Looking to buy first DSLR and stressing to the max!

[robbins.photo]

I am looking to buy my first DLSR but stressing over options with each brand. I am really looking for that company I can invest in for a long time. The cameras I am looking at are (Canon Rebel EOS T5i, Nikon d5200). I am really looking for something I will not have to upgrade soon yet is not crazy expensive. I want the great picture quality of the Nikon but in the Canons comfortable body (tried it in the store and loved the feel) also I hate this whole dx and fx thing. If I go Nikon I do not want to upgrade lenses that much. I am very lost and to the point where I just want someone to tell me exactly what I should get.

I enjoy shooting nature,wildlife, and citys. Thanks! Please help!

I wrote more about the struggle on my Tumblr blog harrychaselemont.tumblr.com if anyone would like to view it.

Ok, well if comfort is your primary factor then I'd say discard that notion - you'll get used to holding whatever make/model of camera you buy quickly ehough so buying anything based on strictly first impression of ergonomics is not something I generally recommend.

My recommendation, get the Nikon. I shoot the D5200 - in fact I own two, and as far as bang for the buck in that price range they are pretty much impossible to beat. The image quality is top notch, they have great low light abilities for a crop sensor and they are just a solid, all around great camera that will perform well in a large variety of situations.

Oh, one other quick thought - a lot of folks have mentioned the focus motor built into the camera body - which could be an advantage, but generally speaking unless you already own a lot of older Nikon lenses then really it may not be something that you truly need.

For myself when I purchased my first DSLR a little less than a year ago I went with the D5100 - it also doesn't have the built in motor. Well since I didn't own any lenses at the time I just made sure to purchase lenses that had the built in motor. Now that I've upgraded camera bodies and gotten a little more serious about my photography, well I have to be honest and say that I really don't miss having the built in motor that much myself.

In reviewing my lens purchases I realized that I would rather have purchased the newer models with the built in motors anyway, because in general they usually also have better optics than their older counterparts at least in the consumer grade arena. The older professional grade lenses that have the really superior optics and build quality frankly are not cheap even used - so really the "cost savings" there isn't nearly as much as you might imagine. And at least from my way of thinking if I'm going to spend $900 and up on a lens at that stage I'd rather spend an extra few hundred and get new as opposed to used - just seems like a better investment.

Hope that helps.

 

[Designer]

Is there any better cost effective option I am not seeing?

You can save some money by buying a used camera, but I recommend the best (and newest) model that you can afford, and I also recommend that you stretch your budget to the max for that first purchase. The reason is so you will get the latest technology available in your price range. Meaning that you will still be learning your camera for several years, and upgrading lenses, etc.

Also, don't stress over the pixel rating on the sensors. Camera manufacturers use that as mainly a selling point directed toward new purchasers, but it means very little in the overall image quality.

As Derrel wrote; get the best lens you can afford, and you will be on the right track.

 

[robbins.photo]

Is there any better cost effective option I am not seeing?

You can save some money by buying a used camera, but I recommend the best (and newest) model that you can afford, and I also recommend that you stretch your budget to the max for that first purchase. The reason is so you will get the latest technology available in your price range. Meaning that you will still be learning your camera for several years, and upgrading lenses, etc.

Also, don't stress over the pixel rating on the sensors. Camera manufacturers use that as mainly a selling point directed toward new purchasers, but it means very little in the overall image quality.

As Derrel wrote; get the best lens you can afford, and you will be on the right track.

In general I would agree with this - the biggest difference a higher MP sensor will make for you is if your shooting a lot of telephoto and need to crop, but if most of what your shooting is landscapes/portraits then the MP rating won't make a huge difference for the most part unless your looking at doing large prints at some stage.

The biggest difference you'll see between the newer sensor technology and the older ones is in low light performance - so if you are planning on using a flash or shooting outdoors in good light then this probably wouldn't be as important as if you were shooting indoors or in lower lighting conditions. The Nikon crop sensors have a decided edge over the Canon in this regard, so it is something to consider.

But all in all Canon does make a good camera and you certainly wouldn't go wrong in owning one - I'd give canon an edge in video features and in shooting speed so if those factors are more important then that is something to think about. All in all though as far as all around camera is concerned, I really think the D5200 is probably the best bang for the buck out there.

 

[SCraig]

... Also, don't stress over the pixel rating on the sensors. Camera manufacturers use that as mainly a selling point directed toward new purchasers, but it means very little in the overall image quality.

That depends on what you shoot. Shooting landscapes, portraits, street, etc. I agree it has little meaning. Shooting birds and wildlife frequently means cropping pretty heavily and having high resolution helps a great deal in that situation. For what I shoot there is no comparison between my 12mp D90 and my 24mp D7100. To me it means a great deal.

 

[HarryChaseLemont]

SCraig! That would be so cool! Sadly I am back home in Maryland for a while as I go to Belmont during the school year! Thank you though!

 

[HarryChaseLemont]

Thank you all!! This has been forum has been so helpful. More than anything else! I am now leaning toward the Nikon d5300 or d5200. Going to the store today to try some out. Thank you so so so much! Great information!

-Harry

 

[Seventen]

I am also a Nikon user and chose Nikon over Canon for just the reason when I was looking into getting a DSLR Nikon seemed more straight forward.

I have the Nikon d5100 and got it just after the d5200 was released so got it for quite a nice price, Its a great camera but after only 15 months I am finding it difficult to use and have used a d7100 recently and it has everything near and handy rather than in the menus. I didnt think this would be a issue when I got the camera but now it is. Having the extra buttons and dials makes things a lot easier but its not needed.

I see your leaning towards the 5200 and 5300, I would say if your going to get the 5300 forget that and go for the 7100 which at least here is only 100 euros more. Apart from built in gps I cant see what the 5300 has over the 5200, the 5200 in my opinion is the much better choice between the two. But do really consider the 7100. Quite a few are coming on the used market now and seem to be very decent price.

 

[Scatterbrained]

Check with KEH for a used body, or Amazon. I can't fault anyone for wanting to drop the coin on a new body, but if you can save some coin on a used, slightly higher end body it'd be worth it. Put that money towards learning resources, lenses, or lighting accessories. For example, the Canon 70D sells for $999, but you can save $100 getting a used unit right on Amazon. The same goes for the Nikon D5300. That extra $100 is halfway to a decent speedlight.

 

[sudodrew]

If someone had told me when I first started, I would have saved myself alot of time and money. Go buy a nice lens first. Decide on body later... heck get the cheapest used body you can find. When starting out, it makes more sense for lens to cost more than body.

Then...after awhile you might get bored or slr body too big.. if so, then you can sell the lens for a small loss (consider it rental fees) and sell the cheap used body for close to the same price you bought it for. But on the other hand, if you find that enjoy photography so much and outgrow your body.. then you can purchase a newer one based on your needs.

Personally I recommend against buying things then finding a use for them... I would highly recommend going the route of purchasing a body/lens based on your needs and shooting style.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

[nzmacro]

Its a bit of a shame you can't meet up with Scott and try it. I hope you can one day, because you will learn a lot more than just the camera. IMO, that's worth more than the camera body itself. I hang out with a few bird shooters here (mostly Canon) and we actually learn a heck of a lot from each other.

Anyway, good luck with it and a great offer there Scott

Danny.

 

[bribrius]

whats your local pawn shop got for dslrs?

 

[goodguy]

Thank you all!! This has been forum has been so helpful. More than anything else! I am now leaning toward the Nikon d5300 or d5200. Going to the store today to try some out. Thank you so so so much! Great information!

-Harry

When comparing t5i to the D5200 the Nikon will give you better low light performance and better dynamic range because of its much newer sensor.
In regards to D5200 or D5300 I would recommend either get the D5200 or skip the D5300 and go for the D7100, the price difference isnt big and the D7100 is worth the extra bucks.

The D5200 is a very good camera and I think best bang for your buck, the D5300 is simply a slightly upgraded D5200, it lacks th AA filter but frankly I wouldnt worry about that too much.
As I said if you are considering the D5300 then go for the D7100, both lack the AA filter but the D7100 has more features, better body and AF motor which will let you buy older cheaper lenses which are still very good.

If money is tight get the D5200 if not then go for the D7100

 

[Wolfman720]

I love my D7100

 

[radiogooroo]

My personal opinion is that if you don't want to upgrade any time soon then don't buy anything in the Nikon D3xxx or D5xxx series. I emphasize that there is NOTHING wrong with those bodies other than the fact that they lack some features you will be wishing you had at some point. Look at the D7000 / D7100 and go from there. If you want less expensive look at the venerable D90. If you want full-frame look at the D610 or D800.

Either Nikon or Canon would be a good choice. My personal opinion, again, is that Nikon tends to have better sensor arrays but that isn't founded in experience since I've never used a Canon, just read about them. Buy what feels best to you, learn to use it, and never look back.

Edit ... Forgot to mention: If you like to get up early I can put a D7000 or D7100 in your hands that you can use for a little while. I'm usually at Radnor Lake, or some place similar, early most weekend mornings chasing birds.

I couldn't agree more.

I have a D5100, a D7100 and a D800. Most of the time the D7100 stays on a tripod with a shotgun mic mounted to the hot shoe. We use it for shooting videos of our son who is now 12 months old. I also use it as my walking around camera when I'm doing street photography in an area where I'm not comfortable taking the D800.

The D800 is what I do most of my shooting with these days. The D800 with my Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art is a good tool for catching a highly mobile toddler in action in the house shooting with available light.

The D5200 is used for a home-made photo booth that I built a few years ago, and that's about it.

In terms of image quality, the 5200 takes some great pictures, but I find the controls cumbersome. Settings that are easily accessible on the 800 and 7100 are hard to find on the 5200 - buried in menus, etc.

If you're wanting to get something to just snap away in auto mode, you can't go wrong with the D5100, 5200 or 5300.

If you think you'll eventually want to control every aspect of your shooting manually, aperture, shutter speed, etc. I think you'll be much happier with a D7000 or D7100, or the Canon equivalent of those cameras. You'll spend less time buried in menus, and more time shooting.

 

[HarryChaseLemont]

Hey guys! Thanks a lot for all your input! The Nikon d7100 was just a bit to pricey for me seeing I wanted a nicer lens as well. I just got back from the store and purchased the Nikon d5200! I also got a great deal! Cannot wait to get started using it. Thank you so much, everyone here has been so helpful

harrychaselemont.tumblr.com