Looking for thoughts on an entry level DSLR.

[Totallycasual]

I loved photography as a kid but it has been a lot of years, looking to get back into the swing of things but not sure it'll take or not as a hobby.  I'd like to get into a lot of macro stuff (insects/plants etc) and some astrophotography with a focus on time delay shots of the milky way moving over the desert sky for a few hours, that kind of stuff.  Aside from that it'll just be general purpose scenery type shots.  I don't mind going quality 2nd hand if that's what it takes, hoping to keep it somewhere around $500-$700 AUD to start with? 

 

What would be the general consensus on a starter camera and maybe from there i can start looking for a few lenses to go with it, thanks in advance. 

[Matttis]

It always depends on what you want to shoot and where you want to go with your photography.

A camera is a tool. So in my opinion a tool that offers you lots of options and more comfort is always the best place to start.

In terms of price to performance I think the Nikon D7100 is really great. It offers you a lot of more advanced features for a relatively low price. Especially if you get it used in good condition.

It has a pentaprism instead of mirrors for the viewfinder so the image through the finder is brighter. It also has a 100% viewfinder so what you see through it is what you get on the card.

It has two dials, one at the front and one at the back, so you don't have to go into menus every time you want to change settings.

It is water resistant and has a magnesium alloy body, so it's sturdier and more robust than the small entry level DSLRs.

It has two SD card slots so you can save backup copies to one card in case the other card dies, you can save JPEG files to one card and RAW files to the other, or you can fill up one card and the camera can switch to the second card afterwards. (An SD card did die on me in the past so this feature is a must have for me now!)

The D7100 also inherited the awesome autofocus system of the D300s. It's really accurate and works great!

 

It is also fully compatible to all F mount lenses, old and new. You can save a lot of money by buying older lenses that way.
That's how I started, my first tele lens was the old Nikkor 80-200/2.8. I spent 240€ on it instead of over 1000€ for a newer 70-200/2.8 and the image quality was great!
The focus was very slow but if I prefocused on the right distance and used the focus limiters I did get lots of very sharp and contrasty shots.

 

I am super happy with mine, it works like a treat and has never let me down.

For a start I'd try to get it with the 18-105mm kit lens. That thing is pretty great and very versatile. From there you can go for wideangle, macro and tele lenses in the future.

[GDRRiley]

14 hours ago, Philipaustin said:

Check Canon EOS Rebel T6  it will be in your budget.

you can do a lot better than a T6, the T7 is usually just a bit more and quite a bit better.

 

what are the major ausi camera shops. I don't know them off my head?

 

I'd say a cannon m200 but the mount is kinda dead.

[blue-green-koala]

10 hours ago, GDRRiley said:

what are the major ausi camera shops. I don't know them off my head?

JB Hi-Fi and Camera Warehouse. I bought my Oly from JB Hi-Fi last year because they're usually more prepared to pricematch than Camera Warehouse.

[kklokreach]

It's great that you're willing to go second hand, most people (myself included) are too scared to go second hand on cameras. I'd highly suggest going with something a bit older like a Canon 7D mark 1 (they can be had for around 500 AUD and less) and spending your remaining budget on some decent lenses (remember glass is always better than the camera bar some edge cases). I actually have picked up the 7D mark 1 recently for around 415 AUD and it's the same sensor as the current T6 but with way better FPS but a 2009 UI. Do you have any stuff that you can use now like any old lenses, memory cards, batteries, tripod (a tripod will be vital in your case for macro and astro)? You'll definitely want to budget out something for at least your tripod and lenses. Is your 500-700 AUD just for the body itself or for the body/lenses/accessories?

[GDRRiley]

8 minutes ago, blue-green-koala said:

JB Hi-Fi and Camera Warehouse. I bought my Oly from JB Hi-Fi last year because they're usually more prepared to pricematch than Camera Warehouse.

rip those prices and selection.

5 minutes ago, kklokreach said:

It's great that you're willing to go second hand, most people (myself included) are too scared to go second hand on cameras. I'd highly suggest going with something a bit older like a Canon 7D mark 1 (they can be had for around 500 AUD and less) and spending your remaining budget on some decent lenses (remember glass is always better than the camera bar some edge cases).

you'd do better with a 60D or 70D but yes glass is the important thing.

[Totallycasual]

32 minutes ago, kklokreach said:

It's great that you're willing to go second hand, most people (myself included) are too scared to go second hand on cameras. I'd highly suggest going with something a bit older like a Canon 7D mark 1 (they can be had for around 500 AUD and less) and spending your remaining budget on some decent lenses (remember glass is always better than the camera bar some edge cases). I actually have picked up the 7D mark 1 recently for around 415 AUD and it's the same sensor as the current T6 but with way better FPS but a 2009 UI. Do you have any stuff that you can use now like any old lenses, memory cards, batteries, tripod (a tripod will be vital in your case for macro and astro)? You'll definitely want to budget out something for at least your tripod and lenses. Is your 500-700 AUD just for the body itself or for the body/lenses/accessories?

 

I have nothing right now, i'm trying to rekindle something that i was passionate about decades ago so i don't mind going 2nd hand in case it doesn't grab me like before lol 

 

If i get right back into it again i'll go nuts in a year or two and get brand new better quality kit. 

[kklokreach]

43 minutes ago, Newenthusiast said:

 

I have nothing right now, i'm trying to rekindle something that i was passionate about decades ago so i don't mind going 2nd hand in case it doesn't grab me like before lol 

 

If i get right back into it again i'll go nuts in a year or two and get brand new better quality kit. 

Ok, I'd probably still try to go and get something older, for around the 400-500 AUD or lower, nikon d5300, canon 7d, canon 60/70d, or if you really want to take a dive, canon 5d mark 1 (full frame for less than 450 AUD) and save money for glass. Also Sony a6000 is still a great entry level camera, but that's around the 700 AUD (to not upset the Sony fanboys).

For a general purpose lens the sigma 17-50 f2.8 is an amazing value (the ryzen 3600 of budget all purpose lens) at around 300 AUD - a must buy.

For macro, luckily you can save a lot of money by getting creative and using extension tubes (~10 AUD for manual focus ones and ~30 AUD for autofocus ones) to get macro shots without paying for a good dedicated macro lens.

 

I know the above body + 17-50 is stretching your budget already but if you want an astro lens I personally use the Rokinon/Samyang 14mm F2.8 manual focus - fantastic manual focus astro lens for around 350 AUD - highly recommended if you can afford it.

 

Also dont listen to any tripod snobs out there just get the cheapest tripod you can find that doesn't feel like spaghetti, save your budget for glass. Also, a tripod is a tripod

45 minutes ago, GDRRiley said:

rip those prices and selection.

you'd do better with a 60D or 70D but yes glass is the important thing.

Yes you probably could with that, particularly the 70d, but something around that price point to save more money for glass. If you can get a better deal, then obviously go for it

[GDRRiley]

18 minutes ago, kklokreach said:

Also dont listen to any tripod snobs out there just get the cheapest tripod you can find that doesn't feel like spaghetti, save your budget for glass. Also, a tripod is a tripod

now now now, I love my silk pro 340QF but for photo work yeah it doesn't matter.

used older glass maybe a better option over new but also cheap yongonu 50 and 35mm are nice for about 130-150 for both.

 

best option is going to be find some bundle with some early 2000s canon glass like a 28-135 USM macro but those are 150 USD

[kklokreach]

10 hours ago, GDRRiley said:

now now now, I love my silk pro 340QF but for photo work yeah it doesn't matter.

used older glass maybe a better option over new but also cheap yongonu 50 and 35mm are nice for about 130-150 for both.

 

best option is going to be find some bundle with some early 2000s canon glass like a 28-135 USM macro but those are 150 USD

Hehehe... yes I know me too, i love my Sirui but honestly i could have done just as well with a $30 sunpak from bestbuy as much as I hate to admit it.

 

Yes I agree always go with used over new, the pricing I had listed was for used. I personally got the 28-135 bundled with my 7D, not the biggest fan, but you do bring up a great point. Look for bundles especially on Ebay, because 75% of the time you can get a body and lens for less than you would have payed for each separately, and if it's a lens you dont want, then you can flip it Has served me well, highly recommended just make sure you price out all the items yourself to make sure it's actually a deal and not a scam from some savvy ebayer.

[GDRRiley]

2 hours ago, kklokreach said:

Hehehe... yes I know me too, i love my Sirui but honestly i could have done just as well with a $30 sunpak from bestbuy as much as I hate to admit it.

 

Yes I agree always go with used over new, the pricing I had listed was for used. I personally got the 28-135 bundled with my 7D, not the biggest fan, but you do bring up a great point. Look for bundles especially on Ebay, because 75% of the time you can get a body and lens for less than you would have payed for each separately, and if it's a lens you dont want, then you can flip it Has served me well, highly recommended just make sure you price out all the items yourself to make sure it's actually a deal and not a scam from some savvy ebayer.

I've got a 30$ polorad one for photos its fine but I hate the head.

I've seen lots of good deals with dual lens for about the same price.

[Totallycasual]

On 4/5/2020 at 6:16 AM, GDRRiley said:

I'd say a cannon m200

I was looking at this and really liked a lot of the options and functionality it provides.

 

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/canon-eos-200d-ii-dslr-with-18-55mm-lens-4k-video

 

Bit over my budget but what do you guys think of this one?

[GDRRiley]

9 minutes ago, Newenthusiast said:

I was looking at this and really liked a lot of the options and functionality it provides.

 

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/canon-eos-200d-ii-dslr-with-18-55mm-lens-4k-video

 

Bit over my budget but what do you guys think of this one?

the one issue is the mount is a little dead.

so good luck finding good lenes

[Totallycasual]

1 minute ago, GDRRiley said:

the one issue is the mount is a little dead.

Sorry, i don't know what that means or how it relates to the Canon EOS 200D II DSLR i was asking about >.< 

[GDRRiley]

Just now, Newenthusiast said:

Sorry, i don't know what that means or how it relates to the Canon EOS 200D II DSLR i was asking about >.< 

so the camera has a lens mount. the m200 is on EF-M a mount with very few cameras and lenses on it you can get to normal canon EF/EF-s

[Totallycasual]

Oh ok, thank you. 

[GDRRiley]

20 minutes ago, Newenthusiast said:

Oh ok, thank you. 

here is what I think are all the EF-M mount lenses being sold new

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/products/Mirrorless-Camera-Lenses/ci/17912/N/4196380428?filters=fct_lens-mount_3442%3Acanon-ef-m

 

anything that has a fast F stop is prime only.

[Totallycasual]

5 minutes ago, GDRRiley said:

here is what I think are all the EF-M mount lenses being sold new

That seems like a hell of a lot. 

[GDRRiley]

1 minute ago, Newenthusiast said:

That seems like a hell of a lot. 

it isn't there is now 45 lenses for canons brand new RF mount.

something like EF has thousands of lenses.

[Action_Johnson]

For macro, I think it's pretty tough to beat the price/performance of Micro 4/3rds. Fella out of Singapore named Robin Wong shoots a ton of Macro stuff with a setup that would totally fit within 700 including lensing. 

 

https://robinwong.blogspot.com/2020/04/how-shooting-macro-boosted-my.html

 

For Astro stuff, frankly nothing's going to be great unless you're talking Full-Frame. A Nikon D600 would be the bare minimum I would consider for the SnR. Even a 12 yr old Nikon D700 would outperform most APS-C when it comes to minutes long exposures. Bummer with the D600 is it's AF is just awful.

Also, it's 2020, I would swing for mirrorless if you can.

[YellowJersey]

On 4/7/2020 at 4:51 PM, GDRRiley said:

the one issue is the mount is a little dead.

so good luck finding good lenes

I don't think the Canon M-mount has much of a future. It was Canon's half-hearted attempt at mirrorless before they decided get serious with the R mount.

[Totallycasual]

13 minutes ago, YellowJersey said:

I don't think the Canon M-mount has much of a future. It was Canon's half-hearted attempt at mirrorless before they decided get serious with the R mount.

Do you have any thoughts on this camera? 

[GDRRiley]

2 hours ago, Newenthusiast said:

Do you have any thoughts on this camera? 

I really like the SL3/200D. I've got the slightly older sl2/150D

The EF/EF-s is a good mount. you can use both EF with a 1.6x multiplier to the focal length and the smaller EF-S lenses.

I really like yongnuo 50mm and I've got the 35mm getting here tomorrow. the 2 are about 150 USD and can be easily found on ebay from china.

it also gives you lots of older glass

[Totallycasual]

4 hours ago, GDRRiley said:

I really like the SL3

I think i'll go ahead and grab one of these on the weekend

[GDRRiley]

30 minutes ago, Newenthusiast said:

I think i'll go ahead and grab one of these on the weekend

okay, I'll just mention for photo only work there isn't a big upgrade over the SL2. just a bit better battery life and maybe a bit better compression on jpeg.