Upgrading gear dilema

[Ginger]

Ok hear are the nitty gritty's

Backround: i burnt a lot of film when i was younger on a Pentax SLR but most recently i had been using a Sony Alpha 350 but that was using kit lenses and was more of a event camera (ie big birthday parties etc)

Types of photography: Well i want to explore the range of shots i can take of my existing hobbies of Paintball, Old cars, Archery and dogs.

I apologise if I'm using the following photos incorrectly in regards to giving full credit but i have permission to host, and reproduce them from the original owner who is not a paid photographer (i even paid him some money, so i suppose he is now ). they are not my work nor are they for criticisim but only used as examples of the situations i will be shooting in.

Paintball



While this is a sport it isnt often a very fast moving sport but i feel that dynamic range and low iso can be important as the subjects are trying to hid from each other using camo, shade and anything else they can do.

Old cars
most of the time they will be stationary objects and hopefully on warm days because i own a Moke but there will be the occasional motorkhana (essentially a slalom course over a short distance) so these can be a bit faster moving which makes me worry about one of my choices focusing system.

Archery
Indredibly stationary except for when they let go of the string so i am not too concerned about this one

Overly Photographed Dogs
They are fast moving and relatively small so once again i worry about the focusing system of one of my choices.

Landscapes
I travel a lot for work and on my holidays i generally hop in the car and drive to a place that alot of my friends cant point to on a map of australia.



So in my mind what i will be doing is essentially a fair amount of portrait photography even if my subject is a paintball player, archer or car, the way i would approach the shot to me is similar as they aren't flowing as fast as AFL or ice hockey. I belive the a350 has a very similar focus system to my one of my choices and as required i have always focused and composed separately.



Videography
I absolutely love the footage off of the current dslrs but i already have a sony nexv cam and a range of contours and go pros that i have and will probably continue to use for footage/b roll. So the DSLR may get a work out every now and then as a vid cam but it isnt going to be its main purpose.





Current options/dilema for camera

The alpha is gone so i no longer have brand loyalty.

in no particular order

6D
D600
6/70D (i feel silly putting a camera that isnt out on the list)

The canon does feel more right to me with use and the lens system seems better in my head but im sure that part is just marketing (i also used to sell these at Myer so i probably got brainwashed good and proper back then)

Am i right in stretching for a full frame when a really good crop could perform well for less?

So i guess what im after is for some one to clarify exactly how difficult the centre cross point focus point would be to use considering i am moving from a camera that had a similar system and while my subjects might fall into the category of "sports" i feel the shots ill be after will be sports portrature and is the numerous cross type points of the d600 that much better when they are so tightly grouped together in the middle (maybe i dont use them the same way as i have come from lower cameras).


P.s if you can talk me into a mirrorless i wont be angry i just dont think they have the quality, and adjustability of the larger cameras but i do love the size.

[Boo53]

If you've already got a nex 5 why not get a wide angle lens for that, to go with the kit lenses that would have come with it, work through the beginners exercises here on AP to see how to take the shots you want, then you'll have a much better idea of what you want in a Dslr.

You've had an old Pentax and a 6 year old Sony so you're jumping to Canon only?

Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax & Olympus all make Dslr's, go to a good camera store and get your hands on a sample of each, then you'll have a better appreciation of the advice you'll receive here.

[Ginger]

sorry by nexv im referring to a sony handy cam that takes e series interchangeable lenses and shoots on a crop sensor but with really nice audio (audio is important). the exact model number eludes me as it was a second hand buy off of my brother and its is currently transferring some old super 8 to digital for my father at his house.

in my hands its a canon, on spec i get confused/nikon, based off of what i want to shoot i get turned around depending on what day it is. i guess the short answer is they are all good cameras right?

[nimrodisease]

It sounds to me like you'd be best off with something like a D90/D7000 or a 60D/7D - something on a crop sensor around that sort of price bracket. I think a kit lens would probably suit you well also (the Nikon 18-105 is great). You may be satisfied with one of the lower spec crop sensors, it mainly comes down to how much control you want to take of the settings.

I'm not really familiar with the Sony, Olympus or Pentax models, but I'm sure that they also have equivalent models that would serve you just as well.

Mirrorless cameras are great, but the ones I've tried have been a little bit tardy to focus in difficult situations. Plus the controls can be a little more fiddly at times due to the size.

[Boo53]

in my hands its a canon, on spec i get confused/nikon, based off of what i want to shoot i get turned around depending on what day it is. i guess the short answer is they are all good cameras right?

All 5 have pro's & cons. Like I said, get to a good camera store & have a look. I'm not sure which to recommend in Adelaide but some of the SA based members will be able to recommend.

[Kym]

The best bricks and mortar option is Photographic Wholesalers on Hutt Street -- part of the Diamonds group -- Ask for Demir

Edit: Also consider a local camera club
http://sapf.org.au/club-information/club-directory/
I'm with TTG but lots of good clubs around