Sony ZV-1 Digital Camera is also $793.65 after $200 Cashback.
digidirect.com.au/sony-zv-1-digital-camera
You might want to check stock with the store before placing an order…My experience with their online store is that I received an "out of order" notification only after placing the order, and it took me 5 weeks to receive the item.
That price is after cash back. You won't get it cheaper from Sony (other than the CR *%) , you'll pay $2,379.15, but you will probably walk out of the store with the camera in your hand.
Sorry - meant to say cashrewards.
Yes, you can. Price match with digidirect at sony store, get 6% cashback from Cashrewards. and then get $400 cashback on top of it.
I just got my a7r iv price matched, before digidirect price jack their stock.
where?
Sony, because there's an extra 6% cashback on cashrewards which brings the price down to near 3100$. It will never go this cheap i guess.
Wow that is super cheap for the Mk4. I would have jumped at that.
If Sony will price match it will end up costing $3145 with the CRewards
@Buy2Much: ah yes forgot about GST not being part of cashback. Still a damn good price and I'm in no rush
Good choice! I love my Sony A7R IV :) I can use wide angle lens and crop it to make it a portrait without losing any picture quality.
Christ, this is so tempting, have been needing to upgrade to fullframe from my a6300
you should mate. I've upgraded from an a6000, best decision I've ever made. Lenses are pretty expensive tho … :(
I've paid a bit of the early adopter fees but Tamron has been knocking it out of the park.
28-200 is a great all rounder for around $1k. Can pair with the 17-28mm if you want shorter. That's just over $1k.
That said I have neither since I have the 24105 and just got the tamron 70-300 and a few lenses.
Another vote for 28-200. Unbelievably sharp lens for a superzoom.. can't recommend that enough (using this lens as my day today lens for few months now and can't be happier)
Yeah they can be, but I've found getting lenses with OSS included are just as expensive. I don't have a steady enough hand for it to not include it, so that's a biggy for me.
The inbuilt one is solid. I've done some shots at 300mm that are pretty good but I'm not much of a pixel peeper.
@Caped Baldy: I'm more a live music, low light shooter. So that kind of distance isn't super necessary, but being able to use some good stabilisation in low light is a huge boon to me.
I am very new to content creation. I am working on an education channel on YouTube. I have everything ready but cannot decide on what camera to get. Any guidance as to this camera or any other would be appreciated. I was hoping not to spend too much. My channel will not be making any money. It's just to help students.
Is it just for video? or do you want photos too?
I'll just be doing video. I was thinking of doing some photography for a hobby but with my shortage of time it's more a pipe dream.
This is way overkill for you then.
@[Deactivated]: Yeah I agree it might be a little overkill just for the video. Plus you need to add the cost of lenses and probably a decent gimbal. If you just want to make video easily I can highly recommend the DJI osmo pocket II
@[Deactivated]: a basic a6000 or a6400 would be perfect for video, and great for photos too.
a6000 for just 1080p, a6400 for 4k.
If you're just starting out you can definitely grab something cheaper. If you going for something that is easy to use I would recommend going with a camera that has a fairly good auto-focus (face/eye tracking system) which sony/canon are fairly up there. If you are looking for a "V-logging" style system where you set a camera up and sit/stand in front of it while you record yourself I would recommend a system that has a rotating screen so you know that you're in focus.
the Sony A6400 would be a great camera and can still produce great images (https://www.digidirect.com.au/sony-alpha-a6400-body-with-16-…). You might be able to find it cheap here is a just a reference.
Lighting is always king! so shooting with a widow or night light source in front of you is something you should look for.
If you want to be a bit more hands on approach (focusing yourself / colour grading your own images) Panasonic gh5 and Fuji xt3 are also great cameras as well. Their auto focus systems are okay and can sometime be unreliable but for the most part are fine.
https://www.camerapro.com.au/fujifilm-x-t3-black-with-xf-18-…
https://www.digidirect.com.au/panasonic-dc-gh5-body
But for starting out using you phone is still a great option
@Valuecoin: Thank you for this very detailed and helpful post. I have seen the A6400 in the stores but didn't know how genuine the salesperson was about it. Sounds like it's something I should put on the short list.
@[Deactivated]: The A6400 is a good and relatively affordable option for video. You would have access to cheaper ASP-C lenses rather than full frame ones which nuke your wallet.
@[Deactivated]: I have the a6300 and it is perfect for video, the a6400 is just the upgrade of that model effectively. It has a better screen which is more useful for vlogging. As you can pull it straight up so when the camera is facing you, you can still see it. Very useful feature.
@ONEMariachi: Thank again. Looks like the a6400 is liked by many. Just had a quick look at some reviews and it sounds like it might be just right for my needs.
for video, the camera is only 1 part.
Lighting and sound are also KEY. You will likely need all 3 to get a good result.
Look into these as part of your overall cost. You may not even need a DSLR, perhaps a phone/gimbal will suffice, but a microphone (for on or off camera work), lighting (for subject/background), along with any software/hardware you need to capture/edit videos (if you're going to do that yourself) need to be considered.
starting with a phone camera and producing some test content is a way to figure out if video production is for you.
This guy offers some great advice - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO4Nw0vUpxgb0zsziJ1SaMg
@buckerooni: Thank you very much for the guidance. Lots great guidance from everyone I can use to make the right call. I'll watch some of the videos from the channel you linked. Looks very helpful.
@[Deactivated]: https://www.digidirect.com.au/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/son…
Pretty decent combo here!
@[Deactivated]: I think you could save a few more bucks really and go with a Fuji X-T200, which you can get with the kit lens for $930. It also has a large touchscreen you can use to face the front (larger and fully articulating, compared to the flip-up sony screen) and high quality 4k video recording
Here's a great video about the strengths and weaknesses of the camera, skip to 6:10 for the part about video recording!
@[Deactivated]: Thank you all for the assistance. I actually ended up buying this (a7iii) camera. It was too good a price when I looked at what it offered versus the a6400 at half the price. The a6600 didn't make sense given it has no cashback and so close to the a7iii price. So it became a battle between the a6400 and a7iii which was no match when you consider the specs. Now I'm wondering to get the Sigma 24-70 F2.8 or the Tamron. About $600 price difference.
The A7 III has a 30 minute recording limit and can overheat. If you wanted a camera with the A7 III's capabilities but more focused on video I would be looking at the more expensive Sony A7C.
A cheaper option might be the ZV-1 but a compact like that might also have overheating issues for longer videos.
There would be other options out there from other brands but I am not as familiar with them.
Thank you for this information. That's very helpful. Sounds like it will cost me a bit more than imagined to get the channel off and running.
Not at all, you are focused too much on the setup, where as I would suggest focus more on your content.
You don't need amazing gear etc. Start off with your iphone, start uploading content, and then upgrade as time goes by (if you find the video doesn't look the way you want)
a 30 minute limit - if you are creating content, you may not be actually recording 1 take for more than 30 mins. i.e. a 45 minute educational piece of content may be made of 9 takes of 5 mintues each!
figure out what and how you plan to create and produce content, then buy the appropriate equipment. people get waaay too caught up in tech specs and the 'best' camera/lenses/etc - alot of the time it's overkill and will make no material difference to the outcome. Keep in mind there are many steps to produce and deliver it to an audience i.e. editing - visuals and sound.
You can easily make do with an a6400 + sigma 16mm f1.4 or 30mm f/1.4 for vlogging. add a zoom lens to it and you'll be pretty sweet.
Fuji, canon and panasonic also have some very good options, but please bear in mind that panasonic is not as good at autofocus as the rest of the bunch.
@ankor: Thank you both. This is the kind of technical details I know very little. I have produced content before about ten years or so ago but used a Sony FX camera. Things have changed with vlogging and social media.
I have shot with my A7III and an A6500 on the same shoot, and whilst the A6500 was overheating constantly, the A7III didn't overheat at all over about 2hrs of 4k shooting. I was tossing up between an A7III and an A7C for primarily video and some stills (with plan for it to become a B cam when the A7IV came out), and despite the A7C having eye AF i went with the III because it is just far better to handle physically.
The newer A6400/A6600 shouldn't have the same overheating issues though I haven't used them myself.
I picked the A7 III for the same reason! If the A7C had more dials I might have been sold on it…
@eecan: I just find the A6000 style body it has too awkward to shoot photos with, the grip just doesn't work for me, so as much as the A7C would have made a nice compact camera it is just too awkward. Also the peace of mind from dual card slots on a video shoot is handy.
Yeah, i was actually shocked at how quick the A6500 was overheating.
I am surprise that you will suggest A7C for video, as it has smaller body I thought it would have more issue for overheating?
However A7C has a flip screen so it may be more useful for videographer.
The A7C has the more versatile screen you mentioned, better autofocus and no 30 minute recording limit. Overheating doesn't seem to be really much of a problem on the camera either… at minimum no more than the A7III I think?
The Canon M50 would be a great option if you can get a good deal on it. It has been in the 550-650 price range at its cheapest, and it's great for YouTube.
That's a great price. I will definitely look into that.
Just trying to help you further. What will the video look like? Will you need to be walking and camera follows you? Do you need to shoot in the dark? Do you do a lot of talking? Will it just be static camera in a room? All these determines the kind of equipment you need; camera, lens, audio, light, stabiliser. Just saying A6400 is good (though it is) does not mean its the best option, especially considering budget constraint and all the equipment you may need.
Good questions, another one - what is the target range for the budget?
I am hoping I can use about $2k for the camera, tripod, lighting and a microphone. I have built a powerful 5900x with a Rx3070 for work so that should be good for editing. And I am thinking of using the free version of resolve but also have access to Premier. But I think we only get the elements version through my educational account.
As for the content. There will be lots of talking and sharing of some onscreen graphics. I will be seated or standing to do the presentation. 10-15 minute videos.
@[Deactivated]: Elements version of premiere sucks imo. Would definitely recommend Resolve though. It's a great piece of software that keeps on getting better and should work especially well for you since you have an rtx 3070 and resolve relies more heavily on the gpu.
Also adding on to what someone said earlier about the 30 minute recording limit on the a7iii, there is software's you can easily install to get around that called 'Open memories tweak'.
Regardless, I still do agree with others in saying that this camera is definitely overkill. I personally have an a6000 and as long as the lighting is good and all you need is the camera to be on the tripod, the video is pretty good. One issue with it is it doesn't have a microphone jack so something like the a6100 or a6400 maybe be more suitable for you. Best of luck.
@rain-e: I don't think that works anymore does it? I did briefly look into trying to remove the limit but most of the search results I saw were people saying that the mod didn't work anymore.
@eecan: I've taken the advice here and hit the ground running. I've been watching reviews for the last 3 hours. My phone is no good. Have a budget android which is very limited so that's not a good option. A flagship phone would have been different.
So I have reduced the options to:
I am leaning towards the Sonys due to their 4k capabilities. I feel 4k will be more relevant in the near future (if I last :)). The a6400 comes with a 16-50mm lense. So wondering if that's good enough to just start shooting.
@[Deactivated]: If you are just shooting from a fixed position (e.g. tripod) I think the A6400 + a Sigma 1.4 DC DN prime (no stabilisation on body or lens!) might be something to consider. I don't think there's anything wrong with the 16-50, especially for a starter but if you are going through the trouble of getting a dedicated camera you really want to be able to stand out from phones so a better lens might be in order. Less versatile and might not leave a lot of room for other accessories though.
Not really that experienced with video and the accessories required there so someone else might be better placed to assist.
@[Deactivated]: ha ha, sorry to swamp you with options, I went for the 200D over the M50 - as is uses the standard EF mount - so easier to use different lenses…and can be found real cheap….but I didn't need 4K either. 1080p is still decent, especially if you don't need to crop footage in post production.
And for 4K editing, while you've got a good machine, the free version of Resolve will not utilise the GPU as much as the (paid) Studio version.
I wanted to buy a new fancy camera, but ended up with basic camera canon 200D with awesome glass - Sigma ART 18-35mm. I already had a bunch of EF lenses so it was an easy choice for me.
@[Deactivated]: Sorry late reply. Any of those camera will do fine under a good lighting (fact remain: most phone camera will do just as fine under good lighting). If I were you I would prioritise lights and audio; especially audio considering you are doing lots of talking.
Audio; any Rode condenser should be up there in terms of quality. Look into Rode Videomic NTG, which you can also use as mic to your PC; ie. good for recording voiceover.
Lights; look for anything with soft lights there's plenty lighting kit for sale; brands like Gotoh, Aputure I know is good value. Learn basic method to light your subject (yourself) well. Seriously it is much more forgiving to see lower quality image, than to see a horribly lit image. Don't rely on room lights, they are crappy. Don't rely on your window either, the sun/cloud are not consistent.
In terms of camera.. seriously, even today's phone are great. But any of those choices will do. Even second hand Canon 6D/5D/60D with some all rounder lens like Tamron 17-50mm will do the job. Sony are slightly overpriced, but Sony A6300/A6400 with 16-50mm lens will do the job. Just make sure these have audio input jack. If not, your alternative is to record the audio and sync it in the software.. but that's more work for you.
You might also want to consider camera with articulating screen. So you can see yourself while recording yourself. There's a workaround to that though like using external screen.. but again.. more work for you.
Don't worry about 30 mins limit, you are editing the video not live stream it so you will have no problem working around it.
Get a tripod too.
Best of luck.
@John: I'm stunned at the incredible assistance I've received today. Thank you all so much. I am incredibly grateful. I will definitely prioritise audio and lighting. I think will go for the a6400 because the price difference to the M50 is not very big with the prices I see online. If I find the M50 much cheaper then I'll jump on that.
Once the channel is up and running (will take me a few weeks with time challenges) I'll definitely let you all know how it went.
@rain-e: no microphone jack?! then you're gonna have to record on something (phone/zoom etc) or the audio with be garbage from the on camera mic!
how do you get around it?
I think not having one is a major issue, adding alot of complexity. Of course a portable recorder is better, but the difference may be negliable.
@buckerooni: I meant there is no microphone jack on my a6000 but there is a mic jack on the other cameras I mentioned. I use my a6000 mainly for photos so the lack of microphone jack is fine for me and was worth the savings.
If I did want to record video I probably would just get an external recorder though but I agree that not having one if you're into video is definitely a major issue.
Maybe a Canon m50? It can be setup easily as a webcam so you can live-stream your content. It also has wide compatibility with virtually all the gimbals for hand-hold shots. And Canon's dual-pixel auto-focus system is great for letting your camera do all the auto-focusing for you.
If you just want to try it’s better to use phone camera and with a good quality lighting setup it will gives you really good results.
if you really want to spend money this a7iii is almost the best option and you can really enjoy it! and in case you change your mind it’s easier to resell it as it’s high demand.
Thanks to both of you for your advice. So much to consider but very helpful information.
I read a few of your comments below, and don't look past a good phone. A friend of mine works for one of the major networks and he films some production stuff with his iPhone when it's not practical to lug a full rig around. In an inside setting where you can control the light, a phone will do fine for YT.
If you really want to try a dedicated camera and live in Sydney, I have an A6000 with a couple of lenses lying around here gathering dust if you're interested.
Thanks mate. That is very kind of you. Unfortunately I'm in Melbourne 😟 but I appreciate your kind gesture just the same.
Oh man, tempting.
Would it be worth waiting for the A7 IV to be released and subsequent price drop if you're not in a rush?
I'm not sure if the price will get hit too much as some might expect (especially after seeing the A7C). Sony seems to be pricing up and keeping the old model as the 'cheap' option.
The a7IV is still rumoured to be closer to the end of the year, and at a US$2499 price not 1999 of the AIII, so i expect the A7III to remain around the same price as the A7C, and it being whether you want the compact body or not.
I've been buying a lot from DigiDirect in the last month. Definitely worth calling before placing an order.
have you received your items?
Yes. I have one problem right now with Australia Post, but I've never had a problem with DigiDirect. Picking up a new lens tomorrow, and I might buy another while I'm there.
No cashback for A7SIII, sad
Sony is quick in price match , sent email regards Digidirect A7Riv price, reply within 3 mins .
End up paying 3985 for A7RIV…
Is anyone having issues pressing the 'Make an Offer' button to request a price match on the Sony website? Nothing is working.
Maybe try a different browser or device? I think I've ended up having to use my phone instead of my PC to submit some requests before.
It's not exactly intuitive. Follow the steps in here: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/597626
Also if you copy/paste the exact value from Digidirect, it won't work, must remove coma.
Sony accepted Price match for me. Whoa, that was quick!
Sony has almost non-existent customer service. If something goes wrong with the cashback claim, its near impossible to get in contact with their promotions team. I am still waiting for a response after numerous emails and calls from the previous cashback deal.
their cash back team is really slow but their support team really helpful and some of them really helpful too.
I also had a similar poor experience with Sony cashbacks. It took many months of chasing to receive my cashback.
How did you manage to finally get it? Every time I contact them they just say "we will escalate this to the promotions team for you, and get back to you when they respond". Its been months of the same reply
I was given the same response. Just keep hassling them. Best to try dealing with the same person in Customer Service for continuity purposes. The main problem is that the Customer Service team is located offshore whilst the Promotions team is located in Australia and communication between the two teams is very poor.
You need to call them.
Damn so cheap, glad I sold mine when I did before prices dropped.
problem is there should be another $230 off with TRS which we can get now and obviously no where to travel. Hardly touch my gear in the last year.
I would say unless you really need a camera, hold your guns until border reopens and air ticket come back to a normal price.
Good point! I have read an article that camera sales have declined almost by 50% due to Covid travel bans.
TRS which we can get now
I mean we can't get now……
damn, I have been watching A6400 and pulled the trigger to order one from Sony couple days ago after price matching to digitdirect
Very tempting…from what I have read the 7iii is actually a better choice than 7Riii, unless you specifically require higher pixel sensor.
But still costs a lot to switch, will need a 24-70/2.8 ($2,300) at the very least, and soon 70-200/2.8 ($3,200).
I have been thinking to consolidate my Nikon (FX) and Oly (MFT) to single mirrorless full frame system. A Z6ii probably makes more sense but I have heard good things about Sony.
The Sigma and Tamron third party options are much cheaper and very strong performers. I would look at the tamron f/2.8 zoom trio. Very good performers although not the best bokeh on the 2875.
Currently using a Nikon D610 and considering jumping ship. How is the focus for video? Most of the time the D610 will be out of focus and it can only do 1080p. Should I get something with a smaller sensor for better focus? But I only capture video 20% of the time.
I’m quite happy with the photo from D610 though. I am sure this will be better, especially in low light. But the price for lens is pretty pricy.
Finally back to pre-covid prices! Good deal OP, can potentially price match at Sony store and get cashback I believe?