Looking to upgrade; need guidance.

[ggelardi]

Good morning,

I'm looking to upgrade my equipment and need some advice.

Currently I'm using a samsung nx30 and not completely happy with it. Originally I got the camera to use with the 60mm f2.8 macro lense, which I got for free, to shoot specific products/advertise and the like. Not long after, I decided to get the rokinon 12mm f2 to use for aurora/astrophotography but the image quality makes the 18-55mm kit lens look great, which brings me to my question:

I'm looking to upgrade. My goal is to have equipment adept in low light, image quality, minimal noise at long exposures and a dig dynamic range.

One of the options I was looking into was to get the samsung 16-50mm f2-2.8 s lens. I've heard decent things about it with the exception of chromatic aberration, which isn't a huge nightmare in post processing but I'm worried the quality in low light conditions with its 20mp apsc sensor would be pseudo against any full frame piece of equipment.

My other options were to get an eos 6d or the sony a7 (not a7 ii, r or s)

For the sony, I'd immediately get the zeiss 24-70mm and zeiss 35mm distagon.

Likewise for the 6d; 24-70 f4 and zeiss 35mm f1.4 distagon.

Both are great in low light, have great dynamic range and are around the same price.

Which would be the best option?
Thank you!

 

[goodguy]

Canon 6D is a good camera but it doesnt have an impressive dynamic range.
I have no idea why you didnt add the Nikon D610 into this list, it has excellent low light performance and same sensor as the Sony A7 so you will get same dynamic range.
Getting the Nikon D610 also mean you have access to the huge lens selection in all price ranges and third part lenses.

I would vote for the Nikon D610 over the A7 and 6D

 

[tirediron]

Like all "What should I buy?" questions, budget is all imporant. If you can manage $5500, then I would recommend a Nikon D4s; if you don't have quite that much available, as mentioned the Nikon D610 is an excellent and reasonably priced option.

 

[Ido]

I decided to get the rokinon 12mm f2 to use for aurora/astrophotography but the image quality makes the 18-55mm kit lens look great,

That's odd, as most reviews of this lens I've come across are positive. Maybe you just got a bad copy?

My goal is to have equipment adept in low light,

How low are we talking about? Approximate with exposure settings, that's the language we speak.
Anyway, go through this page whenever you think about noise in low light. It's a lot better to use your eyes and apply your own judgement, instead of relying on reviewers' opinions. I've set one up for you here.

minimal noise at long exposures

All cameras are good at this nowadays, at least if you enable the long exposure noise reduction. What it does is dark-frame subtraction (search on Google if you're interested in the process), with an additional "exposure" of the same length as the image you take (when it's a long exposure).

a dig dynamic range.

At base ISO, the 6D provides about the same dynamic range as your current camera. It does have a substantial advantage as you increase the ISO, though.
For wide dynamic range at base ISO, look for the fairly recent Nikon and Sony cameras, both APS-C and 35mm. The Nikon D7200 (APS-C) and Sony a7 (35mm) are actually quite evenly matched at base ISO, with the a7 gaining a slight lead at higher ISOs. The Nikon D610 that was suggested here is slightly better throughout.

 

[waday]

Hasselblad?

 

[ggelardi]

Canon 6D is a good camera but it doesnt have an impressive dynamic range.
I have no idea why you didnt add the Nikon D610 into this list, it has excellent low light performance and same sensor as the Sony A7 so you will get same dynamic range.
Getting the Nikon D610 also mean you have access to the huge lens selection in all price ranges and third part lenses.

I would vote for the Nikon D610 over the A7 and 6D

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Like all "What should I buy?" questions, budget is all imporant. If you can manage $5500, then I would recommend a Nikon D4s; if you don't have quite that much available, as mentioned the Nikon D610 is an excellent and reasonably priced option.

budget wise, I'm looking for a body around the $1,200 mark but that is flexible to an extent. i know i can get an a7, used, for about a grand and as low as $850 as per eBay and amazon. 6d for about $1,200 and up. ive also came across some a7r's between the $1,200-$1,500 range which i wouldn't object to looking into as well.

basically, I'm heavy weighted towards the sony. but i included the canon because i know that it isn't going anywhere. sony, however, seems to be the patron saint of making an amazing product than discontinuing it out of nowhere. that still doesn't mean the a7/r/s/t/u/v/2/3/cubed isn't an amazing product.

I decided to get the rokinon 12mm f2 to use for aurora/astrophotography but the image quality makes the 18-55mm kit lens look great,

That's odd, as most reviews of this lens I've come across are positive. Maybe you just got a bad copy?

My goal is to have equipment adept in low light,

How low are we talking about? Approximate with exposure settings, that's the language we speak.
Anyway, go through this page whenever you think about noise in low light. It's a lot better to use your eyes and apply your own judgement, instead of relying on reviewers' opinions. I've set one up for you here.

minimal noise at long exposures

All cameras are good at this nowadays, at least if you enable the long exposure noise reduction. What it does is dark-frame subtraction (search on Google if you're interested in the process), with an additional "exposure" of the same length as the image you take (when it's a long exposure).

a dig dynamic range.

At base ISO, the 6D provides about the same dynamic range as your current camera. It does have a substantial advantage as you increase the ISO, though.
For wide dynamic range at base ISO, look for the fairly recent Nikon and Sony cameras, both APS-C and 35mm. The Nikon D7200 (APS-C) and Sony a7 (35mm) are actually quite evenly matched at base ISO, with the a7 gaining a slight lead at higher ISOs. The Nikon D610 that was suggested here is slightly better throughout.

getting a bad copy of the lens is definitely possible because i got it used. its also possible my camera is just not as capable as it could be.

i don't use the long exposure noise reduction, actually. at night, if I'm trying to do a star trail, its a pain to wait 20-30 extra seconds for it, especially in alaska where id be standing outside at -20* on an average winter night (-40 or worse in jan/feb). its also a pain if I'm shooting up to the 4 minute bulb mode timer.

but thank you for all the great info, I'm going to make a coffee and dig in.

 

[JacaRanda]

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Good on you. Don't spend hard earned cash on something you don't like (no matter the reason). It would likely not get used as much or at all eventually if you don't like it.
It's just how some of us are and there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[robbins.photo]

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Well if you don't want us to recommend the cameras with the best lowlight performance in their price range when you specify that as a key point in your buying decision, I guess we won't. I find that incredibly strange to say the least, but, well, it is your cup of tea I guess.

basically, I'm heavy weighted towards the sony. but i included the canon because i know that it isn't going anywhere. sony, however, seems to be the patron saint of making an amazing product than discontinuing it out of nowhere. that still doesn't mean the a7/r/s/t/u/v/2/3/cubed isn't an amazing product.

Which is exactly why I and many others I'm sure are extremely hesitant to recommend them.

 

[waday]

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Well if you don't want us to recommend the cameras with the best lowlight performance in their price range when you specify that as a key point in your buying decision, I guess we won't. I find that incredibly strange to say the least, but, well, it is your cup of tea I guess.

basically, I'm heavy weighted towards the sony. but i included the canon because i know that it isn't going anywhere. sony, however, seems to be the patron saint of making an amazing product than discontinuing it out of nowhere. that still doesn't mean the a7/r/s/t/u/v/2/3/cubed isn't an amazing product.

Which is exactly why I and many others I'm sure are extremely hesitant to recommend them.

I'm mad that my recommendation didn't even get a response. Psh.

 

[robbins.photo]

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Well if you don't want us to recommend the cameras with the best lowlight performance in their price range when you specify that as a key point in your buying decision, I guess we won't. I find that incredibly strange to say the least, but, well, it is your cup of tea I guess.

basically, I'm heavy weighted towards the sony. but i included the canon because i know that it isn't going anywhere. sony, however, seems to be the patron saint of making an amazing product than discontinuing it out of nowhere. that still doesn't mean the a7/r/s/t/u/v/2/3/cubed isn't an amazing product.

Which is exactly why I and many others I'm sure are extremely hesitant to recommend them.

I'm mad that my recommendation didn't even get a response. Psh.

It's ok Waday. It was a fine recommendation, one of which your family could be proud. Just a little confused as to why the op is asking since he's already eliminated most of the choices already. It's starting to sound like a trick question.

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk

 

[JacaRanda]

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Well if you don't want us to recommend the cameras with the best lowlight performance in their price range when you specify that as a key point in your buying decision, I guess we won't. I find that incredibly strange to say the least, but, well, it is your cup of tea I guess.

basically, I'm heavy weighted towards the sony. but i included the canon because i know that it isn't going anywhere. sony, however, seems to be the patron saint of making an amazing product than discontinuing it out of nowhere. that still doesn't mean the a7/r/s/t/u/v/2/3/cubed isn't an amazing product.

Which is exactly why I and many others I'm sure are extremely hesitant to recommend them.

But he did not ask for the best, only adept. Three people gave him good (Nikon) recommendations and he explained why he did not have Nikon in his list. I don't see anything strange with why someone does not like something; simply personal preference or choice.

 

[JacaRanda]

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Well if you don't want us to recommend the cameras with the best lowlight performance in their price range when you specify that as a key point in your buying decision, I guess we won't. I find that incredibly strange to say the least, but, well, it is your cup of tea I guess.

basically, I'm heavy weighted towards the sony. but i included the canon because i know that it isn't going anywhere. sony, however, seems to be the patron saint of making an amazing product than discontinuing it out of nowhere. that still doesn't mean the a7/r/s/t/u/v/2/3/cubed isn't an amazing product.

Which is exactly why I and many others I'm sure are extremely hesitant to recommend them.

I'm mad that my recommendation didn't even get a response. Psh.

Haaaa. At least he didn't say he did not like your recommendation. But....you didn't ask him. LOL

 

[robbins.photo]

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Well if you don't want us to recommend the cameras with the best lowlight performance in their price range when you specify that as a key point in your buying decision, I guess we won't. I find that incredibly strange to say the least, but, well, it is your cup of tea I guess.

basically, I'm heavy weighted towards the sony. but i included the canon because i know that it isn't going anywhere. sony, however, seems to be the patron saint of making an amazing product than discontinuing it out of nowhere. that still doesn't mean the a7/r/s/t/u/v/2/3/cubed isn't an amazing product.

Which is exactly why I and many others I'm sure are extremely hesitant to recommend them.

But he did not ask for the best, only adept. Three people gave him good recommendations and he explained why he did not have Nikon in his list. I don't see anything strange with why someone does not like something; simply personal preference or choice.

Well seems odd to me that he asked for a recommendation and then states he's already eliminated the two most obvious choices apparently before he asked the question.

No skin off my nose if he doesn't like Nikon for whatever reason, just seems odd to ask for an open recommendation first and then bring it up. Same with the Sony thing really.. I mean if the guy has his heart set on canon, great, more power too him.

But if so why bother asking what I would recommend?

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk

 

[ggelardi]

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Good on you. Don't spend hard earned cash on something you don't like (no matter the reason). It would likely not get used as much or at all eventually if you don't like it.
It's just how some of us are and there is nothing wrong with it.

exactly. i wouldn't patronize anyone for doing or thinking the same. i prefer fender guitars, my best friend likes gibson. i don't tell him he's wrong and he doesn't tell me likewise. its all preference.

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Well if you don't want us to recommend the cameras with the best lowlight performance in their price range when you specify that as a key point in your buying decision, I guess we won't. I find that incredibly strange to say the least, but, well, it is your cup of tea I guess.

basically, I'm heavy weighted towards the sony. but i included the canon because i know that it isn't going anywhere. sony, however, seems to be the patron saint of making an amazing product than discontinuing it out of nowhere. that still doesn't mean the a7/r/s/t/u/v/2/3/cubed isn't an amazing product.

Which is exactly why I and many others I'm sure are extremely hesitant to recommend them.

listen, I'm sure were all adults here so the passive aggressive stab at me wasn't exactly necessary. also, i don't mean to point fingers at you for misinterpreting what i had asked but i laid out 3 options in which i had narrowed my search so conversations like this could be avoided. i understand questions like this may be redundant to you but that doesn't justify you being rude.

thanks for the suggestion, i did appreciate it.

 

[JacaRanda]

im not a huge fan of nikon to be honest. but i started with a canon and beginning to really like the idea of mirrorless. I'm not saying I'm not bias but nikon just isn't my cup of tea, regardless of how great their products are.

Well if you don't want us to recommend the cameras with the best lowlight performance in their price range when you specify that as a key point in your buying decision, I guess we won't. I find that incredibly strange to say the least, but, well, it is your cup of tea I guess.

basically, I'm heavy weighted towards the sony. but i included the canon because i know that it isn't going anywhere. sony, however, seems to be the patron saint of making an amazing product than discontinuing it out of nowhere. that still doesn't mean the a7/r/s/t/u/v/2/3/cubed isn't an amazing product.

Which is exactly why I and many others I'm sure are extremely hesitant to recommend them.

But he did not ask for the best, only adept. Three people gave him good recommendations and he explained why he did not have Nikon in his list. I don't see anything strange with why someone does not like something; simply personal preference or choice.

Well seems odd to me that he asked for a recommendation and then states he's already eliminated the two most obvious choices apparently before he asked the question.

No skin off my nose if he doesn't like Nikon for whatever reason, just seems odd to ask for an open recommendation first and then bring it up. Same with the Sony thing really.. I mean if the guy has his heart set on canon, great, more power too him.

But if so why bother asking what I would recommend?

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk

Yup, I guess you are right. He certainly could have mentioned up front that he was not interested in Nikon.
It was valid by Goodguy to question why he did not consider Nikon D610. However, the OP did go through the trouble of listing the two options he was considering and only asked for the best of those two options. Semantics I guess.