First Real Camera

StinkyFeetMendoza · Sep 27, 2012

Greetings all. I'm sure a thread like this comes along regularly and I appreciate your patience and help. I am 32 and my wife and I are expecting our first child. We would like to take a photography class before our child arrives and we are looking at purchasing our first real camera beyond a point and shoot. This camera would be primarily used for family photos and video but my wife and I both have an interest in nature and wildlife. Not knowing where to start I consulted consumer reports. Their top recommendation was for the Canon EOS 60D. This is definitely in the upper end of what I'm looking to spend. I signed up for this forum and figured I would consult the experts. What do you guys think of this camera for a beginner with my stated needs? If not this camera what would you recommend and why. Also, whatever camera I get should I go with a kit or should I buy the lens separately? I appreciate any and all responses. Thank you

Sherm · Sep 27, 2012

You will get lots of different opinions and much of it depends on your budget.
Besides knowledge and skill, the lens is more important than the camera body.

I would get a "kit" set up and start practicing before the baby.

And, congratulations.

Majeed Badizadegan · Sep 27, 2012

The 60d is a fine camera. You'll want to start with the very basics, learn the exposure triangle and such. You'll find the 60d is great for video too.

The sensor on the 60d is demanding, there are a lot of pixels packed into a small APS-C sensor. To get the most out of the sensor, I'd recommend high-end glass (aka premium L glass) to get the best image quality.

Designer · Sep 27, 2012

The main advantage of the "kit" lens is that it is usually very affordable. Still pretty good, especially for beginners, and priced as a bundle to save you money. If you think you know enough about lenses in general to purchase them seperately, then get a good body and a better lens. The lens will not "wear out", and will be very useful on your next camera purchase.

Budget-wise, it sounds as if you are not exactly in the market for upscale glass, so go with whatever lens is packaged with the camera. You might also be able to talk them out of something more, such as a tripod, or a bag, or a larger memory card for instance.

sovietdoc · Sep 28, 2012

The only point in a DSLR are interchangeable lens. They are also a big hassle to work with for most people. You can get cameras with fixed lens that are very close in quality, what makes you needing a DSLR?

KmH · Sep 28, 2012

The Canon 60D has less than desireable, ISO capabilities. ISO determines the low-light performance of a digital camera.

Nikon's current cameras pretty much beat the snot out of Canon cameras that are in your price range, that apparently maxs out at about $850, body only.
DxOMark - Compare cameras side by side

Nikon's best that is near your max price is their D7000 right at about $1000 - Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

Though it has fewer features, Nikon's D5100 has the same image sensor the D7000 has, at a substantially lower price and includes a basic zoom lens - Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens

Note that the Nikon D5100 has better ISO performance, color depth, and dynamic range than the Canon 60D.

StinkyFeetMendoza · Oct 3, 2012

NIKON D7000 vs CANON D60
In your opinion which of these cameras do you prefer? I figured I'd write this as a response to my current thread rather than start a new thread. If this doesn't work that's what I'll do. Thank you all so far for your responses and opinions. Please keep them coming. I followed KmH's link to DxOMark as suggested in the previous response. The stats were impressively in nikons favor but I honestly didn't understand what any of that meant. I'm sure I will learn what it all means in my photography courses. I've always been a huge fan of consumer reports in helping me research products. Both of these cameras rank top three on consumer reports recommended buy list(#1 canon 60D score 74 and #3 Nikon d7000 score 72). The things that appeal to me as a non photographer are as follows: I like that the Canon is top rated, I like that it has a swivel LCD screen and I like that it is about a pound lighter than the Nikon, I also like that the Canon seems to be more user friendly than the Nikon. I like that the Nikon has two sd card slots(but my wife pointed out why not just throw an extra sd card in the bag? I said maybe it had something to do with burst or speed pictures?) I really like that the Nikon has stereo sound for video where the canon does not. I also liked that all the techie stats seem to be in nikons favor. I know I'm not focusing on a lot of the more important and techie aspects yet but that's why I'm relying on you guys. Which of these two cameras would you prefer and why? And are any of my likes and or dislikes even valid concerns? Thanks a lot for your time, experience, and opinions. Thanks

jwbryson1 · Oct 3, 2012

StinkyFeetMendoza said:
Which of these two cameras would you prefer and why? And are any of my likes and or dislikes even valid concerns? Thanks a lot for your time, experience, and opinions. Thanks

That's a lot of questions, but let's focus on these 2 which I think are key. It doesn't matter which we would prefer and why, and I say that because honestly, you can't go wrong either way buying Canon or Nikon. If you were a full-time pro looking at buying high end equipment, then I think these are valid questions. With the products out today like the Nikon D5100, D7000, Canon Rebel or D60, you just can't go wrong. I would suggest that you go to a local camera store and avoid a big box store like Best Buy, hold each of the cameras in your hands, and see what feels better to you. I chose Nikon because the layout was more intuitive to me, and I just didn't feel comfortable with the Canon setup. Many people shoot great photos with Canon and Nikon, so it really doesn't matter. What matters is what works for you.

So, your concerns are valid, but this ^^^^ is the path I would follow for somebody in your shoes. Something to consider is that down the road, as many of us have experienced, this hobby will grow on you beyond just snapshots of the baby. You may want to get into family portraits or sports photography, or what ever you enjoy as a hobby. So, I would not suggest buying the lowest end DSLR like the D3100, but instead would focus on the mid-range options.

Hope that helps.