Good Beginners DSLR?

[anonymousphotograph]

this is probably my 2nd time posting on the forum after going ghost for a while but i am in the market for a good DSLR for bigginers. i use a 35mm minolta maxxum but i am looking to move beyond film and into digital. i am 23 and have very LITTLE experience with photography, i want to learn how to take better photographs and work on my technique. i was always told that its not exactly the camera that matters but more so the lens that you use with it. i am not looking for something too expensive but i am looking to take some great quality photos. i have a price range from $200-$500,any suggestions would be nice to get my started so i can begin saving and looking. i have attached a photo as to show what type of quality i am looking for when taking my photos,thank you and much appreciated
View attachment 68076

 

[Designer]

Well, for a more complete explanation, it's not just the lens either. More like the combination of equipment, the photographer, the subject, the light, the timing, and perhaps just a bit of luck.

The best photographs tend to be made with the best of everything listed above, so yes, in a way you probably do need some good equipment, but just naming one component as the key item is incorrect.

So for your budget, start looking for a decent used DSLR with at least one lens. It won't be the best, but it will be a start.

Decent photo, BTW.

 

[robbins.photo]

this is probably my 2nd time posting on the forum after going ghost for a while but i am in the market for a good DSLR for bigginers. i use a 35mm minolta maxxum but i am looking to move beyond film and into digital. i am 23 and have very LITTLE experience with photography, i want to learn how to take better photographs and work on my technique. i was always told that its not exactly the camera that matters but more so the lens that you use with it. i am not looking for something too expensive but i am looking to take some great quality photos. i have a price range from $200-$500,any suggestions would be nice to get my started so i can begin saving and looking. i have attached a photo as to show what type of quality i am looking for when taking my photos,thank you and much appreciated
View attachment 68076

Well from your post it sounds like photography is going to be something you'll want to get into fairly seriously as opposed to something you'll only be doing occasionally.

If it were me I'd probably look at a nikon d3200 with a kit lens to start

Sent from my LG-LG730 using Tapatalk

 

[anonymousphotograph]

thanks, much appreciated

 

[anonymousphotograph]

looking into one right now, any recommended websites to grab one?

 

[anonymousphotograph]

B&H photo has some good deals. should i spend the $250 and then do the bill me later option and pay the rest down the road?

 

[ConradM]

Get a Sony a58. Sony IMO makes the best cameras for beginners because of the tech they're using. I copied this blurb from DPPreview -

DSLRs have a mirror inside the camera that reflects an image up to an optical viewfinder (OVF) so that you can see what you're going to shoot. When you press the shutter button the mirror flips up, the shutter opens to expose the sensor to light, and then the mirror flips back down before making the next shot. When recording video or operating in "live view" the mirror has to be locked up so that the sensor can provide an image feed to the rear LCD. Due to the way a DSLR's AF system is designed, this usually means that they can't auto focus when shooting video and auto focus slower when shooting stills in "live view".
SLTs have a fixed translucent mirror that reflects a third of the light coming through the lens up to a dedicated phase detection auto focus (PDAF) sensor in the roof of the camera. The rest of the light passes through the mirror to the main sensor. They have an electronic viewfinder (EVF) for framing instead of OVF. This design has several advantages:

• They use full time PDAF, which is faster than the contrast detection AF used when DSLRs operate in "live view". This means that they autofocus fast whether you're using the EVF or rear LCD for framing.

• They usually have higher frame rates when shooting stills than most DSLRs.

• They can autofocus when shooting video.

• You can use the EVF during video to see what you're shooting (because the mirror is locked up during video in a DSLR, the OVF blacks out.)

• The effect of your exposure, white balance, and scene mode settings can be seen in the EVF or rear LCD.

• You can review images in the EVF (handy on bright days when you might not be able to see the LCD clearly).

• Focus peaking is built in for manual focusing with stills or video as a visual aid. This basically shows an outline of high contrast "in-focus" areas.

• All Sony cameras employ image stabilization in the body, whereas Canon and Nikon employ it in the lens. This means that all lenses used on Sony bodies are stabilized. Canon/Nikon lenses come in non-stabilized and stabilized versions which cost more (image stabilization is labeled on the lens as IS for Canon and VR fo Nikon).

 

[anonymousphotograph]

Get a Sony a58. Sony IMO makes the best cameras for beginners because of the tech they're using. I copied this blurb from DPPreview -

DSLRs have a mirror inside the camera that reflects an image up to an optical viewfinder (OVF) so that you can see what you're going to shoot. When you press the shutter button the mirror flips up, the shutter opens to expose the sensor to light, and then the mirror flips back down before making the next shot. When recording video or operating in "live view" the mirror has to be locked up so that the sensor can provide an image feed to the rear LCD. Due to the way a DSLR's AF system is designed, this usually means that they can't auto focus when shooting video and auto focus slower when shooting stills in "live view".
SLTs have a fixed translucent mirror that reflects a third of the light coming through the lens up to a dedicated phase detection auto focus (PDAF) sensor in the roof of the camera. The rest of the light passes through the mirror to the main sensor. They have an electronic viewfinder (EVF) for framing instead of OVF. This design has several advantages:

• They use full time PDAF, which is faster than the contrast detection AF used when DSLRs operate in "live view". This means that they autofocus fast whether you're using the EVF or rear LCD for framing.

• They usually have higher frame rates when shooting stills than most DSLRs.

• They can autofocus when shooting video.

• You can use the EVF during video to see what you're shooting (because the mirror is locked up during video in a DSLR, the OVF blacks out.)

• The effect of your exposure, white balance, and scene mode settings can be seen in the EVF or rear LCD.

• You can review images in the EVF (handy on bright days when you might not be able to see the LCD clearly).

• Focus peaking is built in for manual focusing with stills or video as a visual aid. This basically shows an outline of high contrast "in-focus" areas.

• All Sony cameras employ image stabilization in the body, whereas Canon and Nikon employ it in the lens. This means that all lenses used on Sony bodies are stabilized. Canon/Nikon lenses come in non-stabilized and stabilized versions which cost more (image stabilization is labeled on the lens as IS for Canon and VR fo Nikon).

good stuff! will look into a sony alpha asap. what type of lens should i consider?

 

[ConradM]

Get a Sony a58. Sony IMO makes the best cameras for beginners because of the tech they're using. I copied this blurb from DPPreview -

DSLRs have a mirror inside the camera that reflects an image up to an optical viewfinder (OVF) so that you can see what you're going to shoot. When you press the shutter button the mirror flips up, the shutter opens to expose the sensor to light, and then the mirror flips back down before making the next shot. When recording video or operating in "live view" the mirror has to be locked up so that the sensor can provide an image feed to the rear LCD. Due to the way a DSLR's AF system is designed, this usually means that they can't auto focus when shooting video and auto focus slower when shooting stills in "live view".
SLTs have a fixed translucent mirror that reflects a third of the light coming through the lens up to a dedicated phase detection auto focus (PDAF) sensor in the roof of the camera. The rest of the light passes through the mirror to the main sensor. They have an electronic viewfinder (EVF) for framing instead of OVF. This design has several advantages:

• They use full time PDAF, which is faster than the contrast detection AF used when DSLRs operate in "live view". This means that they autofocus fast whether you're using the EVF or rear LCD for framing.

• They usually have higher frame rates when shooting stills than most DSLRs.

• They can autofocus when shooting video.

• You can use the EVF during video to see what you're shooting (because the mirror is locked up during video in a DSLR, the OVF blacks out.)

• The effect of your exposure, white balance, and scene mode settings can be seen in the EVF or rear LCD.

• You can review images in the EVF (handy on bright days when you might not be able to see the LCD clearly).

• Focus peaking is built in for manual focusing with stills or video as a visual aid. This basically shows an outline of high contrast "in-focus" areas.

• All Sony cameras employ image stabilization in the body, whereas Canon and Nikon employ it in the lens. This means that all lenses used on Sony bodies are stabilized. Canon/Nikon lenses come in non-stabilized and stabilized versions which cost more (image stabilization is labeled on the lens as IS for Canon and VR fo Nikon).

good stuff! will look into a sony alpha asap. what type of lens should i consider?

The kit lens on any DSLR is great to start. But it really comes down to what you're going to be shooting. Primes, (no zoom) are great for portraits.

 

[minicoop1985]

The thing to consider is the system. I started on an Olympus 4/3 (not the micro, the full 4/3) DSLR, and that left me with nowhere to go in terms of upgrades unless I spent WAAAAAAY too much money on an old, outdated camera, so I had to switch systems. Sony, Nikon, and Canon are all good places to start. Eventually, you'll want to upgrade your lenses, and when you do, there's a large variety for any of the big three. You'll probably make your largest investment in lenses, but if you stay with one system, you can upgrade bodies without having to buy all new glass, unlike what I did.

 

[cynicaster]

I'd strongly recommend the Canon T3i. That's what I'm currently using, and while I will be upgrading this year, the T3i has been a joy to use as a starter DSLR. IMO, it's a better starting point than the lower-priced T3 (which I actually had initially) because it includes some additional features that will allow you to "grow into" the camera for quite some time. Built-in off-camera flash triggering capability is the feature I always like to tout as the prime reason to go for the T3i over the T3.

The T3i is getting on in its life cycle which means that it is priced very reasonably for great value, not to mention, they are pretty abundant on the second hand market, so deals can be had.

If that sounds interesting to you, I'd go into a store and hold one in your hands to see it for yourself. Don't buy it without first holding the similarly priced Nikon. Grab the one that feels best in your hands.

 

[goodguy]

If it were me I'd probably look at a nikon d3200 with a kit lens to start

Another vote for the Nikon D3200 with its kit lens
I think currently the Nikon D3200 is best camera in its price range.

 

[TheNevadanStig]

I just started out and am using the D3200 and love it. The kit lens is pretty solid to get started on most work. I do like wildlife and also got entry-level telephoto lens, but have no intentions on getting rid of the kit lens. I got mine from Amazon, but in all honesty unless there is some deep sale somewhere, all the major retailers were about $5 from one another when I was looking at prices.

 

[Rosshole]

I just started out and am using the D3200 and love it. The kit lens is pretty solid to get started on most work. I do like wildlife and also got entry-level telephoto lens, but have no intentions on getting rid of the kit lens. I got mine from Amazon, but in all honesty unless there is some deep sale somewhere, all the major retailers were about $5 from one another when I was looking at prices.

The kit lens is of amazing optical quality considering the price... I love mine!

 

[Warhorse]

I bought my D3200 about two years ago,and like it a lot. Just bought an 18-105mm for it on eBay used. It is a little more versatile, but does not focus as close as the kit lens does.