80d vs a6300

[Inkz]

I got two scholarships I can use for school related costs, one $500 and one $1000. I was thinking for putting the $1000 on a camera and the $500 on a laptop plus some of my money. But if I need to I might be able to put them both to one, and add $200 at the very most. I already have a kinda old laptop but it would get the job done for now, I was waiting for Pascal but it looks like it might a little bit longer now and I could always get it later. So within that budget is what I have to work with. The two most promising looking cameras to me seem to be the Canon 80d and the Sony a6300. So far I have sort of narrowed it down into these categories.

 

The Use; I am starting college soon and I am thinking of joining the film club. I also plan to take photography, editing, and video when they offer it. Mostly right now it would be as a hobby, and experimenting.  I loved using manual mode on my LG G4 and I love to have further control over settings.  It would be my everything camera, I would love experimenting with all sorts of techniques in both stills and video.

 

Canon 80d:   Most Important Features to me: That awesome flip, touch fully articulating screen. It looks so helpful and the touch to focus can make such easy focus pulls. It would be so helpful when trying to use it at a high or low ange, or if I needed to film myself. Canon seems to have the best choices of lenses and tend to be cheapest for what you get. The form factor doesn't bother me too much, but I like the 80d a little more because you get more to hold onto, They both seem to have great autofocus systems for video, but the sony seems to hunt a little bit more and I would prefer the canon. Canon claims "Weather resistant" but just how much is that? The fact that it is a DSLR gives it no lag when looking at fast moving targets. The built in Timelapse feature would be fun and helpful. The battery life looks pretty good.

Less Important: The shutter seems to be loud, but that is kind of fun. And I don't know if this is a fact or not but people tend to take a DSLR more seriously than a mirrorless because of how they look and to the average person they almost look like a point and shoot with a bigger lens. I know there are good mirror-less cameras, but many people seem to not know the difference.

 

Sony A6300: Most Important: The 4k footage looks so good, much better in pure quality than the 80d. The 120 FPS looks very decent for the price, and I would love messing around with it. The battery seems pretty bad and I want to carry backups. Also why no Headphone Jack on such a nice video camera Sony? SLOG looks great for more dynamic range, but I am not familiar color grading. From what I have read online the A6300 tends to have about another stop of dynamic range, that is huge for me. Also video is much less grainy at the higher ISOs, buy a lot.  The lack of a nice touch screen seems frustrating with how fast the 80d is, I would love to be able to flip the screen around. Is there anyway to use an external screen that  I could mount to the top or the side? Maybe a phone? Also I have seen many reports of overheating. I live in Michigan so heat is not a problem most of the time, sometimes we get a little warm in the summer and I would hate it to shut down while I am using it.  The burst rate is much higher, but you can't use the camera while the card is being written to.

Less Important: The shutter only goes to 1/4000s instead of 1/8000 on the 80d. Not the biggest deal but it seems like it could help some ultra high speed action, but it is probably still fast enough.

 

Misc: I can't really find a better way to compare the actual stills quality. I know the Sony has better Dynamic range, but that is about it. I could really  use some help comparing them. What I like in my pictures and videos is really good dynamic range and sharpness ( like to crop in). I do not know how to compare some of these cameras in things like weather sealing so I can use a lot of help. I am also not sure how to compare Sony Lenses with Canon lenses. I would like to start out with a decent kit lens for both video and stills, get a nifty fifty, and a wide angle in the near future.

 

Disclaimer: Yes I know person using the camera is more important to good content than the gear.I also know that lenses have huge impact and should be looked at carefully.

 

OK, that should be most of it, but I am sure I am still forget somethings.  Ready for @ALwin to tear me a new one just kidding.

[xQubeZx]

There is an app made by sony that will let you use the phone to focus and well control all settings. Just wanted to let you know since you missed the touch feature on the A6300. Havent tried it in video myself but I bet its decent. 

 

One thing with sony is the lenses are very expensive and there is very few budget options. But when you get a lens they are usally of good quality and well half of their lineup are Zeiss lenses pretty much. Thats whats good about canon there is a lot of lenses availible but remember there is a lot of options to adapt lenses to the Sony system. For Canon lenses there is smart adapters while most others rely on manual focus. (Focus peaking is very good to use then)

 

Really I think all comes down to which camera you preffer to hold in your hand and use and how you feel about lens avalibility. Both cameras have great reviews and you will most likley be very happy with whatever camera you chose. Personally I would go for the Sony since I like the small form factor I can keep with me everywhere, for example when I'm skiing or climbing for example. Of course you can do that with a 80D too its just a bit more to carry on. But I can see why people would want an 80D for the more comfortable grip for example. 

 

Also think of what you feel about the EVF of the A6300 vs a "normal" viewfinder on the 80D

 

And if you want good Sony lenses the Zeiss 55 f/1.8 is said to be amazing. Other more resonably priced lenses like the 18-105mm F4, 16mm f/2.8 and the 50mm f/1.8 have all got pretty good reviews. 

[ALwin]

The Canon certainly will have better weather sealing, however know that there are different levels of weather sealing.  For example a camera like the Canon 80D might have sufficient weather proofing to handle light rain while a much more expensive and higher end top of the line Canon 1DX series camera body would be able to handle somewhat heavier rain and splashing.  Another important area for weather sealing is where the lens mounts meets the back of the lens.  Nikon and Canon lenses, especially the higher end lenses, have rubber gaskets around the metal ring that mates with the lens mount on the body.  This improves the weather sealing a bit, while with Sony lenses do not and it's just two metal surfaces meeting.

 

Of course weather sealing/proofing is no excuse to be careless with your camera in weather conditions like rain or dusty locations.

 

SLog color grading will require some time getting used to.  When you record video in SLog (or any Log) they out-of-camera image will look flat, uninteresting, washed out.  It can require a short amount of time or even hours of editing to get the final look you want, but it gives you the most flexibility to control the look of your video.

 

The 80D's shutter does go to 1/8000 but the A6300 only to 1/4000.

 

If the A6300 has an HDMI out for recording video onto external recorders (like an Atomos Ninja 2), you can certainly connect an external monitor (though I doubt your phone can be used as one).

 

You can always buy an external timer remote to do timelapses.  I'm fairly positive there is a remote compatible with the A6300, there certainly will be one for the 80D.

 

I've never really been a fan of touch screens on cameras, for personal reasons of my own.

 

Burst shooting and how long the camera can keep it up depends on the size of the camera's internal buffer and how fast it can write to the memory card to make room in the buffer.  Cameras like the A6300 and 80D would not have a very large buffer.

 

When it comes to lenses:

• Canon has a larger lineup of Canon lenses, and also more possibility to find good lenses in the used market.  All Canon lenses will work natively with the camera as long as they are compatible.
• Sony has a shorter flange distance, meaning more lenses can be mounted using an adapter.  Depending on the adapter, lenses can either support AF or become manual lenses.

Dynamic range of both cameras seem to be close to each other with the A6300 having perhaps a 1 stop advantage.

 

It really doesn't matter to me which camera you choose, as long as you understand why you are choosing one camera over another.  If you truly know what you require in a camera, then no one needs to tell you what to buy.  Both are good cameras with their own advantages and disadvantages.  Think about which one has more of the things you require in a camera or you're more comfortable using.

[thekillergazebo]

So I own the a6000 and a6300 with kit 16-50, 50mm f1.8, 55-210, and 18-105mm f4 so knowing that let me tell you my thoughts using a Sony setup.

 

Sony is definitely going to be expensive especially to get what you want. For video you will want a6300 with the 18-105. It's really the only lens you would need but it's also a heavy lens. Not outrageous, but definitely my heaviest lens. As for timelaps, buy a trigger trap. It will cost you 37 and you can get it to work on any camera. Really worth it. Watch some videos on it and you can see all the possibilities. So with Sony your looking at $1000 for the body and $600 for the 18-105mm. Which kinda kills your budget.

 

For me personally, I love the a6300. Yes it doesn't have a touch screen but I've never needed it. If you tell me the app I'll try it out for you and can give you a rundown of it. But Sonys system for me just works. It's light and small and allows me to not break my back carrying it around on trips. I also have a Nikon 5200 and I never use to bring it around because it was so heavy. 

 

Ive heard the 80d isn't that much better then the 70d. I know that's a solid camera and would probably look at that if your budget focused. Plus I heard the canon kit lens is good on the 70d. The Sony kit lens sucks. It's only good for being light and compact.

[thekillergazebo]

Also wanted to add yes the Sony can kill a battery in 300 to 400 shots, but the a6300 can shoot while charging through its micro usb. This means I can put a little charger attached to my hotshoe or I sometimes use a longer cord and shoot while the charger is in my pocket. The battery for the Sony system isn't that heavy or large either so it's not that big of a deal for me. It's only been an I problem when I'm using the trigger trap. They both need the same port.

[ALwin]

2 hours ago, thekillergazebo said:

It's only been an I problem when I'm using the trigger trap. They both need the same port.

I'm curious if a 2port USB hub might work as a solution for this...

[thekillergazebo]

1 hour ago, ALwin said:

I'm curious if a 2port USB hub might work as a solution for this...

I didn't know they made them. If they are cheap I'll buy it to test it out. I know they make a fake dummy battery you can get that you can plug into a battery bank. Never liked that idea because you need to keep the door open with that.

[Haunting]

 

The a6300 will be sharper for video by a lot. It down samples 6k footage internally to 4k making it sharper than even a sony A7s2.

 

Just comparing the 2 cameras outright. If you are starting college soon and need something for shooting short films then you probably want the a6300. S-log is very important and learning color grading is something all young film makers should put time into. It seems scary at first but it's not too hard and can be learned in a basic form in a few short youtube videos. On top of that adobe premiere color grading tools are constantly getting better. You just need to consider what the camera is going to be used for. More production based work, like short films then the a6300 shines, if you want something that's more for vid logs and quick videos to upload, then the 80d will be more your style. Just realized you also said you like to crop in, that's not going to look good on a 80d shooting at 1080p, you want a camera that shoots 4k if you like to crop.

 

• You should also consider autofocus capabilities a6300 has 425 points while the 80d has 45 points

• For continuous fast photo shooting the a6300 has 11fps while the 80d has 7fps

• Also for film shooting you talked about focus pulling, using manual focus for focus pulling in film production is the norm and the A6300 has focus peaking which is  important in that regard. To explain it I would look to http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/what-focus-peaking

• Big problem with the a6300 is the rolling shutter causing the jello effect which in my opinion is its biggest downside

• Headphone jack is not that big of an issue for film production since you should be using external audio recording devices most of the time

 

Now it might seem like I have totally jumped on the a6300 train but their are other factors you need to consider. First and foremost one is a DSLR and the other is a mirrorless. if you change your mind about what you want to focus on and want a more rugged photo camera this whole argument I have made flys out the window.

 

Next  this is a HUGE factor, you need to figure out what equipment your college has invested into for students to use. Most colleges that have film and photo programs have cameras, lenses, and equipment for students to rent out for free. Many have cannon c100's or sony A7s's, what they use is extremely important if you are going to spend the next 4 years using the equipment. If they have cannon glass you could then use it on your 80d or maybe they only have e-mount sony gear for you a6300. This is something that would swing it completely one way or the other regardless of the above mentioned.

 

ALwin gave some solid advice, and you should also take into consideration what ecosystem you are buying into. Because once you invest into quality glass for your camera, you are much more likely to continue on that route with that company's camera bodies, especially if you are on a budget. Because if you take into factor future purchases it gets a little more complicated and makes a case for the canon 80d a little.

 

For example, let's say you get the a6300 and invest in e-mount lenses. Your options in the future ecosystem would be mirrorless cameras in the full frame A7 series, most notably for full frame cameras, the Sony A7 s2 which is a phenomenal camera for shooting short films and has amazing low light performance, and for stills the A7 r2 which has a 42 mp sensor, taking over 8k res photos. I have no doubt they will continue the A7 2  line and create a successor to it in the future since they are selling like hotcakes for young filmmakers. If you look into some higher production video cameras even further down the line after investing into the a6300 they will be along the lines of the Sony FS5 or FS7, I know they might seem expensive now but renting gear for film shoots becomes a common occurrence.

 

If you get the 80d and get Canon glass your future photography camera choices are much more open. The whole canon line of photo cameras is now easy to switch to and I won't go into them all because they are too many. For video a few to think about would be the new 5d mk4 which would also be a great all around photo camera and will most likely shoot great 4k video, and even further down the line if you end up using c100's or c300's you will be glad you got canon glass to use. Another huge part of the canon appeal is the cheap lens factor. They just have a greater selection available at way cheaper prices. It's also important to note that when you get to the high end comparing canon glass to sony mount glass. When comparing lenses with the same focal length and aperture (especially in the case of zeiss sony products) the sony stuff is significantly more expensive. 200-600 bucks more expensive per lens.

 

I am not sure if you made up your mind  in just looking at these two but I want to also suggest a few other cameras which record 4k to consider.

 

Panasonic Lumix GH4:  is a great camera for starting filmmakers its main downside it the micro four thirds mount

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1028453-REG/panasonic_dmc_gh4kbody_lumix_dmc_gh4_mirrorless_micro.html

 

And the soon to be released

 

Fujifilm X-T2: Brand new camera that takes great stills and video with  built in color profiles that looks really good for filmmakers who don't want to color correct. It's more pricey however at 1600 bucks USD  just for the body. Also uses Fuji lenses which are pretty good but again it locks you more into the fuji ecosystem.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1263381-REG/fujifilm_x_t2_mirrorless_digital_camera.html

 

Regardless which camera you buy, get good glass. The lenses will outlive your camera and then some.

 

A few recommendations:

For a6300:

 

Sigma 30mm f1.4

http://petapixel.com/2016/07/01/sigma-30mm-f1-4-best-e-mount-lens-dxo-ever-tested/

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1234027-REG/sigma_302965_30mm_f_1_4_dc_dn.html

Really good and only 339 USD currently

 

For 80d

 

Sigma 18-35mm f1.8

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigma-18-35-1-8

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/967344-REG/sigma_18_35mm_f1_8_dc_hsm.html

This is a little pricey for you at 800 USD but down the road this is something you definitely will want to consider. Sigma has been killing it lately and this is a lens that made waves for its quality and versatility with its focal range. People love this lens and put it on RED and Blackmagic cameras and is used on lots of professional shoots  as a go to.

 

For comparing lenses when trying to decide what to buy http://www.dxomark.com/ Is very helpful . They value sharpness greatly however so take that into account.

[ALwin]

1 hour ago, Haunting said:

Next  this is a HUGE factor, you need to figure out what equipment your college has invested into for students to use. Most colleges that have film and photo programs have cameras, lenses, and equipment for students to rent out for free. Many have cannon c100's or sony A7s's, what they use is extremely important if you are going to spend the next 4 years using the equipment. If they have cannon glass you could then use it on your 80d or maybe they only have e-mount sony gear for you a6300. This is something that would swing it completely one way or the other regardless of the above mentioned.

You make very good points, and perhaps in light of what you said here: if the school does have their own equipment already that students can borrow, rent, use, perhaps the OP should wait a while and become familiar with the school's gear before investing in his/her own.  This way, when the time comes to buy, the OP have a better idea of what he/she needs in a camera.

[Inkz]

Thanks so much for all the replies, there is so much to cover and reply to. I will try get back to everyone tomorrow.

[Inkz]

On 8/17/2016 at 3:20 AM, ALwin said:

The Canon certainly will have better weather sealing, however know that there are different levels of weather sealing.  For example a camera like the Canon 80D might have sufficient weather proofing to handle light rain while a much more expensive and higher end top of the line Canon 1DX series camera body would be able to handle somewhat heavier rain and splashing.  Another important area for weather sealing is where the lens mounts meets the back of the lens.  Nikon and Canon lenses, especially the higher end lenses, have rubber gaskets around the metal ring that mates with the lens mount on the body.  This improves the weather sealing a bit, while with Sony lenses do not and it's just two metal surfaces meeting.

 

Of course weather sealing/proofing is no excuse to be careless with your camera in weather conditions like rain or dusty locations.

 

SLog color grading will require some time getting used to.  When you record video in SLog (or any Log) they out-of-camera image will look flat, uninteresting, washed out.  It can require a short amount of time or even hours of editing to get the final look you want, but it gives you the most flexibility to control the look of your video.

 

The 80D's shutter does go to 1/8000 but the A6300 only to 1/4000.

 

You can always buy an external timer remote to do timelapses.  I'm fairly positive there is a remote compatible with the A6300, there certainly will be one for the 80D.

 

Burst shooting and how long the camera can keep it up depends on the size of the camera's internal buffer and how fast it can write to the memory card to make room in the buffer.  Cameras like the A6300 and 80D would not have a very large buffer.

 

When it comes to lenses:

• Canon has a larger lineup of Canon lenses, and also more possibility to find good lenses in the used market.  All Canon lenses will work natively with the camera as long as they are compatible.
• Sony has a shorter flange distance, meaning more lenses can be mounted using an adapter.  Depending on the adapter, lenses can either support AF or become manual lenses.

Dynamic range of both cameras seem to be close to each other with the A6300 having perhaps a 1 stop advantage.

 

 

For weather sealing I was mostly asking if for example I wanted to take pictures of an area while it was raining. I tend to extremely baby my gear, so I was only asking about if I needed to. Maybe trying the old put plastic bag over everything except lens might work for that? I really don't like the flat look, so I would probably try and change it closer to what it normally looks like. The dynamic range is what seems so intriguing.  I almost wish I could have the normal look but with the extra DR. But for some styles I can see how it is very useful. Does the shutter speed make that much of a difference? Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I heard that it won't make that much of a difference. I am familiar with how the buffer works you have to factor in image size, fps, card speed, and so on. For me as long as I can have it work for 1-4 seconds that is good enough, although the time it takes to offload to the SD card is also important Also DR is pretty important to me, but is 1 stop a really noticeable difference? I am not familiar with how to quantify it.

On 8/17/2016 at 6:09 AM, thekillergazebo said:

So I own the a6000 and a6300 with kit 16-50, 50mm f1.8, 55-210, and 18-105mm f4 so knowing that let me tell you my thoughts using a Sony setup.

 

Sony is definitely going to be expensive especially to get what you want. For video you will want a6300 with the 18-105. It's really the only lens you would need but it's also a heavy lens. Not outrageous, but definitely my heaviest lens. As for timelaps, buy a trigger trap. It will cost you 37 and you can get it to work on any camera. Really worth it. Watch some videos on it and you can see all the possibilities. So with Sony your looking at $1000 for the body and $600 for the 18-105mm. Which kinda kills your budget.

 

For me personally, I love the a6300. Yes it doesn't have a touch screen but I've never needed it. If you tell me the app I'll try it out for you and can give you a rundown of it. But Sonys system for me just works. It's light and small and allows me to not break my back carrying it around on trips. I also have a Nikon 5200 and I never use to bring it around because it was so heavy. 

 

Ive heard the 80d isn't that much better then the 70d. I know that's a solid camera and would probably look at that if your budget focused. Plus I heard the canon kit lens is good on the 70d. The Sony kit lens sucks. It's only good for being light and compact.

Please tell me what was the temperatures like when using it. I have heard various reports that it overheats often to not really. So is it not even worth it with the a6300 to get the kit lens?

On 8/17/2016 at 10:14 AM, Haunting said:

 

The a6300 will be sharper for video by a lot. It down samples 6k footage internally to 4k making it sharper than even a sony A7s2.

 

Just comparing the 2 cameras outright. If you are starting college soon and need something for shooting short films then you probably want the a6300. S-log is very important and learning color grading is something all young film makers should put time into. It seems scary at first but it's not too hard and can be learned in a basic form in a few short youtube videos. On top of that adobe premiere color grading tools are constantly getting better. You just need to consider what the camera is going to be used for. More production based work, like short films then the a6300 shines, if you want something that's more for vid logs and quick videos to upload, then the 80d will be more your style. Just realized you also said you like to crop in, that's not going to look good on a 80d shooting at 1080p, you want a camera that shoots 4k if you like to crop.

 

• You should also consider autofocus capabilities a6300 has 425 points while the 80d has 45 points

• For continuous fast photo shooting the a6300 has 11fps while the 80d has 7fps

• Also for film shooting you talked about focus pulling, using manual focus for focus pulling in film production is the norm and the A6300 has focus peaking which is  important in that regard. To explain it I would look to http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/what-focus-peaking

• Big problem with the a6300 is the rolling shutter causing the jello effect which in my opinion is its biggest downside

• Headphone jack is not that big of an issue for film production since you should be using external audio recording devices most of the time

 

Now it might seem like I have totally jumped on the a6300 train but their are other factors you need to consider. First and foremost one is a DSLR and the other is a mirrorless. if you change your mind about what you want to focus on and want a more rugged photo camera this whole argument I have made flys out the window.

 

Next  this is a HUGE factor, you need to figure out what equipment your college has invested into for students to use. Most colleges that have film and photo programs have cameras, lenses, and equipment for students to rent out for free. Many have cannon c100's or sony A7s's, what they use is extremely important if you are going to spend the next 4 years using the equipment. If they have cannon glass you could then use it on your 80d or maybe they only have e-mount sony gear for you a6300. This is something that would swing it completely one way or the other regardless of the above mentioned.

 

ALwin gave some solid advice, and you should also take into consideration what ecosystem you are buying into. Because once you invest into quality glass for your camera, you are much more likely to continue on that route with that company's camera bodies, especially if you are on a budget. Because if you take into factor future purchases it gets a little more complicated and makes a case for the canon 80d a little.

 

For example, let's say you get the a6300 and invest in e-mount lenses. Your options in the future ecosystem would be mirrorless cameras in the full frame A7 series, most notably for full frame cameras, the Sony A7 s2 which is a phenomenal camera for shooting short films and has amazing low light performance, and for stills the A7 r2 which has a 42 mp sensor, taking over 8k res photos. I have no doubt they will continue the A7 2  line and create a successor to it in the future since they are selling like hotcakes for young filmmakers. If you look into some higher production video cameras even further down the line after investing into the a6300 they will be along the lines of the Sony FS5 or FS7, I know they might seem expensive now but renting gear for film shoots becomes a common occurrence.

 

If you get the 80d and get Canon glass your future photography camera choices are much more open. The whole canon line of photo cameras is now easy to switch to and I won't go into them all because they are too many. For video a few to think about would be the new 5d mk4 which would also be a great all around photo camera and will most likely shoot great 4k video, and even further down the line if you end up using c100's or c300's you will be glad you got canon glass to use. Another huge part of the canon appeal is the cheap lens factor. They just have a greater selection available at way cheaper prices. It's also important to note that when you get to the high end comparing canon glass to sony mount glass. When comparing lenses with the same focal length and aperture (especially in the case of zeiss sony products) the sony stuff is significantly more expensive. 200-600 bucks more expensive per lens.

 

I am not sure if you made up your mind  in just looking at these two but I want to also suggest a few other cameras which record 4k to consider.

 

Panasonic Lumix GH4:  is a great camera for starting filmmakers its main downside it the micro four thirds mount

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1028453-REG/panasonic_dmc_gh4kbody_lumix_dmc_gh4_mirrorless_micro.html

 

And the soon to be released

 

Fujifilm X-T2: Brand new camera that takes great stills and video with  built in color profiles that looks really good for filmmakers who don't want to color correct. It's more pricey however at 1600 bucks USD  just for the body. Also uses Fuji lenses which are pretty good but again it locks you more into the fuji ecosystem.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1263381-REG/fujifilm_x_t2_mirrorless_digital_camera.html

 

Regardless which camera you buy, get good glass. The lenses will outlive your camera and then some.

 

A few recommendations:

For a6300:

 

Sigma 30mm f1.4

http://petapixel.com/2016/07/01/sigma-30mm-f1-4-best-e-mount-lens-dxo-ever-tested/

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1234027-REG/sigma_302965_30mm_f_1_4_dc_dn.html

Really good and only 339 USD currently

 

For 80d

 

Sigma 18-35mm f1.8

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigma-18-35-1-8

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/967344-REG/sigma_18_35mm_f1_8_dc_hsm.html

This is a little pricey for you at 800 USD but down the road this is something you definitely will want to consider. Sigma has been killing it lately and this is a lens that made waves for its quality and versatility with its focal range. People love this lens and put it on RED and Blackmagic cameras and is used on lots of professional shoots  as a go to.

 

For comparing lenses when trying to decide what to buy http://www.dxomark.com/ Is very helpful . They value sharpness greatly however so take that into account.

At the time I first made this post it was just  a little bit before I started college. As of right now I am signed up for a few clubs, but my school is a somewhat small community college, so I have some doubts that they will have high end gear. Their photography classes aren't offered yet because they said they didn't have the demand.

[Inkz]

Sorry to everyone about how I said I would reply the next day. I had to go on a sudden trip without internet and then went straight to my first week of college, so I have been really busy. Thanks everyone for the replies!         

 

Also a general consensus I seem to be getting is try/hold both cameras and see which one I like more. In my area I can only really find a single 80d at a printing store, and one at Sam's Club.  What would be a good way to test some gear in person, keep in mind the city I live near is not giant. @ALwin

[ALwin]

1 hour ago, Inkz said:

For weather sealing I was mostly asking if for example I wanted to take pictures of an area while it was raining. I tend to extremely baby my gear, so I was only asking about if I needed to. Maybe trying the old put plastic bag over everything except lens might work for that? I really don't like the flat look, so I would probably try and change it closer to what it normally looks like. The dynamic range is what seems so intriguing.  I almost wish I could have the normal look but with the extra DR. But for some styles I can see how it is very useful. Does the shutter speed make that much of a difference? Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I heard that it won't make that much of a difference. I am familiar with how the buffer works you have to factor in image size, fps, card speed, and so on. For me as long as I can have it work for 1-4 seconds that is good enough, although the time it takes to offload to the SD card is also important Also DR is pretty important to me, but is 1 stop a really noticeable difference? I am not familiar with how to quantify it.

Sometimes when I forget my rain covers at home, I simply get a shopping bag, cut a hole in it and the only thing exposed to the rain is the front element of the lens (hidden behind a lens hood).  You can buy cheap rain covers on eBay.

 

OK well the flat look can be edited in post to bring the "punch" back.

 

The shutter speed, I don't know.  For me having 1/8000th of a second shutter is important, perhaps not to you. All depends on the type of photography you do.

 

For the continuous capture and buffer sizes, look at how many frames per second the camera can shoot (RAW or JPEG) and in the specs they say how large the buffer is (for example, 21 frames in RAW and 100 frames in JPEG).  So if a camera shoots 11 frames per second and can hold up to 22 RAW files in the buffer, you're looking at just 2 seconds of burst shots.

 

1 stop difference, honestly I doubt people will notice.  Photos have been taken with early DSLRs that had even less dynamic range and photographers have been using various techniques (including the use of different types of ND filters) to capture landscape photos that have a large difference between the highlights and shadows.

 

1 hour ago, Inkz said:

Also a general consensus I seem to be getting is try/hold both cameras and see which one I like more. In my area I can only really find a single 80d at a printing store, and one at Sam's Club.  What would be a good way to test some gear in person, keep in mind the city I live near is not giant. @ALwin

Ask if you can take some test shots on your memory card so that you can take them home and look on your computer, see how you feel handling the camera, think about how you'll be using them.

[Inkz]

3 minutes ago, ALwin said:

 

Ask if you can take some test shots on your memory card so that you can take them home and look on your computer, see how you feel handling the camera, think about how you'll be using them.

The issue I was stating was I can't really find a a6300 in the area. I don't really know how it would feel, I have never looked through an OVF before, so I can't really talk about my opinion on it. Also I don't know how the grip would feel, I know the 80d has  much bigger grip, but I can't tell how the 6300 feels. I was waiting to get the memory card when I get the camera, but if I am dead set maybe I should just go ahead and buy it.

[ALwin]

3 hours ago, Inkz said:

The issue I was stating was I can't really find a a6300 in the area. I don't really know how it would feel, I have never looked through an OVF before, so I can't really talk about my opinion on it. Also I don't know how the grip would feel, I know the 80d has  much bigger grip, but I can't tell how the 6300 feels. I was waiting to get the memory card when I get the camera, but if I am dead set maybe I should just go ahead and buy it.

No A6000 either, they're similar in size and weight?  The main differences will be sensor and recording capabilities.

[thekillergazebo]

Yeah if you can't find the a6300 the a6000 is what it will basically look like. The key difference will be the EVF is much much sharper on the a6300 then a6000. I believe it's double the pixel count on the newer one. The body is very very slightly thicker. And a bit heavier. Nothing that you would care or notice. The grip of the two is similar but also different. If you don't mind the a6000 feel in your hand you won't mind the a6300. That being said from my experience the a6000 does feel cheaper than the a6300 and even though they are similar the a6300 does feel like a more premium camera. The body is heavier from a better internal frame. As for the kit lens. 

 

As as for the kit lens I personally don't care for the images it produces, but keep in mind I am using this camera mostly for landscapes and wildlife shots. The kit lens isn't horrible at everything and given its price it could be worth it to have at first. My two favorite lenses are the Sony 10-18mm and Sony 18-105mm both are an arm and a leg. The kit lens is stil good and I could definitely use it in my everyday shooting and still do when I think I'm in a area I could damage my lens. A few pros to the kit lens are its size. If I go to the city or out for nightlife shots I always take the kit lens. People won't think it's a expensive camera and it's less noticeable in crowds or discrete areas. I would say if you like the a6300 you can get it with the kit lens and just upgrade when your ready or buy canon glass. 

 

For overheating issued I've had zero. I live in south Florida where it's always 90+ outside. They do have a new firmware update which people say helps with it too but I've not had a problem. But they do have tips out there like keep the tilt screen away from the body to help with heat. It seems like not everyone has the heating problem but it might be the type of shooting they do. thr only problem I ever had with heating was I was kayaking out to an island to get shots of a bird in midday sun an no shade. I had the camera in a weather sealed survival bag for about an hr. When I pulled the camera and food out everything felt like you pulled it out of an oven. I turned it on and it wouldn't take any photos because it needed to cool down first. That's the only time I've had hear issues and it was for trying to take a photo. Hell even my iPhone shut down for over heating.

[thekillergazebo]

If you have a Best Buy I know they usually have both cameras. They also let you plus in your own SD card.

[cc143]

I recently got an a6000 used to complement my EOS 50D and have managed to play around with it enough to form an opinion about it in general. 

 

The sony is much better than any DSLR if you need to pack light (duh), but that has its limits. It is true if you are just using the kit lens or a pancake, but if you are at the point where you have adapted a canon lens like the 24-105L, then really? The size of the camera body becomes irrelevant at that point. 

 

The kit lens btw is crap, I hate it, in comparison, canon's 18-55 (that came with my 350D!) is miles better, and from what I have read, other lenses for the sony are also much worse than the canon and nikon systems. They are also much more expensive, and the used market, (very important for someone on a budget!) is very small. Whatsmore, adapters are either too crap (e.g. commlite, fotodiox etc.) or too expensive to be worth it unless you have a really large lens collection. 

 

To say that battery life in my a6000 is bad is an understatement. In comparison to my 50D (8 year old battery mind you!) its just incredibly and inexcusably bad. 

 

In comparison points for a DSLR:

Easier to use, much more ergonomic, more rugged, much better battery life. 

 

Additionally, some stuff like wifi nfc gps etc are available on the canon as well and there is an app that you can control your camera with (and has existed since the 60D first came out!). 

 

note: That said I am not about to go sell my a6000 off just yet, it has great low light performance, and I really like the fact that I can carry it with me in a jacket pocket if I so desire, and my 50D doesn't have wifi etc and I really like the mobile app. 

 

In short, if you don't care about the weight and size, the canon is definitely the way to go, now I am not sure however if the 80D is what I would get in your position and with your budget. First consider lenses, you certainly need 2, an all purpose zoom such as the EF 28-135mm IS and a nifty fifty, I like the EF 50mm f1.4, I recently got it used, but the f/1.8 is fine if you can't spend the money. 

 

For a body, I don't see why you can't do what you want with a 760D or 70D. 

 

From amazon US, the 80D ($1199)+ EF 28-135mm f 3.5-5.6 ($359)+ 50mm f1.8($125) is currently at $1690. 

70D ($999)+ EF 24-105 f4L ( $669) + EF 50mm f 1.8 ($125) is at $1793 or $1674 if you get the 24-105 used for $550 (again amazon). 

760D ($631.30) + EF 24-105 f4L ($669) + EF 50mm f 1.4 ($359)  is at $1660 (There is also a bundle of accesories with bag etc with the 50mm, and a cleaning kit etc with the 24-105mm). 

 

Personally, as a someone who did make the mistake of buying a good body while only having crap glass, I can tell you, lenses make more of a difference than the body. the 760D is capable enough, has the features you mentioned above and is fine for a beginner, that said, I would probably get a 70D and a used 50mm f1.4 and used 24-104mm f4L.