Purchasing a DSLR for the first time, please help!

[weepete]

I see everybody is recommending Nikon and saying Canon T6 is outdated.

Is there any other Canon model that is perhaps a bit more expensive but can match Nikon?

Yes, the T6i, 77D, 80D and 5Dmkiv are close, but still some way from the Sony sensors used in the Nikons. Basically you'll get a little more ability to capture difference between shadows and highlights plus less noisy photos at high ISOs (think better in low light) with Nikon. If you moved up to a D5500 or above the Nikons are ISO invariant, meaning that you'll get much more latitude to recover underexposed shots with basically no noise penalty, which is a massive advantage for a beginner.

 

[weepete]

]
Do lenses usually have a vibration reduction? Would my pictures be blurry if I don't use a tripod? Thanks!

VR/IS is handy to have but is not a deal breaker. Movement of the subject can also cause blur, and in a lot of situations you'll want to use a higher shutter speed anyway to freeze subject movement (like people, animals, even a boat bobing on water or trees blowing in the wind). If your subject is still or you are using a long focal length with a resonably static subject VR comes in useful to trade a lower shutter speed for a lower ISO meaning less noise, bearing in mind that you can use noise reduction to fix in post but you can't fix blur. It also comes in handy for close up photography.

 

[dunfly]

VR reduces blur from camera shake. The 18-55 mm lens that comes with the kit does have VR, but you don't need it so much in that range. When you get out to longer focal lengths, camera shake becomes more pronounced, which is why the 70-300 mm without VR makes no sense to me since that is where you need it, particularly on the long end. It is, in fact, not a deal breaker at the price you are paying for it. Yes it is an annoyance, but you can compensate for it by shooting higher shutter speeds. I find the 1/focal length formula is to slow. I shoot at almost double that to eliminate camera shake (but I have shaky hands). So if I am using the 300mm end of the range, I will shoot at 1/500+ or use a tripod. If you have steady hands, you can also brace yourself against a stable object and shoot lower shutter speeds.

 

[davidharmier60]

Going back to my film days.
I shot a LOT with 300mm.
Almost all aircraft but many in flight.
Didn't lose all that many to focus issues.
Shoot the fastest shutter speed you can get away with and you'll be ok.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[BananaRepublic]

What VR is meant to do is reduce the effect hand shake has on the photo. Unless your the Terminator you have hand shake you just dont notice it but I wouldn't be overly worried about it.

 

[Designer]

Do lenses usually have a vibration reduction? Would my pictures be blurry if I don't use a tripod? Thanks!

Some have VR, and some don't. There is one version of the 70-300mm that does have VR, but that version is not the one in this kit.

You can generally get by without VR, just as we all did in the olden days. Learn proper camera-holding techniques, and you should be good for average conditions.

Hand-held shots can be very good with proper technique, and if you still get blurry shots, then a tripod might be in order. Typically, if the long lens is set to 300mm, your shutter speed should be at least 1/300 of a second or faster, but you still need to learn to hold the camera steady regardless.

 

[chuasam]

gonna be a contrarian and say Olympus OMD EM10 II

 

[Derrel]

Thanks everyone for your time and advise! Overwhelming support for the Nikon so that's probably the one I'm going to get ^^

Currently the vote tally is 9 votes for the Nikon D3400, and 0 votes for the Canon Rebel T6. The Nikon really does have an amazing sensor inside of it: fantastic file recovery capability on the raw files is what the new-era Nikon bodies offer; this is, in my opinion, the single biggest help to the beginning and intermediate photographer; that is to say, the ability to easily re-adjust the original exposure in software, later, using the raw file data and a raw file converter like Adobe's Lightroom, or Capture One, or some other raw conversion software application.

 

[airie]

Hey everyone I have another question. So I'm looking through all of these deals and these bundles and I'm not quite sure which one I should get. The amazon bundles include SO many things and I don't know if I would ever need them.

Should I keep it simple and just get the Best Buy $499 (D3400 camera, two lenses, 36gb SD card) or spend a bit more and have everything...
https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-3-5-5-...pID=61gBMRVhJcL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

while I'm at it there's also this bundle for the D5300 for $100 more...(both lenses are VR though)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X1FQ1R...lR&pd_rd_r=NW6ZQZTBSEH8J0R5NHMG&pd_rd_w=kYUuV

Thanks again!

 

[Designer]

Hey everyone I have another question. So I'm looking through all of these deals and these bundles and I'm not quite sure which one I should get. The amazon bundles include SO many things and I don't know if I would ever need them.

You're very perceptive. That 70-300 without VR is no bargain, IMO. For a little more, you can find one with VR.

Some of the items included in the "100 piece" deal are not that useful. I think most people who get all that entry-level stuff will use it a few times and then consign it to a drawer, never to use it again.

I think you will be safe getting the Best Buy deal. Yes, you will want more stuff, someday, but that's the nature of this hobby. By learning which lenses, tripods, flashes, etc. are worth getting, you can save up to get the good stuff all in due time.

 

[Derrel]

The BestBuy link has the camera with the 18-55 AF-P VR and the 70-300 G series AF-P lens: I personally think that the AF-P 70-300 VR is the lens you want for a low-priced kit tele-zoom, and from the reviews I've read, the AF-P focusing protocol makes that 70-300 lens a VERY good performer on the D3400. FAST focusing, sharp, and lightweight.

When comparing on-line prices, you want to make SURE, 100% sure, that different kits have the same, exact items, lens-wise. Sometimes kits are made up with one VR lens, or two VR lenses, or one "older version" of one of the lenses, so there can be significant pricing differences.

I thought that the 70-300mm AF-P VR lens could be located for $99 more than the non-VR AF-P model; the 70-300mm AF-P VR lens is now, according to Thom Hogan' D3400 review, the __best__ of all of the 70-300 Nikkor lenses that have been made! BETTER than the AF-S VR-G model that so many of us have.

 

[airie]

the 70-300mm AF-P VR lens is now, according to Thom Hogan' D3400 review, the __best__ of all of the 70-300 Nikkor lenses that have been made! BETTER than the AF-S VR-G model that so many of us have.

Is this the lens that you're talking about?
https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-70-300mm-4-5-6-3G-ED-VR/dp/B01KJ8UMKK

If so, then I think it's the same lens that's in this bundle
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X1FQ1R...lR&pd_rd_r=NW6ZQZTBSEH8J0R5NHMG&pd_rd_w=kYUuV

If that's the case, then I suppose I would be better off getting the D5300 because the lens themselves are almost $400?

 

[Derrel]

Yes, that is the lens I am saying is the best performer. To translate all that Nikon lens nomenclature, it is the 70-300mm, f/4.5~6.3 aperture range, it uses Nikon's fairly new AF-P focusing protocol; and it has ED or Extra-low Dispersion glass within its design. AND it is a Vibration Reduction or VR lens.

YOU are correct; this lens is $396 or thereabouts when bought alone, but has been sold to many retailers as part of a bundle, and customers can save a lot of money buying this lens in a KIT form; this summer, I saw the same, exact issue, with the AF-P VR lens basically being highly discounted, as a very strong inducement to buy a 2-lens Nikon d-slr kit.

 

[airie]

Yes, that is the lens I am saying is the best performer. To translate all that Nikon lens nomenclature, it is the 70-300mm, f/4.5~6.3 aperture range, it uses Nikon's fairly new AF-P focusing protocol; and it has ED or Extra-low Dispersion glass within its design. AND it is a Vibration Reduction or VR lens.

YOU are correct; this lens is $396 or thereabouts when bought alone, but has been sold to many retailers as part of a bundle, and customers can save a lot of money buying this lens in a KIT form; this summer, I saw the same, exact issue, with the AF-P VR lens basically being highly discounted, as a very strong inducement to buy a 2-lens Nikon d-slr kit.

Alright...I just went for it. I purchased the Nikon D5300 bundle based on your information about the lenses! Even thought I won't need all of the things in this kit, I figured that it was a good deal since getting the lenses individually would be more expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X1FQ1R...lR&pd_rd_r=NW6ZQZTBSEH8J0R5NHMG&pd_rd_w=kYUuV

 

[Derrel]

Congratulations! I looked at the kit pretty carefully, and unlike most kits, that one has "just" 19 accessory pieces, and I can see that the majority of them will be useful, or at least fun. And you are correct: the 70-300 VR lens is pretty heavily discounted when it's sold in this bundle. The 5300 has built-in WiFi and GPS, as well as the flip-screen, decent video shooting, 39-point autofocus, etc.. Again, the accessory kit has some fun stuff, like the mini-pod, as well as useful things like the hand-strap, and the set of four plus-diopter (aka close-up filters) filters, the accessory slave-triggering remote flash unit, and so on.

The 3xxx and 5xxx-series Nikon bodies can use older, pre-Ai, as well as Ai and Ai-S manual focusing lenses, in all-manual mode, so there's also that aspect; while the earlier AF and AF-D lenses will NOT autofocus on the D5300, they will mount and light meter. The older manual focus type lenses are often available very low in price.

You will have a LOT of good picture-making capability with the D5300, the 18-55 and 70-300 lenses, and the accessory stuff on a D5300!!!