Which beginner camera for start?

Wiktoria Pasieczny · Apr 5, 2021

Hi, I am looking to buy a camera for more of a travel, portrait photography use. I have been researching on youtube etc for the past week and my head is just getting more and more confused haha!

I was initially looking at NikonD7500 as it seems like a very good DSLR camera although it doesn't have the flipping screen option to tilt... I would ideally want a camera that has:

1.A flipping screen

2.Remote shutter release

3.GPS

4. Wifi (I heard that the snap bridge app is quite bad with Nikon)

I was also looking at Canon 200D but then not sure... Usually, people say Nikon is better for photos and Canon for videos.. I would appreciate any advice on models that could be good for me?

Thank you

wfooshee · Apr 5, 2021

I've not ever wished for a flipping screen. Ever. Nor have I ever wished for a touch-screen menu system. (You didn't mention that, but a lot of people do, because for some reason they think a touch screen is better than using cursor buttons.)

Remote shutter release, the D7500 has it, but you have to buy the remote separately.

GPS, I'm not sure why it's needed. No Nikon has it built in, you need extra pieces and apps. My phone tags pics with location, but 95% of the time it tags the tower and not the GPS, even though GPS is ALWAYS on on my phone.

Wifi. Again, why? You want to immediately share pics from the camera to Facebook? Or are you wanting external network control of the camera, like Snapbridge. If Snapbridge works, I can see that being useful. The D7500 supports it.

Of your 4, I've used the remote shutter release, but only if I had to be in the picture. For non-touching shutter release, like I don't want to shake it on a tripod, I user the timer-delay.

Just my two cents' worth, but I would not emphasize any of your "requirements" very highly in my own camera decision-making.

That said, the D7500 is an excellent camera! It has two shortcomings compared to the D7200 I decided to go with (used,) in that it only has one memory slot, and the D7500 does not have the metering coupler for AI lenses, so legacy lenses will not meter (autoexpose) on the camera, (and I own three older AI lenses.) The D7500 has better ISO performance of the two, and a better AF system.

Going on to compare the D7500 to lower cameras in Nikon's line, the D5X00 and D3X00 lines, the D7500 is without doubt superior to any of those, but you might find that a D5600 is enough camera, for a bit less $$$. The D7500 has a tilting screen, while the D5600 is "fully articulated" (it swings out, rotates, and twists.) Both have wifi, the 7500 can shoot 4K video where the 5600 is HD. If continuous shooting is important, just holding the button down and ripping a sequences of shots, the 7500 is significantly faster.

ntz · Apr 5, 2021

Everybody will recommend the brand of his choice so getting unambiguous answer on question like this is nothing what is going to happen ..

I would recommend to consider several aspects

1) budget
2) further expansion routes
3) ergonomics + physical traits (dimenstions, weight, ?weather sealed, two card slots, etc)

answering your question is literally not possible

.. but okay, let me throw my two cents in ..

as a Nikon user I am not considering other brand .. I have also experience with Fujifilm cameras but I personally consider Nikon cameras to better fit to my photography workflow .. D7500 us huge and heavy camera, it has Nikon F-mount, which is great, you can buy for F-mount *an incredible amout* of new and used lenses, it's probably the most widespread mount in the world, that's plus so it makes further expansion in lens a lot easier and less costly .. however ..

.. however if I didn't plan to buy a lot of new lens and if I didn't have already my future upgrade route set (which is D850 for me), I'd probably go with lighter mirrorless camera like Nikon Z50 (based on you considering a D7500, which is similar price range, you can buy a Z50 set with both kit lens 16-50mm + 50-250mm which is just great deal)

Soocom1 · Apr 5, 2021

I have Nikon, Canon and Fuji.
Also a hasselblad MF but that thing is a monster.

As previously stated, budget.
Stick to a budget, and if you dont mind having used, try the various used camera sites.
When you can get a deal on a D90 for $100, or a full Frame D3x for $350, or a Canon 1Ds for 375, or Fuji mirrorless for $150-1500, the world is your oyster.

ntz · Apr 5, 2021

Soocom1 said:
I have Nikon, Canon and Fuji.
Also a hasselblad MF but that thing is a monster.

As previously stated, budget.
Stick to a budget, and if you dont mind having used, try the various used camera sites.
When you can get a deal on a D90 for $100, or a full Frame D3x for $350, or a Canon 1Ds for 375, or Fuji mirrorless for $150-1500, the world is your oyster.

yeah ... I totally agree .. funny, I've bought for my nephew an used D5100 (which has by the way flipping display) and I started using the camera regularly for myself because it's just feather-light (Vs my main camera) and it just works pretty well .. so decent second hand camera is absolutely the great option .. I'd go for D5600 probably as mentioned above + some lightweight set of lens if I needed to be especially budget-wise or if that will be my *first* camera ...

DonaldC1961 · Apr 5, 2021

I have a Canon (5D Mark III) for my dslrs and they take fantastic images and video.

I agree with what has been mentioned above. I will also add the how the camera feels in your hand is a big deal. Your camera has to feel comfortable in your hands, so that does not become a distraction or and issue if you have small hands.

As far as what brand is better; Canon, Nikon Fuji, Sony, etc, they are all good. Each brand has their idiosyncrasies, which comes with the territory. The only real way to know what camera is best for you, is to go to a photography store, not Best Buy or other electronics retailer, rather a real camera store and start experimenting. Take a few SD cards with you, take some images and see what feels and looks good to you.

Including, make it a fun, joyful experience.

Rickbb · Apr 6, 2021

Forgive me, but I think you're asking all the wrong questions. What you're asking about are things that might be nice to haves, but have no affect on making a good travel or portrait camera.

You should ask yourself what kind of photos do I want to take first. Then what kind of travel will I be doing. Are you going hiking and need a very small light weight. Are you going to have a traveling studio to do portraits, or just street shots of people you meet. Are you talking about vacation type of "selfies". What is your budget, etc.

And so on, no one can make any decent recommendations until we know more about what you want to shoot and how.

As for a flipping screen, useless in my opinion.

Remote shutter, yes, I've used one and sometimes it's useful.

GPS, mostly useless unless I was building a world map of all the places I've been to link the shots too. But then I still have my memory of where I was, (mostly).

WiFi, only useful in a studio to view your shots immediately on a larger screen, but you can use a cable link for that as well. For file transfer later, too slow and buggy a USB cable is faster.

jcdeboever · Apr 6, 2021

Nikon doesn't take better pics than Canon or the other way around. State your intended use and budget, then we can give you proper direction. Glass is more important. As companies are moving away from DSLR's for the most part, getting into a mirrorless may make a better choice.

Nevermore1 · Apr 6, 2021

As others have asked - what is your intended use? How important are each of your requirements to you? The only item on your list that I think is useful is the tilting screen. I know I would have issues if my camera didn't have one as I have physical limitations (bad knee that needs replacement, I can blow it out just by kneeling down) and the tilting screen has helped me be able to get shots I normally wouldn't be able to easily get. I don't use it often, I prefer using the viewfinder to live view, but it's great to have for when I want to get a low shot of something.

As for GPS, it's possibly useful if you're doing a big cross country drive and will be taking lots of photos as you go without many chances to stop and upload your photos to log where they were taken. Other than that probably not very useful and a battery drainer.

Wi-fi might be useful if you want to tether to a computer to take photos in a studio without having to worry about wires. The computer can be used for remote shutter release in this case (or your cell phone can be used). Personally I've only used this function once, in a swamp, when my friend wanted a group photo and there was no one around to ask to take the photo. You can always get a wired shutter release if you're concerned about camera shake on a tripod.

I know that Canon has a few cameras that would meet all your current requirements (the 6D Mark II which I recently got and the EOS M100 which I personally don't know much about). Unfortunately I can't give any input on other brands as I've only used Canon since I was a kid.

Timppa · Apr 7, 2021

The d7500 has a flippy screen :0
I own one!
Or do you mean that it flips fully like for selfies? That it cannot do.
It also has touchscreen, that I turned off. I really dislike it.
And yes 1 memory card slot, get over it people, one is enough. I got a 128gb card in it, up to 2700 raw images.
I understand the means for a backup, but common, that's only truly needed if you shoot weddings and people pay you for it.

I can only say, fantastic camera, I am very happy with it.

But like written above, what do you really seek for in a camera?
Travel can mean many things, are you looking for general use, landscapes or also lots of zoom for wildlife?
Do you want to swap lenses? Or do you want am all around lens?
Perhaps a camera with build in lens that is more convenient?
Budget?

kyphoto4 · Sep 21, 2021

Wiktoria Pasieczny said:
Hi, I am looking to buy a camera for more of a travel, portrait photography use. I have been researching on youtube etc for the past week and my head is just getting more and more confused haha!

I was initially looking at NikonD7500 as it seems like a very good DSLR camera although it doesn't have the flipping screen option to tilt... I would ideally want a camera that has:

1.A flipping screen

2.Remote shutter release

3.GPS

4. Wifi (I heard that the snap bridge app is quite bad with Nikon)

I was also looking at Canon 200D but then not sure... Usually, people say Nikon is better for photos and Canon for videos.. I would appreciate any advice on models that could be good for me? Thank you

The point user jcdeboever makes that “companies are moving away from DSLR’s" is something that I have noticed, especially if you are considering a camera for travel photography.

My first camera (I still use it today) is a Canon Powershot SX60 HS. While this camera is not a DSLR and is instead a bridge camera it honestly works perfectly for what I wanted it for which was travel and seascape photography and videography. The camera has a 65x optical zoom which is almost unbeatable in a bridge camera and is the reason I haven't upgraded. I’m not sure what specific aspect of travel photography you are hoping to engage with, but I strongly suggest considering a camera with great zoom.

Due to my camera being a bridge camera it is compact, and I'm not required to change any lenses and yet I still have a very impressive zoom range. I feel a bridge camera for travelling is the most ideal option as you have everything you need and therefore there is no requirement of carrying excess equipment and there's also no risk of missing a photo opportunity as there is no fussing around with lenses required.

ntz · Sep 21, 2021

kyphoto4 said:
The point user jcdeboever makes that “companies are moving away from DSLR’s" is something that I have noticed, especially if you are considering a camera for travel photography.

My first camera (I still use it today) is a Canon Powershot SX60 HS. While this camera is not a DSLR and is instead a bridge camera it honestly works perfectly for what I wanted it for which was travel and seascape photography and videography. The camera has a 65x optical zoom which is almost unbeatable in a bridge camera and is the reason I haven't upgraded. I’m not sure what specific aspect of travel photography you are hoping to engage with, but I strongly suggest considering a camera with great zoom.

Due to my camera being a bridge camera it is compact, and I'm not required to change any lenses and yet I still have a very impressive zoom range. I feel a bridge camera for travelling is the most ideal option as you have everything you need and therefore there is no requirement of carrying excess equipment and there's also no risk of missing a photo opportunity as there is no fussing around with lenses required.

she asked once in Apr 5 and never came back ... she has probably different hobby now (like playing on some musical instrument or a paint art ...)

Grandpa Ron · Sep 21, 2021

Lots of great advise.

My one old school must have, is a viewfinder. I cannot get used to cropping a picture with a camera which only uses a screen on the back. This is specially true if any zoom is involved.

Good luck

dennyr · Sep 23, 2021

Grandpa Ron said:
Lots of great advise.

My one old school must have, is a viewfinder. I cannot get used to cropping a picture with a camera which only uses a screen on the back. This is specially true if any zoom is involved.

Good luck

I do not own a digital camera, so pardon my ignorance.
But.............is there no demand for a "Stripped Down" Digital SLR.?
Good Grief, just pick one.
Something "Similar" to a -----
F2
F3
Canon F1
Pentax KX K2
OLY OM3
Etc etc etc
Obviously it would do AF but have a VF with a focus aid for MF as well, and at least have Aperture Priority if not Shutter.

But a Digital SLR that was intuitive to use with just a few knobs on it is all.
The one modern SLR i used did not have a focus scale on the lens. Not even sure if it had an aperture ring. It was horrible to try to manual focus.
I suppose THAT horse left the barn many years ago.?

I am really behind the times. I suppose the Digital SLR is dead anyway, as far as new production.?
Kind of like wanting a manual transmission in a circa 2020 automobile.

bjornebarn · Sep 23, 2021

wfooshee said:
I've not ever wished for a flipping screen. Ever. Nor have I ever wished for a touch-screen menu system. (You didn't mention that, but a lot of people do, because for some reason they think a touch screen is better than using cursor buttons.)

I have a tiltable screen on my Sony A7II and I actually find it useful, sometimes. I often take photos from the ground, and then it is simply not possible to use the viewfinder. Having said that, it is nothing I would pay extra for, but if it's included I would not mind.

Grandpa Ron said:
Lots of great advise.

My one old school must have, is a viewfinder. I cannot get used to cropping a picture with a camera which only uses a screen on the back. This is specially true if any zoom is involved.

Good luck

I completely agree. My first camera with exchangeable lenses was a Sony Nex, and although I enjoyed it a lot, one of my big issues with it was the lack of viewfinder. I would often come back home after taking lots of photos, just to realize that all the photos were overexposed, framed incorrectly, tilted, etc, simply because it's impossible to see the LCD screen in normal daylight...

For my next camera, I made sure to have a proper viewfinder.