Camera Purchase Advice Needed

[rahul_mukerji]

Hi:

I was hoping for some feedback. I have been using a Canon T1i with a stock zoom lens for my photography with some decent results. I primarily shoot bands in clubs and family events. I'm not a professional photographer but a serious hobbyist. I am looking to upgrade to something that suits my current requirements plus can be used to make music videos and short films.

I was looking at the Sony a7s ii for it slow light capability. The issue I have is that its really expensive and there aren't too many lenses for it. Yes you can buy adapters, but then you aren't able to use the native features of the Sony.

The other option was Canon 5D MKIII which has a really good reputation for an all around camera and has been the defacto for many people for years now. Some are looking for the MKIV which is to have 4K internal recording. Canon of course has tons and tons of lenses and a proven track record. Even in the comparisons, it comes out as a better overall camera but the Sony far exceeds ANY camera in the low light department.

So what's your advice ?

Go with the Sony a7s ii coz it will pay off down the road for short films and band pics in dark clubs and its Slo Mo and internal 4K for a hobbyist like me

OR

Save some cash, get the 5DMKIII and spend on lenses and lighting props and such which will pay off in the long run ?

The analogy which I keep running into is: Buying a Steve Vai Jem won't make you Steve Vai.

 

[GuitarFactoryDylan]

It's really hard to choose, I sold my 6D about a year ago and switched to an A7s.

I do love it, and it's absolutely true that the low light performance is superb compared to anything else - plus the form factor is significantly smaller and lighter, so for me dragging it plus some lenses and a laptop to work on a train every day I noticed that difference.

The downside is the still image quality isn't great - it's not bad, but it certainly looks that way if you compare it to something like a 5D. I do an even mixture of video and photo work for the guitar store I work at and while I'm happier with the videos, I'm definitely less happy with the photo quality. I'm thinking I might have to run two cameras in future, but whether or not to go back to Canon or see whether the Sony A7r II fixes the image quality issue but keeps the nice form factor is yet to be decided for me.

 

[lelandbowman3]

If it's something you're seriously looking into, I have one for sale that is considerably less than what I've seen on ebay. Not trying to poach your post, just stumbled along while looking for pro-video services on here

 

[Philligan]

If you don't mind the size and weight, you can't go wrong with a DSLR. Check out the 6D if you don't need the more sports-oriented AF of the 5D3.

The Sony is probably great. I switched from Canon to Fuji and although there are some times where I'd like to have a DSLR too, on the whole I'm glad I switched. Check out the lenses that are available from Sony and see if they'll fit your needs. If you're doing video you're probably using manual focus, so adapting legacy glass becomes a much more viable option.

 

[rahul_mukerji]

Thanks guys !! Sorry, I'm getting back a little late on this.

I decided to save on my finance and go with the Canon 70D. I reasoned since I'm not a full time photographer nor a videographer who will ever work in the professional sense, spending three grand on a body doesn't justify my needs.

After a lot of YT videos and comparisons I found the 70D would suit my needs with a decent glass on it. So now I have that and I'm pretty happy so far. I'm yet to unlock its features, although I immediately installed Magic Lantern on my SD cards to utilize this amazing hardware hack.

The 70D is supposed to do well in both images and video and although its no Sony A7s or A7s ii in terms of low light, it still does a decent job at capturing images.

Frankly, I'm yet to figure out how to get the best out of this new setup.

As always, thanks to everyone who replied and hope you all have a wonderful year ahead !!