Need Advice

foxk7363 · Feb 22, 2015

Just getting started in the world of photography. I've had several point and shoot cameras. Currently have a Fuji Finepix S4080. Looking into moving to a digital SLR camera. I would to use this camera mainly for portraits, beginning with family and hoping to expand my horizons into some professional photography. I have had a few suggestions of beginning with a Nikon 3200. Since I am new can anyone give me suggestions as what would be the easiest to begin with that still allows room for growth, and produces professional quality images. And also what if any additional lenses I should start with. Thank you in advance for suggestions.

weepete · Feb 22, 2015

Whats you budget?

foxk7363 · Feb 22, 2015

weepete said:
Whats you budget?

would like to stay around $600 or less. Not including lenses

Derrel · Feb 22, 2015

Professional quality images are mostly about knowing how to pose people, and how to light them, and how to make the fewest number of compromises [read: fewest number of mistakes of any kind] when photographing. The bigger skill set is the lighting/posing/composing/interacting with people aspect of photographic practice, not the camera aspect.

The Nikon D3200 can make good images, as long as it has a good lens on the front of it, and as long as the person shooting the pictures has a firm grasp of how to make professional grade images. A good lens to buy would be a Sigma or Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. A second good lens would be a 50-150mm f/2.8 lens.

"It's not the arrow...it's the archer."

foxk7363 · Feb 22, 2015

Derrel said:
Professional quality images are mostly about knowing how to pose people, and how to light them, and how to make the fewest number of compromises [read: fewest number of mistakes of any kind] when photographing. The bigger skill set is the lighting/posing/composing/interacting with people aspect of photographic practice, not the camera aspect.

The Nikon D3200 can make good images, as long as it has a good lens on the front of it, and as long as the person shooting the pictures has a firm grasp of how to make professional grade images. A good lens to buy would be a Sigma or Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens. A second good lens would be a 50-150mm f/2.8 lens.

"It's not the arrow...it's the archer."

Thanks