Looking for Suggestions

[bcarlson87]

Hello!

I just joined this today and haven't spent a ton of time reading other posts yet...so sorry if this is a common questions.

However... I am looking to purchase a new camera and have no idea what to get. I had my eye on the Nikon d5100 but i'm not sure it's the correct one.

I have been propositioned to take the pictures for a good friends wedding, but I know my current camera isn't right. But my current photos are what caught their eye to wanting me to take their pictures. I have also been asked by a few others to take various pictures. I enjoy taking action pictures (sports) and well as outdoor/nature pictures...on top of recent request for taking wedding/baby/engagement photos.

So I am looking for an all around good camera, that is not horribly expensive-- this is a hobby, not a profession. I am fairly new to this.

Is the Nikon d5100 to basic?
Any suggestions on different cameras/lens that would be better?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I'm looking to buy the camera within the next month or two.

Thank you so much!!

 

[hirejn]

There are several posts a day on this topic and my answer is always the same. Get the cheapest DSLR of the brand you like (D3100 in this case), master it, and upgrade when your images demand it. Be satisfied with a cheap "kit" lens. For more advice, see my blog posts Joel Nisleit Photography | How to Buy a New Camera Body, Or the Best Camera for Beginners and Joel Nisleit Photography | What Lens Should You Buy?. I suggest that you'll be happier if you invest in learning and understanding photography vs. investing in equipment. The entry DSLRs now are better than what I started with.

 

[ronlane]

Welcome. If you search for Weddings on this site you will find a LOT of information. I'm a Canon person, so I will let others talk about that.

Just a warning, shooting weddings is a HOT topic on this site. Good luck.

 

[Rafterman]

First, welcome to the forum!

I just joined this today and haven't spent a ton of time reading other posts yet...so sorry if this is a common questions.

Yes, it is a common question and you can find literally dozens of threads on this exact same topic with a simple search. In fact, in the time it takes for you to sit and wait for replies on this topic, you can be reading other threads about it.

I am looking to purchase a new camera and have no idea what to get. I had my eye on the Nikon d5100 but i'm not sure it's the correct one.

Correct for what? Most DSLR cameras can be correct for just about any shooting situation. I'm confused by what you mean when you ask if it's "correct."

I have been propositioned to take the pictures for a good friends wedding, but I know my current camera isn't right. But my current photos are what caught their eye to wanting me to take their pictures. I have also been asked by a few others to take various pictures. I enjoy taking action pictures (sports) and well as outdoor/nature pictures...on top of recent request for taking wedding/baby/engagement photos.

If you've been taking pictures already that people have seen and liked, then what type of camera do you have now? Film? Digital point-and-shoot? Polaroid instant? Plus, what's not right about it? Also, if you're not sure that a D5100 is the right camera for you, then chances are you're not even close to being ready to take "THE" photos of someone's wedding, which is (typically) a once-in-a-lifetime event. Sorry, I know that comes across as harsh and I don't mean for it to, but it's the truth. If you just want a camera to take pictures as a guest at the wedding, then that's a different story altogether.

I am looking for an all around good camera, that is not horribly expensive-- this is a hobby, not a profession. I am fairly new to this.

Then if all that's the case, a D5100 would probably be a good fit for you. The D3100 or D3200 would also be cameras you should look into. If this is a merely a hobby for you, I would also recommend you decline taking the pictures for your friend's wedding and instead help them seek out a reputable professional that fits their budget.

Is the Nikon d5100 to basic?

Is it too basic? Nope, not at all. Even Nikon's lowest entry-level DSLR is not too basic in the grand scheme of things. DSLRs have FAR more features and capabilities than pretty much any point-and-shoot camera out there. Even "basic" ones can take amazing photographs. In the end, it's about YOUR ability, not the camera's.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I'm looking to buy the camera within the next month or two.

All the above are my suggestions for you. Since you're in no immediate rush to buy the camera, I suggest you take the next month or two and do TONS more research during that time. Read lots of reviews, articles and forum posts to help you learn more about photography and which equipment would suit your needs the best.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

 

[TCampbell]

Whenever I hear that someone has been asked to shoot a wedding, I immediately suspect two things... (1) the price was right (i.e. you're not getting paid or perhaps getting paid but only minimal compensation to cover expenses) and (2) everyone involved is thinking "how hard could this be?"

In answer to #2... hard.

Brides fantasize about the day from the age of little girls. They "envision" a fairy-tale wedding and that the photographers will capture the photos that make it look like a fairy tale wedding.

Capturing live events is much more difficult than a controlled environment where the photographer is also the director and can stop the action or re-take any shot they want.

And because of those last two comments I made... the demands on equipment can sometimes be demanding. It's not so much the camera body... it's having the lenses that can deal with churches (or other wedding venues) which have very poor lighting and yet don't want you to use "flash" during the ceremony. It turns out some bodies are so exceptionally good at handling low light (they can be pushed to _very_ high ISO levels and still keep the "noise" to a minimum) that they can overcome the "no flash" rule as long as the lenses are good. The "problem" is that those bodies tend to be full-frame bodies starting at about $2000 and up (for "just" the body alone.)

The D5100 was Nikons high-end body in the "entry level" category. Above the D5100 (well.. now they have a D5200) are the mid-range bodies (D90... which is old in the tooth), the D7000, and now the just-released D7100. The D5100 compares with Canon's T3i, but Canon has since come out with a T4i and just released T5i. Canon, like Nikon, also has mid-range and of course pro bodies as well.

Unless you get all the way up to the D800 or the "budget" priced D600 (I use quotes around that word because when you see the price tag for the D600, you'll laugh) are the bodies which are mostly associated with having the performance for weddings. They compare to Canon's 5D III and 6D (the D800 is the higher end body... the D600 is the "entry" priced full-frame body. On Canon the 5D III is the pro full-frame body and the 6D is the "entry" priced full-frame body.) Mostly what these pro bodies offer is gobsmackingly good ISO performance. (as in "Image noise? What's image noise?") They had _better_ be a noticeable step up (and they are)... because you could buy at about five D5100's for the price of a single D800.)

Just to avoid any possibility of confusion, I am NOT trying to tell you to go buy a D600 or D800, I'm more pointing that out to show that no matter which Nikon you get, you wont see a true noticeable jump in camera sensor performance until you bump up to one of these models.

Buy a "capable" body, but spend your extra dollars on a good low-focal ratio lens (a "lower" focal ratio (the f/__._ value) means the lens collects more light when the shutter is open and that translates into either (a) allowing you to use faster shutter speeds or (b) allowing use to use a lower ISO sensitivity level (higher ISO means more digital "noise" in the image... so you generally want to avoid that whenever possible.))