First DSLR?

[JRPDoyle]

Well the difference in the price of both with the kit lens is less than €100 so price doesn't really come into it but I would initially be using it for family etc and then hopefully doing more with it once I learn to use it a bit more. The part that really confuses me is the lenses. Is the kit lense going to be good enough for taking pictures of my kids or do I need a much better lens taking into account getting them to stand still long enough for a picture is quite rare.

Definitely start with just the kit lens and use it for a while. You can get really usable shots from the kit lens and it's always better to start with it, then once you've taken a fair amount of pictures then you can consider whether or not you need another lens that will fulfill another role for you or do something for you that your kit lens just doesn't.

Not much point in spending a ton of money on lenses until you really know what it is you want and or need. The standard kit lens will do just fine taking picture of the kids, and if your going to be working indoors maybe at some point look at adding an external flash unit of some sort. This of course is something you can always do down the road as well, it's not an absolute must have starting out.

Yes I was thinking I would need a proper flash for indoor picture but I said I'd let that be down the road when I knew what I was doing a bit more and once I got my head around the lenses. Thanks for the advice.

 

[jaomul]

What have you decided to buy fellow country man?

 

[JRPDoyle]

Picture quality may be negligible for what you want to use it for, but you should definitely research features and get everything you 'might' want to use in the future. I currently have a 3200 and I will be upgrading soon to the 7100 because of DOF button, bracketing, etc. that the 3200 does not have. I am not upgrading because I am dissatisfied with the PQ of the 3200. I wish I would have researched more than I did before I bought a DSLR.

BTW, I think you are in the UK (I'm in the US) but I have a 3200 I will sell you, with the kit 18-55 and a 55-200, and even throw in an extra battery. :mrgreen:

I would have actually taken you up on your offer but I think everything here is pointing me towards the D5200 which I think I will be buying with the kit lens and start learning off that. Thanks for your kind offer.

 

[JRPDoyle]

What have you decided to buy fellow country man?

Haha a fellow not only fellow country man but also city man. I have decided on the D5200 with the kit lens I think for starters till I learn to use it properly. What ya reckon?

 

[jaomul]

What have you decided to buy fellow country man?

Haha a fellow not only fellow country man but also city man. I have decided on the D5200 with the kit lens I think for starters till I learn to use it properly. What ya reckon?

Your closer than I thought. Take any shots of the floods?

Welcome to the forum.

I am by no means an expert but have had a few Canon dslrs and a micro 4/3res system along now with a Nikon d7100.

I will say to try and buy once for a long time as opposed to getting something you will want to upgrade in no time. When I bought the Canon system I traded, upgraded, swapped and that but for me it was part of what I enjoyed.

Now I have no interest in that anymore so tried at least to buy to last. The d5200 is great, as an entry level camera it has features better than some pro models of recent years. However, my only gripe with it at the moment is that Amazon are selling the d7000 for about the same price. You do lose the rotating screen on the 7000 and it's 16 rather than 24mp. You gain a second control wheel, weather sealing and an inbuilt focus motor that gives options for a lot of older secondhand lenses, some excellent and most more cost effective than the newer upgrades. Not telling you to buy that but look before you decide. Both are great cameras. Let us know what you decide. I will keep an eye out for your posts.

 

[goodguy]

If money is not what makes the different then get the D5200, its the better camera!

As for lenses, well lenses is a long story and you need to understand what each lens strong and weak points are.
For a novice I always recommend first to get the camera with its kit lens, these kit lenses are actually good and will work well for many scenarios, my favorite kit lens is the Nikon 18-105mm VR, I had this lens and found it to be a good balance between price, overall perfromance and focal range.
The 18-55mm kit lens is ok but the focal range is too short for my needs.
2 more lenses I usually recommend are
1.Nikon 50mm 1.8G, a rather cheap lens but its a fantastic lens, great for portraits, super sharp and excellent for low light or night photography, it will be perfect for taking pictures of your family inhouse.
2.For telezoom when you are outside the Nikon 70-300mm VR, also relatively affordable lens, very sharp and I think great value for the money

But in the beginning I would concentrate at the kit lens and the 50mm lens

Another important thing is to learn how to use your camera, some people think the fact they own a good camera will automatically upgrade their pictures, well it wouldnt in most cases, you really need to understand how the camera work and know how to work with it, once you do then you will truly see the results and be able to fulfill the potential of your camera.

Good luck

I know that just buying a good camera doesn't guarantee good pictures but I will also be buying David Busches guide on the camera I pick. I will definately plan to get the 50mm 1.8 G lens as my second lens after the kit lens once I've learned to use the camera as most my shots will be indoors of the kids.

Thanks for the advice I've spent weeks looking at this stuff and found constant contradictions. 24hrs here has given me more answers than the previous 3 weeks.

I found youtube to be a fantastic source of information.
It was a great help to understand ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed and then Composition which are the most basic stuff you need to know when you start your long walk in this hobby.

 

[JRPDoyle]

Your closer than I thought. Take any shots of the floods?

Welcome to the forum.

I am by no means an expert but have had a few Canon dslrs and a micro 4/3res system along now with a Nikon d7100.

I will say to try and buy once for a long time as opposed to getting something you will want to upgrade in no time. When I bought the Canon system I traded, upgraded, swapped and that but for me it was part of what I enjoyed.

Now I have no interest in that anymore so tried at least to buy to last. The d5200 is great, as an entry level camera it has features better than some pro models of recent years. However, my only gripe with it at the moment is that Amazon are selling the d7000 for about the same price. You do lose the rotating screen on the 7000 and it's 16 rather than 24mp. You gain a second control wheel, weather sealing and an inbuilt focus motor that gives options for a lot of older secondhand lenses, some excellent and most more cost effective than the newer upgrades. Not telling you to buy that but look before you decide. Both are great cameras. Let us know what you decide. I will keep an eye out for your posts.

I know someone who bought some video cameras off a very reputable ebay seller and swears by them. This guy has spent thousands with them and they have the D5200 with kit lens 18mm - 55mm delivered to the door for €490. which is around €200 less than amazon. I was thinking of using them. Is the D7000 more of a professional camera than an entry level one? I'm completely new to DSLR's so will be learning it all from scratch.

I was in the city the night of the floods and caught them canoeing down Patrick's street but had no camera with me cause I was at a concert. It was nuts but there were literally hundreds of people up there taking pictures especially down by the Opera house.

Thanks for the advice mate.

 

[JRPDoyle]

I found youtube to be a fantastic source of information.
It was a great help to understand ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed and then Composition which are the most basic stuff you need to know when you start your long walk in this hobby.

I have found a really useful camera series there made by ThatNikonGuy which seems to go through everything in a lot of detail. I found it really informitive but will have to watch it again when I have a camera in my hand to be able to understand everything properly. Thanks for the advice.

 

[jaomul]

If you can get a dreal that good you can safely say the d5200 is excellent for 490. You would have no regrets at that price point.

The d7000 is the next level up on the food chain in the Nikon dslr Line up. It has a better build with more direct access buttons and a few other things that make it more user friendly. It's worth a quick look.

If you are really interested there are a few good camera clubs in the Cork area

 

[JRPDoyle]

If you can get a dreal that good you can safely say the d5200 is excellent for 490. You would have no regrets at that price point.

The d7000 is the next level up on the food chain in the Nikon dslr Line up. It has a better build with more direct access buttons and a few other things that make it more user friendly. It's worth a quick look.

If you are really interested there are a few good camera clubs in the Cork area

Really I never heard of any clubs here before. Yeah that I thought was a great price for the camera plus the fact that the seller has an almost flawless record and my buddy has never had an issue with them.

 

[robbins.photo]

I think you'll be real happy with the D5200. I just recently upgraded from the D5100 to the D5200 myself, and I love it. It's a great camera.

 

[JRPDoyle]

Well based on the suggestions I just ordered a D5200 with a kit lens. Thanks for all your help and advice.

 

[ruifo]

Good choice!!
And welcome to the D5200 world!

Enjoy it!

 

[bigal1000]

Get a D7100 and use it on P mode till you get your feet wet. then you won't be looking to get rid of that D5200/3200 in a year when you decide you want more camera.