Best camera for beginners??

[steveraw]

Hi Clickers,

I would like to know for those who are beggners which the best camera for them to get familiar with.
Response will be appriciated.!

 

[Braineack]

I'm sure people will recommend the D3200 or the Canon equiv. (rebel?)

 

[brunerww]

What's your budget, Steve? What kind of pictures do you want to take? Do you want the camera to do most of the work, or would you like to express your creativity? Do you plan to shoot video as well as stills? People on this forum like to help new photographers, but it is difficult to recommend a camera unless we know what you plan to use it for and how much you're willing to spend.

Cheers,

Bill

 

[KmH]

There is no 1 best camera.
Just get one.

Entry-level DSLRs with a kit lens start at about $450 -
Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR with 18-55mm IS II Lens and EOS HD Movie Mode (Black)

Eventually people get a good tripod, more lenses, and other accessories.

 

[manaheim]

It's really mostly about budget. If you have a $10K budget, then the best camera to get is a D4.

That's sort of glib, but it's also kinda true. The more money you spend on a camera, the more capable it is, the fewer limitations you will encounter.

That said, some of the "lesser bodies" have some extra features to help newbies out... in-camera guides, more automated "modes", etc. My personal opinion is that these things HAMPER learning more than they encourage it. They give you crutches or box you in when you may not want to be, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Tailgunner]

Nikon - D3100, D3200, D5200
Cannon -Rebel

 

[goodguy]

Assuming you mean a beginner with small wallet then my vote is for the Nikon D3200 with the 18-105mm VR kit lens.
Great camera for little money with a lot of potential to grow into.

 

[Dao]

Agree with the budget play in an important role. And it is nothing wrong for a beginner to start with a pro body. There are people (beginner) who did that in the past here spend thousands of dollars for the first DSLR and lenses.

 

[ronlane]

+1 on it depends on the budget. I decided on Canon myself but doing it over today, I would look closely at the D5100 with a good kit lens.

 

[GRafyx]

My first camera was a Canon EOS 1100D, and I Highly recommand it as a beginner camera! I still have it and I use it often! I bought it in a pack with a 18-55mm lens.

 

[KmH]

Everything you need to know about buying a camera | The Verge

 

[raventepes]

Go to a shop...a real one! Weather it's Best Buy, or something else, doesn't really matter. The whole point is to go in and play with bodies in your price range and figure out what's comfortable to you. You might like Nikon, you might like Canon. They both have different ergonomics and handling. It's a personal thing, really.

 

[Solarflare]

1. Every camera is always a compromise. For example, if you have a large heavy camera, it most likely will produce outstanding image quality, but it will also be hard to move around and it will be very expensive. Remember, a camera you dont have with you when you see the possibility for a picture is USELESS in this moment. Photography is impossible without a camera. Thats why I myself are constantly looking for the perfect compact camera, even if I now most of the time have my D600 with me.

2. There is a ton of cameras around. Each with their advantages and disadvantages.

3. There are TWO important aspects of photography:
a) The technical side. If you want to be a good technical photographer, you need a camera that allows you to control the photographic parameters well. You want to learn about the exposure triangle and all the other things.
b) The art side. Knowing the technique will help you to make more pictures, and pictures of different kinds. Knowing the art side of photography, composition, will allow you to make stronger pictures, no matter the camera.
c) The more you have mastered both sides of photography, the more important is of course creativity.

4. A good general purpose camera would be for example the Nikon D3100 (or, for a very useful flipscreen, the D5100) with the 18-55mm kit lens. This lens produces good image quality if stepped down to f/8 over most of its range, and it allows to do some macro photography (maximum mag 1:3.2). You might also want to add a SB700 (or used SB600, or some good Metz with Nikon i-TTL support) flash soon.

5. Another possibility, but its hard to tell: you want a camera and stay with it for years to come. Then you want a camera that doesnt limit you in photographic choices and gives you good control over the photographic process. The lowest choice for that would be the D7000.

6. As already mentioned, the choice between Canon and Nikon is mostly taste. I myself for example put high priority on low light performance, so I went Nikon. Canon isnt too bad in low light, either, though.

[...] If you have a $10K budget, then the best camera to get is a D4. [...]

Really, really not. The D4 is a specialized camera for sports and news photographers that need ultimate robustness and reliability.

Even most pro photographers are better off with the D800 (best Nikon for video), D800E (best Nikon for studio/landscape/best resolution), or D600 (best Nikon for general use, specifically thanks to low weight and fast switch between two configurations possible, but also ugly oil on sensor problem and small AF area).

For an absolute newbie, the highest I would buy is the D600, because thats the last Nikon with the good old green Auto mode. Canon shooters have it better with that, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III still has this mode, while the Nikon D800 does not.

With a budget around 10k$, a good setup could be, for example, 2x D600, AF-S 16-35mm f4 VR, AF-S 70-200mm f4 VR, AF-S 50mm f1.4 (for a cheap and small low light lens, or alternatively the new Sigma 35mm f1.4), AF-S micro 105mm f2.8 VR (Macro photography), SB700 flash (possibly 2 or 3), plus good backpack (for example Lowepro Flipside 500 AW), good straps, tripod with good ball head, filters etc. That allows you high image quality, low weight (for a full frame DSLR, anyway), the ability to carry that stuff all day, and good flexibility.

 

[Michy]

I'm a newbie myself, so don't count my opinion as educated, but I've heard a lot of people on a lot of forums/reviews say the Nikon D5100 is a great camera for beginners. Not sure what the Canon equivalent is for that particular one (I think the T3i?), but I'm sure there is one too. I'm still deciding/saving up for one myself but will probably end up with one of those two - D5100 or T3i at some point.

Good luck in your camera search!

 

[dao764]

I also recommend d5100 since this model is far better than 3100 in terms of capabilities. And there's not much difference in price. For canon, no model in the same price range can compete with d5100. If you have a budget around 1k, go for d7000 or d7100.