[chriseb]

Hi, I'm new to this site and I am looking forward to learning new skills on photography, with the help of this forum.
I am pretty much a novice on this subject and at the moment I only own a compact, though I am looking to purchase a new camera.
As I am planning to trek in Nepal this October/November I would like to record what I see and experience, at this moment I am thinking of buying the Sony Alpha a6000.
Reason being its is not too heavy nor too large, and within my budget. I have read some reviews that are mainly positive.
My question is, would it better to buy just the body and buy lenses separate, I realise this will add to the cost, however if I buy it with a lens included, how good is the lens that is supplied with the camera?
Also, opinions on this camera would be appreciated plus options.
One thing I would like to attempt is photographing the night sky, though it will be extremely cold and additional equipment will be necessary, so maybe not practical.
Thanks

[EnglishBob]

Welcome to Shuttertalk.

[Barbara G.]

Hello and welcome! I am not familiar with the Sony Alpha, but I am sure someone can help you, soon. Congrats on your plan to trek - sounds like fun!

[cuilin]

welcome to shutter talk. i haven't used the sony alpha either, however i did make the switch from a massive canon 5d mk ii and 5 tons of lenses to the smaller and more portable fuji x-pro 1 and later the fuji x-t1, both of which i fell completely in love with and wouldn't switch to any other brand at this point. both of those fuji cameras are close to the same size and weight as the sony. don't fall for the more megapixels are better marketing lies, i'd rather have a camera with a large sensor and less megapixels than more megapixels crammed into a smaller sensor.

i chose the fuji system for many reasons, but mostly because i like how they placed all of the controls on dedicated knobs or rings on the outside of the camera as opposed to programmable knobs or menus. you may like that, you may hate it, however the ergonomics play a big part in choosing a camera. i haven't used it, but from looking at the sony a6000 it looks like menu controls to change the aperture, iso and shutter speed are unavoidable.

my suggestion to anyone looking to buy a new camera is to skip the reviews - every camera has reviews from people who love it and people who hate it, there's no in between. instead read a technical review, like dpreview's in depth review to learn where the controls are, what features it has and how it compares to a similar camera. then go into a store and play your top choices for awhile. if it doesn't feel comfortable in your hands then it's not the camera for you.

as for whether you should buy the camera and lens combo or just the camera depends on the particulars. the fuji kit lens - the 18-55mm was a brilliant little lens. the canon kit lens - also an 18-55mm was crap. so it depends on the lens itself as to whether it's a good deal..

i've photographed the night sky on cold nights with the canon and the fuji. no additional equipment is necessary apart from a tripod and shutter release cable/remote.

[chriseb]

Hi, Thanks cuilin for the interesting info on the Fuji x-t1, so interesting I went to a camera shop in the UK at the weekend to compare with the A6000, first thing I noticed was the x-t1 being slightly heavier than the A6000, however it was comfortable in the hand and I like the idea of the dials being on top of the camera, the shop is selling for £1095, online its is available for £750, so from a financial aspect it is tempting. Of course it is at a higher level technically speaking.
I am a relative beginner at photography, so will the x-t1 be a step too far initially for someone as myself, or is it user friendly...
The lens supplied on this purchase is a XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 O.I.S. Is that the same lens you had?
As I will be trekking the images will mainly landscape, with some portraits, the night sky is something I would like
to attempt if conditions allow. Would that particular lens be capable of this or would I need another lens.
I am starting to compare the technical reviews but I'm also interested in your views on the x-t1.
I have read the video is disappointing to some, however it is not a priority for me.
Thanks

[cuilin]

i'd say the fuji is beginner friendly. you can look at the shutter speed knob and see it. there's no mistaking it for the aperture ring. there's a fully automatic mode and a manual mode and options in between, i'll explain more of that later.

my views of the x-t1 are that i love it. fuji updates the firmware in their cameras a few times a year to give us free new features on our old cameras. in december 2014 i got a firmware update on my x-pro 1 which was purchased in 2012. i personally wouldn't buy that camera today due to the age, but it's pretty cool of fuji to keep that camera alive. yes, i drank the fuji koolaid. you'll find reviews from people that just don't get the fuji hype, and you'll hear the same stories, good and bad, for every other camera or brand on the market. i can go on for hours about my fuji love, just ask my coworkers. but in the end you need to find what camera works best for you.

fuji has a rather small lens lineup, so they only offer one 18-55mm lens, i had it for awhile and liked it. it had good iq, by that i mean it was sharp enough, good tone, no major shadows or smearing in the corners. there's also a 16-55mm which is bigger, heavier, weather resistant, offers a wider aperture and is, of course, more expensive. 18-55 might be enough for you. but regardless of which camera you go with 18-55 is a pretty standard focal range for the kit lens, 55-200ish mm is usually another lens, and then there's usually another offering around 10-24mm. if you need to shoot wide and don't have a wide angle lens you could always shoot multiple shots for a panorama (like 2 or 3 rows of 3) and stitch the photos together later in software.

as for weather resistant, i've drug a non weather resistant camera and lens through 2 hurricanes and the aftermath of a tornado, not to mention endless amounts of rain, snow and mud. both still work and are (as far as i can tell) fungus free. i doubt sony would have had much of an issue either, most cameras today can withstand a decent amount of abuse.

the video is disappointing on the fuji, but i never shoot video so it wasn't an issue for me. definitely a good idea to figure out which features you must have and which would be nice, but not totally necessary, it'll make camera shopping easier. and yes, price is one of the biggest factors in what you buy. fuji has other cameras, cheaper but still similar to the x-t1 (x-e2, x-a1 and x-m1, as well as the older x-pro 1 and x-e1) but depending on your list of necessary features you might decide you'd be better off with the sony.

every digital camera out now should have an automatic mode and semi automatic modes like shutter priority and aperture priority. you usually see a mode dial with options like P (program), A or Av (aperture priority), S or Tv (shutter priority/time variable), and M (manual), and a few modes like sport, portrait, landscape, etc.. the fuji cameras don't really have that settings dial. instead there is a red A on the shutter knob and aperture knob. when you set the ring or knob to A the camera chooses that setting for you. if you put both on A then it's like having the camera in automatic. you still have to pick the iso.

here's a shot i took with the fuji x-pro 1 and 18-55mm. this was close to 2 years ago, before the x-t1 was out.
oxbow bend, grand tetons national park.

fuji x-pro 1 & 18-55mm @ 18mm
20s
f/2.8
iso 3200
put the camera on a tripod. the trick for still astro photos is to divide 500 by your focal length. that's your longest possible shutter speed. anything longer and you'll capture movement from the stars. so you set your shutter speed to something less than that number. choose your widest aperture, f/2.8 @ 18mm on the 18-55mm lens or 4.0 @ 55mm on the 18-55mm lens. set your iso to 3200. if the image is too dark then go higher than 3200. most people will mistake the noise for stars... set the focus to infinity, just hit the switch on the side of the lens and rotate the focus ring on the lens. use a remote or cable release to trip the shutter.


and some star trails:

fuji x-e1 & 14mm prime
30s
f/3.6
iso 400
taken in delaware. since the goal is to capture movement in star trails it really doesn't matter what your shutter speed and iso are so long as your exposure is bright enough. whether i shoot star trails or still shots of the milky way i usually fire off a few shots just to check the histogram. again, tripod, cable release/remote and manual focus to infinity.

[cuilin]

this was also shot with the 18-55mm. to give you an idea of the closeup capabilities and how it renders the out of focus areas. you can click on the image and see a bigger version on my webpage.

[chriseb]

Hi Culin,
Thanks so much for the last reply, I am really impressed with your website, and thanks for the advice, I am almost sure I'll be getting the Fuji xt1

[EdMak]

Still room for a warm welcome. Ed. a290 user.