Mirrorless Upgrade from DSLR without Breaking the Bank

[yandou]

Hey yall! I currently have a Canon EOS 80D and looking to upgrade to mirrorless. I’m moreso a hobby photographer with the intention of making a legit business in the future. I tend to do moreso animal/ sports photography and have a 70-200 f4 lens that I actually enjoy and plan to get an EF adapter for if I go mirrorless.

My question is, what is a good mid-tier mirrorless camera to get? I’ve looked at the Mark II because everyone suggests it online and I like the eye and animal tracking features, but it’s out of my budget once I add in a lens specifically for portraits. Also, any suggestions for portrait lenses? I bought the 80D with 2 kit lenses from Sam’s or Costco but I really never gravitate towards them.

Thank you in advance!

[stevet1]

Yandou,

What's the most you want to spend?

Steve Thomas

[LeeP]

I have a Canon R100 as my go-everywhere camera and I love it.

I have a Canon R8 for full-frame and like it a lot.

Neither are bank breakers.

[March411]

Not knowing what you want to spend makes it challenging to offer a solution. Three cameras were mentioned and are currently available on the Canon Refurbished Marketplace. All of these bodies come with a one year limited warranty.

• Refurbished EOS R100 RF-S18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM Lens Kit - $479.99
• Refurbished EOS R8 Body - $1,259.00
• Refurbished EOS R6 Mark II Body - $1,799.00

[LeeP]

Walmart supposedly offers the R8 for $1198.99.

Would not have crossed my mind to buy an R8 there

[shadowsports]

Greetings,

The R6 Mark II is Canon's mid-tier offering.  It can satisfy your needs as a hobbyist, enthusiast or professional.  While it doesn't have all the power of Canon's highest tier products R5 Mark II, R3 or R1.  It comes very close and offers a great balance of affordability and performance.  One thing it doesn't offer in comparison to your 90D are megapixels as it's only 24 MP.  However, I think you'll be really surprised at how much you get and how well it does for the price.  Full frame is a slightly different mindset over APS-C.  Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with that format and you can see that I just bought the R50v.  As I get older I'm gravitating more towards Cinema 😀.  I'll never stop taking pictures though.  New cameras are coming but they probably won't get announced until Q4 and delivered (maybe) until early next year.  I don't think I'd wait though.  The R6 mkII or the R8 are both excellent cameras and available to you now.  If you buy the R8 you'll probably end up buy again (sooner).  If you can swing the R6 Mark II, that's a body that'll last you for a while.  It has IBIS, dual card slots and other features suited for a photographer who is endeavoring for professional gigs.

[March411]

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@LeeP wrote:

Walmart supposedly offers the R8 for $1198.99. Would not have crossed my mind to buy an R8 there

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And Walmart is on Canon's authorized dealers list so it is a great local option.

[BrighamBB]

I remain an 80D enthusiast, but now rely on my R5. What I will say about the money spent for the R5 is the upgrade in pixel capture in the raw enables a quality to the processing techniques in Lightroom that I think show marked differences from the 80D captures. Therefore, while a bit more expensive, it has been worth the cost. You can of course save some coin by purchasing used bodies from reputable vendors. Hope this helps.

[deebatman316]

Is that Walmart or Walmart Marketplace there is a difference. Sold and Shipped by Walmart is more than likely the Canon Authorized Dealer. While Walmart Marketplace is a storefront for different sellers. So who knows if it’s Gray Market or not.

[March411]

Demetrius has a good point, much like Amazon you have to look at the seller to ensure it is Walmart or another authorized dealer. I believe they also need to indicate Gray (International) if it is indeed gray market. Looking at their page it seems like it is pretty straight forward. Now the way they bundle items to drive margin is another topic. 

List of Canon authorized camera dealers - PDF