Moderator Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Baltimore |
Well, in the past few years I've gone from a very good camera (Oly E-3), to an excellent one (Sony A850), to another excellent one (A7R, despite some flaws). I thought I was done, with the A7R and the A850 in backup. Then Pentax rocked the world with their announcement a bit over a year ago. My first thought, after having laid out the money for the A7R, is unprintable here in these forums.
But I started thinking about it, very hard. I already had a 645N and a group of lenses for it, all of which would work for the Z. A quick look online showed me that I could fill out gaps in that lens collection for less money (a lot less) than I could with the A7R, even accounting for using some legacy glass there. I made some purchases along those lines, understanding that I could use these lenses with my existing 645N, and maybe I could get a Z after some time.
Contributing to my thinking was that a dear old friend of mine had become a new Pentax rep, and had several local clients who were interested in the camera. Although I could not get a discount, one of these clients was willing to take a lot of gear I had in trade---and that brought the price down $3K to the point where it wasn't death, but merely excruciatingly painful.
The positives, though: I did my friend a favor, helping her move some product, and I finally got a camera that, for me, may just have let me get off the upgrade ladder. With it, and the A7R, and the collection of lenses I have for both (only 4 now for the A7R, including a T/S), I now have the best photographic setup I have ever had, and one which completely fills my artistic needs, but also equips me well for some professional (non-art) photography I am trying to get going over the next several years as I reach "retirement age", even though I'll never retire, really.
I relate all this personal stuff to you because, unlike the pros here, my situation was more idiosyncratic and therefore less commercially driven---just as yours seems to be. With a purchase at this level, it behooves the non-pro (I mean someone who really makes their whole living out of their photography) to very carefully assess their full situation and options. If I had not already had the Pentax glass, and all that trade in gear, it would have been impossible really for me to justify the purchase---given that the A7R is really pretty darn good for my purposes---even though in so many ways the Z is truly the "right" camera for me. This situation has now become even more nuanced, if that is really the right word, with the arrival of the A7RII.
A caveat: moving up into medium format (and I shot it in film days, but some time ago, with one exception), even from FF, is an adjustment. The actual quality of many of my images went significantly down (peeping 1:1, that is, strictly looking at sharpness. In other ways, immediate improvement....). So, the Z is great but also demanding.
Hope that helps. BTW, yes the camera is big. Great to operate, less great to carry around or travel with. I am in Ecuador right now, just finishing a 3 week tour, and there have been some challenges lugging the gear around.
|