Help me choose a camera!

shellybean · Sep 2, 2014

I'm pretty inexperienced in the photography world, but have enjoyed playing around with DSLR cameras (haven't explored out of auto settings though...). I enjoy taking photos mostly of nature and animals but I do find myself doing some "photo shoots" for family members...some baby portraits, maternity, engagement ect. I love taking photos of my pets so many will be action shots of my dogs playing or horses running in the field or riders riding them. I am hoping to find a nice camera that is easy for beginners, but also complex enough for me to grow with it and enjoy for a long time.

Any suggestions?

goodguy · Sep 2, 2014

You didnt give us price range.
Camera is one thing, to that you will need to add lenses, each lens has its strength and weakness.

For camera I recommend Nikon D5200 which is a wonderful, powerful yet reasonably priced camera.
If you cant afford it then you can go for the Nikon D3200 which is also a very good camera and is cheaper then the D5200, sensor slightly less and is few functions short but is still a very powerful tool.

As I said to that you will need to add lenses, get the kit lens for general use to that I recommend to add the Nikon 50mm 1.8G for low light shooting, indoor shooting, fast moving subjects that are not too far from you.
This lens is also very good for portraits.

And most importantly learn how to use the camera outside the AUTO mode, leaving a DSLR in auto mode basically turning it into a large sensor P&S, skills is where the true magic happeneds and the camera+lens+accessories are just the tool to produce it.

CameraClicker · Sep 2, 2014

Some of the bridge cameras, all the rangefinders, and dSLR's all meet your requirements. That's a lot of cameras. Knowing your budget, your tolerance to digital noise, and if you want/need interchangeable lenses would add some limits.

Ultimately, the camera that is comfortable in your hands and that you can hold still while taking photos will be the one for you. Additionally, understanding the menus and being able to work the controls is a large benefit. Visit a well stocked store and try out everything in your price range. Something will speak to you.

robbins.photo · Sep 2, 2014

Ok, well first you should probably decide on a budget and give some thought to what sort of situations you'll find yourself shooting in most often.

Bridge Cameras - the upside is they are small and portable, and have a built in lens that will generally give you a lot of zoom for your money. The downside is they use smaller sensors than a DSLR - which means they really don't work well indoors or in lower light conditions. So if you want to use a bridge camera inside, you'll most likely want to make sure to get one that you can get a decent external flash.

The other drawback to the bridge cameras, again because of the smaller sensor, is that the image quality just doesn't match that of a DSLR. The file sizes will be smaller, you won't be able to crop much, and you'll just have fewer options in post. Also, most bridge cameras really don't give you much control over the depth of field, so as a result you can really do much for separating the subject from the background, etc.

DSLR - The upside to the DSLR? Well, much better lowlight, much better control over DOF and much better image quality. Also because of a wide variety of lenses, you can pretty much pick and choose what you need and if you decide later on that you need say more telephoto, or a lens that does better in low light, well you can always go out and get another lens.

The downside? They are bigger and heavier than bridge cameras and of course they are also more expensive. Me, I prefer the DSLR - I really do think the image quality is worth the extra money and I like having a lot of options available.

But your best bet to start is to decide on your budget and your needs - it sounds to me like if you do decide to go DSLR you'll most likely want 2 lenses, one that is a bit wider angle for portraits, shooting indoors, landscapes, etc - and one with more telephoto reach for when your out shooting horses, dogs, etc.

So think about a budget and if there are any other needs you need to address, and then we can probably make much better recommendations for you.

shaylou · Sep 3, 2014

Skip over the bridge cameras and nikon and head to the Canon T series. They make multiple ones that all have the same sensor but are separated by added features so depending on the price range you are wanting to spend can help you narrow it down pretty easy. I would buy the kit with the lens. The kit lens is good enough for you to learn with and get an idea of what is important to you in your photography so when you want to upgrade you will have an better idea. if you go to Canon website you can do a side by side comparison of multiple cameras. Then come back here and ask questions about them and we will be happy to help.

dubiousone · Sep 3, 2014

I think you'd outgrow a bridge or point & shoot camera pretty quickly; a DSLR is the way I'd go.
If I had it to do over again I would have started with my Nikon D90 instead of the D50; I chose the 50 because it was simpler and was easier for me to learn on. I also outgrew it pretty quickly. Nikon, Pentax, Canon they are all pretty much the same; Pentax has image stabilization built in the body, Canon and Nikon that's in the lens. Down side to Pentax is finding lenses and such is more difficult; everybody and their brother stocks Canon and Nikon so I'd stick with those even though I really like Pentax better.

The 3100/5200 are smaller than the 7000/7100 Nikons. Both have similar features but different menus and the controls are similar. Canon is different still, I think the menus are easier to navigate than Nikon. My suggestion is go to a store and play with both and see what works best for you, size, weight and placement of controls.

shellybean said:
I'm pretty inexperienced in the photography world, but have enjoyed playing around with DSLR cameras (haven't explored out of auto settings though...). I enjoy taking photos mostly of nature and animals but I do find myself doing some "photo shoots" for family members...some baby portraits, maternity, engagement ect. I love taking photos of my pets so many will be action shots of my dogs playing or horses running in the field or riders riding them. I am hoping to find a nice camera that is easy for beginners, but also complex enough for me to grow with it and enjoy for a long time.

Any suggestions?

Derrel · Sep 3, 2014

Nikon D7100 a high-end enthusiast d-slr, maybe a gray market body from say, Abe's of Maine at $829 today in an "imported" version (aka gray market, aka, imported through a distibutor OTHER THAN Nikon USA). BuyDig.com - Nikon D7100 DX-Format Digital HD-SLR Body with 3.2" LCD Monitor Or maybe consider a USA version from a discount retailer with a good rep, like this on I have linked at 20% off today, from buydig.com (I have used them before on a few occasions, always been good for me).

The high-end enthusiast Nikon cameras, going back to the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, have ALWAYS been very good, capable cameras, offering about 90% of the capability of the most-expensive cameras on the market, and the Nikon lens mount and Nikon accessories, for a lot,lot less than the cost of the flagship model. When the Nikon F4 was the top dog, the Nikon N8008 and N8008s were really great high-end amateur cameras. When the Nikon F2 was king of the hill in the 1970's the best Nikkormat model and then the FM and FE were reallllly nice offerings, used by many professionals and serious amateurs wither instead of, or along with, a top-level model. The same holds true today: the Nikon D7100 offers a great deal of value, and is professionally-capable, yet it costs about 1/6 the price of a Nikon D4s.

So...yeah...I would say Nikon D7100, since it's good today, very capable by today's standards. Now, the big German photography sow, photokina, is this September; it's possible that if Nikon introduces the exact right offering, that the used market will soon be flooded with D7100 cameras, and that once the newer model, or models, start shipping, that inventories of D7100 bodies will need significant price reductions in order to get them off the shelves in the light of a NEW model that is even better, or more in line with what the semi-pro/pro segment really has been itching for, and those people will sell off their D7100s. One of the BEST times to buy a Nikon d-slr is after a hot, new, next-best-thing model has been premiered and is coming to market.

shaylou · Sep 8, 2014

. One of the BEST times to buy a Nikon d-slr is after a hot, new, next-best-thing model has been premiered and is coming to market.[/QUOTE]

That is the best time to buy any camera not just Nikon.

ard65 · Sep 11, 2014

Want to learn and keep your money for lens? Get yourself a Nikon D70! You can pick up very good bodies for less than a hundred dollars and get yourself the 18-70 Nikon lens for around 200! That will be all you need to learn photography and have fun in the process! I purchased a body at a yard sale for 25.00 and the lens from Adorama, gave it to me wife and she has been having a ball with it. She is learning composition, DOF, etc and I couldn't be mor proud of her. She has been getting raves from her FB postings! It's not the camera, it's who's behind the camera! I got my first camera in 1957 and have thousands of photos, film and digital, from all over the world and quickly learned those brownies gave outstanding results if you learned composition and DOF! Good luck in your venture!