Camera recommendation.. Hobby portrait photographer..

[havoc315]

Nice! I just stopped by a best buy to see it in person! I definitely liked it! I do wonder if it's small enough.. but I also think the photographer in me would never be happy with the limitations of a smaller camera, so it's probably more perfect than I realize.
I checked out greentoe and was sad to see that they didn't have the white body only a6000 nor did they have the 35mm e mount.

I think I've decided on the white body, 50mm 1.8 and old 18-55mm. I might hold out for a little bit to see if I can find a better deal on it though.. Ultimately, I'm sure I'd be okay with the black a6000 too . Not a huge fan of the silver.

Focus Camera had some nice bundle deals through newegg, but focus camera as a seller had terrible reviews and the page wasn't clear on grey market, so I'm guessing I'll steer clear of them.

You can find some nice bundles with the 50/1.8, but it's the black body.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Sony-Alpha-A6...m-f-1-8-OSS-Lens-Kit-/360967737808?nav=SEARCH

Personally, I'm considering the next generation a6000 as my backup body, the a6100 or a7000 should be announced in the coming weeks or months.

 

[paisleybell]

You can find some nice bundles with the 50/1.8, but it's the black body.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Sony-Alpha-A6...m-f-1-8-OSS-Lens-Kit-/360967737808?nav=SEARCH

Personally, I'm considering the next generation a6000 as my backup body, the a6100 or a7000 should be announced in the coming weeks or months.

You should not have told me that! haha..
I'd be pretty disappointed to buy the a6000 only for the next gen to be released a few weeks later.. argh

We leave Dec 18th..

 

[havoc315]

You should not have told me that! haha..
I'd be pretty disappointed to buy the a6000 only for the next gen to be released a few weeks later.. argh

We leave Dec 18th..

There have been rumors of the next generation being imminent for months. It could come this month, it could come in 6 months.

But it will be more expensive at first, and I don't believe it will render the a6000 obsolete.

Most likely differences:
It may have in body stabilization, which may make it a little bigger and heavier.
It will likely support 4K video.
Autofocus is already great but may be improved further, perhaps allowed adapted lenses to use phase detect AF.
If they switch to bsi, it will be a bit faster and noise performance may improve by a half stop.

 

[paisleybell]

There have been rumors of the next generation being imminent for months. It could come this month, it could come in 6 months.

But it will be more expensive at first, and I don't believe it will render the a6000 obsolete.

Most likely differences:
It may have in body stabilization, which may make it a little bigger and heavier.
It will likely support 4K video.
Autofocus is already great but may be improved further, perhaps allowed adapted lenses to use phase detect AF.
If they switch to bsi, it will be a bit faster and noise performance may improve by a half stop.

Ah, I see. I'll probably just go with the a6000 then.
BB has it in their black friday ad, though I refuse to go shopping on thanksgiving...
I wonder if any of the other online retailers will make their prices similar to BBs for black friday.. We shall see!

Thanks for all your help and knowledge!!

 

[hrslvr142]

If you go through Walmart's web page there are a couple of good bundles through third party online retailers as well.

 

[MrToadsWildRide]

I'm looking for something compact, without sacrificing quality. The option to change the lens would be awesome.

On occasion I have found camera discussions to be similar to talking politics or religion. So, no offense to anyone who loves whatever brand camera their using. I've used lots over many years. Some day I hope to learn how to use them. In the mean time, I will keep buying them.

I’d suggest you look at the Fuji X-T10. (not the older, more expensive X-T1 which I have owned as well)

Fuji builds great lens. Lenses for professional use; such as movie and TV grade lenses. This is a big reason to consider Fuji. Canon and Nikon also make great lenses, but their best lens are for their full frame cameras. Not really for their smaller APS-C cameras and not for mirrorless cameras, such as Fuji’s.

It’s a fully automatic camera with dials and buttons for manual use. Less menus than many other cameras. Like the dedicated exposure compensation dial. Quickly dial the exposure up or down and see exactly what it will look like in the electronic view finder before you take the picture.

Plus it has a dedicated Auto switch. Great for quickly setting everything to Auto when you need to. Like when you hand the camera to someone else., or when you messed with too many settings (like the dope I am) and don't have time to put everything back cause the parade is rolling past you. (ahhhhh)

Face detection, with new eye detection. Works great.

Built in flash, perfectly balanced, especially for day time fill flash. (the X-T1 does not have this, for people shots, you need this) Fuji does an outstanding job with fill flash.

The electronic shutter allows you to take photos up to 1/32000 in daylight at wide open apertures. (not for moving subjects, but great for people shots to get some decent bokeh) This is pretty awesome if you have some fast (F2.8 or bigger, smaller?) lenses. And Fuji makes several fast lenses.

It has built in WiFi and the app works great. You can control the camera if you want. (on a tripod) Or you can simply use it to download photos to your phone, right away. I use this all the time.

Here’s a fairly unbiased review of the new X-T10, with loads of detail. The review does mention the A6000.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_XT10/

I moved(ing) from Nikon D600 to the X-T10. Slowly selling off my Nikon glass and bodies. (pretty scary, but I haven't missed Nikon yet, though I don't shoot sports)

Here’s some sample photos I took. (as you can see, I haven’t quit my day job) Point is, if I can take photos like this, image what somebody who knows what they're doing could do.

 

[paisleybell]

On occasion I have found camera discussions to be similar to talking politics or religion. So, no offense to anyone who loves whatever brand camera their using. I've used lots over many years. Some day I hope to learn how to use them. In the mean time, I will keep buying them.

I’d suggest you look at the Fuji X-T10. (not the older, more expensive X-T1 which I have owned as well)

Fuji builds great lens. Lenses for professional use; such as movie and TV grade lenses. This is a big reason to consider Fuji. Canon and Nikon also make great lenses, but their best lens are for their full frame cameras. Not really for their smaller APS-C cameras and not for mirrorless cameras, such as Fuji’s.

It’s a fully automatic camera with dials and buttons for manual use. Less menus than many other cameras. Like the dedicated exposure compensation dial. Quickly dial the exposure up or down and see exactly what it will look like in the electronic view finder before you take the picture.

Plus it has a dedicated Auto switch. Great for quickly setting everything to Auto when you need to. Like when you hand the camera to someone else., or when you messed with too many settings (like the dope I am) and don't have time to put everything back cause the parade is rolling past you. (ahhhhh)

Face detection, with new eye detection. Works great.

Built in flash, perfectly balanced, especially for day time fill flash. (the X-T1 does not have this, for people shots, you need this) Fuji does an outstanding job with fill flash.

The electronic shutter allows you to take photos up to 1/32000 in daylight at wide open apertures. (not for moving subjects, but great for people shots to get some decent bokeh) This is pretty awesome if you have some fast (F2.8 or bigger, smaller?) lenses. And Fuji makes several fast lenses.

It has built in WiFi and the app works great. You can control the camera if you want. (on a tripod) Or you can simply use it to download photos to your phone, right away. I use this all the time.

Here’s a fairly unbiased review of the new X-T10, with loads of detail. The review does mention the A6000.

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_XT10/

I moved(ing) from Nikon D600 to the X-T10. Slowly selling off my Nikon glass and bodies. (pretty scary, but I haven't missed Nikon yet, though I don't shoot sports)

Here’s some sample photos I took. (as you can see, I haven’t quit my day job) Point is, if I can take photos like this, image what somebody who knows what they're doing could do.

Does Fuji have a low costing decent prime like Nikon and Sony?
And it looks a little more costly than the a6000, which is kind of already on the high end for me.

 

[havoc315]

Does Fuji have a low costing decent prime like Nikon and Sony?
And it looks a little more costly than the a6000, which is kind of already on the high end for me.

Fuji has a slightly different strategy than Sony.

Sony has released APS-C (the A5100, A6000) and full frame (A7, A7s, A7r) mirrorless cameras.
They have aimed the full frame cameras at higher end enthusiasts, and have released expensive premium lenses to go with them.
With the APS-C lenses, they have aimed them more for amateur casual photographers, matching them with more moderately priced lenses.

Fuji only has an APS-C lineup, no full frame. And they have aimed their APS-C line up at higher end enthusiasts. Their cameras are supposedly fantastic... some members of this board have used them. And their lenses are fantastic -- but they have concentrated on high end expensive lenses. I believe their cheapest prime is a 27/2.8 for $450, while Sony has the 50/1.8 for around $250

The plus and minus --- If you want truly premium lenses for the Sony system, they do offer them -- but they are almost all full frame lenses. That means they are compatible with the A6000, but are also compatible with the A7 series. So if you ever upgrade to a full frame camera, you can keep the lenses. On the downside, full frame lenses are larger than APS-C lenses.
So the Fuji actually is making premium lenses that are specifically designed for APS-C cameras. That means Fuji's premium lenses are going to be a bit smaller than Sony's premium lenses (since Sony is designing their premium lenses to work on full frame as well as APS-C)

So if you want the more affordable casual photography set-up.... the A6000 is probably the best route.
If you want high end enthusiast, but APS-C only, with no plan on ever going full frame, then Fuji is a great option.
If you want to start out with affordable casual, but you want the option of later adding premium lenses and maybe even growing into full frame, then you're back to Sony.

 

[havoc315]

You might enjoy playing with this... I set it up to compare the A6000 with the Fuji XT-10 (I hadn't realized, 1 negative with the Fuji is that ISO tops out at 6400), with your current D7000, and threw in the Canon M3

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ima...=1&x=0.6158698866436668&y=-0.3369014841619469

 

[MrToadsWildRide]

Does Fuji have a low costing decent prime like Nikon and Sony?
And it looks a little more costly than the a6000, which is kind of already on the high end for me.

Fuji has some excellent prime lenses. Great optics. Great mechanical build.

Digital cameras come and go. They all loose their value pretty quickly.

Lenses are a different story. Good lenses last a long time. They hold their value really well. I know, I just sold a Nikon 70-200 F2.8.

When you buy a camera with interchangeable lenses, your investment is really in the lens. You could probably make the argument that Fuji makes some of (if not the) best optical lenses for APS-C size, mirrorless cameras. Which means, smaller cameras than full frame DLSR cameras.

Here's a review of one of Fuji's fast prime lenses from Mr. Picky, Ken Rockwell.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/fuji/x-mount-lenses/16mm-f14.htm

Fuji doesn't make cheap (low cost?) stuff. But you get what you pay for. The way I always looked at it, you only have one chance to capture a memory, so try and make it a good one. (which translates to I buy too much stuff)

Though if you go with the Sony A6000, I'm sure you'll be happy. To ensure your future happiness, don't read anything else about any other cameras until you win the lottery, or inherit a lot of money. Then you can go back to buying too many cameras.

Always remember, the best camera is the one you have with you.

 

[paisleybell]

I'm pretty sure the cost alone takes the Fuji out of the running at this point.. haha

 

[DSLRuser]

I currently have a Nikon d7000 with a 50mm lens.
I dread having to carry the thing through Universal and Disney...
g?

How do you carry your camera. I am a nikon guy, had D7000, now d750. I use a Black Rapid Strap. that is a game changer vs using a neck strap.

With that I carry a small back back with a few lenses and flash. We keep phones and snacks in that back pack and the family takes turns carrying as needed. Maybe it is just me, but I would never want to be without my "big" camera. It is a part of me and never gets in the way. Even on things like Rock n ROllercoaster.

 

[paisleybell]

How do you carry your camera. I am a nikon guy, had D7000, now d750. I use a Black Rapid Strap. that is a game changer vs using a neck strap.

With that I carry a small back back with a few lenses and flash. We keep phones and snacks in that back pack and the family takes turns carrying as needed. Maybe it is just me, but I would never want to be without my "big" camera. It is a part of me and never gets in the way. Even on things like Rock n ROllercoaster.

Yep, I have a neck strap with a wrist strap attached. I usually try to stuff it in a bag but it feels so heavy either way.

 

[havoc315]

How do you carry your camera. I am a nikon guy, had D7000, now d750. I use a Black Rapid Strap. that is a game changer vs using a neck strap.

With that I carry a small back back with a few lenses and flash. We keep phones and snacks in that back pack and the family takes turns carrying as needed. Maybe it is just me, but I would never want to be without my "big" camera. It is a part of me and never gets in the way. Even on things like Rock n ROllercoaster.

Personal preferences vary by a great degree. I've seen people who say the Sony rx100 is too big to carry around on vacation.

The reality now though --- unless you're a full frame and 2.8 lens diehard -- there is no reason to carry a "big" aps-c camera and kit lenses anymore. Smaller (but still too big for some people) mirrorless packages have really caught up and surpassed "big cameras."

I'm not talking about set-ups like the d750. On my last vacation, I carried my d750 with over 10 additional pounds of gear.

But many people want nothing more than a fanny pack sized bag, and mirrorless lets you do that, while keeping top aps-c quality.

 

[bob100]

Personal preferences vary by a great degree. I've seen people who say the Sony rx100 is too big to carry around on vacation.

while keeping top aps-c quality.

small, pocket size, light weight, aps-c quality
decent primes
don't want 10 lbs of camera gear

the right stuff !



https://www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

 

[havoc315]

A6000 just got a big price drop... $550 now with kit lens.... I'm tempted as my second body.

 

[paisleybell]

Where at? Ahh!! I've been resisting so well.. Told myself I had to lug my d7000 around and not spend the money..

 

[paisleybell]

Apparently everywhere! I answered for myself. Wow. What's with the price drop? Holidays? Or the anticipation of a new release?

 

[havoc315]

Apparently everywhere! I answered for myself. Wow. What's with the price drop? Holidays? Or the anticipation of a new release?

Both.... Best Buy had it at $550 as a Black Friday deal, but now that's the price everywhere. I doubt it will go any lower (except throwing in memory cards, etc) until after Christmas.
The new release has been rumored literally all year. At this point, I doubt it's coming until 2016. But we may see it very early in 2016. But it will be expensive, and the A6000 will remain on the market. (but price will come down another $50-$100 when the A6000ii/A6100/A7000 is released)

Features I expect to see on the next version:
Possible BSI sensor
Possible 28mp
In body stabilization (making body a bit bigger)
4K video
Better lens adaptability with Canon and A-mount lenses.

 

[paisleybell]

Not to bump an old thread.... but I wasn't able to make buying the a6000 happen... Never used my nikon while at universal because it was just too much to lug..
So, we're going to Disney in June and I was just gonna bite the bullet and cave, you know, tax time and all that...
I had been watching it for a while and it was consistently staying around $550. Stopped looking for a few weeks..
AND it's back up to $700!! with the kit lens! Ouch. Shoulda bought it before.. wow!