Need advice on which camera would be best for me

[katynicoleroussel]

Hi everyone!

I'm a photography enthusiast... Amateur, really. I really enjoy taking family photos at events and parties. I work for the local newspaper and often take photos for them, but I find myself capturing these nice photos (what could be better) with my iPhone 5S that has only an 8gb camera! My mother has a large professional Nikon camera (can't recall which type), but it's a few years old and I also prefer buying something to have as my own rather than long-term borrowing it.

With all this being said, I'm looking for a really good camera (Nikon perhaps??)... I'm not really "in the loop" with all of these newer professional cameras.

Any recommendations would be appreciated

With love--Katy<3

 

[BrickHouse]

You'll get some great advice from others who will chime in shortly. I'd recommend a Nikon D3300 as a great place to start. Very affordable. Then buy a nice prime lens and shoot away.

 

[snowbear]

Welcome aboard.

1. Nikon, Canon, Sony all make good cameras.
2. You get what you pay for.
3. Go to best buy and look at the cameras that are in your budget.
4. Pick up each one and see how it "fits" in your hands.
5. Get the one that fits the best.

 

[snowbear]

I just noticed your mother has a Nikon. That would be a good choice as you could ask to borrow her lenses.

 

[Ido]

Before you buy anything, play around with your mother's camera. Learn the basics while using it. That should help you figure out if an advanced camera is really suitable to you. You have a one-up on most others who are looking to branch out of their smartphone, use it!

 

[goodguy]

Nikon D3300 sound like the right camera for you.
Its a good camera for beginners, get it with its kit lens and add to that the Nikon 50mm 1.8G which is a very affordable prime lens, its a must for portraits and low light.
Learn how to use the camera and from there the sky is the limit.

Good luck!

 

[Designer]

Katy; welcome! What is your budget for this?

 

[dannylightning]

yea, a budget would be a big help.

personally I think the nikon D5200 or D5300 is going to be all the camera your average person needs. maybe a nikon D7100 if you can afford to spend the extra money its probably worth it. if not either one of those should do most people quite well.

the D3300 is also a good choice if you need something that cost a little less.

if you want a point and shoot that takes really nice photos the canon G16 is pretty good, I do feel I get better photos with my D5300 but for a point and shoot I really like my G16, only thing is its a little big for a point and shoot. some pants I have it will fit in the pockets just fine, other pants it's just a little bit to fit in the pockets.

 

[TheStunch]

Katy; welcome! What is your budget for this?

+1 on budget. For Nikon: D3300 is great, D5200 is a killer, I've had some lens time on that one, loved it. For Canon, T3i is a bargain, Though some prefer the T5i (not me, on cost analysis), SL1 is my go to for all things entry level and Canon, and it will cost a bit more than a T3i and has the same sensor, but it has a touch screen and does full auto focus in video and it's teeny tiny for a DSLR. Pentax, I'm thinking K50, or maybe K5ii, both are killer cameras, and have full weather sealing, and take amazing photos. The video lacks the full time auto focus of the SL1 or D5200, but if you're just looking to take photos, they are remarkably capable cameras, and have some of the easiest menu systems ever, and Pentax is great about giving you lots of knobs and buttons, many of which are programmable, so you have to dive into the sub menus less, and take photos more, they also tend to have high burst rates for entry level cameras if you decide to do sports photography. Sony is a roll of the dice atm, their cameras really are amazing, but there is not as many lenses floating around used, and new their selection is not quite up to Canon or Nikon yet. Also they have weird proprietary accessories that can be pricey, and the aftermarket has yet to fully embrace them the way they have the other brands. I can't stress enough, however, that the image quality is really even with the best DSLRs around, they juuust haven't quite sorted out the odds and ends as neatly as the big dogs...yet

if you are on a shoestring budget, go mirrorless (earlier models, ie: Nikon 1 J1 or Pentax Q or Q10, which is my favorite), or older DSLR, like Canon T3, Nikon D3100, or Pentax K20d (I want this one bad)

any of these cameras will get your feet wet for less than 700 bux, some less than 300 and the Pentax q10 can be had on amazon for less than 200, new. I currently keep the tiny q10 with me at all times, it's a monster for what it is and takes great video.

 

[Solarflare]

Your camera has 8 Megapixel, not 8 Gigabyte. Just for the record - 8 Megapixel are plenty. As you already proved by publishing to newspapers.

Older cameras are still are just as good as when they got released. And you can still make good pictures with them.

A bigger camera will make photography harder, because it has a lot more controls, a lot less automatics, and probably the biggest problem: the sensors are much larger and produce much more shallow depth of field, thus any focus not on spot will be much more visible than with your tiny smartphone.

So yeah, you cant just get a DSLR and expect to automatically make better pictures.

Remember: the poor man buys twice. Find out what you really need, that get that.

2. You get what you pay for.

True. But its also easy to buy overpriced crap.

Or stuff that doesnt fit your needs.

For example: I got a Nikon SB400 flash. Turns out its nothing but a waste of money. You really need a flash that can turn into all directions and work off camera through the commander mode.

Or: I got a Ricoh GR Digital IV compact camera. Great camera in many respects, but overall still too slow to operate, and insufficient image quality for my demands. The new Ricoh GR would have been a much better option.

Before you buy anything, play around with your mother's camera. Learn the basics while using it. That should help you figure out if an advanced camera is really suitable to you. You have a one-up on most others who are looking to branch out of their smartphone, use it!

I strongly second this posting.

 

[TheStunch]

I'm with you on it's easy to buy junk that costs way too much, and that buying a DSLR will not make you a better photographer, but generally speaking it will take better pictures than a point and shoot or cell phone, right out of the box with less noise, better dynamic range, better shooting in low light, better handling and usually better at capturing action and motion, so buying a DSLR will make your pictures better, though if you're a new photographer, it will no make YOU a better photographer, much like a faster car wont make you a better driver, but it's still a faster car. Also, I think that in the age of the 41mp cell phone, that 8mp is simply inadequate, even on a cell phone, if you're going to spend money on a camera, at least 10mp is really a better standard, but even that's a touch low. The reason for this assertion is that at 8mp, photos don't blow up as well, they don't edit as well, and there's just less space to store the tiny details of the image, and this is not an insult to older cameras and cell phone, they do take great photos, one of my best camera buddies has been shooting a 6.1mp Nikon D40 for years, but he recently upgraded to a D5200, and it is, in all ways, an upgrade. So if I'm throwing cash at a camera, the bar has to be set a bit higher

 

[Overread]

A few further thoughts:

1) Budget - total budget too for everything. Sometimes you can get fixated on the camera body, when instead a cheaper body and really good lens is far better match up.

2) Nikon, Canon - both make fantastic bodies and are valid options. Considering your mother has a Nikon I'd echo the above that since you're already partly familiar with it and because you can then borrow her lenses if you want it might be the best option for your situation.


The more info you can give up-front the better we can advise you. If you just want "A good camera that's a DSLR" then any camera shop can put one in your hands and pretty much every DSLR on todays market is a good camera (if used correctly of course).

 

[shootinforthestars]

A few further thoughts:

1) Budget - total budget too for everything. Sometimes you can get fixated on the camera body, when instead a cheaper body and really good lens is far better match up.

2) Nikon, Canon - both make fantastic bodies and are valid options. Considering your mother has a Nikon I'd echo the above that since you're already partly familiar with it and because you can then borrow her lenses if you want it might be the best option for your situation.


The more info you can give up-front the better we can advise you. If you just want "A good camera that's a DSLR" then any camera shop can put one in your hands and pretty much every DSLR on todays market is a good camera (if used correctly of course).

Hi everyone!

I'm a photography enthusiast... Amateur, really. I really enjoy taking family photos at events and parties. I work for the local newspaper and often take photos for them, but I find myself capturing these nice photos (what could be better) with my iPhone 5S that has only an 8gb camera! My mother has a large professional Nikon camera (can't recall which type), but it's a few years old and I also prefer buying something to have as my own rather than long-term borrowing it.

With all this being said, I'm looking for a really good camera (Nikon perhaps??)... I'm not really "in the loop" with all of these newer professional cameras.

Any recommendations would be appreciatedView attachment 86673View attachment 86674View attachment 86675View attachment 86676


With love--Katy<3

Hi Katy,

First, you do rock an Iphone 5S camera. Those shots (especially the second one ) are way cool considering that you took it with your iphone. About buying a starter SLR, keep in mind that you need more than just the camera to really get going. You're going to need a memory card, bag & more so a good way to start is to pick up on amazon these kits that really give you all these extras at no additional cost. I call that bang for your buck. One of the good ones I've spotted lately is this one: Amazon.com : Canon EOS Rebel T5 Digital SLR Camera Body with EF-S 18-55mm IS STM + EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III + Polaroid 58mm Wide Angle and 58mm Telephoto Lenses + 32 GB Storage + Tripods + 4 Filters + Deluxe Bag + Extra Accessories : Camera & Photo
You're getting enough memory and all the other bits and pieces to get going. Good luck and keep sharing!

 

[SnappingShark]

First of all - go to target / best buy and go pick up some of the cameras mentioned.
They're going to be so much heavier than your iphone, and with lenses, probably more so. So make sure it's something you want to carry around with you all the time