Searching for a new camera…what a rabbit hole

[guitarpreston]

Let me start off with I’m mostly a knuckle dragger. I’ve got a GoPro 7 black and an old Sony dsc-h200 from 2014 that I’ve permanently borrowed from my dad, and iPhone 12. I have used my GoPro quite a bit on mtb rides, and hadn’t messed with the Sony in a long time. Fast forward to this weekend and I decided to try to use something besides my phone to take some pics and vids shooting my ML. It’s in the upper 40s and the go pro won’t stay on so that’s a bummer. I assume the batteries are roached (I charged 3 the night prior). Set up the Sony and take some vids and later go to cut them together and it looks like it was taken on a dollar store Android (I know the nice ones have good cameras don’t start lol). So I’m now thinking about replacing both for some better shots of adventures and stuff with the family. Good grief what a rabbit hole that is. I’m not super adept when it comes to photo editing, color grading etc idk anything about shutter speeds or exposure. I just want something that will take better pictures and video than my phone. Wouldn’t mind a decent zoom but I can digiscope and get decent results instead of carrying around a huge lens. I know the action cam can never replace the regular camera and vice versa based on their uses so I’ll likely upgrade both.
What are you using that’s not super complicated?

 

[ElkBro]

Wow, this is a rabbit hole!

Two years ago, I brought out a full Sony A7 series/lens set up for a backcountry trip, but I didn’t like the extra weight. The pictures and videos were amazing, especially when using a longer zoom lens. Was it worth it? Debatable.

Last year, I used a DJI Pocket 3 and an iPhone Pro for video. The Pocket 3 was incredible - it had amazing stabilization and shot in 10-bit raw for color grading later. I mostly filmed in 120fps at 4K (12 megapixels) and took photo stills from that footage after I applied a grading. The problem was that it only had “digital zoom,” which I’m not a fan of because it degrades the image. For photos, I wouldn’t hesitate using an iPhone 12. That phone is great for taking pictures, as long as you frame the shot correctly.

If you’re thinking about getting into mirrorless cameras, wait for Sony to release the A7V in 2025 (hopefully). That will be a great camera for both stills and video. Just make sure you invest in good lenses.

 

[guitarpreston]

Mirrorless seems to be the top dog but idk if I will use it enough to justify the cost or do all the necessary editing to get more out of it than a nice point and shoot

 

[Camera Land]

There are a few point and shoots that are excellent options. For small put it in your pocket camera the Canon SX740 with a 40x optical zoom is excellent and the new Nikon P1100 is big, but it has a 125x optical zoom

Of course the best option is a mirrorless camera. The key is, do you want the camera to be small and light weight or do you want the ultimate quality. Of course the budget you want to spend may control where you go.

The new Nikon Z50II is a great mirrorless camera. Weatherproof, image stabilization, fairly small and great lens options. We have 2 wilderness/birding options on our site. One has the Nikon 24-200 lens (equql to a 36mm-300mm in full frame terms). The other has the 28-400mm lens (40-600mm in full frame terms)

Take a look at them here

Shop Online | Camera Land NY

Shop Online | Camera Land NY

cameralandny.com

Of course if you give us a call make sure to mention Rokslide

As a sponsor here for many years we are always here to answer your questions and appreciate the support we receive

Thank you

Joel
516-217-1000

 

[RS_Non-Res]

Joel's ^^^ been helpful to me.
This site is owned by Amazon and has a really thorough system of buyers' guides (see pulldown lists in the banner): https://www.dpreview.com/

 

[JoeRjolin]

Since I use this type of equipment as my profession, I would say I have gone down "many a rabbit hole" in the last 5 years. I am no expert, and you may already know this info, but thought I would share.

I decided to go Sony right off the bat. I started with a Sony a6500 since it did 4k, but I found that I am a pixel peeper when it comes to photography, so eventually jumped up to a Sony a7III and now a7IV. I then needed a 4k 120fps for business videos and go the FX3. But as ElkBro mentioned above - it all lies in the lenses. I have both the GM 24-70 v2 and the GM 70-200 v2, (but also have many others....) and those are the best lenses I have ever used (for zoom lenses) and make taking pictures/video very enjoyable (minus the cost). That 70-200 lens got my son into sports photography (football and basketball) and even lands him a few side gigs.

As you are probably aware, every decision comes with a price. Weight, cost, size, etc. In terms of size to quality ratio, I would put it like this:

1. latest iPhone - best camera is the one you have. Takes decent photos, can shoot 4k video on the fly
2. Point & Click - I picked up a couple Sony Rx100's here on the classifieds. Kids use them, and they take great pictures (step above iphones in my opinion), and take great video as well. Choosing what RX100 series (mark 1-7) is another rabbit hole in itself....
3. APS-C series - step up from point and click. Decent lens selections, especially looking at Sigma 3rd party lenses. Not as big of a footprint to full-frame, but not quite as good of quality either (depends on what you are shooting, I am aware).
4. Full -frame - bigger, more expensive, but quality is top notch. There is a reason professionals use them.

Then there is the entire discussion of editing - Adobe lightroom for photos, premiere pro/final cut for video, etc, etc, etc.

I was in Boston on a family vacation a couple weeks back after a ski trip in New Hampshire. While doing some street photography, I had my Sony a7IV, oldest son shooting a Sony a7RIII, oldest daughter with the RX100 mark 7 (good zoom), youngest son his iphone 8, and my youngest daughter (10 years old) with a RX100 mark 5.

All of that and the picture I had blown up to hang on the wall from our trip was a selfie taken with my iphone 14.....

 

[guitarpreston]

Since I use this type of equipment as my profession, I would say I have gone down "many a rabbit hole" in the last 5 years. I am no expert, and you may already know this info, but thought I would share.

I decided to go Sony right off the bat. I started with a Sony a6500 since it did 4k, but I found that I am a pixel peeper when it comes to photography, so eventually jumped up to a Sony a7III and now a7IV. I then needed a 4k 120fps for business videos and go the FX3. But as ElkBro mentioned above - it all lies in the lenses. I have both the GM 24-70 v2 and the GM 70-200 v2, (but also have many others....) and those are the best lenses I have ever used (for zoom lenses) and make taking pictures/video very enjoyable (minus the cost). That 70-200 lens got my son into sports photography (football and basketball) and even lands him a few side gigs.

As you are probably aware, every decision comes with a price. Weight, cost, size, etc. In terms of size to quality ratio, I would put it like this:

1. latest iPhone - best camera is the one you have. Takes decent photos, can shoot 4k video on the fly
2. Point & Click - I picked up a couple Sony Rx100's here on the classifieds. Kids use them, and they take great pictures (step above iphones in my opinion), and take great video as well. Choosing what RX100 series (mark 1-7) is another rabbit hole in itself....
3. APS-C series - step up from point and click. Decent lens selections, especially looking at Sigma 3rd party lenses. Not as big of a footprint to full-frame, but not quite as good of quality either (depends on what you are shooting, I am aware).
4. Full -frame - bigger, more expensive, but quality is top notch. There is a reason professionals use them.

Then there is the entire discussion of editing - Adobe lightroom for photos, premiere pro/final cut for video, etc, etc, etc.

I was in Boston on a family vacation a couple weeks back after a ski trip in New Hampshire. While doing some street photography, I had my Sony a7IV, oldest son shooting a Sony a7RIII, oldest daughter with the RX100 mark 7 (good zoom), youngest son his iphone 8, and my youngest daughter (10 years old) with a RX100 mark 5.

All of that and the picture I had blown up to hang on the wall from our trip was a selfie taken with my iphone 14.....

I’m starting to lean towards a Sony 6100, 6400, or zv-e10.

 

[JoeRjolin]

Just my opinion - if you plan on using it more for video, then I would lean towards the zv-e10. If you lean more towards photography, I would lean towards the a6xxx series cameras like the 6400 (also has an external mic jack I believe, since the microphones aren't great for capturing audio) and some decent glass (sigma 16mm, and 18-55mm). Good luck!