Wanting to upgrade from point and shot Sony to something better...

[DebraR]

I've been researching within my budget and have come up with two cameras, but not completely sure which would be the better way to go: Nikon d3400 vs Panasonic -OR- LUMIX FZ1000 4K QFHD/HD 16X Long Zoom Digital.

I would most likely be shooting macro, outdoors, some portraits. I don't want to out grow the camera in a year or two, but I do want to take some decent quality photos.

Any feed back and/or suggestions would be welcome. Thank you for your time.

 

[Fujidave]

Hi Debra and welcome to the forum. Both those cameras you mention are very good brands, your best bet if you can is TRY them in your hands before you buy, so you can get the feel of them.

 

[Fujidave]

Here is a detailed side by side, Panasonic wins.


Panasonic FZ1000 vs Nikon D3400 Detailed Comparison

 

[jcdeboever]

I think the Nikon is the better choice for photography since you didn't mention video. The D3400 is a very nice starter camera, built well, and has some very good glass available for it.

 

[Fujidave]

I think the Nikon is the better choice for photography since you didn't mention video. The D3400 is a very nice starter camera, built well, and has some very good glass available for it.

Debra JC is right my mistake, as with Nikon they do sell some great lenses as my favourite one was the 35mm f1.8.

 

[Dave442]

I had a Point&Shoot Sony about 15 years ago, great little camera. Moved to a DSLR about 10 years ago and other than size it is much better at everything than the P&S camera. The important part of the DSLR is that while you have one camera, you can have multiple lenses that can allow you to pick what lens best works for the type of photography (I would select a different lens for macro, landscape and portrait - but you can get started just using the lens that comes with the camera).

 

[ac12]

I've been researching within my budget and have come up with two cameras, but not completely sure which would be the better way to go: Nikon d3400 vs Panasonic -OR- LUMIX FZ1000 4K QFHD/HD 16X Long Zoom Digital.

I would most likely be shooting macro, outdoors, some portraits. I don't want to out grow the camera in a year or two, but I do want to take some decent quality photos.

Any feed back and/or suggestions would be welcome. Thank you for your time.

The Lumix/P&S

• Is good for a single all-purpose solution.

• But a jack of all trades is a master of none. So there will be things that it cannot do as well as the dSLR.
• The main thing is that the lens is fixed. What it comes with is what you have, and cannot change it. Although that is a very impressive lens that the camera comes with.

The dSLRs

• has a few advantages over the Lumix
  • One advantage is that you can change the lens to match what you want to shoot, and this comes into play when what you want to shoot is outside the capabilities of the P&S.
    • Example, I would generally pick a dSLR with a macro lens over a P&S to shoot macro/closeup stuff.
    • Having said that, some of those specialized lenses are rather expensive.
  • All the P&S that I've used have an annoying problem called shutter lag, when you press the shutter, about 1 to 2 seconds later, the shutter finally fires. This is not a problem for MANY things, but when you are shooting action/sports/children, that slight lag means that you probably missed the shot you thought you had. For me, that was VERY frustrating. Others do not notice this lag.
• It tends to be larger and heavier than a P&S.

Having said this, I shoot both P&S and dSLR cameras. To me, each has its place.

Both would take good photos.
The difference is more flexibility with the D3400. BTW, the current version is the D3500

 

[EJA64]

Nikon D7200. It has a built in focus motor, which the D3400 does not. That means you can use many older, often cheaper, lenses on the D7200. The D7200 also has an external mic port, which the D3400 does not.

 

[Dxer]

I back up what others have said.

Getting a Nikon DSLR (or a Canon equivalent) would be the better choice.

While the Fuji is a really a decent all around camera, it won't allow you to grow much into the hobby. You are stuck with that particular lens.

With the purchase of the Nikon, this will allow you to use a large variety of lenses to suit your interests. You might want to shoot a lot of night or low light photography and getting some faster glass will help with those images.

There are a lot of inexpensive lens options that are actually pretty decent.

 

[DebraR]

Thank you for all your input, you've given me a lot to think about. I'm leaning towards the Nikon d7200, though a little out of my price range, but who knows with black Friday coming up. Again thank you all.
It seems like a really nice forum, and will continue reading through different posts to learn more.

 

[Designer]

I'm leaning towards the Nikon d7200, though a little out of my price range, ..

Don't overlook the possibility of a good, lightly-used camera. Also, the D7100 is a good choice, either new or used. Much will depend on what lens you get with it. Sometimes used cameras do not automatically include a lens. As long as the price of the deal reflects an accurate assessment of lens or no lens, then it should be a good choice. Shopping for a lens is another story, but when you start to see deals you're interested in, post a link to the deals and ask again. Good luck!

 

[Derrel]

Black Friday _does_ often feature some very good deals on photo gear. However, as was mentioned, used camera bodies are often represent a huge cost savings, especially if the model is one generation back, or two generations back. The D7100 is a very capable camera; the D7200 is better, but not by much, except in the area of a larger buffer. The D7500 is...not really much of an upgrade over the D7200, but it's the higher model number, and that forces the prices down on the USA-wide used market.

I would say that the D7200 was/is considered the "best-performing" serious enthusiast APS-C camera by many; it's a fine camera, that does not cost a lot. Aimed at the serious enthusiast, this would be Nikon's tier three model (I think of the 'serious enthusiast' level as being Nikon's tier three offerings) from a couple years back, and it's STILL quite a popular camera, and has an outstanding sensor in it.

 

[EJA64]

You can pick up a still good used / refurbished D7200 For between $570.00 and $750.00, if you shop around a bit. I've seen one going for $569.00, and several going for $615.00, $650.00, and $735.00. Others which are less used (lower shutter counts, etc) go for around $900.00. If you need to wait, and save a bit for a few months, the price should be even lower by the time you do buy. The D7100 is almost as good a camera, with a still lower price.....between $400.00 and $550.00, mostly, with some going for $800.00 Shop around, and see what you can find. I have a friend who found a D7200 priced at $670.00, on sale for $569.00, around Xmas, at a place which had a six month layaway payment option with a minimum of 10% down. He found that affordable, and paid it off over 6 months. It pays to shop around.