New camera - newbie in choosing

[Deneuve]

Hello there, lovely people! :mrgreen:

As you can see that's my first post so I'm mainly here to seek help from you, the more experienced ones!

For a long time photography has been a hobby of mine and lots of people have told me I'm good at it. First choice of probable future career was as a digital designer so let's say art in particular brought me to the stage I am now. I find photography to be more like a profession I might go for because I'm not sure I'll be able to handle the studies for becoming an artist. So, I'm currently having a problem - I'm using a regular camera by Olympus (I think that's the one I have, sort of, I mean it's not a professional one) and so I guess you can imagine the quality of the photos aren't as good as I'd wish them to be. The filters aren't really working and often the images are blurry, the brightness/contrast/colors can't be fixed in Photoshop too just because the quality's poor. That's why recently I've been thinking of getting, you know, a more serious device. And honestly I have no idea what to search for, I don't have anyone that I know who might be able to help me and because of that I need your advice. As far as my narrow knowledge is concerned, I know that Canon/Nikon are one of the top brands?! Basically I need your help on everything that concerns the camera because I really don't know what my choice should be based on. As for price, I guess it's possible to get a good one for max of 700-800$?

Thank you in advance!!

 

[goodguy]

Getting professional equipment in your price range is not something I can see happening.
In your price range the best you might be able to do is get the Nikon D5200 with a kit lens.
This is a fantasticly good hobbyist camera and I think in its price range the best camera you can get but it is not a professional tool.
If you want a serious professional tool you will need the Nikon D800 which is around 3000$ to that you will need to add few lenses, even if there lenses are used you are still looking at few thousants of dollars and then there is the flash, professional software to work on file, good tripod.....etc so you are looking at lots of money.


Dont get me wrong the Nikon D5200 will be a huge step up from what you have, its low light capabilities and dynamic range is excellent but to get pro gear you will need to invest a lot of money.

Can you do professional work with the D5200 ?
I cant answer that, some real pro's here might give you some tips, I think if I was in your shoes and photography would be what I wanted to do and 700$-800$ would be my top amount I could bring then yes I would get the D5200, make money and then slowly upgrade my way up.

Best of luck.

 

[Deneuve]

Getting professional equipment in your price range is not something I can see happening.
In your price range the best you might be able to do is get the Nikon D5200 with a kit lens.
This is a fantasticly good hobbyist camera and I think in its price range the best camera you can get but it is not a professional tool.
If you want a serious professional tool you will need the Nikon D800 which is around 3000$ to that you will need to add few lenses, even if there lenses are used you are still looking at few thousants of dollars and then there is the flash, professional software to work on file, good tripod.....etc so you are looking at lots of money.


Dont get me wrong the Nikon D5200 will be a huge step up from what you have, its low light capabilities and dynamic range is excellent but to get pro gear you will need to invest a lot of money.

Can you do professional work with the D5200 ?
I cant answer that, some real pro's here might give you some tips, I think if I was in your shoes and photography would be what I wanted to do and 700$-800$ would be my top amount I could bring then yes I would get the D5200, make money and then slowly upgrade my way up.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the quick response!

Sorry, I think I haven't made what I mean clear. I guess you're talking about a camera that costs 3000$ in case I want to work as a photographer. But by 'professional' I meant not a 'digital' camera!? I mean I just wanna be able to take HQ photos which aren't, you know, blurry because with a regular one the photos just don't look professionally taken and overall they don't look good, it's impossible to edit them whatsoever. I apologize for not knowing the exact terms, I guess I'm looking for cameras with lenses but as far as a hobby (and not a profession) allows.

 

[Designer]

No, the Nikon D5200 should be in your price range of $700 to $800. The Nikon D800 is around $3,000. You can make excellent photographs with the D5200 depending on your skill and the lens that is chosen. Both cameras are digital, but they are a step up from the compact digital cameras that you are most familiar with.

 

[Deneuve]

No, the Nikon D5200 should be in your price range of $700 to $800. The Nikon D800 is around $3,000. You can make excellent photographs with the D5200 depending on your skill and the lens that is chosen. Both cameras are digital, but they are a step up from the compact digital cameras that you are most familiar with.

Speaking of lenses, I know that they're bought separately from the camera, right? How is it that you choose what lenses to buy and how much approximately is one for the model you're talking about? Or there's one already on the camera when it's been bought and I can use it without buying any additional ones?

 

[robbins.photo]

Hello there, lovely people! :mrgreen:

As you can see that's my first post so I'm mainly here to seek help from you, the more experienced ones!

For a long time photography has been a hobby of mine and lots of people have told me I'm good at it. First choice of probable future career was as a digital designer so let's say art in particular brought me to the stage I am now. I find photography to be more like a profession I might go for because I'm not sure I'll be able to handle the studies for becoming an artist. So, I'm currently having a problem - I'm using a regular camera by Olympus (I think that's the one I have, sort of, I mean it's not a professional one) and so I guess you can imagine the quality of the photos aren't as good as I'd wish them to be. The filters aren't really working and often the images are blurry, the brightness/contrast/colors can't be fixed in Photoshop too just because the quality's poor. That's why recently I've been thinking of getting, you know, a more serious device. And honestly I have no idea what to search for, I don't have anyone that I know who might be able to help me and because of that I need your advice. As far as my narrow knowledge is concerned, I know that Canon/Nikon are one of the top brands?! Basically I need your help on everything that concerns the camera because I really don't know what my choice should be based on. As for price, I guess it's possible to get a good one for max of 700-800$?

Thank you in advance!!

Well there is a difference between "professional equipment" and "professional results". You can get a lot of cameras in your price range with which you can produce professional results, though most of them will be not be considered "professional equipment" by the camera companies that use those terms to define what cameras they are marketing to whom. So I wouldn't worry to much about the label and concentrate more on finding a camera the suits your needs.

The first thing to do of course is to define those needs so you can find the best camera to match them. So, what types of pictures are you going to be taking? Portraits, landscapes, wildlife, etc. Are you interested more in still images or video? Do you have any objections to buying used/refurbished equipment or will you only be looking at new?

 

[smr238]

Getting professional equipment in your price range is not something I can see happening.
In your price range the best you might be able to do is get the Nikon D5200 with a kit lens.
This is a fantasticly good hobbyist camera and I think in its price range the best camera you can get but it is not a professional tool.
If you want a serious professional tool you will need the Nikon D800 which is around 3000$ to that you will need to add few lenses, even if there lenses are used you are still looking at few thousants of dollars and then there is the flash, professional software to work on file, good tripod.....etc so you are looking at lots of money.


Dont get me wrong the Nikon D5200 will be a huge step up from what you have, its low light capabilities and dynamic range is excellent but to get pro gear you will need to invest a lot of money.

Can you do professional work with the D5200 ?
I cant answer that, some real pro's here might give you some tips, I think if I was in your shoes and photography would be what I wanted to do and 700$-800$ would be my top amount I could bring then yes I would get the D5200, make money and then slowly upgrade my way up.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the quick response!

Sorry, I think I haven't made what I mean clear. I guess you're talking about a camera that costs 3000$ in case I want to work as a photographer. But by 'professional' I meant not a 'digital' camera!? I mean I just wanna be able to take HQ photos which aren't, you know, blurry because with a regular one the photos just don't look professionally taken and overall they don't look good, it's impossible to edit them whatsoever. I apologize for not knowing the exact terms, I guess I'm looking for cameras with lenses but as far as a hobby (and not a profession) allows.

Like goodguy and others said... go with the D5200 with Kit lens. Its an amazing camera. I'd also recommend reading some books and watching YouTube videos to learn the basics so you can take HQ / non-blurry/ Professional quality photos. There are so many free resources online.
Also, don't worry about investing in extra lenses. Learn to use the kit lens (18-55?) first.

 

[Deneuve]

Hello there, lovely people! :mrgreen:

As you can see that's my first post so I'm mainly here to seek help from you, the more experienced ones!

For a long time photography has been a hobby of mine and lots of people have told me I'm good at it. First choice of probable future career was as a digital designer so let's say art in particular brought me to the stage I am now. I find photography to be more like a profession I might go for because I'm not sure I'll be able to handle the studies for becoming an artist. So, I'm currently having a problem - I'm using a regular camera by Olympus (I think that's the one I have, sort of, I mean it's not a professional one) and so I guess you can imagine the quality of the photos aren't as good as I'd wish them to be. The filters aren't really working and often the images are blurry, the brightness/contrast/colors can't be fixed in Photoshop too just because the quality's poor. That's why recently I've been thinking of getting, you know, a more serious device. And honestly I have no idea what to search for, I don't have anyone that I know who might be able to help me and because of that I need your advice. As far as my narrow knowledge is concerned, I know that Canon/Nikon are one of the top brands?! Basically I need your help on everything that concerns the camera because I really don't know what my choice should be based on. As for price, I guess it's possible to get a good one for max of 700-800$?

Thank you in advance!!

Well there is a difference between "professional equipment" and "professional results". You can get a lot of cameras in your price range with which you can produce professional results, though most of them will be not be considered "professional equipment" by the camera companies that use those terms to define what cameras they are marketing to whom. So I wouldn't worry to much about the label and concentrate more on finding a camera the suits your needs.

The first thing to do of course is to define those needs so you can find the best camera to match them. So, what types of pictures are you going to be taking? Portraits, landscapes, wildlife, etc. Are you interested more in still images or video? Do you have any objections to buying used/refurbished equipment or will you only be looking at new?

I'm personally looking for equipment that will provide me with professional results more like, I'd personally buy a new camera. As for choosing between what I'd like to capture I'd go for landscapes/nature I suppose though I'd be equally interested in portraits too. And I'll definitely go for photos mainly, not so much for video.

In fact, since I'm going to be visiting some of the bigger European cities, capitals actually starting with London, in a couple of months that's mainly the reason why I want to get a camera before I go. I want to be able to make photos while being in the city (guess that doesn't really count as landscape so...)

 

[Designer]

Speaking of lenses, I know that they're bought separately from the camera, right? How is it that you choose what lenses to buy and how much approximately is one for the model you're talking about? Or there's one already on the camera when it's been bought and I can use it without buying any additional ones?

Most new kits include one lens. Mine actually included two lenses, both of which are considered "beginner" type lenses. There is nothing wrong with using the inexpensive lens that comes with the camera for a few years and then purchasing better lenses later.

 

[Designer]

In fact, since I'm going to be visiting some of the bigger European cities, capitals actually starting with London, in a couple of months that's mainly the reason why I want to get a camera before I go. I want to be able to make photos while being in the city (guess that doesn't really count as landscape so...)

You should get your camera soon so you will have time to practice before you go.

 

[Deneuve]

Thanks to all of you for your help!

I'm currently searching through Youtube and it looks great indeed! I see there's a lot of positive feedback but there's a slight problem. I'm not able to purchase anything online currently and I see that in shops here this camera's not available. There's a D5100 though but for some reason it's more expensive than in the US. I saw that the Canon/SONY ones are less expensive though and there are more models available than Nikon ones. So is there an equally good to the D5200 camera by Canon/SONY too?

Update: I just found out there's a shop that provides cameras only so they have the D5200 in stock but I also found SONY SLT-A65VK? Which of the two is better in that case since they're pretty much the same price?

 

[robbins.photo]

Hello there, lovely people! :mrgreen:

As you can see that's my first post so I'm mainly here to seek help from you, the more experienced ones!

For a long time photography has been a hobby of mine and lots of people have told me I'm good at it. First choice of probable future career was as a digital designer so let's say art in particular brought me to the stage I am now. I find photography to be more like a profession I might go for because I'm not sure I'll be able to handle the studies for becoming an artist. So, I'm currently having a problem - I'm using a regular camera by Olympus (I think that's the one I have, sort of, I mean it's not a professional one) and so I guess you can imagine the quality of the photos aren't as good as I'd wish them to be. The filters aren't really working and often the images are blurry, the brightness/contrast/colors can't be fixed in Photoshop too just because the quality's poor. That's why recently I've been thinking of getting, you know, a more serious device. And honestly I have no idea what to search for, I don't have anyone that I know who might be able to help me and because of that I need your advice. As far as my narrow knowledge is concerned, I know that Canon/Nikon are one of the top brands?! Basically I need your help on everything that concerns the camera because I really don't know what my choice should be based on. As for price, I guess it's possible to get a good one for max of 700-800$?

Thank you in advance!!

Well there is a difference between "professional equipment" and "professional results". You can get a lot of cameras in your price range with which you can produce professional results, though most of them will be not be considered "professional equipment" by the camera companies that use those terms to define what cameras they are marketing to whom. So I wouldn't worry to much about the label and concentrate more on finding a camera the suits your needs.

The first thing to do of course is to define those needs so you can find the best camera to match them. So, what types of pictures are you going to be taking? Portraits, landscapes, wildlife, etc. Are you interested more in still images or video? Do you have any objections to buying used/refurbished equipment or will you only be looking at new?

I'm personally looking for equipment that will provide me with professional results more like, I'd personally buy a new camera. As for choosing between what I'd like to capture I'd go for landscapes/nature I suppose though I'd be equally interested in portraits too. And I'll definitely go for photos mainly, not so much for video.

In fact, since I'm going to be visiting some of the bigger European cities, capitals actually starting with London, in a couple of months that's mainly the reason why I want to get a camera before I go. I want to be able to make photos while being in the city (guess that doesn't really count as landscape so...)

Well if photography is something you think you'll be doing fairly regularly I'd recommend the nikon d5200. If it's something you'll only use occasionally for vacations and trips the d3200.

Sent from my LG-LG730 using Tapatalk

 

[Deneuve]

Well there is a difference between "professional equipment" and "professional results". You can get a lot of cameras in your price range with which you can produce professional results, though most of them will be not be considered "professional equipment" by the camera companies that use those terms to define what cameras they are marketing to whom. So I wouldn't worry to much about the label and concentrate more on finding a camera the suits your needs.

The first thing to do of course is to define those needs so you can find the best camera to match them. So, what types of pictures are you going to be taking? Portraits, landscapes, wildlife, etc. Are you interested more in still images or video? Do you have any objections to buying used/refurbished equipment or will you only be looking at new?

I'm personally looking for equipment that will provide me with professional results more like, I'd personally buy a new camera. As for choosing between what I'd like to capture I'd go for landscapes/nature I suppose though I'd be equally interested in portraits too. And I'll definitely go for photos mainly, not so much for video.

In fact, since I'm going to be visiting some of the bigger European cities, capitals actually starting with London, in a couple of months that's mainly the reason why I want to get a camera before I go. I want to be able to make photos while being in the city (guess that doesn't really count as landscape so...)

Well if photography is something you think you'll be doing fairly regularly I'd recommend the nikon d5200. If it's something you'll only use occasionally for vacations and trips the d3200.

Sent from my LG-LG730 using Tapatalk

Sorry, I just saw they have in stock Nikon D3200 only? Guess it's still better to stick to that one instead of Sony? The main difference that I see is that Sony's got ISO 100-16000 but the Nikon one's expandable to 25600 while it has 6400 (as well as the megapixels)? What does the 'expandable' thing mean though, it depends on the lens? And one more thing, it's said there's an auto focus with the kit lens, that doesn't mean you can't adjust the focus yourself, right? I'm sorry for probably the idiotic questions but I've been considering to get a camera for maybe 2 years now and I really wanna make sure I'm making the right choice. :er:

 

[KmH]

There is native ISO and expanded ISO.

Native ISO is done using electronic signal amplifiers and has little impact on the dynamic range of the photo.
Expanded ISO is done with software and diminishes the dynamic range in a photo.

Understanding Dynamic Range in Digital Photography
Learn Photography Concepts

Virtually all of the cameras in the price range you are considering are "the right choice".
Put another way, the differences between them are minor and those differences will have little impact on image quality.

 

[Deneuve]

There is native ISO and expanded ISO.

Native ISO is done using electronic signal amplifiers and has little impact on the dynamic range of the photo.
Expanded ISO is done with software and diminishes the dynamic range in a photo.

Understanding Dynamic Range in Digital Photography
Learn Photography Concepts

Virtually all of the cameras in the price range you are considering are "the right choice".
Put another way, the differences between them are minor and those differences will have little impact on image quality.

Thanks for this, I'll make sure to check everything out!!

So I managed to find Nikon D5200 so I guess I'll go to check that in a couple of weeks... Thanks to all again for the help!