What is the best Nikon camera for beginners?

[hamlet]

This place can become very convoluted when someone just asks for general advice.


Let me phrase the cameras in a simple way for you. The Nikon cameras come in different tiers and the more you pay the more capable your camera becomes but the more experience you need to use it to its full capabilities:


I'll go through them from very non-experienced but friendly to use, to more professional cameras:


Basic DSLR's are easy to use and you can let the camera worry about the technical stuff:
D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300 <-- from older to newer models


Mid level DSLR's are the same as the D3000 models but with a little more features and still easy to use:
D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300 <-- from older to newer models


semi-pro DSLR's are cameras for the more experienced users, it has a lot more bells and whistles and can be confusing to beginners.
D7000, D7100 <-- from older to newer models

 

[bigal1000]

A manual film SLR. I know I may sound like an asshat, but that's where I started and it really helped me build a good foundation on the understanding of how things work. It was a bit painful, but fun.

Are you kidding,do really think someone starting out today is interested in a film camera for their first camera !!!!!

 

[robbins.photo]

I really like Nikon cameras and I really like photography. What is the best camera by Nikon for a beginner?

Ok, well a variety of responses here already but I guess I'll weigh in as well. When choosing the best camera for you a lot is based off of your budget - how much you want to spend, as well as what sort of pictures you think you'll be taking most. That will give you a better idea as to what sort of camera/lens combo will give you the best results within your given budget.

For Nikon's when your first starting out I generally recommend the D3200 or the D5200 for most, they both have an excellent 24 mp sensor which does well under most circumstances. The D5200 will offer you a few more options that might be attractive depending on what your using the camera for, such as the abiltiy to do in camera HDR and an articulating screen which from what they tell me is nice to have when your trying to shoot at odd angles and also for shooting video.

The 5200 has a better autofocus system and a little bit better lowlight capabilities, it also shoots just a touch faster than the D3200. The 3200 is a little smaller and lighter than the 5200, and it has a guide mode which some folks really like when they first get started taking pictures - though really the auto modes on the 5200 (and most DSLR's) will allow you to get some pretty decent shots even when you are first starting out.

If your budget is more limited then you have other options as well, such as possibly a D3100 or D5100, etc. But if you can afford it the D3200 or the D5200 would both be good options to investigate, both provide excellent image quality and a reasonable price.

 

[Solarflare]

Uh-hu.

I dont really believe that semipro models are more confusing than beginner cameras, really. They also have green mode and even these stupid scene modi if you're into that. I never used them, but they are there.

There are more buttons on the semipro cameras, but frankly they dont hurt. You dont NEED to know what they all do to use the camera. And once you figured out what they do, these additional buttons are helpful. While if you start with a "beginner" camera, these buttons arent there in the first place - which will slow you down.

Personally I dont understand why Nikon left the green mode out of the D800, but D610 and D7100 should be fine. And quite frankly, I dont need more direct buttons than the D610 offers, anyway.

And thats the good about semipro cameras: you can use them on any experitise level. They can grow with you. And you'll never really need something better, unless you have special demands.

A bit more intelligent than green mode is program mode. Then aperture and shutter priority modes once you figured out what these mean. And thats all I still use. Full manual is too slow for my needs, most of the time.

The only problem is if you DONT WANT TO LEARN PHOTOGRAPHY anyway. But then a DSLR is maybe a bad choice anyway ? The advantage of these cameras is more direct control over the photographic process.

 

[greybeard]

I started with a 4x5 view camera 40 years ago but, I definitely wouldn't recommend starting that way today. I think the D7000-D7100 cameras are very well suited to the serious amateur. All the controls needed for creative photography and all the auto stuff for point and shoot.

 

[Derrel]

This place can become very convoluted when someone just asks for general advice.


Let me phrase the cameras in a simple way for you. The Nikon cameras come in different tiers and the more you pay the more capable your camera becomes but the more experience you need to use it to its full capabilities:


I'll go through them from very non-experienced but friendly to use, to more professional cameras:


Basic DSLR's are easy to use and you can let the camera worry about the technical stuff:
D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300 <-- from older to newer models


Mid level DSLR's are the same as the D3000 models but with a little more features and still easy to use:
D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300 <-- from older to newer models


semi-pro DSLR's are cameras for the more experienced users, it has a lot more bells and whistles and can be confusing to beginners.
D7000, D7100 <-- from older to newer models

Simple. Brilliant. On-target.

Look for a marked down D7000 if you want to get a lot for a good price. Buy "one generation back" like D7000, or D5200, or D3200 if you want to "save some money".

 

[bpgoll]

I think about Nikon D3200, It had an old-ish 6 megapixel image sensor, when 10+ megapixel sensors were expected. Even so, many found it to be so good at what it did, there was hardly a better camera with just enough features.


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[Skyehammer]

I bought a Nikon F80 to start off with , just to get the feel of a camera in my hands , and because I couldn't afford a DSLR , then I took voluntary redundancy from my last job as they were looking to reduce their staff , and bought a Nikon D7000 .
It cost me over £1000 then , nowadays you can get them for around half that price new , less second hand .
Please remember that some of the ' cheaper ' entry level Nikons can't accept motorised lenses so that will restrict which ones you can buy .
I would buy the very best camera I could afford , which in 2012 was the D7000 , today I'd go for the D7100 , if I had loads of money , I'd get the D4s and a Ferrari .

 

[MartinCrabtree]

I think about Nikon D3200, It had an old-ish 6 megapixel image sensor, when 10+ megapixel sensors were expected. Even so, many found it to be so good at what it did, there was hardly a better camera with just enough features.
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HEY!!! The D3200 has a 24MP sensor.

 

[Solarflare]

I will never understand people who obsess over the Nikon D4s ... this is a working horse for journalists and wedding photographers who still want to make photos under the worst conditions, need insane amounts of frames per second to get the right shot for the news, and need their camera to be extra reliable too.

For an amateur, this camera is just unnecessarily large and heavy, and its image quality (in good enough light, anyway) is actually WORSE than that of the D810 and D610.

 

[greybeard]

I will never understand people who obsess over the Nikon D4s ... this is a working horse for journalists and wedding photographers who still want to make photos under the worst conditions, need insane amounts of frames per second to get the right shot for the news, and need their camera to be extra reliable too.

For an amateur, this camera is just unnecessarily large and heavy, and its image quality (in good enough light, anyway) is actually WORSE than that of the D810 and D610.

Because they see professional photographers using them.

 

[ibrahimbeno]

be careful before take the final decision, [wrong decision mean wrong investment and a bad photography experience.]
for beginners i always suggest Nikon D3200 because it's :
simple to use.
have a Guide mode made by pro photographer for help you to take pictures in different situation.
low price; => you can invest in Bag and lenses and memory card and guide like (nikon D3200 for dummies # 1 best seller guide )
large sensor and more pixel 24.2 and same processor chip as the expansive D800, this make Nikon D3200 provide great image quality.
and more features, please see this article (is nikon D3200 the best DSLR camera for beginners ?) it will show you exactly what to choose between Nikon D3XXX series / D5XXX / D7XXX and Canon cameras under 700$, depending on your budget limit and experience level.