What to get?

[JenkinsThePole]

Hi all,
I'm new the world of photography and was wondering whats a good budget-friendly DSLR to get me started? Wildlife will be my main focus for now. Also, is it OK to buy used instead of new? I currently have a 12MP Sealife DC1200 (that was bought used) that I'll be using for diving this spring/summer but I want something that will give me quite a bit more quality for when I'm above water. Any direction would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Designer]

Used is usually good if you purchase from a reputable dealer. Avoid disreputable dealers.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Yes, used is a great way to go. What do you have an interest in photographing mostly? Have you used any major camera brands already? What's your budget?

 

[JenkinsThePole]

I'm thinking mostly birds, animals, and possibly insects. My budget is under $500. Also, I have zero experience with any major brand.

 

[Dave Colangelo]

Used is good if you can be assured of the quality of the item. There are lots of good used online dealers who have really good return policies and post pics and descriptions of quality. Then there is ebay/craigslist which can be a dice roll but you can really get a good deal if you are patient and cautious. Craigslist can be good if you can inspect the item in person. Buying from other enthusiasts found on a forum like this can also be good as the gear is usually well described and often well kept. I have bought a lot of used Nikon gear as well as out of production Hasselblad gear and been pretty lucky with most of it. I have had a dud or two but that was mostly stuff that was questionable from the onset.

For under 500 you can get a really nice entry level DSLR from Nikon (the D3400 with kit lens is 496). For just over (if you can stretch a bit) you can get the D3400 Kit deal with the tele lens that Nikon is running right now for 596.

Although out of production you can get a Used D3300 ( I have one and its great) for well within your budget.

As for major brands both Nikon and Cannon (as well as Sony, Pentax etc) are offering good stuff and you will be happy with either. You can read endless debates on them but in the end of the day they both take good pictures and both have plenty of lenses available. One nice thing about the Nikon gear is that their lens mount is compatible with pretty much every lens they have made since the late 50's. This allows you to use a lot of old glass that can be had for cheap but is of very high quality if not exceeds modern stuff. For example you can get a nice Nikkor 300mm 4.5f for in and around $150 and mount it on the D3300 for some really great wildlife shooing (see the bird photos here). Its manual focus (which can be a bit annoying until you get used to it) but in my experience it well outperforms some of the new lenses I have.

Regards
Dave

 

[nerwin]

Since you are interested in wildlife, I'm going to recommend what was recommended above as well.

If you can manage to get $96 more, you can have a really nice kit. Nikon D3400 + 18-55 & 70-300 AF-P Nikon D3400 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm and 70-300mm Lenses 1573

That would REALLY give you the best bang for the buck and from what I've read, the 70-300 AF-P is actually quite a decent lens. You'll enjoy it for wildlife.

 

[goodguy]

Another vote for either the Nikon D3300 or Nikon D3400 with 2 lenses 18-55mm and 70-300mm
Don't hesitate to get the D3300 if you get a good deal over the D3400 as these 2 cameras are almost identical in everyway.

 

[Soup du Jour]

I'm thinking mostly birds, animals, and possibly insects. My budget is under $500. Also, I have zero experience with any major brand.

For these subjects you probably want a long lens and a macro-style lens. I don't think the 18-55mm lens will be so useful for this. If you bought a used Canon DSLR or a some make of micro4/3rds mount camera you could achieve both longer lens zoom with auto-focus as well as buying a older, manual-focus macro lens (of many various makes).

 

[dxqcanada]

I would honestly say to any budding wildlife photography that does not have a lot of cash ... go for the system that has the most economical high quality long focal length lenses.
In the end you will end up spending a lot of money on the lenses ... so I would say pick Nikon or Canon, just because there is more opportunity to pickup second hand long focal lengths.
I shoot Sony ... and I can tell you that getting good glass ain't cheap for me ... even used, cause there is not enough people dumping old stuff.
Just take a look at the Buy and Sell in this forum ... it will give you an idea.