Which Camera to Look Into

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EvaTin

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david
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Hi All

I haven't done any photography for a few years now due to work. However, I am keen to get back into it and would like to update my camera body.
I presently have a Canon 5D, (which broke today), with a 16-35mm f2.8, 24-70mm f2.8 and an 80-200mm f2.8 lenses.

I recently bought a Go Pro and loved filming and editing the video footage. So a new camera body which is decent at still and video is a must.
The issue I always had with my 5D is that I couldn't slip it in my pocket when I went out for a day. It's a big ol camera! I had thought about a compact system cameras but not sure these are up with DSLRs yet?
Obviously I love full frame but I know there will need to be compromises so I can't have everything.

Anyone able to suggest a direction to look in please?

My usage is likely to be more landscape, candid photos of the kids, holiday photos (and by that I mean decent photos that you take time to look into and set up, not a quick snap and move on), and day trips to London to take photos of the city. I would also like to be able to use it for video too.
Budget roughly between £750-£1000 but could stretch a little if something was worth the investment.

Thanks in advance
David
 
Unless you want to get new lenses look at a 5Dmk2,you should get one for your budget, don't think you will get a Mk3 in your budget and possibly pick up a used Fuji or similar to put in your pocket
 
My A6000 is an APS-C sensor and with the 16-50 kit lens it fits in my pocket, but the lens is OK at best. Would probably be better to get the Sigma 30mm 2.8 for family stuff and perhaps the Sony 16mm or 20mm lenes for landscapes although I've no idea the quality of these lenses.

I have the Sigma 30mm f1.4 which is a lovely lens but a little more bulky. You should be able to get a setup in budget comfortably.
 
EvaTin said:
The issue I always had with my 5D is that I couldn't slip it in my pocket when I went out for a day. It's a big ol camera! I had thought about a compact system cameras but not sure these are up with DSLRs yet?
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I suppose a lot hangs on what you mean by this and how and at what size you view your final images but as you're coming from a Canon 5D I'd have thought that just about any newer CSC would give the Canon a fright or better it dynamic range and image quality wise and from what you've said it doesn't sound like you're a machine gunner or want to track gnats in flight so again just about any of the newer CSC's could be worth a look. Some of the newer higher end CSC's could blow your budget on the body alone but there are some real bargains too like the Panasonic GX80 and Sony A6000.

In your place for portability, unobtrusiveness and quality I'd start looking at what's available and viewing reviews and sample pictures / videos for Micro Four Thirds, APS-C and FF compact system cameras. I had a 5D and currently have Panasonic MFT and Sony FF CSC and the quality you can get from these is impressive easily matching or beating a 5D (a MFT will match or likely better it but an A7 will crush it) and you could (with a compact prime) fit one in a winter cost pocket or small bag.

There is the whole OVF v EVF thing to think about but I'm a convert to CSC as things like the in view histogram, WYSIWYG, focusing aids and bang on pretty much every time focusing have won me over :D Cost is another issue looking at your budget but Graham's A6000 is IMO an APS-C bargain and there's the option of buying used.
 
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Are the lenses you've got the Canon 'L' series ones? If so, you've got some good lenses there so for your budget I'd consider buying a mint-condition, used Canon 6D from a reputable shop/dealership with a good, long, warranty (don't forget to politely haggle over the price: "what would your best price be on that, for a sale here and now?" type of thing, or if they won't budge on price then ask them if they can throw some extended warranty in for free to seal the deal today... if you don't ask you don't get! ;)).

You should notice an improvement on image quality from the 6D over the old 5D, and I imagine over the 5D mk 2 too, particularly in low light/higher ISO conditions. The 6D is smaller and more compact than the 5D too, but you still won't be able to slip it into your pocket, but you can't have everything. Best of luck choosing and I hope my suggestion is useful.
 
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Actually looking at the lenses I'd recommend the Panasonic GX80 or G8 and 12-35 and 35-100mm f2.8's. I have the GX80 and 12-35mm f2.8, they're outstanding bits of kit.
 
The Fuji X-T1 with the excellent 18-55mm zoom can be bought from the Fuji refurb store for £799. It's a lovely camera, the jpegs sooc are fantastic, it's a great combo.
 
Have you looked at the canon 80D, thats getting good reviews for both video and stills. The flip screen would also be a benefit.
 
Another suggestion may be the Canon M5, with the adaptor you could carry on using the canon lens you have. If you get a kit lens with the M5 you then also have a more compact camera to carry round with you, not a pocket able one.

http://www.canon.co.uk/cameras/eos-m5/
 
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You can't fit a CSC in your pocket either...
 
Mr Badger said:
Are the lenses you've got the Canon 'L' series ones? If so, you've got some good lenses there so for your budget I'd consider buying a mint-condition, used Canon 6D from a reputable shop/dealership with a good, long, warranty (don't forget to politely haggle over the price: "what would your best price be on that, for a sale here and now?" type of thing, or if they won't budge on price then ask them if they can throw some extended warranty in for free to seal the deal today... if you don't ask you don't get! ;)).

You should notice an improvement on image quality from the 6D over the old 5D, and I imagine over the 5D mk 2 too, particularly in low light/higher ISO conditions. The 6D is smaller and more compact than the 5D too, but you still won't be able to slip it into your pocket, but you can't have everything. Best of luck choosing and I hope my suggestion is useful.
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You notice a huge IQ difference with the 6d over the 5dmk2 let alone the mk 1 :)

800 ISO and above is almost light and day.
 
odd jim said:
You notice a huge IQ difference with the 6d over the 5dmk2 let alone the mk 1 :)

800 ISO and above is almost light and day.
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I was being a bit cautious as I've never used a 5D Mk 2, so I didn't want to overhype the difference. Thanks for putting that straight. :)
 
Mr Badger said:
I was being a bit cautious as I've never used a 5D Mk 2, so I didn't want to overhype the difference. Thanks for putting that straight. :)
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I used to use a 5dmk2 for indoor show jumping (long term loaner) then I bought my 6d. That's where I really noticed it!
 
A CSC body might be close to pocketable, but once you've added lenses that compete on quality with what you already have, it's getting close to the size you have now.

The 6d is a great replacement for the 5d, better IQ, much improved feature set and quite a bit smaller / lighter.
 
Perhaps there isn't a single camera that will do all you want - how about a new (or repaired) Canon body, so you can continue to use those great lenses, supplemented by something small you can stick in your pocket when you don't need the big guns? I bought a Fuji X100T, which fits in a jacket pocket, as a 'second' camera, though it's now my most frequently used piece of gear, as it's always with me. If you can live with a fixed prime lens, this and the other cameras in the X100 series have similar controls and image quality to an SLR, but in a much smaller package.
 
Hi Guys

Thanks for all your feedback. It has given me some food for thought.
Having read your answers I think I need to really decide on how important portability is. I have looked at the 6D as an upgrade. A part of me thinks maybe I should buy one and then in a year or so, when I have saved some money, look at the M5/M6.

I don't think I can have my cake and eat it and I think hoping for a single camera that is small, takes great photos and videos and isn't more than my budget may be that little step too far. So maybe 2 cameras would be the answer...it's just hard if you are impatient and you know damn well that you will have a dozen moments in that year when you see a cracking shot but you didn't bring a camera!

Thanks for all your help.

David
 
EvaTin said:
Hi Guys

Thanks for all your feedback. It has given me some food for thought.
Having read your answers I think I need to really decide on how important portability is. I have looked at the 6D as an upgrade. A part of me thinks maybe I should buy one and then in a year or so, when I have saved some money, look at the M5/M6.

I don't think I can have my cake and eat it and I think hoping for a single camera that is small, takes great photos and videos and isn't more than my budget may be that little step too far. So maybe 2 cameras would be the answer...it's just hard if you are impatient and you know damn well that you will have a dozen moments in that year when you see a cracking shot but you didn't bring a camera!

Thanks for all your help.

David
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You wouldn't want to go from a 6d to an M5, as good as the M5 is it's a step down in image quality from the 6d. Like other CSCs it's no more "portable" in the real world either (the 6d being the smallest and lightest FF camera, it's actually smaller in form that my xxd crops). Especially once you put a lens on it, a couple more in a bag, it's horses for courses. Also in reality, are you going to have your bag with the CSC and lenses in it any more often than a DSLR? If you really want a powerful but small camera that's *really* "portable" and can fit in a pocket you need to be looking at something like a Sony RX100. But even then I doubt you'd have it on you all the time!

I have one alongside my DSLRs, it's a great little thing.
 
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odd jim said:
You wouldn't want to go from a 6d to an M5, as good as the M5 is it's a step down in image quality from the 6d. Like other CSCs it's no more "portable" in the real world either (the 6d being the smallest and lightest FF camera, it's actually smaller in form that my xxd crops). Especially once you put a lens on it, a couple more in a bag, it's horses for courses. Also in reality, are you going to have your bag with the CSC and lenses in it any more often than a DSLR? If you really want a powerful but small camera that's *really* "portable" and can fit in a pocket you need to be looking at something like a Sony RX100. But even then I doubt you'd have it on you all the time!

I have one alongside my DSLRs, it's a great little thing.
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This.^

The only way to ensure you have the camera on you is to resign yourself to carrying the gear, it's not such a big deal.

You could go M4/3 it's not quite got the IQ (but how much do you really need) but is portable (not pocketable).

The 6d is a cracking little camera, but good FF lenses are neither light nor small.
 
For me, the starting point would be deciding (or trying to decide) what I wanted to do with my exiisting lenses. I'm assuming that these are all Canon L with the 80-200 being the 70-200??
ALthough I don't have a Canon full frame, I have been recently in a similarish situation with my 80D. I have a 70-300L, 17-55 F2.8 EFS and 24mm F2.8. Although even smaller in size and weight than your 5D, I was finding that I didn't always want to take the 80d with me (as good a camera as it is).
My "journey" has taken me via a Fuji XM-1 with 16-50 kit lens (great stills but no VF), via a Sony RX 100 mk 3 (not a bad thing to say about this camera; small, pocketable, great stills, wonderful video - for me it was just a bit too small in the hand) and at the moment, I've ended up with a panasonic G80 and 25mm prime which I'm finding a brilliant camera for grandchildren phorography, travel, landscape, etc. The only thing I'm still to be convinced about is how good I'm going to find it when I take it motor racing.
I still have my Canon 80d and if you plan to keep all or some of your lenses, I really do suggest you put this on your list of possibles. Stills and video quality are excellent (doesn't shoot 4k though) and the dual pixel AF adds another dimension. You should be able to use all of your existing lenses on the 80D.
Hope some of the above might be of interest or help.
 
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A further thought. I've just been scrolling through the Canon 80d owners thread on here. It might be worth you having a look at some of the images to give an idea what the camera is capable of.
 
Phil V said:
This.^

The only way to ensure you have the camera on you is to resign yourself to carrying the gear, it's not such a big deal.

You could go M4/3 it's not quite got the IQ (but how much do you really need) but is portable (not pocketable).

The 6d is a cracking little camera, but good FF lenses are neither light nor small.
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It depends Phil. If the op had a 5D and was happy with it I'd say that MFT has the IQ. I've given a lot of thought to this in recent months as I've used the newer MFT bodies more (I sold my G1 which was my most use MFT body and now use a GX7 and GX80) and although the 5D was good maybe I had the rose tinted on too often, the later MFT bodies are capable of very good image quality.

Pocketable is debateable, I'd say that a GX80+compact prime or one of the compact kit lenses is winter coat pocketable, just don't try and put it in your trouser pocket.

I'm not saying MFT or any of the smaller systems are the answer to life, the universe and everything but they're deffo worth a serious look.
 
woof woof said:
It depends Phil. If the op had a 5D and was happy with it I'd say that MFT has the IQ. I've given a lot of thought to this in recent months as I've used the newer MFT bodies more (I sold my G1 which was my most use MFT body and now use a GX7 and GX80) and although the 5D was good maybe I had the rose tinted on too often, the later MFT bodies are capable of very good image quality.

Pocketable is debateable, I'd say that a GX80+compact prime or one of the compact kit lenses is winter coat pocketable, just don't try and put it in your trouser pocket.

I'm not saying MFT or any of the smaller systems are the answer to life, the universe and everything but they're deffo worth a serious look.
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I'm loving the feel of the Fuji and I had a play with a mates Olympus kit a couple of weeks ago, it's definitely an improved 'user experience.

Maybe IQ isn't the right word, but images from the smaller kit aren't up to the 6d, but as I said, how far out is a personal decision for the photographer.

An APSC with 85mm 1.8 is great, but not the 'same' as 6d with 135mm f2.

But if the OP is happy with a set of 2.8 zooms on a 5d, then a M4/3 with similar lenses might be more than 'good enough'.
 
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