Camera options

[Stocker]

As a family we do a ton of hiking, hunting, fishing, ect. Everytime we get home kick ourselves for not having a good camera. I go online and get overwhelmed because I know literally nothing about cameras. I spent $500 on one 7 years ago and it’s junk. So I don’t wanna make the same mistake. I’d like to keep it in the $500-$1,000 range, I’d go higher if it was absolutely necessary. Any opinions or aadvice is appreciated. 7 point bull elk and his harem at 200 yards and this is what I got on my dumb phone camera.

 

[bigsky2]

Something from the Sony RX10 series if you want to be able to take photos of animals at that distance.

 

[Cornell2012]

There are a decent number of options out there. I'd go for a bridge camera with good zoom (note that no matter the camera, you'll need a tripod or something to get decent shots at full zoom.

In no particular order, the ones that seem to be most recommended nowadays:

• Nikon P950 ($800, 2000mm equivalent zoom)
• Nikon B600 ($325, 1440mm equivalent)
• Canon SX70 HS ($600, 1365 equivalent)
• Pansonic FZ80 ($300, 1200mm equivalent)
• Pansonic FZ1000 II ($800, 400mm equivalent)
• Pansonic FZ300 ($400, 600mm equivalent)
• Sony RX10 III ($1400, 600mm equivalent)
• Sony RX10 IV ($1600, 600mm equivalent)

None of these will get you dslr-worthy shots from a mile away but will do significantly better than your phone.
I've got an older Nikon P510 (1000mm equivalent) that might get upgraded one day. While compiling the list above, the two that caught my eye were the Canon SX70 and the Panasonic FZ300.

 

[iiiNelson]

As a family we do a ton of hiking, hunting, fishing, ect. Everytime we get home kick ourselves for not having a good camera. I go online and get overwhelmed because I know literally nothing about cameras. I spent $500 on one 7 years ago and it’s junk. So I don’t wanna make the same mistake. I’d like to keep it in the $500-$1,000 range, I’d go higher if it was absolutely necessary. Any opinions or aadvice is appreciated. 7 point bull elk and his harem at 200 yards and this is what I got on my dumb phone camera.

IF you’re willing to invest into a system, my advice would be to spend the majority of your money on the lens, some on a tripod (if you think you will stay with the hobby/interest) and the rest on the camera body/accessories. If you don’t mind used KEH is a good source for both and they have accurate or forgiving ratings about the condition of the items in their notes. I’ve bought many older film cameras from them and had a great experience every time.

If you’re more into the wildlife side of things something like the newer Sigma 100-400 DG DN for Sony E-mount is a great option. They go for about $900 new and probably $700 or so used. If you want an all around lens the Tamron 28-200 for Sony E mount is a good option. It goes for about $700 new. You can probably get a Sony A6300 or A6400 in the $500-600 range used and will be good for most photography needs. Going with the OEM lens manufacturers increase cost a lot and if you aren’t heavily into photography may not be worth it for you. The Sony RX10 series or the Panasonic bridge camera are great all in one options as well and they should be in the $1000 range used.

 

[Stocker]

Thanks for all the responses!