What is your camera of choice while traveling?
Apr 4, 2016, 1:32 pm
#812
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IMHO, it is also a matter of supply and demand. The a6300 is on back order with many merchants, especially if you only want to purchase the body only. My cutoff is the end of June as I would like to spend some time familiarizing myself with the camera before I leave for a trip like this. @:-)
If you're dead set on having the a6300, I guess just order it on backorder. If you're on the fence, and would get the a6300 if the price drops, give it until about a week ahead of your deadline and then order the a6000 if the price on the a6300 hasn't dropped.
The lenses work with both and the body will have some resale value if treated well and with a low shutter count, so you can, if needed, just get the a6000 and upgrade to the a6300 later -- given the high MSRP at present, I'd expect the depreciation on the a6000 to be mostly but not entirely covered by the price drop on the a6300.
Apr 4, 2016, 1:41 pm
#813
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Yes, it's absolutely supply and demand. As long as it's on back-order, why should they discount?
If you're dead set on having the a6300, I guess just order it on backorder. If you're on the fence, and would get the a6300 if the price drops, give it until about a week ahead of your deadline and then order the a6000 if the price on the a6300 hasn't dropped.
The lenses work with both and the body will have some resale value if treated well and with a low shutter count, so you can, if needed, just get the a6000 and upgrade to the a6300 later -- given the high MSRP at present, I'd expect the depreciation on the a6000 to be mostly but not entirely covered by the price drop on the a6300.
If you're dead set on having the a6300, I guess just order it on backorder. If you're on the fence, and would get the a6300 if the price drops, give it until about a week ahead of your deadline and then order the a6000 if the price on the a6300 hasn't dropped.
The lenses work with both and the body will have some resale value if treated well and with a low shutter count, so you can, if needed, just get the a6000 and upgrade to the a6300 later -- given the high MSRP at present, I'd expect the depreciation on the a6000 to be mostly but not entirely covered by the price drop on the a6300.
Apr 4, 2016, 1:52 pm
#814
Formerly known as caveruner17
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: ORD
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I was thinking along those lines also. In addition, the program menus on both models are similar and the bodies are almost the same so if I get the a6000 there wouldn't be much of a learning curve to upgrade later on to the a6300. Also the pricing on some of the lenses might also go down.
I have the 70D if I really want to get professional.
Apr 15, 2016, 9:00 pm
#815
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Apr 17, 2016, 8:57 am
#816
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http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-a6300
To remove some suspense: it scored 85% on their evaluation scale, a high score for them - high enough to get DPreview's Gold Award.
Apr 24, 2016, 8:44 am
#818
Join Date: Jun 2014
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I might be going overboard with this but I've got a trip to South Africa again coming up including visits to reserves and lion parks. This time I'm packing a Canon 700D + 24-70mm 2.8 + 70-200mm 2.8 + 1.4x teleconverter with a tripod. Walking around will still be a Sony RX100M3.
Maybe I'm going overboard.
Maybe I'm going overboard.
For an average trip someplace mundane, yes. But for a, perhaps, once-or-twice-in-a-lifetime experience in Africa, I don't think so. Even if you will have the opportunity to go again sometime, I think getting all you can on something like that makes perfect sense.
In your place, I would take both of my camera bodies plus my little, pocket-able camera, my best and longest lenses. Plus I would probably rent something even longer than I own. For African animals, the longer the better.
I see people walking around tourist sites humping all that gear and think they have gone overboard. For a safari, if I can carry it, it goes. I may never have another chance. In your case, I would probably beg, borrow or rent another body that will take your lenses, just in case.
In your place, I would take both of my camera bodies plus my little, pocket-able camera, my best and longest lenses. Plus I would probably rent something even longer than I own. For African animals, the longer the better.
I see people walking around tourist sites humping all that gear and think they have gone overboard. For a safari, if I can carry it, it goes. I may never have another chance. In your case, I would probably beg, borrow or rent another body that will take your lenses, just in case.
The wildlife/game drives. It's my second time visiting Africa so I had some idea of what sort of range I needed to shoot at. I would suggest having at least 300mm focal reach, 400mm being optimal with image stabilisation. More is better but having 450mm equivalent at my disposal, I didn't find that I was wanting for more zoom. Image stabilisation is a must obviously.
What I would do next time? Lose the full sized tripod and probably bring a second body. Changing lenses on the fly with wildlife is a pain in the backside. No regrets though, I got most of the shots I was after and had a blast. Definitely a third trip to the continent in the future coming up!
May 11, 2016, 7:16 pm
#821
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After falling in love with the Sony a6300 and doing some research on DPReview I discovered that a large number of people posting there were complaining about the cost of the lenses and the limited selection of E mounts available for this APS-C body.
I then looked at the a6300 in a store and a number of other cameras and decided on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II along with one of the 12-40mm f2.8 pro series lenses to start out with. Both the OM-D E-M5 Mark II body and the lens are weather proofed which is a major plus for outdoor shooting. Their micro four/thirds system has some great lenses to select from plus all of the Panasonic lenses that are micro four/thirds are totally compatible with the Olympus bodies so you have a really large number of choices available at all sizes and prices.
A week later I added their 40-150mm F4.0-5.8 lens which was on sale for only $149. The people posting on DPReview said that for the price it was a great bang for the buck plus it was really light weight (plastic body).
I then looked at the a6300 in a store and a number of other cameras and decided on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II along with one of the 12-40mm f2.8 pro series lenses to start out with. Both the OM-D E-M5 Mark II body and the lens are weather proofed which is a major plus for outdoor shooting. Their micro four/thirds system has some great lenses to select from plus all of the Panasonic lenses that are micro four/thirds are totally compatible with the Olympus bodies so you have a really large number of choices available at all sizes and prices.
A week later I added their 40-150mm F4.0-5.8 lens which was on sale for only $149. The people posting on DPReview said that for the price it was a great bang for the buck plus it was really light weight (plastic body).
May 11, 2016, 8:02 pm
#822
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Excellent choice. Best small/lightweight combo going. The 12-40 f/2.8 PRO is a tad bulky compared to others in the same zoom range but none of the others can touch it for image quality. Enjoy your great camera.
May 11, 2016, 9:55 pm
#823
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The OM-D E-M5 Mark II body is weather resistant which is great for outdoor shooting and has a really solid build. I was lucky and managed to locate one of the limited edition titanium models available in the US at Adorama, everyone else was sold out. Compared to the black and silver bodies that you always see the titanium body is simply beautiful.
My next investment after these two zoom lenses is to select a nice walk around the city type everyday prime lens. I am torn between two Olympus primes that are currently on sale on their website. The 17mm f1.8 is $449 and the 25mm f1.8 is $349. They are both lightweight and have received really good reviews for their IQ. Which one do you like better and what are the pros and cons?
May 11, 2016, 10:31 pm
#824
Join Date: Jun 2004
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... My next investment after these two zoom lenses is to select a nice walk around the city type everyday prime lens. I am torn between two Olympus primes that are currently on sale on their website. The 17mm f1.8 is $449 and the 25mm f1.8 is $349. They are both lightweight and have received really good reviews for their IQ. Which one do you like better and what are the pros and cons?
The 17mm is a fine lens and would work admirably if you really want a prime. I might counsel at least a look at the Oly 9-18mm. The UWA lens offers a lot of utility for street use and is very small. The Oly 7-14mm Pro is a great lens but really large and heavy for carrying around.
Again, if you prefer a prime, that 17 f/1.8 is very good. I keep mine on my back-up PM2, switching it occasionally to the EM1 to make the main camera "smaller." I think if you poll a dozen Oly shooters, you will get a dozen preferences. Other than the two you mention, you might also look at the excellent and very popular Panny 20mm f/1.7.
Last edited by abmj-jr; May 12, 2016 at 7:04 am
May 12, 2016, 5:19 am
#825
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Picked up an EOS M3 w/18-55 kit + EVF and 22mm EF-M lens for US$700 in Singapore. IQ is great, AF is sluggish sometimes but not as bad as reviewers make it out to be.