Add 85/1.8G to the list too. Excellent value for money. Or the 1.4G if you have money to burn.
15K Budget Suggestion/Advice Please!
- Thread starter bcknot
- Start date
e69087
Member
Hi,
I don’t own these gears (I’m still using DX) but in my opinion I would recommend these –
1. Nikon Df body
2. Nikon AF-S 28mm f1.8G
3. Nikon AF-S 50mm f1.4G
4. Nikon AF-S 85mm f1.4G
These work out to about S$6.7k (assuming ordering from Amazon US, have not included the shipping cost yet). I prefer prime lenses for the pic quality, fast & lighter in weight.
You can then add-on one more body (Df or D610) as backup during travelling & also cut down the time changing lenses.
Both Df & D610 (in my opinion) have the right/or sufficient megapixel (file size), not very slow in AF & FPS (as compared to the D4). And Df has very good low noise performance in high ISO setting.
I shoot the most during family vacation & my family members are not into photography thus I have to be quick in taking pic & I prefer to travel light & at the same time enjoy my time with the family.
I don’t own these gears (I’m still using DX) but in my opinion I would recommend these –
1. Nikon Df body
2. Nikon AF-S 28mm f1.8G
3. Nikon AF-S 50mm f1.4G
4. Nikon AF-S 85mm f1.4G
These work out to about S$6.7k (assuming ordering from Amazon US, have not included the shipping cost yet). I prefer prime lenses for the pic quality, fast & lighter in weight.
You can then add-on one more body (Df or D610) as backup during travelling & also cut down the time changing lenses.
Both Df & D610 (in my opinion) have the right/or sufficient megapixel (file size), not very slow in AF & FPS (as compared to the D4). And Df has very good low noise performance in high ISO setting.
I shoot the most during family vacation & my family members are not into photography thus I have to be quick in taking pic & I prefer to travel light & at the same time enjoy my time with the family.
I like your budget
You have lots of really nice options.Portraits: I'd seriously consider the 85mm 1.4G - a stellar portrait lens. The 70-200mm is also an excellent portrait lens and is more versatile for other genres of photography but is big and heavy. Don't forget accessories such as strobes and such.
An UWA: if you don't mind the weight, the Nikkor 14-24/2.8G naturally for ultimate performance.
Have a look at the Nikkor 24mm f1.4G too. A very unique lens that produces very unique images. Short of medium formats, it is difficult to get wide angle and shallow DOF at normal shooting distance, other than the 24/1.4. Excellent for environmental portraits as well as night photography.
Wide-normal focal lengths: the Nikkor 24-70mm/2.8G is the natural workhorse of most event pros.
Also consider the Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art series. The Nikkor 58mm f1.4G should also crack a mention - another unique lens producing unique images.
Body wise: I'd lean towards a D800/E. But all the current FX offerings are very good.
As someone else mentioned, consider a small pocket camera in addition to your main rig. This can be anything from a RX100/II, Ricoh GR, Canon G1X II to mirroless systems eg. Panasonic GM1 with a pancake lens. With your budget, I'd definitely have a look at a secondary lite rig. I find travelling with all my FX gear a chore.
Don't overlook accessories too. A good tripod and bag to put all your gear in. Large dry cabinet.
Luminare
Senior Member
These are my thoughts
If you intend to print to hang them on the wall and or mostly taking landscapes, the D800/E should be the right body for it.
The lens I would chose to go with for purposes of ease of use without interchanging lens all the time would the usual trinity of 14-24mm f/2.8G, 24-70mm f/2.8G and 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II.
Other investments that will be required would be a good speed lite like the SB-910, a set of good CPL and ND filters, a compact carbon fibre tripod, a good ball head, mounting plates, travel bag and extra batteries
These should cost you about up till to S$ 14,000 if not S$ 14,500.
IMHO, I don't see the D4 as the best travel camera. Firstly, its really heavy, weighing in at 1.4Kg without any lens. The strengths of the D4 cannot be truly optimised unless you are taking journalistic photos. However, if you would want to own a D4s, I am sure the new launch will cost close to 10 grand and leaves you with less budget for lenses.
In the case of a D4 or D4s pair up, IMHO, a 16-35mm f/4 VR + 50mm f/1.8 + 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II would be a reasonably good setup that leaves you some budget for accessories like ball head, tripod and everything else mentioned above
If you intend to print to hang them on the wall and or mostly taking landscapes, the D800/E should be the right body for it.
The lens I would chose to go with for purposes of ease of use without interchanging lens all the time would the usual trinity of 14-24mm f/2.8G, 24-70mm f/2.8G and 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II.
Other investments that will be required would be a good speed lite like the SB-910, a set of good CPL and ND filters, a compact carbon fibre tripod, a good ball head, mounting plates, travel bag and extra batteries
These should cost you about up till to S$ 14,000 if not S$ 14,500.
IMHO, I don't see the D4 as the best travel camera. Firstly, its really heavy, weighing in at 1.4Kg without any lens. The strengths of the D4 cannot be truly optimised unless you are taking journalistic photos. However, if you would want to own a D4s, I am sure the new launch will cost close to 10 grand and leaves you with less budget for lenses.
In the case of a D4 or D4s pair up, IMHO, a 16-35mm f/4 VR + 50mm f/1.8 + 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II would be a reasonably good setup that leaves you some budget for accessories like ball head, tripod and everything else mentioned above
I've travelled with D4 and D600 separately. Just let me share which I think is a better option.
Given the technology these days, D4, D800, D600 produces great images just fine, even if the DR between the 3 models differ by a fair bit.
I bought the D4 with great anticipation to replace my ultra out-dated D2X, the image quality is mind-blowing + speed is horribly fast. Everything in the D4 overtook my D2X and more.
Went travelling with my D4 in less than 1 month after purchasing it.
Pros:
1. I get all the shots I want
2. I love the 16mp
3. Can use back all my CFs (over 1 TB).
4. Battery life is god-sent (I don't know how others find it, but I've fired 2000 shots on 1 single battery charge and 38% left).
5. I no longer need my SB-400 on trips. Nikkor 17-35 f/2.8 + ISO12,800 was all I needed.
Cons:
1. It's definitely more heavy than my D2X
2. Battery charger packing is a killer - dual EN-EL18 slots, vs D2X's single battery charger (I still brought 2 EN-EL18s for my trip).
3. Attention grabbing with it's mirror and shutter sound, I could almost spot the lady opposite me with a D800E look over when I fired off my D4.
4. I was doing a lot of hikes and the inability to remove the grip was painful
Images came out great, speed, lowlight shooting (ISO12,800) is wonderful. The D4 (if you have a budget) is wonderful beast and if you need the ruggedness, it is there.
Comparing with the D600
Pros:
1. Lightweight
2. 24mp is suitable for generally anything and even printing.
3. Works as good as the D4 (slightly better DR)
4. 1 32GB SD card averages me 1000+ 14bit NEF.
5. Battery charger is small and compact.
6. As with D4, ISO6,400 proved sufficient with Nikkor 17-35 f/2.8 and I no longer needed my SB-400.
7. I removed the grip for trip.
Cons:
1. Battery life in colder countries is a worry (I also brought 2 batteries but need to monitor their charge regularly).
2. SD Cards (Con for me as I had to re-purchase storage)
Evaluation:
I eventually decided I would indefinitely, use the D600 for future trips. Reason it being lighter, delivers almost the same image quality as the D4 (naked to the eyes).
For those who mentioned printing, I've done extremely big prints using D2HS and D2X, so MP is not really the issue here. It's how you PP the image before printing.
D800 at 36mp printing vs a D600 at 24mp printing, you shouldn't see much of a difference until you go super big (I really mean super big).
Do I need a D4 or D800 for travels? No. The D600 will suffice.
I've also used the D600 + 50 f/1.8D for portraits, and the results were fantastic. Mounting a Carl Zeiss 85 f1.4 proved even better results.
I'm not range completer, but I would choose the 17-35 f/2.8 for it's renowned wide angle quality (and yet f/2.8) for travels.
The Nikkor AF-S 24-70 f/2.8 would come perfect for the regular group/family shots (the 17-35 can do it too).
The best thing about this is, you can mount a LEE filter holder on both glasses (77mm) and bring them on trips.
With a 15K budget, one can either top up to 60k and get a car, or spend it on D600 + 17-35 + 24-70 + 50 f1.8.
What I recommend is based on my findings and the lenses suit my taste. Might not suit others...As for D4S, I doubt you need it.
I've done landscapes on both D4/D600 with LEE Filters, as well as portraits on both, the D600 can definitely be considered (or D610).
Given the technology these days, D4, D800, D600 produces great images just fine, even if the DR between the 3 models differ by a fair bit.
I bought the D4 with great anticipation to replace my ultra out-dated D2X, the image quality is mind-blowing + speed is horribly fast. Everything in the D4 overtook my D2X and more.
Went travelling with my D4 in less than 1 month after purchasing it.
Pros:
1. I get all the shots I want
2. I love the 16mp
3. Can use back all my CFs (over 1 TB).
4. Battery life is god-sent (I don't know how others find it, but I've fired 2000 shots on 1 single battery charge and 38% left).
5. I no longer need my SB-400 on trips. Nikkor 17-35 f/2.8 + ISO12,800 was all I needed.
Cons:
1. It's definitely more heavy than my D2X
2. Battery charger packing is a killer - dual EN-EL18 slots, vs D2X's single battery charger (I still brought 2 EN-EL18s for my trip).
3. Attention grabbing with it's mirror and shutter sound, I could almost spot the lady opposite me with a D800E look over when I fired off my D4.
4. I was doing a lot of hikes and the inability to remove the grip was painful
Images came out great, speed, lowlight shooting (ISO12,800) is wonderful. The D4 (if you have a budget) is wonderful beast and if you need the ruggedness, it is there.
Comparing with the D600
Pros:
1. Lightweight
2. 24mp is suitable for generally anything and even printing.
3. Works as good as the D4 (slightly better DR)
4. 1 32GB SD card averages me 1000+ 14bit NEF.
5. Battery charger is small and compact.
6. As with D4, ISO6,400 proved sufficient with Nikkor 17-35 f/2.8 and I no longer needed my SB-400.
7. I removed the grip for trip.
Cons:
1. Battery life in colder countries is a worry (I also brought 2 batteries but need to monitor their charge regularly).
2. SD Cards (Con for me as I had to re-purchase storage)
Evaluation:
I eventually decided I would indefinitely, use the D600 for future trips. Reason it being lighter, delivers almost the same image quality as the D4 (naked to the eyes).
For those who mentioned printing, I've done extremely big prints using D2HS and D2X, so MP is not really the issue here. It's how you PP the image before printing.
D800 at 36mp printing vs a D600 at 24mp printing, you shouldn't see much of a difference until you go super big (I really mean super big).
Do I need a D4 or D800 for travels? No. The D600 will suffice.
I've also used the D600 + 50 f/1.8D for portraits, and the results were fantastic. Mounting a Carl Zeiss 85 f1.4 proved even better results.
I'm not range completer, but I would choose the 17-35 f/2.8 for it's renowned wide angle quality (and yet f/2.8) for travels.
The Nikkor AF-S 24-70 f/2.8 would come perfect for the regular group/family shots (the 17-35 can do it too).
The best thing about this is, you can mount a LEE filter holder on both glasses (77mm) and bring them on trips.
With a 15K budget, one can either top up to 60k and get a car, or spend it on D600 + 17-35 + 24-70 + 50 f1.8.
What I recommend is based on my findings and the lenses suit my taste. Might not suit others...As for D4S, I doubt you need it.
I've done landscapes on both D4/D600 with LEE Filters, as well as portraits on both, the D600 can definitely be considered (or D610).
Last edited:
jnet6
Senior Member
Thanks!
Yep, love my D610. Finally bought a Nikon grip after getting an unreliable Vello BG-N10 grip from B&H. Unfortunately it wasn't worthwhile returning it to the US. I feel that the D610 is easier to handhold with the grip on. Spend the money saved on lenses.
richardlim31
Member
With $15K you should get D4s the King of speed.
This is really worthed the money that you are going to spend
with this camera I think enough for one body and two great lenses.
Using both Phottix grip for more than a year on the D600. Works fine for me. The original is overpriced.
george671
New Member
My suggestion...Cheap FF body ie (D600 D610 used D700).... AF Nikkor 20mm f2.8 .... AF Nikkor 50mm f1.4 or 1.8 .... AF Nikkor 100 or 135 f2 .... Nikon 2x tc.... Used sb 28 etc. 
But if you want to have a good laugh at all the zeiss mania... than buy the voigtlander trio of MF glass... 20mm f3.5 SL...40mm f2 SL... 90mm f3.5 SL ... I own all three and they are just super! (though I currently mount them on a Canon 5D classic with adapters)...
But if you want to have a good laugh at all the zeiss mania... than buy the voigtlander trio of MF glass... 20mm f3.5 SL...40mm f2 SL... 90mm f3.5 SL ... I own all three and they are just super! (though I currently mount them on a Canon 5D classic with adapters)...
Last edited:
jackzhangxiao
New Member
is your 15k because of PIC? If so, you have a write in for approval.
and i would suggest a D610 with a few fast and zoom lens. but a Full frame camera as you can.
and i would suggest a D610 with a few fast and zoom lens. but a Full frame camera as you can.
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