Sony A7x or A6400? also need a tripod

What about an rx100 v or vi? Or maybe the 6400 and a GoPro or osmo pocket for handheld video?

i love my 7riii but it’s a lump to backpack with, with every lens apart from the 35 2.8.

Sony’s 10-18/4 is an excellent vlogging lens – and with OSS it almost makes up for the lack of IBIS on the A6400. I wouldn’t choose it for landscapes, though. Even the excellent Zeiss 16-70/4 comes up short literally and figuratively for big vistas. I use those two plus the 24/1.8 with my A6500 for travel photography and I’ve been really happy with them.

I always liked the RX100’s flip up rear screen for selfies, but that it lacks an external mic input means it’s less useful for recording video. And that’s what frustrates me about the A6400 – on the one hand Sony added the flip-up rear screen and improved AF, and they removed the 30 minute video recording limit .. but they deleted IBIS and the flip-up screen is blocked if you mount an eternal mic on the hotshoe, necessitating a cage setup to offset the mic. Rolling shutter in 4K is pretty awful too. I keep hoping the replacement for the A6500 will fix all of these shortcomings.

I wouldn’t go with the A7ii, the tech is really outdated. The A7Rii, which I also have, is excellent for photos and reasonable for video but the form factor (ditto for A7iii) doesn’t make sense for vlogging as you hike. The ultrawide 12-24/4 and 16-35/4 are both big lenses and $$$.

The Panasonic GH5 still seems to be a winner for 4K video, in spite of its smaller sensor size.

On the ultimate backpacking camera topic, just some other points:

Do you want/need USB charging? This lowers the range of options to just the Sony RX100 I think

Do you want/need interchangeable lenses?  If no, you might want to look at the Panasonic Lumix 100 where over the various upgrades, Pany has slowly started to migrate its video features

Ergonomics. I own a Sony Rx100vi but the ergonomics are horrible

Ease of use.  I do long exposures with my camera on a tripod with ISO set on low, and noise reduction and image stabilization set to off. With the RX100vi I can set ISO and image stabilization (steady shot) in the topmost Fn simple menu but not noise reduction. In contrast on my Olympus OMD Em10 I can assign any function to any button and have access to my key functions from the top most menu on the LCD.

Weights you have not included: I use a quick release plate and a arca swiss plate on top of my Ultrapod II and a wired remote control which adds some weight

Stability: When I put my heaviest micro 4/3 with a Pro lense on the UltrapodII I need to be very careful that it does not tip over. With the Sony RX100vi, I do not need to worry about stability

Remote control. The Sony smartphone app seems to work well as a simple shutter release. Do you want an extra wired or wireless remote? If so that adds weight. And some of the camera manufacturer’s smart phone apps do not work all that well. At least I have been challenged with maintaining wireless connection between my Olympus and my iPhone.

Cheers

The a7iii and r3 will charge via usb c.

I have the a7 with Rokinon 35mm f2.8 af lens and am happy with the results and size.   I will likely buy Rokinon’s 24mm f2.8 pancake lens next for hiking.  I’m a couple thousand miles away from my camera and not sure on the weight.   I have a RRS L bracket on it which adds to the weight

edit to add.  The A6000 and it’s successors are fantastic cameras and I don’t think you can go wrong with them.  If your primary focus is landscape photography, then I’d go with the a7x, but the a6xxx won’t be far behind image quality wise.

As far as color science goes, that’s subjective and I shoot raw stills mostly, but I find the a7 needs less adjustment than my a6000, if any at all.

The attached image is shot raw, std profile, no adjustments before being converted to jpg.  I like it just fine and it’s true to life, a7 and 85mm F1.8

edit I had to really shrink the size of the photo and it looks reall bad and fuzzy on BPL’s website, even compared to how Facebook compresses it, but it will still give you an idea of the colors for this camera with noted settings

My tripods

Ultrapod for when size and weight are highest concern

Sirui T025x with center column removed for a small light but more capable tripod that the Ultrapod

Currenty saving for the RRS 34l with Acratech GP Ballhead for when weight and size isn’t a concern

Ergonomics. I own a Sony Rx100vi but the ergonomics are horrible

Agreed.

However, I am told the Sony AG-R@ Attachment Grip will work with the MKVI even though is not marketed as doing so. I have this grip on my RX100 MKI and it is a game changer.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1061077-REG/sony_ag_r2_attachment_grip_for.html/?ap=y&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu5C3lMOW4QIVRRx9Ch1_7AwXEAQYAiABEgIHLvD_BwE&lsft=BI%3A514&smp=Y

Rereading your OP and see that you’re focused on video, then the a6400 May be a good option for the money.

Iphonedo compared it against the a6500 and he doesn’t seem to think the IBIS of the a6500 to be worth it compared to the a6400 and some improvements it brings