Camera body+lens recommendations

wongk95

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I want to get into photography and looking to buy my first camera. I would love some recommendations for a camera that could last me years. My budget is roughly $500-$800 and I plan to use it mainly for sceneries, street, and for hanging out with friends and family. I have no preference for digital or dslr, just whichever one would give me the better bang for a buck. Thanks!

edit: After a some hours on the web, I'm now stuck between Canon T6S or the Nikon d5500.
 
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Digital or DSLR? The 'D' in DSLR stands for digital!

For your budget you will get a capable camera whatever you choose.
 
Both the ones you mentioned are nice, as your not stuck to dslr I'd consider the Sony a6000 also, as it has very high specs for price along with good video. I'd still go for the Canon or Nikon if I was shooting a lot of fast moving subjects such as birds etc, but as an everyday cam that does lots well the Sony is worth a look
 
oops i meant mirrorless*
I found a d5500 +18-50mM for $590 and t6s + 18-200mm lens for $700. Opinions?
 
Depending on how good the Canon 18-200 lens is, it certainly is way more flexible than the Nikon set up.

I'd probably look for the Nikon with its longer kit lens (18-140) and go for that
 
Both the D5500 and T6S will do a good job.
18-200mm is a flexible lens but the problem is that these type of lenses that offer such optical flexibility are soft (not sharp) and if you are getting good DSLR why would you limit your camera with a soft lens ?

I would recommend getting the D5500 with 18-55mm and add to that a telezoom lens like 55-200mm or 55-300mm or 70-300mm

Which camera would I recommend from the 2 you mentioned ?
As I said both are really good cameras and very similar but I still would say the Nikon D5500 has a slight advantage, it lacks the AA filter in the sensor so it has the potential to bring sharper images, has better dynamic range and slightly better low light performance.

Either way these are 2 good cameras and you cant go wrong with either.
Either one of these 3 telezoom lenses will give you better results then one super zoom
 
Not to get into a brand war, if I were looking for a dslr style camera today and I had zero ties with any previous brand's accessories /lenses I personally would look at Pentax. I believe their weather-proofing feature makes them the most attractive camera for all around fun use. After lurking through a couple of these threads I can't believe Pentax isn't recommended more for the pure hobbyist.
 
Not to get into a brand war, if I were looking for a dslr style camera today and I had zero ties with any previous brand's accessories /lenses I personally would look at Pentax. I believe their weather-proofing feature makes them the most attractive camera for all around fun use. After lurking through a couple of these threads I can't believe Pentax isn't recommended more for the pure hobbyist.

I love the pentax bodies - you can tell they were designed by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. A couple of things that held me up though, at the time when I was looking Pentax didn't have a full frame offering. That's changed since then, but it had an impact on my final decision back when I decided to go Nikon.

But really for me it was the lens selection and in particular the used market that tipped the scales to Nikon. I've bought most of my equipment used, allows me to stretch my budget a lot further. Nikon and Canon both have a lot more stuff available used, so when I finally decided I went with Nikon over Pentax. Mostly just the availability and prices available on used equipment.

But no argument here, Pentax makes one very nice camera.
 
That is the problem a lot of people run into when they buy a camera. They buy a camera. They don't realize with an interchangeable lens system you are not just buying a camera, you are buying into a system. The two most complete systems are Canon and Nikon. The others are lacking in range. That is not a good or bad thing just a fact. Someone looking into purchasing any interchangeable lens system needs to look at the systems and then choose from the systems that meet their needs. Not everyone needs the coverage of a Canon or Nikon system.
 
the on or Nikon if I was shooting a lot of fast moving subjects such as birds etc, but as an everyday cam that does lots well the Sony is worth a look[/QUOTE]
If I read the original question accurately, I agree you should look at the a6000i with the kit lens, which I have and love, or another mirrorless system like Fuji's. The a6000 performs very well - see Braineac's recent travel posts, e.g. - and it is small and light enough to take with you when you are just going to hang out with friends and family. That's important for me, and it's the camera I grab just going out for a walk. I have a Nikon D5100 with some nice glass, including the 10-24 ultra-wide, but it is a lot heavier. I think you can have a lot of fun, and take some great photos with the Sony, and I find the focusing really fast. You can start on smart-auto, and then move on to setting aperture and/or speed manually. I think it is a great camera to begin with and learn with.
 
The best thing you can do for yourself is to go to a Best Buy, or local camera store and get some in your hands. Anymore, it's a feel game more than a capability game. If Nikon feels good in your hands and 'natural', get that. If Canon, do that.

All of the major brands are making great entry level DSLRs that will let you do everything you're after and more, well within your budget.
 
Taken from a post I made on another similar thread but is more than applicable here with only a small change

Ill throw in another vote for the D5500 (I have the D3300 its great).

But here is my real advise, read less, shoot more...

In reality pretty much every half decent camera out there at the higher end of your price range is a good camera. Just about all can make fabulous 8x10 prints and will be more than enough for every social media outlet there is. If you are just starting out its more important that you start taking pictures as we all know "your first 10,000 will be your worst...". We can all discuss the various downsides and positives of every nikon vs cannon vs sony vs hasselblad vs leica blah blah blah but you will grow into things like that over time. I have a D3300 and my brother and sister have canon rebel's, we all take decent pictures with our cameras but whats key is that we get out and shoot. Learning the fundamentals is whats really key, and that can be done on any decent camera that allows you to futz with all the settings. There is NO right answer to the Cannon/Nikon debate as both cameras do more than most people ever need. I like the versatility of Nikons F-Mount and that is allows me to buy pretty much any lens they ever made which opens a great world of vintage stuff for me to buy.

<Shameless plug> I love Nikon, buy a Nikon, Nikons are the best, anyone that says anything else is flat out wrong....</Shameless plug>

Plenty of terrible photos have been taken with objectively "great" cameras and plenty of great photos have been taken with objectively "terrible" cameras but you will never take a photo, great or not, without a camera.


Regards
Dave
 

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