Sell me on a camera

[bigsky2]

My dad drew a really good archery elk tag in Arizona and I plan on going with him and filming his hunt. I have a Canon 80D DSLR and a Sony A6000, but I haven't done any video with them. I would think it would be a pain to film with these cameras because your focal lengths are limited without switching lenses. I have a 200-400mm for my Canon so I would be able to have some reach for filming elk, but if I wanted to have my dad in the frame he might be too close for that lens. I also have the kit lens for the 80D. My A6000 would work good for close ups but it doesn't have the reach for filming animals.

Can someone either offer advice on how to make it work with these cameras, or give me suggestions on a camera that would work for me? I would prefer to stick with Canon and Sony models since I am already somewhat familiar with them. I am pretty intrigued by the Sony RX10 iii, but the price is more than I want to spend and I am worried if I got that camera then I would never use my 80D. I am not very familiar with what it costs for a good quality camcorder, but since I already have a bunch of money into cameras I would prefer to spend under $700. I would be open to getting something used too.

 

[Jordan Budd]

That's tricky. 200mm is awesome getting both in the same shot, but you'll have to think about the setup you get into for it to work. A 70-200 is the best for archery stuff IMO. Can't really get one very cheap though. I filmed with an 18-135 on my 60D for a long time and that was a versatile lens for archery.. but the 50-60 yard shots were a little much for it. You just couldn't see the arrow placement as well as the 200mm obviously, but it does work. And you definitely be able to get them bot in the frame with that.

 

[bigsky2]

That's tricky. 200mm is awesome getting both in the same shot, but you'll have to think about the setup you get into for it to work. A 70-200 is the best for archery stuff IMO. Can't really get one very cheap though. I filmed with an 18-135 on my 60D for a long time and that was a versatile lens for archery.. but the 50-60 yard shots were a little much for it. You just couldn't see the arrow placement as well as the 200mm obviously, but it does work. And you definitely be able to get them bot in the frame with that.

I do have the Sony 55-210mm f4.5 for my A6000. It isn't a real high quality lens, I will have to play around with this and see if I think it will work.

 

[RCA Dog]

I agree that the 70-200 would be great, and the 18-135 would work ok too. I'm thinking you would want to stick with the Canon, just for the AF speed. The nice thing with the 70-200 is that you could get one used and sell it with no loss when you are done with it, assuming you don't break it. The 80D has some pretty nice video features, and good focus tracking, I'm not sure about the Sony.

 

[dotman]

Some pretty amazing video footage on you tube taken with the Sony a6000 and Samyang 12mm lens which is really priced very affordable. I would do some research as I think you could get a few lenses for the a6000 and make a great video with a unit that is not bulky at all even with extra lenses.

 

[muledhunter]

4.5f is not ideal and a 70 minimum I am not huge fan of. 24-105 is a nice all around range but as with most zoom lenses the f stop isn't that ideal. But I am a firm believer in depth of field. Pretty much every show or production I shoot, I use prime lenses 90% of the time...

 

[maverick]

I would put the Canon with the big lens on a tripod and a fluid video head. When you stop to set up, use a quick clamp to clamp the A6000 with a wide angle lens to one of the tripod legs and point it at your dad and let it run.