New to the game in need of a universal camera

[JSpill]

Hi Pros,

My wife has given me the green light to get a new camera. I've always enjoyed SLRs when I was in a few photography classes way back in college (10+yrs) but fell off the camera wagon since then, so a lot a lot has changed. Spent about 5hrs reading as much on this forum as possible late last night so bare with the sleep deprivation.

This camera will be used for a vast amount of different scenarios so universal is best.

Criteria:
-$300-500USD... cap is negotiable to 700 if I can convince the boss lady.
-Just had a daughter early last year so want a lot of photos with her running around like a bat out of hell. Soccer/sports/swimming etc... So action shots.
-Going to Alaska on a cruise at the beginning of May, so best bang for the buck on a nice lens included/kit or separately.
-Wife just started a new company and has taken photos for her products and is not happy with how they're turning out. She is using her cell phone and lighting is way off as many other issues, which is why she's given me the green light. I've already purchased Light Science and Magic book to help her out with the lighting. So, camera needs to work for products up close to be put on a website.

A couple of cameras that were recommended in other posts: Nikon D3300 seems to be the top but for simplicity Canon T6i due to great JPEGs. But, going up to the Nikon D5500 worth it for what I want? Would love the camera to have AF but can't justify to the wife the price of D7200.

Thank you all in advance! Hope this is enough info, but please ask more questions if more is needed!

 

[Derrel]

Review: The Nikon D5500 (or, a solution to the compact 50-e problem)

 

[robbins.photo]

Well if your looking new either the D3300 or D5500 would both be great options. If you don't mind used then perhaps a D7100 might be an option to consider.

I shot the 7100 for quite a while, it's a fantastic camera, really one of the best APS-C cameras you can get.

The question I would have would be budget, is the budget you listed just for the camera body or are you looking for body and lenses to all fit within the budget you listed?

If so then maybe a used D5200 with a kit lens or 50mm prime plus a 70-300mm Tamron VC for when your shooting your daughters sports.

 

[table1349]

There is no perfect camera. You have a couple of good suggestions already. Don't forget to look at the Canon line as well as some of the others. Frankly your budget won't cover all your wishes so do not be afraid to look at used gear. You can get more bang for you buck that way.

 

[Designer]

-$300-500USD...

A couple of cameras that were recommended in other posts: Nikon D3300 seems to be the top but for simplicity Canon T6i due to great JPEGs. But, going up to the Nikon D5500 worth it for what I want? Would love the camera to have AF but can't justify to the wife the price of D7200.

Just to be clear; I'm not a "pro", just a long-time enthusiast.

FYI: The D3300 uses "S" lenses, and they focus automatically. The "S" stands for "Silent Wave", which is Nikon's version of the motor in the lens.

Nikon also produces great JPGs in camera or you can convert your RAW files (.NEF) using Nikon's free software. I usually capture both RAW and JPG on mine, but if I want to fiddle with something in post, I will usually start with the RAW file.

What is the price difference between the deals you are looking at? You can post links to your web pages right here in this thread. I wouldn't think you would have to go above your budget, but show me the deals so I will know what you're looking at.

As you might have already guessed; the next thing you're going to need is a speedlight, a light stand, a modifier, and some method to fire your flash off camera, so no point in going above your budget just yet, rather save up for the next purchase.

 

[KmH]

in need of a universal camera

Pros would like one of those too.

 

[Dave442]

I think there are the packages with the D3300 and two lens package, 18-55mm and 55-200mm. This just seems like a decent camera for someone with a new child. You can do product shots for you wife with the 18-55 lens. I would add the best tripod you can to fill out the budget.

 

[Watchful]

in need of a universal camera

Pros would like one of those too.

Indeed. The closest I know of is the human eye and an eidetic memory.
You'll need excellent verbal skills to share your images though.

 

[Graham Smith 51]

My few pennyworth... as a keen amateur...
I've just recently bought a Nikon D5500 to share my camera bag with the D3100 and its lenses (55-200 AFS DX and 40mm Micro-Nikkor) and all I can say is... WOW! Brilliant! I was going to buy just the body, since I already had a 18-55 zoom lens with the D3100, but boy, am I glad I went for the full kit. I got it for £544, so that meant that the lens only cost the extra £44, so I thought, why not?
This camera is EXCELLENT! Sooooo light and compact, but having a lot of the more advanced features that higher-end Nikons have. I haven't had it long, and it's going to take me a while to explore its capabilities fully (like, maybe YEARS???) but even this soon I can say I love its:
* light weight and compact size - amazingly smaller than the D3100.
* rapid, quiet focusing
* articulating touch screen (that's two likes...)
* wifi - to save to and shoot using a phone/ipad etc.
* amazing image quality
* ease of adjustment of controls
* "scene" and "effects" settings are very useful!

I could go on and on, but it's all been done elsewhere.

Go get one, if you haven't already!

 

[Solarflare]

Can one indeed remote control the D5500 ? One cant do that with the D750, thats why I lost all interest in the D750 WiFi.

 

[limr]

If you want bang for the buck, look at Pentax.

 

[Graham Smith 51]

Can one indeed remote control the D5500 ? One cant do that with the D750, thats why I lost all interest in the D750 WiFi.

You can use a phone as a remote in that you can see what the viewfinder sees, and you can release the shutter - that's all you can control, not any other functions. Many have said that it's therefore a bit of a gimmick, but I can see that it might come in handy in certain circumstances, such as photographing yourself in a group of other people. The ability to wirelessly upload photos from the camera is a good feature, though. Anyway, I bought the D5500 for its other good points, really.

I'm not getting into a big debate about the pros and cons of all the models out there - I would say that there's precious little to distinguish all those that fall in the same price bracket, until you start looking at some of the more esoteric features that many of us might never use. Suffice it to say that I like the D5500, and I stuck with Nikon because I already had other lenses, so it would be a bit expensive to go replacing everything. Let's face it, though, if you're paying 500-700 bucks for a camera, and you're getting a Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony or other big brand, you're going to get a good camera, whichever you choose.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

Ill put in another vote for the D3300. Its a great camera with the kit lens as well as many of the other nikon lenses. The D3300 does not have the in-body focus motor so it will not auto focus with the older screw drive style lenses. With the price of memory cards these days I shoot everything in raw and convert later. For me the big differences with the other models are auto focus points, and the addition of the wifi and GPS modules and the pivot screens. When I was looking these were features I didn't really (although in hind sight the extra autofocus points would have been nice) need so the 3300 sufficed since the sensor was the same. As others have mentioned no one really makes a lemon any more, pretty much every decent modern DSLR is a good choice.

 

[Watchful]

Wifi may get more features as it gets firmware updates and as the app gets updated.

 

[Graham Smith 51]

Re the D3300 - I agree, that's a good camera. I've got the 3100 which is much the same, and I like that. The added features that the 3300 has just put the icing on the cake. The sensor is the same, and gives nice sharp results.
The 5500's sensor is a bit more sensitive and the lack of the low-pass filter allows even sharper images, which is why I bought that as well.