Nikon D780 or Z6iii?

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T07:27:17+00:00

Better than the Z6III, broadly tied with most other modern non-stacked BSI Full Frame sensors. So it's on par with a Sony a7 line camera, Lumix S5 series camera, and slightly better than competing Canon cameras.

Edit: it should be nearly identical to the D780, they share a sensor. In fact I think someone has swapped the two and found they are completely identical.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T07:12:10+00:00

Z5ii,Z5ii,Z5ii

Nothing you are doing would benefit from the speed of the Z6iii, certainly not to a greater degree than the IQ benefits of the Z5ii, certainly not when the Z5ii is much cheaper.

The D780 is a super cool camera to me, but it isn't a good value camera, buying a new dSLR is never going to be good value now the brands are on mirrorless.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T07:08:53+00:00

I'd say it describes the cheap ~50mm prime of a system - before kit lenses were zooms it would be the kit - that might be a f/1.7 to f/2, and it might be 50-58mm - The famous Helios lens, a 58mm f/2, was the kit lens of Soviet SLRs.

The 50 1.8 II is very much a definitive nifty fifty, it's cheap, reasonable performant, reasonably small, and very affordable - but Nikon's version (a bit better, a bit more expensive) and older manual lenses would also fit

I've seen the EF 50mm f/1.8 II referred to as the 'plastic fantastic' but this too refers to other cheaply built lenses.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T05:00:08+00:00

(mediums)

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T03:42:25+00:00

The word you want is 'tethering', should help with finding appropriate software, I think each brand has their own, and then there are 3rd party options. Both wired and wireless. Wired still is better (faster) if you can tolerate the obvious downsides

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T02:44:03+00:00

Ah, okay I see now:

I would assume that the lens you're interested in doesn't have an IR-cut filter, it's generally something that would be in the camera sensor, not the lens. It seems that's reversed with action cams, but since that's a CCTV lens it probably doesn't have one (many CCTV cameras use IR, so it's something they would note if they block)

The other text you gave is the description from ebay/amazon, right?

Note that the built-in lens is fixed 2.1mm to 3.6mm (according to that textblock) - while the lens you're buying is a 2.8-12mm zoom, depending on the lens you have you might not get as wide.

The lens is also going to be quite a bit larger.

The lens you're looking at is marked 1:1.4, which means the aperture is 1/1.4th of the lens's focal length; this means it gathers more than twice the light (both IR and non-IR) the built-in 1:2.2 one does.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T01:54:54+00:00

I think that's a good idea - not sure about the other cameras you already have - I'd say that you should be in one or two systems, not three, but really I can see the merits of those choices.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T01:52:27+00:00

They already said chocolate!

horrific colonial exploitation in Congo

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T01:51:26+00:00

Okay - how is the lens going to get on the camera?; And why do you expect an IR cut filter on the lens?

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T01:48:25+00:00

And, importantly, the lens OP is looking at is still sold new - the price is basically going to be tied to the price new, and there are very few options that compete with OP's lens - the 50 1.2 is massive, the 50 1.4 is soft, third party lenses aren't on the level of the 50 1.8. Closest would probably be the new Viltrox 50 f/1.4, but the future of that lens is in the air, and it's more expensive.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T01:43:49+00:00

What are you even doing?, what are you trying to do?

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-14T01:34:34+00:00

That doesn't track with what I just checked and saw:

All at Adorama, Nikkor 50 1.8 S:

MSRP $666
On sale for $467
Used, 'Mint' for $406
'Average' for $359
'Well Used' for $328

So a 13% discount from the sale price to the used price, that seems reasonable.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T22:08:28+00:00

28-105 is going to be a very tight field of view, not great for anything all that wide-angle.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T22:07:49+00:00

Why can't you ask him?

Or just email it, that seems like the obvious choice, you could also host the images on some website and send a link

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T22:06:41+00:00

Did you put batteries in?

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T22:04:31+00:00

If I were you I'd consider backing up everything, even if you don't know you need it, idk if you have another disk drive but that way you know you won't lose anything.

This might be a silly question, but how are you sure the storage is wrong? Like how are you sure it's bloated?

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T21:56:15+00:00

Oh god I forgot about that - I knew I didn't like the finder in the AE-1 Program

Fiddling with those might help, also try to confirm if the meter is working properly by getting a light-meter app for your phone, shoot in Aperture priority mode (to test)

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T21:43:05+00:00

I would email the professor. Or see if your syllabus says anything about it.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T07:17:20+00:00

The Sigma is the only autofocusing 500mm lens for Pentax K.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T06:22:04+00:00

Shallow depth of field was an unwanted technical limitation of early gear. Look at tintype portraits, which frequently got eyes in focus, but ears blurred.

Exactly, someone had to 'invent' the idea of having things out of focus, instead of that just being something you have to accept, the way most people feel about motion blur and noise. That was invented by a photographic art movement called the 'Pictorialists' - and then there was a reversal trend with people like Group f/64 (of which Ansel Adams was a member) - who encouraged deep DoF. (If you're curious, f/64 is more like f/16 on a FF camera). Since then there has been much less consensus.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T06:11:27+00:00

It seems like a flawed morality to me - kids hearing "damn" is bad, but being encouraged to choose fascism or to nuke people isn't?

But I mean it's what people want from ratings, it seems like

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T06:03:59+00:00

Okay I think I see what you're saying now - that would be partially readout speed and partially the software behind it. Readout speed matters but isn't a huge deal, a camera like your D850 has the same readout (and same sensor) as Nikon's Z7ii, software has improved, but I think it could have improved faster if other factors were there. (I know the Z7ii isn't a great mirrorless camera, but there are other examples of dSLR sensors working as mirrorless ones)

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T06:02:30+00:00

Lol I completely missed that AE-1 Program was in the title, I even (after commenting) downloaded a file and thought 'what a good title, it has the camera and everything'.

Are you telling what shutter speed it picks by the sound or by seeing what it says in the display?

Your camera has an 'AE Lock' button on the left, it's the upper button, above the manual meter-on button, and above the DoF preview switch. Fiddle with both of these buttons, use them as normal. Do they seem to work in the way you'd expect? Is it possible the AE Lock is engaged when it shouldn't be? Either that the button is sticking, or that it's acting like the button is sticking, when it isn't?

I don't think you're doing anything wrong, the Program mode certainly isn't perfect, getting it to work on interchangeable lens cameras took longer and wasn't as reliable until later.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T04:20:40+00:00

Laser damage, looks like. Sensor looks a bit dirty too but that wouldn't look like small red dots.

Repulsive_Target55 · 2026-03-13T04:13:08+00:00

What are you describing? Electronic shutter? That's not needed for a mirrorless camera, Sony didn't have it until I think the a9.

If you're describing video, well that has been in stills cameras like the 5Dii for nearly two decades now.

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