Mickey Mantle Loc: New York City

Travel at least three times a year. Am considering switching from the two cameras I travel with, Nikon d 610 and 810, to a mirrorless system. Always bring two cameras when I travel. Am looking at the Sony full frame 7Rii and the half frame alpha a6000 with the 70-200 lens and the 16-70 Sony Zeiss lens. Is it worth an extra $1000 in getting the full frame with the half frame or two half frame cameras? That would only make it a difference of $1000.Would love some comments and opinions on this setup

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

I have both the D610 with several good autofocus Nikon prime and zoom lenses and the A7 II with a Leica adapter and Leica and Zeiss manual focus prime lenses but none of the autofocus or zoom lenses.

The resulting images are virtually the same for my purposes since my maximum print size is limited to 13x19 paper by my Epson 2880.

Even viewing on the screen at 100% they are nearly impossible to tell apart and the difference is primarily a function of the lens quality.

I would not agonize over strict ratings and scores. They only measure a few narrowly determined technical issues that may not be relevant to you.

The difference between the two systems is primarily in the functionality and weight. The lighter and smaller Sony combination is more convenient but not as easy to focus since the optical viewfinder of the Nikon is more familiar.

If you are accustomed to using zoom lenses and autofocus, the Nikon system might be better and you should have a wider selection of lenses. But if you plan to travel, the Sony system would make a smaller, lighter package.

Mickey Mantle Loc: New York City

Hi Scotty

Thanks. What do you think of this setup? Is it worth it spending an additional $1000 on the full frame Sony with the half frame a6000 or just get two half frames with these two lenses?

Thanks

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Others may not agree but I would go for the full frame and the best mid-range zoom I could afford. You can always add a longer zoom and some good wide to normal primes later.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Since you have full frame now, I would suggest you stick with it. Otherwise, you'll always be wondering if you should have gotten FF.

Go slowly into the Sony system, and make sure you like it before you give up Nikon. I tried the NEX cameras and lenses. I didn't like them, so I sold everything and went back to using my Nikons. It was the cameras, controls, and Menu system that I didn't like. The images were fine.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

The reviews I hve seen of the sony a7RII indicate that it may the best digital camera produced to date. I know people who are on the waiting list to get one and are selling their N & C eqipment.

As far IQ goes, you mentioned the a6000. I think you will find the a6000 produces great images. It has the same sensor as my a77m2. The a7 line and the a6000 use the same lenses so that is a good thing.

bpiekney Loc: Vienna, Virginia

I have the Nikon D750 with the 24-120 f4 and the a6000 with the Sony,Zeiss 16-70. I agree with the other comments to the effect the images are equally sharp and of a very high quality. I'm still on the fence in terms of which camera to bring on travel, though, because the functionality of the a6000 bothers me a bit. It'ssluggish to power up, slow to format, the menus are troublesome to navigate, but the shutter action is fine. The D750 is better, in my opinion, in all the other categories mentioned above. And there is the issue of the need for an after market flash, as the internal one on the a6000 leaves a shadow from the Zeiss lens. I think the solution is to have my wife carry the Sony and I'll stick with the D750!

Mickey Mantle Loc: New York City

It seems to me that I should travel with the Nikon D810 and the 70-200 2.8 with the Nikon 1.4 teleconerter and buy the Sony a600. With the Sony,Zeiss 16-70 and travel with both lenses. If I really like the Sony system then I can get a full frame to replace the D810. What do you think of that? Am going to New Zealand in the fall

bpiekney Loc: Vienna, Virginia

You know, Mickey, it's really a very personal choice. Given the terrific photo opportunities in New Zealand, I sure would want to have all the best coverage options available. Personally, I think that in a few years the availability of mature and reasonably priced mirrorless compacts with offer a lot more choices. I have a friend who recently bought the Sony/Zeiss long telephoto for his a7000, and was shocked at its size and weight. Sort of minimized the advantages of using the smaller camera! If nothing else, the New Zealand trip should tell you a lot about which camera you prefer after hauling them both along!

ralphc4176 Loc: Conyers, GA

I have two Sony full-frame cameras and two Sony crop sensor cameras. I prefer the full-frame when I am taking photos where the minutest detail may become important. For less critical shooting, the lighter weight of a crop-sensor camera and the associated lens are a benefit. Unless you are making quite large prints from the images, I don't believe you would notice any significant difference in image quality. I have various lenses for both body styles, but I find that a fast zoom lens in the 24-70 mm range (for the full-frame cameras) is the lens I use 99 percent of the time.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

For travel you can get everything with the a6000 in my opinion. The 16-70 has had some pretty dismal reviews. Not a lens in my future, especially the mediocre performance at $1K price point.
Suggest going slowly and looking at 3 options which you may have already:

1. a6000 - with 16-50 kit lens. Camera and lens can fit into a large pocket. (about $650-$700)
2. Same as above and add the Sony 70-200 f/4. One of their best offerings at a competitive price. (about $2200) but perhaps not a best choice for travel?
3. Same as #1 - buy a Fotodiox adapter (has AF, but a tad slower then no adapter) and use any / all Nikon lenses.
(about $800).

Love the hype of the a7rII, but a little early for me to decide. Would wait a bit on this one. Worst case - you will still own a killer travel camera with the a6000.
The slow start up is fixed via a firmware update on the a6000. Menu is different, but workable and takes a bit of education. Harder to use if you are using two different systems in my opinion. You may want to consider concentrating on lighter/smaller lenses for travel if that is important. Like my a6000 a lot, but not ready to give up the Canons just yet. Perhaps a future a7000 or even the a7rII will change that, pending a lottery win! lol

bpiekney Loc: Vienna, Virginia

Thanks for the tip on the a6000 firmware update. The procedure is actually fairly simple, it's just Sony's youtube instructions that are onerous...

smcbrayer Loc: Florida

If you are a member at Sam's Club, they are offering the Sony a6000 in a bundle for $849. It includes 2 lenses, 18-55mm and 55-210mm. You can order online and have it shipped to you or find it in a local warehouse.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

The A7RII is going to be the highest image quality digital camera ever made... bar none.

The price WILL drop in 6 months after the camera's release, so that should be your target.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

The key question for me is standardization. Sony has a long history of making proprietary products mandatory. My a6000 was a pretty good camera, but you had to use a Sony flash. And if you were doing video, you had to use a Sony microphone (which was not very good). This is not only in the cameras, they do the same kind of thing with camcorders. For a long time they only let you use their own memory-sticks (Now you can use sdcards).