New DSLR

I'm looking to buy a new camera - I have a Canon D60 that I bought back in 2011 so I guess it's time for an upgrade. No Hasselblad - too expensive. I'm reading good things about Sony but I don't trust their quality. I've been burned by too many of their products.

Usually a Canon guy but what else do you all recommend (Canon is fine too)? Looking in the $2k or less range.

 

$2k all in with lenses, 2k just for a body? Lots of options (and prices) in the detachable lens camera space. If you’re already invested in an ecosystem of lenses, that’s a pretty compelling reason to stick with canon.

Not sure if your Sony “burns” have been camera-specific, but overall they’ve got a really good track record with their cameras.

Mirrorless bodies (like Sony) can reduce some weight and size, but most lenses still make up most of the size of your whole setup. And the focal length is different on a mirrorless body so existing lenses won’t have the same equivalent frame size as they do on a traditional DSLR (similar to how a “full frame” vs the cropped sensors react). That is the reason mirrorless bodies have gone to new mounting patterns (though you can get adapters for old lenses).

Mirrorless battery life is pretty short relative to a traditional mirrored body - powering the EVF takes more juice. But that EVF also gives you a preview of the actual recorded picture as opposed to what you physically see through the lens. Hard to describe, but sobering to note.

I’ve got several friends that shoot pro and semi-pro. A couple have Sony a7’s (various vintages), a couple run Nikon, and one runs canon. They all take amazing pictures - it’s the person taking the picture that determines how good the picture is. They all know their gear, know what the quirks and the features are, and know how to make the most of it.

FWIW, we just unloaded all of our Nikon gear (I lost interest about 10 years ago, and my wife prefers a small compact camera for her long hiking trips to reduce weight). My daughter is getting into photography and digital arts, and we’re looking at helping her get set up with a Sony - just figuring out which of the a7 models we’re willing to go in half for.

 

I have a mirror less Fuji and it’s been pretty good. But....as already mentioned if you already have lenses then it makes sense to stay with canon. I have more in lenses and filters than I do in the camera.

2k is a good budget for a body only. Eos 6d is full frame and about 1300ish new

 

I was a Nikon guy for a long time. Owned a D60, D90, D700. Then tried a Fujifilm X100S cuz I heard so much about mirrorless and didn’t wanna carry all my stuff. Used it on a 3 week Europe trip and the image quality was amazing. Now I have a Fujifilm X100T and XT2. Sold all my Nikons.

The mirrorless are really game changers imho. Smaller, lighter, great image quality, and Fujifilms are solidly built. Battery life usually less than mirrored DSLRs though. Anyway, my vote is for Fujifilm. It may also help to tell what you shoot for and what you like shooting. Hobby? Pro? Street? Landscape? Portraits?

 

Thanks @RainMan_PNW, @eick, and @kanger328!

I guess it's $2k for body and lens if I don't go with Canon or $2k if I stay with the Canon. I minored in Photography back in the earlier 2000's which was interesting because we started with SLR's, film, and darkrooms and then halfway through the program, digital was really kicking ass so we switched.

I mostly take outdoor nature pics because I hate dealing with people. I have been known to take portraits but it's rare and usually as a favor to somebody who can't afford wedding pics or senior photos. It's been a while though and I'd like to get back into it again. Mostly this will be "high-end" hobby if that makes sense.

I'm hoping to find some time today to read through some Photography mags and see what the hell I've missed (kinda feels like coming out of Basic Training after 12 weeks and learning about all the shit that happened in the world while you were in the dark).

I know I'm looking for something with a full-frame sensor and something that's reliable. Canon if they are still near the top for quality. I'm willing to switch it up if not.

 

Go canon and keep your lenses that you already have. That’s the biggest cost anyway

 

I'm really leaning towards going a little over budget and getting the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Anybody have any experience with District Camera & Imaging? I don't want to end up with a Grey Market camera.

 

I’d stick to adorama or bh photo

 

I have a 1dx mkii and a 5d mkiv. The 5d is really good. Canon has the best color IMO.

 

I have an EOS 7D that I've had around 10 years. It takes great photos. The only problem I've had was I bent a memory card pin inside it when I replaced it once. I couldn't understand how it got bent since there's no play in the card slot when inserting it. Fortunately I was able to get it fixed locally. I bought an extra high capacity card so I will never really need to remove it. Another issue I sometimes have, I get some format issues when using my telephoto lens. I'm unable to see the photo in the camera's preview window. I might have to get an external card reader but that would require removing the card.

 

I was thinking about it whilst I showered and it occurred to me that I still have my little Rebel DSLR from 2003 and I'll have the 60D - both are running great and I've only needed to replace the batteries. That being said, I'm pretty excited to stick with the Canon family. I remember wanting a 5D back in the day but it just wasn't in the budget.

I'm really looking forward to the wifi/BT transfer. My stepdaughter is graduating from my Alma Mater with her Masters in a few weeks and wants me to do a photo shoot for her so it'll come in handy then. I can take pics and then we can view them on the iPad pro.

My next purchase will be a decent telephoto lens.

 

All my lenses are Canon. I can even use the very basic lens on my 7D that is from my old 35mm SLR Canon EOS Rebel IIS.

 

At this point, I'd go mirrorless. The entire infrastructure is going in that direction and Canon at least is starting to drop its dslr lenses.

You can keep the lenses and use them with an adapter on the mirrorless and they work just as well. Then upgrade to the rf lenses as you can.

If you were considering the mkIV then you should consider the R6. Yes, a lot less res but the R5 is... expensive. We'll see what they do to prices of the R5 when the R3 comes out. I'm not expecting a budget pricing on that one. lol. I'm still on my 70d but my next will be more money spent and mirrorless.

 

I do professional photography and use a Canon 5Dm4. I love it, added with the battery grip. It is a little big that way and can be heavy, especially when using the 70-200 2.8, but I still wouldn't trade it for anything. You get use to it and now if I used something smaller, I feel like I'd brake it, ha. Another option would be the 6Dm2. It's a great camera and save you some money over the 5D. You could always go mirrorless with the R6, but I'm going to hold off on that as long as possible. I'm sure it's legit and does great, but I feel like it's really a fad right now.

Here is my website if you are curious how the 5D is. www.wesatkinsonphotography.com
**BTW, I really need to update my website, ha.

I'm not the best, but think I do alright, ha.

 

I like this guy and trust his reviews (he gets paid by links on his site, not for reviews as far as I know) and he goes in depth:

https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-Mirrorless-Camera-Reviews.aspx

 

I was comparing the 5D with the 7D when I got mine and went with the 7D since it was very similar and even better in some features. The image differences were too subtle to me and the 7D was less expensive. I'm no professional so the 7D was for me.

 

That's a really nice site with nice pics. I see a lot of photographers around here doing the cheesy looking pics, especially for senior photos but yours are really classy. Now you've really made me want to get out and take pics again.

 

Thanks, I really appreciate that. It's not my full time job, but it sure feels like it sometimes, ha. Right now has been super busy, I'm ready for some down time, ha. But yeah, I know what you mean by the cheesy stuff. It's that or photos are completely orange. Yuck.. Ha.

 

So as far as the mirrorless go, I don't like the idea of losing my viewfinder to a monitor. I'm kinda old school and like to frame things unprocessed (I'm struggling for the right word). Maybe it goes back to my dad showing me how to take pics with his old Pentax that he picked up in Viet Nam back in the day, but I prefer the old school viewfinder. The mirrorless sounds pretty cool though with the animal recognition and all that jazz.

 

Well, I was pretty sure of myself and then I read about the Canon R6... My wife reminded me how I thought keyless start was stupid until I actually bought a vehicle that had it... Thanks @jpod, now I have even more to think about.

 

I am not a pro so I appreciate the screen on the camera that shows what the picture is gonna look like so I can change settings

 

That's why I like digital cameras so much. Film cameras were often a surprise which was sometimes kind of fun. I found a roll of film I'd forgotten after many years. I found a place that still developed them. It was a neat surprise that time.

 

I used to like using the darkroom in Photography class - it was really cool to see the image slowly appear in front of you.
Off topic, but my Granddad used to take pictures with one of those old brownie cameras. I have a box of his negatives that I'm going to try to scan and get online for my dad. Lots of nature pics, kind of cool.

 

I have my grandparents antique German made camera as well as my Grandmother's Brownie camera. They both use some large sized film. I ruined the film in my Garandma's Brownie camera once as a little kid. I opened it up and I turned the knob a bunch of times to see what happens. My Grandmother needless to say was very upset about that.

 

Convert from DSLR Canon to Mirrorless Sony. You couldn’t pay me to go back. That said when shooting professionally I really lived the durability of the canon equipment. I have made good use of the CPS system as well and it’s worth its weight in gold. However, the dynamic range and lightness of the Sony system is simply magical.

 

Depends a lot on how you shoot. DSLR, Canon 70D, 7D, 1DX III are mine. I shoot for speed. They do fine with portraits as well. All around; 5D. Mirrorless is awesome but until the viewfinder is as good, i’m out. Canon loaned be their top mirrorless, the acquisition speed sucked as did the focus point adjust. Too slow for me. I hear great things about the top Sony’s. I don’t think anyone is there yet, for me, but it depends on what frame rate you need and controls. The best mirrorless Sony will set you back. The Canon R lenses are great, but that’s new lenses. They make a great R body to EOS lenses adapter. You can go mirrorless and use your lenses. After testing, it’s not there yet for me. I can shoot my 1DX in what is basically mirrorless mode at 20FPS. I use a LED view finder for that and it adds additional benefits in recognition. But I shoot sports. There is no better camera yet than the 1DX in that arena. For under 2K, get a 7D or equivalent. Or full frame 5D. Maybe a tad more for the 5D. For video. Prob mirrorless. Right now it’s speed or resolution, not both. Maybe both before the Olympics. But that’s 8K we don’t have.

 

Right now I'm waffling between the Canon R6 and the 5D. Most of the reviews I've read about the R6 have been super positive. My biggest worry would be the OLED viewfinder crapping out. I do like that it locks onto eyes and has head tracking. Like I've said above, I'm mostly and nature/outdoor photographer and to have some assistance catching some kickass animal shots would be amazing.

But then there's the price - the setup I'd want is over $3k for the camera and lens. Then there's the extra battery grip for another $300. The 1DX looks freaking amazing. $$$$

 

I still say go 5Dm4 and get a kick ass lens and you'd be set for a long while. It's the standard, aside from the 1DX, and is just a plain beast. Dont be swayed by the shiny new tech that the R6 has. It's like the Tundra. An absolute beast and solid to the core. It doesn't need all that fancy tech that other brands need to sell trucks. Ha.. That's probably a bad analogy but it works in my head.

 

Thanks Wes - that makes a lot of sense.

 

I just don’t like Sony’s colors over canon. Canon is just on point from the gate and it’s really not worth the trade off for a couple pounds, maybe.