Getting Stressed out shopping for a camera.

Another consideration is low light performance. The a6000 is better high iso performer than the a77ii. I don't know how important this is to you.
 
Another consideration is low light performance. The a6000 is better high iso performer than the a77ii. I don't know how important this is to you.

The majority of the time it will be used in daylight for sports and wildlife so it's not of huge importance to me.
 
The majority of the time it will be used in daylight for sports and wildlife so it's not of huge importance to me.
I shouldn't have wrote low light its more to it than that. I should have said high iso performer. Both sport and wildlife you might find yourself needing to bump up the iso to get the desired shutter speeds. I don't know how they compare auto focus wise.
 
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The majority of the time it will be used in daylight for sports and wildlife so it's not of huge importance to me.

If I may interject slightly, but I think you may be misunderstanding the Low light and High ISO performance bit.

The camera sees daylight very different to us. With sports and wildlife, quite often you will be using a fast shutter speed. To get this you either need a lens with a large minimum aperture or the ability to increase the ISO to compensate. So unless you have the budget to buy f/2.8 lenses then the High ISO performance is valid, some of my wildlife shots have been taken in daylight and are still at 6400+. As you are starting into a system, then feeling comfortable with the camera is the important thing as well. Set you budget, look at what you need, then make a shortlist. Get a feel for the cameras and choose which feels more natural to use. Also don't forget lens and accessory availability etc.
 
Having re-read the rest of the thread, why not go back to your original thoughts of the 70D. It is good at high ISO, 7fps (most I have ever used is 6), Good AF system, variable angle screen, WiFi, 1.6x crop so effectively gives more range with your lenses (important for wildlife). So ticks most of your boxes. Excellent range of both Canon and 3rd Party lenses and accessories. Also large 2nd hand market for saving money on lenses.

Why not buy a 2nd hand body to start, that way you will find out what you are missing without losing too much money, you can get a used 60d for about £350 now.

Looking at your choice of lenses I think you may find that 200mm is too short for wildlife. I have 500mm on FF as my maximum and still find some subjects to far to shoot.

The most important thing to remember is this won't be the last camera you buy, as you grow and develop your skills and interests you will find out what you truly need. Go and buy what feels right now and get out and enjoy.
 
Having re-read the rest of the thread, why not go back to your original thoughts of the 70D. It is good at high ISO, 7fps (most I have ever used is 6), Good AF system, variable angle screen, WiFi, 1.6x crop so effectively gives more range with your lenses (important for wildlife). So ticks most of your boxes. Excellent range of both Canon and 3rd Party lenses and accessories. Also large 2nd hand market for saving money on lenses.

Why not buy a 2nd hand body to start, that way you will find out what you are missing without losing too much money, you can get a used 60d for about £350 now.

Looking at your choice of lenses I think you may find that 200mm is too short for wildlife. I have 500mm on FF as my maximum and still find some subjects to far to shoot.

The most important thing to remember is this won't be the last camera you buy, as you grow and develop your skills and interests you will find out what you truly need. Go and buy what feels right now and get out and enjoy.

I have seriously considered 70d but one of the biggest reasons for me favouring Sony is the fact I can buy Third party lenses without Image Stabilisation as the Sony cameras have it in body. So the lenses are then cheaper. A second hand Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 for Sony I have seen being sold for £450 on eBay. But for Canon or Nikon I would need the VC version which bumps the price to around £600-700

As for the 200mm being too short, I will be mostly shooting sport (mainly rugby) the wildlife will just be what I see when walking around our local nature reserve. You can get close enough to most animals to snap them with a phone so a 70-200 will be plenty for my use. At least for now anyway.

Also I believe the 70-200 is good for outdoor portraits as well which is another thing I aim to do with the kids and family.
 
A word of caution on the Tamron's is that the older non VC lens was reportedly one of the poorer 70-200s due to the the focus speed, i tested one when I was looking for that focal range and found it was a lot slower than the others and also hunted more. May be worth checking one out.
 
Have you considered the Pentax k30 if in body stabilisation is a big factor? Its also a good high iso performer 100% optical viewfinder and weather sealed. Not bad frame rate either. Plenty of cheaper older lenses around.
 
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Have you considered the Pentax k30 if in body stabilisation is a big factor? Its also a good high iso performer 100% optical viewfinder and weather sealed. Not bad frame rate either. Plenty of cheaper older lenses around.

No the Pentax cameras have never appealed to me. Not sure why but I've just never had a desire to own one.

A friend of mine has one, not sure which model but he absolutely loves it. But I just don't fancy one. Plus at 16mp it's a big drop down from some of the others I've considered.
 
I shoot both Canon and Nikon plus Fuji
At the current prices I would be looking at the
DX D7100 body a good general purpose lens ie: Nikon Afs-VR 18-200mm or 18-300mm
Or if you prefer primes
Primes the Afs 28mm f1.8 35mm f1.8 50mm f1.8 & 85mm f1.8 and possibly the 300mm f4. Plus a TC 1.7 or2x
The primes are FX versions so you would be future proof to upgrade at a later date to Full Frame.?
If you want to go FF now my first choice would be a D750 from Panamoz gr8 price and service. And a superb camera from user reviews.
And if you would prefer zooms ?
Then they now have there own Holy Trinity all with VC stableisation and 2.8 max apertures.
15-30mm f 2.8 VC 24-70mm f2.8 VC and 70-200mm f2.8 VC something longer and they have gr8 reviews on there New 150-600mm VC
 
Look around at used prices you really can pic up some bargains but buy the best glass that you can afford.
That way you only spend once if you choose wisely
 
I shoot both Canon and Nikon plus Fuji
At the current prices I would be looking at the
DX D7100 body a good general purpose lens ie: Nikon Afs-VR 18-200mm or 18-300mm
Or if you prefer primes
Primes the Afs 28mm f1.8 35mm f1.8 50mm f1.8 & 85mm f1.8 and possibly the 300mm f4. Plus a TC 1.7 or2x
The primes are FX versions so you would be future proof to upgrade at a later date to Full Frame.?
If you want to go FF now my first choice would be a D750 from Panamoz gr8 price and service. And a superb camera from user reviews.
And if you would prefer zooms ?
Then they now have there own Holy Trinity all with VC stableisation and 2.8 max apertures.
15-30mm f 2.8 VC 24-70mm f2.8 VC and 70-200mm f2.8 VC something longer and they have gr8 reviews on there New 150-600mm VC

I really like the look of the D750 but it is out of my price range. Furthest I could stretch for a FF body with a lens would be the D610 or a used D600.

Now people have mentioned the low light issues I might have with a Sony A77ii I am having even more doubts now.
 
I'm surprised the 6000 has lower noise than the 77ii - don't they share the same sensor apart from PDAF?
 
I'm surprised the 6000 has lower noise than the 77ii - don't they share the same sensor apart from PDAF?

Yes but the a6000 is mirrorless whereas the A77ii is a translucent mirror. The Translucent mirror lets about 30% less light through to the sensor.
 
:)Sony spec looks goods and I know the kit lens is very highly rated in reviews.

So have you got a set budget ?
Because that will be a defining factor to just what kit you will be able to purchase.
That's not to say the A77 ii and kit lens is gonna stop you from taking great pics!
But it would probably be a bit limited with any distant wildlife.
I suggest you find a dealer take some cf/sd cards and try out the cameras you have narrowed it down to. :)
 
:)Sony spec looks goods and I know the kit lens is very highly rated in reviews.

So have you got a set budget ?
Because that will be a defining factor to just what kit you will be able to purchase.
That's not to say the A77 ii and kit lens is gonna stop you from taking great pics!
But it would probably be a bit limited with any distant wildlife.
I suggest you find a dealer take some cf/sd cards and try out the cameras you have narrowed it down to. :)

I don't really want to go over £1200. I am going to be buying "grey" which is how I've fit these specific cameras into my budget. I am quite happy starting with a camera and a kit lens. The more expensive lenses I can get in a few weeks.
 
I've found a used Nikon D600 with 7700 clicks on Ebay for £799. Does that sound like a good price?
 
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Check out used gear on Facebook D7100 under 10k shutter actuations boxed complete £400 I'm tempted my self.
The D600 sounds a fair price av u checked in classifieds on here ?
 
Check out used gear on Facebook D7100 under 10k shutter actuations boxed complete £400 I'm tempted my self.
The D600 sounds a fair price av u checked in classifieds on here ?

Can't find a d600 on here unfortunately.

I think its now going to be a choice between the d7100 with 1 or 2 half decent lenses or a d600 with the cheapest fx lens I can find
 
Excuse the noob question but am I right in assuming that any Nikon lens that doesn't say DX is in fact an FX lens.

Or am I completely wrong. I'm very unfamiliar with Nikon

I know that the DX lenses will work on an FX body but in DX crop mode. But I don't really want to get a crop sensor lens for a full frame camera.
 
Most Nikon DX lenses state they are crop sensor type as you av stated.
But sigma have some called DC which I believe means they are for Digital Crop other manufactures have there own codes for crop sensor cameras but it's always worth checking before hand.
If you should go FF. then for a Nikon you won't beat the humble 50mm f1.8 for quality at its price. I would go for the AFD version it's a superb piece of glass.
For silly cheap price that works great on a D600 or any Nikon body with a built in drive in the body.
 
Most Nikon DX lenses state they are crop sensor type as you av stated.
But sigma have some called DC which I believe means they are for Digital Crop other manufactures have there own codes for crop sensor cameras but it's always worth checking before hand.
If you should go FF. then for a Nikon you won't beat the humble 50mm f1.8 for quality at its price. I would go for the AFD version it's a superb piece of glass.
For silly cheap price that works great on a D600 or any Nikon body with a built in drive in the body.


I think I'm going to go with a Nikon D600 and a Tamron 28-300mm to get me started.

I know it's not a brilliant lens but it will suit me as an all round walk about lens until I can afford a couple of nice primes and constant aperture zooms.

A nifty 50 will definitely be one of the next on my list.
 
I have the Tamron VC version and I'm more than impressed with it,
I don't think you will be disappointed with it as a general walk about do everything lens.
 
I have the Tamron VC version and I'm more than impressed with it,
I don't think you will be disappointed with it as a general walk about do everything lens.

Yes it's the VC model I will be getting. Glad it's a decent lens.
 
Never stress over gear. It's only gear end of the day. Chances are any modern dslr will do the trick for you, just have a few in mind, look up the reviews and comparisons, and pick one! sorted ;)
 
Something to be aware of, and evident in the image Phil linked, is that these superzooms all show a fall-off in quality toward the edge. If that doesn't bother you then it's not a problem, but if I want an even image all the way to the edge then it can be disappointing. I took a Sigma 18-250 HSM with me to Canada this year, but used the Sony SAM II 18-55 kit lens as much as possible instead, because image quality was a lot better. The superzooms are handy if you can only carry 1 camera & lens combo, but you need to be aware of the limitations.
 
We all know super zooms are a compromise over primes but I still think the lens will serve him well.
It also has a excellent close up facility that I used over my 105mm nikon when I went to the British wildlife centre shooting harvest mice and other small creatures.
He also stated he will add A 50mm at a later date and may even move to faster aperture zooms in the future.
At the end of the day he has a budget and it wouldn't be wise to over stretch your finances.
I'm sure if we all had unlimited finances we would all buy the very best camera lens and accessories.
But alas I don't know that many people with unlimited resources.
And there is always gonna be the ?
Will having all the best gear but no idea make me a better tog;)
 
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I've found a used Nikon D600 with 7700 clicks on Ebay for £799. Does that sound like a good price?

I wouldnt bother when you can get the D610 for £919.00, a little more and with 3 years warranty from HDEW > http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/nikon-d610-body-1498-p.asp.

It looks as if we have gone full circle here and I think your making the right decision to go Nikon rather than Sony, your making the right choice, IMO. What you could also do is get something like the Tamron 70-300mmVC & 28-75mm f2.8 by buying one now and the other in a few weeks. I have previously owned both and I found them to be great lenses when I was shooting Nikon. But must say, the 28-300mm looks good when you look at Phiggys Flick'r link.

Also, If your happy buying secondhand you also need to to consider is some of the older D lenses made by Nikon, I have had the 24-50, 28-105, 28-85 & 75-300mm and I found them all to be good performers and will tie you over until you can or want to upgrade. Also, as Phiggys has mentioned the 50mm 1.8d is a fantastic lens and it's not worth paying the extra for a G lens. There are also some older Nikon f2.8 lenses like the 35-70 & 35 -105?? ( you will need to check on these and have a look around ebay as I cant remember some of the ranges ).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-28-75mm-Aspherical-Macro-Nikon/dp/B001AGPHIS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414660656&sr=8-2&keywords=Tamron 28-75
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-70-3...8&qid=1414660701&sr=8-4&keywords=Tamron70-300

Edit: If you look at the 28-75 on Amazon thay still have my photos on there with the review. They don't look to great on there as they seemd to have lost some of there detail and compressed. If you want to see some pics from the above mentioned lenses I may still have some and can send to you if interested.
 
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I'll throw a curve ball and, as a Nikon user, I'd look at Canon.
The main reason is the amount of focus points. Your topics are fast moving small objects. I shoot with a friend and his camera (sorry I can't remember the model but maybe 650d) hits the target everytime even in poor light.
Of course it could be he's just much better then I am!
 
Oh ffs. Now I've got the money to go and get my camera I'm not sure I want to spend it all on a camera lol. It is a lot to spend considering my skill level (novice).

I'm starting to p##s myself off now.
 
Oh ffs. Now I've got the money to go and get my camera I'm not sure I want to spend it all on a camera lol. It is a lot to spend considering my skill level (novice).

I'm starting to p##s myself off now.

If you went and bought the D610 and some second hand lenses I mentioned above, if it didn't work out for you, I couldn't see you losing much money, if any, if you decided it wasn't for you. You only need to compare the price you quoted for the D600 on ebay to see that. You can buy and sell for a profit on ebay, as some buyers don't look or consider buying grey new, even when there is very little risk buying from a company like HDEW.
 
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Tbh I can't justify spending that amount. I've been planning this day for a few weeks now. And now that I've got the cash sitting in my hand, it just seems like a lot of money that might not get full use.

To do the types of photos I wanted to do at my skill level, in sure I could get pleasing results from a cheaper body.

I'm sorry for pestering everyone. And thanks for taking the time to explain the pros and cons of the body's I was looking at. But I think I will have to go with a more entry level camera. Or maybe a mirrorless system.
 
Get the money spent and get out enjoying it. Whatever you choose will take better photos than a pile of cash ;) :D

If you are looking at 2nd hand then try and use someone like MPB or Ffordes rather than fleabay
 
Fancy a nx5 I might stick one on the classifieds. Lot aloud to sell on this thread.
 
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