Help with camera decision: Sony 6300/6500

[whiskeysierra762]

Hello everyone.
I'm looking for advice for my first quality camera. I'm obviously not a pro but I'm a “buy once, cry once” kind of guy with gear. I don’t want something that I will quickly outgrow or that will be obsolete the next year. I do a lot of backpacking in the summer and backpack hunting in the fall, so light weight and weather proof are real concerns. I also would like to be able to use it for digiscoping with my Leupold 12-40x spotter. I don’t want a collection of lenses and would really like it if I could just have one do everything type of lens. I have been doing some shopping and I would like to be in the $1500 price range for everything.
Right now I'm considering the Sony A6300 with the Ziess 16-70mm.
For the same price I could get the A6300 kit with 16-50mm and 55-210mm, and the Sony 18-105mm G.
And also for the same price would be the A6500 kit with 16-50mm and 55-210mm.
I'm open to any suggestions or advice at this point. I'm not set on the Sony’s but they seem to be highly recommended.
Thank you in advance.

 

[SHTF]

Just ordered the Sony A6000 myself. Coming on here to find this was kind of a trip. I went through the same thing but my budget wasn't that big as I am still a complete amateur. But I wanted something that shoots raw and I could learn as I go. The Sony Alpha line has some fantastic reviews which is why I went with it. I was also looking at the Nikon D7200 but felt I got more bang for my buck out of the A6000. Happy I chose it and cannot wait to start learning it. I would say go with what is going to suite your style the most. Are you wanting to do Landscape Photography or Wildlife, Street, or Portrait. That would be my deciding factor on which lens camera combo to get. Do your research and figure out whats going to work best. I also apply our backpacking methodology to Photography. Anything that can give me duel use out of 1 lens Im all about it. My A6000 will come with the 16-50 kit lens but the reviews are pretty decent on that lens. I bought the A6000 for walk around Camera when I travel and also to be able to take pics of the family. For my hunting and digiscoping I picked up the Olympus TG5 because of its build, waterproof and shock proof. I can also take raw images with the TG5 which is a huge plus.

I bought a Bridge Nikon D900 about a month ago and Ive had a blast with the telephoto zoom beast but the picture quality is ok for posting pictures online but for really good quality images I wanted something a bit better.

Not sure if this post has helped you out but thats my thinking behind what I have going on and maybe you can apply some of these principles to help you with your purchasing decision. Either way have fun with it and enjoy and learn everything you can about it so you can perfect your craft. Im a sponge with this Photography stuff but Im still learning as I go. Good luck with it.

 

[whiskeysierra762]

SHTF,
I plan on using the camera for everything I want to take pictures of. So, travel, portraits, landscape, wildlife, everything.
I looked at the A6000 but the lack of weather proofing was a deal breaker for me.

 

[bigmoose]

A camera you might consider is Sony's new RX10 IV. It's at the upper end of your price range but the camera has many cutting edge features and may be the best do it all camera out there at this time. The problem with "buy once, cry once" in regard to cameras is tough because every year or two a new model will come out that will be just a little better than the last. Right now the Sony RX10 IV is highly recommended as a do all type camera. Check out the reviews.
Sony RX10 IV Review

 

[SHTF]

SHTF,
I plan on using the camera for everything I want to take pictures of. So, travel, portraits, landscape, wildlife, everything.
I looked at the A6000 but the lack of weather proofing was a deal breaker for me.

Yeah I have that basis covered as I also own the Olympus TG5 so figured Id be fine taking that when I backpack and know I will be in bad weather. Otherwise a good dry bag on the A6000 will keep me dry and I won't bring it out unless IM under cover. I thought the same as you did about the weather sealing. If i didn't already have the Olympus TG5 Id of said the same thing. Wife really likes to take trips out to the Virgin Islands every other year so we had a definite need for a nice sealed underwater camera. We used the TG 4 last year and the pictures where awesome with it. Now with the TG5 and being able to shoot in Raw Format we plan to do even better in 2019 with it.

I will tell you one thing. This Photography hobby is turning out to be more expensive then the hunting even. You can straight kill a credit card buying this gear.

 

[SHTF]

Found this article The First Sony E-Mount Lenses You Should Buy: Wirecutter Reviews | A New York Times Company figured Id post it for you as it has made me think about the lens discussion. I dont know the first thing about these guys but cross referencing what they have said on that wirecutter site with alot of the reviews from others out there it backs up their choice of lenses they are talking about here.

 

[whiskeysierra762]

A camera you might consider is Sony's new RX10 IV. It's at the upper end of your price range but the camera has many cutting edge features and may be the best do it all camera out there at this time. The problem with "buy once, cry once" in regard to cameras is tough because every year or two a new model will come out that will be just a little better than the last. Right now the Sony RX10 IV is highly recommended as a do all type camera. Check out the reviews.
Sony RX10 IV Review

That RX10 IV is pretty cool! That might be more along the lines of what I am looking for.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

 

[bigmoose]

That RX10 IV is pretty cool! That might be more along the lines of what I am looking for.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Yeah it is pretty cool. It's at the top of my list right now. Just can't seem to budget it (according to my wife). I'm actually thinking of selling a gun to buy one... LOL!

 

[Racethesunset]

Under $2k, the RX10 III has pretty good tech in and the same razor sharp 600mm on the long end as the IV...

Under $3k budget, you could also look at a GX8 with the 100-400 Leica...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[whiskeysierra762]

Well, in researching the Sony DX10 IV I'm seeing it being compared to the Nikon Coolpix P900 which has a 2000mm zoom and there is a lot of talk about a new model the P1000 with a 3000mm zoom. Is anyone on here using this camera?
Thoughts on the "bridge" cameras over the DSLRs?

 

[Camera Land]

Give me a call. As always we do the right thing for forum members. We do a huge Sony business and are well versed in all their options.
We are in the middle of a blizzard right now but I am here
Give me a call to go over the best options

 

[SHTF]

Well, in researching the Sony DX10 IV I'm seeing it being compared to the Nikon Coolpix P900 which has a 2000mm zoom and there is a lot of talk about a new model the P1000 with a 3000mm zoom. Is anyone on here using this camera?
Thoughts on the "bridge" cameras over the DSLRs?

No comparison really. I own the P900 and while a very fun camera and a zoom beast it doesn't take nearly the photos quality the others will. I have also heard rumors of the P1000 They say it will be coming out with Raw Support and 3000mm Lens. we shall see.

I also heard it will have a 1000$ price tag.

So its clear I bought the P900 at a very good price on Craigslist its like new. after 3 weeks of photos I wanted better quality so now have the A6000 being delivered this week.

p900 on a tripod with its zoom capability is pretty fun but the picture quality is nothing to write home about. This is due to its 2/3" Sensor and lack of raw support. But if your just going to be posting photos online and not doing alot of post production of your images then the P900 isn't a bad option. Just depends on what level you want to take your photography too. P900 is the size of a full frame DSLR and is heavy. I would not recommend it for a backpacking camera setup. If the rumors are true about the new P1000 then it will make it more of a viable option. Again that zoom lens is a heck of alot of fun to play with. Lots of youtube videos showing it.

 

[Camera Land]

The issue with the Nikon P series is the size of the sensor. It's a fraction of the APS-C size sensors the other cameras use. The upside is the huge zoom, the downside is the most important...picture quality. When you make a move to an A series Sony you expect more from the camera and it delivers, big time