Buying a new camera

[Rockers]

I`m itching to get a new digital camera, the last one I bought was the Lumix GF1.
The choice of products is rather overwhelming though but I managed to cut it down to a handful of options. Would love to stay within the $2000 range max incl. a lense.
These are the models I`ve picked so far

Lumix GH4
Nikon D750
Sony Alpha 7 II
Canon EOS 7D mark II
Canon EOS 8000D

The Lumix appeals to me a lot and the fact that we have already two lenses for a Lumix camera makes if the front runner so far. But at this stage I would not want to exclude the other cameras either. Sometimes a change might be a good thing.
If you guys can offer some advise or feedback that would be great.

[willy35]

The best review and forum about camera gear is dpreview.

Depending how picky you are, lens is very important and can cost more than the body...

Anyway I am a canon guy hence would chose EOS 7D 

users review :
lumix GH4 --> http://www.dpreview.com/products/panasonic/slrs/panasonic_dmcgh4/user-reviews
Nikon D750 --> http://www.dpreview.com/products/nikon/slrs/nikon_d750/user-reviews
Sony Alpha 7 II --> http://www.dpreview.com/products/sony/slrs/sony_a7_ii/user-reviews
Canon EOS 7D mark II --> http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/slrs/canon_eos7dii/user-reviews
Canon EOS 8000D  --> http://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/slrs/canon_eos760d/user-reviews

[GKitson]

Most modern electronics will do the job, I think the most important part is how it feels in your hands.

Balance, weight, carrying options, available accessories, how fast it images/shoots, etc.

Come to think of it the same considerations for a firearm purchase.

~Kitson

[blue moon]

prices in US are significantly lower then the rest of the world now. It might be worth buying it here.

What are you going to do with the camera? Is it for stills only or will you need video? Are you looking to shoot stuff that moves fast or do you like the landscapes better? The list you made has cameras with many different strengths and weaknesses.

Sony currently has best sensors.
Nikon has the best bodies for stills.
Canon has the best lenses.
Lumix is best for the video.

I've been shooting Canon since the 80's. So once you pick the brand, you should stick with it. The bodies go up and down, sometimes Nikon is on top next year (Canon is releasing next generation) Canon will probably be better. As I understand it, over all, as a system, Canon still has a slight edge over Nikon.

Depending how picky you get, full frame is better than crop cameras. If all you are going to do is print small postcard sized images and post on the web, you'd be hard pressed to see the difference between the sensor sizes, but if you really get into it, bigger sensor is much better. Think of it as a Diamondback and Sportsman. To an outsider they are the same, to any one of us that know, we get the advantages of the better press.

so back to what you should get and why. . .
If you like fast moving stuff, 7DmkII beats all of the others. It has the second best focusing system from any camera on the market right now. At 10 frames per second, you can pick the best shot in the series and get the moment ball was released rather than being,oh so close. The tracking system in the autofocus is almost too complicated. Again, short of $5k body, there is nothing on the market that can compete with it, not even close.

For stuff that does not move as much or where the low light quality is more important, Canon 6D and Nikon 750 will do very well.Until few months ago, 6D had the Canon's bets sensor. The autofocus on it is very primitive, but if all you are using is the center point then it works very well.

So, going back to what do you want to do with it?

pierre

p.s. end of the year is close and almost everything will be available discounted. Wait a month or so before you buy.

[jvanick]

I've been a canon guy since the manual FTb and then moved into the EOS Elan series... since then, I've had a 10D, 30D, and now a 6D... the lenses from the Elan series still work to this day, and i've gotten some much nicer glass as time has gone on (L series for you photo buffs).

When I pick up a Nikon, I can't find any of the functions, and it just feels clumsy to me.... on the Canon's, I can pick up a film body, and still know almost instantly how to adjust it, as the 'core' doesn't change much over the years, things just get better.

If you have nice glass (lenses), it's best to pick a 'system' and stay with it.

Personally, I like the full-frame sensors these days as they tend to have really good low-light performance, and it's easy to zoom, not so easy to go wider in some cases.

[mimosatexas]

Also a Canon guy because my dad was and would give me his old gear when he upgraded. Any top tier new or last Gen canon or nikon is a good bet. They can all do HD video now as well. Definitely pick one brand, get a good deal on a body and from then on just focus on getting good lenses. Only upgrade the body when some new feature comes out that you realllllly want.

[Rockers]

prices in US are significantly lower then the rest of the world now. It might be worth buying it here.

What are you going to do with the camera? Is it for stills only or will you need video? Are you looking to shoot stuff that moves fast or do you like the landscapes better? The list you made has cameras with many different strengths and weaknesses.

Sony currently has best sensors.
Nikon has the best bodies for stills.
Canon has the best lenses.
Lumix is best for the video.

I've been shooting Canon since the 80's. So once you pick the brand, you should stick with it. The bodies go up and down, sometimes Nikon is on top next year (Canon is releasing next generation) Canon will probably be better. As I understand it, over all, as a system, Canon still has a slight edge over Nikon.

Depending how picky you get, full frame is better than crop cameras. If all you are going to do is print small postcard sized images and post on the web, you'd be hard pressed to see the difference between the sensor sizes, but if you really get into it, bigger sensor is much better. Think of it as a Diamondback and Sportsman. To an outsider they are the same, to any one of us that know, we get the advantages of the better press.

so back to what you should get and why. . .
If you like fast moving stuff, 7DmkII beats all of the others. It has the second best focusing system from any camera on the market right now. At 10 frames per second, you can pick the best shot in the series and get the moment ball was released rather than being,oh so close. The tracking system in the autofocus is almost too complicated. Again, short of $5k body, there is nothing on the market that can compete with it, not even close.

For stuff that does not move as much or where the low light quality is more important, Canon 6D and Nikon 750 will do very well.Until few months ago, 6D had the Canon's bets sensor. The autofocus on it is very primitive, but if all you are using is the center point then it works very well.

So, going back to what do you want to do with it?

pierre

p.s. end of the year is close and almost everything will be available discounted. Wait a month or so before you buy.

I`ll use it mainly for my hiking excursions but as well for shop related things like product shots. Would like to be able to do some shop videos too though.  I really don`t like if it`s too light and small.

[blue moon]

I would skip the Lumix and Sony, nothing wrong with them, just the systems are small so if you decide to add some capabilities you'll be stuck.

Between the Canon and Nikon, I would choose Canon but I am partial to it since I've been using it for so long. Not sure about Nikon 750 video capabilities, but for stills it is probably the best body in the bunch. Canon has an advantage with warranty. Nikon in US will not service imported bodies even if you want to pay for it. Let me stress this out, if your imported Nikon dies, you can NOT get it fixed!!! My understanding is that they take a hard line on buying out of country of residence. If buying in Japan and servicing there this will not be a problem.

Canon is available at ridiculously low prices here in US and they still service those gray market cameras and will even repair under warranty (free of charge). They are a much bigger company and seem to have the resources to take care of the consumer much better. Maybe not quite at the M&R level, but not far behind. Their turn around is very fast (with my priority handling account they had the camera back to me in less than 24 hours from when they received it. Yes, they shipped it back overnight at their expense! Standard turn around seems to be 3-5 days compared to Nikon's 30 days or more). Canon's lenses are slightly better and they have types that Nikon does not offer, but again, we are talking about professional grade stuff here).

Here's the breakdown of Canon's offering.
6D- full frame sensor, great pictures will shoot video but only with manual focusing (which is standard for video with DSLR). Paired with a 24-105 f/4 L would be my first choice. This was my first high end camera.
7DmkII- smaller sensor (crop). It has a lot of bells and whistles! It will shoot video with autofocus, one of only two that will. Image quality on professional level is not quite as good as the full frame sensor cameras, but I doubt you'd see the difference. It has the best build quality of the sub $2K cameras. It will shoot 10 frames per second and has a phenomenal focusing system. I have one of these too. It complements the 6D and is used for sports primarily.
70D-smaller sensor and slightly smaller body size. This is a medium/normal sized camera or what you'd expect an SLR to be. Two above are slightly larger and if you have big hands will fit better. 70D is not small or even smallish though. It also has autofocus during video (not as good as the 7DmkII) and is an excellent entry into the SLR market. Combined with the 18-135 kit lens it is a great way for a hobby photographer to cover most anything. I would add a 50mm 1.8 STM lens to it and you can have it shipped to Japan for under $1200 which is a ballpark price for the above bodies without a lens. Unless you are really going to get serious about photography, this is your best bang for the buck. This is NOT a low end camera as there are two more levels of SLR below it.
8000D- It is the entry level camera. It is slightly smaller than the medium size bodies, but not by much. I would skip it as 70D is a better choice for about the same amount of money. 

For $2K I would chose the 6D with a 24-105 f/4L and focus manually for videos. It will do cinema grade video, but you have to learn to use it. For quick recording for youtube, use your iphone or buy a cheap camcorder (which would put you right around $2k for the package). The only downside to this is slightly weaker focusing performance. Upside is best image quality under $3K bodies, WiFi, GPS, better low light performance, proper crop ratio of the full frame sensor and so on. You will not be able to use the cheaper EF-S lenses as they are not compatible with this type of sensor. If you are just going to take the pictures and not spend another 15-30 minutes in photoshop or lightroom tweaking them, this is probably too much camera for you.

If you don't think you will be getting super serious about photography, I'd pick up the 70D and save a LOT of money. It might be too much camera even for just hobby type shooting, but at least it gives you the option to grow into it. The only downside to this is that if you do get really serious, you will probably end up selling everything you have to move up.


pierre

[mimosatexas]

I would go with the 7D or 70D honestly.  Focus on getting lenses to expand the capabilities of the camera (sports, landscapes, product photos, etc all benefit from much different lenses).  If you get super serious later, you can keep this as your everyday/travel kit, and use your nicer kit for specific projects.

[abchung]

Sony guy here. I strongly suggest you look into the Alphas. The mirrorless systems gives  fast autofocus, fast frames per second, great video mode,and electronic view finder will help in manual mode.
YouTube what the A7 can do.....

Also I believe Sony produce sensors for the other brands.



Sent from my SM-G900H using Tapatalk

[blue moon]

Sony guy here. I strongly suggest you look into the Alphas. The mirrorless systems gives  fast autofocus, fast frames per second, great video mode,and electronic view finder will help in manual mode.
YouTube what the A7 can do.....

Also I believe Sony produce sensors for the other brands.

Sent from my SM-G900H using Tapatalk

some of the new Sony stuff is GREAT! They make the best sensor on the market and Nikon is putting them in their cameras. Another reason why I didn't suggest Sony is because he said he does not want a smaller sized camera.

pierre

[blue moon]

I would go with the 7D or 70D honestly.  Focus on getting lenses to expand the capabilities of the camera (sports, landscapes, product photos, etc all benefit from much different lenses).  If you get super serious later, you can keep this as your everyday/travel kit, and use your nicer kit for specific projects.

agreed, with a slight preference to 70D due to the price. If he'd like something a little better, 7DmkII would work, I just don't know that a hobby photographer will see much difference considering the amount spent.

As many here have pointed out, if you get serious about it, body will be less of a concern. They come and go while the lenses stay with you through several generations of bodies. Think of the lenses as the screen/ink system and the bodies as your press. As you grow and time goes by, you will print on several different presses. New models come out and have new bells and whistles, but a 10-20 year old press will still produce award winning work. Glass is like your ink/screen system. You have to use the right combination to get the right results. And as you change the presses you will still pick the 305 for fine detail work, and high opacity ink for printing on darks and poly ink to stop bleeding. The presses come and go, but your screen/ink system is with you for a while. . .

pierre

[Rockers]

Sony guy here. I strongly suggest you look into the Alphas. The mirrorless systems gives  fast autofocus, fast frames per second, great video mode,and electronic view finder will help in manual mode.
YouTube what the A7 can do.....

Also I believe Sony produce sensors for the other brands.

Sent from my SM-G900H using Tapatalk

some of the new Sony stuff is GREAT! They make the best sensor on the market and Nikon is putting them in their cameras. Another reason why I didn't suggest Sony is because he said he does not want a smaller sized camera.

pierre

Actually after taking a closer look at the options, yes sometimes I manage to leave the shop early, I decided it will be either a Sony a7 II or the Panasonic Lumix GX8. When do prices start dropping before Christmas? Just asking as I will buy online from the States, these 2 cameras are not available with English display options here in Japan.

[abchung]

Actually after taking a closer look at the options, yes sometimes I manage to leave the shop early, I decided it will be either a Sony a7 II or the Panasonic Lumix GX8. When do prices start dropping before Christmas? Just asking as I will buy online from the States, these 2 cameras are not available with English display options here in Japan.

Becareful if you are buying from overseas. When I was working for Sony 4 years ago in Australia,  a lot of people did not realise Sony does not offer global warranty. They offer a designated ONE country warranty. We had crap loads of unhappy customers walking out the door because they purchased their computers online shops in USA or Hong Kong.

So before you hand over any money, ask for a warranty form for you country.

[blue moon]

Sony guy here. I strongly suggest you look into the Alphas. The mirrorless systems gives  fast autofocus, fast frames per second, great video mode,and electronic view finder will help in manual mode.
YouTube what the A7 can do.....

Also I believe Sony produce sensors for the other brands.

Sent from my SM-G900H using Tapatalk

some of the new Sony stuff is GREAT! They make the best sensor on the market and Nikon is putting them in their cameras. Another reason why I didn't suggest Sony is because he said he does not want a smaller sized camera.

pierre

Actually after taking a closer look at the options, yes sometimes I manage to leave the shop early, I decided it will be either a Sony a7 II or the Panasonic Lumix GX8. When do prices start dropping before Christmas? Just asking as I will buy online from the States, these 2 cameras are not available with English display options here in Japan.

fine cameras which will do well as long as you don't take it beyond entry level. If you get serious about photography, Nikon and Canon are still the only ones with the needed tools (specialized lenses, flash systems, support and so on).

pierre