Need advice about which camera to pick up. The confusion is real.

I’m in the process of picking up a camera, which will be used exclusively for video. I currently own two Canon dslr’s so my need for photos are limited. I would like the price to be below $800 (with lens). I consider myself a novice photographer.

The camera should have;

• Good / great IS
• Flip / articulating screen so I can see my self while shooting video
• 1080p 30fps (60 fps nice, but not important)
• Good low light
• Zoom
• OK audio (external audio a plus)
• Fast / silent AF (continuous for video, with the ability to lock focus)
• Smallish size (something I can easily bring around and shoot videos)
• Be able to shoot videos for 10+ minutes without overheating issues

Cameras I have looked at;

Sony A6000

- LCD screen does not articulate 180 degrees, so I ruled it out.

Sony A5100

- It seems like a perfect camera, however it does overheat. How serious is the overheating issue? I live in the south so expect 90F+ days with high humidity.

Samsung NX500

- I have no need for 4K video; the low light performance seems underwhelming in the demo videos I have seen along with IS not being great.

Samsung NX mini

- Issues with AF, and video quality are not great. The 17mm lens seems intriguing but I have seen 0 reviews on it.

Panasonic LX100

- No articulating screen.

Sony RX100 IV

- Too pricey.

Canon G7X

- I can pick this up for $460 so the price is right, however AF seems to struggle, and I’ve seen several reports of quality issues with the camera.

Closing thoughts;

I’m worried about picking up cameras from companies who are not in it for the long haul. I’ve been burnt by buying products from companies which seems ok, only to realize that they go belly up, or remove support for their product.

The more I look into this subject, the more confused I get, and I would love to have some suggestions to other alternatives or comments on some of the models I have looked at. There are also rumors of new Samsung, Canon and Sony models coming out, so that is just adding to my confusion.

Thanks in advance.

always get the camera that works best for what you need to shoot... but since you didn't tell us that i'll suggest this option:

why not get a cheap hd camcorder? it's in your price range, it has a parfocal lens, motorized zoom lens with rocker switch, and it's easier to handle than dslr-type form factors.

canon, sony, panasonic, etc. all sell these, so you won't have to worry about the company going away.

--
dan

Nikon D5500

I have a DSLR and two mirrorless still cameras, all capable of taking HD video. When I am not fooling around and want to get good video for most subjects I reach for my camcorder.

I m in the same boat.

I would def pick up nx500 if there was any editing mac software with 265 usabilitiy instead of converting files which seems like a shoot in the foot so far.

leaning toward a5100 becouse of price , AF and not a bad size

if the price was not an issue i would already grab rx100 III

meluckystar said:

I m in the same boat.
I would def pick up nx500 if there was any editing mac software with 265 usabilitiy instead of converting files which seems like a shoot in the foot so far.
leaning toward a5100 becouse of price , AF and not a bad size
if the price was not an issue i would already grab rx100 III

Click to expand...

I am leaning heavily towards the nx500 at the moment. I did some more reviews on it and with the latest firmware it seems like a solid performer. The transcoding is not a big deal for me, I used to always have to do that in the "old" days anyways.

With the $200 of at Amazon for it ($599 now), it is becoming really hard to resist.