Beginner Help, I'm not sure whether to upgrade my kit or not

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Bungleaio

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Kevin
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Hi Everyone, I've got a holiday coming up which has been booked for ages and I'm really looking forward to so I'm thinking about upgrading my camera to make the most of it. I haven't bought anything camera wise since 2011 and I don't really keep on top of whats happening. I enjoy taking photos but I don't spend ages editing etc.

I currently have a Sony NEX-5 with an 18-55 lens, a 16mm fixed lens but I have an adapter that gives a wide angle and another for fish eye. It all works fine but it's always been lacking in zoom. I know there are zoom lenses available but I think it might be worth starting a fresh seeing as I've had it all for a while now. Everything works just fine I'm just wondering if I can get something that's a fair bit better now. The manual modes aren't the easiest to use on the NEX as there aren't many physical dials, it's mostly through the screen.

I also have a canon s100 which I carry around if I'm going to anything where I don't want to be carrying anything too big. I'm not planning on changing this at the moment.

Previously I had a Nikon D70 with the kit 18-70 lens, a longer 70-300 (I think) lens and a 50mm which took great portraits, something the NEX has never been able to match. I swapped the D70 for the NEX as I wanted something smaller to carry around, I have since bought a lowepro rucksack bag which has space for the camera gear at the bottom and general stuff at the top. The D70 was in a dedicated camera bag which was awkward to carry around, I thought I wasn't taking the D70 because of the size of the camera but I think it was the bag now.

I haven't really looked at anything since I bought my current gear so I'm a bit out of touch with what's out there so I'm reaching out for advice. I've noticed the Nikon 7500 and Canon D80 that look good but I don't really know.

If you were looking to buy a new setup what would you go for? I'm looking for body, general, long and prime lens, flash. No brand loyalty, budget of max £2kish. I fly in 2 weeks so I should probably have thought about this earlier....

Or should I just stick with what I've got?
 
It it turns out to be the bag that was limiting taking your 'big' camera out, and a daypack may resolve this. If its the physical size and weight of the camera, then the mirrorless micro4/3 cameras out there may be worth looking at.

If you're off on holiday, then I'd suggest going to a reputable camera shop near you to look at cameras in person.
 
I will try and get into a local shop asap but I didnt have any issue with the size of my D70, more the size of taking all the paraphernalia. I much prefer the lowepro versapack 200 aw that I have now. I think I will continue to use this unless lowepro have improved on that aswell...
 
Fuji - great range of cameras, from the excellent X100F (fixed 35mm but I often find that's not an issue) though to XT10, XT1 etc... with great lenses. DSLR image quality.
 
cambsno said:
Fuji - great range of cameras, from the excellent X100F (fixed 35mm but I often find that's not an issue) though to XT10, XT1 etc... with great lenses. DSLR image quality.
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This. My X-T10 and 18-55mm was great, but the X100F is just a beauty. Forget the fixed lens. It's so liberating, looks great and the results from it are wonderful.
 
Another consideration is how precious you are about new "toys". No point upgrading if you're scared of taking it on the beach because of sand, rocks because of rain/spray, out at night because it might get stolen. Etc etc. I've been guilty of this myself.
 
Ian W said:
This. My X-T10 and 18-55mm was great, but the X100F is just a beauty. Forget the fixed lens. It's so liberating, looks great and the results from it are wonderful.
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Thank you but I'm not sure I want to go fixed lens, I appreciate what you are saying though as I've used the wide angle and fish eye lens on the NEX a fair bit.


Cockney said:
Another consideration is how precious you are about new "toys". No point upgrading if you're scared of taking it on the beach because of sand, rocks because of rain/spray, out at night because it might get stolen. Etc etc. I've been guilty of this myself.
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Thats a very good point but I'm not worried about that but if I'm out on the lash I'll be taking the Canon S100.
 
Bungleaio said:
Thank you but I'm not sure I want to go fixed lens, I appreciate what you are saying though as I've used the wide angle and fish eye lens on the NEX a fair bit.




Thats a very good point but I'm not worried about that but if I'm out on the lash I'll be taking the Canon S100.
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Sony RX100 perhaps? Small and compact, 1" sensor so reasonable resolution?
 
A camera to make the most of your holiday, never seen that one in any of the holiday companies ads Use your phone like most people :) holidays are about fun, not lugging great big lumps of gear around, being worried about getting stuff knicked or lost, charging stuff and so on, the fact you say you havenot got a clue about what’s new, or have not had the need to upgrade in 8 years says a lot, stick with what you have and keep the memories hassle free.
 
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It's not to make the most of my holiday more to get the best photos I can. the phone is good but it's no substitute lol. I

noticed a big jump in quality when I went from the D70 to the NEX so I'm just wondering if I'm likely to get a noticeable jump again. I've got a couple of trips planned over the next couple of years so I'm tempted to upgrade now and get the most out of it.
 
Kieranstandishphoto said:
A camera to make the most of your holiday, never seen that one in any of the holiday companies ads Use your phone like most people :) holidays are about fun, not lugging great big lumps of gear around, being worried about getting stuff knicked or lost, charging stuff and so on, the fact you say you havenot got a clue about what’s new, or have not had the need to upgrade in 8 years says a lot, stick with what you have and keep the memories hassle free.
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Disagree - taken some of my best images abroad whilst on 'holiday'.
 
Bungleaio said:
It's not to make the most of my holiday more to get the best photos I can. the phone is good but it's no substitute lol. I

noticed a big jump in quality when I went from the D70 to the NEX so I'm just wondering if I'm likely to get a noticeable jump again. I've got a couple of trips planned over the next couple of years so I'm tempted to upgrade now and get the most out of it.
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An A6000 might be worth a look. It's one of the older cameras in Sonys Ax range but as far as I know it's still selling well and has its fans and you can use your existing lenses. As it's an older model there are some good deals on it from time to time. It has an EVF and that could interest you, personally I don't like back screen shooting so I much prefer cameras with EVF's.

This wont give you more zoom though, but if you're in buying mode you could look at a longer lens or maybe a 16 or 18-xxxmm zoom.
 
Bungleaio said:
Hi Everyone, I've got a holiday coming up which has been booked for ages and I'm really looking forward to so I'm thinking about upgrading my camera to make the most of it. I haven't bought anything camera wise since 2011 and I don't really keep on top of whats happening. I enjoy taking photos but I don't spend ages editing etc.

I currently have a Sony NEX-5 with an 18-55 lens, a 16mm fixed lens but I have an adapter that gives a wide angle and another for fish eye. It all works fine but it's always been lacking in zoom. I know there are zoom lenses available but I think it might be worth starting a fresh seeing as I've had it all for a while now. Everything works just fine I'm just wondering if I can get something that's a fair bit better now. The manual modes aren't the easiest to use on the NEX as there aren't many physical dials, it's mostly through the screen.

I also have a canon s100 which I carry around if I'm going to anything where I don't want to be carrying anything too big. I'm not planning on changing this at the moment.

Previously I had a Nikon D70 with the kit 18-70 lens, a longer 70-300 (I think) lens and a 50mm which took great portraits, something the NEX has never been able to match. I swapped the D70 for the NEX as I wanted something smaller to carry around, I have since bought a lowepro rucksack bag which has space for the camera gear at the bottom and general stuff at the top. The D70 was in a dedicated camera bag which was awkward to carry around, I thought I wasn't taking the D70 because of the size of the camera but I think it was the bag now.

I haven't really looked at anything since I bought my current gear so I'm a bit out of touch with what's out there so I'm reaching out for advice. I've noticed the Nikon 7500 and Canon D80 that look good but I don't really know.

If you were looking to buy a new setup what would you go for? I'm looking for body, general, long and prime lens, flash. No brand loyalty, budget of max £2kish. I fly in 2 weeks so I should probably have thought about this earlier....

Or should I just stick with what I've got?
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I've been round the house trying to find the perfect compromise. Started with the Olympus EM10 and then EM5-II. Decided that I'd like to try something even more compact so tried the Sony RX100-III and Canon G7x but decided that IQ wasn't quite up to scratch and also found them fiddly and awkward to use. Next step was the Fuji XT1 and whilst I liked the camera I couldn't put up with the X-Trans artefacts (controversial subject so I'm not going to go into detail again ;)). Finally settled back on the Olympus and have the EM1 and 12-40mm f2.8. I do still have FF (D850) for those times when I absolutely must have the best IQ, want to shoot is really low light, and/or want ultimate shallow depth of field, but for the most part you really struggle to see the image quality difference between the EM1 and D850 up to A3 or even A2 print. Yes at pixel level there's a difference, but for normal viewing the fact that I have to scrutinise to see the difference between the D850 and EM1 says to me that the EM1 is more than good enough. I'm actually going to upgrade to the EM1-II soon.

So to cut a long story short, if I was starting again from scratch and wanted something for what you describe then I would buy used/grey EM1-II and 12-100mm f4. This combo gives you the effective focal length of 24-200mm which should be enough hat you don't need to take another lens with you on holiday. The other option (which I have) is to get the 12-40mm f2.8 lens instead, and then buy the cheap 40-150mm f4-5.6 R (which I got for £80 used). The 40-150mm f4-5.6 R feels like a cheap toy, which actually is great for travel as it weighs next to nothing and can easily go in a pocket. Optically it is very good too. If you really wanted, you could also buy the cheap but optically very good 45mm f1.8 if you wanted to do portraits or wanted more shallow DOF. The 45mm f1.8 is tiny and again easily fits in a pocket.

The fact that the EM1 and 12-40mm f2.8 (and 12-100mm f4) are fully weather sealed I just have mine on a sling strap, have the 40-150mm in my pocket and then there's no need to be lugging a bag around all day long. Both my (now gone) EM5-II and EM1 have both been drenched whilst out and about and neither have flinched.


TGphoto said:
Disagree - taken some of my best images abroad whilst on 'holiday'.
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I agree. Whilst going away is 'family' time, and fun there's nothing wrong with trying to take some good photos whilst you're there. I really rely on photos for my memories as my actual memory is shocking, and the fact that some of them look half decent is a bonus (y)
 
I suspect you're about where I was a couple of years ago, I had a Canon 5D with a couple of lenses but rarely took it with me as it was heavy and felt rather intimidating to use in the street or at events. So I mainly used a Canon S100 which is a fine little camera.
I was missing good stabilised video with it though, so eventually bought a lightly used RX100V.
The stills and low light ability are a great leap forward and it has greatly increased my interest in video too.
However I got Sony bug and since went for the Sony A73 too which makes the Canon 5D seem a bit of a dinosaur and does even better video.
That only has the 24-105 lens and I really don't feel need for more as you can use APS-C mode which crops the sensor giving about 200mm (not sure exactly but useful extra reach with minimal quality loss).
Anyway I'm convinced these two cameras pretty much do all I need for several years to come.
Except I also bought a (Sony!) FDR-X3000 ;)
 
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A6000 or similar. For more zoom the 55-200mm, for portraits the Sigma 56mm f/1,4 or the Sigma 60mm f/2,8, for carry around the Sigma 30mm f/1,4, For wide shots the Samyang 12mm f/2,0 and/or Laowa 9mm f/2,8. Expensive alternatives the Sony 24mm f/1,8, 10-18mm f/4 and 16-70mm f/4.
Ive had great fun with the A6000, Samyang 12mm, Sony 24mm and Sigma 60mm. I could wish for a little more reach sometimes but mostly the 60 does well and with an adapter Ive had my 105mm AFD Micro Nikkor in use too
 
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4wd said:
I suspect you're about where I was a couple of years ago, I had a Canon 5D with a couple of lenses but rarely took it with me as it was heavy and felt rather intimidating to use in the street or at events. So I mainly used a Canon S100 which is a fine little camera.
I was missing good stabilised video with it though, so eventually bought a lightly used RX100V.
The stills and low light ability are a great leap forward and it has greatly increased my interest in video too.
However I got Sony bug and since went for the Sony A73 too which makes the Canon 5D seem a bit of a dinosaur and does even better video.
That only has the 24-105 lens and I really don't feel need for more as you can use APS-C mode which crops the sensor giving about 200mm (not sure exactly but useful extra reach with minimal quality loss).
Anyway I'm convinced these two cameras pretty much do all I need for several years to come.
Except I also bought a (Sony!) FDR-X3000 ;)
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Yup.

For holidays I like my A7 and 35mm f2.8 and for wider or longer shots and for times when even the small A7 is a bit too intrusive and attention grabbing I have a Panasonic TZ100 1" sensor camera with a 25-250mm lens.
 
No, just saved you a few quid with that advice
 
woof woof said:
Yup.

For holidays I like my A7 and 35mm f2.8 and for wider or longer shots and for times when even the small A7 is a bit too intrusive and attention grabbing I have a Panasonic TZ100 1" sensor camera with a 25-250mm lens.
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I use the TZ90. Small sensor but great pocketable piece of kit. Surprisingly good image quality.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I've made my choice and I'm now the proud owner of an A6500, sigma 16mm f1.4, sigma 30mm f1.4 and sony 18-135mm. Having had a bit of a play around the quality is a marked improvement over the NEX5 and I'm very pleased. Roll on the holidays!
 
Wowza. That's nice :D

Good luck with it and don't forget to come back and show us some pictures to make us all jealous :D
 
Kieranstandishphoto said:
A camera to make the most of your holiday, never seen that one in any of the holiday companies ads Use your phone like most people :) holidays are about fun, not lugging great big lumps of gear around, being worried about getting stuff knicked or lost, charging stuff and so on, the fact you say you havenot got a clue about what’s new, or have not had the need to upgrade in 8 years says a lot, stick with what you have and keep the memories hassle free.
Click to expand...

I know you need to strike a balance with these things but as a keen photographer, the thought of travelling to new and interesting locations and not wanting to take any photos is lost on me!
 
Kieranstandishphoto said:
A camera to make the most of your holiday, never seen that one in any of the holiday companies ads Use your phone like most people :) holidays are about fun, not lugging great big lumps of gear around, being worried about getting stuff knicked or lost, charging stuff and so on, the fact you say you havenot got a clue about what’s new, or have not had the need to upgrade in 8 years says a lot, stick with what you have and keep the memories hassle free.
Click to expand...
Holidays are also about memories, especially those places that you may never visit again. As someone that has a poor memory, and a particularly poor visual memory photos are great way of keeping memories in tact. Quite often phone's just aren't up to the job (as good as they are), and with these small mirrorless cameras it's not hassle carrying them around.

I can't say I've ever worried about stuff getting stolen, and tbh it's probably less likely to be stolen than my iPhone (y)
 
Bungleaio said:
Thanks for the advice everyone. I've made my choice and I'm now the proud owner of an A6500, sigma 16mm f1.4, sigma 30mm f1.4 and sony 18-135mm. Having had a bit of a play around the quality is a marked improvement over the NEX5 and I'm very pleased. Roll on the holidays!
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Excellent GAS, well played that man!
 
snerkler said:
Holidays are also about memories, especially those places that you may never visit again. As someone that has a poor memory, and a particularly poor visual memory photos are great way of keeping memories in tact. Quite often phone's just aren't up to the job (as good as they are), and with these small mirrorless cameras it's not hassle carrying them around.

I can't say I've ever worried about stuff getting stolen, and tbh it's probably less likely to be stolen than my iPhone (y)
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I find most of my photos are taken on holiday/trips, I am looking into insurance at the minute though!
 
Bungleaio said:
I find most of my photos are taken on holiday/trips, I am looking into insurance at the minute though!
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It might be covered on your house insurance friending on your policy.
 
Enjoy the holiday and the new kit.
 
Nod said:
Enjoy the holiday and the new kit.
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Thank you, this time next week and I'll be 5 hours in to a 12 hour flight.

snerkler said:
It might be covered on your house insurance friending on your policy.
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It's beyond the limits unfortunately so I'll need to declare it and pay so I think I'm going to a specialist for a standalone policy.
 
Bungleaio said:
Thank you, this time next week and I'll be 5 hours in to a 12 hour flight.



It's beyond the limits unfortunately so I'll need to declare it and pay so I think I'm going to a specialist for a standalone policy.
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You should know that’s going to cost about 10x more than adding to your household insurance?
 
Phil V said:
You should know that’s going to cost about 10x more than adding to your household insurance?
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^^this, and on a lot of policies it's item specific (such as lens or camera) rather than insured as a kit.
 
Phil V said:
You should know that’s going to cost about 10x more than adding to your household insurance?
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Cheers but it's not in my name so I'll have to declare the true value to the boss :thinking: Eversure will do me a world wide policy for £70 which is ok for me.
 
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