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Existing DSLR owners: anyone think about comparing the A6500 to nikon/canon APS-C

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HP1999

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Working on some retooling of the kit. I have existing Nikon lenses. I own the A6500 and I like the camera.

I was playing with the idea of incorporating the Sony A7 something and selling off some Nikon lenses to defray the cost.

The A6500 is my small second camera when I dont want to bother with my D750. I also planned to buy the Sony 25 mm and 55 mm 1.8 so I could use them between the A6500 and A7xxxx. So street photography with the A6500 and 24/25 idea and 55 mm for portraits.

SO

Just had this idea:

I have existing full frame Nikon lenses. Sony lenses can easily be as big or bigger for the full frame glass as Nikon so why not look at crop sensor Nikon bodies as the wheels turn in the brain...

Anyone think to compare Sony A6500 to your existing DSLR

I just did the comparison D7500 vs A6500 and the bodies are basically the same dimension wise and the battery life on the Nikon blows away the Sony.

I can not speak to video quality etc.. Yes I know IBIS is one thing that will change. But D7500 has a touch screen as well..

For the sake of Nikon and what the Sony 25 mm costs or the Sony 24 mm 1.8 costs ($1000 plus) the Nikon 24 mm 1.8 is less expensive under $800 for the 35 mm equivalent
 
HP1999 said:
Working on some retooling of the kit. I have existing Nikon lenses. I own the A6500 and I like the camera.

I was playing with the idea of incorporating the Sony A7 something and selling off some Nikon lenses to defray the cost.

The A6500 is my small second camera when I dont want to bother with my D750. I also planned to buy the Sony 25 mm and 55 mm 1.8 so I could use them between the A6500 and A7xxxx. So street photography with the A6500 and 24/25 idea and 55 mm for portraits.

SO

Just had this idea:

I have existing full frame Nikon lenses. Sony lenses can easily be as big or bigger for the full frame glass as Nikon so why not look at crop sensor Nikon bodies as the wheels turn in the brain...

Anyone think to compare Sony A6500 to your existing DSLR

I just did the comparison D7500 vs A6500 and the bodies are basically the same dimension wise and the battery life on the Nikon blows away the Sony.
Click to expand...
Not really.

a6500 v. D7500 size.
a6500 v. D7500 size.



HP1999 said:
I can not speak to video quality etc.. Yes I know IBIS is one thing that will change. But D7500 has a touch screen as well..

For the sake of Nikon and what the Sony 25 mm costs or the Sony 24 mm 1.8 costs ($1000 plus) the Nikon 24 mm 1.8 is less expensive under $800 for the 35 mm equivalent
Click to expand...
 
HP1999 said:
Anyone think to compare Sony A6500 to your existing DSLR

I just did the comparison D7500 vs A6500 and the bodies are basically the same dimension wise
Click to expand...
?

I have theh D7000 and it seems like a big, clunky thing next to the A6500 ... the D7500 is close in size (to the D7000).
HP1999 said:
and the battery life on the Nikon blows away the Sony.
Click to expand...
It does ...
HP1999 said:
For the sake of Nikon and what the Sony 25 mm costs or the Sony 24 mm 1.8 costs ($1000 plus) the Nikon 24 mm 1.8 is less expensive under $800 for the 35 mm equivalent
Click to expand...
The A6500 is very pricey for what it offers (I bought mine used - couldn't justify $1400 for it) and the lenses are a mixed bag. I couldn't spend $1000 on an APS-C 24/1.8 - not when other manufacturers show that good crop lenses can be made for less. I do own both the 28/2 FE and the Sigma 30/1.4 (have to decide which to keep), a couple zooms and the Sigma 60/2.8.

Really, they're very different cameras. At this point, I mostly use the D7000 with the 70-200/2.8 (and a VC grip) or with the 85/1.8 for events, handheld with a Blackrapid strap. I may get a long lens to dabble in backyard landscape with it. The A6500 is great for just about everything else. I own other lenses for the D7000 (the compact 35/1.8 and the 16-85) but when I'm not shooting with the bigger lenses and the VC grip, I vastly prefer a smaller, less obtrusive camera.

- Dennis
--
Gallery at http://kingofthebeasts.smugmug.com
 
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HP1999 said:
Working on some retooling of the kit. I have existing Nikon lenses. I own the A6500 and I like the camera.

I was playing with the idea of incorporating the Sony A7 something and selling off some Nikon lenses to defray the cost.

The A6500 is my small second camera when I dont want to bother with my D750. I also planned to buy the Sony 25 mm and 55 mm 1.8 so I could use them between the A6500 and A7xxxx. So street photography with the A6500 and 24/25 idea and 55 mm for portraits.

SO

Just had this idea:

I have existing full frame Nikon lenses. Sony lenses can easily be as big or bigger for the full frame glass as Nikon so why not look at crop sensor Nikon bodies as the wheels turn in the brain...

Anyone think to compare Sony A6500 to your existing DSLR

I just did the comparison D7500 vs A6500 and the bodies are basically the same dimension wise and the battery life on the Nikon blows away the Sony.

I can not speak to video quality etc.. Yes I know IBIS is one thing that will change. But D7500 has a touch screen as well..

For the sake of Nikon and what the Sony 25 mm costs or the Sony 24 mm 1.8 costs ($1000 plus) the Nikon 24 mm 1.8 is less expensive under $800 for the 35 mm equivalent
Click to expand...
You posted some very thoughtful and insightful posts on this forum.

But is your current thought process really blurred by GAS?
 
What has been obvious for a least a few years, but has been stated emphatically by the A9, is that DSLR architecture, the moving mirror in the light path, is obsolete. The electromechanical design will never again be the leading edge of performance or cost architecture. Semiconductor technology is dominant for design.

Actual cameras, implementations of camera architecture, have much more complex characteristics, an extremely rich feature frontier to be examined for any choice. So, leading mirrorless cameras, as they progress, exhibit irregular advantages and disadvantages across that feature frontier, particularly when matching lenses are added to the mix. The places on that frontier where mirrorless have the advantage have been growing rapidly, while the essentially stable technology of dslrs has not been changing so rapidly. Nevertheless, it remains possible to point to this or that characteristic of DSLRs and still make a strong case for an implementation or price advantage of a particular DSLR lens combo over a mirrorless competitor. That will remain so for a least a few more years.

In this complex picture, people who see themselves developing and investing in a system over a long time, and who are beginning or starting over now, may rationally choose to compromise on some aspect of the feature frontier by choosing a mirrorless system, believing it to have other advantages now and a brighter future, than to choose based upon a residual feature advantage of a DSLR, knowing that mirrorless technology will inevitably surpass it broadly within an investment horizon.
 
Last edited:
Smoothmoose said:
HP1999 said:
Working on some retooling of the kit. I have existing Nikon lenses. I own the A6500 and I like the camera.

I was playing with the idea of incorporating the Sony A7 something and selling off some Nikon lenses to defray the cost.

The A6500 is my small second camera when I dont want to bother with my D750. I also planned to buy the Sony 25 mm and 55 mm 1.8 so I could use them between the A6500 and A7xxxx. So street photography with the A6500 and 24/25 idea and 55 mm for portraits.

SO

Just had this idea:

I have existing full frame Nikon lenses. Sony lenses can easily be as big or bigger for the full frame glass as Nikon so why not look at crop sensor Nikon bodies as the wheels turn in the brain...

Anyone think to compare Sony A6500 to your existing DSLR

I just did the comparison D7500 vs A6500 and the bodies are basically the same dimension wise and the battery life on the Nikon blows away the Sony.

I can not speak to video quality etc.. Yes I know IBIS is one thing that will change. But D7500 has a touch screen as well..

For the sake of Nikon and what the Sony 25 mm costs or the Sony 24 mm 1.8 costs ($1000 plus) the Nikon 24 mm 1.8 is less expensive under $800 for the 35 mm equivalent
Click to expand...
You posted some very thoughtful and insightful posts on this forum.

But is your current thought process really blurred by GAS?
Click to expand...
LOL, anything is possible.... thanks ..... Yeah I mean some minor changes to the business right now and maybe in the end it does not make sense to get too involved with Sony cause of the financial hit to make certain gear changes.
 
Performance is the same but glass options a lot better for Nikon. You can get a lens on par or better than the zeiss 16-70 e mount for about 399$.
 
val1 said:
Performance is the same but glass options a lot better for Nikon. You can get a lens on par or better than the zeiss 16-70 e mount for about 399$.
Click to expand...
That is exactly where I am at the moment. I have a Sony a6000 with the Zeiss you listed (I find it better than people give it credit for) and the 10-18 f/4 but I want more lenses, cheaper.

In a perfect world I'd have a Nikon 'a6500' that supported all the existing F mount lenses with no adapters or, alternatively, Sony releases 40 new lenses tomorrow with prices 1/2 of what they are now. However, that perfect world is a fantasy right now. So it is stay with Sony with fewer big $ lenses or move to Nikon and have a big-ass body (D7500) but many cheaper lenses. And praying that Nikon comes out with a DX mirrorless down the line that doesn't toss compatibility with the existing F mount lenses out the window.
 
XXTwnz said:
val1 said:
Performance is the same but glass options a lot better for Nikon. You can get a lens on par or better than the zeiss 16-70 e mount for about 399$.
Click to expand...
That is exactly where I am at the moment. I have a Sony a6000 with the Zeiss you listed (I find it better than people give it credit for) and the 10-18 f/4 but I want more lenses, cheaper.

In a perfect world I'd have a Nikon 'a6500' that supported all the existing F mount lenses with no adapters or, alternatively, Sony releases 40 new lenses tomorrow with prices 1/2 of what they are now. However, that perfect world is a fantasy right now. So it is stay with Sony with fewer big $ lenses or move to Nikon and have a big-ass body (D7500) but many cheaper lenses. And praying that Nikon comes out with a DX mirrorless down the line that doesn't toss compatibility with the existing F mount lenses out the window.
Click to expand...
What if you could use an adapter and still have PDAF and Canikon lenses but using a Sony camera? Of course, there's that up-front cost with getting an adapter...
 
GaryW said:
XXTwnz said:
val1 said:
Performance is the same but glass options a lot better for Nikon. You can get a lens on par or better than the zeiss 16-70 e mount for about 399$.
Click to expand...
That is exactly where I am at the moment. I have a Sony a6000 with the Zeiss you listed (I find it better than people give it credit for) and the 10-18 f/4 but I want more lenses, cheaper.

In a perfect world I'd have a Nikon 'a6500' that supported all the existing F mount lenses with no adapters or, alternatively, Sony releases 40 new lenses tomorrow with prices 1/2 of what they are now. However, that perfect world is a fantasy right now. So it is stay with Sony with fewer big $ lenses or move to Nikon and have a big-ass body (D7500) but many cheaper lenses. And praying that Nikon comes out with a DX mirrorless down the line that doesn't toss compatibility with the existing F mount lenses out the window.
Click to expand...
What if you could use an adapter and still have PDAF and Canikon lenses but using a Sony camera? Of course, there's that up-front cost with getting an adapter...
Click to expand...
 
"The A6500 is very pricey for what it offers"

+1: IMO the a6500 was designed and priced mainly as a teaser "Why not just get an a7 for a bit more...?"
 
"DSLR architecture, the moving mirror in the light path, is obsolete. The electromechanical design will never again be the leading edge of performance or cost architecture. Semiconductor technology is dominant for design.

Actual cameras, implementations of camera architecture, have much more complex characteristics, an extremely rich feature frontier to be examined for any choice. So, leading mirrorless cameras, as they progress, exhibit irregular advantages and disadvantages across that feature frontier, particularly when matching lenses are added to the mix. The places on that frontier where mirrorless have the advantage have been growing rapidly "

Very thoughtfully formulated insight!

Once the global (e-)shutter and the curved sensor production are fully solved, and eventually also the DR will approach 16-bit, all the rest will be in optics !

The dSLR will possibly remain a sub-niche for specialized usecases, likely polarized into pro/FF and (ironically, despite their complexity) low-cost entry-levels $299-599.

Dark horse and potential disruptor of the above 'roadmap' is the lens-less OPA camera, as in https://www.economist.com/news/scie...t-cameras-are-about-get-lot-smaller?frsc=dg|d

However, for the coming decade we can expect the sunset of dSLRs: Too many moving parts, too much bulk, not enough margins (except the pro segment), phones getting better (also multilens), and that fabled mirrorless "feature frontier" encroaching...
 
GaryW said:
XXTwnz said:
val1 said:
Performance is the same but glass options a lot better for Nikon. You can get a lens on par or better than the zeiss 16-70 e mount for about 399$.
Click to expand...
That is exactly where I am at the moment. I have a Sony a6000 with the Zeiss you listed (I find it better than people give it credit for) and the 10-18 f/4 but I want more lenses, cheaper.

In a perfect world I'd have a Nikon 'a6500' that supported all the existing F mount lenses with no adapters or, alternatively, Sony releases 40 new lenses tomorrow with prices 1/2 of what they are now. However, that perfect world is a fantasy right now. So it is stay with Sony with fewer big $ lenses or move to Nikon and have a big-ass body (D7500) but many cheaper lenses. And praying that Nikon comes out with a DX mirrorless down the line that doesn't toss compatibility with the existing F mount lenses out the window.
Click to expand...
What if you could use an adapter and still have PDAF and Canikon lenses but using a Sony camera? Of course, there's that up-front cost with getting an adapter...
Click to expand...
And there isn't yet a fully functional adapter for current Nikon lenses, unlike Canon lenses.
 
migus said:
"DSLR architecture, the moving mirror in the light path, is obsolete. The electromechanical design will never again be the leading edge of performance or cost architecture. Semiconductor technology is dominant for design.

Actual cameras, implementations of camera architecture, have much more complex characteristics, an extremely rich feature frontier to be examined for any choice. So, leading mirrorless cameras, as they progress, exhibit irregular advantages and disadvantages across that feature frontier, particularly when matching lenses are added to the mix. The places on that frontier where mirrorless have the advantage have been growing rapidly "

Very thoughtfully formulated insight!

Once the global (e-)shutter and the curved sensor production are fully solved, and eventually also the DR will approach 16-bit, all the rest will be in optics !
Click to expand...
A curved sensor is no use for an interchangeable-lens camera.
 
"A curved sensor is no use for an interchangeable-lens camera."

Interesting... i wonder why?

Naively I thought that the short flange FF would stand to benefit from curved sensors
 
migus said:
"The A6500 is very pricey for what it offers"

+1: IMO the a6500 was designed and priced mainly as a teaser "Why not just get an a7 for a bit more...?"
Click to expand...
That has been my debate in my mind also A7 or A6500. And I understand Sony is coming out with new E-mount camera this year too.
 
Given the price/size differential a6500->a7, and the lack of E-mount APS glass roadmaps (or futures), one should carefully consider

A) Do i need/afford the FE system?

B) Will i be fully satisfied w/ the current E-mount APS glass as it is today + perhaps a few additions from Sigma, Samyang etc. ?
 
paulhojo said:
migus said:
"The A6500 is very pricey for what it offers"

+1: IMO the a6500 was designed and priced mainly as a teaser "Why not just get an a7 for a bit more...?"
Click to expand...
That has been my debate in my mind also A7 or A6500. And I understand Sony is coming out with new E-mount camera this year too.
Click to expand...
But the a7 has:

- no IBIS

- no 4k

- has a much slower AF

- has some sensor filter issues

You have a way higher keeper rate with the a6500 in sports/action, weddings, events, birding, etc. That is why it is priced the way it is (U$1,300) vs the now U$1,000 A7. The A7 ii is much better, but right now, it is in the U$1,500-1,600 range. This is a slightly better option, though personally, for my own uses (weddings and events), it will still be lacking. I will have a better success rate if I choose the a6300 or a6500.

Though we are anticipating the announcement of the A7 iii, it will likely be in the U$1,900-2,100 range when introduced. And it is not available now. We don't even have an idea what the specs are.

The thing when choosing equipment is to lay down the needs in concrete terms. That means looking at what you will shoot. Prioritize the features that are very important or deal breakers if not met. Then convert that to functional specs. Then look at the cameras that will closely fit the bill.

Check also the lenses or accessories needed to complete it. It is of no use to get a good camera body if there are no lenses to fit it, or if there is, it is way off your budget.
 
I received email from Sony that they do not plan on releasing new FF emount camera this year, likely next year. The only other thing they probably will release this year is another emount camera. Specs un released
 
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