Posted: 10/27/2016 12:55:55 AM EDT
|
Okay, I've got $800 +/-, which must be spent at newegg (gift cards), and I would like a nice DSLR camera.
I don't mind taking the time to learn how to take great photographs, but I also don't have the time to take courses on photography 101. If possible I'd like to leave room for a nice weatherproof case in that budget, but don't want to sacrifice camera quality. I've been looking at this one, but don't know much about what will serve me best. Any help would be awesome. |
|
Quoted:
Okay, I've got $800 +/-, which must be spent at newegg (gift cards), and I would like a nice DSLR camera. I don't mind taking the time to learn how to take great photographs, but I also don't have the time to take courses on photography 101. If possible I'd like to leave room for a nice weatherproof case in that budget, but don't want to sacrifice camera quality. I've been looking at this one, but don't know much about what will serve me best. Any help would be awesome. Can't comment on Canon. I'm a Nikon guy. I took a lap around Newegg. Came up with this: Refurbished Nikon D3300 kit with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses. I used those two lenses on a D3100 for five years. You'll need a better flash if you shoot anything indoors. The onboard flash on every DSLR is just about worthless. This is my recommendation. It's a great flash. Yongnuo YN-565EX N TTL Wireless Flash Speedlite This setup is close to your specs and it's under budget. It will get you going right away. Hopefully the Canon guys will come along to throw their two cents in about Canon gear. |
|
Quoted:
Thanks for the response. I checked around reddit as well and that camera came up as one of the top suggestions for a first time DSLR. I'm also looking at the D7000, which I could get for $798 with a 18-105mm lens. The D7000 is a great camera to learn on. It's got two command dials, which is the most valuable feature on any camera. The 3xxx and 5xxx series don't have this. The drawback to the D7000 is it's a 16MP sensor which means you can't print as large and can't crop as much. But, for web use and learning it'll do just fine. |
|
Quoted:
The D7000 is a great camera to learn on. It's got two command dials, which is the most valuable feature on any camera. The 3xxx and 5xxx series don't have this. The drawback to the D7000 is it's a 16MP sensor which means you can't print as large and can't crop as much. But, for web use and learning it'll do just fine. Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks for the response. I checked around reddit as well and that camera came up as one of the top suggestions for a first time DSLR. I'm also looking at the D7000, which I could get for $798 with a 18-105mm lens. The D7000 is a great camera to learn on. It's got two command dials, which is the most valuable feature on any camera. The 3xxx and 5xxx series don't have this. The drawback to the D7000 is it's a 16MP sensor which means you can't print as large and can't crop as much. But, for web use and learning it'll do just fine. I believe the D7000 is weather sealed. Not waterproof but it will stand up to a little weather whereas the D3xxx and D5xxx won't. It has a motor in the body. That allows the use of the older Nikon lenses are brilliant and inexpensive. |
|
Quoted:
The D7000 is a great camera to learn on. It's got two command dials, which is the most valuable feature on any camera. The 3xxx and 5xxx series don't have this. The drawback to the D7000 is it's a 16MP sensor which means you can't print as large and can't crop as much. But, for web use and learning it'll do just fine. Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks for the response. I checked around reddit as well and that camera came up as one of the top suggestions for a first time DSLR. I'm also looking at the D7000, which I could get for $798 with a 18-105mm lens. The D7000 is a great camera to learn on. It's got two command dials, which is the most valuable feature on any camera. The 3xxx and 5xxx series don't have this. The drawback to the D7000 is it's a 16MP sensor which means you can't print as large and can't crop as much. But, for web use and learning it'll do just fine. If I did want to print in the future (gifts maybe?), what picture size could I expect from a the 7000's sensor? Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks for the response. I checked around reddit as well and that camera came up as one of the top suggestions for a first time DSLR. I'm also looking at the D7000, which I could get for $798 with a 18-105mm lens. The D7000 is a great camera to learn on. It's got two command dials, which is the most valuable feature on any camera. The 3xxx and 5xxx series don't have this. The drawback to the D7000 is it's a 16MP sensor which means you can't print as large and can't crop as much. But, for web use and learning it'll do just fine. I believe the D7000 is weather sealed. Not waterproof but it will stand up to a little weather whereas the D3xxx and D5xxx won't. It has a motor in the body. That allows the use of the older Nikon lenses are brilliant and inexpensive. Which would be perfect for living in Portland Oregon and dealing with the climate here. I think for now I would stick with the 18-105mm lens the kit comes with and later on look at other Nikon/Sigma lens. |
|
Quoted:
An uncropped 16mp image is good for about 17x11 @ 300dpi. Depending on viewing distance you can stretch that a bit. If you had to crop it to get the composition you wanted, your max print size goes down a bit depending on how much crop there was. I could probably work with that given the fact that it's a gift and all. Also, I don't see the need in buying the newest model when I haven't yet owned a DSLR. Thanks for the information! I appreciate it. |
|
Quoted:
I could probably work with that given the fact that it's a gift and all. Also, I don't see the need in buying the newest model when I haven't yet owned a DSLR. Thanks for the information! I appreciate it. Quoted:
Quoted:
An uncropped 16mp image is good for about 17x11 @ 300dpi. Depending on viewing distance you can stretch that a bit. If you had to crop it to get the composition you wanted, your max print size goes down a bit depending on how much crop there was. I could probably work with that given the fact that it's a gift and all. Also, I don't see the need in buying the newest model when I haven't yet owned a DSLR. Thanks for the information! I appreciate it. You came to the right place. There are a lot of really skilled shooters that hang out in this forum. Keep participating in here and you will learn a lot. I'm pretty good on the technical stuff about cameras, the hows and whys of how it all works. Composition and creativity though, I'm pretty shit at. There are guys here way better at that stuff than me. 
|
|
Quoted:
You came to the right place. There are a lot of really skilled shooters that hang out in this forum. Keep participating in here and you will learn a lot. I'm pretty good on the technical stuff about cameras, the hows and whys of how it all works. Composition and creativity though, I'm pretty shit at. There are guys here way better at that stuff than me. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
An uncropped 16mp image is good for about 17x11 @ 300dpi. Depending on viewing distance you can stretch that a bit. If you had to crop it to get the composition you wanted, your max print size goes down a bit depending on how much crop there was. I could probably work with that given the fact that it's a gift and all. Also, I don't see the need in buying the newest model when I haven't yet owned a DSLR. Thanks for the information! I appreciate it. You came to the right place. There are a lot of really skilled shooters that hang out in this forum. Keep participating in here and you will learn a lot. I'm pretty good on the technical stuff about cameras, the hows and whys of how it all works. Composition and creativity though, I'm pretty shit at. There are guys here way better at that stuff than me. Well I don't have a single creative bone in my body so I'll come back when I know a tiny amount of technical stuff and my pictures don't look like complete shit.
|
|
Quoted:
Well I don't have a single creative bone in my body so I'll come back when I know a tiny amount of technical stuff and my pictures don't look like complete shit. Start here, a pretty decent primer into how a lot of the functions of the camera work together: thread I wrote that up as a reply to a lady on another forum I participate on but did a copy/paste of it here as well. Mainly to help out the new photographers but also as a refresher for the others. 
|
|
Quoted:
Start here, a pretty decent primer into how a lot of the functions of the camera work together: thread I wrote that up as a reply to a lady on another forum I participate on but did a copy/paste of it here as well. Mainly to help out the new photographers but also as a refresher for the others. I just bookmarked it through evernote so when I get home from work I can give it a read. Thank you again! |
|
Quoted:
I'm happy to read this. I ordered the D7000 this morning along with a pelican case so I'm impatiently waiting for them to arrive. Quoted:
Quoted:
i got a d7000 and a book called understanding exposure a few years ago and both have served me well. I'm happy to read this. I ordered the D7000 this morning along with a pelican case so I'm impatiently waiting for them to arrive. I have the D7000. It's a great camera. |
|
Quoted:
The D7000 is a great camera to learn on. It's got two command dials, which is the most valuable feature on any camera. The 3xxx and 5xxx series don't have this. The drawback to the D7000 is it's a 16MP sensor which means you can't print as large and can't crop as much. But, for web use and learning it'll do just fine. Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks for the response. I checked around reddit as well and that camera came up as one of the top suggestions for a first time DSLR. I'm also looking at the D7000, which I could get for $798 with a 18-105mm lens. The D7000 is a great camera to learn on. It's got two command dials, which is the most valuable feature on any camera. The 3xxx and 5xxx series don't have this. The drawback to the D7000 is it's a 16MP sensor which means you can't print as large and can't crop as much. But, for web use and learning it'll do just fine. FWIW - we used to say that about 2MP v 3MP cameras too... -shooter |
|
Quoted:
FWIW - we used to say that about 2MP v 3MP cameras too... -shooter Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks for the response. I checked around reddit as well and that camera came up as one of the top suggestions for a first time DSLR. I'm also looking at the D7000, which I could get for $798 with a 18-105mm lens. The D7000 is a great camera to learn on. It's got two command dials, which is the most valuable feature on any camera. The 3xxx and 5xxx series don't have this. The drawback to the D7000 is it's a 16MP sensor which means you can't print as large and can't crop as much. But, for web use and learning it'll do just fine. FWIW - we used to say that about 2MP v 3MP cameras too... -shooter Yes, but that was back when monitor resolutions were 640x480 or 800x600 as standard, pics used at "web resolution" were tiny, and printing at newsprint resolutions hasn't ever been that detailed.
What you're saying is true, but times have changed. Poster sized prints at 3MP will look like ass at anything under 10 feet away. Resolution is king when it comes to large prints. 8x10 or smaller? Meh, less of an issue but it still helps. 
|
|
Quoted:
i got a d7000 and a book called understanding exposure a few years ago and both have served me well. This. You'll need to learn to control exposure to get the best out of your camera. Auto modes are okay but manual is where you can really do everything. |
|
Quoted:
I'm in no rush. I'm still waiting for Newegg to give me back my gift card money and they're taking forever. Quoted:
Quoted:
If you can give me a bit I'll see what I can come up with on newegg. Might be an hour or two though. I'm in no rush. I'm still waiting for Newegg to give me back my gift card money and they're taking forever. Hopefully you'll get it soon 
So right at the $800 this is what I'd recommend, but you'd have to pick your lens. the 35mm 1.8 is more of a challenge to learn to use well, BUT when you master it you'll know a lot more about photography. The 55-200 is a good all around telephoto but won't be as wide angle as the 35mm or shoot in as low light/give as soft backgrounds. Personally I'd go with the 35mm or 50mm, and pick up a refurb lens or two from Amazon or Nikon. As for the camera body, I'd get the D7100. It's a solid "prosumer" body that is a few years old. Controls at your fingertips for everything vs having to sort through menus. Weather sealed, better battery life, etc. Put good glass on it, and it'll last you for years. Plus if you move up to pretty much any other prosumer or pro Nikon body the controls will be practically the same. D7100 $580 35mm 1.8 $200 50mm 1.8 $220 Barring that, I'd seriously consider the brand new D3400 that comes out in 2 days. Way higher resolution than the comparable Canons $650 with 2 lenses Just remember to allow around $30-60 for memory cards because they'll make or break your camera. Go cheap and your camera will be so fucking slow it's not even funny, but too fast and you're wasting money your camera can't use. Gotta find that sweet spot. |
|
Quoted:
To be honest, I'm kind of torn on that call though. Spec wise they are both really damn close to each other, so it just comes down to weather sealing and external controls vs having to deal with menus and having an extra lens for the price. The new 3400 looks tempting for the extra lens and my gifts cards won't be back for a few business days anyway so waiting isn't an issue. I've heard the 3xxx series is slightly more difficult for newer DSLR users, but the price is very attractive. |
|
Quoted:
The new 3400 looks tempting for the extra lens and my gifts cards won't be back for a few business days anyway so waiting isn't an issue. I've heard the 3xxx series is slightly more difficult for newer DSLR users, but the price is very attractive. Quoted:
Quoted:
To be honest, I'm kind of torn on that call though. Spec wise they are both really damn close to each other, so it just comes down to weather sealing and external controls vs having to deal with menus and having an extra lens for the price. The new 3400 looks tempting for the extra lens and my gifts cards won't be back for a few business days anyway so waiting isn't an issue. I've heard the 3xxx series is slightly more difficult for newer DSLR users, but the price is very attractive. The vast majority of your lower end cameras, Canon included save money on the builds by removing buttons and the like. You have to flip through menus to start to really change stuff. That's the huge advantage of going with the 'prosumer' style cameras. You get buttons for everything and the rest is still right at your fingertips. If you are going to throw yourself into learning how to run a camera like mad, I'd go with the 7100. If you're just interested and not sure how in depth you want to get, the 3400 will do fine. Just comes down to convenience vs complication really. |
|
Quoted:
The vast majority of your lower end cameras, Canon included save money on the builds by removing buttons and the like. You have to flip through menus to start to really change stuff. That's the huge advantage of going with the 'prosumer' style cameras. You get buttons for everything and the rest is still right at your fingertips. If you are going to throw yourself into learning how to run a camera like mad, I'd go with the 7100. If you're just interested and not sure how in depth you want to get, the 3400 will do fine. Just comes down to convenience vs complication really. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
To be honest, I'm kind of torn on that call though. Spec wise they are both really damn close to each other, so it just comes down to weather sealing and external controls vs having to deal with menus and having an extra lens for the price. The new 3400 looks tempting for the extra lens and my gifts cards won't be back for a few business days anyway so waiting isn't an issue. I've heard the 3xxx series is slightly more difficult for newer DSLR users, but the price is very attractive. The vast majority of your lower end cameras, Canon included save money on the builds by removing buttons and the like. You have to flip through menus to start to really change stuff. That's the huge advantage of going with the 'prosumer' style cameras. You get buttons for everything and the rest is still right at your fingertips. If you are going to throw yourself into learning how to run a camera like mad, I'd go with the 7100. If you're just interested and not sure how in depth you want to get, the 3400 will do fine. Just comes down to convenience vs complication really. Awesome info. I plan on throwing myself into photography and getting in depth with learning the fundamentals. I'll ponder which one would suit me better over the next few years as a first DSLR. Anything will be better than my LG G3 camera.
|
The big thing to remember is that bodies get upgraded but good glass lasts damn near forever if cared for. If you have a camera shop nearby to play with one of the 7000 series and the 3000 series. Find which one you like better. Odds are you'll end on the 7100 though. 
|
|
Before you buy into the Nikon D3000 or D5000 lines, go to a camera store and play with them. They are physically very small cameras. If you have large hands, this may be a problem for you. In that case you may want to upsize to the D7000 line or the large pro D500 depending on your budget.
|
|
If the OP does the right thing and gets the refurb D7100 and 55-200mm refurb lens I might be persuaded to part with my old 18-55mm DX VR kit lens for a silly low price.
I had two of them. I gave one away to the kid down the street. The other 18-55 is collecting dust. |
|
I came to Nikon D-SLRs from Nikon film cameras (and had a decent stash of lenses), two command dials are an absolute MUST for me. If you are only shooting in Automatic, Program, Aperture, or Shutter priority, you can eek by with one, but moving into Manual would drive me crazy with one command dial.
-shooter |
|
I happen to shoot with Canon when using DSLRs. Whichever brand you get, be sure it will record in in RAW format, and start using it. One of my Sony point and shoots will also do RAW. You will need a RAW processor, Canon supplies the programs with their new cameras. I don't know with Nikon, but they probably do as well. With RAW, there is much more data in the file than with a camera processed jpg. This is important because most photos can stand a little processing. While it is desirable to get it right when taking the shot, it is not always possible.
An example it the below photo. There were parts of two additional birds in the frame before I removed them. 
I used Photoshop to do this edit. There are several decent much less expensive (at least one free) that can do this. I use Lightroom for viewing and making 90% of my edits, and for me it is indispensable. The beauty of this program is that the edits are non-destructive, meaning that the original file remains unchanged and you can always go back to it. The program is a database and records the adjustments, not the original file. It is also a organizer, which is important when you have several thousand files. So, I suggest you plan for more than just thee camera and lens. |
|
Finally got my balance back from Newegg.
I ordered the refurbished 7100 body only for $579 Got the Nikon 55-200mm lens for $139 And I picked up a Pelican 1400 to put all of the equipment in there. Hopefully they don't cancel my order this time and it all comes. When it finally does I'm looking at Sandisk SDs for my camera, are there better options? Will report back when it all arrives. |
|
Quoted:
Thank you for this! Here's to hoping they don't cancel my order again! Quoted:
Quoted:
Best bang for your buck are the Samsung Pro SDXC cards. You can usually get a 'used' (damaged clamshell) one on amazon for $20 or so. Grab 2 32 or 64gb ones and you're set. Thank you for this! Here's to hoping they don't cancel my order again! I'm not familiar with the cards NorthPolar recommended, but these have performed best in my D7100 and now D7200 https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-UHS-I-Memory-SDSDXPA-032G-AFFP/dp/B007NDL56A Get whatever size fits your budget. You'll need 2. |
|
Quoted:
I'm not familiar with the cards NorthPolar recommended, but these have performed best in my D7100 and now D7200 https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-UHS-I-Memory-SDSDXPA-032G-AFFP/dp/B007NDL56A Get whatever size fits your budget. You'll need 2. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Best bang for your buck are the Samsung Pro SDXC cards. You can usually get a 'used' (damaged clamshell) one on amazon for $20 or so. Grab 2 32 or 64gb ones and you're set. Thank you for this! Here's to hoping they don't cancel my order again! I'm not familiar with the cards NorthPolar recommended, but these have performed best in my D7100 and now D7200 https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-UHS-I-Memory-SDSDXPA-032G-AFFP/dp/B007NDL56A Get whatever size fits your budget. You'll need 2. I'll look into these as well tomorrow along with the books that were recommended here and elsewhere. As long as they perform and don't bog down the camera, I'm satisfied. Quoted:
Btw congrats on your new addiction. Another addiction is just what I need. I started out in 2013 with zero guns. Ending 2016 with 2 rifles, 15 spare lower receivers and boxes of magazines and rifle parts. That's not even including my handgun collection. 
Pretty soon I'll be hiding camera lenses and a HD or two filled with photos from the girlfriend. |
|
Quoted:
I'm not familiar with the cards NorthPolar recommended, but these have performed best in my D7100 and now D7200 https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-UHS-I-Memory-SDSDXPA-032G-AFFP/dp/B007NDL56A Get whatever size fits your budget. You'll need 2. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Best bang for your buck are the Samsung Pro SDXC cards. You can usually get a 'used' (damaged clamshell) one on amazon for $20 or so. Grab 2 32 or 64gb ones and you're set. Thank you for this! Here's to hoping they don't cancel my order again! I'm not familiar with the cards NorthPolar recommended, but these have performed best in my D7100 and now D7200 https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Extreme-UHS-I-Memory-SDSDXPA-032G-AFFP/dp/B007NDL56A Get whatever size fits your budget. You'll need 2. Spec wise they are pretty much identical really. Same claimed read/write, etc. On a 2gb transfer, I think the end result was the Sandisk was under a second faster. I'm just personally biased towards Samsung after experience with their SSDs. I'll post up a benchmark thread here in a bit if I can dig some up. What I'm seeing now is that Lexar is king of the heap. Go figure, and yes I know it depends on individual camera performance. |
|
Quoted:
Spec wise they are pretty much identical really. Same claimed read/write, etc. On a 2gb transfer, I think the end result was the Sandisk was under a second faster. I'm just personally biased towards Samsung after experience with their SSDs. I'll post up a benchmark thread here in a bit if I can dig some up. What I'm seeing now is that Lexar is king of the heap. Go figure, and yes I know it depends on individual camera performance. I haven't used the samsungs. I can say that the ones I linked tripled the buffer on the D7100, and have made it practically unlimited on the D7200. I say unlimited, there probably is one, but after 50 test frames at max FPS, I got bored of waiting.
|
|
You might be able to find a Canon 70D for that price, body only.
Now that the 80 D is out price's might be coming down some. I have had a 70D for about a year and a half, I bought a bundle at Costco. It had two lenses, extra battery, two cards and a case. I am now about to pull the cord on a telephoto lens. The kit lenses that came with it are okay. Damn expensive hobby. |
|
you made the right decision going with a camera that has the two command dials. I could never be happy with just one. CHeck out KEH camera f or solid deals on used gear. it won't be long before you're wanting something that's f2.8 or a wider angle than. That 55mm. |