Camera to match A7s

[camnova]

Hey all,

Long time listener, first time caller. I've been doing some research into cameras and figured maybe some of you guys could give me some advice.

I currently own an A7s with the Zeiss 24-70 f4 as well as a number of vintage lenses and adapters. I've been shooting for a number of years, and have accumulated a small number of lights, audio gear and a half-decent tripod. I use my gear as a low-cost alternative for shooting corporates (I used to own a Sony PD150, then a V1, then moved to Canon for DSLRs, and now I'm back to Sony again). I also shoot music videos, TVCs, docos etc. which I use all sorts of different cameras (including Alexas, REDs, Blackmagics, Canons and even film), but that's not related to the question I'm asking.

I've become involved in a media company who are very good at print and radio media and make a lot of money doing what they do. They're wanting to branch out into video work as a test, and want me to head-up their video section. The dream is that the video side of the business will eventually evolve into a full fledged production company, but for the moment it's going to be for events and corporates for the company's clients, with a view to continuing to expand.

With that said, they've budgeted ~$2500 to put into camera equipment. The first project we'll use my gear, but the idea is to buy some equipment for $2500 to put the company in a place where they don't have to rely on my equipment, and I could simply come in and shoot using their stuff, and for slightly bigger events, it can be used as a 2nd camera to my A7s.

I'd prefer not to spend all $2500 on a camera and lens combo - it would be nice to be able to get perhaps a semi-decent tripod and/or slider as well. As they're used to audio production, they have some options for audio, however getting some audio gear as well would be nice.

In saying that, I know little about decent low-cost options for tripods or sliders. I can get a GH4 with the 12-35mm f2.8 for $2380, which is great except it leaves me little to no room to get much else. I was thinking the A7ii, but at ~$1900, I would need to pair it with a kit lens (~$300) - and whilst it potentially matches better with my A7s, the GH4 offers potentially similar low-light capability, 4k and a much faster lens for a very similar price. I like the new stabilisation on the A7ii, and it's full frame which does match better.

Then there's the NX1, which I know very little about.

I'm not particularly interested in Canon as I was never happy with any Canon DSLR I shot on, even 5D, and the 5D is out of the price range for this anyway, even if we were to hack it and shoot raw.

Which brings me to my question (finally ;)) - with the collective experience of the users here, what's your opinion on the GH4 vs A7ii (keeping in mind it would be nice - though not essential - if it matched with my A7s), and what other options are there to consider at a price point that's similar or less. Also, what's your opinions on low cost tripods and/or sliders? Keep in mind, I'm in Australia so prices will differ slightly.

Literally any help is highly appreciated. Thanks!

[IronFilm]

Keep an eye out for when the A7000 gets announced soon? Should be well specced, and I think it should likely be easier to make the A7s match the A7000 than to make the A7000 match over non-Sony cameras.

If you have to get it asap, then get the A5100 or A6000 instead for now (I picked up my A5100 for a mere US$310 btw, when on sale).
The pricing of the A6000 seems about right to me really for your needs, given you still need to budget for everything else from only a relatively small amount of money. Spend a grand then on lenses (I suggest the Sony 18-105mm f/4 as a general purpose run and gun multipurpose lens, then get a few fast Nikon F mount primes together with a normal adapter and a RJ Lens Turbo focal reducer. This is my normal set up with my A5100), a few hundred on audio, and get a tripod with a slider (I myself have a Fancier FC-270A and Konova K2, very happy with them and are in my opinion the best you can get in their price range at the low end. Though there might be others out there now which are better value).

Also, hello! I'm across the ditch in NZ :-)

[camnova]

Hey thanks for the suggestion!

By all accounts the A6000 certainly delivers (and I imagine that the A7000 will too). My only concern is it looks and feels consumer. I imagine it's difficult to pick up and shoot video - the sheer tinyness of it must be hard to handle, requiring some sort of shoulder rig, stabiliser or tripod, surely?

My A7s can seem a bit small at times, let alone the A6000 - these are people who were surprised that my A7s could deliver such image quality in such a small package; and if shooting for clients, I wonder if the tiny size of something like an A6000 would be somewhat of a deterrent (i.e. why are you charging me x amount of money and then shooting on something I could easily pick up myself at JB HiFi).

I wonder if the standard A7 offers similar video quality? I think I could more suitably justify the A7; an A7 body + kit lens will sit around $1800; alternatively the 18-105 + A7 is ~$2300, leaving about $300 over for extras - I can just keep the camera in APS-C mode.

A few years ago I might have gone for a 60D or 70D and be done with it. Now, however, I feel there's better value in similarly priced offerings from both Panasonic and Sony... Though I could be wrong.

I guess there's always the Blackmagic Pocket - though I feel that by the time you rig it up to be a workable alternative, it ends up costing about as much anyway, and is less versatile in terms of low light, and potentially the least likely to match.

[pablogrollan]

Hi camnova,

The A6000/5100 is a really good suggestion. Both will deliver better video quality than the A7 -which I'm not sure has an APS-C mode like the A7s-. The G series 18-105mm f/4 seems like the obvious choice as an all-around lens. Regarding tripods, I'd recommend the Sachtler ACE: it's Sachtler quality at 500$, lightweight and reliable. Sliders: the Edelkrone sliderplus is around 600$, the basic Kessler Pocket Dolly around 500$ and the Motionnine Linecam around the same. You could even think about getting a Nebula 4000 gimbal which I bet would nice with the A5100/6000 and the 18-105.

[camnova]

How does the the A77ii compare to the A7 or the A6000? A77ii + 18-105 f4.0 will stack up to around ~$2000, leaving $500 for accessories. Turns out the A77 is A-mount, which seems like an interesting choice - it would seem the future for Sony is E-mount? Also there doesn't seem to be a great deal in the less expensive, mid-range zoom area for A mount (perhaps the 28-75mm f2.8).

Should I instead go for the GH4 (which may potentially have much better image quality, at the expense of smaller sensor and higher price), or an A6000 (which may have similar image quality, at the expense of size, but at a lower price)...

Then, of course, there's the A7ii - with a kit lens would be ~$2100. This potentially provides the company a solution for times when they urgently need someone to shoot a quick video, provides a very close match to my A7s, and the ability to mix lenses - so I could feasibly bring in my 24-70 if I didn't want to use my camera, or if using as a B cam, I could put up my vintage lenses w/adapters.

Maybe Sony's not the best way to go?