DSLR Camera Suggestions

[Guest]

Hi there!

 

I'm currently looking for a new starting camera to possibly turn my hobby into a career. All I have ever used before is a point & shoot camera, and I have also had my hands on a film camera in a Photography class in high school. My main purpose for the camera would be to take pictures at events like concerts and lovely mother nature. I'm looking for something simple, easy and cheap. I would like something around $400 or less to start. Please let me know if you find anything! I really appreciate it. c:

 

~Emily

 

[79wjd]

Nikon D3100 

 

#Nikon4lyfe

[dizmo]

US? Canadian?
New? Used?

 

Welcome to the forum

[Guest]

Thank you!

[Guest]

US? Canadian?

New? Used?

 

Welcome to the forum

U.S.

 

And I don't necessarily have a preference as long as it is in good condition!

 

Thank you!

[dizmo]

U.S.

 

And I don't necessarily have a preference as long as it is in good condition!

 

Thank you!

If you want someone to know you've responded to their post, you need to quote it like this, or take them like this @Emilyraexo

 

All right, do you need an SD card or do you already have that sorted?

There are kits you can get that come with a ton of accessories, though I generally suggest going with slightly higher quality stuff and buying it separately.

 

Do you have a preference between Canon or Nikon?

Most people are biased one way or the other, and if you start investing in glass, it's usually best to have that figured out ahead of time.

 

Are you focusing on video, or photo more?

Do you have any specific needs or wants when it comes to a camera? Tilty screen, etc.

[Guest]

If you want someone to know you've responded to their post, you need to quote it like this, or take them like this @Emilyraexo

 

All right, do you need an SD card or do you already have that sorted?

There are kits you can get that come with a ton of accessories, though I generally suggest going with slightly higher quality stuff and buying it separately.

 

Do you have a preference between Canon or Nikon?

Most people are biased one way or the other, and if you start investing in glass, it's usually best to have that figured out ahead of time.

 

Are you focusing on video, or photo more?

Do you have any specific needs or wants when it comes to a camera? Tilty screen, etc.

I do not have a SD card, no.

 

I don't have a preference between Canon or Nikon; I have heard that both are quite efficient.

 

I am 100% focused on photo.

 

And no, I really don't have any specific needs when it comes to a camera. I'm just trying to find something to get me started, and I want something that is fairly simple to use. I'm not an expert by any means!

[dizmo]

The T2i and T3i are both still pretty solid choices. I'd check out your local classifieds and look for one of those.

Go used, as it's your first camera. If you pick a low use unit (always check the shutter count, as they don't last and will need expensive servicing) you should be fine for ages.

I also believe these two cameras have a beginners mode where it sort of walks you through some set ups.

It's also worth taking some classes and some online tutorials.

 

If you can, try and pick up a prime lens as well. They're usually only $50, and a pretty important starter lens.

[Guest]

Thank you so much! I was actually looking at the Canon T3i, but I wasn't too sure. I wanted to get a second opinion.

 

For the shutter count, do I simply ask the seller? And where do you recommend I purchase a used camera? Would Ebay be an appropriate place or no?

 

And same thing for the prime lens, where would I look into purchasing that?

 

@dizmo

[Guest]

Thanks again!
 

[dizmo]

Thank you so much! I was actually looking at the Canon T3i, but I wasn't too sure. I wanted to get a second opinion.

 

For the shutter count, do I simply ask the seller? And where do you recommend I purchase a used camera? Would Ebay be an appropriate place or no?

 

And same thing for the prime lens, where would I look into purchasing that?

 

@dizmo

eBay is an all right place, also check out some local stores as camera shops quite often get in really good condition used gear and sell it off at very reasonable prices.

I imagine that'll be even better now, since most people just assume online will be cheaper.

Craigslist or Kijiji are also good places, depending on where you live. Some cities are very photography focused, others not so much.

 

Yeah, I believe Nikon's have an app you can install onto an SD card and it will display the shutter count.

 

Same thing with the prime lens. Just check it over for defects (marks on the glass, threads, etc).

 

I'd also invest in a few filters.

 

If you spend a while kickin' around eBay you can find good deals on virtually anything.

[Flight1sim]

Get the 50D on Amazon for only $324 used

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50D-DSLR-Camera-Body/dp/B001EQ4BVI

Better than the D3100 but no video at all

[Bsmith]

If you are planning to move to the more profesional aspect later on i suggest getting a canon branded DSLR, they aren't the best in picture quality but for most profesional people there are still reasons to use it(lens quality)

Ince you got your DSLR i would take a look into filters, glass filters first(lens protection, cost roughly $5 max) and later on for polaroid filters to filter out unwanted light(water etc)

[.spider.]

events like concerts

Nikon, the ability of pulling shadows up without increasing the noise dramatically is a big advantage of Nikon sensors.

glass filters first(lens protection, cost roughly $5 max)

And the image quality will suffer quite a bit.

[Bsmith]

Nikon, the ability of pulling shadows up without increasing the noise dramatically is a big advantage of Nikon sensors.

And the image quality will suffer quite a bit.

 

that might happen yeah, altough i personally didn't notice any big diffrence's myself with that.

might happen with the cheapest possible, altough at a certain point in price it won't change anything.

[79wjd]

Nikon, the ability of pulling shadows up without increasing the noise dramatically is a big advantage of Nikon sensors.

And the image quality will suffer quite a bit.

A (decent) UV filter won't affect picture quality all that much, however, when you're walking around with a $1200 lens and exactly turn into something then you'll be happy you're only down a $5-$30 filter rather than a $1200 lens. 

 

If you are planning to move to the more profesional aspect later on i suggest getting a canon branded DSLR, they aren't the best in picture quality but for most profesional people there are still reasons to use it(lens quality)

Thats just not even true, there are plenty of professionals who shoot Nikon. 

[TroubleKlef]

If you are strictly shooting photos, I'd suggest getting a Nikon. 

[rmac52]

I'd say for strictly photography go Nikon. I am a Nikon shooter so I may be bias but I love my D5300. They are both great platforms though and you can't really go wrong with either one. Keep in mind Canons stuff is a little old now and they should be releasing a bunch of new stuff this year.

[.spider.]

A (decent) UV filter won't affect picture quality all that much, however, when you're walking around with a $1200 lens and exactly turn into something then you'll be happy you're only down a $5-$30 filter rather than a $1200 lens. 

 

The lens is not entirely broken, the first lens can be replaced.

It is not unlikely that the broken filter scratches the lens and damages it too. 

 

A lens hood is mostly enough for lens protection. 

[79wjd]

The lens is not entirely broken, the first lens can be replaced.

It is not unlikely that the broken filter scratches the lens and damages it too. 

 

A lens hood is mostly enough for lens protection. 

Replacing the front element is quite costly (in comparison to replacing a filter), and the total image degradation is very minimal -- if the degradation becomes an issue that it's likely you're doing professional photography, in which case your camera (and lens) will be quite a bit more than $400~. And while it is possible that damaging the filter will damage the lens as well, it's not always the case and actually requries a pretty serious impact to damage both. 

[Blade of Grass]

Replacing the front element is quite costly (in comparison to replacing a filter), and the total image degradation is very minimal -- if the degradation becomes an issue that it's likely you're doing professional photography, in which case your camera (and lens) will be quite a bit more than $400~. And while it is possible that damaging the filter will damage the lens as well, it's not always the case and actually requries a pretty serious impact to damage both.

I personally would also suggest against buying a UV filter. Unless you're careless, you're not going to damage your lens, and the UV filter will just be degrading your image quality. If you really want a filter that would not affect image quality, you'll probably be spending $50-$100, which overtime will negate the cost of a lens repair.

OP: As a Nikon shooter, I am confident in point you to...any of the major camera brands. Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax all make great DSLRs, and (assuming you don't get a dud) you will have great results with all. Remember, the gear is less important than the person holding it.

The Nikon D3100 and D3200 should both do you well, as well as the Canon T2i and T3i. I'd recommend you stuff from Sony and Pentax, but I don't know enough about their product lineups. 

[79wjd]

I personally would also suggest against buying a UV filter. Unless you're careless, you're not going to damage your lens, and the UV filter will just be degrading your image quality. If you really want a filter that would not affect image quality, you'll probably be spending $50-$100, which overtime will negate the cost of a lens repair.

Well, everything photography-related is dependent on quality glass, so naturally you need to get a quality UV filter. But a single purchase of $50 (more like $30 since kit lenses usually use a 52mm filter, which are pretty cheap) is still a lot less than it would cost to repair a damaged lens. 

[Guest]

Well, everything photography-related is dependent on quality glass, so naturally you need to get a quality UV filter. But a single purchase of $50 (more like $30 since kit lenses usually use a 52mm filter, which are pretty cheap) is still a lot less than it would cost to repair a damaged lens. 

 

 

I personally would also suggest against buying a UV filter. Unless you're careless, you're not going to damage your lens, and the UV filter will just be degrading your image quality. If you really want a filter that would not affect image quality, you'll probably be spending $50-$100, which overtime will negate the cost of a lens repair.

OP: As a Nikon shooter, I am confident in point you to...any of the major camera brands. Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax all make great DSLRs, and (assuming you don't get a dud) you will have great results with all. Remember, the gear is less important than the person holding it.

The Nikon D3100 and D3200 should both do you well, as well as the Canon T2i and T3i. I'd recommend you stuff from Sony and Pentax, but I don't know enough about their product lineups. 

 

I mentioned that I would be going to concerts quite often for pictures, and I was wondering if I should at least invest in a UV filter for safety precautions. The concerts I frequent tend to get wild at times (moshing, crowd surfing, etc.), and I would feel more comfortable having some sort of protection on my lens to ensure damage wouldn't come to an expensive lens. In other scenarios, I could simply take it off. Do you guys think this would be a good idea? Should I not get one all together? 

[79wjd]

I mentioned that I would be going to concerts quite often for pictures, and I was wondering if I should at least invest in a UV filter for safety precautions. The concerts I frequent tend to get wild at times (moshing, crowd surfing, etc.), and I would feel more comfortable having some sort of protection on my lens to ensure damage wouldn't come to an expensive lens. In other scenarios, I could simply take it off. Do you guys think this would be a good idea? Should I not get one all together?

Yes, definitely get a UV filter.

HOYA or B+W would be my suggestion.

[Guest]

Yes, definitely get a UV filter.

HOYA or B+W would be my suggestion.

 

And I also know you suggested the D3100, but do you think it would be in my best interest to invest in the D3200? I wasn't noticing a huge price difference, and the D3200 won the comparison against the D3100. I know there isn't a huge difference, but I want to get a nice entry level camera. I am definitely leaning more towards Nikon than Canon.