Mirrorless/Point-and-Shoot for Long-term travel

[kuma_man]

Hello everyone, I'm going to be an exchange student now looking for a camera suitable for multi purposes. I'm not a total beginner so I've got some basic knowledge of photography.

But I found it really difficult to get a versatile camera within 800 USD which is perfect to bring it along everyday.

I plan to use my camera mainly for taking landscape photos, street photography and some portraits. Basically to record my daily life. I also wish to have a camera with good low light performance to shoot photos and videos in a concert, it should have a high optical zoom rate.

I have two point shoot cameras and the sony a6000 on my list.
1. Sony RX10 ii (a second hand one)
2. Panasonic ZS100
Both shoot in 4K. The RX10 ii has a constant aperture f2.8 which is great for low light. But it's too bulky to carry around everyday compared with the ZS100 (also seems to be a bit heavy for girls). And I'm worried that the ZS100 doesn't perform well when it's zoomed in at 200mm under low light condition...

The second option for me is the a6000. I'm struggling what lenses should I go for: the 16-50mm and 55-210mm kit lenses or a prime lens (sigma 30mm f1.4/sel28f20/sigma 19mm f2.8) with a sel55210.

What's your opinion? I really can't decide. Any other recommendation? Thanks so much!

 

[chuasam]

Sony RX100 IV

 

[kuma_man]

Sony RX100 IV

Thanks! The picture quality and low light performance is really great but I wish it can zoom a little bit more

 

[chuasam]

OMD EM10 with 14-42 and 40-150

 

[cherylynne1]

I have the Sony a6000 and the two zooms. If I were you, I'd look into buying buying used from a reputable seller such as B&H or KEH.com so you could try to fit the camera, the two zooms, and the prime (personally I would choose the Sigma 30, but that's my personal preference.)

The trouble is that you are shooting things at very different focal lengths. Landscapes often need wide angle (less than 30mm), steet photography is often mid (24-50mm) and concerts often need quite a bit of reach (100-200mm.) Plus with concerts, you're looking at really low light situations where you need a larger sensor. I do think the a6000 is probably the most flexible of your choices.

Normally what I would recommend is getting the two kit zooms and waiting to see which focal length is your favorite, then purchasing a prime lens in that length. However, I can see how that will be difficult since you'll be out of the country. Have you taken enough photos to know where you feel the most comfortable?

The suggestion of going m43s is also worth going into. Smaller sensor than the a6000, but also larger than the Sony RX-10 and has the ability to change lenses. I don't know how the prices are on it, though.

 

[kuma_man]

OMD EM10 with 14-42 and 40-150

Okay I will think about this thanks

I have the Sony a6000 and the two zooms. If I were you, I'd look into buying buying used from a reputable seller such as B&H or KEH.com so you could try to fit the camera, the two zooms, and the prime (personally I would choose the Sigma 30, but that's my personal preference.)

The trouble is that you are shooting things at very different focal lengths. Landscapes often need wide angle (less than 30mm), steet photography is often mid (24-50mm) and concerts often need quite a bit of reach (100-200mm.) Plus with concerts, you're looking at really low light situations where you need a larger sensor. I do think the a6000 is probably the most flexible of your choices.

Normally what I would recommend is getting the two kit zooms and waiting to see which focal length is your favorite, then purchasing a prime lens in that length. However, I can see how that will be difficult since you'll be out of the country. Have you taken enough photos to know where you feel the most comfortable?

The suggestion of going m43s is also worth going into. Smaller sensor than the a6000, but also larger than the Sony RX-10 and has the ability to change lenses. I don't know how the prices are on it, though.

Really really thank you for your reply. I've been looking for someone who can analyze my situation and give me advice. It helps me a lot!!

I will then consider to buy a used kit set. However, I am not sure which focal length is suitable for me as I mainly use my phone to do photography in daily life. The focal length is 4.17mm and the size of the image sensor is 1/2.8". I think it's probably equal to 30mm in the 35mm full-frame? And most of my photos taken when I was travelling are shot in 16mm with the 16-50mm kit lens (NEX-5T) coz I like to capture a wider view.

One more question, would you recommend to buy the a5100 instead of the a6000? It's cheaper and the flip-up touchscreen seems convenient.

Actually I want to purchase camera from Sony as the focus system performs better than the other brands. But I'll also take the m43 into my consideration.

 

[cherylynne1]

If you tend towards the wider side of the lens every chance you get, I would definitely go for the Sigma 19. For me personally, I'm always on the longer end, simply different shooting styles. On my phone, I'm always wishing I could zoom in more and more. But if you're always wishing you could step back a bit, then going wider with the Sigma 19 is the better choice. It's an excellent lens.

As for the 5100 vs a6000...personally, the viewfinder trumps the flip-up screen for me. I feel the viewfinder is essential for sunny days when it's hard to see the screen. The hotshoe is also a very big deal, because I use flash or radio triggers on almost every shoot. However, like with the focal length, that's a personal shooting style. I'm a portrait photographer, and very rarely take street or landscape photos.

On the few times when I get in front of the camera, I'm usually using my phone as a shutter trigger, and Sony allows you to pair your phone with your camera so you can see yourself and press the shutter. However, this doesn't work for video (unless there was an update that I missed!) The a5100 is very useful for vlogging, so if that's something you're interested in, it is worth some consideration.

 

[beagle100]

If you tend towards the wider side of the lens every chance you get, I would definitely go for the Sigma 19. For me personally, I'm always on the longer end, simply different shooting styles. On my phone, I'm always wishing I could zoom in more and more. But if you're always wishing you could step back a bit, then going wider with the Sigma 19 is the better choice. It's an excellent lens.
As for the 5100 vs a6000...personally, the viewfinder trumps the flip-up screen for me. I feel the viewfinder is essential for sunny days when it's hard to see the screen. The hotshoe is also a very big deal, because I use flash or radio triggers on almost every shoot. However, like with the focal length, that's a personal shooting style. I'm a portrait photographer, and very rarely take street or landscape photos.
On the few times when I get in front of the camera, I'm usually using my phone as a shutter trigger, and Sony allows you to pair your phone with your camera so you can see yourself and press the shutter. However, this doesn't work for video (unless there was an update that I missed!) The a5100 is very useful for vlogging, so if that's something you're interested in, it is worth some consideration.

all the recent camera models (DSLR and mirrorless) can use a smartphone to trigger the shutter. With Canon you can "see yourself" and set the aperture, ISO, shutter, etc. remotely with your smartphone.
yes, it's convenient especially for social bloggers
(I'm also usually on the longer end especially for sports and birds)
www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless