Camera system hell

Published on 03/25/2024, 635 words, 3 minutes to read

I have a Canon EOS R10 and it's great. I love how easy it is to use. I love how easy it is to import and edit my raw photos. I love a lot of things about it but I don't love the sensor being so tiny.

The Canon EOS R10 with a Helios 44-2 lens adapted to it.

I use a lot of weird vintage lenses to shoot with, such as the Helios 44-2 I used to take Corey Quinn's professional headshot. The problem is that the sensor is so small that the lenses don't work as they should. The Helios 44-2 is a 58mm lens but on the EOS R10 it's more like a 85-90mm lens. I can't get the same bokeh as I would on a full frame camera.

Now, I can still get some pretty fantastic pictures, such as this one I'm submitting to Universal Blue as a default wallpaper for Bluefin Linux:

The sunset facing towards the ocean in LAX. The beautiful layers of color divide the sky into clean slices.

I'm effectively getting the middle of the lens, which is the sharpest part, but it's so much harder to let the character of the lens shine through. This lens is made for a 35mm film camera and it's just not the same on a crop sensor.

Here are the things I'm considering between:

EOS R8: This is a full frame camera that would let me use my lenses as they were intended. I'd get the full bokeh and the full character of the lens. The downside is that my EOS R10 has more features than the R8, such as an autofocus control stick and a better screen. It'd cost me CAD$2000.
EOS R6 Mark II: This is a full frame camera with the same sensor as the R8 but all of the features the R10 has. The downside is that it's a lot more expensive than the R8. It'd cost me CAD$3000.
Nikon Zf: This is a full frame camera that uses the Nikon Z mount system, meaning that the few RF lenses I have wouldn't work on it. It'd cost me CAD$2700.
Sony a7C II: This is a full frame camera, but it uses a Sony E mount so no RF lenses for me. It'd cost me CAD$3000.

I really don't know which one is a decent option at this point. I'm leaning towards the EOS R6 Mark II because it's the most similar to what I have now, but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra CAD$1000. I'm also not sure if I should just stick with what I have and make do with the crop sensor. I'm not a professional photographer, so I don't know if it's worth the extra money.

That being said, I only have the kit lens, a 55-210mm RF-S lens, and a RF 50mm f/1.8 lens. All the rest of my glass is M42 mount vintage glass that I already have to use an adapter for.

I do have a bunch of other things I can sell like my iPad mini (6th gen, 256 GB), my old iPhone XS, and my R10 should I find a camera to replace it. However at the same time, the limits of the crop sensor sometimes make it convenient because I can zoom way the fuck in to take pictures of geese:

A Canada goose seemingly standing on top of the water. Shot with an EOS R10 and a Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 135mm f/3.5.

Help.

Facts and circumstances may have changed since publication. Please contact me before jumping to conclusions if something seems wrong or unclear.

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