dx dslr dying breed?

Nodiggidy123

Nodiggidy123

Nodiggidy123

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With the release of the d600. FF cameras are now becoming within reach of keen amateurs.

Only thing is I don't know what lenses to purchase. I've just purchased a d7000 and picked up a 35mm 1.8 but is the DX DSLR dying a slow death? Have I made a mistake in getting the DX body?

I'm a beginner but I don't want to be stuck with lenses I cannot get rid of in a couple of years if FF becomes more mainstream.
 
I don't think so, although some would say the D7000 is certainly due an update - still an awesome camera though regardless.

I use a D3100, and kind of wish i'd opted for the D7000 at the time, but think I'll stick with what I've got for a while longer and then try and pick up an FX bargain once the D600 drops further in price perhaps.
 
Nodiggidy123 said:
With the release of the d600. FF cameras are now becoming within reach of keen amateurs.

Only thing is I don't know what lenses to purchase. I've just purchased a d7000 and picked up a 35mm 1.8 but is the DX DSLR dying a slow death? Have I made a mistake in getting the DX body?

I'm a beginner but I don't want to be stuck with lenses I cannot get rid of in a couple of years if FF becomes more mainstream.
Click to expand...

Not really, DX camera are far outselling FF cameras so it will be a long time, of ever that DXare phased out.
And it mis not as simple as bigger sensor is better. There are as many cons and pros, so DX sized sensors will be around for a long time. What may happen is they loose their mirror to make sure they are smaller.

As for lenses.i wouldn't worry. You can sell them on second hand at relatively little loss. The loss over several years can be as little as a few pence per a day. If you buy second hand you might even Make a profit.

As for the 35mm 1.8 DX, it is a great lens.the FF alternative costs far, far more money. The 35mm DX actually works ok on a FF sensor. Also,all nikon lenses work on all bodies, so you can mount DX lenses on a FF body and use it in either DX or FF mode. Of course most lenses don't cover the complete sensor at all settings but some work out OK
 
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Considering the fact that the full frame sensors are still harder to manufacture, and thus more expensive, means that DX will always likely have a place. The D600 might be open to keen amateurs, but then many a keen amateur has purchased a D3 or D700 back in the day, and I'm seeing many of those keen amateurs lately swapping for a D800.

Thing is though, for someone starting out ~£1,500 without a lens is far too prohibitive, comparatively the cheapest crop sensor camera is ~£300 with a lens. 2 totally different price ranges, I certainly don't consider the D600 an entry level SLR, just entry level in full frame.
 
FF sensors will always be at least 5-8x more expensive than crop sensors due to yields and manufacturing processes), and the sensor is the most expensive individual part of the camera. Lots of other things get more expensive as well, larger body, larger mirror, large viewfinder, larger prism, more complex readout circuitry, ideally you would have more AF points to cover the larger area, and faster processing ASICs to cope with the extra data.

What ever processes that allow FF cameras to get cheaper apply to a greater extent on crop cameras. E.g., if it costs half the price to produce a FF sensor in the future then DX sensors will decrease by 2-3 times the price.



With the lenses it is very clear, without breaking the laws of physics larger sensors require more glass. The cost of lens elements increases exponetnatially with the size of the element, which is why lenses like the 400mm f2.8 and 600f/4.0 cost so much.

The probabilities of errors or imperfections in things like sensors and lenses tend to be quadratic ally proportional to size at a minimum, with lenses this tends to follow volume even so you are looking more like a cubic increase in costs.
 
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