I haven't scrolled back through this entire thread, but anyone have good experience with the Sony A6100 or the Canon EOS RP? I used to be into photography a very long time ago and just getting my feet back into it, but don't want to pay more than roughly ~$1000 for a body until I know the hobby is going to stick. Was looking at used DLSRs but want to go with a more recent mirrorless model so I can stay in the "ecosystem" longer. I like landscapes and wildlife, not people. Was also looking at Nikon Z50.

All of them have good reviews (in terms of "value") and the Canon is full frame.

I'm taking a trip to Alaska/Kenai next year and want to get my feet wet with relearning everything before I get there.

A6100 is an old model. If going with that form, get the A6400. A great, highly functional small-form camera. Owned one for a while and it served me well. Does great video as well.

Thanks, I looked into it and realized that the a6400 was actually the same price as the RP. There's a trade-off with it not being full frame, but the auto focus is faster, it has better video, and apparently it is more suitable for things like birds. There's also apparently some advantages with the smaller sensor as the effective zoom is increased with the crop.

The a6100 and the a6400 are similar in age but the a6400 has a more robust case with some weather resistance and a few more features. They have the same sensor.

I'm pretty overwhelmed to be honest. I haven't really done any hobbyist photography since 2009 and the technology is so different. All of these review sites have different opinions.

I haven't even gotten that much into lens research.

Private PoopyPants said:

---

I'm pretty overwhelmed to be honest. I haven't really done any hobbyist photography since 2009 and the technology is so different. All of these review sites have different opinions.

---

Because a lot of it is splitting hairs over stuff that doesn't (shouldn't) matter to most buyers. Most all of these camera bodies (and systems) are excellent. The biggest factor over choosing a body is choosing a system to buy into first.

I'm kind of figuring that out. Watching the YouTube videos yes a bit more eye-opening as it's clear the Canon system I'm interested in is much more ergonomically familiar to me and has a larger grip which is helpful because I tend to be clumsy. Probably going to go with that and get an adapter so I can use some used lenses.

Remote Shutter Control and Flash -

Got a Canon 80D. I'm at the point that I'd like to try out using a flash...also a remote shutter control. I mostly take outdoor landscape, sports, etc type of photos, but I'm realizing a flash can come in handy for some events and indoor.

Any advice. I was looking at this...but not sure why people choose some over others. Thanks.

shutter

Pretty cool article about the invention of the first digital camera: https://petapixel.com/how-steve-sasson-invented-the-digital-camera/

Pretty amazing how far we've come within a single generation.

Oh...and I bit the bullet and preordered an x-h2 to upgrade from my x-t3. A vertical grip is a must for me and it sounds like Fuji won't make one for the x-t5. Even got my Capture One license upgraded since v22 already supports the x-h2.

My wife and I have a few trips coming up this fall/winter and are thinking of getting a new camera. Mostly outdoor/landscape looking to keep it under $1,000. Any recommendations for cameras /lenses and books/blogs/websites for information on techniques for beginners who haven't used more than point and shoot or phone cameras before?

I replied to your post on the OB, but I can't recommend the Sony a6xxx series enough. It's a great entry point into mirrorless and the platform I cut my photography teeth on.

Lenses I recommend to pair with it:

Sigma 16mm
Sony 35mm (this lens is incredible)
Sony 50mm

Or do the Sony 18-105 f/4 and you're solid

Those are great cameras. If you can catch a sale, they are even better value. I ended up going with the Canon EOSRP but one of my trek mates has an a6400. Both are excellent cameras. The Sony had better video and can shoot more per second, and a better auto focus in my opinion, but I prefer the ergonomics of the Canon. For most use cases they are pretty equal players, but if anyone shoots a lot of video would go with the Sony.

For those with knowledge of the new mirrorless Nikon cameras and lenses, what are the advantages of the Z lenses?

Specifically, I have a bunch of old lenses for SLRs and obviously a fair amount of money tied up in them. If I were to buy a mirrorless body, what would I be giving up by using an adapter with my old lenses vs. the new Z lenses?

My experience with the adapters is great. I don't often use Z lenses, but new ones I buy will be Z

Guitarsoup said:

---

My experience with the adapters is great. I don't often use Z lenses, but new ones I buy will be Z

---

Thanks. Good to know.

Where is the best place to sell some lenses? My 40D finally bit the dust and I'm going to consolidate lenses with my dad and share his 5d3 since neither one of us shoot very often anymore. I have a nifty 50 and a 24-70 2.8 I'll probably get rid of since they're duplicates.

Depends if you are looking for a quick dump off or to get top dollar. Top dollar would probably be eBay or Marketplace/Craiglist. Quick Sell off would be KEH.

Probably looking to sell off all my gear (Canon) as well. Is there any reason to keep any of the lenses in case I go mirrorless in the future?

Really basic question that doesn't require much explanation.

My niece is doing a photography class and they were told they should consider getting a SLR for Sports Photography.

My sister was asking me whether she should look at entry-level mirrorless or normal. I told her all I knew was that Nikon/Canon kept leap frogging and I think for my niece it wouldn't matter either way. I'd just go for whoever had an entry-level package with maybe a 18-55 and XX-105/120.

Side note: I had a Sony RX100ii from years and years ago that I bought for $499 that I thought was magical at the time. Crazy that the Sony RX100 Vii is $1299 now!

Price range for a student might be an issue. Newer and higher end mirrorless will handle action just fine. Older/cheaper models might have issues with fast action. Something an inexpensive DSLR will handle fine.

Thanks. I'll just tell her go basic entry level DSLR with a good lens combo.

evan_aggie said:

---

Thanks. I'll just tell her go basic entry level DSLR with a good lens combo.

---

For sports, you are better off with a used Nikon D500

Guitarsoup said:

---

evan_aggie said:

---

Thanks. I'll just tell her go basic entry level DSLR with a good lens combo.

---

For sports, you are better off with a used Nikon D500

---

Exactly what I was going to say. If I was going to shoot sports on the cheap I'd definitely do so with a D500 and a 200-500.

Cheap is relative though as that will still cost 2k.

evan_aggie said:

---

Thanks. I'll just tell her go basic entry level DSLR with a good lens combo.

---

Tell them to take a look at the Sony A6400 with whatever lens they deem appropriate (not knowing what use will be).

Thanks!

Regarding neutral density filters, polarizing filters, etc., are there brands of manufacturers to avoid? What is a solid quality brand that won't kill my bank account?

marcel ledbetter said:

---

Regarding neutral density filters, polarizing filters, etc., are there brands of manufacturers to avoid? What is a solid quality brand that won't kill my bank account?

---

You get what you pay for. B+w is pretty great. I have some at home that I never use. I probably bought them 10 years ago, so would have to look to see what they were.

Guitarsoup said:

---

You get what you pay for.

---

This right here. Cheap filters will royally screw up your sharpness. I personally like Lee, and use their 100 system, but B&W are good too.

Jabin said:

---

For those with knowledge of the new mirrorless Nikon cameras and lenses, what are the advantages of the Z lenses?

Specifically, I have a bunch of old lenses for SLRs and obviously a fair amount of money tied up in them. If I were to buy a mirrorless body, what would I be giving up by using an adapter with my old lenses vs. the new Z lenses?

---

The few old Nikon lenses I own work just fine on my Z6 with the FTZ adapter. In fact, the 70-200VR2 works better b/c the older autofocus on the D7000 would back focus where as the Z6 uses the sensor to drive the focus motors and it's always spot on.

The FTZ is not like a teleconverter that's filter or changing the light/image as it goes through the lenses and then to the sensor. It's just an interface between the new Z mount and the old F mount so the lens can be mounted to the body and the camera/lens can talk.

Noob here. Wife wants a "good" camera for Christmas.... by good I mean better than a smart phone. Primary uses will be sports (cheerleader, volleyball, baseball) and family pics.... maybe graduation type photos. I don't know anything about cameras and reading through a few pages of this thread confirmed that. Anyhow... price range is ~<$800. I was looking at a Canon PowerShot XS70 HS. Is this a good camera?

Yep, pretty solid. It won't be that great in low light, but it can zoom really far.

Which camera is best really depends on what she plans to use it for. But in general, at that price range, the best and most used camera will be a new Google Pixel or iPhone

Guitarsoup said:

---

Yep, pretty solid. It won't be that great in low light, but it can zoom really far.

Which camera is best really depends on what she plans to use it for. But in general, at that price range, the best and most used camera will be a new Google Pixel or iPhone

---

Thank you.

Guitarsoup said:

---

Yep, pretty solid. It won't be that great in low light, but it can zoom really far.

Which camera is best really depends on what she plans to use it for. But in general, at that price range, the best and most used camera will be a new Google Pixel or iPhone

---

What's the difference between it and the EOS Rebel T7? Which would you prefer?

Shelton98 said:

---

Guitarsoup said:

---

Yep, pretty solid. It won't be that great in low light, but it can zoom really far.

Which camera is best really depends on what she plans to use it for. But in general, at that price range, the best and most used camera will be a new Google Pixel or iPhone

---

What's the difference between it and the EOS Rebel T7? Which would you prefer?

---

Rebel is a camera where the lenses can be changed. It is a DSLR, which I would not buy at this point anymore. If you want a fancier one, you need to look at the Mirrorless options.

Suggested that I copy my question here. Need some help with my wifes Christmas present....

Link To My Thread About This

EW2 said:

---

Sorry, this is a long winded post, but I want to provide some background info so yall can help with camera choice feedback.

I know little to nothing about "nice" cameras. My boss took us to lunch yesterday and surprised our team with a decent bonus so decided I was going to get my wife a nice camera. She's hinted at wanting to get into photography and I want to help her get into a hobby outside of the house. She's a SAHM. Two kids, 7 and 5. We all love going to the Detroit Zoo whenever we can, so I was thinking smallish camera we can throw in a backpack. Maybe capable of doing 80% of what a legit "pro" quality camera can do I guess? I'm also gonna buy tickets to the Columbus Zoo's "The Wilds" tour and we'll go this summer. That's something we've wanted to do since it was shown on TV. So they'll all be super pumped about that. I'm so excited to surprise my wife and the kids with an actual nice Christmas. We're not exactly rich so I want to make a good choice here overall for her first starter camera.

On to my point for this post... Just so I have something ready to go on Christmas morning, I went ahead and bought a Canon EOS M6 Mark II at a local shop. It's mirrorless, and comes with a 15-45mm lense plus a viewfinder "accessory" which I guess is not absolutely necessary if someone will use the back screen for most shots. One of the Youtube videos I watched mentioned it can be good creative focus. No idea what that means exactly, but sounds nice.

My budget ~1,500 including tax. Ended up paying $1400 after tax with also purchasing a small protective "case" that can easily fit in a backpack, UV lense, and 4 year warranty - if it drops and shatters into a million pieces, they'll replace it free of charge. Thought it might be necessary with small kids running around and potentially getting their sticky little hands on it.

Before she opens it and we're locked into the purchase (high restocking fee if we do and she doesn't like it) I want to ask if people who are into photography think it's a decent starter camera for what I've described. She might also use it (guessing) for small business when she gets more comfortable with her ability; prom shots, headshots, baby pictures, etc.

Thanks and again, sorry for the LONG post. Appreciate any and all feedback before the 24th!

---

I don't know a lot about that particular camera, but my inclinations lean towards Sony or Nikon for a detachable lens camera. I really dont like that there isn't a viewfinder built in.

With my kids, I do more with small action cams or my phone than any of my cameras, just out of weight and convenience. Big cameras are a pain, especially when you are lugging around all their other stuff.

This Nikon kit is on sale and very good. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1739659-REG/nikon_z5_mirrorless_camera_with.html

You could also pay a bit more and get the "Jack of all trades, master of none" that will allow her to zoom more. lens: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1624461-REG/nikon_nikon_z_5_mirrorless.html

The Z5 is a Full-Frame camera, with a fantastic sensor. The Canon one is a crop sensor, which tends to perform more poorly (because it is a smaller sensor, same with Nikon or Sony Crop Sensors)

Again, just above your budget is this Sony. Fantastic setup: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1324642-REG/sony_ilce7m2k_b_ac_alpha_a7_ii_mirrorless.html


Crop sensors below:

Going cheaper, this Sony ZE-V10 is the vlogging camera of choice right now. If she thinks she will do video as well as photo (all these cameras can do both.) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1738758-REG/sony_zv_e10_mirrorless_camera_with.html

This Nikon is the cheapest set with a fixed viewfinder: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1531895-REG/nikon_z_50_mirrorless_digital.html

Or for a little more, get the telephoto lens as well: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1735581-REG/nikon_nikon_z50_mirrorless_camera.html

The Nikon Z5 kit above is easily the best value camera system to get now in the sub-1500 range. There is a 24-50mm lens that you can get that pushes the price from 1600 to 1300, but the extra 300 is very much worth it. And that kit has the memory card and camera bag she would need.

This isn't as sexy for a Christmas gift, but I highly recommend buying camera gear used if possible.

KEH has the Nikon 24-70 f/4 for $368 https://www.keh.com/shop/nikon-nikkor-z-24-70mm-f-4-s-72.html
KEH has the Nikon Z5 for $880: https://www.keh.com/shop/nikon-z5-mirrorless-digital-camera-body-24-3-m-p.html.

That puts you around $1200 for camera and lens, just need a memory card. You could also upgrade the camera body and get a used Z6 for $1100. I'd actually sell mine for $1000, as I have a Z9 on the way.

By buying used, if you find that she isn't that interested in using something that isn't her phone, you can sell it sometime next year without loosing too much money.

Hit me up if you have other questions. I bolded my recommendation for new. But you can save a few hundred by piecing it together used and you will get a much better kit than that Canon one.