Buying first camera!!!!! NEED HELP

awiltj · Feb 29, 2016

I borrowed my brothers Nikon D3300 for a weekend and absolutely fell in love with photography! I'm looking to buy my first camera and am really getting mixed messages as to where to start. My friend who's amazing at photography suggested I start with something in the Canon t series but I wanted to get some other opinions too. My budget is extremely low (~$500) so I'm trying to look for the best bang for my buck- something that's easy and good to learn the ins and outs of photography on, develop my personal photographic style, diverse, and will last me a while. I'm about to go to college so I can't see myself being able to afford a new body anytime in the near future so I'd like something that's versatile and all around a good camera but will stay relevant for a while if possible. As I said before, I'm new, but I can see myself focusing on landscapes and portraits (candids showing true emotions of people). I'll appreciate any help you may have! Thank you so much in advance (also idc either Nikon or Canon- open to suggestions)

jaomul · Feb 29, 2016

Why not the d3300?

Welcome to tpf

cherylynne1 · Feb 29, 2016

This is a good place to start: 2015 Roundup: Interchangeable Lens Cameras around $500

$500 isn't a huge budget in the photography world, so I also recommend looking at used or refurbished cameras, so you can move up to this price point:

2015 Roundup: Interchangeable Lens Cameras $500-800

There aren't really any bad cameras nowadays, just cameras that have different strengths. Reading through these reviews can help you focus in on the features that are important to you.

Stradawhovious · Feb 29, 2016

Take a look at a used Nikon D90 and a nifty fifty (Nikon 50mm 1.8). Those should both come in way under $500 (combined), and you will have one heck of a first camera with a very nice lens to boot.

With the D90 having an internal focus motor (unlike the 3xxx series) you also leave yourself open to being able to use almost every Nikon lens made in the last 30 years, and there are some nice low cost gems in that lineup.

Didereaux · Feb 29, 2016

USED! go to BH or Adorama or any other REPUTABLE dealer and look in their used DSLR sections. Being a Canon user I would suggest you look at a GOOD used T3i, or even an older T2i. Under $300 and you get an excellent almost full featured camera that have produced some fine photos over the years. Your image quality will be more affected by your choice of lens than by any of the bodies produced in the last 6-8years. I will let a knowledgeable Nikon user make suggestions as to the Nikon equivalents to my recommendations. With the Canons you might look at the 55-250mm kit lens. A quite usable all purpose zoom lens.

robbins.photo · Feb 29, 2016

awiltj said:
I borrowed my brothers Nikon D3300 for a weekend and absolutely fell in love with photography! I'm looking to buy my first camera and am really getting mixed messages as to where to start. My friend who's amazing at photography suggested I start with something in the Canon t series but I wanted to get some other opinions too. My budget is extremely low (~$500) so I'm trying to look for the best bang for my buck- something that's easy and good to learn the ins and outs of photography on, develop my personal photographic style, diverse, and will last me a while. I'm about to go to college so I can't see myself being able to afford a new body anytime in the near future so I'd like something that's versatile and all around a good camera but will stay relevant for a while if possible. As I said before, I'm new, but I can see myself focusing on landscapes and portraits (candids showing true emotions of people). I'll appreciate any help you may have! Thank you so much in advance (also idc either Nikon or Canon- open to suggestions)

I'd look at a Nikon D5200 with a kit lens to start with, should be well within your budget range, you can share lenses with your brother and it is a very good compromise between price and performance. You should be able to get a refurbished model for less than $500 with the kit lens pretty easily.

Solarflare · Feb 29, 2016

Well, to be honest 500$ isnt that much of a budget, but you can get an entry level camera and a kitlens for that. As far as bang of the buck, the best option are entry or semi pro DSLRs. They are big though, but they are much better than compacts of the same price point.

I would recomment getting the Nikon D5200 and the AF-S 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 VR kitlens. The D5200 is cheaper than the D3300 but the much better camera, with a better AF system and a flipscreen. Thats pretty much camera already.

For the record, with a bit more you could get a refurbished D7100, which could actually be all the camera you ever need. The difference between a D5200 and a D7100 is that a D7100 is a "semi-pro" model, i.e. it has a lot more direct controls and can be configured in a way that you will hardly ever need to "menusurf" while operating the camera, given of course that you have spent the time to learn the camera in the first place. With the D3300 or the D5200 you'll often be quite a bit slower. The D7100 also has a lot of features the D3x00 and D5x00 lines lack, such as a second memorycard slot for backup, better build including weathersealing, even better autofocus than the D5200 (in fact the previous top of the line AF chip), advanced flash features, etc. No flipscreen though. Another archilles heel is a small buffer, and not that much fps to begin with. Otherwise a very complete general camera though.

And dont worry, all these lines of cameras (D3x00, D5x00, D7x00) are beginner friendly. They offer a green mode and you can work from that point on, slowly learning the controls and what they actually mean.

Well, the used market has all kinds of options. The D7000 and the D90 would be possible choices. They have the same AF chip as the D5200 though, not the advanced of the D7100 and D7200.

IronMaskDuval · Feb 29, 2016

Are you wedded to DSLR? If not, look at Fuji XE1 or Sony nex 6 or 7. Both have a good lineup of native lenses and can shoot old manual focus lens of almost any kind. I found an NEX6 with a kit lens a few days ago for $200.

Designer · Feb 29, 2016

awiltj said:
I borrowed my brothers Nikon D3300 for a weekend and absolutely fell in love with photography! I'm looking to buy my first camera and am really getting mixed messages as to where to start. My friend who's amazing at photography suggested I start with something in the Canon t series but I wanted to get some other opinions too. My budget is extremely low (~$500) so I'm trying to look for the best bang for my buck- something that's easy and good to learn the ins and outs of photography on, develop my personal photographic style, diverse, and will last me a while. I'm about to go to college so I can't see myself being able to afford a new body anytime in the near future so I'd like something that's versatile and all around a good camera but will stay relevant for a while if possible. As I said before, I'm new, but I can see myself focusing on landscapes and portraits (candids showing true emotions of people). I'll appreciate any help you may have! Thank you so much in advance (also idc either Nikon or Canon- open to suggestions)

Since I'm a Nikon owner, I recommend Nikon. (funny how that works)

I also recommend that you try to find the highest-level DSLR you can get in your budget, because they can all be operated on "auto" until you learn other modes. You will grow into a higher level body over time, but you don't want to start out with a cheap body and then wish it was something else later on.

You can get a cheap lens to use while you're learning the technology, and then upgrade lenses as you find additional money.

So check out the reputable dealers that offer used gear and put together a few sample deals and re-post to get someone's opinion.

TCampbell · Feb 29, 2016

A Canon EOS Rebel T5 is about $400 new (not used) and would include a single kit lens -- an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens with image stabilization (not the new "STM" version -- which is a much better lens.) It would come with everything you need to start *except* a memory card (memory cards are cheap.)

A Nikon D3300 is about $450 new (not used) and would also include a single kit lens -- also an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens with image stabilization.

Both of these are Canon & Nikon's respective entry-level bodies (designed and priced to be the most affordable DSLRs they offer.)

The kit lenses are primarily designed with affordability in mind. That means they do a good job (in comparison to non-DSLR cameras they do a fantastic job) but both companies make much better lenses than the kit lenses. The kit lens' focal ratios (both identical) aren't ideal for low-light shooting situations and, for this reason, it's often suggested that perhaps adding a 50mm f/1.8 lens would be a good idea. The 50mm f/1.8 does capture considerably more light (about 10x more light at the 50mm focal length then the kit lens -- so it's a substantial difference). BUT... that's an extra lens.

Canon just revised their 50mm f/1.8 with a new STM version and it sells for the same price as the previous version of $125 (but currently it's $110) - a FANTASTIC deal.

Nikon has a 50mm f/1.8 priced at about $132 BUT ... it doesn't have auto-focus and you definitely want auto-focus. The version of the lens that does have auto-focus is about $217 -- more than $100 higher than the cost of the Canon.

You can save a bit by checking to see if either company has them available as "refurbished" cameras and lenses. A refurb comes with the same warranty as a new camera, but because it was previously purchased they cannot sell them as "new" (often times there was never anything wrong with a refurb other than the customer changed their mind and returned it to the store.) All the things that might get lost (product documentation, software, cables, etc.) tend to get replaced with "new" items in a refurb. You're basically assured that everything will be there.

You can also get "used" but here you have to be a little careful because a used camera doesn't have a warranty and you do want to make sure that everything is working correctly. There's a lot that can go wrong that you might not notice as a buyer unless you have some experience evaluating used camera gear.

Both cameras will do all the same basic functions ... but there are lots of subtle little differences. The differences are not particularly substantial.

These two companies dominate the camera world. Both have an incredibly array of lenses and other accessories so you can grow the system over time.

I wouldn't worry too much... any currently offered DSLR camera is pretty amazing these days. You'll be happy with whatever you pick.

awiltj · Feb 29, 2016

Thank you so so much for all of your help so far! The one thing I hear you guys saying is that if I want to buy used to buy from a reputable dealer. So would you advise not buying from websites such as Craigslist or eBay?

cherylynne1 · Feb 29, 2016

awiltj said:
Thank you so so much for all of your help so far! The one thing I hear you guys saying is that if I want to buy used to buy from a reputable dealer. So would you advise not buying from websites such as Craigslist or eBay?

I personally wouldn't recommend it. More experienced photographers know what to look for in used equipment, but for beginners it's better to purchase from a place that tests it for you. B&H Photo, Adorama, and KEH.com are all reputable for used items. You can also look for open box deals at Best Buy or Amazon Warehouse.

xenskhe · Feb 29, 2016

awiltj said:
I can see myself focusing on landscapes and portraits (candids showing true emotions of people). I'll appreciate any help you may have! Thank you so much in advance (also idc either Nikon or Canon- open to suggestions)

Consider an old, used Canon (or Pentax) DSLR and choose from lots of manual focus lenses that are adaptable. E.g. Olympus 24mm f2.8 ($150), Tamron SP 90mm f2.5 ($150), Canon 40D ($150), a speedlight (Canon 270 EX, $50), couple of EOS adaptors $40. Use Ebay dealers with 99.9+% feedback - 14 day refund/PayPal buyer protection.

Derrel · Feb 29, 2016

I normally buy high-end Nikons, so it's fun for me to sometimes compare the features of the most-affordable cameras. SO, here's what I found out in about 10 minutes.

Compare the Canon EOS Rebel T5 vs the Nikon D3300

BETTER image quality and numerous better features from the same price-point in cameras comes from Nikon D3300 versus the Canon Rebel T5.

The Nikon has 2.4 more bits of color discernment, 1.9 f/stops greater dynamic range, a rear LCD screen with twice as high a resolution (912k dots for the Nikon, 460k for the Rebel), the Nikon D3300 has an external microphone jack, the Canon does not, the D3300 can create in-camera panoramas, shoot significantly faster, 5 frames per second versus three 3 f.p.s. firing rate for the Canon, the D3300 has notably higher resolution, 23.2 million pixels versus 18 million pixels, the overall image quality rating the Nikon earns is a score of 82.0 compared against the Rebel T5 score of 63.0.

The Nikon has a self-cleaning sensor, the Rebel does not. The Nikon has a better sensor, just simply flat out BETTER, and in keeping with that it has a Maximum standard ISO of 12,800 with a boost ISO level of 25,600 ISO-equivalent, as opposed to the Canon T5's sensor which Canon certifies as ISO-compliant up to 6,400, and then the boosted rating is ISO 12,800-equivalent.

The D3300 has 11 AF points, the T5 has 9. The Nikon battery is rated to 700 shots, the Canon to 500, using the strictly-prescribed CIPA testing standard, in which every-other frame MUST be fired with the pop-up flash on all cameras that have a pop-up flash.

The Nikon D3300 shoots movies at up to 1080p@60fps, the Canon 1080p@30 fps max.

Switching to Imaging Resource, one of the web's oldest and most-respected digital camera review sites the difference is SHOCKING in their head-to-head, where they put cameras, one on the left, one on the right, and list the Advantages for each camera on their respective sides of the page. See Nikon D3300 vs Canon T5

Not surprisingly, the Nikon has 13 advantages to the Canon T5's ONE, single advantage. The Canon HAS an anti-aliasing filter. That is it, the SINGLE advantage I-R lists for the Rebel T5 over the Nikon D3300. 13 to 1.

The Nikon has, as Imaging Resource lists, the following advantages: in-camera panoramas, better color depth, higher effective ISO, more dynamic range,longer still photo battery life, external mic input, higher-res LCD screen, more pixels, bigger JPEG shooting buffer (100 shots for the Nikon, 12 shots for the Canon, a mere 82-frame advantage for the Nikon), faster JPEG shooting speed 5 fps Nikon vs 3 frames per second Canon, faster RAW shooting for the Nikon at again 5 fps versus 3 fps for the Canon, and the Nikon "lacks anti-aliasing filter" which they list as "enjoy sharper photos". But hey--wait a second; the Canon's single, solitary advantage that it HAS an anti-aliasing filter, which they say, "Reduces unsightly moiré in photos. (Take away the anti-aliasing filter advantage, and the Canon loses ALL 13 points of comparison.)

Oh, crap… that means the D3300 betters the T5 in every, single category according to I-R's head-to-head comparison…huh…

But yeah, Canon has a cheap 50mm plastic-fantastic (but don't let it drop and hit the ground, or it might snap into two, non-repairable halves), and Nikon has a professionally capable 50mm f/1.8 AF-S G-series lens that costs just under $200 new. That cheap Canon 50 will be great when the camera locks up after shooting its 12 pictures in a row, while the Nikon fires off another 82 frames without stopping. Apparently the difference are small, and "subtle"...like better color, faster, more frames, decent video audio with a decent microphone added to the Nikon, greater dynamic range, better battery,higher resolution, etc.. You shot a D3300--you KNOW what it is like..buy a Rebel T5 and expect a step down in 13 areas.

One camera is a better-built, better engineered Camera than the other, and the price is basically comparable. Look at BestBuy and Walmart's prices. BestBuy has remarkably good return privileges. This one is an easy call.

jcdeboever · Mar 1, 2016

I can vouch for the D3300. It's a very capable camera, light weight, and the kit lens 18-55 works pretty darn good. A pro buddy of mine used it and I used his full frame for a day together. I was amazed at the quality of photos he got using mine, so I know the potential is there hardware wise.

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