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theabortionator
April, 2025

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Need some camera advice..gh5 ,sony ,canon, full frame or not?

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riley_
Posts: 19 - Karma: 111
Hi guys, looking for some advice as to which camera I should get, predominately for video. i've filled out the little questionnaire below.

I travel a lot so the idea of a more compact mirrorless camera is much more appealing. a few cameras I have come across in a few forums are the gh4/5, sony a7s ii, sony a7r iii but I would like your ideas/experience on things specifically skiing (followcam). is a full frame camera a significantly better option? i understand the a7riii is more based towards photography but how does it perform on the video side of things? could be inclined to sell my 6d and just have a single camera for both still and video. just for ease of travel. also what is the ideal focal length of lenses for followcams? (full frame)

1) What is your budget? How much money can you spend right away, and do you think you can get more money to invest in the future?
Not too keen spend more than $4000 total (AUD)

2) What experience do you already have with cameras? Have you ever even used one before? Have you helped your friend out with his camera? Have you owned your own?
I have a canon 6d with a canon 24-105 & a sigma 12-24 but only used for stills. only ever used

3) What gear, if any, do you currently have? (tripod, old camera lenses, mics, etc)
6d, couple film cameras, tripod

4) What are you planning to shoot and how do you want to use your camera? Are you going to use this with the sole purpose of shooting skiing? or do you think you might try other stuff as well (movies, documentaries, short films, etc)
going to start using it for ski follow cams in the park, travelling and short movies and see if i like the whole process and possibly progress to paid video work (ideally)

5) Do you want a camera that you can hand to your friends, that could or could not have film experience, and let them shoot you? or will you be doing all the filming?
bit of both

6) When filming skiing, how do you tend to shoot? (follow cams, leave it on record on a tripod and hike, film from a tripod, etc)
looking for predominately follow cams
6 years ago
1 0
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NPF
Posts: 5153 - Karma: 12,122
If you sold your whole Canon set up would you be able to push your budget a little bit more?
6 years ago
1 0
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NPF
Posts: 5153 - Karma: 12,122
There isnt really any ideal focal lenght for follow cams, it's more based on look you're going for, but anything from around the 16-28mm range is pretty standard. You should have a look at finding a second hand glidecam 2000 HD or Pro. I would say sell the 6d and then maybe keep the lenses. You have a pretty decent budget so there are lots of options. you could keep the lenses you got and spend more on a nice body, you could sell everything and start fresh, or you could go for a slightly older body(a6500) and get better glass. do a bunch of research and find out what will work best for YOUR needs. here are two suggestions i think might fit from what you described.

You could keep the lenses you have and just get an adapter for a sony camera. Since you are into photography too i'd say go for the a7iii

https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/digital-cameras/sony-mirrorless-cameras/sony-a7-iii-mirrorless-camera

https://www.digidirect.com.au/filters/filter_accessories/fotodiox_pro_lens_mount_adapter_-_canon_eos_to_sony_nex_full_automated_functions_canon_eos_to_sony_nex_full_automated_functions

or if you sold your whole Canon set up something like this would be pretty sick!

https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/fujifilm-x-t3-camera-body
https://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/fujifilm-xf-16-55mm-f28-r-lm-wr-lens
https://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/fujifilm-xf-55-200mm-fa35-48-r-lm-ois-lens
6 years ago
2 0
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eheath
Posts: 61927 - Karma: 126,352
Perplexedis a full frame camera a significantly better option?


No, FF is not a "better" option for video, I would not use it as a criteria for your purchase.

That being said, for follow cams your sigma 12-24 will work just fine on any sized sensor.
6 years ago
2 1
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riley_
Posts: 19 - Karma: 111
NPFThere isnt really any ideal focal lenght for follow cams, it's more based on look you're going for, but anything from around the 16-28mm range is pretty standard. You should have a look at finding a second hand glidecam 2000 HD or Pro. I would say sell the 6d and then maybe keep the lenses. You have a pretty decent budget so there are lots of options. you could keep the lenses you got and spend more on a nice body, you could sell everything and start fresh, or you could go for a slightly older body(a6500) and get better glass. do a bunch of research and find out what will work best for YOUR needs. here are two suggestions i think might fit from what you described.

You could keep the lenses you have and just get an adapter for a sony camera. Since you are into photography too i'd say go for the a7iii

https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/digital-cameras/sony-mirrorless-cameras/sony-a7-iii-mirrorless-camera

https://www.digidirect.com.au/filters/filter_accessories/fotodiox_pro_lens_mount_adapter_-_canon_eos_to_sony_nex_full_automated_functions_canon_eos_to_sony_nex_full_automated_functions

or if you sold your whole Canon set up something like this would be pretty sick!

https://www.camerasdirect.com.au/fujifilm-x-t3-camera-body
https://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/fujifilm-xf-16-55mm-f28-r-lm-wr-lens
https://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/fujifilm-xf-55-200mm-fa35-48-r-lm-ois-lens


Thank you for all the info and suggestions. I'll keep researching and try find a good deal on something second hand. thinking I'll end up selling the 6d as well
6 years ago
0 0
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riley_
Posts: 19 - Karma: 111
eheathNo, FF is not a "better" option for video, I would not use it as a criteria for your purchase.

That being said, for follow cams your sigma 12-24 will work just fine on any sized sensor.


thanks for clearing that up, i was unsure.
6 years ago
0 0
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corona
Posts: 12845 - Karma: 33,290
Perplexedthanks for clearing that up, i was unsure.


What makes a good sensor is pixel size (usually). Larger pixels mean better dynamic range, low light noise, etc. Shooting in 4k is about an 8mp equivalent, so video-centric camera like the GH5s uses a 12 mp sensor and ends up having a larger pixel size and better video performance than most 36+ mp full frame cameras. Of course cameras with high mp count can do stuff like sampling from multiple pixels to mimic having larger pixel size, but then some will just use a centre crop on the sensor (like the new Canon R) which is inferior.

So yea, like eheath said, full frame is not necessarily better for video than 4/3 or other crop sensors. It's all about the sensor itself and how the sensor is used.
6 years ago
1 0
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