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Looking to upgrade to a dSLR .

Tyler S

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Hello everyone. I have been into photography on and off for about 5 or 6 years now, and back in March I really started to get into it. I was given a Panasonic Dmc-fz30 by a family member. This was a pretty big step up from my 4 mp point and shoot Nikon. 4 more megapixels, faster continuous shooting, a much better quality and faster f/2.8 - f/3.7 lens, the ability to shoot RAW files, and several other features.

Since I was given this camera, photography has become a passion of mine. I have quite possibly taken near 15,000 shots with this camera since I was given it back in March. Most of the time, I shoot in manual mode. This camera has been much better than my old point and shoot, however it does have it's limitations obviously and has left me realizing something - I'm going to need to upgrade to a dSLR .

One of the major drawbacks of the Panasonic is it's low light performance. The highest ISO sensitivity is 400, and even at this sensitivity there is quite a bit of noise. When in Las Vegas on a trip last month, I found myself taking pictures on the strip using an ISO sensitivity of 100, and a shutter speed of around 1/4th of a second. Thankfully the camera has image stabilization, but I still had to hold it very steady and moving subjects were obviously blurred. I love nighttime and low light photography, but my Panasonic limits what I can do. This is one primary reason I want to upgrade to a dSLR. The sensor is larger and would perform much better at high ISO sensitivities.

Another drawback of the Panasonic is that it is a bridge camera, and does not have interchangeable lenses. I would love to be able to change lenses for different shooting scenarios. For instance, I could pick up a fast f/1.8 or so prime lens for portraits, low light work, or just for when I want some nice bokeh. There are also numerous accessories for a dSLR that can be had, and I could see myself using some.

A last drawback of the Panasonic would be it's continuous shooting mode. It's 3 fps, but only for up to 5 highest quality jpeg's. I'd love having a higher frame rate with a larger buffer for things such as sports, and just for having a better chance of capturing that "moment" .

Having said all of this, the moral of the story is that I want to upgrade to a dSLR. Preferably Nikon or Canon. My budget would be in the ballpark of around $2000 or so. If anybody could recommend me a camera and some gear, it would be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance - Tyler.
 
I'm selling all my equipment if you are interested.
 
At that price range, the answer to your quandary is a Nikon D7000 and some decent glass. :biggrin:
 
Is $2k for body only or does that need to include the lens? If body only, perhaps you could stretch it a bit further and get a Full Frame body. I doubt you'd ever feel the need for upgrade again if you went straight for the FF body.
 

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