Gopro vs DSLR

[disney65]

Go pro is good in day light situation for videos. Good cell phone can take pictures 80-90% of the time. If you can work with this two combo you do need to lug around dSLR. Sony mirrorless is good if you can work with kit lenses, moment you want fast lenses cost goes thru the roof. My 2 cents.

[jw8774]

Thank you all for you help! I think I will be lugging my DSLR around, I don't want to miss a good shot of my grandson!

[carolina_yankee]

Originally Posted by jw8774

Thank you for the suggestion! I will definitely check the Sony out. My DSLR does amazing videos but when we are hiking it stays safely in my pack, the quality is better than my Gopro but the durability is the main reason I use it for videos hiking.

I switched from Canon 6D (full-frame) to Sony a6500 (crop, mirrorless) and I won't even look back. With the right lenses and planning shots, I can get any photo with a crop that I would want to get with a full-frame and the Sony gear cut my weight factor in half. As I review older photos from Canon crop cameras (40D, T2i, 70D) before I went to the 6D, I was quite pleased with them so the initial switch was more because of "gear envy" rather than actual need, and it was not the right decision for me.

The breaking point for me was our Disneyland trip in 2016. I basically left the 6D in the resort most days because I just didn't feel like dealing with it. I was extremely pleased with the iPhone photos I was able to take, though I was definitely limited. I just had to be more intentional with my shots and work creatively within the limitations of essentially a fixed-aperture 28mm prime lens on a camera that works best in ample lighting.

Originally Posted by jw8774

Thank you all for you help! I think I will be lugging my DSLR around, I don't want to miss a good shot of my grandson!

For the long term, if the weight of the gear is getting to you, I'd look seriously at mirrorless. I was able to fund about 80% of my new gear by selling all of my old gear on eBay.

The Sony a6500 is awesome and blows away nearly any crop-factor dSLR. If full-frame is your think the Sony aIII is getting fantastic reviews. For me, the weight savings wasn't enough to justify the switch from Canon to Sony full-frame, though I might have re-though that if I had waited for the aIII to come out.

The Fuji XT2 is also an amazing camera and Fuji seems to be more committed to ASPC size sensors. There is some concern that Sony may be focusing (pun intended) more energy on full-frame. This is mostly apparent in the limited selection/quality of their ASPC lenses, though you can use full-foam lenses on their ASPC cameras as well.

I've basically limited myself to Zeiss co-branded Sony lenses and Sigma primes (which are outstanding).

At the end of the day, the best camera is the one you have with you, so go with whatever you are most likely to have with you! (Just don't forget the cellphone as an option if you have a newer model).

Dirk

[carolina_yankee]

Originally Posted by jw8774

Because it is smaller and easy to carry. I am not 100% sold on taking it instead of my DSLR just wanting to see if anyone has and if the pictures were any good. I have used it at Yellowstone, Zion, and the Grand Canyon but I only used it for video I used my DSLR too for stills.

Another thought if you don't want to ditch the camera, think about what lenses you want for the day and take only 1 on the camera and maybe 1 extra as you go into the parks.

For instance, I generally use my 24-105 equivalent as a walk-around in all parks plus my 70-300 equivalent into AK for animal shots. That way, I'm not constantly changing lenses and my gear is lighter.

Other days, I decide I'll shoot wide-angle exclusively (especially at Epcot or DHS) and then also use it for creative and unique portraits with family members.

The nice thing about reducing your gear by limiting yourself to one lens is that it lets you see the same scenes you've shot dozens of times at Disney in new ways, which makes everything feel fresh and new all over again.

Dirk

[PSULion22]

I shoot video for events as a side job on weekends.

We just recently switched from Canon (mostly 5D markiii, and 6D) gear to Sony mirrorless (a6500 and a7iii). Quite honestly, the Sony gear is better in every possible way than the Canons. It's lighter, smaller, has better image quality (in video anyway), significantly better autofocus, better low light image quality, better image stabilization, auto white balance, far better battery life, touch screen focus functions, and other things. We even still use some of the Canon glass that we had with an adapter. The autofocus doesn't work, but that's ok for what we use it for, mostly telephoto on a tripod.

We also often work with a world-class photography company. They just switched from Canon to Fuji, as Dirk mentioned, but the full frame version. It has the same benefits over the Canon above, but had some other features they liked better (I don't remember what).

[aznosredna]

Why not both? I mount a GoPro Hero5 Session on top of my Canon T3i using a housing case I got from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016ZDIE80/). That allows me to take pictures and video at the same time.

But I usually have 1 to two more cameras on me at anytime in the parks. I always have a Narrative Clip 2 that takes a pic every 30 seconds. I have a LEO grade bodycam that I take frequently also, but usually only have it on during rides or tours.

Security loves me when they make me go through the metal detectors

[carolina_yankee]

Originally Posted by aznosredna

Why not both? I mount a GoPro Hero5 Session on top of my Canon T3i using a housing case I got from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016ZDIE80/). That allows me to take pictures and video at the same time.

But I usually have 1 to two more cameras on me at anytime in the parks. I always have a Narrative Clip 2 that takes a pic every 30 seconds. I have a LEO grade bodycam that I take frequently also, but usually only have it on during rides or tours.

Security loves me when they make me go through the metal detectors

I think OP's intent was to lighten her load, not add to it!

Dirk

[The.disney.couple]

I would take both but only if you want videos on rides. I use my go pro for ride videos and my camera for everything else. But I also carry a full size tri pod so take it with a grain of salt As others have stated You might want to look into sony mirrorless cameras, specifically the a6000 series. I shot with an a6000 for a long time and got some pretty good pictures. It is a small camera that packs a big punch. I have since upgraded to the full frame a7 series and the camera is not that much bigger but good lenses tend to be bigger with the a7 series. The full frame kit lens would still keep it small or there are a few great primes that are still very compact. Some days I carry a backpack and other days I just carry my camera with the lens on it and a hand strap, all depends what I'm trying to shoot that day.

[CaptJacksFamily]

My daughter has a GoPro and we haven't found it very useful in the parks. The main use is as an adventure camera and she takes it SCUBA diving. I also think they are hard to use unless you are using some sort of mount, either to your body or at least on a stabilization handle. The handles look like a selfie stick so you may have to explain at the gate that it doesn't expand.

I currently shoot with a A6000 and A6500 (but looking at the A7) and depending on which lens is mounted it can be very small. If you are looking for snaps of the grandkids and are not really into photography as a hobby I would also suggest looking at what are called bridge cameras (they fill the gap between P&S and DSLR). My daughter has a Nikon Cool Pix that takes excellent pictures but she has had reliability issues with hers. I see very good reviews of the Sony RX series as wells as some of the Olympus cameras. These camera do tend to be a bit bigger than the mirrorless but take great shots and have good zoom ranges. The new iPhones and other brands of phones are also getting pretty darn good pictures and videos these days.

I find the issue isn't so much the size of the camera but how you manage it (ok no size jokes ), I use Peak Design products and I find they work very well. Their straps hook to the camera using a small ARCA tripod mound and dongles so it can be worn around the neck or cross body. The mount also stays clear of the strap so it can quickly be mounted to a tripod. The strap is easy to adjust the length so you can position it for different situations. If I am shooting a lot I keep it longer and cross body to the side, if I am not shooting much I shorten the strap and typically have it hung towards my back. The dongles are also a quick release so you can remove the strap or change to a wrist strap very quickly. The other PD product I used for the first time recently in Alaska and really liked was their Capture mount. This is a small slide in clip that utilizes the ARCA tripod mount and can be attached to a backpack strap or on your belt. I had it hanging from my belt and had my A6500 with a 16-70 zoom clipped in wherever I went. Very handy and keeps you hands free. When I was shooting with my long lens I kept my wide angle lens on the A6000 and clipped to my belt, that way I could drop the long lens (on the strap) and be shooting with the wide angle in seconds.

[carolina_yankee]

Originally Posted by CaptJacksFamily

My daughter has a GoPro and we haven't found it very useful in the parks. The main use is as an adventure camera and she takes it SCUBA diving. I also think they are hard to use unless you are using some sort of mount, either to your body or at least on a stabilization handle. The handles look like a selfie stick so you may have to explain at the gate that it doesn't expand.

I currently shoot with a A6000 and A6500 (but looking at the A7) and depending on which lens is mounted it can be very small. If you are looking for snaps of the grandkids and are not really into photography as a hobby I would also suggest looking at what are called bridge cameras (they fill the gap between P&S and DSLR). My daughter has a Nikon Cool Pix that takes excellent pictures but she has had reliability issues with hers. I see very good reviews of the Sony RX series as wells as some of the Olympus cameras. These camera do tend to be a bit bigger than the mirrorless but take great shots and have good zoom ranges. The new iPhones and other brands of phones are also getting pretty darn good pictures and videos these days.

I find the issue isn't so much the size of the camera but how you manage it (ok no size jokes ), I use Peak Design products and I find they work very well. Their straps hook to the camera using a small ARCA tripod mound and dongles so it can be worn around the neck or cross body. The mount also stays clear of the strap so it can quickly be mounted to a tripod. The strap is easy to adjust the length so you can position it for different situations. If I am shooting a lot I keep it longer and cross body to the side, if I am not shooting much I shorten the strap and typically have it hung towards my back. The dongles are also a quick release so you can remove the strap or change to a wrist strap very quickly. The other PD product I used for the first time recently in Alaska and really liked was their Capture mount. This is a small slide in clip that utilizes the ARCA tripod mount and can be attached to a backpack strap or on your belt. I had it hanging from my belt and had my A6500 with a 16-70 zoom clipped in wherever I went. Very handy and keeps you hands free. When I was shooting with my long lens I kept my wide angle lens on the A6000 and clipped to my belt, that way I could drop the long lens (on the strap) and be shooting with the wide angle in seconds.

I love the Peak Design straps. Totally changed my attitude towards carrying dSLRs (Well, that and my Sony a6500.)

My old kit was a Canon 6D with a Black Rapid should strap. The strap took up almost as much room as the camera in my bag. The Peak Design hardly takes up any room at all, is more secure, and I love that you can quickly change the way you carry your camera with the various dongles.

With my Peak Design strap and a6500, I hardly notice I'm carrying a camera - and I have tons of room left over in my bag.

Dirk