Will I outgrow a high end consumer camera?

PrestonS · Aug 26, 2011

Hi Everybody,

I've been shopping for a new digital camera for a while now. Reading reviews and trying to gauge what level of camera to purchase. This will be my first serious camera and I find photography quite interesting. I'm hoping to pick up an SLR (or maybe mirrorless or translucent) and learn to use all the features the camera has to offer. I first identified some higher end consumer cameras:

Canon t3i
Nikon d5100
Sony a55
Sony a580

Then I as I read more I worried that I might outgrow some of these a bit fast as I find a need for more manual control. So I started to look at these:

Canon EOS 60D
Nikon d7000

So I have few questions:

1) Will I really outgrow a high end consumer camera quickly or would I be better to start there?
2) If I should stay in the consumer market any thoughts on the listed cameras or any other recommendations?
3) If I should consider stepping into the prosumer category any thoughts on the canon of nikon and any other recommendations?

Thanks everybody, I'm headed to the camera shop this weekend to feel them in my hands but some thoughts before I head into the store would be great.

Preston

2WheelPhoto · Aug 26, 2011

Don't buy a D5xxx and then Craiglist it because you figured out you need features of the D7000 at a minimum. Learn from my mistakes.

Stradawhovious · Aug 26, 2011

Glass>Body.

That being said, the answer to your question is "Maybe".

I started with the Nikon D3000. For me, it was great! For a month. Then I wanted more. Now I have a Nikond D7000. And for me it's great! I doubt that I will ever outgrow it...........

But that won't stop me from buying a Nikon D700 (or next generation equivilent)............

But the Glass that I have now, will be suitable for any body I buy in the future, FF or crop sensor.......

Big question... What can you afford? Like I used to tell the folks at the music store I worked at. "Buy as much as you can afford, + 10%" Besides, it's only money, right?

Neiby · Aug 26, 2011

I was looking at the T2i and T3i to be my first DSLR just a few weeks ago. I ended up spending the extra money to get the 60D and I'm very glad I did. I absolutely love this camera. Then again, I have nothing to compare it to since this is my first DSLR.

KmH · Aug 26, 2011

PrestonS said:
So I have few questions:

1) Will I really outgrow a high end consumer camera quickly or would I be better to start there?
2) If I should stay in the consumer market any thoughts on the listed cameras or any other recommendations?
3) If I should consider stepping into the prosumer category any thoughts on the canon of nikon and any other recommendations?

Thanks everybody, I'm headed to the camera shop this weekend to feel them in my hands but some thoughts before I head into the store would be great.

Preston

1. That depends on you, and the type of photography you wind up doing. Only time will tell. Most that have a high end consumer camera will never use the camera anywhere near it's limits.
2. The D5100 is not a high end consumer camera. It is a compact consumer camera. It lacks many of the features that Nikon's current high end consumer camera (D7000) has, like a wide range of external controls, CLS Commander mode, and a screw-drive auto focus system in the camea body. Canon's 60D is a de-evolution from the 50D. You have to ask Canon why they did that.
3. Nikon's 2 current Prosumer cameras, the D300s and the D700 are near the end of their product cycle. Both are still very capable (particularly the full frame D700), but are due to be supplanted by new models.

willis_927 · Aug 26, 2011

I think whether or not your grow out of it is completely up to you and how you use what you have. We can not possibly tell you the answere to that...

PJL · Aug 26, 2011

Stradawhovious said:
Glass>Body.

That being said, the answer to your question is "Maybe".

I started with the Nikon D3000. For me, it was great! For a month. Then I wanted more. Now I have a Nikond D7000. And for me it's great! I doubt that I will ever outgrow it...........

But that won't stop me from buying a Nikon D700 (or next generation equivilent)............

But the Glass that I have now, will be suitable for any body I buy in the future, FF or crop sensor.......

Big question... What can you afford? Like I used to tell the folks at the music store I worked at. "Buy as much as you can afford, + 10%" Besides, it's only money, right?

I agree. It's all about your personal preference. For me, I couldn't afford a D7000 or a 60D, so I went used and bought a Canon 40D rather than buy a newer consumer-class camera. The two biggest factors for me were feel (the "prosumer" cameras are sturdier and bigger, which feels more comfortable in my hands) and the controls are more intuitive -- you get two control dials rather than one, and there's buttons for everything rather than hunting around in menus and staring at the back screen of your camera. If you shoot Canon, for example, once you've gotten used to having the rear thumb wheel as well as the front index finger wheel, you'll never want to shoot a camera without a thumb wheel again. But I also wasn't an SLR noob when I bought my 40D since I've shot film SLRs for a number of years, so I've developed some preferences that I carried over between mediums.

Neiby · Aug 26, 2011

PJL said:
Stradawhovious said:

Glass>Body.

That being said, the answer to your question is "Maybe".

I started with the Nikon D3000. For me, it was great! For a month. Then I wanted more. Now I have a Nikond D7000. And for me it's great! I doubt that I will ever outgrow it...........

But that won't stop me from buying a Nikon D700 (or next generation equivilent)............

But the Glass that I have now, will be suitable for any body I buy in the future, FF or crop sensor.......

Big question... What can you afford? Like I used to tell the folks at the music store I worked at. "Buy as much as you can afford, + 10%" Besides, it's only money, right?

Click to expand...

I agree. It's all about your personal preference. For me, I couldn't afford a D7000 or a 60D, so I went used and bought a Canon 40D rather than buy a newer consumer-class camera. The two biggest factors for me were feel (the "prosumer" cameras are sturdier and bigger, which feels more comfortable in my hands) and the controls are more intuitive -- you get two control dials rather than one, and there's buttons for everything rather than hunting around in menus and staring at the back screen of your camera. If you shoot Canon, for example, once you've gotten used to having the rear thumb wheel as well as the front index finger wheel, you'll never want to shoot a camera without a thumb wheel again. But I also wasn't an SLR noob when I bought my 40D since I've shot film SLRs for a number of years.

The rear thumb wheel was one of the features that made me pick the 60D over the T3i. I think it would be rough to be without it now. Between the thumbwheel and the quick settings button, access to the most important settings is fast and easy.

bazooka · Aug 26, 2011

I third the comment on the thumbwheel. Not to mention the backbutton focus. I really love my 40D and at this point, the only reason to 'upgrade' would be to get a full frame sensor and better ISO performance. As far as features, the 40D suits almost all of my needs.* I just saw one on CL for $500, barely used. I bought my wife an XTi which does not have a thumbwheel and it's a real pain.

*Onboard flash cannot trigger other ETTL flashes like the Nikon's can. I have no experience with Nikon ETTL system but my experience with Canon ETTL sucks in a major way. Fortunately, I prefer manual flash which works great for what I shoot (no events.... yet).

DiskoJoe · Aug 26, 2011

You will not outgrow any of these cameras for a while but you need to pick a brand first. That is a major decision because lens you will purchase will only fit on certain brands. but none of these are high end by any means to begin with. midlevel at best but really more. but you do realize that long run you can own more then just one camera. many of us do.

PrestonS · Aug 26, 2011

Another option I've considered is picking up a d90 or 50d used with a few lenses. They seem to be in the 800-1200 range with varying extra bits. Are the new technologies found in today's cameras worth it or might I appreciate the added control of a used d90 or 50d? Thanks for the thoughts thus far. I was hoping to keep my budget around $1000 but may consider pushing it up a tad.

iNick · Aug 26, 2011

I just got a 40D from the canon digital forum, they have awesome buy/sell sections over there. $520 shipped got me a 40D w/10k clicks an 8gb cf card, canon battery grip, and 2 canon batteries. Im very very satisfied and i saved a ton of money as opposed to buying a 60D. Now ill put that saved cashola towards a nice sexy piece of L glass and then bang, ill be cool because my lens has a red ring around it, then ill make money because my lens has a red ring around it, and then hot girls will flock to me because my lens has a red ring around it... you can see the pattern here

But in all seriousness, i would grab an older model "prosumer" body and spend some coin on glass. 99.9% of the folks on here will tell you glass>body.