I'm looking to upgrade my gear from the Canon T5 Rebel

[ASolo]

Hi there everyone, 

I'm a photography major at college looking to upgrade my Canon T5 Rebel to something more professional but budget friendly (personal budget $800). I've had my current gear since 2015 and I believe it is time for a step up, not just the body but a lens as well (doesn't need to be the latest model). 

Some specifications I'm looking for is that it can be connected through wifi, is good for videos (since I'll be taking a video journalism class), has a movable LCD screen (doesn't need to be touch) and works well in low light. As for the lens something that's versatile and can be used for various things like car and portrait photography. 

The current lenses I own are the kit lenses, 18-55mm and the 75-300mm.

I'd be more than glad to hear y'alls recommendations since I've been looking around by myself but it is just all a little bit to overwhelming.  

[Tronhard]

Looking at the sum of all the posts here, I think the consensus is that moving to the R-series MILCs is the way to go as they offer superior performance in both focus, and video.   As Rick has given you a link to a comparison between the R10 and the Sony A6000, I will simply add one comment here.  Buying a camera on specs is not the whole story - you need to take into account the ergonomics of the controls, customizability of the camera and the menu system.   From my own experience, while Sony gear is excellent, their menu system leaves much to be desired.  FWIW, I offer this document on considering the questions you need to ask, and suggest you consider them. Article on questions to consider for gear purchases

That said, given your budget, the unit I gave a link to is the only one I can find in your budget.  If you want another lens, now that I know that your 70-200 is actually the pretty awful 75-300, I would suggest selling it all for what you can get and putting that towards another lens sometime in the future. 
Canon have a major expansion of their lens lineup - a few months ago they indicated the release of 32 new RF lenses over the next four years, so the range will expand significantly.  In the meantime, if you wanted to expand your range there are still quite a few to choose from.  To complement the RF-S18-45, the next logical selection would be the RF-S 55-210, if you want that kind of  reach, otherwise you might choose to go for prime lens for things like portrait work.  You just have to save up!

[Waddizzle]

The Refurbished R10 is a good deal,  Canon also has an R50 and an R100.  I think a mirrorless camera body is the best way to go fo almost anyone.

 

But the R-Series cameras I listed may not have the low light performance that you seem to be looking for.  You will not be able to use either of your current lenses without the EF-RF mount adapter, which is not as bad as it might first sound.  It just means you may find a need to buy an RF mount lens.

You expressed an interest in a used camera body, which I think could be the best path moving forward for you.  I recommend visiting B&H and KEH to see what they have available in the following models.

5D Mark II, 5D Mark III, 6D, 6D Mark II.  

These are all full frame bodies, which means your EF-S 18-55mm lens would not be compatible.  But the EF-70-300mm would, which is not necessarily a good thing.  

This is currently listed at B&H.  Note the condition rating.

I would recommend getting the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM with any of the cameras I listed.  Such a combo would meet your immediate requirements and stay well within your $800 budget.  You may have money left over for accessories like memory cards and batteries, or even a camera bag.

There are other lens options that are variable aperture zooms.  But none of them would be within your listed budget.

[ASolo]

Good morning Waddizzle, 

I truly appreciate your detailed suggestions, so far it's been the one that has been closest to what I've been looking for. 

However if you don't mind me asking, I've narrowed down to 3 options which I have found cheapest (thanks to you guys). These are the 80D, the 6D and the R10, from all of these which would be the best out of them all? (yes I managed to compare them on my own but would still like a 2nd hand opinion). 

After this, I believe I am able to make a final decision. 

[rs-eos]

I would recommend either the EOS 6D or the EOS R10.  Both would be a nice jump over your Rebel T5.   Here are a bit of pros/cons with each:

EOS 6D:

• Full frame, so will do very good in lower light situations.   Especially if you also decide to pick up the recommended EF 50mm f/1.8 lens.
• Not compatible at all with EF-S lenses, so if you have zero budget for new lenses, you'd only be able to use your EF 70-300mm.

EOS R10:

• Can use both of your existing lenses.
• Newer tech

[ebiggs1]

"I'm a photography major at college ..."

This indicates you are a younger person. I strongly recommend you not buy the dead end DSLR and look to the R10 and R series lenses in the future. If you buy a DSLR today you are simply putting off until tomorrow what will eventually happen any way if you intend to stay in the photography field.

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"I'm a photography major at college ..."

This indicates you are a younger person. I strongly recommend you not buy the dead end DSLR and look to the R10 and R series lenses in the future. If you buy a DSLR today you are simply putting off until tomorrow what will eventually happen any way if you intend to stay in the photography field.

---

This above observation is true.  You will want to primarily invest in a MILC body.

ASolo expressed a desire for good low light performance when shooting video.  What is really needed is a slightly larger budget for a full frame sensor camera like the R8.  

The MILC, mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, bodies are the future and the present.  A photography student will need a full frame camera at some point, too.  I think the R10 kit is great camera, but it does not fulfill his expressed needs as much as a full frame DSLR.

———————————————-

The R10 package deal in the Refurb section may go “out of stock” at any moment.  It will not wait for you to make up your mind.  You have a tough choice to make.  I wish your budget were a bit larger because the R10 package will still need a few accessories, including a fast lens for low light shooting.

[ASolo]

I also wish I had a larger budget (I also have to pay for college creds out of pocket which makes the budget this minimal at the moment). Truly I just need a simple upgrade. My gear especially the body itself is falling into pieces (due to such extensive use) and for a photographer to go out with bad looking gear does not look professional, even as a student. 

Nevertheless, I do appreciate all of you guy's recommendations and suggestions. 

[ASolo]

I had also looked up a used canon M50 which by doing some comparison to the R10 they seem to be quite similar in many aspects aside from the fps. 

[rs-eos]

The M-series would be a dead end.  If you're that contrained with your budget, you really only have two options.  A used DSLR or a used/refurbed R-series camera.

[krahe]

With the M50 you will get a compact setup that has yet to be duplicated by Canon with any other mount, including some fine EF-M primes. You won't see any new EF-M mount lenses from Canon, but the M50 does well with EF and EF-S lenses with an adapter. In fact, ergonomically it does better with those lenses than an R50 or R100 does. (And better than the R50/R100 do with RF lenses as well.)