Choosing first DSLR

[Toshanda]

Good day all.

So I have decided to purchase a DSLR; I talked to a friend of mine who is a pro photographer and he suggested to look at Nikon D7200 and 7D Mark II from Cannon. He said that both are fine for the beginners.
One thing he did not tell me is that it is going to be a hell of a job trying to choose one.
I owned a few point and shoots, even had one Lumix FZ50 that took great pictures. but my wife always wanted to upgrade into DSLRs.

I assume that I will be taking pictures of my daughter playing sports like basketball and snowboarding. I want to get into basic wildlife photography, we leave near a big inner city provincial park so there are alot of opportunities for all kinds of birds and animals; personally I want to get into macro/micro and close up photography, I like entomology, something I always tried to do with my point and shoots. I think that about 80% of the time we will be shooting in auto.

I like D7200 because it is a newer camera, has higher MP count, it has higher revews, price is better. Has higher ISO

I like 7D mark II because it has the light flicker feature, it has 65 point AF point thing, it shoots 10FPS vs 6FPS on nikon.

Then I have discovered D500 from Nikon and I like it even more as it has 10fps and 153 point AF, has the highest ISO and shooting 4K videos, but it does not have built in flash. It is the newest one so technically will stay relevant longer after the purchase, but the price is alittle more that I wanted to spend. But all the review are mostly perfect for this one. Unless someone can convince me to buy it - I probably wont, on my own.

When I am looking at these I want something that will last me for a long time without need to upgrade too soon. Something that is longer lasting and more durable, I have read about the shatter rating and D7200 has the lowest one out of three, my wife like to do burst shooting so I dont know if it is somethig I need to keep in mind. Do you golks have any advice???

It would be much appreciated to hear from more expirienced people as I have been loosing sleep over this dilemma for about 3 months now...

Thank you very much in advance.

 

[goodguy]

Short and sweet, if you can afford it get the Nikon D500, best crop sensor camera in the market today.
Its a pro camera, build to last, to take a beating, has amazing sensor, blazing fast FPS for sports/wildlife shooting and the biggest buffer out there, wonderful dynamic range, amazing low light performance, best auto focus system just a cracking camera!!!
Only problem is that it aint cheap but it is the best so it makes sense.

For general shooting the Nikon D7200 is excellent, it pretty much does everything very well, no real flaws for general use.
Canon 7DII is a very good camera too but its a sport camera and if you go for this type of camera better spend a bit more and get the Nikon D500

Don't forget the camera is just the body and you will need to get lenses.
Lenses are actually far more important then the camera, I rather have a D7200 with my choice of lenses then a D500 with kit lenses and good lenses aint cheap.
All 3 cameras will be just as good for macro photography.
Macro photography is really more about the lens, accessories and your skills.

So bottom line if you can then get the D500 if not get the D7200 its a very good camera and will do all you really need and don't forget to leave cash to buy lenses and other accessories.

Good luck

 

[zombiesniper]

I shoot primarily wildlife with some family and friend shots here and there. So keep that in mind as others will have more to say on other types of photography.

For fast action shots right now the D500 is the top camera with the 7Dmk2 coming in second then rounded out by the D7200 (not going into all the 6k plus bodies).

Both Nikon and Canon have excellent lenses and third party lens support so this is pretty much a wash.

Now how much better is the D500? The best person to ask would be coastalconn since he has owned both the 7Dmk2 and is currently running the D500.

Oh ya! Welcome to TPF.

 

[robbins.photo]

Ok, so on the D500 - I wouldn't worry much that it doesn't have a built in flash. When you start getting into photography seriously the first thing you'll probably want to do is buy an external flash anyway.

The D500 as folks mentioned is a top of the line pro camera, but in all honesty I think it might be overkill for your needs. Nothing bad to say about the 500 mind you, but I think you'll find that 6 FPS is pretty livable and the cost difference is pretty significant.
Both the 7200 and the 7d mk II are very capable cameras. I myself prefer the Nikon system, I shoot a D600.

You mentioned that you'd be wanting to take shots of your daughter playing basketball, so my recommendation would be the D7200 paired with a 70-200mm 2.8 lens of some sort. The lighting in gyms is usually pretty awful so a fast zoom will be worth it's weight in gold.

If you really think you have the need and can stretch your budget far enough, the D500 again with a 70-200mm 2.8 would be a really tough combo to beat as well, but of course it really depends a lot on how much you want to spend.

In the end of course the quality of the shots you capture will depend a lot more on your skill as a photographer than they will on what equipment you buy. The equipment just makes certain things a little easier.

 

[beagle100]

I agree, the "shatter rating" Canon 80D or 7D2 is the 'top of the line' crop DSLR camera

even a six (6) year old Canon 60D and a twenty 20 year old original 100-400 lens does sports !

crazy dirt cheap !

 

[Toshanda]

So I think I made up my decision. Thank you for reinforcing my original choice. Now I have to decide on the lens package.

 

[dennybeall]

Unless you plan on becoming a pro I would recommend getting the D7200 and use the money saved to buy some fast glass. The fast glass is more important!!!!!!! Now if you have plenty of money get the D500 and the fast glass.

 

[jcdeboever]

Not sure on Canon but the D7200 has the built in focus motor which provides the ability to use the older, less expensive glass.

 

[goodguy]

So I think I made up my decision. Thank you for reinforcing my original choice. Now I have to decide on the lens package.

I am curious what camera did you choose ?

 

[Toshanda]

So I think I made up my decision. Thank you for reinforcing my original choice. Now I have to decide on the lens package.

I am curious what camera did you choose ?

D7200 with 18-140 lens kit...

I think I always new that this is what I am going to buy, just needed some reassurance. I really wanted to buy D500, but I thought that when I would have brought it home - I would end up with a nice camera and no wife . But even my sales guy at a store where I bought it said that he does not recommend the D500 for me as a noob. in a few years - maybe. Here are some pictures taken today at the beach.
Anton Ovtchinnikov has shared 1 photo with you!
Anton Ovtchinnikov has shared 1 photo with you!
Anton Ovtchinnikov has shared 1 photo with you!

 

[zombiesniper]

Overall good start.
Not sure what mode (manual/one of the auto modes) but when trying to photo a white bird on a darker background you'll normally want to lower your exposure by one stop so not to blow out the whites. This is also true for black birds on a light background except you raise your exposure by one stop. You can also set your metering mode to spot or centre weighted average to help with this.

 

[goodguy]

So I think I made up my decision. Thank you for reinforcing my original choice. Now I have to decide on the lens package.

I am curious what camera did you choose ?

D7200 with 18-140 lens kit...

I think I always new that this is what I am going to buy, just needed some reassurance. I really wanted to buy D500, but I thought that when I would have brought it home - I would end up with a nice camera and no wife . But even my sales guy at a store where I bought it said that he does not recommend the D500 for me as a noob. in a few years - maybe. Here are some pictures taken today at the beach.
Anton Ovtchinnikov has shared 1 photo with you!
Anton Ovtchinnikov has shared 1 photo with you!
Anton Ovtchinnikov has shared 1 photo with you!

Good choice!
Many noobs start with even more basic cameras like the Nikon D3300 or Nikon D5300/D5500 which are in their own right good starters (and more) cameras.
The D7200 is a very good camera purpose made for general use and I agree it is the best choice for you.
You got a nice general use lens, good for many things, in the future you might consider getting a faster lens but for now learn the basics and just have fun.
I would consider to add the Nikon 50mm 1.8G which is very affordable, it offers a lot, very good for portraits on a DX body and good for low light situations, it is also very sharp so you get a lot in one good cheap lens.