Beginner Newbie thinking Sony a6400

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Sheppy

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Sheppy
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I have never owned a camera for some time and even then it was your run of the mill stuff before phone cameras took off. But recently a friend of mine purchased a Fuji X-T4 and took some pics of my wife and child on the beach. We were that impressed in the difference in quality between that and a decent phone we decided we should get a quality camera.

After a lot of research I decided on the Sony a6400 with the 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS and the Sigma 60mm art lens.

This would be primarily to take family pics of my one year old and all the locations we like to travel to at the weekend (formal gardens the beach towns/cities etc.) so any advice on lenses for these would be appreciated. A dedicated landscape one maybe further down the line?

Lastly my main concern is if the sony e range is worth investing in or going with another manufacturer? I would hope for them to release a newer version than the a6600 for a potential upgrade.

Oooh also maybe any accessories that people can recommend also. All in price is like £2000 but I woulf like a tablet to view and possibly edit with in the future out of that.
 
I also have an A6400 used mostly for taking pictures of my 2 year old. The A6400 is a very good camera in many ways (particularly the autofocus) but has some definite downsides.

Canon, Nikon or Fuji all have better ergonomics and are generally more enjoyable to use. The Sony photos often need a decent amount of editing whereas the JPGs from Fuji in particular are nicer (all depends on how much time you want to spend processing your photos). In addition you may find the Sigma 60mm a little long, I have both the Sigma 30mm 1.4 Art and Sigma 56mm 1.4 Art and 9 times out of 10 would choose the 30mm for photos of the little guy.

I would strongly consider something along the lines of a Fuji X-S10, 18-55 and a Fuji 35mm f2 or Sigma 30mm 1.4. Should be easily within budget (particularly if used).
 
It might be worth checking if the Sony A6xxx has been discontinued as I have read that online somewhere — I only mention this as you spoke of later upgrades. Whatever you buy now will obviously still work whether discontinued or not!
 
I have an A6500 (upgraded from an A6300) and it's been great as a "first proper camera".

I do use the 18-135 for general out and about stuff as it's got a nice zoom range and is nice and light.

I don't find it difficult to use at all, prpobably because I started off with a Sony Compact HX60 so got used to that. I don;t have any experience with other brands so can't comment on whether one is easier to use than another.

I also have
Sony 16-55 which is fabulous as an every day lens, a little heavy and I sometimes miss the extra zoom of the 18-135
Sigma 56mm 1.4 which I use to take pictures of people dancing salsa in low light.
Sony 24 1.8 which is great for portraits and also out and about stuff if I'm feeling brave as no zoom.
Sony 70-350 which is used for bird photos mostly

Here's a useful link to all APS-C lenses
briansmith.com

Ultimate Guide to APS-C E-Mount Lenses for Sony Mirrorless Cameras

Here's a full round-up of APS-C E-mount lenses for Sony a6500, a6400, a6300, a6000, a5100, a5000 and NEX Mirrorless E-mount Cameras
briansmith.com briansmith.com

As for accessories, I'm a big fan of the Peak Design Capture Clip and straps - I have the Slide and Slide Light but mostly use the Slide when using the heavier lenses. The "sticky" side of the strap is great to stop the camera sliding about when I'm walking around town. If I have a backpack, then the Capture Clip is superb.

Camera Straps | Peak Design Official Site

Quick-connecting, Versatile, and Seriously Good Looking.
www.peakdesign.com www.peakdesign.com

Capture Camera Clip | Peak Design Official Site

Capture is a clip for rigidly carrying any camera on any belt, strap, or bag.
www.peakdesign.com www.peakdesign.com

I also have a couple of their backpacks.

Hope that all helps.
 
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sphexx said:
It might be worth checking if the Sony A6xxx has been discontinued as I have read that online somewhere — I only mention this as you spoke of later upgrades. Whatever you buy now will obviously still work whether discontinued or not!
Click to expand...
Sony have paused production of some models due to the ongoing chip shortages, the A6000, A6100, A6400, A6500 and A6600 are all current models.
 
Gold said:
I also have an A6400 used mostly for taking pictures of my 2 year old. The A6400 is a very good camera in many ways (particularly the autofocus) but has some definite downsides.

Canon, Nikon or Fuji all have better ergonomics and are generally more enjoyable to use. The Sony photos often need a decent amount of editing whereas the JPGs from Fuji in particular are nicer (all depends on how much time you want to spend processing your photos). In addition you may find the Sigma 60mm a little long, I have both the Sigma 30mm 1.4 Art and Sigma 56mm 1.4 Art and 9 times out of 10 would choose the 30mm for photos of the little guy.

I would strongly consider something along the lines of a Fuji X-S10, 18-55 and a Fuji 35mm f2 or Sigma 30mm 1.4. Should be easily within budget (particularly if used).
Click to expand...
Camera ergonomics are very much a personal thing - it's certainly worth going to a decent camera shop and trying a few different models 'in hand' to see if there is an issue with any of them for you - I have an A6000 as a 'travel' camera, for when I want something small and light (EG with family on the beach!), and for me it's great, and it didn't take long for me to get used to the layout and to be as easy to use as my big FF DSLR which I've had for years.

One thing I would consider is getting the Sony 50 f/1.8 OSS rather than the Sigma 60 (which is actually discontinued).
The Sony has a faster f/1.8 max aperture, and also has OSS (the A6400 does not have in body lens stabilisation) which can help significantly in taking shots of reasonably static subjects when the light starts to drop.
 
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