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Recommend a camera! DSLR-Mirroless

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I've read and watched quite a bit about the basics but I don't think I'm anywhere near experienced, any good entry level cameras you can suggest with the ability to expand possibly?

 

Nikon D3200 kit

Canon T5 kit

Sony A5000 kit

Nikon 1 S2 kit

Olympus Pen kit

a few to start you out.

Hey! 

I'm getting a bit overwhelmed by all the different specs on DSLRs and mirrorless camera's, which one would you get?

Please also recommend a camera of your choice within an 800 euro budget (preferably with a starter lens). I'd love to use it to take pictures of scenery and my surroundings mostly and have a good video function with at least 1080p 60 fps 

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Hey! 

I'm getting a bit overwhelmed by all the different specs on DSLRs and mirrorless camera's, which one would you get?

Please also recommend a camera of your choice within an 800 euro budget (preferably with a starter lens). I'd love to use it to take pictures of scenery and my surroundings mostly and have a good video function with at least 1080p 60 fps 

 

Your experience and knowledge on photography?

 

If you're going to use a starter lens, get an entry level camera and get some experience first.

Guide: DSLR or Video camera?, Guide: Film/Photo makers' useful resources, Guide: Lenses, a quick primer

Nikon D4, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-E2, Canon G16, Gopro Hero 3+, iPhone 5s. Hasselblad 500C/M, Sony PXW-FS7

ICT Consultant, Photographer, Video producer, Scuba diver and underwater explorer, Nature & humanitarian documentary producer

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Guide: DSLR or Video camera?, Guide: Film/Photo makers' useful resources, Guide: Lenses, a quick primer

Nikon D4, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-E2, Canon G16, Gopro Hero 3+, iPhone 5s. Hasselblad 500C/M, Sony PXW-FS7

ICT Consultant, Photographer, Video producer, Scuba diver and underwater explorer, Nature & humanitarian documentary producer

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Sony Alpha 6000.

CPU R7 1700    Motherboard Asus Prime X370 Pro  RAM  24GB Corsair LPX 3000 (at 2933Mhz)    GPU EVGA GTX1070 SC  Case Phanteks Enthoo Pro M    

Storage 1 x 1TB m.2, 1x 500GB SSD, 1x 1TB HDD, 1x 8TB HDD  PSU Corsair RM1000  Cooling Thermalright Macho Rev B (tower)

Synology NAS 1 x 4TB 1 x 8TB

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Your experience and knowledge on photography?

 

If you're going to use a starter lens, get an entry level camera and get some experience first.

I've read and watched quite a bit about the basics but I don't think I'm anywhere near experienced, any good entry level cameras you can suggest with the ability to expand possibly?

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I have a Canon SL1 with a few different lenses and a GoPro Hero 3+ for when I do action-cam video and whatnot, however the SL1 can do non 60fps video at 1080p (I'm 80% sure on that, its been a while). If you've got 800ish euros to blow I'd do that, but I'm sure there are better, more elegant soloutions. DigitalRev TV has some good videos on lenses and cameras, so I'd watch a lot of their videos on the subject before making any purchaces.

Thanks, I'll check DigitalRev out.

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I've read and watched quite a bit about the basics but I don't think I'm anywhere near experienced, any good entry level cameras you can suggest with the ability to expand possibly?

 

Nikon D3200 kit

Canon T5 kit

Sony A5000 kit

Nikon 1 S2 kit

Olympus Pen kit

a few to start you out.

Guide: DSLR or Video camera?, Guide: Film/Photo makers' useful resources, Guide: Lenses, a quick primer

Nikon D4, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-E2, Canon G16, Gopro Hero 3+, iPhone 5s. Hasselblad 500C/M, Sony PXW-FS7

ICT Consultant, Photographer, Video producer, Scuba diver and underwater explorer, Nature & humanitarian documentary producer

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I really love my sony a65. It has very good autofocus in video mode and feels good in the hand. image qulaity for video and stills is very good.
i also own a GoPro Hero 4 silver wich is capable of awesome shots that just are much more difficult with a dslr.

Brands are very Important as they determine what lenses you will have to buy. Nikon, Sony/minolta, and Canon have afaik the widest range of lenses and accessoires.

                                                                                      wow... pretty empty here...

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Nikon D3200 kit

Canon T5 kit

Sony A5000 kit

Nikon 1 S2 kit

Olympus Pen kit

a few to start you out.

 

 

I really love my sony a65. It has very good autofocus in video mode and feels good in the hand. image qulaity for video and stills is very good.

i also own a GoPro Hero 4 silver wich is capable of awesome shots that just are much more difficult with a dslr.

Brands are very Important as they determine what lenses you will have to buy. Nikon, Sony/minolta, and Canon have afaik the widest range of lenses and accessoires.

Thanks for the insight, I'm willing to give the sony a5000 a try, I'll be researching the topic a bit further before buying though.

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Thanks for the insight, I'm willing to give the sony a5000 a try, I'll be researching the topic a bit further before buying though.

 

Good, it's always best to do some research and not rely on someone telling you that you should get XX camera.  A lot of people will tell you to get some XX camera because that's the only model they know and own, they have limited experience or knowledge.  There are many flavors of cameras, each with their own pros and cons, with a variety of features.  Buying a camera is not like buying the parts to build a computer.  If you treat it as such and just look at the specs you will end up spending more money while using only a small percentage of what the camera is capable of doing.  Because with cameras, the specs that matter... they are almost always identical or very close to each other.

 

And like cameras, there are even more flavors of photography styles and techniques.  But this you can only gain through learning and experience.

I have no idea where you will be taking your camera and photography, perhaps you just want to have a camera for holiday/family use, perhaps you are thinking of becoming a photography enthusiast, perhaps you are aiming to become a professional, so in order to help you out with picking a camera that will serve your goals it's a good idea for you to tell us.

Guide: DSLR or Video camera?, Guide: Film/Photo makers' useful resources, Guide: Lenses, a quick primer

Nikon D4, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-E2, Canon G16, Gopro Hero 3+, iPhone 5s. Hasselblad 500C/M, Sony PXW-FS7

ICT Consultant, Photographer, Video producer, Scuba diver and underwater explorer, Nature & humanitarian documentary producer

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Good, it's always best to do some research and not rely on someone telling you that you should get XX camera.  A lot of people will tell you to get some XX camera because that's the only model they know and own, they have limited experience or knowledge.  There are many flavors of cameras, each with their own pros and cons, with a variety of features.  Buying a camera is not like buying the parts to build a computer.  If you treat it as such and just look at the specs you will end up spending more money while using only a small percentage of what the camera is capable of doing.  Because with cameras, the specs that matter... they are almost always identical or very close to each other.

 

And like cameras, there are even more flavors of photography styles and techniques.  But this you can only gain through learning and experience.

I have no idea where you will be taking your camera and photography, perhaps you just want to have a camera for holiday/family use, perhaps you are thinking of becoming a photography enthusiast, perhaps you are aiming to become a professional, so in order to help you out with picking a camera that will serve your goals it's a good idea for you to tell us.

I would love to photograph landscapes and sceneries, other than that there is the occasional holiday picture and there are some videos in 1080p.
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I would love to photograph landscapes and sceneries, other than that there is the occasional holiday picture and there are some videos in 1080p.

 

For this sort of thing, I would recommend a few things.

 

1. Join a local photography club, if there is any where you live.

2. Join a proper photography forum and make friends.

3. Practice, take courses if you can, study online, read about different techniques and styles, photography rules, etc.

4. Go out, take photos, experiment and get experience.

 

And be reasonable about buying a camera, you are spending your money and making an investment.

 

Right now, as you said, you're boggled by all the specifications.  As you learn and get experience you will be able to tell which specs matter and which don't.  Don't let anyone's marketing hype fool you.

 

A photography club will have members using different models of cameras, ask them how they feel about each of their cameras.  Ask if they can show you how their cameras work.  Photographers tend to be very friendly people and enjoy helping each other.

 

AND THEY LOVE TALKING ABOUT THEIR GEAR! :D

Guide: DSLR or Video camera?, Guide: Film/Photo makers' useful resources, Guide: Lenses, a quick primer

Nikon D4, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-E2, Canon G16, Gopro Hero 3+, iPhone 5s. Hasselblad 500C/M, Sony PXW-FS7

ICT Consultant, Photographer, Video producer, Scuba diver and underwater explorer, Nature & humanitarian documentary producer

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For this sort of thing, I would recommend a few things.

 

1. Join a local photography club, if there is any where you live.

2. Join a proper photography forum and make friends.

3. Practice, take courses if you can, study online, read about different techniques and styles, photography rules, etc.

4. Go out, take photos, experiment and get experience.

 

And be reasonable about buying a camera, you are spending your money and making an investment.

 

Right now, as you said, you're boggled by all the specifications.  As you learn and get experience you will be able to tell which specs matter and which don't.  Don't let anyone's marketing hype fool you.

 

A photography club will have members using different models of cameras, ask them how they feel about each of their cameras.  Ask if they can show you how their cameras work.  Photographers tend to be very friendly people and enjoy helping each other.

 

AND THEY LOVE TALKING ABOUT THEIR GEAR! :D

Alright! School starts tomorrow and we have our own club there, it doesn't start from day one but I'll check it out :D
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Alright! School starts tomorrow and we have our own club there, it doesn't start from day one but I'll check it out :D

one amateur advice: the most important thing is the lens you put infront of your camera. get a good camera but get a better lens. you can get a better camera (body) afterwards and still use the good lens.

image quality is not a problem and does not really make a difference at a certain level. 

just get a good deal on a body+lens and if you're into photography you can buy a good lens for that camera. then you will know what kind of lens you want/need. 

                                                                                      wow... pretty empty here...

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one amateur advice: the most important thing is the lens you put infront of your camera. get a good camera but get a better lens. you can get a better camera (body) afterwards and still use the good lens.

image quality is not a problem and does not really make a difference at a certain level. 

just get a good deal on a body+lens and if you're into photography you can buy a good lens for that camera. then you will know what kind of lens you want/need.

Sounds like some good advice, still need to get into the more advanced lens part though :P.
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Sounds like some good advice, still need to get into the more advanced lens part though :P.

 

Start off with a good mid-range zoom lens.  typically they are zoom ranges between 20mm to 100mm or just about.  A good mid range zoom will be very multi-purpose for a beginner.  And as you progress, you will know what kind of wide angle, long zoom, macro, prime,  etc. you should get.

Guide: DSLR or Video camera?, Guide: Film/Photo makers' useful resources, Guide: Lenses, a quick primer

Nikon D4, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-E2, Canon G16, Gopro Hero 3+, iPhone 5s. Hasselblad 500C/M, Sony PXW-FS7

ICT Consultant, Photographer, Video producer, Scuba diver and underwater explorer, Nature & humanitarian documentary producer

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Start off with a good mid-range zoom lens.  typically they are zoom ranges between 20mm to 100mm or just about.  A good mid range zoom will be very multi-purpose for a beginner.  And as you progress, you will know what kind of wide angle, long zoom, macro, prime,  etc. you should get.

totally agree :) wide angle zoom is great for landscapes and maybe he finds out that he likes to photograph animals and suddenly needs a telelens. or he wants to shoot at night and needs a 35mm or 50mm 1.8

                                                                                      wow... pretty empty here...

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totally agree :) wide angle zoom is great for landscapes and maybe he finds out that he likes to photograph animals and suddenly needs a telelens. or he wants to shoot at night and needs a 35mm or 50mm 1.8

Oh god, I'd love to go places and photograph at night but captivity starts again tomorrow lol :(
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totally agree :) wide angle zoom is great for landscapes and maybe he finds out that he likes to photograph animals and suddenly needs a telelens. or he wants to shoot at night and needs a 35mm or 50mm 1.8

 

Please don't spread the misconception that all someone needs is a wide aperture lens to take photos at night.  It helps, but only by a small margin and not for every low light condition.  A good photographer should have a tripod or some stable support, and own a flash with the knowledge on how to use it.

 

Oh god, I'd love to go places and photograph at night but captivity starts again tomorrow lol :(

Guide: DSLR or Video camera?, Guide: Film/Photo makers' useful resources, Guide: Lenses, a quick primer

Nikon D4, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-E2, Canon G16, Gopro Hero 3+, iPhone 5s. Hasselblad 500C/M, Sony PXW-FS7

ICT Consultant, Photographer, Video producer, Scuba diver and underwater explorer, Nature & humanitarian documentary producer

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Please don't spread the misconception that all someone needs is a wide aperture lens to take photos at night.  It helps, but only by a small margin and not for every low light condition.  A good photographer should have a tripod or some stable support, and own a flash with the knowledge on how to use it.

So, what flash should do the job?
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So, what flash should do the job?

 

Depends on what camera you get, and it's not particularly about the model or brand of flash you use as much as it is about knowing how to use it.

 

As you progress in your knowledge and skills of photography you will learn how to use different types of lighting, different sources and how to illuminate your scene. It's not something I can teach you over the web like this, you need to learn and experiment.  Understanding, utilizing and illuminating a scene with light is an advanced part of photography.

 

I strongly recommend you watch videos by Jerry Ghionis, Joe McNally and Scott Kelby regarding lighting scenes.  They are among the masters when it comes to light.  And if you find the time and money, go attend their seminars, presentations, courses.

 

Examples:

 

 

A flash designed for Canon will not work on Nikon cameras, Sony will not work on Canon, etc.

Guide: DSLR or Video camera?, Guide: Film/Photo makers' useful resources, Guide: Lenses, a quick primer

Nikon D4, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-E2, Canon G16, Gopro Hero 3+, iPhone 5s. Hasselblad 500C/M, Sony PXW-FS7

ICT Consultant, Photographer, Video producer, Scuba diver and underwater explorer, Nature & humanitarian documentary producer

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Please don't spread the misconception that all someone needs is a wide aperture lens to take photos at night.  It helps, but only by a small margin and not for every low light condition.  A good photographer should have a tripod or some stable support, and own a flash with the knowledge on how to use it.

but i think you will agree with me when I say that a 50 or 35mm lense for example with a wide aperture will make it easier to get nice bokeh and shots in low light. 

I really do not like using a flash and I love moving to get the shot i want. that is why i love using the lenses i use - 35mm sony, 20mm eos m lense (not so much) and an old all manual 50mm m42 lense. 

But everybody likes to do this stuff differently and has their own style. I can only speak for me but a f3.5-5.6 18-55 cant do the same for me as a 35mm f1.8 does.

                                                                                      wow... pretty empty here...

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but i think you will agree with me when I say that a 50 or 35mm lense for example with a wide aperture will make it easier to get nice bokeh and shots in low light. 

I really do not like using a flash and I love moving to get the shot i want. that is why i love using the lenses i use - 35mm sony, 20mm eos m lense (not so much) and an old all manual 50mm m42 lense. 

But everybody likes to do this stuff differently and has their own style. I can only speak for me but a f3.5-5.6 18-55 cant do the same for me as a 35mm f1.8 does.

 

While I do agree that having a wide aperture lens, such as a 50mm f/1.2 or 24mm f/1.4 or 14mm f/2.8 lens will assist in getting better photos in low light situations, the results of such super wide aperture lenses may not be always what is desirable.

 

A photographer has to be versatile so, even if you do not like using a flash, you shouldn't make other photographers believe that wide aperture lenses are the only way to go.  And if you look at what Joe McNally does, you will see that he is not always using on camera flash or lighting up the scene with flash light that is coming from the direction of the camera.  He has the flash placed at other parts of the scene and uses a wireless remote to trigger the flash.

 

Anyway, the OP is still a beginner, so let him/her learn with experience.

 

@OP  f/1.2, f/1.4. etc are aperture values. Aperture is the ratio between the focal length of the lens divided by the diameter of the lens' iris opening.  So smaller f/xx numbers mean larger opening which in turn means more light reaching the sensor.

 

However, the wider the aperture opening, due to the effects of optics the thinner the depth of field (a.k.a. how much of the scene is sharp or in focus).  Thin depth of fields are desirable in many portraiture photos because it allows you to keep the face of your subject in focus while getting beautiful blurry backgrounds that look creamy smooth. And if the depth of field is thin enough, you can keep just the eyes of your subject in sharp focus while the nose, the cheeks, the other parts of the face appear soft (i.e. you don't see the pores on the skin in high definition) and it reduces the need to do a lot of photoshop.

 

Also I almost forgot, you asked about a camera that does 1080/60p video.  I have a guide written in this section regarding using a photo camera vs using a proper video camera for recording video.

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/440065-guide-dslr-or-video-camera-work-in-progress/

 

Unless you do not have a budget to get a low cost camcorder after buying a photo camera or you only want to record short clips for personal stuff, to capture moments, etc. I generally do not recommend using a photo camera for video, at least not before you understand the costs and benefits of trying to record videos with a photo camera.

 

I already have had enough people telling me about how I must have an expensive camera that records great video and how their $2000 DSLR sucks in that department, and don't believe me when I say I am using a $500 camcorder and Hollywood has used their expensive DSLR to produce beautiful (aesthetically speaking, whether the movie/tv show is good or not is another matter) movies and TV shows.  The simple fact of the matter they don't get is... they have no idea how to fully use their camera.

Guide: DSLR or Video camera?, Guide: Film/Photo makers' useful resources, Guide: Lenses, a quick primer

Nikon D4, Nikon D800E, Fuji X-E2, Canon G16, Gopro Hero 3+, iPhone 5s. Hasselblad 500C/M, Sony PXW-FS7

ICT Consultant, Photographer, Video producer, Scuba diver and underwater explorer, Nature & humanitarian documentary producer

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While I do agree that having a wide aperture lens, such as a 50mm f/1.2 or 24mm f/1.4 or 14mm f/2.8 lens will assist in getting better photos in low light situations, the results of such super wide aperture lenses may not be always what is desirable.

 

A photographer has to be versatile so, even if you do not like using a flash, you shouldn't make other photographers believe that wide aperture lenses are the only way to go.  And if you look at what Joe McNally does, you will see that he is not always using on camera flash or lighting up the scene with flash light that is coming from the direction of the camera.  He has the flash placed at other parts of the scene and uses a wireless remote to trigger the flash.

 

Anyway, the OP is still a beginner, so let him/her learn with experience.

 

@OP  f/1.2, f/1.4. etc are aperture values. Aperture is the ratio between the focal length of the lens divided by the diameter of the lens' iris opening.  So smaller f/xx numbers mean larger opening which in turn means more light reaching the sensor.

 

However, the wider the aperture opening, due to the effects of optics the thinner the depth of field (a.k.a. how much of the scene is sharp or in focus).  Thin depth of fields are desirable in many portraiture photos because it allows you to keep the face of your subject in focus while getting beautiful blurry backgrounds that look creamy smooth. And if the depth of field is thin enough, you can keep just the eyes of your subject in sharp focus while the nose, the cheeks, the other parts of the face appear soft (i.e. you don't see the pores on the skin in high definition) and it reduces the need to do a lot of photoshop.

 

Also I almost forgot, you asked about a camera that does 1080/60p video.  I have a guide written in this section regarding using a photo camera vs using a proper video camera for recording video.

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/440065-guide-dslr-or-video-camera-work-in-progress/

 

Unless you do not have a budget to get a low cost camcorder after buying a photo camera or you only want to record short clips for personal stuff, to capture moments, etc. I generally do not recommend using a photo camera for video, at least not before you understand the costs and benefits of trying to record videos with a photo camera.

 

I already have had enough people telling me about how I must have an expensive camera that records great video and how their $2000 DSLR sucks in that department, and don't believe me when I say I am using a $500 camcorder and Hollywood has used their expensive DSLR to produce beautiful (aesthetically speaking, whether the movie/tv show is good or not is another matter) movies and TV shows.  The simple fact of the matter they don't get is... they have no idea how to fully use their camera.

Hey there, looks like photographers really like to talk about their profession/passion :D I will try and get a taste of both wide aperture photography and photography using a flash, I'll check out your guide asap (just got home from school).
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