Can you help a guy who wants to get into photography?

alrobles · April 15, 2014

I work selling cameras at an electronics store in the US and work a little on the side as a photographer/videographer (just starting out) so here goes.

First I would not recommend the Nikon 1 series of cameras. Often referred to as compact system cameras. The Nikon 1 series have the smallest sensors for that type of camera. The Sony NEX (3,5, or 6) cameras would be a better recommendation (APS-C size sensor, bigger sensor) as others have suggested. There is an ok selection of lenses at least enough for what most people who are buying that type of camera are looking for. Their is no optical viewfinder on them but some do have a digital one. I personally prefer optical but digital has its advantages (what you see through a digital viewfinder is what you get).

As to the full size DLSRs the two main ones you will probably see are Canon and Nikon. There is also Panasonic and Sony (Sony's all use digital viewfinders). In terms of image quality, once you step up to a DSLR you really wont be disappointed in the quality of photo/video you get. For the most part, many will say Nikon is better for photos (all their new current line up of cameras are 24+MP) and canon better for video. Honestly it can be hard to see much of a difference with either photo or video between the two until you start blowing stuff up. In other words don't get too tied up over which has more megapixels or better video cuz most can't tell the difference. Instead look at the other features. Low light performance, build quality, ease of menus, continuous shooting rate in case you need it. At the store I work at we've rarely had someone return a DSLR because of the image quality but we've had several get return because the menus were hard to navigate. Check out the grip size to see what feels more comfortable to you. The entry level ones will have a smaller grip vs the mid range ones like the 60d. The mid range camera will often give you more dials and buttons that make manual control easier since you will have more dedicated buttons/dials vs them having to share functions. Canon often does better at higher ISO/low light situations because they don't have as high a MP count. Nikon can compensate for the small amount of zoom on DSLRs by allowing you to crop in closer without loosing too much image quality. As someone mentioned a few of the new canon Entry level (rebel series) have a touch screen and though yes they will get finger prints, they are a lot more useful than I would have thought at first. My initial reaction was that it was pointless to have but it actually helps making settings changes a lot quicker and intuitive. Its also great when reviewing photos since you can swipe left/right to switch between photos and pinch to zoom as well.

As someone else had suggested, getting canon can be a good idea since you may be able to borrow your cousin's lenses to try out before decided to buy one. If you go the canon route the 100d (SL1 in the states) is a great little camera to start out with. Very small and light and gives you almost all the feature of the 700D (T5i). Their latest entry level is the 1200D (T5) that is replacing their 1100D (T3). I would not recommend this one as much since it is essentially a re-branded 550d (t2i) from a few years ago with minor improvements. The 100D though more expensive would be a better value. The 60D that you have used is pretty much on the way out as its been replaced by the 70D so you may be able to get good deals on them now. The 70D really improves the auto focus when shooting throught the display (vs the viewfinder which I would suggest you shoot through mostly since it will be the fastest and most accurate). I'm assuming you are a dude so you might prefer the size of the ##D (i.e. 60D/70D) series of camera since it will have a bigger grip. They often come with a larger lens configuration that can be a good all purpose lens at least when starting out. The 100D would be the cheapest from what I would recommend but it also has the smallest grip. For me its too small. Just not comfortable to hold. I use a Canon 5Dm3 which has a nice beefy grip that I'm used to to. Next level up from the 100D would be the 700D which you can get with the same lens configuration as the 70D. The 100D/700D/70D all come with the new STM lenses that are supper quite too which is nice.

On the Nikon side they offer better specs at a cheaper price compared to Canon. 24 megapixels on all their current cameras vs the 18MP (20mp on the 70D) that canon has had for the last 4/5 years (don't quote me on this time frame). They have more auto-focus points than canon so theoretically they should focus better. I haven't tested them out enough to really notice much of a difference really. They will both focus pretty great. Their entry level ones will be the D3200/D3300 and the D5200/5300. The higher number is replacing the smaller number camera. The D5xxx series have the swivel display (for canon that would be the 700D) and have a better auto-focus. The D7100 would be the closest equivalent to the 60D/70D from Canon (i.e. bigger grip, faster, more buttons/dials).

In my experience selling cameras, though more expensive, Canon seems to sell better. That does not necessarily mean they are better for you. I would recommend going to your local camera store and checking them out for yourself so you can actually get a feel for them. I would also recommend taking two memory cards (they both take SDHC, high speed class 10) with you so you can shoot with both and then compare the photos later on your computer. The reason for two is just in case the camera wants you to format the card going from canon to nikon or vise-versa.

In my opinion if you really want to get into the photography aspect of it don't go with the Compact system cameas (mirror-less cameras, not sure what they are called in the UK) like the Nikon 1 series or Sony NEX. Those are great if you want DSLR type of point and shoot. Yes they have lens options but they were primarily made to be small and by getting bigger lenses you will pretty much get to the size and weight of a DSLR so why not just start with the DSLR. Plus many settings are going to be menu bases though you can reconfigure the button functions a bit.

Also last thing though you may already know, DSLR don't have a lot of zoom. At least not right out the gate. That's where the bigger/more expensive lenses come in to play. The Ultra zoom point and shoots will pretty much always beat a DSLR in terms of zoom.

Hope this helps let me know if you have more questions. Hope that wasn't too long lol.

TL:DR: It's up to you really, most DSLR are really good anyway.