Buying a new DSLR

[bugsbunnyboss]

Hi everyone,


I am G.V. and I am a beginner in terms of photography. I will be shooting landscape pictures (shooting small airplanes). Then I would be using these pictures on a 2m x 1m print.
Could you please suggest me the right camera and lens for my purpose. It is very important that the print size is at least 2m x 1m. I don't mind spending extra $ to get a good camera, though I am a beginner.


Thank you in advance.
G.V.

 

[goodguy]

You are not giving us price range so you are leaving me guessing what to suggest.
Well I will suggest 3 cameras, all good and will do what you need, as the price goes up so does the more options and capabilities but even the basic one will do a very good job.

Nikon D3200-basic camera for true beginners, good image quality and low light performance.
Nikon D5200-For beginners who want to grow and improve their photography, better image quality and low light performance then the D3200
Nikon D7100-For serious enthusiast photographer, roughly same capabilities as Nikon D5200 but with more options

Get the camera with its kit lens, either the 18-105mm VR or 18-140mm VR
Also a prime lens, either 35mm 1.8G or 50mm 1.8G.
The 35mm is the more wider lens and is better for landscaping but the 50mm is more popular and better for portraits.

 

[Solarflare]

The D5200 has a flipscreen, which is an uber feature for many occasions, to get unusual angles. Also it can be flipped around to protect the monitor. Its a huge shame you can only get this feature from Nikon in the D5100, D5200 and D5300 line.

It also has better sensor, autofocus, metering etc than the D3200, but frankly theres not that many substantial differences between those two models. They both are entry level, have only one command dial, and they dont have the goodies like dual card slot, weather sealing, or high speed sync for flash. And they are both very lightweight, too.


About the OP, you are indeed MUCH too vague. Airplanes arent landscapes at all. Are you photographing them on the ground ? Or while flying ? How far are they away ? If you want to photograph them in a huge distance you'll need to spend very substantial money on that project.

 

[ruifo]

Hi everyone,


I am G.V. and I am a beginner in terms of photography. I will be shooting landscape pictures (shooting small airplanes). Then I would be using these pictures on a 2m x 1m print.
Could you please suggest me the right camera and lens for my purpose. It is very important that the print size is at least 2m x 1m. I don't mind spending extra $ to get a good camera, though I am a beginner.


Thank you in advance.
G.V.

Hi G.V.,

I would go with the D5200 or the D7100, once they are 24 Mega Pixel cameras.
The 24 MP will help you to print large pictures.

Above that, you will only find a 36 MP at the Nikon D800 camera, for 3x plus, the price of the D5200 and the D7100.

In case you need to photograph airplanes as a spotter, you will need some lens with at least at 200mm.
A 300mm lens would be even better for this purpose. A tripod is more than welcome as well.
The 24 MP found at D5200 and D7100 will be good to crop the photo from the distance too.

If you're shooting parked planes, at their apron, you will probably need a wide angle lens.
Lenses between 8mm and 35mm will do the trick, depending on the effect you need, and the distance you want to shoot from.

Alternatively, think of an "all-in-one" lens as well, something like a 18-200mm, 18-250mm, 18-270mm or 18-300mm.
Nikon, Sigma and Tamron provide nice option in this range.

Some shot examples I took (in reduced quality for web publishing), using the Nikon D5200:


D5200, 240mm, F/8, 1/500, ISO 500 (Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens)

D5200, 300mm, F/8, 1/1250, ISO 800 (Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens)

D5200, 270mm, F/8, 1/1250, ISO 800 (Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens)

D5200, 195mm, F/8, 1/1250, ISO 800 (Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens)

D5200, 50mm, F/4.5, 1/80, ISO 400 (Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens)

D5200, 220mm, F/8, 1/200, ISO 100 (Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens)

 

[SCraig]

Nikon D800e with the best glass that Nikon makes.

 

[goodguy]

Nikon D800e with the best glass that Nikon makes.

Nah, too expensive just tell him to get the D800, the "e" is for pro's :mrgreen: that will make the deal much more affordable.

 

[SCraig]

Nah, too expensive just tell him to get the D800, the "e" is for pro's :mrgreen: that will make the deal much more affordable.

According to this:

I don't mind spending extra $ to get a good camera, though I am a beginner.

That's not an issue. Besides if he wants large enlargements with maximum sharpness the D800e with Nikon's best glass is the way to go.

 

[goodguy]

Nah, too expensive just tell him to get the D800, the "e" is for pro's :mrgreen: that will make the deal much more affordable.

According to this:

I don't mind spending extra $ to get a good camera, though I am a beginner.

That's not an issue. Besides if he wants large enlargements with maximum sharpness the D800e with Nikon's best glass is the way to go.

Good point, since OP really is ambiguous and not even bothering to reply to own thread then maybe we should really raise the ante and recommend the Nikon D3X.
If he/she wants the best and willing to spend a little extra then that should be the proper recommendation.
This camera with few proper lenses of course

Nikon lenses

14-24mm 2.8G
24-70mm 2.8G
70-200mm 2.8G VR II
24mm 1.4G
58mm 1.4G
85mm 1.4G
And of course just in case he/she goes birding or celebrity paparazzi then the next lens is a must
800mm 5.6E FL ED VR

But of course this is a modest list which I am sure I can add few more if needed, I just don't think a beginner should over spend on first camera and lenses.

On a more serious note I wonder if OP even bothered to look at our replies.

 

[raventepes]

Given your printing requirement, Full frame would be, perhaps the most logical choice. I'd go with a D610. Although it's a crop sensor, I've gotten some good, big prints out of my D7100, too, though you'll lose a bit of dynamic range, but maybe not enough for the average person to notice. (I'm surprised the D610 hasn't been mentioned yet). But that's Nikon gear, which is the brand I use...but since this is a general forum, I'd also feel inclined to offer the suggestion of a Canon 5D MK 3 or 6D. For a crop sensor option from Canon, I like their 7D.

It's worth mentioning that I've provided a couple different price points, and to everyone who's been here a while, I left out the D800/E intentionally. We all know it's a beast that requires the very best in lens selection, shooting discipline, etc. I can't in good conscience recommend it to a beginner.

Lenses are another matter. You can go with either a "Kit lens", or buy the body on its own and get the lenses separately. Kit lenses aren't terrible, but really, if you want the best optics you can get, or even middle of the road, Kit lenses aren't where you want to be. Granted, there are some good ones out there, though mostly for full frame cameras (Nikon 24-85 and Canon 24-105L, to name a couple) While I like my (crop sensor) 18-105 from Nikon, my 16-85 is a better lens.

Just my half-awake thoughts, at any rate.

-Eddy