Good DSLR, or Mirrorless?

[Anton Falco]

Hello All.

I know this has been brought up here on the forums a few times, as I've used the search feature and read through and absorbed as much info as I could from previous threads, but I could use some assistance from those with more knowledge and experience chasing than me; especially as some of those previous threads are several years old.

I'm starting from scratch (no previous high end cameras), but I do have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 DSLR that I've had for two years. I've taught myself the basics of photography, and feel I've outgrown this camera and its basic features. My pictures from the May 24 Dodge City event looked great, or so I thought, until I saw the pictures of photographers here. I'm not nearly as skilled, or as experienced, but that little camera can't quite keep up, obviously.

As a result, I've been doing research since that event, and based on the title, I'm completely torn on which direction to go. As stated previously, I don't own any other cameras or lenses, so there's lost investment. I don't mind the learning curve of buying an advanced camera, as I don't imagine it leaving my hands much for the first while after getting it. I know the tried and tested Nikon/Canon DSLRs are solid and have a much larger lens selection, but seeing the features and potential future abilities of the mirrorless cameras has me pondering going that direction; though I don't know as much about their track record. The low light features on some of those Sony mirrorless cameras look INSANE.

When not chasing, I'd like to do landscape and nature photography, (maybe some sports, but it wouldn't be the primary use) but chasing (lightning, structure and tornadoes) would be the primary reason. I have about $1500-$2000 (Canadian, so the exchange will hurt a bit) to spend on the camera and, ideally, two lenses that can give me a balance between structure and being able to zoom. I was pondering a 18-135mm lens, the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 lens (that has rave reviews on the forums here), and maybe a lens in the 10-22mm form for structure, if that sounds logical, to cover most bases. I just bought a decent camcorder, so video isn't a massive concern for the camera, though I won't balk at 4k video.

I've been looking at:

1) Canon EOS 80D. Starts around $1200, but will push the edge of my $2000 budget with the lenses I want.

2) Nikon D7200. Also starts around $1200, but includes a 18-140mm lens for an additional $400.

3) Sony Alpha a6300. A bit more expensive to start, and not quite the lens selection (before buying the adapter), but extreme low light ability. I've read about overheating concerns, but I'm not sure if they're warranted.

I know there's no such thing as "future proof", and that most DSLR and mirrorless cameras can get you good shots without spending an arm and a leg, but I would like something good and consistent for a while without needing to upgrade anything but lenses. I'm open to any and all suggestions. Perhaps a cheaper body and better lenses.

I'm just completely unsure of which direction to go as I've learned more and more about the features and tons of options available, and I'd greatly appreciate any feedback.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

I started exactly 5 years ago today on the Canon 60D with the 18-135 IS lens. Learned a lot in the process and now have the Canon 6D.

Honestly, if I was starting new, I would consider Nikon or even more so, consider mirror less (the sony). Not a knock on Canon, but the Nikon lenses perform better IMO, although I've been buying a lot of sigma lately.

Mirrorless is intriguing, but hard to pull the trigger on that for myself when I already have a bunch of DSLR canon gear.

 

[Anton Falco]

I started exactly 5 years ago today on the Canon 60D with the 18-135 IS lens. Learned a lot in the process and now have the Canon 6D.

Honestly, if I was starting new, I would consider Nikon or even more so, consider mirror less (the sony). Not a knock on Canon, but the Nikon lenses perform better IMO, although I've been buying a lot of sigma lately.

Mirrorless is intriguing, but hard to pull the trigger on that for myself when I already have a bunch of DSLR canon gear.

Thanks for the reply. I'm pretty sure I'm going to head in the mirror less direction; specifically with the Sony a6300. It fits my budget and, from what I've learned through research and talking to others better at this than me, there aren't very many drawbacks for the price point.

Much like yourself, if I had other lenses from the DSLR category, I'd probably go that route but starting fresh, I'll take the mirror less plunge.

 

[Bill Giles]

Thanks for the reply. I'm pretty sure I'm going to head in the mirror less direction; specifically with the Sony a6300. It fits my budget and, from what I've learned through research and talking to others better at this than me, there aren't very many drawbacks for the price point.

Much like yourself, if I had other lenses from the DSLR category, I'd probably go that route but starting fresh, I'll take the mirror less plunge.

I just recently purchased the Sony a6300 and haven't had any overheating issues. I've been mostly focused on photos and not video though so your mileage may vary.

I'm pretty sure I've read and watched a lot of the same reviews as you have while doing my own research on this camera. The common theme I noticed from almost all of the reviewers was that they used (or wanted to use) the a6300 as their Youtube video camera, filming 30+ minutes at a time indoors. That's not anything I imagine myself doing while chasing, at least on tornado days.

I almost hesitate to link it (I'm a very amateur photographer), but here's my Flickr account if you want to see some sky photography examples with this camera. Anything from 5/28 is taken with the Sony. The rest is my iPhone or when I borrowed a Canon 60D.

 

[Anton Falco]

I just recently purchased the Sony a6300 and haven't had any overheating issues. I've been mostly focused on photos and not video though so your mileage may vary.

I'm pretty sure I've read and watched a lot of the same reviews as you have while doing my own research on this camera. The common theme I noticed from almost all of the reviewers was that they used (or wanted to use) the a6300 as their Youtube video camera, filming 30+ minutes at a time indoors. That's not anything I imagine myself doing while chasing, at least on tornado days.

I almost hesitate to link it (I'm a very amateur photographer), but here's my Flickr account if you want to see some sky photography examples with this camera. Anything from 5/28 is taken with the Sony. The rest is my iPhone or when I borrowed a Canon 60D.

You have some really nice structure shots. The lightning shot is amazing!

In terms of the reviews, I think we did watch the similar ones, and if that's the case, I wasn't planning on doing 4k studio-style filming anyway. As long as 5-10 minutes of footage isn't an overheating threat, I'm not concerned. I have a 1080p, 60fps camcorder dedicated for filming anyway, so video isn't a huge deal, though 4k isn't a unwelcome feature.

If you don't mind, I have a couple questions for you:

1) Are you using the kit lens? Have you bought any others as of yet?
2) Is it as good as advertised in low light?
3) Are you happy with it so far in the limited time you've had it?

 

[Bill Giles]

You have some really nice structure shots. The lightning shot is amazing!

In terms of the reviews, I think we did watch the similar ones, and if that's the case, I wasn't planning on doing 4k studio-style filming anyway. As long as 5-10 minutes of footage isn't an overheating threat, I'm not concerned. I have a 1080p, 60fps camcorder dedicated for filming anyway, so video isn't a huge deal, though 4k isn't a unwelcome feature.

If you don't mind, I have a couple questions for you:

1) Are you using the kit lens? Have you bought any others as of yet?
2) Is it as good as advertised in low light?
3) Are you happy with it so far in the limited time you've had it?

Thanks! I did get a kit lens with the camera. It's the E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS. I haven't purchased any others yet, but I did get a FotodioX/Vizelex ND Throttle Adapter to mount Canon EF/EF-S lenses to the camera. This was mostly for my girlfriend, who has a few Rokinon lenses she likes to use for astrophotography. We have yet to really test it though save for a few quick pictures of the cat.

So far I'm very happy with it! I don't have a lot of experience in the DSLR world so I have very little basis for comparison. I will warn you though that Sony has an app store for this camera and they are charging for some of them, such as their intervalometer (which they call Time-lapse - $10). I also downloaded their Touchless Shutter beta application (free), which allows you to use the viewfinder eye sensor as a shutter release. The Smart Remote Control app is functional too, though I only tested on an iPhone.

As far as low light I've been impressed with the stills (although I'm still working on focusing for lightning photography; the issues I have are all operator related), but I haven't shot any video in low light yet.

 

[Anton Falco]

Thanks! I did get a kit lens with the camera. It's the E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS. I haven't purchased any others yet, but I did get a FotodioX/Vizelex ND Throttle Adapter to mount Canon EF/EF-S lenses to the camera. This was mostly for my girlfriend, who has a few Rokinon lenses she likes to use for astrophotography. We have yet to really test it though save for a few quick pictures of the cat.

So far I'm very happy with it! I don't have a lot of experience in the DSLR world so I have very little basis for comparison. I will warn you though that Sony has an app store for this camera and they are charging for some of them, such as their intervalometer (which they call Time-lapse - $10). I also downloaded their Touchless Shutter beta application (free), which allows you to use the viewfinder eye sensor as a shutter release. The Smart Remote Control app is functional too, though I only tested on an iPhone.

As far as low light I've been impressed with the stills (although I'm still working on focusing for lightning photography; the issues I have are all operator related), but I haven't shot any video in low light yet.

Thanks for the replies. You've answered questions I didn't realize I had, haha. Now it's just a matter of actually pulling the trigger and buying it. It's always the toughest part.

 

[Michael Snyder]

Thanks for the replies. You've answered questions I didn't realize I had, haha. Now it's just a matter of actually pulling the trigger and buying it. It's always the toughest part.

I have the Sony A6300 and the 10-18Sony Wide angle lens, its pricey, but it gets wide, and the quality is great. Perfect for the Leoti structure shots I got.
I also have the 18-105 Sony lens which is also really nice.

 

[Anton Falco]

I have the Sony A6300 and the 10-18Sony Wide angle lens, its pricey, but it gets wide, and the quality is great. Perfect for the Leoti structure shots I got.
I also have the 18-105 Sony lens which is also really nice.

I've been looking at that very wide angle lens, but it's too rich for my blood, currently. I'll have to store a few paycheques. I bought the A6300 a few weeks ago and equipped it with a A Mount adapter to equip the Tamron 17-50mm and the Sigma 105mm (for macro shots). I bought both for a great price, and in great condition, used from keh.com, which was the only way I could afford them. I'm amazed at how great this camera performs, and I'm sure I can significantly improve my shots as time goes on.

Here's a shot of a bumble bee as an example:

http://imgur.com/kUvmVJO

 

[Bill Giles]

Just as a follow-up, Sony has released an updated firmware that directly addresses the overheating issue.

 

[Michael Snyder]

Just bought the A7R2 full frame camera, and 24-70GM lens. I decided I'm not going chasing again unless I have the best equipment. I'm waiting for the 10mm Voigtlander lens, which is extremely wide angle for the big structure shots.
My plan is to shoot more stills for the resolution advantage, but we will still shoot 4K video on the A6300.
I wish plains chasing was a year round thing!

 

[Anton Falco]

Just bought the A7R2 full frame camera, and 24-70GM lens. I decided I'm not going chasing again unless I have the best equipment. I'm waiting for the 10mm Voigtlander lens, which is extremely wide angle for the big structure shots.
My plan is to shoot more stills for the resolution advantage, but we will still shoot 4K video on the A6300.
I wish plains chasing was a year round thing!

Same here, Michael. Ontario's storm season usually picks up as the plains' season winds down. Not this year. The drought like conditions served to kill anything and everything a bit east of Lake Huron.The only worthwhile tornado threat came the other day when Reed Timmer was in town, but that was a bit of rotation among the storms; nothing actually making contact.

Back to cameras, I didn't realize how hooked I'd get on photography after buying the a6300. That very body is the one I wanted (and still want), but couldn't afford. I may wait until the next gen of full frames to splurge. I'm also in the market for a wider angle lens, (I have the 17-50mm, but I'd like a wider lens for astrophotography) so, after trying it out, if you think the 10mm is worth the investment, please let me know.

I have a question for you, though:

Do you have any apprehension about bringing that much expensive gear chasing? Months later, I'm still babying my a6300. I wrap it in plastic and everything if I feel like the storm may catch up to me, haha. Maybe it's just me in that regard.

 

[Michael Snyder]

Yea it was bad just with my A6300 this spring. With my A7R2 it will be much worse, especially with these lenses. But If I can get still images of a Dodge city, a Bray, Eads, Moore, Pilger, whatever with a 42 MP full frame camera, watch out...! Haha.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

You guys need to get insurance!!!!

Sent from my XT1254 using Stormtrack mobile app

 

[Anton Falco]

You guys need to get insurance!!!!

Sent from my XT1254 using Stormtrack mobile app

I know, I keep procrastinating. The one time I go out before putting down insurance will be the one time where disaster strikes.

 

[Eric Hassfurther]

I know, I keep procrastinating. The one time I go out before putting down insurance will be the one time where disaster strikes.

What type of insurance are you referring to Ben?

 

[Ben Holcomb]

Get some sort of a personal articles policy on all of your camera/computer gear with a $0 deductible. I'm paying around $200/year and have all of my equipment covered. I dropped my camera twice this summer, smashing a lens each time and causing $550 worth of damage on my camera the second time. Easily has paid for itself (I've had a policy since 2008) and is good peace of mind knowing that if someone walks off with my camera gear the only thing I am out is what was on the SD card.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Ask your homeowners/renters carrier if they can do an "inland marine" policy, this is what I've had for the past 10 or so years. It costs me around 20 bucks a month. The business use thing is important, many homeowners and renters policies won't cover a claim if they find out you are doing anything like selling photos or videos at all, regardless of amount of sales. Some chasers have horror stories of being robbed and having no coverage, in one case because the underwriter found out they were selling DVDs on their web site and thus considered the cameras to be commercial use!

Regarding the original thread topic, I've personally reached the point of burnout on resolution upgrades. The A7 series is tempting (I like the A7s for video), but I always quickly squash those thoughts when I look at how few prints I sell and the extreme unlikelihood I'll ever need to license a still at mega-resolutions. Add to that the fact that stitching technology is so good these days that you can shoot huge-resolution images with multiple frames, and I never see the point of spending huge money on stills gear myself just to get more megapixels. I suppose it might make sense if you're already a successful photographer doing tons of business, but for most of us, I feel it's a waste.