Sony A6000 successor vs. Fuji xT1 (Page 2): Jim_in_Plymouth wrote /..../ I have learned one thing since starting on the learning curve, I came to the conclusion that I did not buy a...

Toment Loc: FL, IL

Jim_in_Plymouth wrote
/..../

I have learned one thing since starting on the learning curve, I came to the conclusion that I did not buy a camera. I bought a computer that accepts a variety of lenses.

Good luck and enjoy.[/quote]

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

as I mentioned previously, I go to a rodeo a year and was looking for a way to lighten my load; bought a Lumix Gx7 with 100-300 and 9-18 used on eBay to try out at the Tucson Rodeo; however, am taking about a week driving tour of northern AZ, so, am still dragging my D600 etc with me

dfrost01 Loc: Princeton, NJ

Jim_In_Plymouth wrote:

In the true tradition of UHH I am going to mention... (show quote)

Thanks. I do own the Olympus OM-D EM5 but I don't like it. It does take nice photos but the whole thing feels flimsy to me and, like you, I'm having trouble getting it to become second nature even though I've used it quite a big. Also, it's not good in low light.

dfrost01 Loc: Princeton, NJ

Tigger1 wrote:

Hi dfrost01; I have been to both Alaska and Africa so may be able to give a few suggestions. What type of pictures do you want to take? i.e. landscapes, animal both big and small, birds in flight? In the case of Africa, what countries will you be visiting? I ask that question simply because it may well influence what lenses you choose to take with your final camera choice.
Best regards,
Garth

I'm going to Alaska to photograph the Grizzly Bears. In Africa, I'll be spending a week in each of Botswana, Namibia, and Kenya. I'm not into birds. I'll be going to capture photos of the animals, and in the case of Namibia, the indigenous people and the sand dunes.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

dfrost01 wrote:

I'm going to Alaska to photograph the Grizzly Bears. In Africa, I'll be spending a week in each of Botswana, Namibia, and Kenya. I'm not into birds. I'll be going to capture photos of the animals, and in the case of Namibia, the indigenous people and the sand dunes.

You're going to have a very fun time in both Africa and Alaska. Guess you could call it your "Double-A Tour." Have fun. Then post the evidence.

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

headed to Churchill CA at end of Oct to photo polar bears; really excited; looks like tem will be about 25, and photog leading trip says he just wears jeans outdoors; guess I'll take my D7100 and 28-300, and Lumix Gx7 with 100-300; has anyone done this / has experience with this ? doesn't look like I need to go buy a weather sealed body, etc.

dfrost01 Loc: Princeton, NJ

MT Shooter wrote:

The official word I got from Sony at CES this year is that NO A6000 successor is currently in the works, the recent firmware update they released supposedly increased the cameras functions significantly so no near future update is planned.

This is interesting because I was at B&H yesterday and the National Sales Manager told me that if there's a successor soon to be released for the 6000, it would happen in April and would probably be priced around $1500 for the body. If it doesn't happen in April, then who knows. For them to more than double the price of the camera, I would expect some considerable upgrades. He said it would probably be 32MP. Beyond that, he couldn't speculate. I would hope that they would add image stabilization and auto-focus when used with Canon lenses. Frankly, he suggested I get the 6000 now and that it would be adequate for my needs. Maybe I'll just wait until April to make a decision. My first trip is in July.

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

i bought the Lumix Gx7 after much deliberation because I find it easier to have / use a VF; hopefully the successor to the A6000 will have one / option to have one; of course, the A6000 might drop in price a little, but if the successor is as expensive as one projects, they might not

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

dfrost01 wrote:

This is interesting because I was at B&H yeste... (show quote)

I would have to ask how a $1500 body could be a "successor" to a $500 body?

The A6000 has been on the market for less than 2 years, it was intended to replace the NEX series of cameras eventually. 2 years is not a long life span for a successful product. Its all about economics, they have to sell enough cameras to become profitable by corporate standards, the more they sell, the more profitable the line becomes. Sony sells a LOT of the A6000, to replace a successful product while sales are still high is not a good corporate move.
Once sales have started a decline and inventories are reducing, then a successor will be a natural follow-up. No doubt the specs and design of that successor are already established, but only Sony knows for sure exactly when it will be marketed.

Tigger1 Loc: Surrey, BC Canada

dfrost01 wrote:

I'm going to Alaska to photograph the Grizzly Bears. In Africa, I'll be spending a week in each of Botswana, Namibia, and Kenya. I'm not into birds. I'll be going to capture photos of the animals, and in the case of Namibia, the indigenous people and the sand dunes.

Hi dfrost01, I 'm not going to comment on the camera body selections, as I have no experience with either of your selections, besides saying get what feels best in your hands. Lenses: Alaska grizzles, I have used both my 70-300 and my 200-500 depending on the range I was shooting with my 1.5 crop sensor cameras. For Africa I carried my 18-200 walk around lens, but also used my 70-300 and my 200-500. My 200-500 is usually mounted on my D7200 while my lighter bodied D5100 is a backup with either the 18-200 or 70-300 mounted. Vast majority of my trips in either location were via safari vehicle, canoe, boat in Africa or ATV, canoe, SUV or boat in Alaska. Therefore weight was not a big concern for me. If any walking/hiking involved such as gorilla trekking in Rwanda, then the D5100 with the 18-200. I will not/cannot make specific lens recommendations for you as I lack any experience regarding your chosen camera format but hope my experiences will help you make appropriate lens selections given your chosen fields of endeavour and subject matter. In Africa you will be travelling most of the time on very dusty roads and dirt tracks, so do try to keep your camera equipment protected from the fine almost flour like dust from penetrating your camera and lenses. Keep lens swaps to a minimum if possible! I take an assortment of clear plastic bags to slip over my cameras and attached lenses when not actually using the cameras, just to reduce dust build up on the gear. Tripods or monopods did/do not work well for me bouncing around in a safari vehicle, canoe or boat, but I have used a small bean bag effectively to reduce camera shake.

I have two other suggestions of a non-photographic nature for you:
1) dress in drab (non-camouflage) loose fitting clothing particularly in Africa - less likely to attract all those biting insects that are attracted to bright colours, especially bright blue! Bug spray sort of works- sort of!
2) do ensure all your inoculations are up to date at least 60 days before you go to Africa, particularly Yellow Fever!!!

You will have a great time both in Alaska and in each of the three countries in Africa! I wish you all the best and do post some photos when you return from each trip, I will be waiting and watching. Best regards, Garth

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Reinaldokool wrote:

The other thing the a6000 has is a third party book by David Busch. (The Gary Friedman book, which I bought is better than nothing, but not good.)

.

I endorse the book comparison. Friedman spends to much time on opinion. But Busch is not that much better on that respect. One advantage is borh books can be downloaded to an iPad or other tablet. What is missing in the book department is the hip pocket quick quide for those 'not used much' features/controls. You know those situations - you are on a wind swept precipice before a spectacular never seen before scene and you need that perfect camera setting now and one hand is holding the tripod stready. How can one learn 'photographic' memory.

Tigger1 Loc: Surrey, BC Canada

Ed Chu wrote:

headed to Churchill CA at end of Oct to photo polar bears; really excited; looks like tem will be about 25, and photog leading trip says he just wears jeans outdoors; guess I'll take my D7100 and 28-300, and Lumix Gx7 with 100-300; has anyone done this / has experience with this ? doesn't look like I need to go buy a weather sealed body, etc.

I envy you Ed! I assume shooting grizzly, brown and black bears in Western Canada is similar to shooting polar bear in Churchill, Manitoba and it appears you have the right camera/lens selections for the task at hand. All the best, Garth

RickM1950 Loc: Davenport, IA

A6000 is the only camera I own. It is amazing. I have taken over 20k photos in the last 10 months. I am still learning. See examples below.

Monday's Sunset 50 miles north of St Louis

(Download)

Restored Barn

(Download)

Blue Bird

(Download)

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

I have the Sony a6000, Olympus M-5 and Olympus M-10. All are excellent cameras, excellent images and all are reliable and reasonably easy to use after the initial setup. My favorite is the a6000 for its ease of use and the way it fits in my hands . I briefly owned the Fuji EX-2 camera but didn't like the image quality- whether it was the kit lens or what I don't know (I know, my experience was not the norm).

However for a trip to Alaska/ Africa I would choose a weather sealed camera with weather sealed lenses to combat the potential for dusty and wet conditions. That leaves out the M-10 and the a6000.

With the mirrorless cameras there is very little choice for long lenses which I think would be a concern for your destination. Panasonic/Olympus appear to have the most weather sealed, long lens choices - 40-150 Pro lens with 1.4 tele converter or the new Panasonic 100-400 mm weather sealed lens- not light and not cheap. The 12-40 mm Pro lens would be a good choice for wide and fast.

You might consider a weather resistant super zoom point and shoot for your long shots( if there such a thing) and a mirrorless for all else.

Or look at Pentax-

tdekany Loc: Oregon

dfrost01 wrote:

Thanks. I do own the Olympus OM-D EM5 but I don't like it. It does take nice photos but the whole thing feels flimsy to me and, like you, I'm having trouble getting it to become second nature even though I've used it quite a big. Also, it's not good in low light.

what lenses are you using at night with the em5?