Best $400 - $500 Camera for my needs

[iKingRPG]

Hello can someone please who has experience in this stuff recommend me a camera? I know close to nothing about cameras. I would like 4k video (1080p is ok), ability to customize for future, can output to a external display so i can use it for a capture card, interchangeable lenses, something with decent build quality, and decent ISO performance and good auto-focus. Feel free to ask me any questions. I am considering canon rebel t6 (or t5i), sony alpha a6000, and panasonic lumix g7. The only thing stopping me from buying the g7 is im not sure about panasonic so i need peoples opinions first. Also i will use this mostly for videos. And lastly, mirrorless would be better if it is not too heavy so i dont need an expensive gimbal. Thanks! I live in USA.

[cc143]

2 hours ago, iKingRPG said:

Hello can someone please who has experience in this stuff recommend me a camera? I know close to nothing about cameras. I would like 4k video (1080p is ok), ability to customize for future, can output to a external display so i can use it for a capture card, interchangeable lenses, something with decent build quality, and decent ISO performance and good auto-focus. Feel free to ask me any questions. I am considering canon rebel t6 (or t5i), sony alpha a6000, and panasonic lumix g7. The only thing stopping me from buying the g7 is im not sure about panasonic so i need peoples opinions first. Also i will use this mostly for videos. And lastly, mirrorless would be better if it is not too heavy so i dont need an expensive gimbal. Thanks! I live in USA.

The g7 will not have great AF capability or do well in low light, the Canon won't do clean hdmi output and a6000 has overall not great build quality, bad battery life and ergonomics, overheating issues and a bunch of other stuff. 

 

Unfortunately, there's nothting that does everything in that price range, hell there's nothing that does everything in any price range. The G7 gets close if you can live without AF. If you need AF, expand your budget, go for a Canon m50 or t7i, they won't shoot full flegded 4k, but 1080p is fine and their AF is very decent. 

[iKingRPG]

On 12/31/2018 at 4:46 AM, cc143 said:

The g7 will not have great AF capability or do well in low light, the Canon won't do clean hdmi output and a6000 has overall not great build quality, bad battery life and ergonomics, overheating issues and a bunch of other stuff. 

 

Unfortunately, there's nothting that does everything in that price range, hell there's nothing that does everything in any price range. The G7 gets close if you can live without AF. If you need AF, expand your budget, go for a Canon m50 or t7i, they won't shoot full flegded 4k, but 1080p is fine and their AF is very decent. 

you said canon has bad hdmi output. Do they have any other way to use it like a webcam or something to record videos on PC?

 

[cc143]

8 hours ago, iKingRPG said:

you said canon has bad hdmi output. Do they have any other way to use it like a webcam or something to record videos on PC?

 

I didn't say bad I said it won't do clean hdmi output, those are 2 entirely different things

[iKingRPG]

20 hours ago, cc143 said:

I didn't say bad I said it won't do clean hdmi output, those are 2 entirely different things

Ok?

[cc143]

42 minutes ago, iKingRPG said:

Ok?

It means that when you are outputting on hdmi from the camera you get all the icons and stuff that you see on the back of the camera on the screen you are outputting on. Therefore, if you are using a capture card say to record the screen on a computer, you are getting all that stuff there as well. 

[iKingRPG]

10 hours ago, cc143 said:

It means that when you are outputting on hdmi from the camera you get all the icons and stuff that you see on the back of the camera on the screen you are outputting on. Therefore, if you are using a capture card say to record the screen on a computer, you are getting all that stuff there as well. 

I see. Well is there any other way to output just the video? How to people do live streams and stuff with DSLRs? Does Nikon have better?

[Tzztr Rrtr]

What do you plan on shooting with it?

17 hours ago, iKingRPG said:

I see. Well is there any other way to output just the video? How to people do live streams and stuff with DSLRs? Does Nikon have better?

Are you going to livestream? If so I think you should consider a good webcam (Logitech or the like). If that doesn't cut it for you maybe consider stepping it up just a bit to a GH4. 

It offers clean FHD or 4K output, good AF, good ISO performance and a decent lens selection. 

[Teradore]

IF your plan is for video only the blackmagic pocket cinema camera is a good one to go with as well (the original, not the new 4k) you are asking quite a lot for your budget but tbh i am quite a fan of black magic my self. easy to use and good picture quality. you would need to get it used though and i do strongly recommend you go for used as your money will be able to get you closer to what you need.

[iKingRPG]

3 hours ago, Teradore said:

the blackmagic pocket cinema camera is a good one to go with as well (the original, not the new 4k) you are asking quite a lot for your budget but tbh i am quite a fan of black magic my self. easy to use and good picture quality. 

Well ok maybe, but Potato Jet (a youtuber) said that it isnt reliable. So is the customer service good? maybe in the future.

 

On 12/31/2018 at 4:46 AM, cc143 said:

The g7 will not have great AF capability or do well in low light

What if i got an auto focus lens?

[Teradore]

Big fan of potato jet my self but that particular camera has been out for a wile and most bugs are with the cameras when they first release. so long as you update the firmware you should be fine. also auto focus on the lens only dose so much the camera needs to tell the lens how to focus so a good auto focus lens is no good with a camera that cant tell it what to do.

[cc143]

2 hours ago, iKingRPG said:

Well ok maybe, but Potato Jet (a youtuber) said that it isnt reliable. So is the customer service good? maybe in the future.

 

What if i got an auto focus lens?

That doesn't matter. Some systems are better than others and some are simply ridiculously bad. In video, panasonics are well known for being unreliable.

 

A manual focus lens wouldn't autofocus at all for its performance to be poor. An AF lens will eventually (unless it's defective) focus, but if the perfrormance is poor it will take too long to acquire focus, it may be unreliable, e.g. focus on the background or an object in the foreground instead of the subject or hunt around to acquire focus ruining your shot. 

[MandicReally]

On 1/5/2019 at 1:00 AM, cc143 said:

That doesn't matter. Some systems are better than others and some are simply ridiculously bad. In video, panasonics are well known for being unreliable.

 

A manual focus lens wouldn't autofocus at all for its performance to be poor. An AF lens will eventually (unless it's defective) focus, but if the perfrormance is poor it will take too long to acquire focus, it may be unreliable, e.g. focus on the background or an object in the foreground instead of the subject or hunt around to acquire focus ruining your shot. 

Do you mean Panasonics are "Unreliable" in auto-focusing, or in general?  I shoot on a Panasonic G7 and yes the auto-focus blows, but otherwise it has been a workhorse for a year and a half of abuse.  

 

Are you looking to vlog or something like that?  You referenced wanting lightweight so you don't need a gimbal.  That is actually the reverse of reality.  The smaller/lighter cameras are much harder to hold steady vs a heavier camera.  Your body's natural twitches and movements more easily effect the camera's stability when it is really light.  A heavier camera works better as it is harder for you to unconciously move.  Also all of the cameras you (and everyone else) mentioned do not have In Body Image Stabilization, only lens stabilization (Depending on lens) and if you are a fairly shaky person like me, Lens Stabilization is not enough.  PotatoJet actually did an excellent demonstration of this in his full "review" of the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4k (his latest video as of today 1/6/2019).

What are you actually looking to do with this camera?  Your stated need sounds like a fairly broad "jack of all trades" setup, and you will have to decide what features you are willing to trade off on. 

I love the Panasonic G7, but it has its flaws.  The crop factor is huge (2x Full Frame Equivalent in 1080p, more like 2.3x in 4k).  That means to get nice wide views you need expensive wide angle lenses.  I did a lens comparison video on one of my YouTube channels with the G7 using 3 different lenses (14mm, 12mm, and 8mm) showing  the views you get in 4k with each lens.  (Channel: AlanMandic - Video: Lumix G7 4k Lens Comparison)  The Low light performance is lacking.  Anything over 1200 ISO gets too noisy for my liking.  However if you invest in better glass (f2.8 or faster lenses) you will not have to go as high of an ISO and improve the image quality significantly.  However those lenses cost twice what the camera does.

 

If you are using any camera as a webcam, I'd say skip auto-focus.  Just set your focal distance and go.  Think about it, how much are you really moving around while using a webcam?  Are you looking at streaming or recording Let's Plays? If so you almost certainly be sitting in the exact same spot the entire time and just moving your arms, hands, etc.  Even great auto-focus may miss focus in that situation from time to time. 

I don't think any camera under $500 will have "good low light" put that out of your mind all together.  
 

[cc143]

4 hours ago, MandicReally said:

Do you mean Panasonics are "Unreliable" in auto-focusing, or in general?  I shoot on a Panasonic G7 and yes the auto-focus blows, but otherwise it has been a workhorse for a year and a half of abuse.  

 

Are you looking to vlog or something like that?  You referenced wanting lightweight so you don't need a gimbal.  That is actually the reverse of reality.  The smaller/lighter cameras are much harder to hold steady vs a heavier camera.  Your body's natural twitches and movements more easily effect the camera's stability when it is really light.  A heavier camera works better as it is harder for you to unconciously move.  Also all of the cameras you (and everyone else) mentioned do not have In Body Image Stabilization, only lens stabilization (Depending on lens) and if you are a fairly shaky person like me, Lens Stabilization is not enough.  PotatoJet actually did an excellent demonstration of this in his full "review" of the new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4k (his latest video as of today 1/6/2019).

What are you actually looking to do with this camera?  Your stated need sounds like a fairly broad "jack of all trades" setup, and you will have to decide what features you are willing to trade off on. 

I love the Panasonic G7, but it has its flaws.  The crop factor is huge (2x Full Frame Equivalent in 1080p, more like 2.3x in 4k).  That means to get nice wide views you need expensive wide angle lenses.  I did a lens comparison video on one of my YouTube channels with the G7 using 3 different lenses (14mm, 12mm, and 8mm) showing  the views you get in 4k with each lens.  (Channel: AlanMandic - Video: Lumix G7 4k Lens Comparison)  The Low light performance is lacking.  Anything over 1200 ISO gets too noisy for my liking.  However if you invest in better glass (f2.8 or faster lenses) you will not have to go as high of an ISO and improve the image quality significantly.  However those lenses cost twice what the camera does.

 

If you are using any camera as a webcam, I'd say skip auto-focus.  Just set your focal distance and go.  Think about it, how much are you really moving around while using a webcam?  Are you looking at streaming or recording Let's Plays? If so you almost certainly be sitting in the exact same spot the entire time and just moving your arms, hands, etc.  Even great auto-focus may miss focus in that situation from time to time. 

I don't think any camera under $500 will have "good low light" put that out of your mind all together.  
 

I am talking about panasonic's AF system