Photography Camera Recos

Perhaps I should have said, "Feel free to think I'm an idiot."

Ryan Pflegerwrote:

Like, please stop drinking the toner, man!

Wow there was no need for any of that!

I love my Fuji X-T1. Several upgrades to the line since then, but it's been an amazing camera. 

The Sony cameras are always too menu-driven for me. Coming from shooting film, I enjoy the tactile controls that Fuji has. 

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet... but assuming you by a decent camera (which is pretty accessible these days) the GLASS is what matters. Spend your money on good fast glass; this will cost you more than the camera body.  

I have a camera kit for sale. Nikon d5200 with a kit lens, a great wife lens, and a longer mm lens with a bunch of other stuff if the op is still looking.

Not Not MP Adminwrote:

If you plan on selling photos and/or printing them larger than a poster I would recommend the Sony A7II or A7III…If you want to get into photography and the fun of changing lenses and such then get a Sony A6XXX and if you just want really nice photos for Facebook, insta, and your side table them get a Sony RX100iii

How about if I want to record some climbs as well? Any specific rec within the A6XXX line? Thanks!

Mike Kwrote:

How about if I want to record some climbs as well? Any specific rec within the A6XXX line? Thanks!

Really depends on how serious you want to get and what ratio of video to stills you plan on doing. I’ll be honest though, I don’t know as much about video and have heard the Panasonic mirrorless cameras are just as good, if not, better for video specific needs.…as far as Sony goes, the A7S line is their main video line in the A7 series though.

I have a pretty extensive Micro 4/3 kit with a camera body and a bunch of lenses.

It's great.

However, I find that what I use most of the time for climbing is my Ricoh GRIII.

Image quality is superb, and it's really really small.  Nice 28mm (ff equivalent) lens, good sensor, controls I can use with gloves.  

Best climbing camera there is because I never have to worry about whether or not I should take it on a climb.  

https://www.dpreview.com/products/ricoh/compacts/ricoh_griii

Sorry, Michael. That was harsh. I respectfully submit that in the year 2022, a big, heavy TLR, with no real weather sealing, that requires two hands to operate effectively, is not a good image making tool for either a skiing or climbing setting, which is what the OP stated they were looking for. 

You were very right about one thing, in the end it comes down to the best camera being the one you actually have with you and take out of the bag and use. A smartphone and some photographic chops are gonna outperform the latest greatest technogadget used without artistry every single time, barring the occasional happy accident.   

update --

sony a6300 has been ideal for specific use cases. its light, compact, nimble, and yet packs a big punch. also fits nicely into a Patagonia 5L waist pack for quick access and mobility. 

love it. 

Prof photog here: aside from camera recommendation some tips that will help you maximize the quality of your photos:

- stay below 1/200 shutter speed, any slower(the bigger the bottom number the faster) and your photo will most likely come out blurry

- keep your aperature(f-stop) as low as possible

- keep your iso at the cameras optimal range to avoid noise(usually 100-1600) the lower the better usually

- shoot in raw as opposed to jpeg(lots more data/pic so you can save photos in editing if they were shot too bright/dark/or colors were not accurate)

- i recommend a 35mm lens, that way you can get good landscape photos and good photos with a subject(ie person) without things looking too distorted

- take lots of photos

Prof photog here: aside from camera recommendation some tips that will help you maximize the quality of your photos:

- stay below 1/200 shutter speed, any slower(the bigger the bottom number the faster) and your photo will most likely come out blurry

- keep your aperature(f-stop) as low as possible

- keep your iso at the cameras optimal range to avoid noise(usually 100-1600) the lower the better usually

- shoot in raw as opposed to jpeg(lots more data/pic so you can save photos in editing if they were shot too bright/dark/or colors were not accurate)

- i recommend a 35mm lens, that way you can get good landscape photos and good photos with a subject(ie person) without things looking too distorted

- take lots of photos

how much of a beating can these camera's take (mirrorless digital/ sony a6300) -- looking to put it in a hip pack and take it for a run (18 miles in Sierras) 

protect against sweat, shake and bouncing, and heat from sun on pack? 

I would find a good mirrorless camera. smaller compact bodies are what you are going after. the sony is a good option, i have a canon and its pretty good. Depending on what your end goal is, a super zoom lens (i have a 18-200mm) on a crop sensor will do you well. id try and find something more recent with a decent MP sensor and image stabilization. bring a small tripod or mono pod when you need steady shots. depending on weather, a sealed camera might also be a good investment.

Stuart Hatlenwrote:

how much of a beating can these camera's take (mirrorless digital/ sony a6300) -- looking to put it in a hip pack and take it for a run (18 miles in Sierras) 

protect against sweat, shake and bouncing, and heat from sun on pack? 

In my experience they can take and incredible amount of beating!  I've yet to have a A6000 series body fail on me.  I've had 3 different versions over the years.  I have had one of the 16-50 kit lenses get a little weird on me but that was after banging it against the rock numerous times.

Any recommendation for a decent a6000 lens that isn’t too bulky?

I've had my Fuji XT-1 for several years now. It's been on countless backcountry approaches/climbs and is still clicking away!

The Z50 and 16-50mm is basically unbeatable for the quality at the size and weight. Nice ergonomics compared to most APS-C bodies etc. However, Nikon doesn't have a lot of options for small and light APS-C primes. The 28mm and 40mm lenses are just okay, but they are very small and light. 

Fuji I would not recommend, but for a strange reason. The quality is great, lots of choices for lenses etc, good tech, and good company. However, their good lenses and bodies are all 90% of the size and weight of their full frame equivalents. You might as well just get a full frame system at that point and reap the many benefits over APS-C. 

I don't know much about current Canon mirrorless, but screw them for banning 3rd party lenses. Their sensors continue to be at a deficit for dynamic range. That's a bummer because out in the wild you'll encounter endless high contrast scenes where having a lot of dynamic range is extremely useful. 

Sony is on the best trajectory, by far, and is headed for overall dominance in the camera world. If you want to be somewhat future proof then Sony is the obvious choice. Furthermore, Sony just released 3 APS-C primes that are small, light, as excellent. They have always had a lot of very lightweight options for APS-C mirrorless. I'm not sure if they have an ergonomic APS-C body yet, with less touch screen and more physical buttons, but if they do you should get that.

Sony is probably the best choice, followed by Nikon or Canon, then Fuji. 

Scotty- I doubt any camera manufacturer will achieve world domination. The pendulum always swings within a decade. Sounds like you found a system you like and recommend, I think that’s great. Personally, Sony cameras remind more of a computer than a camera.

I’m old school and I love the tactile nature of Fuji bodies; not to mention the color rendering. If I’m counting ounces I simply a good prime. They’re very light and fast.

B Hwrote:

Any recommendation for a decent a6000 lens that isn’t too bulky?

Sigma 18-50 2.8