Tomas Sandstrom 28
Registered User
- Aug 3, 2005
- 669
- 13
Photography / Digital Cameras
- Thread starter Tomas Sandstrom 28
- Start date
One Blurred Eye
Prefer the future.
- Sep 27, 2014
- 287
- 14
Before recommendations you should probably give an idea of your budget, the kind of things you're interested in photographing, what you intend to do with those photographs and maybe how much gear you're willing to cart around for projects, travel or whatever as that info will go a long way toward getting you on the right track.
Kestrel
Registered User
- Jan 30, 2005
- 5,814
- 129
For basic and casual photography, I like the camera I have now - a Canon SX50. It's a little on the older side, but not terribly. If you're just looking to get in, and not spend a lot or have a lot of gear at this point, you might want to consider a similar superzoom.
The superzooms will give you solid photos while being very versatile. If you're looking to go more commercial grade, I'm sure some of the guys here can make recommendations.
The superzooms will give you solid photos while being very versatile. If you're looking to go more commercial grade, I'm sure some of the guys here can make recommendations.
tacogeoff
Registered User
budget is a must reveal in order for anything suggestions to be thrown your way.
I personally started with a lower end canon dslr with a 50mm prime 1.8 and the kit lens. It was the perfect duo to mess around with. Eventually upgraded to a canon 7d and have upgraded my lenses along the way to specialize in what I like taking photos of sports/nature/landscape. still have the 50mm prime as well as it is a great lens for portraits and low light.
Rambling here but it all depends on what brand you want to try and what type of photography you would like to try as to what you buy. My suggestion would to go down to a local store that specializes in selling just cameras/audio visual goods and they will let you handle and try most items.
hope you find what you are looking for.
I personally started with a lower end canon dslr with a 50mm prime 1.8 and the kit lens. It was the perfect duo to mess around with. Eventually upgraded to a canon 7d and have upgraded my lenses along the way to specialize in what I like taking photos of sports/nature/landscape. still have the 50mm prime as well as it is a great lens for portraits and low light.
Rambling here but it all depends on what brand you want to try and what type of photography you would like to try as to what you buy. My suggestion would to go down to a local store that specializes in selling just cameras/audio visual goods and they will let you handle and try most items.
hope you find what you are looking for.
guinness
Not Ingrid for now
Pretty much this. Would also mention that megapixels are meaningless and overrated.
Depends on how big of a camera you want (bigger sensors are better), but add weight, cost, size.
Other options to consider are the lens mount. I would like to a add a mirrorless system, as they're smaller, can have faster focusing, burst modes, but the lens options are still limited (and expensive).
Something like the Sony A7ii, mated with the A6300 AF.
As it stands, I'm a Pentaxian. I have a K3, and a handful of lenses, probably one of my favorites is the 16-85. That camera and lens combo are weather resistant, and it's a fast camera (~8 fps), and I choose Pentax about 10 years ago, as they have built in SR, dual control dials, and large viewfinders.
Downside, selection of lenses is lacking in K mount, especially from Sigma and Tamron. And lenses are expensive, although buying used (not ebay) has been better to my wallet.
Most of the time, I'm just as happy with my phone's camera (Nexus 6P) though.
Jacques The Mayor
Registered User
I bought the Sony a6000 last year on Black Friday from Best Buy and have been very happy with it. It's a mirrorless camera so like someone said before it's fairly small and has a very quick focus. The Black Friday package came with two lenses, a 32 gb memory card and a carrying case.
Tomas Sandstrom 28
Registered User
- Aug 3, 2005
- 669
- 13
Thanks for the responses so far.
my budget is around $500, which seems to be the entry point for a decent DSLR bundle.
Best buy is advertising this on their black friday ad for $450.
Canon - EOS Rebel T6 DSLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm IS II and EF 75-300mm III lens 32GB card, and I see lots of similar deals on Amazon
My intended uses are #1 to be able to take nice family photos (not formal portait, but something you could put on christmas cards, frame in your house etc.) I also like take landscape and scenery shots around town. probably less of things like sports or action shots.
my budget is around $500, which seems to be the entry point for a decent DSLR bundle.
Best buy is advertising this on their black friday ad for $450.
Canon - EOS Rebel T6 DSLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm IS II and EF 75-300mm III lens 32GB card, and I see lots of similar deals on Amazon
My intended uses are #1 to be able to take nice family photos (not formal portait, but something you could put on christmas cards, frame in your house etc.) I also like take landscape and scenery shots around town. probably less of things like sports or action shots.
Tomas Sandstrom 28
Registered User
- Aug 3, 2005
- 669
- 13
here are a couple other ads from BB:
Nikon D3400 24.2MP CMOS DSLR Camera with 18-55mm VR and 70-300mm Lens, 32GB SD Card and Case $500
Nikon - D5300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm and 70-300mm Lenses - Black $600
Sony - Alpha a5000 Mirrorless Camera with 16-50mm Retractable Lens - Black $350
Nikon D3400 24.2MP CMOS DSLR Camera with 18-55mm VR and 70-300mm Lens, 32GB SD Card and Case $500
Nikon - D5300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm and 70-300mm Lenses - Black $600
Sony - Alpha a5000 Mirrorless Camera with 16-50mm Retractable Lens - Black $350
One Blurred Eye
Prefer the future.
- Sep 27, 2014
- 287
- 14
The 70/75-300mm zooms in the Canon and Nikon bundles are rather limited lenses--they're heavy, slow, and having no image stabilization/vibration reduction, they're difficult to use in anything short of bright sunlight, especially handheld. Could be somewhat of an advantage for the dedicated student perhaps, as creatively overcoming their limitations helps you focus on technique (a piece of kit is only as good as the photographer using it) but a lot of the time they're dead weight. Not to say they're incapable of taking an impressive shot now and again, but it's worth bearing in mind. You might want to shop around for a kit with just the kit lens instead and apply any savings to picking up a prime lens in the 85-100mm range (Canon's 85mm 1.8 is around 350US right now), which would be more useful (and far more satisfying) for chasing around kids and pets. Or at the least go for a Canon or Nikon bundle with an IS/VR telephoto (usually 55-200mm or thereabouts).
Another item you might want to try to fit into your budget is a separate flash unit, preferably one with bounce capability (ie it swivels in different directions). Even though VR/IS and sensor noise improvements have made working in low light easier than in the past, sometimes there's just no substitute for having more light in your bag. The bounce capability is nice for indoors where you can use the flash (pointing at the ceiling) to evenly light the room and avoid the deer-in-headlights look on your subjects. It's also nice to have something a bit more robust than the built-in flash when trying to illuminate backlit subjects (such as in front of a sunset or whatever) or for use as fill flash in harsh sunlight. Canon and Nikon both have good offerings in the 100US range. You can live without it starting out, but don't underestimate the value of having one going forward.
In so far as landscapes/scenery, the kit lens will be an okay start; you'll probably have to deal with a bit of barrel distortion at the wide end which can usually be dealt with in software. Depending on the camera you settle on, processing software might come bundled (though most people would say invest in Adobe Lightroom, although there's some good open source options like RawTherapee and Darktable). But if you're even a little serious about it (such as taking long exposures of bodies of water, high dynamic range composites, etc), expect to invest in a dedicated wide lens, a tripod and neutral density filters at some point. Don't skimp too much on the tripod system--it's arguably as an important an investment as the camera and lens. It's also worth remembering always that everything with photography involves compromise and most purchasing decisions can be summarized in the "lightweight-quality/sturdy-cheap, pick two" triangle. Not to overwhelm or get ahead, only to point out that photography as a hobby can be a real moneypit, and the industry is built on incremental upgrades designed to get you to spend twice as much as you really need to get where you want to be, so being wary of that can save you some grief going forward as you plan out your path (should you desire to move beyond the starting point).
Another item you might want to try to fit into your budget is a separate flash unit, preferably one with bounce capability (ie it swivels in different directions). Even though VR/IS and sensor noise improvements have made working in low light easier than in the past, sometimes there's just no substitute for having more light in your bag. The bounce capability is nice for indoors where you can use the flash (pointing at the ceiling) to evenly light the room and avoid the deer-in-headlights look on your subjects. It's also nice to have something a bit more robust than the built-in flash when trying to illuminate backlit subjects (such as in front of a sunset or whatever) or for use as fill flash in harsh sunlight. Canon and Nikon both have good offerings in the 100US range. You can live without it starting out, but don't underestimate the value of having one going forward.
In so far as landscapes/scenery, the kit lens will be an okay start; you'll probably have to deal with a bit of barrel distortion at the wide end which can usually be dealt with in software. Depending on the camera you settle on, processing software might come bundled (though most people would say invest in Adobe Lightroom, although there's some good open source options like RawTherapee and Darktable). But if you're even a little serious about it (such as taking long exposures of bodies of water, high dynamic range composites, etc), expect to invest in a dedicated wide lens, a tripod and neutral density filters at some point. Don't skimp too much on the tripod system--it's arguably as an important an investment as the camera and lens. It's also worth remembering always that everything with photography involves compromise and most purchasing decisions can be summarized in the "lightweight-quality/sturdy-cheap, pick two" triangle. Not to overwhelm or get ahead, only to point out that photography as a hobby can be a real moneypit, and the industry is built on incremental upgrades designed to get you to spend twice as much as you really need to get where you want to be, so being wary of that can save you some grief going forward as you plan out your path (should you desire to move beyond the starting point).
- Jan 9, 2009
- 15,675
- 10,233
If I were you, I would wait til the Black Friday sale at BestBuy and buy this:
https://www.theblackfriday.com/Nikon-D3400-DSLR--AF-P-DX-18-55mm-G-VR--70-300mm--/43344.htm
Its an excellent deal. You can also get this
https://www.theblackfriday.com/Canon-EOS-Rebel-T6-DSLR-Camera-wEF-S-18-55mm-IS-II---/40223.htm
for $50 less at Bestbuy but the Nikon D3400 is a better camera than the Canon EOS T6
Take a look at these comparison reviews between the two cameras. The Nikon is better than the Canon in almost EVERY category.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/cameras/canon/t6/vs/nikon/d3400/
http://cameradecision.com/compare/Canon-EOS-Rebel-T6-vs-Nikon-D3400
https://www.theblackfriday.com/Nikon-D3400-DSLR--AF-P-DX-18-55mm-G-VR--70-300mm--/43344.htm
Its an excellent deal. You can also get this
https://www.theblackfriday.com/Canon-EOS-Rebel-T6-DSLR-Camera-wEF-S-18-55mm-IS-II---/40223.htm
for $50 less at Bestbuy but the Nikon D3400 is a better camera than the Canon EOS T6
Take a look at these comparison reviews between the two cameras. The Nikon is better than the Canon in almost EVERY category.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/cameras/canon/t6/vs/nikon/d3400/
http://cameradecision.com/compare/Canon-EOS-Rebel-T6-vs-Nikon-D3400
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- Jan 9, 2009
- 15,675
- 10,233
One other idea...
If you can find last years model Nikon - D3300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm and 55-200mm VR II for the same price (or close) as this year's D3400 with the 18-55 VR and the 70-300mm (non VR), I'd buy that instead. IMHO, the D3300 is a better camera than the D3400 and the 55-200 VR lens is definitely better than the 70-300mm non-VR lens.
On Black Friday 2015, Best Buy and Target had the Nikon - D3300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm and 55-200mm VR II kit on sale for $499.99
If you can find last years model Nikon - D3300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm and 55-200mm VR II for the same price (or close) as this year's D3400 with the 18-55 VR and the 70-300mm (non VR), I'd buy that instead. IMHO, the D3300 is a better camera than the D3400 and the 55-200 VR lens is definitely better than the 70-300mm non-VR lens.
On Black Friday 2015, Best Buy and Target had the Nikon - D3300 DSLR Camera with 18-55mm and 55-200mm VR II kit on sale for $499.99
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