Looking for a new camera

6CRqSy · July 20, 2023

Hi, I want to buy a new mirrorless camera, most likely a full-frame, and I have to admit I am a bit overwhelmed with everything to consider.
Especially most buying guides only consider the body, though the ecosystem, especially the (budget) lenses seem also important...

I have been doing photography for a long time, though mostly with borrowed equipment, so there is not much that has me bound to one ecosystem.

I do mostly landscape and travel photography, as well as animal photography (pets and especially horses, as well as riding). (Maybe video, though I have never done it before, so I don't know.)

I do want to keep the camera for a long time; I do not plan to upgrade.

I have considered the following options:

Canon: R6 II, R6
Sony: A7 IV, A7 III
Nikon: Z6 II, Z7 II

My criteria are, of course, the picture quality and the ecosystem of lenses and other accessories. Additionally, maybe the weight, dimensions, and ease of use, though these are not too significant, I think. I don't think that I care too much about the resolution of the display or similar things.

I am currently leaning towards Sony, mainly because Sony seems to have the best lens ecosystem. As for the model, the A7 IV is my favorite, although I am not sure. It is significantly (45%) more expensive than the A7 III. With this price difference, I could afford an additional / better lens. One thing that leaves me thinking, though, is Flash compatibility. From what I have read, Sony seems to be a bit "iffy" with flashes.

As for the other companies, Nikon is the brand I am most familiar with, and I really like the small display on the top of the camera :). Also, I have read that Nikon can record raw video (though possibly only on higher models such as the Z9). Additionally, I find the focus stacking interesting, though I don't think I will do it very often - if at all - and it can be done manually as well, I guess.

The Canon cameras seem to be really good, though the ecosystem seems to be the least favorable.

Do you have any thoughts? What would you recommend? Is there some feature that I should consider?

Orbital_Aurora · July 21, 2023

Not Only Lenses are important, they are the most important.

Sony has the most extensive native Lenses But Canon EF Lenses can be adapted to an RF Mount with an adapter with almost no downsides, and EF Lenses are incredibly cheap. The same can be done with Nikon but I am not as familiar with their mirorless.

If you absolutly want to buy brand new, the A7III is a good value and can often be found with some accessories. And will give you decent video capabilities, even if not extraordinary. if you are only doing photo, the A7II is incredibly cheap nowadays, but is shit at video, but it can be a great starter since you can already build your glass collection around knowing that they won't become obsolete anytime soon

If you go canon, forget the kit lens, the 24-105 that comes with the R6 is probably one of the worst kit lens ever made. (not the L Version, the cheap one)

Overall if you are on a budget used gear can be a great option, but i get that not everyone is confortable with that.

If you are doing photo only you can't really go wrong nowadays anyway ! Good luck in your research

Vilacom · July 25, 2023

On 7/20/2023 at 5:45 PM, 6CRqSy said:

Hi, I want to buy a new mirrorless camera, most likely a full-frame, and I have to admit I am a bit overwhelmed with everything to consider.
Especially most buying guides only consider the body, though the ecosystem, especially the (budget) lenses seem also important...

I have been doing photography for a long time, though mostly with borrowed equipment, so there is not much that has me bound to one ecosystem.

I do mostly landscape and travel photography, as well as animal photography (pets and especially horses, as well as riding). (Maybe video, though I have never done it before, so I don't know.)

I do want to keep the camera for a long time; I do not plan to upgrade.

I have considered the following options:

Canon: R6 II, R6

Sony: A7 IV, A7 III

Nikon: Z6 II, Z7 II

My criteria are, of course, the picture quality and the ecosystem of lenses and other accessories. Additionally, maybe the weight, dimensions, and ease of use, though these are not too significant, I think. I don't think that I care too much about the resolution of the display or similar things.

I am currently leaning towards Sony, mainly because Sony seems to have the best lens ecosystem. As for the model, the A7 IV is my favorite, although I am not sure. It is significantly (45%) more expensive than the A7 III. With this price difference, I could afford an additional / better lens. One thing that leaves me thinking, though, is Flash compatibility. From what I have read, Sony seems to be a bit "iffy" with flashes.

As for the other companies, Nikon is the brand I am most familiar with, and I really like the small display on the top of the camera :). Also, I have read that Nikon can record raw video (though possibly only on higher models such as the Z9). Additionally, I find the focus stacking interesting, though I don't think I will do it very often - if at all - and it can be done manually as well, I guess.

The Canon cameras seem to be really good, though the ecosystem seems to be the least favorable.

Do you have any thoughts? What would you recommend? Is there some feature that I should consider?

Canon shooter here, and just wanted to make the argument for canon.

The R6/R6 II are absolutely phenomenal, and with a $100 adapter you get access to every EF lens on the market with as close to flawless adapted performance as I’ve ever seen. I took my EF 70-200 to Africa with me adapted onto my R5 and the shots it got were phenomenal with autofocus just as quick as the native glass I had on my other body.

The native RF stuff is expensive but holy shit is it good. The 28-70 f2 is like nothing ive ever seen.

Obviously all the systems these days are great, but don’t get too caught up in the idea that Canon has this unfavorable ecosystem, the EF glass is fantastic, fairly inexpensive, and all of it works near perfectly on the RF systems with the adapter, including the third party glass that was developed for the EF system.