I have to ask the most asked question and for that I apologize.

What camera should I buy?

I am in need of a new camera as I want to start taking videos and photographs of family events after a few deaths this year.

I grew up shooting film on an olympus om1, once I grew up and had my own job I saved up and bought a pentax k10d and some lenses and shot that until my late 20s (I still have the camera and lenses), but now I recently turned 30 and my perspective and priorities are different and I have absolutely no idea what to buy now or what the market even offers these days. I have been trying to do my own research but everything is so advanced compared to my old k10d that I honestly cannot make an informed decision at this point.

My primary focus will be capturing close family and friends but I also like to take the camera on all my outdoor adventures, its why I originally chose the pentax a decade ago as it was a sealed body at a decent price point. I dont mind buying all new lenses, flash, remotes, etc. I would like to get into a body for around $1000-$2000.

I would say my priorities will be in the following order

portrait photography
videos for family gatherings and events
casual outdoor trips

I don't really go to many places that will destroy a camera anymore. Maybe a DSLR is overkill for me these days?

There are some great option in mirrorless cameras these days. They are smaller and lighter, though they do go through batteries faster. But the processing and resolution is getting to be better than DSLRs and their native lenses have better optics these days.

For $2,000 I would spend a bit more and get a Canon EOS R6. That's my next camera body if I ever get around to getting one. I have an EOS RP which is the $1,000 entry level little brother to the R6 and I'm pretty happy with it. The R6 is weather sealed though and has a better low light sensor. You'll drop another few grand on lenses. I'd start with the RF24-70mm f2.8 IS and also get the RF35mm f1.8 IS as a good starter set up. But that's $5 grand all in, plus a few extra batteries.

If you want more of a budget option, keep an eye on Amazon, they often have the EOS RP with the RF24-105mm f4-7.1 IS for around $1,000 and regularly for $1,300. You can get the EF to RF adapter for $200 and use older EF lenses on any Canon RF mount camera also. Or buy a refurb unit from Canon direct.

I know there's a bunch of Nikon fans here, but they have fallen behind in the mirrorless race. Sony and Canon are now neck and neck with Panasonic pulling a solid third place and leaving Nikon in a distant 4th place. Sony has more lens options, but I think Canon's processing and color is better.

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As much as it breaks my heart to say it,.... camera phones are more and more capable every year especially if you're not looking to make large prints.   With good lighting one may work fine for all 3 of those situations.



Otherwise I'd say mirror-less is a better option than DSLR,  resolution is top notch and for people eye af is the shizzle.   I'd stick with Nikon myself (video is just now getting decent with their mirror-less cameras, it's straight trash on their DSLRs),  Canon also makes great products and I think their product line has more levels between amateur and pro.   Sony is doing absolutely fantastic work as well.

Personally, I would go with a DSLR, I would think along the lines of a Nikon D3xxx-series. It is the best deal anywhere. It is light-weight, relatively inexpensive, lots of lens options from mild to wild. Personally  I would go a 10-20 WA, and a 18-135/200ish telephoto which should cover much of your bases. If you need more lenses you can always go 3rd party, which is quite good,

1. There are no truly bad digital cameras that have been released in the last few years and I think it's really a matter of what lenses you have or want, ergonomics, and specific features you desire (e.g., automatic eye detection). I recommend you rent, borrow, or otherwise test-drive candidate cameras before committing to a lens system. "Buy this camera" advice from the Internet involves significant risk and is not suitable for everyone.  

2. If you want a truly lightweight system for outdoor trips (which I interpret as hikes or backcountry trail riding), you may want to consider an APS-C system like the Fujifilm XT-4. This system has lenses that are much lighter than their full-frame counterparts for the same field of view and the camera gets high marks for stills and video quality.

3. If you want a solid video platform that also serves as a great stills camera, a Nikon Z 6ii is a good contender. The Z series lenses are great performers, but the selection is definitely not as extensive as, say, Sony (which also took a few years to build a good stable of lenses for the A-mount series). The Z 6 is lightweight, uses the much larger Z mount (compared to the F-mount) and, with the FTZ adapter, accepts all the legacy F-mount lenses, too. This isn't quite as lightweight as the XT-4, but definitely performs well on both video and photo tasks.

4. If action shots is any kind of priority for you, DSLR still rules supreme as mirrorless cameras still have noticeable shutter lag - though one can "spray and pray" with up to 20fps on a mirrorless and capture that particularly interesting moment in the action. The Nikon D500 is worthy of consideration in this department along with the Canon 6d. (The Sony A9 does shine well in this regard, but is well outside the target price range in the OP.)

5. Sony makes a great product with their full-frame mirrorless cameras like the A7 series and has established themselves as the top of the heap in this realm - mainly through rapid releases of upgrades in hardware and firmware in the early days of this platform. Their pace of innovation has definitely slowed in the last few years and both Canon and Nikon have closed the gap. If eye detection is critical for your needs, it's hard to beat Sony though Canon's EOS R-series lineup is giving Sony some good competition. (Nikon's Z series also has eye detection, but reviews generally give it lower scores than Sony and Canon - though still well within competitive margins). Sony's lenses are good (with the G Master series largely considered excellent) and are generally more expensive than their competition, if that's a consideration for you.

6. Panasonic has been a consistent member of the vlogging community for years and their Lumix GH5 II gets good marks for that purpose. Also the micro-4/3 (MFT) format lends itself to lenses even lighter than Fujifilm's for the same FOV as full-frame counterparts. From a stills perspective, it seems to perform well enough. FWIW, several high-profile photography vloggers have migrated away from the Panasonic line to the Fujifilm XT3 or -4 generally because they consider the XT to be a better all-round camera - if that has any significance to you.

Note: I will point out that physics starts to take effect here and full-frame (or larger) sensors will always collect more light for the same megapixel count meaning better low light performance than APS-C and MFT sensors. Cameras on smartphones (and similar platforms) also suffer the same low light issue in addition to having to resort to software tricks to mimic the narrow depth of field one can easily achieve with larger sensors. Smartphones are fantastic for snapshots - after all, the best camera is the one you have with you. We just need to recognize the benefits and limitations of our chosen platform[s].

7. Pentax is still in the game and their K-3 may be of interest to you. See #1 above. Despite relatively lackluster market share, I see users in photo communities expressing satisfaction with this camera.

How good of quality do you want the video to be?

Since that's your second priority, I'd say go with Sony, Panasonic, or Canon. Nikon still is behind in video. The A7rIV shoots decent video, and so do the higher end Canons. I know you can shoot in s-log formats with Sony, but I'm not sure about Canon. This really boosts your dynamic range, but it's harder to work with so you kind of need to know what you're doing.

After reviewing all the wonderful suggestions I placed an order for a fujifilm xt4 and a few lenses, I am more excited than I thought I would be to get a new camera.

You should be - holy cow that’s awesome. Congrats!

I received my new camera and accessories this afternoon and have been playing with it in what little spare time I have had so far, I am extremely pleased with the camera as well as the 16mm 1.4 lens. I hope to get out this weekend and shoot some and see what happens, I have high hopes!

I have been out playing with my tx4 and shooting at 16mm exclusively, it has been extremely fun so far shooting everything so wide but also really challenging.  I did cheat and crop the dog and train pics though. I'm very excited to be getting back into the hobby.

Moving train
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River valley (The light on the dam made me wish I had brought a telephoto lens!)
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Rat
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Welcome back.

I absolutely love my new camera and have already taken thousands of pictures with it. But how do I carry my camera and a few other items when not in the woods?

This one is from last weekend.
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When I am out hiking, fishing, whatever outdoors I just stick a peak design small cube in whatever pack is appropriate for the days activates and it works great to carry my camera gear and the other things I need for whatever else I am doing that day, but I am confused on how to carry my gear when I am doing more normal things like going to a family get together or taking a trip to the zoo etc.

I want something minimalist and quick to grab that I can carry an extra battery, a zoom lens, tripod, and maybe a water bottle or jacket but not much else, but carrying a bag in more mundane and urban settings as a grown man always seems awkward...

How do you carry your camera gear when you don't already have a pack on full of other things like fishing gear, water bottles, food, clothes, etc. ?

Do I just give up and get a man purse?

The dilemna of camera cases...
I have a backpack (LowePro), 2 enormous Tenba bags, a sling bag, a couple of small camera bags.
All of my gear fits in the 2 large Tenbas... but I cannot carry them without staggering. With just one of them loaded, it's a struggle to go up a hill.
The sling bag (also a Tenba) will carry a camera body with battery pack with zoom lens mounted, plus an additional lens plus my G15 for point & shoot situations. Carbon fiber Manfrotto over my shoulder. I can get around fairly well with that.
I can't imagine the early plate photographers lugging their gear into the wilderness.

It doesn't quite fit the bill when it comes to carrying the other stuff,  but I've liked my Promaster Cityscape holster. The size I got will carry a dslr, an extra lens and a few batteries. I like it because it's easy to carry. It does scream camera though,  which can be a negative in some situations.

lol

Pelican 1604 by FredMan, on Flickr

BPD (Black Photography Disease) is at least as contagious as BRD

I’d run far away from any of the entry DSLR bodies. Yeah, they’re cheap, and yeah, they’ll take “big boy” lenses, but using them will be an exercise  in frustration if you use anything but the Program mode. Wading through menus for simple setting changes, lower build quality, etc.

I’d rather use a phonecam than a D3XXX body