A6000, EM-10 II, GX80, ??

ChrisR

ChrisR

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Hi all, my daughter wants to graduate from taking photos on her iPhone for something better, but her budget is probably in the region of £400 or so. Her brother has a Sony A6000 and urges the camera on her as a good option... it's £460 just now in John Lewis, with £100 cashback. I thought an Olympus EM-10 II might fit the bill, JL selling for £480 or so, but we think Jessops has it for £399. Meanwhile a friend of hers has a GX80 that she likes, similar specs AFAICS, JL at £379. Kit lens in each case. (I had originally thought the newer Fuji XT-100 might be a good choice, even though in the hand it feels a little flimsier than the A6000, but it's a lot dearer at £549 less £90 cashback.)

This site seems to suggest the A6000 has a higher DXO score than the EM-10 II, despite being a year older. However, Cameralabs suggests the Oly kit lens is better than the A6000 kit lens, and his 100% crops seem to prove it.

She's not into anything very fancy in the way of photography; selfies would presumably continue mainly on her iPhone, but a better camera would help her take better, more flexible images when visiting interesting places. Wifi connection, as ever these days, is a benefit. She does like the idea of a touch screen, which the A6000 doesn't have.

Any thoughts?
 
ChrisR said:
Hi all, my daughter wants to graduate from taking photos on her iPhone for something better, but her budget is probably in the region of £400 or so. Her brother has a Sony A6000 and urges the camera on her as a good option... it's £460 just now in John Lewis, with £100 cashback. I thought an Olympus EM-10 II might fit the bill, JL selling for £480 or so, but we think Jessops has it for £399. Meanwhile a friend of hers has a GX80 that she likes, similar specs AFAICS, JL at £379. Kit lens in each case. (I had originally thought the newer Fuji XT-100 might be a good choice, even though in the hand it feels a little flimsier than the A6000, but it's a lot dearer at £549 less £90 cashback.)

This site seems to suggest the A6000 has a higher DXO score than the EM-10 II, despite being a year older. However, Cameralabs suggests the Oly kit lens is better than the A6000 kit lens, and his 100% crops seem to prove it.

She's not into anything very fancy in the way of photography; selfies would presumably continue mainly on her iPhone, but a better camera would help her take better, more flexible images when visiting interesting places. Wifi connection, as ever these days, is a benefit. She does like the idea of a touch screen, which the A6000 doesn't have.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I've not owned any of these, but would a Sony not make more sense so she can shares lenses with her brother?

If she does not need anything specifically special, would a high end compact or a bridge camera maybe be a better option? Something like a Sony RX 100 range?
 
I have the e-m10 mk2 as my travel camera and it's great. The wifi is instant and faultless ( you can of course buy a card reader to connect to the iPhone instead for around £7 or £8 which works perfectly too ). I'm not familiar with the Sony or Panasonic - I suspect it will come to to size and usability
 
ChrisR said:
Hi all, my daughter wants to graduate from taking photos on her iPhone for something better, but her budget is probably in the region of £400 or so. Her brother has a Sony A6000 and urges the camera on her as a good option... it's £460 just now in John Lewis, with £100 cashback. I thought an Olympus EM-10 II might fit the bill, JL selling for £480 or so, but we think Jessops has it for £399. Meanwhile a friend of hers has a GX80 that she likes, similar specs AFAICS, JL at £379. Kit lens in each case. (I had originally thought the newer Fuji XT-100 might be a good choice, even though in the hand it feels a little flimsier than the A6000, but it's a lot dearer at £549 less £90 cashback.)

This site seems to suggest the A6000 has a higher DXO score than the EM-10 II, despite being a year older. However, Cameralabs suggests the Oly kit lens is better than the A6000 kit lens, and his 100% crops seem to prove it.

She's not into anything very fancy in the way of photography; selfies would presumably continue mainly on her iPhone, but a better camera would help her take better, more flexible images when visiting interesting places. Wifi connection, as ever these days, is a benefit. She does like the idea of a touch screen, which the A6000 doesn't have.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I had an A6000 for 2 years before I bought my A7, and am currently looking at moving back to a A6xxx body. Their sensors are excellent, without being a large camera, along with the video AF performance of the 16-50 kit lens. It's not the most exciting of lenses, like most kit options, with variable aperture and not especially wide/long but as a walkabout option that's very small it's difficult to complain. I've got some examples of photos I took with my A6000, these were either with the 16-50 kit, 50mm 1.8 prime or Samyang 12mm F2.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/m4zi1ez76i8znr8/AAA7HVHvmJPqXq2PLe0TtOlba?dl=0

Another benefit of the A6000 over the other two options is the larger sensor giving a closer equivalent field of view to full frame lenses if your daughter decides to try out some manual glass. I used to mainly use my Olympus OM lenses on both the A6000 and my A7 as they're very light but sharp wide open (and comparatively cheap) so great for experimentation. The PlayMemories app works well for wifi connectivity and allows you to select all photos from a specific date or specific photographs chosen either on the camera itself or via the app on the phone/tablet. The same app also allows remote control of the camera
 
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Thanks for all the help. The final decision is to go with the A6000, despite its lack of touch screen. The weight and relatively smooth shape (handbag friendly) had an influence here, plus it's cheapest after cashback. In theory she could share lenses with her brother, but they currently live 400 miles apart, and would both have the kit lens! But it is a possibility for future lenses.

It will be ordered today, and I'm currently looking for a package of extras from Amazon for her. I've found a screen protector, and a SDXC card, and looking for a spare battery; any suggestions for a good compatible brand? Anything else she should get in a starter pack?
 
ChrisR said:
Thanks for all the help. The final decision is to go with the A6000, despite its lack of touch screen. The weight and relatively smooth shape (handbag friendly) had an influence here, plus it's cheapest after cashback. In theory she could share lenses with her brother, but they currently live 400 miles apart, and would both have the kit lens! But it is a possibility for future lenses.

It will be ordered today, and I'm currently looking for a package of extras from Amazon for her. I've found a screen protector, and a SDXC card, and looking for a spare battery; any suggestions for a good compatible brand? Anything else she should get in a starter pack?
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good decision. I've got RavPower and Ex-Pro batteries (and Ex-Pro dual charger) and haven't had any issues with either. I have 4 batteries in total but generally only use 1 for a full day out realistically. The screen protector, SD card and battery are probably the main priorities although I've also got a Manfrotto Pixi tripod which I find useful to keep in the bag if I need to take any longer exposures without carrying a full sized tripod.

Sorry, I forgot about another useful bit of kit, I've got a non-branded version of the Capture Clip which is basically a belt/strap clip that has a detachable plate that is screwed into the tripod thread on the camera. The main benefit is it means you don't need to wear a camera strap and can secure the camera to your belt or bag strap when you're not using it (there's a lock on the holder so the camera can't come off).

https://www.peakdesign.com/products/capture

This is what my version looks like;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Camera-C...8&qid=1546431495&sr=8-6&keywords=capture+clip
 
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