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What camera?

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CatBoy
Posts: 234 - Karma: 990
Embarrassingly made a NSG thread for this, but am stoked to find this forum and am appreciative of Jamie's questionnaire. Here it goes!

Recently had my point-and-shoot stolen out of my car. Looking to invest in a new hobby.
I'm leaning towards mirrorless cameras for their size and portability.
I'm pretty much a camera newbie.

Leaning towards Sony a6500 or Fujifilm XT2 from my internet browsing

I also realize that my budget is not much in the grand scheme of things so I understand there will be compromises.

1) What is your budget? How much money can you spend right away, and do you think you can get more money to invest in the future?

Ideally around $1000 for body and starter lens just to get the feet wet. Do want to invest later (currently a student) and use the same body.

2) What experience do you already have with cameras? Have you ever even used one before? Have you helped your friend out with his camera? Have you owned your own?

Little experience. Have taken a HS photo class but haven't retained much knowledge. Only owned a P and S.

2) What gear, if any, do you currently have? (tripod, old camera lenses, mics, etc)

None

4) What are you planning to shoot and how do you want to use your camera? Are you going to use this with the sole purpose of shooting skiing? or do you think you might try other stuff as well (movies, documentaries, short films, etc)

Want to shoot almost exclusively outdoors things. Hunting, hiking, skiing, biking.
More focused on stills but still want decent video in case i stumble upon something crazy in nature.
Really want to be able to shoot birds, so taking pictures in motion is somewhat important.
Not looking for a follow cam and making ski edits- mainly stills and maybe some video footage of friends for fun.
*essentially a little bit of everything.

5) Do you want a camera that you can hand to your friends, that could or could not have film experience, and let them shoot you? or will you be doing all the filming?

It would be awesome to be able to hand to a friend or stranger who can take a quick shot- I'll be primarily handling the camera.

7) What computer do you currently have/use to edit (if not currently editing, what would you most likely use)? If you can provide specifics, such as hard drive space, RAM, processor size, that would be great.

Macbook pro.
Have not thought far enough in advance to consider editing softwares. This is a hobby so ideally something more budget friendly.

**This thread was edited on Nov 3rd 2019 at 4:17:03pm
Nov 3 2019 4:16PM
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JAlps
Posts: 555 - Karma: 1,934
Sony a6500 or the a7ii would be good choices to start out with if you want mirrorless!

Based on what you said though I would recommend picking up a used Canon 7d mark ii (usually around $800) and a 50mm 1.8 or a cheaper zoom to get started. (not sure what the best cheap-ish lens options are for Canon as I had my L glass before the Canon body). This body is a bit larger and heavier than the mirrorless options, but what you are going to get is an amazingly fast and advanced auto focus system that is best in its price range for shooting sports and wildlife (Also some crazy fast burst). I don't really want to give the full review here, but take a look.. if you can pick up a decent lens it would be a great option!
Nov 3 2019 11:36PM
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isaacwrong
Posts: 2213 - Karma: 16,945
Canon glass is good but their bodies are shit for what the competition has had out for years now. My opinion would be to spend most on good glass, makes a hell of a difference

**This post was edited on Nov 4th 2019 at 7:12:38am
Nov 4 2019 7:11AM
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Dougie_Fresh
Posts: 109 - Karma: 460
DaVinci Resolve, or since you have a MacBook you can go with Final Cut Pro student (which comes with Logic Pro X) for $200. If you have experience with iMovie go with FCP but if you don't want to spend any money, Resolve is great.
Nov 4 2019 8:44AM
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eheath
Posts: 61107 - Karma: 118,279
isaacwrongCanon glass is good but their bodies are shit for what the competition has had out for years now. My opinion would be to spend most on good glass, makes a hell of a difference

**This post was edited on Nov 4th 2019 at 7:12:38am


What do you mean their bodies are shit? Canon makes some of the best photo bodies, which is what OP wants...
Nov 4 2019 11:10AM
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swisssteeze
Posts: 198 - Karma: 481
Nikon and canon are a good choice. If you want the most bang for buck canon is the best way to go. You have a huge collection of Lenses to choose from of which most are reasonably priced if not cheaper than their competition.

I really do not recommend going for sony if you are on a budget. Their Lens collection is rather small and overpriced. I am not sure about the pricerange Fuji is in.

Things besides camera and lens which you probably want are a tripod and possibly a ND filter for Landscapes when hiking. Make sure you buy a tripod with a ballhead... that will make setting up your composition much more enjoyable.
Nov 6 2019 5:41AM
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corona
Posts: 12752 - Karma: 32,266
Considering what you want it for, I would definitely go with a weather sealed body. Unfortunately no brand (other than Pentax) has weather sealing in all their bodies, so if you're after a small mirrorless with weather sealing for $1000 with a kit lens then you're not going to be able to get any recent cameras.

Sony a6500 and Fuji XT-2 are both good options for mirrorless (if you can get them for the price you;re after). If you're leaning towards the Sony then be sure to actually pick one up first. Their grips and general ergonomics kinda suck for people with large hands (and suck in general) as well as their weather sealing being the about as bad as it gets. The Fuji doesn't have IBIS, it has a huge lens selection, but their lenses are kind of expensive. Personally I'd lean towards the Fuji between those two.

If you're willing to consider DSLRs then a Nikon d7200 or Canon 7d mk2 can be picked up pretty cheap and there are a ton of cheap lenses around. But the bodies are huge compared to a6500 or XT-2.

Then there's the option of getting a full frame mirrorless, like the A7ii. The downside being for your budget you're stuck with much older models which are not exactly refined (shitty grips, shitty weather sealing, shitty battery life, etc). Still good cameras, but if you're after a camera body that will last you 5-10 years then maybe not a good option.


My best advice would be this:

Get a body based on the lenses available. You will absolutely get bored with a kit lens and will want to buy a ton more in the future. Do you think you'll get into shooting wildlife and stuff like that? Go price out all the lenses you could maybe see yourself buying and see if they actually exist for your body. If you get into photography you will absolutely upgrade your body sometime in the future, so make sure it's in a system that suits your needs for lenses so you won't have to sell and buy new lenses.
Nov 26 2019 9:34AM
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CatBoy
Posts: 234 - Karma: 990
^ Shooting wildlife is the ultimate goal, on top of just taking pictures with friends, family, portraits, skiing, etc etc.

I'm currently looking for a used X-T2 as I loved the way it felt in my hands and it seems their lenses are pretty well received. There is also rumor of an X-T4 coming out with all the updated sensors and such, but with IBIS. My plan is to switch whatever lens I accumulate beforehand and get the XT-4.

I also love the canons but haven't found a 7d mark ii or 90d in my price range- even used.

If anyone knows of someone unloading any of the bodies I mentioned above let me know ;)
Nov 27 2019 10:45PM
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corona
Posts: 12752 - Karma: 32,266
Sounds like you should go for the XT2 then. Still a solid camera despite being older. And yea, once the XT4 comes out I bet it will be amazing. Although it will definitely be like $1800 body only at release.
Nov 28 2019 7:35AM
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