper.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1097672-REG/fotodiox_nk_g_nex_p_ii_adapter_for_nikon_g.html

 

The G version has a manual aperture ring so that you can adjust the aperture when using lenses that do not have an aperture ring (i.e. Nikon G lenses).  G version will also work with lenses that have aperture rings.

 

Also, lens adapters are just correcting for flange distance (on versions that do not have corrective elements) so it doesn't matter if the sensor is FF or cropped.

I see.

[ALwin]

I see.

:huh: I'm feeling quite old now, because this kind of fact I had to learn by investing in multiple adapters when I moved from film and into digital nearly a decade ago.  I'd assume it would be common knowledge by now.  I can understand that people would not know back in 2008-9 when the 5DmkII came out with the great video recording capability and everyone wanted to use other brand lenses with it and lens mount adapters were not as common.... but now?

[CierroMierdo]

OK I am not sure about whether Metabones has an adapter that lets you control (e.g. iris) of a Nikon F-mount lens electronically.  As far as I know, there isn't a commercially available electronic control enabled adapter that works with Nikon/Nikon mount lenses.  All the adapters so far need aperture rings when using Nikon G lenses or any Nikon mount lens without a manual aperture ring. 

 

The only adapters that send data back to the body use "false" chips attached to the adapter, and they don't take data from the Nikon or Nikon compatible lens.  Some camera bodies will not function or correctly meter the exposure at all without receiving data from a mounted lens, so the adapter has a chip that is programmed to (for example) make the camera think a 50mm 1.8 lens is mounted, even if the actual lens attached to the adapter is a 200mm lens.

 

OK if you ARE having issues with the D700, don't take the risk and go for the upgrade. 

( <_< What kind of pro only has one camera body, and no spare backup? )

 

As for the D700, if you're not going to get much resale value, keep it as a backup.

Now, I don't mean to be rude, but the moment you said "(  <_< What kind of pro only has one camera body, and no spare backup?  )" when in his thread, he stated he uses a T3i for video, do you actually read EVERYTHING before making a rather insulting comment like that? If I were you, I would've asked if he used the T3i as a spare and what else after that.

And yeah, to OP, the A7S II is worth the upgrade. You have not much to lose, to be honest. Doesn't matter if EXIF data registers or not, unless you benchmark cameras or teach photography for a living. And you aren't experiencing GAS, you are experiencing problems that make you think you have GAS. GAS is more like "I need that new Milvus lens. Time to eat instant noodles for a few months again" kind of thing, even though you have competent gear already.

I am assuming you got the D700 in 08 or 09 and you worry about dead pixels, the screen flicker problem, and the hot shoe requiring re-insertion or just making due with natural light since you couldn't use your flash. I'm guessing that you've been using it a fair lot that its getting near wear and tear, and I'm assuming you're from the Philippines because Nikon's service centers are anal about any Nikon product. I had my D800 fixed two months ago and it hasn't come back. It was just a broken LCD screen from a freak accident, still works fine without a problem other than an LCD screen that doesn't work. I had a friend who had his 5D MKIII that drowned because his underwater kit thats built to make it waterproof just failed at 2 ft deep and leaked water inside it. Canon serviced it and came back in a month.

I have bought an A7SII for photography and video due to its low light performance and I am quite happy with it. I live in a tropical country, unlikely I'll ever take photos somewhere in Siberia or Antartica or wherever it snows, its small and pretty much has as long of a battery life, if not longer, than a DSLR if you have a power bank hooked up (must have a power bank hooked up to the A7 in order to achieve this feat), its small, has peaking mode, has a great lines "lineup" and by that I mean screw Sony's lenses for that case except for their 24-70 F4 since its useful for weddints and that the A7II, SII, and RII have really good autofocus right now and its bang on.

I say, go for it. The last thing you want is when that dead pixel appears and you didn't even know it until you plug it in to your PC. Imagine a deadpixel on a smile or on a kiss or something. A workhorse camera thats showing signs of unreliability, even after services, should be left at home. The last thing you want is your a client that won't pay you and may even ask for a refund... may even tell others to NOT take your services.

[Captain_Slow]

why not rent it and see if you like the mirrorless setup? 

 

make sure to grab lots batteries.