FINALLY... Upgrading from NEX 7

[Vaughn T.Winfree]

-- The NEX 7 is still going strong.

It's given me plenty of years of service. Never had an issue with it as far as function and reliability. I'm still keeping it for certain specific uses. But it's time for me to upgrade. I'm happy Sony has kept the NEX E-mount (APS-C) line up going after all these years.

So here are the E-mount lenses with my NEX 7: Sigma prime 19mm f/2.8, Sony Prime 50mm f/1.8, Sony 18-55 f3.5-5.6, Sony 55-210 f/4.5-6.3...........

What I am looking at is the most bang for the buck. After reviewing the latest lineup, I am leaning heavily on the Sony a6400 Mirrorless Camera with 18-135mm Lens. B&H has it for $1289.00........ This seems like the best solution upgrading from where I am now. This will also get me the 18-135 lens I've been wanting to get for my Walkabouts for a better price with the camera body combo...... I see the a6500 and a6600 out there. But the best value draws me back to the a6400.

I plan on getting the SmallRig Cage kit with the Wooden Hand Grip with a Video Microphone for 4K video and other accessories. I want to do stills and video with this camera during backpacking, bikepacking, traveling, candid, and street photography etc.

That all being said, I would enjoy any feedback, suggestions, or opinions on what I have presented here. I'm leaving this with a recent photo taken from my ten-year-old NEX 7.

Regards,



Vaughn T. Winfree
A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what's in front of it - Unknown
'See what the camera see's, letting the lens interpret what can be. Capture a moment in time telling a story.'--Vaughn T. Winfree
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.

 

[2CtheWorld]

It sounds like a good plan. But when you add the 18-135 ... will you sell any of your other lenses?

Asking out of curiosity... because I find myself unwilling/unable to let go of any of my old gear when something new is added. I always come up with a reason why lens "x" will still be useful.

 

[Bender79ita]

I can only suggest that you read my review of the ZV-E10 (that compares it to the a6400 that I also own) before making your final decision.

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4676517

If your use will be 50/50 stills/video, or even 70/30, it's at least worth a consideration.

 

[Vaughn T.Winfree]

--I'm sure I will keep existing lenses since I will have two cameras still in use. Since it seems that I will be staying with the E mount line up.

Vaughn T. Winfree
A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what's in front of it - Unknown
'See what the camera see's, letting the lens interpret what can be. Capture a moment in time telling a story.'--Vaughn T. Winfree
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.

 

[Vaughn T.Winfree]

--I will read the full review as you suggested. Thank you
Vaughn T. Winfree
A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what's in front of it - Unknown
'See what the camera see's, letting the lens interpret what can be. Capture a moment in time telling a story.'--Vaughn T. Winfree
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.

 

[Jesper Frickmann]

A6400 with the 18-135 kit is a good choice for what it available right now. But it has been out for a couple of years now, and other than the AF, it is similar to the A6300 that was released in 2016.

So unless your NEX-7 is broken, why not wait another year and see if Sony finally comes out with something a little more modern? I think that there is a general expectation that Sony will release a new APS-C body in 2023.

I am still using my 9 years old NEX-6 which has a few minor issues. In addition, something just went bad with the aperture control on my 16-70 lens, so I am looking to upgrade and get the 18-135 kit lens soon. But while A6400 is arguably an OK camera, I think that Sony could do much better if they wanted to. Here are the major shortcomings IMHO:

• The old front illuminated sensor has a slow readout with rolling shutter and not the same IQ as the back illuminated sensors they offer in every segment except APS-C.
• The SD card reader belongs in a museum. It supports Sony's Memory Stick Duo but not even UHS-I
• The user interface is bad and outdated. Touch is slow and laggy and only works for selecting focus point.
• The view finder and screen are the same as on my NEX 6

I will wait and see what they release next, and if I think that it is a decent product, then I will upgrade. Otherwise, it will be goodbye Sony and hello Fuji X-T5...

 

[Martin_99]

It sounds like a good plan. But when you add the 18-135 ... will you sell any of your other lenses?

Asking out of curiosity... because I find myself unwilling/unable to let go of any of my old gear when something new is added. I always come up with a reason why lens "x" will still be useful.

This comment got my attention as I have it opposite. My limit for "reasonable amount of lenses for my usage" is 4, maximum 5. And I feel bad in case of too much rarely used lenses are in my bag . I'm selling Tamron 35f2.8 for several months without succes now. I would maybe want to buy another lens, but I need to sell it first because of it

 

[Canon2018]

The A6400 is a good choice. I also bought the kit including the 18-135. I have been very happy with the A6400 for the last three years. I sold the 18-135 soon as it proved too slow and I was not too impressed with sharpness @135mm. I replaced it with Sony's 16-55. If you buy the camera and this lens in used condition, this package will not be much more expensive than the 18-135 kit.

 

[GaryW]

A6400 with the 18-135 kit is a good choice for what it available right now. But it has been out for a couple of years now, and other than the AF, it is similar to the A6300 that was released in 2016.

I guess in that case, he could pick up a used A6300 for cheaper?

So unless your NEX-7 is broken, why not wait another year and see if Sony finally comes out with something a little more modern? I think that there is a general expectation that Sony will release a new APS-C body in 2023.

You can always wait, and miss out on using the newer fun thing that's right there. A big problem is waiting for this mythical APS-C camera that will solve all concerns, when it doesn't materialize. Now you've waited another year that you could have spent with a better camera.

I am still using my 9 years old NEX-6 which has a few minor issues. In addition, something just went bad with the aperture control on my 16-70 lens, so I am looking to upgrade and get the 18-135 kit lens soon.

I used my Nex-6 camera for several years. Longest time I used a digital camera, but I finally upgraded to a (used) A6500, which was a good step-up.

But while A6400 is arguably an OK camera, I think that Sony could do much better if they wanted to. Here are the major shortcomings IMHO:

• The old front illuminated sensor has a slow readout with rolling shutter and not the same IQ as the back illuminated sensors they offer in every segment except APS-C.

The rolling shutter can be a problem in some situations, but seems OK in most use with the mechanical shutter. Sony used to be one of the best for video, but the rolling shutter is a big problem.

I think the sensors have minor improvements, though. Better dynamic range, certainly over the Nex-6/7 era sensors. You'll get better-looking still-photographs. I wouldn't skip over that point and only list negatives.

• The SD card reader belongs in a museum. It supports Sony's Memory Stick Duo but not even UHS-I

The fastest I can get out of an SD card is 30MB/s. Probably the same as the Nex-6!

At least the A6500 has a huge buffer. It's difficult to notice a problem.

• The user interface is bad and outdated. Touch is slow and laggy and only works for selecting focus point.

Setting the custom function buttons helps. I am not terribly concerned about the UI, personally.

• The view finder and screen are the same as on my NEX 6

Better than the A6000, perhaps? It seems OK. Isn't it an OLED display? It's not like it's a bad one.

The A6500 has a 120 fps option -- I don't recall that on the Nex-6. Not sure what the 6400 has.

I will wait and see what they release next, and if I think that it is a decent product, then I will upgrade. Otherwise, it will be goodbye Sony and hello Fuji X-T5...

Kind of a pain to switch systems, but the Fuji looks like fun. But, the size is a huge turn-off for me. It does look tempting, though.

 

[NorCal Jim]

From your description in introducing this topic thread, it seems that you have put a good deal of thought into this prospective purchase including the 18-135mm lens that you have been wanting. I would say that you have identified a good match for photography and video.

I nearly purchased the a6400 when it was released and especially liked the fact that the screen would tilt for photography (my preference) as well as rotate 180 degrees to face forward for times when I want to be in front of the camera. It also has an EVF. For some reason, I hesitated and eventually decided to go in a different direction. Recently, I considered purchasing the a6400 but decided to go with the ZV-E10 since my reason for purchasing was for video. It was a real stretch for me to get the ZV-E10 since it has no mode dial, no EVF and what I considered a "Dumbed down" mode toggle selector. It checked all my video check boxes such as mic and headphone inputs, eye autofocus in video as well as photo (a6400 lacks eye AF tracking in video) and updated "Color Science" (better colors IMO for JPG and video). I also liked the internal microphone with removable wind screen. Also, I found that the viewing screen worked well enough in sunshine to compensate for no EVF. The more I use the ZV-E10, the more I like it. It has definitely surpassed my expectations. Prior to purchasing, I thoroughly researched it and was aware of the crop issues and rolling shutter (like all the Alpha APS-C cameras). I am also aware of Sony's Gyro data solution for stabilization and Catalyst Browse. The ZV-E10 is a great match for my purposes.

Considering your uses such as backpacking and biking, you might want to look at an RX100vii with its excellent Zeiss 24-200mm (FF equivalent) lens as it would be ultra compact and has a mic input for video.

Good luck!

Jim

 

[GaryW]

It sounds like a good plan. But when you add the 18-135 ... will you sell any of your other lenses?

Asking out of curiosity... because I find myself unwilling/unable to let go of any of my old gear when something new is added. I always come up with a reason why lens "x" will still be useful.

This comment got my attention as I have it opposite. My limit for "reasonable amount of lenses for my usage" is 4, maximum 5. And I feel bad in case of too much rarely used lenses are in my bag . I'm selling Tamron 35f2.8 for several months without succes now. I would maybe want to buy another lens, but I need to sell it first because of it

My problem is that I always can find a way to justify some obscure lens for a reason. I try not to do too much duplication.

Maybe it'd be different if I had expensive lenses where I felt that I had too much money tied up in lenses I don't use. I have two copies of the 16-50pz, but would I get any money out of selling one? I probably couldn't get $100 for it. Ugh.

 

[2CtheWorld]

It sounds like a good plan. But when you add the 18-135 ... will you sell any of your other lenses?

Asking out of curiosity... because I find myself unwilling/unable to let go of any of my old gear when something new is added. I always come up with a reason why lens "x" will still be useful.

This comment got my attention as I have it opposite. My limit for "reasonable amount of lenses for my usage" is 4, maximum 5. And I feel bad in case of too much rarely used lenses are in my bag . I'm selling Tamron 35f2.8 for several months without succes now. I would maybe want to buy another lens, but I need to sell it first because of it

This is an interesting topic for me. My photographic interests are eclectic. I take different "kits" for different purposes.

I try to carry only three lenses at a time. I have various combos for street photography, hiking, canoeing, wildlife, low light, creative shots and so on (and yes, several camera bags).

Sometimes I want to go very light. Sometimes I want quality. Or reach.

I consider all my lenses to be "in use" - even the 16-50 kit lens, which was put to work most recently when I was cross-country skiing.