Wondering what people are thinking about this and why the internet is so quiet about it. I am not happy. Today it decided I couldn’t use the camera without giving it extensive permissions and agreeing to it. Not cool.

  • sbeak@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    1·
    1 hour ago

    Just curious what you would recommend, but I am not buying a real camera anytime soon

    In a nutshell, there are five major camera brands: Sony, Canon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, and Nikon. You also have some smaller brands like Pentax, OM System, Sigma, etc., but those five are the ones most people recommend.

    I have the most experience with Sony cameras. They tend to have the best AF with reasonable colours, and the E-mount is HUGE with lots of third-party options. The same mount is used for both their full frame and APS-C lineup, so you can use an APS-C lens on a full frame camera, and vice versa. Sony’s naming conventions are pretty confusing, but I can try to summarise it for you:

    • A6x00 series: APS-C hybrid cameras
      • A6400 is the cheapest currently sold model
      • A6700 is the nicer option that is very good value for what you get: IBIS, 4K 120 fps recording, beefier grip, more modern UI compared to older Sony cameras, etc.
      • A6000, A6100, and A6300 can be found used and are still pretty good
      • A6500 is the older IBIS model, if you need that it’s a solid option
    • A7 series: full frame lineup
      • base models (e.g. A7 III, A7 IV) are good hybrid cameras
      • resolution R series (e.g. A7R V) are heavily photo-centric with very high resolution sensors, so photos is ridiculously high fidelity
      • sensitivity S series (e.g. A7S III) are video-centric with lower resolution sensors and higher dynamic range
      • compact C series (e.g. A7C II, A7CR) use the same internals as the base models, but in a smaller body (and price tag). You don’t get a second SD card slot though, which might be a deal breaker
    • FX lineup: Cinema cameras, probably not for most people BUT!
      • FX30: Very similar to the A7S III but with an APS-C sensor, an internal fan (like the FX3), and a lower MSRP. No EVF, but if you mainly shoot video, it’s a very good deal!
    • ZV lineup: Stands for “Gen Z Vlog”, cheaper plastic body cameras at a lower price tag, video-centric with no EVF
      • ZV-1, ZV-1 II, ZV-1F: 1" sensor point and shoots, the three mainly differ based on their lens and zoom ranges (or lack thereof in the ZV-1F, the F stands for fixed)
      • ZV-E10: APS-C camera, guts of an A6400 with a plastic body and no EVF, has a few additional video features. This is the one I mainly use!
      • ZV-1: Full frame camera, guts of an A7S III with a plastic body and no EVF, an incredible deal for what you get!
    • RX series: Premium point and shoot cameras, avoid these as they aren’t very good deals
    • sbeak@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      1·
      60 minutes ago

      I don’t have as much experience with the other brands, but from what I can tell

      Canon has pretty competitive AF too, and many say their colours are better than those of Sony. Their bodies seem to be a bit more photo-centric, but they will do great with video too. Their lens ecosystem is not as diverse, nearly all lenses for modern Canon cameras will be first-party, as Canon doesn’t support third-party lens manufacturers all too much.

      Fujifilm only produced APS-C and medium format cameras, the latter being out of reach and impractical for most people, so you only really look at their APS-C lineup. They lean more into the analogue aesthetic with more dials, metal accents, that kind of stuff. Many people also like the built-in film simulations that mimick the look of old film cameras. All their cameras are very photo-centric in design and feel. They have a large lens ecosystem too with X-mount, and there are lots of third-party lenses available, just like with Sony.

      Panasonic mainly focus on their M43 lineup (smaller sensors than APS-C, but larger than 1"), their “G” series, but they also have a full frame “S” series. Their cameras are more video-centric with best in class stabilisation, open gate recording (using the whole sensor for recording video), custom LUT support, etc. Their AF is not as good as the likes of Sony or Canon though, but it’s not at all bad for their modern cameras it looks like. If you want something compact, many of the older M43 cameras by Panasonic are excellent. Note that many of their cameras have different names in different regions, especially for their older models.

      Nikon cameras have very good AF, and although their Z-mount lens ecosystem is not as big as Sony or Fujifilm, there are many third-party lenses available. Nikon is known for having excellent wildlife lenses too.