Buying new camera...Advice!?

[jcdeboever]

I am so good that I can screw up the composition framing with a Holga 120.

 

[robbins.photo]

thanks everyone I really appreciate all the help...I am not looking to "start a business" as someone presumed earlier, I have a full time job and am simply going to be doing some casual shoots for friends and friends of friends...people looking for nice pictures in the semi-pro range I guess...

soooooo, it looks like I will be taking the general consensus here and gstarting with an intro Nikon...I was looking at spec sheets and comparisons on the models mentioned here but would love some input from u guys on general differences in these body models....I was looking at the d7100, the d3400 and d55oo...

thanks again!

Well when you start your list with engagement and newborn photos it's kind of a natural assumption. Not too many folks have tons of friends getting engaged and having kids all that often that those would top the list.



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[chuasam]

ouch that's a limited budget.. hmm
D3400 with kit lens, 35mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.8
SB700 and you're probably over budget now.

 

[Derrel]

Some good Christmas deals these days. Maybe look in a store and handle the cams.D7100 has a pentaprism and DUAL control wheels.D3xxx and D5xxx series have a smaller and dimmer pentamirror view system: the D5xxx has the flip screen option which the D7100 lacks.

Buying one generation back saves money. Get the 35mm prime and 50mm for a a taste of fast, prime normal and a fast-aperture short telephoto lens..

 

[PropilotBW]

If you bump your funding to 1500 or so you can pick up a D500 in like new condition. I saw one yesterday for 1500.00 with 266 activations and all accessories in the box. US model.

I like my D500 and think it would be a great first camera.

That is an awesome camera, no doubt.

But now the OP doesn't have a lens because he blew the pot on a body.

 

[PropilotBW]

You don't need a lot to start out. Take the $1000, Buy a really good lens for $650 and buy a body for $300.
You don't need a SB-700 flash to do baby photography. Use natural light and learn proper exposure using what you have.
I did baby photography with a Nikon D5100 and a 35mm 1.8. I bought $30 reflector screens and got some really good results.
What about the other $50 I left out? Well, either taxes or buy a photography book explaining how to shoot.

Digital Photo Books

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I say save a bit more and don't settle for what you can get, get what you want.

 

[OGsPhotography]

Yeah, Im with Suzuki! Save and buy a big Canon! I'll suggest the gear thats in my sig because thats what I fell for.

You'll have no way to know what you'll want in your camera kit until you have some experience, there is a learning curve and the manufacturers dont make it easy, that is for certain. They sell waaaaay too many tiers of camera bodies. Lens are bit more straightforward but not by much.

Canons 70d sold me on the wifi and swivel touch screen, two features I still care for if barely. Its nice to send photos from the field. I use it in tandem with my iphone. I hardly ever touch the screen, really not much need to. I did learn on a canon xs so Im still not used to being able to touch the screen I guess.

You could probably get a 70d and a nifty 50 for 1k or less. Great " semi-pro" or prosumer, they like to call it.

 

[PropilotBW]

Nikon D3400. Kit now $499. Are you kidding? That's super cheap to get into photography. And you have left over money in your budget to buy the 50mm 1.8 and 35mm 1.8.

 

[arond24]

I saw that 3400 kit, 2 zoom lenses for 499. That leads me to my next question. How well regarded are these kit lenses? Are they junk or are they relatively nice? Seems like a great deal, then I could get this used 50mm 1.4 prime I can get for $250...the other option I have available is a 2013 d7000 with about 6000 shutter count in "excellent" condition and a 35 mm 1.8 prime for $500...thoughts?

 

[robbins.photo]

I saw that 3400 kit, 2 zoom lenses for 499. That leads me to my next question. How well regarded are these kit lenses? Are they junk or are they relatively nice? Seems like a great deal, then I could get this used 50mm 1.4 prime I can get for $250...the other option I have available is a 2013 d7000 with about 6000 shutter count in "excellent" condition and a 35 mm 1.8 prime for $500...thoughts?

Kit lenses are not the same as the highest quality pro lenses you can get, but all in all they aren't bad particularly when your first starting out.

Yes, on the whole pro lenses are going to be built better to withstand more abuse. They are usually sharper, focus faster, etc..

However you can still get really great shots using a kit lens, and honestly when your first starting out the quality of the lens is not going to have that big of an impact on your results. The biggest impact will be your knowledge and skill as a photographer.

So my recommendation is to start with the kit lenses, learn how to use those till your pushing them to their absolute max or close to it, and then maybe look at upgrading to other lenses at that stage.

At this point you've probably got a pretty general idea what sort of things you want to take pictures of, but a few months from now who knows? You might decide you want a big telephoto, or maybe a fast telephoto like what I use, or maybe macro will be more your speed.. etc...

So shoot with the kit lenses for a while, get your feet under you, and if you decide at that point you want to upgrade lenses to something more professional grade then you'll know what will best suit your needs.

Yes, kit lenses get trashed pretty hard, but truthfully as far as bang for the buck especially when your first starting out they are very hard to beat.

Just one mans humble opinion of course...

 

[Drive-By-Shooter]

last year i bought a d3300 & the excellent sigma 17-50 f2.8 for my wife. b&h bought back the kit lens for $75. this is an incredible combo for the price. my brother got it before a vacation this year and got some great pics of spain. he was considering a zoom with longer reach, but i convinced him f2.8 was more valuable.
the lenses are where your money should go as the cameras are like PCs now; quickly becoming obsolete.

PropilotBW says d3400; i agree
$400 - Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM Zoom Lens for Nikon 583306 B&H
$420 after returning kit lens Nikon D3400 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Black) 1571 B&H Photo
and with that extra money: a graduated filter to give your sky color instead of washing out: B+W 77mm MRC 702M Hard-Edge Graduated Neutral Density 66-1067372

 

[Drive-By-Shooter]

the kit lenses are typically made in china and have plastic mounts. sigma, tamron & tokina all make excellent lenses now, but not all of their models are excellent. i have found n-photo magazine's tests to be reliable.

i've been shooting digital for 2 years. i started by selling my film era lenses to buy zooms (wide, normal and tele ranges) only to see the superiority of primes. while this has always been true, cropping 24mega pixel images to zoom-in changes everything (unless you plan to print posters).

get the d3400 with the kit lens, learn it, then add a 20, 24, 35, 50 or 85mm prime for roughly a grand next year. when you are ready for a new camera, you could go full frame.

the sigma ART prime lenses really are that good and no, i am not affiliated with sigma.

I saw that 3400 kit, 2 zoom lenses for 499. That leads me to my next question. How well regarded are these kit lenses? Are they junk or are they relatively nice? Seems like a great deal, then I could get this used 50mm 1.4 prime I can get for $250...the other option I have available is a 2013 d7000 with about 6000 shutter count in "excellent" condition and a 35 mm 1.8 prime for $500...thoughts?

 

[Derrel]

Nikon D3400. Kit now $499. Are you kidding? That's super cheap to get into photography. And you have left over money in your budget to buy the 50mm 1.8 and 35mm 1.8.

Yes this looks like a pretty good kit, especially for the price. I stopped by the Nikon website and looked over the specs of this today. The longer tele Zoom has the new AF - P focusing system which is supposed to be much better than the older earlier system. I thought the ability to have the camera connect to other devices via built-in Wi-Fi was a nice touch and that's something you can read about in the reviews of the D 3400.

 

[Drive-By-Shooter]

wow; two kit lenses?! better focusing?! no brainer here!

Nikon D3400. Kit now $499. Are you kidding? That's super cheap to get into photography. And you have left over money in your budget to buy the 50mm 1.8 and 35mm 1.8.

Yes this looks like a pretty good kit, especially for the price. I stopped by the Nikon website and looked over the specs of this today. The longer tele Zoom has the new AF - P focusing system which is supposed to be much better than the older earlier system. I thought the ability to have the camera connect to other devices via built-in Wi-Fi was a nice touch and that's something you can read about in the reviews of the D 3400.