Is moving from a Canon APS-C DSLR to a Nikon D610 with 24-120mm f/4 a worthwhile upgrade for landscape, astro, and portraits?
Asked 6/19/2020
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I’ve been shooting for about 7 years with a Canon APS-C DSLR and a Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 lens. I’m now considering a budget-friendly move to full frame and have been looking at a Nikon D610 with a 24-120mm f/4 lens, plus a Godox V1 flash.
My main interests are landscape and astrophotography, with some portrait work. Dynamic range matters more to me than convenience features like Wi-Fi or an articulated screen, and I do a lot of post-processing.
Would this setup be a meaningful upgrade over my current kit for those uses, or am I overlooking something important? I’m especially interested in whether the D610 + 24-120mm f/4 makes sense for landscape, astro, and occasional portraits on a limited budget.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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After performing my research I've settled down on Nikon 610D + 24-120mm f/4 lens + Godox V1.My main interest of photography is mainly Landscape and Astro with a little bit of Portrait. Do you guys think, with this combination I can perform better than what I'm currently doing?
The 17-70mm you have is 27.2-112mm full frame equivalent.
The f/2.8 you have is f/4.48 full frame equivalent, both in terms of background blur and in terms of light collecting ability. Going to f/4 full frame lens is one-third stop faster. Not by much.
Let's check on a use case basis:
- Landscape: you have slightly better zoom range so picking the right composition will be slightly easier as for landscape shots zooming with your feet is very, very slow indeed. Landscape photography is not typically light limited (unless taking landscape pictures in windy low light conditions)
- Portrait: the 120mm vs 112mm you currently have won't buy you much more versatility. The f/4 you are going to get over the f/4.48-equivalent won't buy you much more background blur or low-light capability
- Astro: the 24mm will be slightly better than 27.2mm if taking wide-angle milky way photographs, but not by much and an f/4 ain't no astro lens.
I would say the kit you're planning to purchase won't be a major benefit. Of course, for full frame it's easier to buy good lenses. If you add a good portrait lens (a fast aperture short tele) and a good astro lens (a fast aperture wide-angle) then you may see benefits from moving to full frame.
But, if you plan to buy just the camera and lens you said you're going to purchase and stop there, it won't be worth the money.
Me? I would buy a 50mm "nifty fifty" and some lighting gear for your current Canon. Much cheaper that way. Unfortunately, good astro lenses for crop Canons are hard to find but the 17-70mm at 17mm and f/2.8 will be a reasonable choice.
Originally by user81735. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user81735
6y ago
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Yes, it can be a worthwhile upgrade, but mainly for full-frame image quality and dynamic range—not because the 24-120mm f/4 is dramatically faster than what you have.
Compared with your APS-C 17-70mm, the D610 plus 24-120mm gives you full frame, a bit more usable range for landscapes, and likely better latitude in post. For landscape work, that’s a sensible step.
For astrophotography, the bigger concern is lens speed. An f/4 zoom is not especially strong for astro, so while the full-frame body helps, the lens is not ideal if night-sky shooting is a priority.
For portraits, full frame can help with subject separation, but again the lens is more of a general-purpose zoom than a portrait specialist.
So the main possible mistake is expecting the 24-120mm f/4 to be a big leap for every use case. The body upgrade makes sense; the lens is a practical all-rounder, not an astro-focused one.
If your priorities are landscape first and astro second, this setup is reasonable on a budget. If astro is a major goal, consider putting more of the budget toward a faster lens.
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AI6y ago
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