HereComesTheReignAgain Posted November 12, 2014 Posted November 12, 2014 Are there any photography junkies that can provide some recommendations to someone that is looking to move past the point and shoot camera and into something more advanced? I don't know if it is realistic, but I am hoping to get a decent DSLR set up for around $600 or less. Are there any good places to buy a used camera or is that a bad idea? The Nikon D3300 looks promising.
PromoTheRobot Posted November 12, 2014 Posted November 12, 2014 (edited) The 3300 is a very good camera but limited in light sensitivity (6400 max ISO) and rapid fire shooting. (3 fps) If you are shooting sports indoors or at night you need a high ISO camera and a low light (f2.8 or lower) lens. I bought the Nikon D5100 package for $749 last year and I'm really happy with it. (Package includes camera, standard wide angle lens, 55-200mm lens and bag.) I chose the 5100 because 1) It has better light sensitivity (ISO 25,000) 2) it shoots 4 pics per second on rapid fire mode 3) it has an LCD view screen that swivels. I use it to shoot sports photos for newspapers. Mind you it's nothing close to the massive pro rigs I see others use, but from a cost/benefit view, it does a great job. May I suggest the following to give you a complete assortment of lenses and accessories: > a Sigma 70-300mm lens ($150) An unbelievably good lens for the money. (http://www.amazon.co...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1) > a Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens ($217) (http://www.amazon.co...nikon 50mm f1.8) > a decent monopod (under $20) (http://www.amazon.co...0?ie=UTF8&psc=1) > extra battery, lens caps, lint-free lens cloth, etc. I might be forgetting something but for about $1300 you will be ready to shoot almost any situation. This is the one toy I've yet to get: a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens (http://www.amazon.co...gma f2.8 55-200) Runs about $1,200. Great for shooting sports action under stadium lighting, which can be surprisingly bad. It allows you to shoot in low light at speeds high enough to freeze action. My Sigma 70-300mm does okay but struggles in certain situations. One thing to note about Sigma lenses...great value for the price but they are as noisy as a washing machine while auto-focusing. (I exaggerate but they are noisy.) Edited November 12, 2014 by PromoTheRobot
mrags Posted November 12, 2014 Posted November 12, 2014 I support Promo. I bought my wife for Xmas a few years ago a Nikon 5100. She is a huge photo junkie as she learned about it all in college. I quickly got the feeling that the extra few bucks on the 5100 were more than well worth it. I've used it quite a bit for Bills practices, games, etc... Fork over the extra few bucks and get the 5100.
IDBillzFan Posted November 12, 2014 Posted November 12, 2014 I bought a Canon 3D about 10 years ago, and beyond the fact that it uses a CF card, it remains absolutely stellar. However, I paid heavily for it, and remember within a year realizing the Rebel was just as good for a few hundreds less. Look for Rebel bundled packages...especially if you can wait for Black Friday. You'll easily find great deals at Best Buy, etc.
PromoTheRobot Posted November 12, 2014 Posted November 12, 2014 I support Promo. I bought my wife for Xmas a few years ago a Nikon 5100. She is a huge photo junkie as she learned about it all in college. I quickly got the feeling that the extra few bucks on the 5100 were more than well worth it. I've used it quite a bit for Bills practices, games, etc... Fork over the extra few bucks and get the 5100. Look at any 5000 series camera and compare: D5100, 5200 or 5300.
John Adams Posted November 12, 2014 Posted November 12, 2014 (edited) Look at any 5000 series camera and compare: D5100, 5200 or 5300. I have the next level up but feel certain that the 5000 series would have been indistinguishable from mine for what I do. It's a great camera. There are Canon people and Nikon people. Having used both, I am completely in the Nikon preference camp. Always taken better pics with Nikons and they seem sturdier (also read: HEAVIER). But to each is own on that. Edited November 12, 2014 by John Adams
HereComesTheReignAgain Posted November 12, 2014 Author Posted November 12, 2014 It looks like the D5100 has been discontinued and replaced with the D5200. I did find some good deals on used and refurbished D5100s though. What are your thoughts on buying a used camera?
PromoTheRobot Posted November 12, 2014 Posted November 12, 2014 (edited) It looks like the D5100 has been discontinued and replaced with the D5200. I did find some good deals on used and refurbished D5100s though. What are your thoughts on buying a used camera? Like anything, if it was taken care of it should be fine. The 5200 and 5300 are very similar to the 5100 in features. Just some minor additions. But before you buy ask yourself what you want the camera to do. For me it had to be fast in low light. I think the 5000's even beat the 7000's there. But the 7000's auto-focus faster. Do your homework. I'm also a Nikon fan. I knew a dad who used to try and shoot his son in games with a Canon rig he dropped a lot of money on and he hated it. Wouldn't focus fast enough. Edited November 13, 2014 by PromoTheRobot
HereComesTheReignAgain Posted November 12, 2014 Author Posted November 12, 2014 I've been reading up and it certainly seems like the D5000 series gets rave reviews across the board. Are the stock lenses enough to provide quality pictures in most settings or do you need to have a few different options?
WotAGuy Posted November 12, 2014 Posted November 12, 2014 (edited) I can second, or third, the D5100. Got mine a few years ago, and my daughter now has one too. In fact, she took my 35mm f1.8 lens because she does more portraiture than I did. Nikon's lenses that came with the kit Promo described have performed well. I have Nikon's wide angle zoom (18-55mm) and longer zoom (55-200mm) and those serve most situations. If you are just getting into a DSLR, you will have more than enough versatility and quality for your needs. Enjoy! P.S. Be sure to get UV and polarizer filters for your lenses - provides protection against damage to the glass and enhances the photo quality. Edited November 12, 2014 by WotAGuy
mrags Posted November 13, 2014 Posted November 13, 2014 The stock lens on mine is amazing. Yes we could use a beefier one, but the stock one is perfectly fine. The quality of photos we received from our wedding that people took with a 5100 were great.
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