first camera for a newbie

deafguy87

Senior Member
Hi

I'm a total newbie to the photography and looking for my first camera

I would like to take pictures of landscape, street, architecture, macro, black/white and nighttime (like light up buildings and streets)

I want to say I'm flexible on the budget because I can buy a high end camera but I'm sure most people here probably don't recommend a high end camera for the new guy lol. But I'm pretty sure that I don't want the basic entry camera like D3300 which I found out that Nikon actually stop making them a couple months ago and bringing out D3500 this summer hopefully.

I would like a camera that I can grow into instead of getting the D3300 or something similar and grow out of it soon and have to upgrade the body. I thought financially overall it would not sense of having to spend more money down the line if I had to upgrade soon.

Eventually in the future I would like to sell fine art prints but obviously I'm not ready now or in the near future since I ain't got no camera yet lol :p

anybody here can help me out? got any questions for me to narrow down the selections?


Thanks
 

jay_dean

Senior Member
Theres no correct answer here, the answer is up to the individual. I wouldn't say dont buy a high end camera. You can learn on any camera and you can always sell them if you decide not to pursue photography further. I do find pro controls make photography easier. If you want to save money on a high end body look at the second hand market, that also goes for lenses. Second hand D700's and D800's go for a song and would be great for your chosen subject
 

deafguy87

Senior Member
Theres no correct answer here, the answer is up to the individual. I wouldn't say dont buy a high end camera. You can learn on any camera and you can always sell them if you decide not to pursue photography further. I do find pro controls make photography easier. If you want to save money on a high end body look at the second hand market, that also goes for lenses. Second hand D700's and D800's go for a song and would be great for your chosen subject

I went to henrys a couple days ago and the sale rep recommends the D5300 because he usually recommend for people who will grow into it and if they want to upgrade then do so in the distant future with a better body. But he recommends to try to get the best lenses first than upgrading the body because the lenses make a better improvement rate comparing to the body.

He said D5300 is suitable for me because of the swivel screen will help with the macro shots so I don't have to bend down as much. Also help with the street/candid shots if I positioned the camera at my stomach area so people won't know that I took a picture. Another point he made was the GPS to help locate the locations when I do landscape and street.

He said the D3300 is fine but only for people who just want to move from their P&S to a basic dslr and be done with it. He said it most likely a problem for people who want to grow and they will grow quickly with the D3300 and want to upgrade already. So he think overall the financially may not best to go from D3300 to D5xxx in a short time. This is why he recommends the D5300, so people can grow in it.

I tried handling the D3300, it a bit small for me because my hands are big enough to hold a basketball with one hand lol

He also suggested D7200 if I want to push the budget and the build quality is better than D5300 because of the weather seal resistant. But doesn't have the swivel screen to help the macro, candid and unusual angle shots.

What do you think?
 

jay_dean

Senior Member
I went to henrys a couple days ago and the sale rep recommends the D5300 because he usually recommend for people who will grow into it and if they want to upgrade then do so in the distant future with a better body. But he recommends to try to get the best lenses first than upgrading the body because the lenses make a better improvement rate comparing to the body.

He said D5300 is suitable for me because of the swivel screen will help with the macro shots so I don't have to bend down as much. Also help with the street/candid shots if I positioned the camera at my stomach area so people won't know that I took a picture. Another point he made was the GPS to help locate the locations when I do landscape and street.

He said the D3300 is fine but only for people who just want to move from their P&S to a basic dslr and be done with it. He said it most likely a problem for people who want to grow and they will grow quickly with the D3300 and want to upgrade already. So he think overall the financially may not best to go from D3300 to D5xxx in a short time. This is why he recommends the D5300, so people can grow in it.

I tried handling the D3300, it a bit small for me because my hands are big enough to hold a basketball with one hand lol

He also suggested D7200 if I want to push the budget and the build quality is better than D5300 because of the weather seal resistant. But doesn't have the swivel screen to help the macro, candid and unusual angle shots.

What do you think?
Like i say, there is no correct answer. If i could go back in time, i'd have bought a better introductory DSLR, but thats just me. If you're looking at aps-c cameras and have large hands, you could always add a battery grip
 

deafguy87

Senior Member
Hi, How much do you want to spend, as that would give us an idea on which camera would be in your budget.

maybe $1000 Canadian or should I push it more?

Oh i tried handling D810 at henry's ... it heavier than it look... it got to be a hassle to carry around doing landscape or street
 
There is one option you have not mentioned yet and that is the D7100. It gives you more of the pro style controls and the weather sealing. I have one of these that my wife now uses since I moved to the D750. It is a fine camera and you can get some very good deals on refurbished ones now.

Nikon D7100 Digital SLR Camera Body - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty for $689.99 US or 898.85 Canadian. This would give you a lot more to grow into to. No, it does not have the swivel screen like the D5?00 series but I had the D5100 and several others in between and although it is nice the D7100 quality and features more than make up the difference.

I have bought Refurbished cameras and lenses from Cameta and have always been more than happy with them. They give a 1 year warranty on there refurbished cameras.
 
i am a little skeptical toward used cameras or anything used lol ... are there downfalls on buying refurbished cameras

These have been sent back to Nikon and refurbished. The one I got from there was a display camera at a camera store and sent back to Nikon to check. Saved a lot of money by getting a camera that only had 100 clicks on it.

You are protected since they offer a full 1 year warranty instead of the normal 90 day warranty most dealers give on refurbished cameras.
 

deafguy87

Senior Member
is that a pain in the butt for non-US people?... since this is an american company and I live in Canada. The whole custom/delivery of getting the camera plus if something happen I assumed I have send it back to them and they send it to Nikon to fix
 

jay_dean

Senior Member
There are downfalls in buying new from time to time. If you buy second hand from a dealer you will get some kind of warranty. Half of all my gear is second hand, and i'm completely comfortable about that. Amateurs usually look after their gear, its second hand pro gear you have to watch more carefully
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Concerning the D5300 and the D7100. I have both. I started with the D5300. It is a good camera and can do some amazing things. Saying that, the D7100 is the camera I grab in most cases. The D5300 is more of a pain to change settings because you have to go through a menu to change. The D7100 has more external controls (thumb wheels) that settings can be changed on the fly. The D5300 vs D7100 picture quality results are pretty even. I do like the swivel LCD on the D5300 and miss it in some situations when shooting with the D7100. As you seem to have already done, be sure if you can, to actually handle the model of camera you think you might want to buy. How it feels in you hands and the weight etc will make you photography experience more pleasant.
 

deafguy87

Senior Member
I will watch out for second hand pro gears

I do like that you mentioned the quick access from D7100 .. which would be important if some spur of the moment picture that I need to take a pic quickly then I can adjust on d7100 faster than d5300

I will check them out at a retail store and feel them out


Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk
 
I am with Don ..the dividing line between difficult to use restrictive cameras is the D7100. With that you will have easy control. With anything less you will have a fight on your hands. When buying second hand always check the shutter count ..lower the better.
Pro controls are terrible ( ie D700/800/810) and best avoided
 

rocketman122

Senior Member
regarding which camera depends how much youre going to delve into it. when I started, I knew that an entry level camera would not satisfy me. I went straight for the higher end which was an N90s. after a very short time (within a year or so) I jumped to the F5. then bought 2 more after getting into wedding photography. bottom line, get the camera you want but invest in lenses.
 

nickt

Senior Member
Concerning the D5300 and the D7100. I have both. I started with the D5300. It is a good camera and can do some amazing things. Saying that, the D7100 is the camera I grab in most cases. The D5300 is more of a pain to change settings because you have to go through a menu to change. The D7100 has more external controls (thumb wheels) that settings can be changed on the fly. The D5300 vs D7100 picture quality results are pretty even. I do like the swivel LCD on the D5300 and miss it in some situations when shooting with the D7100. As you seem to have already done, be sure if you can, to actually handle the model of camera you think you might want to buy. How it feels in you hands and the weight etc will make you photography experience more pleasant.
I'm lazy to type, but Walt said most of what I want to say ^. The user interface going down the d7100/d7200 is the big thing for me. I've had the d3100 and d7x000. I'm now lost without the external buttons and controls. Front and rear command wheels and the top lcd are great. I love glancing down at the top lcd and knowing the state of the camera. Also the d7x00 cameras have a focus motor in case you come across an older lens.
 
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