Panasonic DMC-GX7 vs. Nikon D3300

bricklebritbricklebrit Registered Users Posts: 2 Beginner grinner
edited November 2, 2015 in Cameras
Hello everyone,

I am new here and during my rather extensive search for information I luckily stumbled over dgrin! After reading through a couple of threads that seem to be related I could not find the sort of advice I was looking for yet.

I basically could use some experienced opinions on a new camera purchase I would like to do in the near future.
So far I have been using a Sony DSC H7, which by now is getting a little outdated. As a cheap and small camera to bring everywhere I have a Canon IXUS 510 HS.

I have some interesting traveling coming up within the next 6 months and want to up my game a little.

I did play around quite a bit with all the option I had with the DSC H7 and took pretty decent pictures during all these years.

I read a lot of reviews and watched a lot of videos and so far have the choice narrowed down to either the Panasonic DMC-GX7 or the Nikon D3300. But I am open to any other suggestions. I do not have a favorite or would like to stick with one brand. The following are the options I looked into concerning price.
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Camera-14-42mm-Tilt-Live-Viewfinder/dp/B00E87OITK/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1446481247&sr=1-1&keywords=lumix+gx7

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HQ4W1QE?ref_=gbps_img_m-8_6462_8ec4374e&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER#Ask

What I mainly need the camera for is taking pictures when I am traveling. Landscapes, buildings, monuments, people, etc. I will most likely never shoot portraits in a studio environment.
I love playing around with shutter speeds, aperture etc. I also really appreciated the 15x zoom of my DSC H7. The main reason I did not upgrade to a DSLR a few years ago was the bulkyness of the D1100 I looked into and the fact the kit lenses did not come with image stabilization.

My budget is around the $600 that the two cameras cost.

I do like the smaller size of if the GX7 a lot, but am not sure if I need 200mm lens the D3300 comes with.
An additional lense would cost $269 new (http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-45-200mm-4-0-5-6-Olympus-Cameras/dp/B001ISKNKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446491460&sr=8-1&keywords=Lumix+G+Vario+H-FS045200+45-200mm), around $180 used. That way I could cover the same range as with the two D3300 lenses.


If you have an sort of advice, comment or recommendation it is highly appreciated!
Thanks so much!

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Okay, I did some more research on both cameras, especially size and weight of body and lenses and decided to go with mirrorless. I figured this will be more convenient for my purposes and I would rather have a non-DSLR that I actually bring places, instead of having a bulky DSLR at home.

For that reason I looked closer into mirroless cameras and have it now narrowed down to the GX7 or the Sony a5000.
I am planning to get a kit with the 14-42mm and the 16-50mm for the Lumix and the sony respectively. In addition to that I was thinking about the Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS and for the Lumix either the 45-150, 45-175 or 45-200.

Both cameras incl. both lenses are about the same price (~$750 - $800)

Does anybody own any of these cameras or lenses or knows them and can say anything about them?

Any sort of input is highly appreciated!
Thanks!
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