Light "all purpose" camera
dmagett
Loc: Albuquerque NM/Sedona AZ
Looking for suggestions... I currently use a Sony A850 (28-135mm Minolta, 20mm Sony, 50mm Minolta macro). also use a Nikon P7700.
I mainly shoot landscapes, but, I like to shoot movies of our agility dog. I use the Nikon for that. I absolutely dislike using the screen in sunlight.
To replace both of the above I would like something light (getting too old to lug the Sony around), must have viewfinder, RAW ability, take decent movies and also use for landscapes.
Budget not a problem.
Hi fello Sony user. My current light, all around camera is a Canon SX 50, 24-1200mm zoom. It weighs less than half of my Sony a65 or 1/3 of my a99ll. Now discontinued and replace by the SX60. I would seriously look at the Sony RX10 lll 24-600mm Zeiss lens. Or the Sony HX400V also a 50x Zeiss lens. All three of thes cameras are smaller and lighter than your a850 with equal or better image quality. The Sony cameras have far superior movie modes. All have viewfinder as well as large viewing screens. They operate very similar to your a850 so they won't require a long learning curve. Happy shooting
I would suggest a Sony a6500 crop sensor mirrorless camera. It has an E-mount body that is different than your Sony A-mount a850. This is a compact camera that should not weigh you down while traveling. You can also use your Minolta and A-mount lenses with proper adapters on it.. This camera sells new for about $1500. Another option would be the lesser expensive Sony a6000. Read the specs of each camera, and determine what is best for you. Do not consider the a6300. That camera had an overheating problem in Video Mode, that may or may not have been corrected by a firmware. Good luck.
The cell phone isn't light and cost more than $500 but if you are going to buy and carry a cell phone anyway then the weight and cost of the camera is nothing. The cell phone camera is really an all purpose camera.
I think it's 80/20 but whether the photographer or the camera should get the higher credit I wouldn't know.
A light all-rounder? Has to be MFT - small for travel - interchangeable lenses - EVF - superb images - have a look at Panasonic or Olympus. Lots of reviews on the Net.
Canon Sx50 or SX60 I have the 50 and was happy with the results still use it today
I have the Sony RX10III and love it, you have pretty much everything you will need on board, great zoom movies, seems to be well built. A little costly, but you get what you pay for. I am very happy and I think you would be to.
I just sold my Nikon gear, D810 and pro lenses, and bought a Sony a6500. It meets your parameters, and does great shots, movies, etc. I little short on lenses, but the 28-105 I have on it does most of what I need. Just looking for a good, light, cheap (pick 2) telephoto and I will never buy anything again. Well, maybe a speedlight. At 78 and shaky hands, I need to think of the effort I put in to get thousands of photos, and let them sit on my computer. Both examples SOOC from a moving tour bus.
dmagett wrote:
Looking for suggestions... I currently use a Sony A850 (28-135mm Minolta, 20mm Sony, 50mm Minolta macro). also use a Nikon P7700.
I mainly shoot landscapes, but, I like to shoot movies of our agility dog. I use the Nikon for that. I absolutely dislike using the screen in sunlight.
To replace both of the above I would like something light (getting too old to lug the Sony around), must have viewfinder, RAW ability, take decent movies and also use for landscapes.
Budget not a problem.
I second the RX100iii. I just got one a month ago for when I can't carry a full sized camera and it does a great job in most situations. The 1" sensor won't be great for huge prints of your landscapes, but it can still render some fine detail.
Light weight and versatile !! To me, that's the LUMIX® DMC-ZS20 14.1 Megapixel Digital Camera, 24mm Ultra Wide Angle LEICA DC Lens with Powerful 20x Optical Zoom, Full HD Video Recording with Stereo Microphone, 0.1sec Light Speed AF
A bit more in size, weight but better, is the Sony RX10 again useful in most situations and without the complexity/etc of dSLR's.
I'm 86, shoot a Canon 5d with a variety of lens. Works for me and I sometimes carry it (plus a lens or two) for an hour or two, walking at a spaniel field trial or riding at a horseback shooting dog trial. My equipment is not light but It's not too heavy, at least for me and I never did any muscle building exercise once I got out of the army in 1954. I guess that I would claim to be in average condition for someone my age. Or maybe even average minus. If I'm going to a walking trial, I do to start to walking some a month or so before the trial so maybe I do a little "muscle building" in advance. Maybe when (IF) I reach 90 I will suffer a loss of strength but I'm hoping that won't happen. I mean loss of strength, NOT reaching 90 as I would certainly like to get there (plus maybe even another year or three)! <g>
Not to disagree with any comments, but I would like to see some examples. In my examples above, download the pix and expand to look at faces. Remember, SOOC from a moving bus hand held. I can identify faces from a block away. Oh, and the whole kit weighs only 2 lbs.
All of a sudden everyone is too weak to carry a camera. What next will someone think of to complain about. The weight of my cameras has never come to my mind.
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