Buying first camera!!!!! NEED HELP

[goodguy]

I recommend Nikon D3300 which you know.
I own this camera and it is indeed a superb camera.
Canon makes good cameras too but I wouldn't recommend their cameras under the t6i which is well above your budget.
The sensors in the t3i, t5 and t5i is the same sensor Canon has been using for 6 years and it is a bit lagging behind in low light performance and dynamic range.

On the other hand the Nikon D3300 has a totally modern sensor with excellent low light performance, good dynamic range and more resolution.
The D3300 is a basic camera so it is short on features but not on quality and image performance.
When it comes to being able to produce images it is as good as cameras that cost doubt its value and more.
For your budget I think the D3300 is the best camera you can get.

 

[SquarePeg]

If you're worried about finding a reputable seller, you can get a refurb direct from Nikon: Refurbished Camera Products | Used Cameras, Lenses & Flashes | Nikon The 3300 is $330 and the 18-55 kit lens is $80.

I would check Cameta.com first though, they are reputable and they offer a free warranty extension on refurbs from the typical 90 days to a full year. I've used them for used and refurb and was very happy with their service.

 

[awiltj]

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.

Wow, thank you SO MUCH for this in depth response! It was extremely helpful because I have heard a few others recommend to me the T5. I'm really leaning towards buying the Nikon D3300 now but before I make any decisions, I'd like to now whether it would be worth it to wait and try to save up money to buy a more expensive camera such as the Nikon D5*** or D7*** series or the Canon T6i or T6s. And then in that case, is the Nikon D3300 still better than the Canon T6s?

 

[robbins.photo]

Wow, thank you SO MUCH for this in depth response! It was extremely helpful because I have heard a few others recommend to me the T5. I'm really leaning towards buying the Nikon D3300 now but before I make any decisions, I'd like to now whether it would be worth it to wait and try to save up money to buy a more expensive camera such as the Nikon D5*** or D7*** series or the Canon T6i or T6s. And then in that case, is the Nikon D3300 still better than the Canon T6s?

Depends a lot on what features you consider "better" as being worth the price difference:

Nikon D3300 vs Canon T6s

That's a quick and dirty breakdown. If your looking for stuff like a touch screen, then yes the T6s would be a better choice. If your like me and could care less about a touch screen, or indeed exactly like me and would never buy a touch screen camera even if your life depended on it, then that probably wouldn't be a big selling point for you. I'm a viewfinder guy.. I guarantee if I had a camera with a touch screen I'd be activating the dang menu system all the time when I was trying to shoot, every time I put my face up to the viewfinder. I wouldn't touch one of those with a 300 foot pole. But hey, some people seem to go ga-ga over them, so who knows.

In the end the thing that will make the biggest difference in the quality of your photos is going to be you, the photographer. One camera body or another might have an advantage here or a disadvantage there, but truth be told the differences between brands is not as dramatic as you might think. Yes, better stats in certain areas are of some benefit in certain shooting situations, and might make things a bit easier, but all in all the biggest variable is the skill of the guy holding the camera.

I do recommend Nikon for you, primarily because it's also what your brother shoots. Makes it a lot easier for you and he to exchange info, share equipment, etc. Like Derrel I do think Nikon has some advantages in it's entry level products that do make a difference even to a novice shooter, and I think you'll find your upgrade options to be very good further on down the road should you decide to really get into photography seriously.

But really in the final analysis if you bought Canon it's not like you'd be missing out huge by not going Nikon, or vice versa.

 

[goodguy]

Wow, thank you SO MUCH for this in depth response! It was extremely helpful because I have heard a few others recommend to me the T5. I'm really leaning towards buying the Nikon D3300 now but before I make any decisions, I'd like to now whether it would be worth it to wait and try to save up money to buy a more expensive camera such as the Nikon D5*** or D7*** series or the Canon T6i or T6s. And then in that case, is the Nikon D3300 still better than the Canon T6s?

Well there really is no end (well there is LOL) to how much more you want to spend on a camera and lenses.
As I said before when it comes to the basic image quality and low light performance then the D3300 is very close to the best crop sensor cameras in the market.
But it is very cheap on features
The question is what features you want, you might buy a camera with more features but you will not need them or use them so it will be a waste of money.
Better models will give you better auto focus system but the one on the D3300 is plenty good too especially to a beginner.
Mind you I shoot events with the D3300 as a second camera and I am very happy with it.
Another thing to remember is that the lenses are more important then the camera, I rather get a cheaper camera with better lenses then good camera with basic lenses.
Good lens will let you bring more light to the camera, will give you more control of depth of field and overall better image quality.

I dont think buying a D5500 or D7200 is a mistake, not at all but the quaetion again is how much you want to spend, how long you need to wait to add more money.
If you want 2 months and can get a D5500 then I would say wait and get the D5500.
If you need to wait 6 months I personally wouldn't wait that long but its all very personal.

 

[awiltj]

Wow, thank you SO MUCH for this in depth response! It was extremely helpful because I have heard a few others recommend to me the T5. I'm really leaning towards buying the Nikon D3300 now but before I make any decisions, I'd like to now whether it would be worth it to wait and try to save up money to buy a more expensive camera such as the Nikon D5*** or D7*** series or the Canon T6i or T6s. And then in that case, is the Nikon D3300 still better than the Canon T6s?

Depends a lot on what features you consider "better" as being worth the price difference:

Nikon D3300 vs Canon T6s

That's a quick and dirty breakdown. If your looking for stuff like a touch screen, then yes the T6s would be a better choice. If your like me and could care less about a touch screen, or indeed exactly like me and would never buy a touch screen camera even if your life depended on it, then that probably wouldn't be a big selling point for you. I'm a viewfinder guy.. I guarantee if I had a camera with a touch screen I'd be activating the dang menu system all the time when I was trying to shoot, every time I put my face up to the viewfinder. I wouldn't touch one of those with a 300 foot pole. But hey, some people seem to go ga-ga over them, so who knows.

In the end the thing that will make the biggest difference in the quality of your photos is going to be you, the photographer. One camera body or another might have an advantage here or a disadvantage there, but truth be told the differences between brands is not as dramatic as you might think. Yes, better stats in certain areas are of some benefit in certain shooting situations, and might make things a bit easier, but all in all the biggest variable is the skill of the guy holding the camera.

I do recommend Nikon for you, primarily because it's also what your brother shoots. Makes it a lot easier for you and he to exchange info, share equipment, etc. Like Derrel I do think Nikon has some advantages in it's entry level products that do make a difference even to a novice shooter, and I think you'll find your upgrade options to be very good further on down the road should you decide to really get into photography seriously.

But really in the final analysis if you bought Canon it's not like you'd be missing out huge by not going Nikon, or vice versa.

One of my good friends who is a very good photographer shoots with only Canon. My brother uses Nikon, but he uses it primarily just as a side hobby and I can't see him buying multiple lenses or anything like that. Also, although my friend uses Canon and has a lot of Canon equipment, I will be going to college in a few months so I won't be shooting with him much then anyways. The only upside to Canon would be that he has offered to teach me the basics of photography. Does this change your suggestions at all?

 

[Designer]

You can learn the basics with any camera. By basics, I usually refer to composition, which is "universal" in that you can learn it with any camera. Good composition and exposure will get you to the next level.

 

[robbins.photo]

One of my good friends who is a very good photographer shoots with only Canon. My brother uses Nikon, but he uses it primarily just as a side hobby and I can't see him buying multiple lenses or anything like that. Also, although my friend uses Canon and has a lot of Canon equipment, I will be going to college in a few months so I won't be shooting with him much then anyways. The only upside to Canon would be that he has offered to teach me the basics of photography. Does this change your suggestions at all?

Well if your friend is a good photographer brand won't matter, he can give people tips on shooting Canon pretty much the same as shooting Nikon, if your friend is going to make it a habit of possibly loaning you some lenses then I might lean toward going the Canon route.

In your situation I'd probably still recommend Nikon though, since you'll be buying more or less entry level or possibly one step above entry level but wanting to use it for years to come before looking at upgrading the body. I think you'll get more "bang for the buck" at those price points with Nikon.

 

[awiltj]

One of my good friends who is a very good photographer shoots with only Canon. My brother uses Nikon, but he uses it primarily just as a side hobby and I can't see him buying multiple lenses or anything like that. Also, although my friend uses Canon and has a lot of Canon equipment, I will be going to college in a few months so I won't be shooting with him much then anyways. The only upside to Canon would be that he has offered to teach me the basics of photography. Does this change your suggestions at all?

Well if your friend is a good photographer brand won't matter, he can give people tips on shooting Canon pretty much the same as shooting Nikon, if your friend is going to make it a habit of possibly loaning you some lenses then I might lean toward going the Canon route.

In your situation I'd probably still recommend Nikon though, since you'll be buying more or less entry level or possibly one step above entry level but wanting to use it for years to come before looking at upgrading the body. I think you'll get more "bang for the buck" at those price points with Nikon.

Thank you so so much again! You have been extremely helpful.

 

[Jon_Are]

I have just two pieces of advice:

Go with Nikon. Not because it's better, but because your brother has Nikon. You can share lenses and Nikon-specific tips and techniques.

Strongly consider used, at least to start. You can get a Nikon D80 body for less than $150 and it's a damn fine camera. I just upgraded from the D80 after ten years and putting it on the shelf made me sad. I felt like I was putting my dog down.

Good luck!

 

[beagle100]

Ivice versa.

One of my good friends who is a very good photographer shoots with only Canon. My brother uses Nikon, but he uses it primarily just as a side hobby and I can't see him buying multiple lenses or anything like that. Also, although my friend uses Canon and has a lot of Canon equipment, I will be going to college in a few months so I won't be shooting with him much then anyways.

right, most people use Canon cameras, professional photographers use Canon
the other brands work fine but if you want the best go with the industry leader

 

[xenskhe]

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.

I do feel ok with suggesting a novice looks at buying from an established photographic trader on ebay, that has 99.8 or 99.9 or 100% positive feedback, offers 14 day or 30 day returns on Buy It Now items - and the buyer pays with PayPal and is protected. Just be sure the listings state the item is 'Used' (rather than For Parts or Not Working) and the seller declares the items are fully working (checked and tested). I've bought literally hundreds of items of camera gear over ebay since 2000 and very few were not as described; that's about the same as I've had buying from bricks and mortar stores online due to random faults or other errors. I've bought DOA junk on ebay but it was listed as unknown condition, unchecked, dirt cheap.

 

[goodguy]

Ivice versa.

One of my good friends who is a very good photographer shoots with only Canon. My brother uses Nikon, but he uses it primarily just as a side hobby and I can't see him buying multiple lenses or anything like that. Also, although my friend uses Canon and has a lot of Canon equipment, I will be going to college in a few months so I won't be shooting with him much then anyways.

right, most people use Canon cameras, professional photographers use Canon
the other brands work fine but if you want the best go with the industry leader

Actually most professionals use Nikon DSLR and Sony is getting bigger and bigger because Canon users move to it (and few Nikon users too).

 

[Ihatemymoney]

I bought my 5DmkII with 5000 actuations on it, gripped, and with a RRS L bracket used out of another photography forum at very good price.
Actually I have bought about 12K worth of used lights and lenses tripods out of the for sale section of photography forum's .

Overall it seems like most people who are Active members of a photography forum and they are selling some stuff in that's forum's for sale section seems pretty honest.
Or at least it was for me I always use my credit card to pay pal, never send as gift............

Personally I don't care to borrow others people's stuff.
And camera equipment would be at the top of the list of don't do, don't loan it out and don't borrow other peoples camera gear.

I guess I am pretty partial to the Conon brand.
Ps I have a Canon T3i with a some nice glass for sale, I have a the kit lens 18-55mm, EF-S 10-22mm lens.
8MM fish eye , EF 70-210 mm lens and a TS-E 24mm mk I lens.

 

[Wolfox]

I think,
If you are a professional photographer or you know everything about it, you will get the best from a Nikon, Canon, ect.
If you are not a professional photographer and you don't know nothing about it, you won't see the difference between Nikon, Canon, ect.
Or maye just ask which has the best Automode.
If You want to learn all DSLR are ok, maybe with something less performing you will know that the skills are from the photographer and not everything from the Machine.
I was looking for a point and shoot, then decided to try the DSLR world, went in a shop and took a simple 1200d deal(Camera-18-55, 55-250, camera bag at 500€). Not a top Performer for everyone in here, but more than enough for me and learning having fun. Useless to spend to much money for something I don't know how to use.
I would say, take the pack with a wideangle and telephoto that suits your wallet and enjoy. Avoid comparing your hardware, just improve in making your photos better with a good dose of light exposure!!