conspiracy

Hi guys! I have been searching for a while and have been trying to figure out what camera i should get. I am thinking a beginner-intermediate DSLR is what i would want. I am looking for something around 500-600 dollars. I have seen ups and downs on both the Nikon D5100 and the Canon T3i. If you have any suggestions, feedback on your recommendations would be very appreciated. Thanks!

Alt_Reality

I'd actually recommend going a lil cheaper for your first SLR and buying something like the feature packed D3100 used or refurbished on eBay and then using the money you saved to eventually buy an additional lens. Even more important is learning how to crank good shots out of it with an easy to read book like this:

Nikon D3100: From Snapshots to Great Shots: Jeff Revell: 9780321754547: Amazon.com: Books

btw, Canons are just as fine, I just happen to shoot with Nikon now (D700) so more familiar with that brand.

rfrich74

My suggestion would also be to look for something used to start with. Check out either photography-on-the.net or fredmiranda.com Both have great classified sections in their forums. I am a Canon shooter so I would tell you to look out for a used 50D and then pick up a 50mm 1.8 "nifty fifty" lens. It is an expensive lens that has IQ that rivals Canon's L series glass and it can shoot in low-light. I believe Nikon also has a 50mm lens that performs as well in case you go Nikon. I also highly recommend Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson and The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby. They are both "must reads" IMO for anyone starting out in digital photography.

Casual

Need more info as to what you want it for. Video? Snowboarding? Landscape?

If you want video a lot of people like the T3i but your going to need a really wide lens like a 10-20 or an 8mm fisheye.

If you want stills I'd take a used 50D over a T3i anyday. That being said you might like the compact body better and IQ might not be a big issue to you.

Not going to comment on Nikon because I'm a Canon user but I'm sure they have equal bodies relevant to the same arguments.

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gmore10

If you can find one a used nikon d90 is probably your best bet, plenty of features you cant get bored with. A camera body isnt really the most important thing. If you can find someone selling a package with multiple lenses and an external flash you'll save yourself more money in the long run. Also im not a fan of nikons new line of cameras.

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RickB

my 2c

skip dlsr's altogether, its not quite like buying a vhs player but it will be that way before we know it.

if you want to do it all, maybe a panasonic dh2 (just replaced by the dh3) and get some nice lenses going (panasonic/olympus)

or how about a sony nex 5n (should be some good deal out there for it)


/popcorn

poutanen

Nothing wrong with micro 4/3rds but I hardly think we're all going to abandon APS and full frame sensors for the micro 4/3 system...

TorpedoVegas

I have to admit he's got a point. If I didn't already have tons of cash sunk into a DSLR system then I might be going with one of the new mirrorless camera systems. That being said, I love my DSLR, but what you really have to understand is that it's more about the lenses then it is the camera when it comes to image quality. The DSLR will help you track and capture action images easier (snowboarding), but the image quality and speed of autofocus might not be what you're hoping for with the cheap kit lenses. Someone previously mentioned the "nifty fifty" 50mm, while it is a nice intro to the world of prime lenses and can be very sharp, it doesn't quite match up to any of the Canon L glass in image quality and is painfully slow in the autofocus department. I haven't seen many lenses under the 600.00 mark that are really worth owning in the long run, and you have to realize that a complete DSLR setup with multiple quality lenses can be a costly investment. I take my 7D to the hill every once in a while if the weather looks sunny and the snow looks to be good, but if I had a smaller mirrorless system I might be more inclined to take it more often, another thing to think about.

bordsmnj

this.



also i will add that the used route isn't a bad way to go but be careful-educate yourself. research! i will also add that costco sometimes has some really good deals on starter dslr kits from canon and nikon. for example i bought my first camera there 2 years ago- d5100, 2 decent lenses, carry bag- the whole shooting match for $900-ish. now that nikon came out with the d5200 costco was blowing out that same kit a month ago for 600! th best peice of equipment i bought when starting out though(also $20 at costco) was a book on digital photography. make coffee and spend some time at kenrockwell.com. good luck.

RickB

sony nex is APS-c sized, i didnt just say micro 4/3rds anyway.