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Photography Q&A
New Camera Purchase dilemma : What trade off do I make
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<blockquote data-quote="JayD" data-source="post: 485363" data-attributes="member: 40428"><p>Hi, new to this forum though I have been lurking around several photography related forums for years now. Here is my story and why I decided to join this forum.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I purchased my 1st DSLR, a D3100 early in 2011 and have used it till May this year when my camera + lenses + filters were all stolen during a holiday trip. The only items which were saved were my tripod and the remote. So I need to purchase a new camera and lenses all over again. Under such a situation, I can purchase any brand since I had lost even my lenses but I have decided on Nikon for several reasons, primarily because of lower sensor noise in APS-C which I intend to purchase this time too primarily because of budget constraints. My D3100 gave me fantastic pictures though I had outgrown it very soon after my last purchase. I couldnt take bracketed shots easily though I took them manually and the camera gave me wonderful results. The ISO limitations also limited my low light photography .... again I got wonderful pictures because of some very good prime lens at large apertures. Infact, I was happy with my D3100 though it made me work a lot manually preparing for the shots. It was low in weight and small (I have small hands). I uploaded to Flickr just once, here are a few of my photos - <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/124887242@N03/" target="_blank">https://www.flickr.com/photos/124887242@N03/</a></p><p></p><p></p><p>I have shortlisted the D7*** and D5*** this time. Budget is a constraint, the D7200 is beyond my reach as of now. Again, I might fast for a few months and get the D7200, but will it serve my purpose (vs money constraints) since I am not an expert photographer and have loads to learn/practise. Again, the difference between them isnt huge.</p><p></p><p></p><p>This is what I am looking for, the primary want list :</p><p></p><p>1. Low noise at high ISO, basically want to increase my usuable night/low light photo's.</p><p>2. Light Weight, dont want a huge camera</p><p>3. Easy access to menu, more buttons. Ability to take photos quickly without searching - the 2 things I usually change are my ISO and Aperture and dont mess with other settings. Again, I only shoot raw.</p><p>4. AE Bracketing - gotta be there, even if its primary</p><p>5. Good and quick auto focussing. Again, I am quite used to focussing with my center cross-hair in my D3100 and then framing the shot.</p><p>6. Short in budget as of now, maybe I could purchase better glasses if I manage to save some in the body. Again I could delay my lens purchase over time and purchase a more "professional" body or something which might put me in the envy list as "Pro user"</p><p>7. Not thinking of buying another body in the next 10-15 years since I am not a professional, I just love photography.</p><p>8. Minimum sensor size = APS-C. Mirrorless & Bridge camera out of contention.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Tilt screen and touch screens arent that important to me since I always use the viewfinder. Also, I am not willing to pay for higher frame rates than what is currently offered. Weather sealing is nice though. I have never used my last DSLR for videos and I expect I wont in the future since I have a nice cam for that. I will be having basically 3 lenses like my last lens collection : a wide angle (Prime or Zoom), the 35mm/1.8 (a certain) and a upto 300 mm for the long shots. Most of my shots are in the wide angle and upto 55mm category (for portraits).</p><p></p><p></p><p>One thing which bugs me whenever I lurk around in forums is the fact, that DSLRs have been categorised into new users, enthusiasts, pro, etc etc. And I dont like being called a "learner" just because I could not afford a higher end/Costly DSLR. Another thing, which I am well aware of is the actual difference in ISO and DR when taking photos by different brands (just because DxO states that brand X is 50 or 100 points better than brand Y. All are good cameras. But then again, ISO & DR are big big factors for me since I want good quality photos without having to use much PP - upto ISO 1600 atleast.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Actually, I have sort of made up my mind but want to confirm from the forum if most people here think like me. I just want a camera which gives me good photos and good results at low light and the ability of easy of use. Anything else offered is extra since I am limited by my budget. Since, I am well aware of the functionalities offered by each, I know I will have to make compromises in this purchase since not everything I want is offered in a camera. The question being what I can trade off vs what is essential.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Thanks and Good day to everyone.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JayD, post: 485363, member: 40428"] Hi, new to this forum though I have been lurking around several photography related forums for years now. Here is my story and why I decided to join this forum. I purchased my 1st DSLR, a D3100 early in 2011 and have used it till May this year when my camera + lenses + filters were all stolen during a holiday trip. The only items which were saved were my tripod and the remote. So I need to purchase a new camera and lenses all over again. Under such a situation, I can purchase any brand since I had lost even my lenses but I have decided on Nikon for several reasons, primarily because of lower sensor noise in APS-C which I intend to purchase this time too primarily because of budget constraints. My D3100 gave me fantastic pictures though I had outgrown it very soon after my last purchase. I couldnt take bracketed shots easily though I took them manually and the camera gave me wonderful results. The ISO limitations also limited my low light photography .... again I got wonderful pictures because of some very good prime lens at large apertures. Infact, I was happy with my D3100 though it made me work a lot manually preparing for the shots. It was low in weight and small (I have small hands). I uploaded to Flickr just once, here are a few of my photos - [URL]https://www.flickr.com/photos/124887242@N03/[/URL] I have shortlisted the D7*** and D5*** this time. Budget is a constraint, the D7200 is beyond my reach as of now. Again, I might fast for a few months and get the D7200, but will it serve my purpose (vs money constraints) since I am not an expert photographer and have loads to learn/practise. Again, the difference between them isnt huge. This is what I am looking for, the primary want list : 1. Low noise at high ISO, basically want to increase my usuable night/low light photo's. 2. Light Weight, dont want a huge camera 3. Easy access to menu, more buttons. Ability to take photos quickly without searching - the 2 things I usually change are my ISO and Aperture and dont mess with other settings. Again, I only shoot raw. 4. AE Bracketing - gotta be there, even if its primary 5. Good and quick auto focussing. Again, I am quite used to focussing with my center cross-hair in my D3100 and then framing the shot. 6. Short in budget as of now, maybe I could purchase better glasses if I manage to save some in the body. Again I could delay my lens purchase over time and purchase a more "professional" body or something which might put me in the envy list as "Pro user" 7. Not thinking of buying another body in the next 10-15 years since I am not a professional, I just love photography. 8. Minimum sensor size = APS-C. Mirrorless & Bridge camera out of contention. Tilt screen and touch screens arent that important to me since I always use the viewfinder. Also, I am not willing to pay for higher frame rates than what is currently offered. Weather sealing is nice though. I have never used my last DSLR for videos and I expect I wont in the future since I have a nice cam for that. I will be having basically 3 lenses like my last lens collection : a wide angle (Prime or Zoom), the 35mm/1.8 (a certain) and a upto 300 mm for the long shots. Most of my shots are in the wide angle and upto 55mm category (for portraits). One thing which bugs me whenever I lurk around in forums is the fact, that DSLRs have been categorised into new users, enthusiasts, pro, etc etc. And I dont like being called a "learner" just because I could not afford a higher end/Costly DSLR. Another thing, which I am well aware of is the actual difference in ISO and DR when taking photos by different brands (just because DxO states that brand X is 50 or 100 points better than brand Y. All are good cameras. But then again, ISO & DR are big big factors for me since I want good quality photos without having to use much PP - upto ISO 1600 atleast. Actually, I have sort of made up my mind but want to confirm from the forum if most people here think like me. I just want a camera which gives me good photos and good results at low light and the ability of easy of use. Anything else offered is extra since I am limited by my budget. Since, I am well aware of the functionalities offered by each, I know I will have to make compromises in this purchase since not everything I want is offered in a camera. The question being what I can trade off vs what is essential. Thanks and Good day to everyone. [/QUOTE]
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