Talk Me off of the Ledge !!

pk63015

Senior Member
A little context: About 4 years ago I purchased a Nikon D3200, I enjoyed using the Camera and was starting to experiment with different settings and techniques. Well abut 2 years ago while I was at work my wife and son went to the park and she took my camera with her to take some Photos of my son playing. Well somehow she LOST MY CAMERA !!!.

I have been itching to buy another DSLR and within the last week an opportunity has arisen that might allow me to purchase a D3500 or a D5600. I am leaning towards the D3500 because ( if I let my wife take it out again ) she can use the Auto Mode.

My problem is if I do purchase the new Camera, my wife WILL push me over the edge of a cliff. What to do what to do. Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.

Thanks.
 

Bikerbrent

Senior Member
All of the Nikon DX cameras have an auto mode (for what it is worth). Finally, your wife lost your camera and says you can't buy a new one! :mad: I would also start looking for a new wife as well as a camera :eek:
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
They both have Auto and Auto-no flash. The D5600 has a tilt screen, which can be beneficial. Looking at the specs, most of them are identical. Do you need or want: time lapse, tilt screen, etc? How important are all of the auto scene selections on the 3500? New, the price difference is what, a C-note?

I say pick the one you like best and try to figure out how to tether it to your wife if she borrows it. Like, always wear the neck strap.

Or get yourself a good used one that you like, and buy her an entry level used camera for her to use. It is called a birthday/ anniversary/ mother's day present. ;). Mother's day specials on entry DSLRs come out every April/May.
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Your just looking for someone to blame

images3.jpg
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
A little context: About 4 years ago I purchased a Nikon D3200, I enjoyed using the Camera and was starting to experiment with different settings and techniques. Well abut 2 years ago while I was at work my wife and son went to the park and she took my camera with her to take some Photos of my son playing. Well somehow she LOST MY CAMERA !!!.

I have been itching to buy another DSLR and within the last week an opportunity has arisen that might allow me to purchase a D3500 or a D5600. I am leaning towards the D3500 because ( if I let my wife take it out again ) she can use the Auto Mode.

My problem is if I do purchase the new Camera, my wife WILL push me over the edge of a cliff. What to do what to do. Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.

Thanks.
The D5600 has a couple nice upgrades over the D3500; mainly the slightly larger, articulating, touch-sensitive rear-LCD and a lot more (39) focus-points (vs 11 for the D3500).
 

Danno

Senior Member
I think if you can afford the 5600 that would be the best choice. Another option to consider is looking at refurbished cameras. When I bought my D7200 a few years ago I got a great price through Nikon. Actually Adorama is a good place to look at reverb cameras.

My D7200 had less than 50 shutter clicks. It was good as new. I think it is worth a look.
 

Dawg Pics

Senior Member
Sorry, we can't help with the wife situation, and nobody here will tell you NOT to buy a camera. Get a cheap one and start shooting.
 

spb_stan

Senior Member
The best way to get a new camera is to tell her that you need it to capture her beauty in the way she deserves. A lesser camera would not do her justice.

If you do it right maybe you could get a higher category of camera and lens such as the Z6 with kit 24-70 f/4 lens.
If money is an issue, a very nice higher end camera can be found as refurb'd or used like a D7000 or even a D7200 which is better in almost all ways. But camera cost or feature don't really impact image quality that much, compared to lenses and lighting.
A used D7200 should be about $475-500 and be all the camera you would ever need. Adding a low-cost TTL flash would be the greatest increase in image quality, more than camera bodies or lenses.
 

pk63015

Senior Member
The best way to get a new camera is to tell her that you need it to capture her beauty in the way she deserves. A lesser camera would not do her justice.

I sounds as if You might have used this in the Past :):encouragement: If you did, how did that work out ? The wife didn't give me a cold Icy Stare today, So things are starting to defrost in my house.
 

spb_stan

Senior Member
It works with GF's also;>)
In fact, it might work better with GF's because they are often more concerned with appearances as a tool to keep a BF or find one whereas a wife already won the battle of the sexes;>)

My GF responded most recently very wife-like, saying that since I was getting a new camera, to take better photos of her(I already have a D850 and 15 fast lenses and 4 other bodies) surely, she reasoned that, for these better photos of her she needs to add significantly to her wardrobe...just for sake of the photos;>) She already has about 150 dresses and at least 30 yoga outfits and too many shoes and boots to even count. Her closet is a large bedroom fitted with floor to ceiling shoe racks and 6 closets. and 4 dressers just for sweaters. She could sneak in a lot and I would not notice until out at night and see something I don't remember, if it is new and I figure it out is not just my forgetting it, I carefully compliment her on her outfit without revealing either I know it is new or saw it before but just forgot it. If the latter, she could get upset that I don't notice her.

Seriously, consider spending $50 on a Chinese low-cost full feature TTL flash, and learn to use it well and every lens you have will shine. Even in daylight outdoors a flash used for fill light can turn a snapshot into a studio-grade portrait or fashion session.
 

Texas

Senior Member
Man that is a lot of clothes. My (ex)wife had a system that fooled me for a couple years. New clothes go immediately to the cleaners then show up as regular laundry/cleaning.
 

spb_stan

Senior Member
She was aware of the male trait of having a very poor memory for anything that was not numbers or what is in front of them at the moment. The women rely on that selective memory to justify any new purchase passed off as "that old thing" when questioned, "is that a new dress....how much did it cost?"
We usually only care how good something looks like when it is standing in front of us.
I was always finding that a bonus for me, my girl... over the years were all clothes hounds but appreciated because I was lucky to be around a very attractive woman who cared for her appearance as me being the winner. So I never got upset when they spent money on nice clothes and just assumed it was for me. That extended to shopping with them, they took it as a compliment when I voiced preferences for one or another and why when trying things on. I had definite preferences between any two items, just gut reactions and that seemed to convey permission to get something. She never would have needed my permission for anything, I was never a ruler in a home, just a partner. My current GF has excellent taste in style and art and like most women, excellent memories of colors and textures of what is long buried in the depths of her drawers so seeing some scarf or accessory that would work with that long-forgotten item, can create a whole new look for the combination.
One of the reasons I do portraits and lifestyle type photography is how appreciative and thrilled my friends are when I can bring out the best of their features, or diminish their least favorable features. Clothes do essentially the same thing for themselves but my camera freezes that moment in time that clothes can't compete with. I will not give photos to women which are not flattering, with a particularly challenging session I might only end up with a few that are flattering enough to give to them. But in others, we might get 100 great views, expressions and perspectives so it is hard to choose.
 

pk63015

Senior Member
What is the biggest difference in the D5600 vs D3500? Spec wise they are virtual identical. The only big difference that I can see is that the D5600 has the articulating touch screen and additional focus points. I can get the D3500 with the 18-55 lens for $ 449.95 and the D5600 with the 18-55 lens for $699.95. My question is, is the D5600 a better camera to justify the $250 price difference ? With the $250 I could invest in better glass, or other accessories. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks.
 
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hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Looks like there is a slight difference in weight 12.9 oz vs. 14.7 oz (body only). And the diagonal screen measurement of the D3500 is 3.0" while the D5600 is 3.2". If money is an issue, my suggestion is to go with the D3500 then spend the difference on something of her choice. Just trying to come up with an answer that will benefit both of you.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
What is the biggest difference in the D5600 vs D3500? ... The only big difference that I can see is that the D5600 has the articulating touch screen and additional focus points. ...
That's pretty what the extra $250 gets you: the bigger, higher resolution, articulating, touch-sensitive screen and almost four times as many focus points. Only one of the focus points on the D3500 is "cross-type" while on the the D5600 has nine that are "cross-type". Depending on what, and how, you shoot those may (or may not) be compelling reasons to drop another $250.
 

spb_stan

Senior Member
The main difference is the AF system and screen resolution. Both have a lot of features but the D5600 is a little more hobbyist oriented with the more capable autofocus and touch control screen of higher resolution. For the same price of a D5600 you can find factory refurb D7200 which is a much more flexible camera and has many more lenses options, for example all the screwdriver lenses(autofocus lenses that use a focusing motor in the camera instead of the lens) which means a lot of good quality older lenses are available for it.
Image quality for general snapshots is very good for all of them but with more specialty shooting such as portrait or available light shooting the D7200 has a Pentaprism View finder that is brighter then the D5600/3500 Pentamirror viewfinder. Better AF system, ability to focus in lower light.
It is also better in very bright light, with a 1/8000 of a second fastest shutter speed compared to 1/4000
For use with flash, the D7200 has a max sync speed of 1/250 compared to 1/200
Larger Viewfinder coverage, 100% with the D7200 compared to 97% and has a great VF magnification factor of .63 compared to .55

Two memory card slots compared to 1
And for anyone using it outdoors the D7200 is much better weather sealed but the D5600 and 3500 have no additional weather sealing(don't use them in the rain or dusty environments
With the larger tougher body the D7200 weighs more by 300grams more than the D5600
Being larger by a small amount, the grip and feel is considerably better.
The shutter has a longer service life also.

So....If you want to expand your use of the camera, possibly getting external flash unit or speed light and start collecting nice used lenses, shoot faster moving subjects or doing serious portrait, sports and architecture a refurb D7200 with factory warranty or even a lower cost with a lot frame count used D7200 that would be a better choice. If on the other hand you are going to limit your shooting to general snapshots and want something with a bit more control than a smartphone, the D3500 is hard to beat for price and weight.
Look for used lenses, they do not wear out like bodies and there are many options but seek faster lenses, that have better optical quality and much better light sensitivity such as a used 50mm 1.8 for $150 will greatly outperform the slow zooms like the 18-55. The zoom is pretty sharp as kit lenses go but they are not very good in low light or for controlling subject isolation.
 
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