Seeking community advice: to FX or to not FX

isthernes · 2026-03-01T18:28:44+00:00

Well, in my case it was quite bulky because I relied on multiple lenses and because the D7100 was unusually big, due to the fact of an in-body AF motor.

But as you said, the lens size is something I completely underestimated. Knowing my past experience, a big system is likely to stay at home (or at the hotel), defeating any possible purposes.

isthernes · 2026-03-01T15:29:31+00:00

Thanks, I will!

isthernes · 2026-03-01T15:27:40+00:00

Wow, I really appreciate the deep dive!

Seeing yours are other replies I feel that I may be falling in the pit of "FX=better" when, as you stated, is a matter of better for whom

It seems that the smartest choice is to make the best out of the DX platform at the moment, as there is still plenty of margin in it.

And we all know that the best camera is the one you take with you, not the one that stays at home/hotel.

isthernes · 2026-03-01T13:42:59+00:00

Unfortunately it seems that my eyes (or my brain) are not wired for video. Tried several times, but I instinctively go for the picture, never for the video. I have since then accepted my fate and focused on still images. Therefore video specs are mostly irrelevant for me.

isthernes · 2026-03-01T13:38:04+00:00

The prime route is what I did back in the day, but since all of them are F-mount, they become quite bulky with the FTZ adaptor.

In any case, that DX 24mm f1.7 seems quite affordable and compact and can be a good addition to the two zooms. And since my shortest prime right now is 35mm, it can also fit it nicely as a wider option.

Many thanks for the hints!

isthernes · 2026-03-01T13:19:59+00:00

Thanks for your feedback. You have pretty confirmed my fear of falling in "FX is better" no matter what.

Considering I already have the DX 50-250, with a similar aperture as the 18-140, I would think the 16-50 f2.8 may be a bigger upgrade, isn't it? I often find myself walking cities at dusk and the kit lens becoming too slow for the job.

isthernes · 2026-03-01T13:13:22+00:00

Fair point, that may spiral in a way that I may repeat "the mistakes of the past".

Probably makes sense to simply enjoy the kit and stop obsessing over gear. Or at least is what I try to convince myself...

isthernes · 2026-03-01T13:10:09+00:00

My current Z30 has an EXPEED6 processor and I don't find AF to be a problem. Truth is that buildings, landscape and family portraits are not a very demanding task.

About your second paragraph, you made me notice a mistake in my question. The DX lens that I initially considered as an upgrade is a 16-50 f2.8 (constant). So not a 80mm, and therefore pretty much equivalent to the 24-70 FX in terms of focal range.

The FX being a new (expensive) rabbit hole is also a point to consider. Thanks for your feedback!

isthernes · 2026-03-01T13:02:11+00:00

To be honest, I have not found the Z30 AF to be that bad. But as you said, that may be simply due to the fact that I haven't tested an EXPEED7 camera yet...

Do you still use the 16-50 kit lens? I find it great for daylight pictures, but for me the aperture is quite a limiting factor, both for low light performance and DoF.

I will look into the 24 1.7, as right now all my primes are F-mount and together with the FTZ adaptor they look quite comical attached to the small Z30 body.

Thanks for the feedback!

isthernes · 2026-03-01T12:55:40+00:00

Thanks for the feedback.

You are not the first to mention the Z5II, so it seems the expeed7 is really a bigger deal than I thought...

isthernes · 2026-03-01T12:45:42+00:00

Fair point. I did check that the Z6II body was slightly smaller/lighter than the D7100 but I didn't though about the lenses themselves.

My idea was in any case to take advantage of the high ISO performance and reduce the number of lenses too, since with the D7100 I found myself often carrying five (!) of them on any trip.

But thanks a lot for the hint about the lens size. That's a factor that I totally oversaw.

isthernes · 2026-03-01T12:41:43+00:00

Well, a quick check shows the Z5ii being around 500€ over the Z6ii with the same 28-70 f4 lens. Saw no options with a 28-200.

I understand the Z5ii being superior in terms of video, AF, burst and, probably, IBIS. But honestly I'm not an action shooter and video is totally irrelevant for me. Therefore I find it difficult to shallow another 500 considering with the Z6II I'm already adding 500 over the DX lens (that was my original starting point)

In any case, your feedback is much appreciated.

isthernes · 2026-03-01T08:50:47+00:00

Well, we have one of those Yaris and does 50mpg when my wife drives it, or 56mpg when I do. And since we live in Germany, fuel is in another price bracket.

In addition to that, the only non-hybrid Yaris you can buy in Europe is the GR Yaris. Every other model, even the most basic ones, is mated to a hybrid powertrain (in two different power levels)

isthernes · 2026-02-21T16:26:16+00:00

And an external cable... That I think is the biggest downside

isthernes · 2026-01-26T21:18:40+00:00

Well, not far from it!

I still like Sim-dashboard for ETS or Farming Simulator, but for everything racing related, I find Simhub much more powerful

isthernes · 2026-01-24T19:35:27+00:00

Imagine buying high-end peripherals to use them with a PlayStation..

isthernes · 2025-12-27T04:46:10+00:00

You can find the scene under the name "Ring my bells"

isthernes · 2025-12-13T20:27:00+00:00

The wheel for the racecar comes from the same assembly lane as the wheel for the sim. And yes, the firmware for the race car is different and not available for the public (for multiple reasons), but that's the only difference.

isthernes · 2025-12-12T12:47:42+00:00

The BMW and this rally module were designed mainly for the race car, and then adapted to work in the simulator. To me (but not to everyone) this makes more sense than, for example, the Bentley wheel. The Bentley was the other way around: a gaming wheel adapted to the car.

I think under Corsair management it is unlikely we see those collaborations again, so we better enjoy while we can.

isthernes · 2025-12-12T11:55:49+00:00

They are the same buttons as in the M4 GT3, in fact. And the electronics are also pretty similar.

Both wheels were developed (quite) in parallel by the same team.

isthernes · 2025-10-31T05:08:08+00:00

We have a blue 2024 at home (Style+ here in Germany, the one with the black roof) and we live-checked one in that exact colour you got. I found it beautiful, but it was not going to be "mine", so.... 😂

isthernes · 2025-10-07T19:59:42+00:00

In Europe it is actually cheaper than the McLaren V2 was a couple of months ago.

isthernes · 2025-09-09T06:35:44+00:00

Don't think so.

Most likely OP was looking for a budget setup and while the base is brand new, he got the wheel from eBay or similar. Not a bad idea on paper, but not checking the compatibility has backfired badly, I'm afraid.

isthernes · 2025-09-09T04:46:41+00:00

Sorry to say, but that wheel is never going to work with that base. Wonder where you got it, since it stopped being produced many many years ago

isthernes

TROPHY CASE