First DSLR

[Randydan]

Hi all, I'm sure you get tired of the same ole question. I'm wanting to purchase my first camera. I'm interested in taking outside still shots, scenery, birds and mountain ranges. I'm considering a Nikon D5200 for a beginnners camera. Any thoughts or something else?

Thanks
Randy

 

[lennon33x]

Any reason why Nikon vs. Canon?

 

[CaptainNapalm]

Yes that will be a great choice.

 

[CaptainNapalm]

Any reason why Nikon vs. Canon?

Nikon is better

 

[lennon33x]

Nikon is better

Based on...?


And define "better"

 

[CaptainNapalm]

Nikon is better

Based on...?


And define "better"

I was joking.

 

[lennon33x]

Hi all, I'm sure you get tired of the same ole question. I'm wanting to purchase my first camera. I'm interested in taking outside still shots, scenery, birds and mountain ranges. I'm considering a Nikon D5200 for a beginnners camera. Any thoughts or something else? Thanks Randy

I would do a couple of things before I purchased it.

Check out snapsort.com and compare cameras. With birds and nature, you need a pretty fast burst rate. The d5200 is around 5 fps, but I would research how many images per burst. My T3 could get 3.5 fps, but the buffer sucked. Three images max. Then I switched to the 5D, and then it jumped to 17 images at 5 fps. Granted I don't do sports/nature, it was an added bonus.

Also consider the money you need to invest in glass. For birds and sports, you need something comparable to the 70-200 (not sure what Nikons version is) and also a wide angle/ultra wide angle for landscapes. I had a Tokina 12-24 that I loved, but was made for crop sensor cameras.

Lastly, find the camera you want, and visit your local camera store and hold it. If it feels bad ergonomically (the reason I chose Canon), you might want to research other cameras.

 

[robbins.photo]

Hi all, I'm sure you get tired of the same ole question. I'm wanting to purchase my first camera. I'm interested in taking outside still shots, scenery, birds and mountain ranges. I'm considering a Nikon D5200 for a beginnners camera. Any thoughts or something else?

Thanks
Randy

The D5200 is actually a great choice for a first camera body. I use the D5100 myself. The 5200 has great image quality, good low noise at high ISO capabilities, and a decent shooting speed at 5 FPS. Sure they make cameras that shoot faster - but they get expensive quick. If you think your going to be taking a lot of action shots, like birds in flight or the like, then I suggest you invest in a Sandisk Extreme Pro SD card, with the 95 mps write speed. It will make a huge difference in how fast your camera can clear the buffer. On my D5100 I can shoot usually 16-17 consecutive frames at 5 FPS before the camera slows to 2 FPS because the buffer is overridden. If I shoot JPG only (Shhh.. don't ever admit you actually do this in public) I can pretty much keep the shutter depressed and the camera will continue to chug along indefinitely at 5 FPS. The extreme pro cards are a little more expensive but a fantastic investment, well worth the money if you do any kind of action shooting.

If your looking at shooting birds and such a good telephoto to start with is the 70-300 mm Nikkor AF-S G f4.5-5.6 VR. It's an outstanding telephoto lens and gives you great image quality. Other than that I'd stick with the standard kit lens at least to start with, and then figure out what else you need from lenses later on after you get a good handle on the types of shooting your doing and what you would like to add for lenses.

Hope that helps.

 

[brian_f2.8]

I would suggest a D7000 or D7100 because it has the af motor built in. I dont think the D5200 has one, if so I stand corrected. The benefit is that if you decide to buy an older lens you can get a D version and save a lot of money.

You can look at an older 500mm afi which will be great to start with.

 

[robbins.photo]

I would suggest a D7000 or D7100 because it has the af motor built in. I dont think the D5200 has one, if so I stand corrected. The benefit is that if you decide to buy an older lens you can get a D version and save a lot of money.

You can look at an older 500mm afi which will be great to start with.

You are correct, the D5xxx series (D5200, D5100. D5000) and D3xxx series (D3200, D3100, D3000) do not have the built in autofocus motors so they do require the AF-S G series lenses that have the built in autofocus motors. Really though when you price out the lenses and the camera bodies together for the most part cost wise it comes out about the same unless you plan on buying quite a few lenses. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a D7100 at some point, just really couldn't justify it with my budget when I first bought my DSLR. For now I'm getting my glass collection where I want it first, then I'll upgrade to the D7100 at some point.

 

[[JR]]

I would suggest a D7000 or D7100 because it has the af motor built in. I dont think the D5200 has one, if so I stand corrected. The benefit is that if you decide to buy an older lens you can get a D version and save a lot of money.

You can look at an older 500mm afi which will be great to start with.

I completely agree with this post. Investing into a camera which has an AF motor built-in will definitely save you some heartache later on once you develop an interest in using different lenses; you can buy good quality used lenses that would only otherwise work in manual mode if it weren't for the AF motor.

 

[Luigi_xp]

Also, consider an Canon 60D. Try both Nikon and Canon at the store.
The 60D is around the same price and all lenses autofocus on it.

 

[hirejn]

It's a good camera but you don't need to spend that much. A used D3100 would be just as good. Any camera you get will act like a slot machine until you learn to control it.

 

[apaflo]

I would suggest a D7000 or D7100 because it has the af motor built in. I dont think the D5200 has one, if so I stand corrected. The benefit is that if you decide to buy an older lens you can get a D version and save a lot of money.

You can look at an older 500mm afi which will be great to start with.

Excellant advice. In addition there are many other not so obvious features of the D7xxx series that are significantly better and make the camera much more versatile. The D7100 has 24MP too. The pentaprism and 100% viewfinder are significant. These two models have the best IQ, and lowest noise with the highest dynamic range of any cropped sensor cameras. They can use any Nikon lens back to the 1970's.

 

[pez]

I would suggest a D7000 or D7100 because it has the af motor built in. I dont think the D5200 has one, if so I stand corrected. The benefit is that if you decide to buy an older lens you can get a D version and save a lot of money.

You can look at an older 500mm afi which will be great to start with.

Excellant advice. In addition there are many other not so obvious features of the D7xxx series that are significantly better and make the camera much more versatile. The D7100 has 24MP too. The pentaprism and 100% viewfinder are significant. These two models have the best IQ, and lowest noise with the highest dynamic range of any cropped sensor cameras. They can use any Nikon lens back to the 1970's.

A Pentax K-3 is equivalent to a D7100, has an electronic AA filter you can turn off, and also will mount and stabilize any lens Pentax has produced in the last 4 decades. Just sayin'