Why did you decide to switch to a new camera?

Wetpixel,

Curious to see the community's thought process behind the decision to upgrade (or maybe downgrade) to a new body. Was it a good deal that was the tipping point? Maybe love at first sight when seeing a new setup? Or maybe just because you could?

Personally, I've spent ~2 years with my first DSLR (Nikon D3400) and it has been a great camera to learn with. I certainly have a lot more to learn, but I've been thinking of upgrading in another 1-2 years to a setup that I can do and learn more from. Even more interesting to see long time shooters experiences when switching out of their 2nd / 3rd body.

Cheers everyone!

I had my gh4 for about a year and 3 trips. After the first trip the newer gh5 had come out with such nice specs I started planning my purchase right then and there. Waited until I finished my 3 trip it was time so now I’m sitting here with the gh5 waiting for my first trip with it next month.

So I guess to answer your question because I could? But more because I felt like the specs were very much improved for what I need for.

I think it depends on what you do.

I have had and still have my Panasonic GX7 for some time and I bought it when it was already not new.

In the MFT space there really are only two sensors right now the classic 16 MP and the new 20 MP. I had great ergonomics out of the gx7 and none of the mew features on the same sensor were appealing to me. I have waited for the new sensor to reach maturity and now I have also the GH5. The cameras take the same lens and port system but the GX7 is much smaller and has integrated flash this makes it similar to a compact

So now have two MFT and sold a sony rx100 and a nikon d7100.

I feel the GH5 on land gives me great performance like or better than the nikon and I have many cheaper lenses underwater it gives great video and still and I think I won’t upgrade for a while

I have not upgraded before because I had to make up my mind on getting rid of the others two cameras but also in a recent trip I believe I started seeing a gap with the gh5 and the newer olympus

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Wetpixel,

 

Curious to see the community's thought process behind the decision to upgrade (or maybe downgrade) to a new body. Was it a good deal that was the tipping point? Maybe love at first sight when seeing a new setup? Or maybe just because you could?

 

Personally, I've spent ~2 years with my first DSLR (Nikon D3400) and it has been a great camera to learn with. I certainly have a lot more to learn, but I've been thinking of upgrading in another 1-2 years to a setup that I can do and learn more from. Even more interesting to see long time shooters experiences when switching out of their 2nd / 3rd body.

 

Cheers everyone!

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I think it depends on what you do.

I have had and still have my Panasonic GX7 for some time and I bought it when it was already not new.

In the MFT space there really are only two sensors right now the classic 16 MP and the new 20 MP. I had great ergonomics out of the gx7 and none of the mew features on the same sensor were appealing to me. I have waited for the new sensor to reach maturity and now I have also the GH5. The cameras take the same lens and port system but the GX7 is much smaller and has integrated flash this makes it similar to a compact

So now have two MFT and sold a sony rx100 and a nikon d7100.

I feel the GH5 on land gives me great performance like or better than the nikon and I have many cheaper lenses underwater it gives great video and still and I think I won’t upgrade for a while

I have not upgraded before because I had to make up my mind on getting rid of the others two cameras but also in a recent trip I believe I started seeing a gap with the gh5 and the newer olympus

 

 

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GAS maybe??

 

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gap as in??

 

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Mostly the richness and accuracy of colors on still images

Also dynamic range but this is more a land topic not underwater so much

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Unlike above water shooting, I've found that framing underwater is a lot more difficult and is more dependent on chance encounters, so I do a lot more cropping. I like large prints. That's primarily why I moved from a Sony RX100iv (1" sensor, 24 megapixels) to a7Rii full frame with 42 megapixels and more dynamic range. May go to the a7Riii for better battery life, but the large cost increase in camera and housing is a big incentive to get my custom add-on external battery with 4x capacity to work.

Dynamic Range from the LX7 was the biggest problem, although the low mp count and perceived sharpness that goes with it also didn't help. Shooting upwards was basically impossible with that camera though...

Dynamic Range from the LX7 was the biggest problem, although the low mp count and perceived sharpness that goes with it also didn't help. Shooting upwards was basically impossible with that camera though...

Not LX7 that is a compact GX7 16 megapixel same sensor of Olympus EM-5 and 1 ...

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Not LX7 that is a compact GX7 16 megapixel same sensor of Olympus EM-5 and 1 ...

 

 

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No, I wasn't discussing your example, but providing my own to the thread OP. I upgraded from the Panasonic LX7 (compact 1/1.7" sensor) to the Oly Em5 mkI. I may upgrade to the GX8 if a cheap housing comes up used, just because I don't want to carry two cameras around and the EM5 ergonomics are unacceptable for me topside, but it's not a priority.

AF accuracy. Period.

D7000 to D500

Camera capability for me. I started on a g9 canon in canon housing as it was small to carry and I didn’t know how much I would stick to it. It was good to start but I grew out of the autofocus capability quickly. It was great for macro but anything moving was a challenge. I didn’t have a light or strobe either. Then an epl1 came up used with everything- strobe, dome, wide angle lens, etc which was a great upgrade. Photo quality improved a ton. Wide angle was a big improvement with the lens and dome. Autofocus wasn’t good enough. About that time the em5 mk2 was just out so the mk1 were being cleared and I picked one up. Another big improvement. It does everything I want, though I want to go a bit wider and upgraded the lenses so I need to do some other upgrades for the dome.

I downgraded from an EM5 to an RX100. I liked the idea of a smaller system and being able to do both wa and macro on the same dive. I soon found out that swapping wet lenses and making adjustments was too much fussing during the dive. Even with the ability to swap lenses I would still miss the shot as the critter swimming by would be long gone by the time I swapped lenses and made adjustments. I am now upgrading to an EM1 (you can find good deals since its an older model). I find the dives more relaxing and enjoyable just focusing on macro or wa and get better result to boot.

It was love at first site for me.. When the Sony A7RIII came out, I said... I need that!

I've had my Aquatica + Nikon D610 for about 3 years, but I have wanted to switch to Sony for awhile now. I liked the idea of the smaller size and option to use the WWL-1 for wide angle rather than carrying an 8-in dome around everywhere.

When the A7R3 came out, I was sold. The new and improved bigger battery solved my hesitation of not getting the A7R2.. and I loved the addition of the AF-on button and of course Sony's impressive autofocus system.

I had some extra money at the time of purchase and as I work for a dealer get a bit of a discount, on the housing at least.

*Old Aquatica system is for sale!! Please PM if interested*

Better AF and more Megapixels- last upgrade was from a Nikon D2x to the D800E with associated Aquatica housings. Still shooting the same YS250 strobes! No desire to upgrade at this time, maybe in 5 years or so, well see what is on the market then

Olympus C770 to Nikon D7000: to improve speed and sharpness of focus, with definite improvement

Nikon D7000 to Nikon D800 same, with definite improvement,

Nikon D800 to Nikon 7000, disappointment, sold the D7000

Nikon D800 to Nikon D500, looking for sharpness of focus, same as Lionfish above.

Em5 to EM1ii....

-Faster focus.

-Better housing design, mine was a 1st gen Nauticam with non of those cross bars.

-Hopes of better low light performance.

Really, I wish I had gone all the way up to a D500, but on a recent trip to Fiji....I was thankful to have a light system.

So maybe a D500 in a year or so.

I went through a series of Canon point-n-shoots. Each slightly better than the previous, and only upgraded as a camera would break (or get lost).

Eventually I decided to really upgrade, partly by moving to a bigger sensor, mostly by adding dual strobes. I had been shooting with the pop-up flash through a diffuser. I bought an RX100 II, Nauticam rig, dual YS-D1's, a focus light, a wet dome wide lens and a wet macro lens.

I used it for a year, primarily because of the flash. Finally I could reasonably light many subjects.

Problem was, it was still a point-n-shoot when it came to autofocus, and Sony menus just are painful. Basically it was a slow and frustrating camera in use.

At least I had the strobes, arms and focus light now. So I finally bit the bullet and bought a real (expensive) Nauticam housing and ports for my Nikon D810. I opted for the vacuum leak detector for peace of mind. I added a high eyepoint viewer, and bought a 230mm dome port for my 16-35vr, and a macro port for my 105vr.

I've been using this rig for 3 years now, and in the water it's a joy to use, if limited. (No normal zoom lens, so it's either really wide, or macro for me). Out of the water, it's a logistical nightmare of weight and packing limitations. It's 31 pounds to carry to/from the water. But at least I have fast, accurate autofocus. Also amazing dynamic range, and wonderful amounts of resolution for cropping.

Great thread.

Started on a disposable film camera the first season about 12 years ago. If i only knew snorkelling with basking sharks would not happen every season! The pics were terribad but i was hooked. Tried GoPro for a few years loved editing, lost it on a teaching dive. Bought a Nikon AWS 30m jobbie and loved the results until i took it to 32m and flooded it. Picked up a Sony Rx100ii and went hard at it for a few years in a Nauticam with some InonZ240s. Really enjoyed the results but only saw the flaws and decided to move up again. Sonys menu and system really is easy to use so i am currently working towards buying a housing for the A7Rii - - > not sure where ill end up but enjoying the journey.

Nikon D800 to D850. Better AF. Sharper images because of the lack of AA filter and increased resolution. Smaller performance gains such as a bigger buffer.

I'm planning to move to a Panasonic GH5 from my current Olympus OM-D EM-10 MkII. Primary reason is better video capabilities (resolution, custom white balance) since I like to shoot a mix of video and stills.