To DSLR or not to DSLR...

[Stefken89]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm looking for a good all-round camera (that can also make the occasional decent quality video), budget up to 600€ for body+lens (if applicable). Use: General family/vacation photo type pictures and the occasional video + I am planning to do some covermusic videos on youtube (so external mic input is a great plus). It has to take good auto-mode pictures, but also need to be able to manual-mode well. Obviously good low-light situation-handling is a BIG plus.

 

The ones I've been looking at in particular:

 

DSLR:

- Nikon D5200 + 18-105mm kit

 

(was also looking at D3300 but no flipable screen :-(  )

 

System:

- Canon PowerShot SX60 HS

- Nikon Coolpix P610

 

 

Obviously, the D5200 gives better pictures if you know how to work it, but, the questions that keep haunting me are:

 

- I don't want to change lenses all the time. Will the DSLR + 1 lens be good enough? The 18-105mm supposedly has some distortion, will that bother me? I don't want to edit every single picture.

- Will the extra size/weight of DSLR/lens combo bother me? 

- Will I use the better control of the DSLR, or will I usually stick to auto-mode... In that case, is it still better then a system camera? 

- System camera has better zoom with a smaller size, will the 18-105mm provide enough zoom for general use?

 

 

 

TLDR; DSLR or 200€ less for a decent system camera for taking mostly family/vacation-type pictures & the occasional video.

 

 

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Greetings,

 

Stef

[ShadowCaptain]

IMO DSLR however honestly, if you really care about your photos you should shoot raw and take every photo into editing for tweaking, applying lens correction profiles and really looking after the images

 

 

HOWEVER, even if shooting in auto (ewwww) the DSLR will still have superior low light, more capabilities and generally higher image and video quality than the other 2 cameras

 

You might find it annoying, but the ability to change lenses is THE whole point of a DSLR, a new lens makes it feel like a whole new camera, a new lens can change everything and being able to adjust your focal length, go super wide, tele, super low depth of field etc etc are the main points of getting a DSLR

 

 

If you are never going to take it out of Auto, never going to edit your images, never going to buy another lens, a DSLR is a wrong choice

 

 

If not going DSLR: check out these compacts/mirrorless/bridge

 

Sony RX10

Sony RX100
Sony A6000

Olympus EM5

Panasonix LX100

Panasonic FZ1000

Panasonic G7

[Nexxus]

i shot solely with an 18-105 vr for.... 5 years ive only once used a distortion fix. some examle photos.
 

 

 



 
Weight...its going to depend from person to person. I have a mole on my neck and my strap gets EXTREMELY uncomfortable after a while but I ziptie a towel around it and it makes it ALOT nicer..the weight of my camera is not nearly as much of an issue as the way the straps apply the weight on your neck
  
Using the better control is hard to say it depends on how interested you are in getting a nice photo over a snapshot if you want to make nice photos yes you will enjoy the manual control when you learn it.
 
 
105 should be fine, this is me using 105mm just yesterday in less then ideal conditions for that level of zoom (something else of note is every photo on here that is mine was shot on my 18-105)

 
To give you an idea that lens covered here is a shot looking towards where I was sitting  from the same corner that car is exiting. I was seated at the white tower in the middle of the grand stands.

 
Something you have to keep in mind though is you can crop a photo down and depending on the camera and lens you can still be capable of nice quality shots that looked like you have a WAY higher zoom then you were actually using, this is the same photo as above but cropped
 

 
the quality is going to suffer a bit by doing that (will vary depending on the camera) but some sharpening and noise redux will fix it right up.

[Stefken89]

-Snip-

Sony RX100

 

 

I just don't know if I'm a DSLR-kinda guy :-) How do you know if you've never had one? I mean, editing photo's doesn't really interest me (for now at least). 

 

Should I just buy a decent compact first like the RX100 (even if it is above budget), and see if it interests me at all?

[Nexxus]

@Stefken89 just wanted to point out I did some edits to make that post easier to read its nearly 5am here and im going to bed lol..some things should make more sense now.

[Stefken89]

-Snip-

 

Thank you for that post. I'm still not sure if a big camera is the right thing for me, but at least your post settled a few of my doubts ( lens, distortion, ...).

[chicksoup]

If you really want a DSLR and want to take good pictures you will move out of the auto mode pretty quickly and start tweaking with the settings, but if you want an easy camera that you'll never or seldomly play around with I would get the A6000 from Sony since it has a great sensor and if you are interested you can get different lenses. 

 

I wouldn't worry about the distortion on the 18-105mm lens from Nikon since you'll only be able to see the distortion on certain subjects and the lens wouldn't be sold if it sucked balls. 

 

A DSLR is definitely heavier and bulkier than a point and shoot, if you want to take advantage of all the dedicated buttons of a DSLR then you should get that, but for the auto mode you really only need a shutter button. 

 

The difference in zoom from the DSLR to a point and shoot is that a lot more light is still getting to the DSLR sensor thus giving you better pictures and the DSLR doesn't have digital zoom that pixelates your pictures. 

 

As conclusion I would get the DSLR since I personally love adjusting everything to make the picture look the way I want and interchangeable lenses are just great. I was about 13 when I got into DSLRs and started out shooting in auto mode, but with no knowledge of anything I started playing around with the settings on the camera and fell in love with the capability of taking a picture the way I want it to look. Of course you can also get a point and shoot and most of them have a manual mode too,but they are a pain to navigate and restrict you in settings and adjustments. I always recommend going to a store and trying out products before purchasing them so I would suggest going to Mediamarkt and trying out the D5200 and possibly a Canon or Sony DSLR as well to see what feels better to you.

[ShadowCaptain]

I just don't know if I'm a DSLR-kinda guy :-) How do you know if you've never had one? I mean, editing photo's doesn't really interest me (for now at least). 

 

Should I just buy a decent compact first like the RX100 (even if it is above budget), and see if it interests me at all?

 

Maybe, I mean even if you own a DSLR having a compact like an RX100 is still great since you can take them places you cant get your DSLR, and you can keep it in your pocket (like going out with friends, etc, you arent going to carry your DSLR everywhere)

It depends how into photography you are, a DSLR is really an enthusiast camera, editing seems like a boring task, but editing RAW in lightroom for me, its something I have massively started to enjoy

 

Heck I spent like 2 hours colour grading video the other day,something I used to hate, but now I love it, I can really change how a photo/video looks in post, I can take 30 seconds of boring footage, and make it look like something from a $200 million hollywood movie

[Nexxus]

Thank you for that post. I'm still not sure if a big camera is the right thing for me, but at least your post settled a few of my doubts ( lens, distortion, ...).

look around your area, in toronto Lens/body rental is very common and you can try it out for yourself. rent a d5200 and try and get a 18-105 (or something similer) for a day and just go around for..4 hours or so and see if the things light weight bother you..the manual settings thing that will be harder to judge since that requires some reading to see how to get results you want.

[Gofspar]

i shot solely with an 18-105 vr for.... 5 years ive only once used a distortion fix. some examle photos.

 

 

 

 

Weight...its going to depend from person to person. I have a mole on my neck and my strap gets EXTREMELY uncomfortable after a while but I ziptie a towel around it and it makes it ALOT nicer..the weight of my camera is not nearly as much of an issue as the way the straps apply the weight on your neck

  

Using the better control is hard to say it depends on how interested you are in getting a nice photo over a snapshot if you want to make nice photos yes you will enjoy the manual control when you learn it.

 

 

105 should be fine, this is me using 105mm just yesterday in less then ideal conditions for that level of zoom (something else of note is every photo on here that is mine was shot on my 18-105)

 

To give you an idea that lens covered here is a shot looking towards where I was sitting  from the same corner that car is exiting. I was seated at the white tower in the middle of the grand stands.

 

Something you have to keep in mind though is you can crop a photo down and depending on the camera and lens you can still be capable of nice quality shots that looked like you have a WAY higher zoom then you were actually using, this is the same photo as above but cropped

 

 

the quality is going to suffer a bit by doing that (will vary depending on the camera) but some sharpening and noise redux will fix it right up.

Formula Drift :DD

[Nexxus]

Formula Drift :DD

lol not quite, it wasn't a competitive event it was a mix of inexperienced amateurs and skilled drifters just going out and having fun drifting in a 2 day drift party, get there at 9am drift til 5pm camp out at the track and start it all over again the next day lol. 

[paprikman]

D5200 is not the best gear to start with. 18-105 is a very dark lens, even kit 18-55 is better.

Start with d7000 or d7100 and some bright (maybe even fixed) lens.

After about 3-5 days you will see if u really need this stuff.

[Nexxus]

a d7000+ is an absurd starter camera. I started with a hell of alot worse then a d5200. most of those photos I posted were shot with said camera.

[The Pizza Thief]

Right now I'm selling my Canon EOS 70D because I never get to use all of its features, I'm thinking of getting the RX100 Mark IV to get something simpler but still looking really nice.

[SeanAngelo]

if you dont want to edit photos and all that such, just get a compact camera, like the ones said above. I would get the Sony RX100 MK2. (if it's in your budget)

 

But to me, I would go for a DSLR, get that camera but with an 18-55mm with a 35mm f1.8 (if you can)

[bob345]

The Sony a6000 looks like a great option

[Silvercall]

- I don't want to change lenses all the time. Will the DSLR + 1 lens be good enough? The 18-105mm supposedly has some distortion, will that bother me? I don't want to edit every single picture.

- Will the extra size/weight of DSLR/lens combo bother me? 

- Will I use the better control of the DSLR, or will I usually stick to auto-mode... In that case, is it still better then a system camera? 

- System camera has better zoom with a smaller size, will the 18-105mm provide enough zoom for general use?

 

 

1. 

One lens can be enough if you get creative.  The 18-105 should be more than enough for family photos and videos.  I am going to Europe in September for 3 weeks and I'm just taking a 24mm 1.4 and either a 50mm or 85mm prime.  That said, I'm used to changing lenses and don't mind carrying an extra lens or two.

 

2.

This is a pretty personal question.  Many people buy a DSLR then end up never using it as it weighs too much.  Have you gone to the store and actually held one?  Now imaging having to carry it around all day (and possibly a camera bag too).  With a RX100, you can just put it in your pocket and not worry about it.  I am willing to carry a camera bag and put up with the weight size, others are not.  If you have a friend who has a DSLR and lenses, maybe ask to borrow it for a week and carry it with you whenever you go out.  This will give you a real sense of the weight and size and if you are willing to put up with it.

 

3.

Many high end compacts have the same manual controls as a DSLR.  My Fuji X100T allows me to shoot in full manual, and has a very similar feel to my range finder film cameras.  What ever camera you end up getting, for best results, you will take it off of Full Auto.  Learning how to use Aperture, Shutter, or Manual mode is not too hard, and you gain so much more control and creativity.  

 

4.

A DSLR has a larger lens range than a compact camera when you take into consideration that you can change lenses.  That said, the 18-105 should be just fine for every day use unless you need a (ultra) wide angle or extra long lens.  Most compacts won't give you the ultra wide or extra long focal length and many have a similar focal length to many starter lenses.

 

Good luck on your hunt for a camera.  I actually have a dslr for days I'm willing to carry the camera and a Fuji X100T when I just need something small but better than my cell phone (Note 4).  This works for me but I know not everyone can afford to do that...