Consumer APS-C cams

[John Wiley]

I'm going on holidays soon and my better half has tasked me with picking up a new family/compact camera. I thought it would make sense to get a Sony mirrorless camera which can also be put to work as a b-cam (mainly as an un-manned camera for wedding ceremonies or for lightweight steadycam use). I think they're all going to be more than capable in terms of stills quality/usability (this will be the upgrade from our old 8mp consumer camera) so the decision will probably come down to which one will best serve dual-purposes.

So I'm wondering, of the Sony APS-C mirrorless cams, which ones currently offer the best video quality and features? And are there any which do not suffer from the overheating problems during extended recording?

And only because I know someone will suggest it: I don't want an A7s for this purpose. It's too complicated for my wife, too big (when you include full frame lenses) and too expensive for a throw-around travel cam.

[Peter Rush]

I believe this is what you seek - The Sony A6000

Hybrid Camera | Interchangeable-lens Camera a6000 | Sony UK

Pete

[John Wiley]

Thanks Peter, that is definitely one of the ones I'm considering.

Do you have any experience with it or have you heard any reports about overheating with it?

[Peter Rush]

No experience with it John I'm afraid - here is a pretty good review I read

A look at the surprisingly very good & rather cheap Sony A6000 | Philip Bloom

Pete

[Simon Denny]

I'm doing the same thing, holidays OS and need a small video, photo camera. I purchased the Sony RX10, very easy to use for the family and very suitable for mixing with my pro gigs. Image is great for video and the stills look great.

The only thing is the zoom lens…. I have noticed a bump in the servo as I zoom in and out. I have had the camera checked out and compared to another RX10 which has the same issue. I can work around this as I don't really zoom a lot during takes.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Simon

It might be a Sony thing?? My PZ18200 that came with my EA-50's also gave a little kick at each end of the zoom but I'm on full manual lenses now so no real issue. Does the RX have image stabilisation? It might be that which causes the bump? Try a zoom with the stabilisation turned off.

Chris

[Simon Denny]

Hi Chris, the problem seems to be with a few people that I have found on the net. I checked and re checked every setup on the camera, even took the thing back for a checkup. I think its a fault with the servo motor, could be wrong. Apart from that the camera is so much fun to use I almost forgot how much joy it is using a small camera with great video, audio, codec etc… and takes a great still with a built in flash.

[John Wiley]

Thanks Simon, I'll add it to the list.

At this stage I'm leaning towards the a5100 because I just found out it has a flash (I'd previously assumed it didn't based off the NEX-5/N/R. Just trying to dig up any reports of overheating but can't find much on Google. I guess that's a good thing though? If it was a problem I'm sure I'd be able to find lots of complaints.

[Dave Blackhurst]

@ Simon - is it by any chance the transition between optical and clear zoom - I get a noticeable "bump" at that transition....

@ Jon - Unless you absolutely NEED an interchangeable lens camera and are set on APS-C size sensor, the RX10 is really hard to beat as both a still camera and for video - get a big fast card so you can take advantage of the firmware update for XAVCS (there's supposed to be another update coming soon with even higher bitrate...). Stupid thing about it is that to match the 24-200 f 2.8 lens, you'd have to spend way more than you can buy a used RX10 for, and probably have enough left over to buy an RX100M3 to stick in your pocket too!

The Axxxx series rate well, but again, for overall versatility you end up carting around more lenses and such! My RX10 "kit" adds just a polarizer, a couple extra batteries, and a "puffer" style flash diffuser, plus a flash bracket to help me stabilize while handheld... there's even room in the small bag for an RX100 with a polarizer and extra batteries, and it's still light!

[Simon Denny]

Yeah Dave, I get that same bump at the same spot as you. Rather annoying but I can deal wit it.

Gota say the RX10 is packed with features, also get a few spare batteries plus a charger. I purchased a charger and this also came with a spare battery, great saving there for me.

[Jurij Turnsek]

Sony A6000 - EVF, very fast AF, 11fps, great for photography, but only AVCHD.
Sony A5100 - same AF as A6000, no EVF, touchscreen, less fps and XAVC-S - great for video. Both of these are very likely going to overheat!

Sony RX10 - great all around camera and 1" type sensor gives a good amount of shallow DOF, but not too much. No overheating, but the battery life is not great.

If you are considering Sony RX10, then go for Panasonic FZ1000 as it has 4K. You can downsample to 1080p and have amazing footage. Also, AF for photos is better AFAIK.

[Ivan Mosny]

I am using A6000 for aerial videos and the picture quality is excellent.

Tak rozwija się WSK PZL-Rzeszów - YouTube