Any Photographers? DSLR ideas?

Hey all. So I recently picked up a camera, and I'm already feeling pretty constrained by the lack of control I have over it. It's just a little point and shoot deal I grabbed at Target. It's actually pretty great for what it is, but there are a lot of shots I want to take that this thing just can't.

I'm looking for something around $500 that includes a lens and that is going to be at least decent and has some more control. Right now I'm looking at the Nikon D3300. It seems like the next step up is pretty much the same thing but with wi-fi and something else I don't think is worth the markup. The next step after that would put me a little too close to $1,000 for my taste when beginning a new hobby.

Link to the D3300

Thoughts? Hoping someone else has recently looked into the same thing and has some advice. Thanks! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Hey man,

Way to go by getting into photography

The D3300 is a great little body to get into DSLR shooting. It's got a decent Mega-pixel count as well. You would do worse to pick another camera. If this is your first DSLR, I would go for it

The one thing that they don't tell you though when you get into photography, is that although having an amazing sensor etc. is fantastic, it's just as much about putting on a good lens.

As you progress, you will notice that the Kit lens (The one that comes with the body), although not a bad little piece of glass, is actually nowhere near the standard of those "Sold separately". And you will find that most lenses cost more than the frickin body of a camera anyway! a good lens can make a camera like the d3300 as good as a $1000 camera with a kit lens. (IN MY OPINION)

HOWEVER,

We are getting to far ahead, this is a great little cam to get your head around the whole idea of shooting on DLSR. You could also look at a Canon 700d. But off memory I think the D3300 has a superior sensor and MGP and is within the same price-range.

PERSONALLY, I find Nikon tend to focus on image quality more so than Canon.

Hope this helps.


P.S


Do not be drawn into the Canon vs Nikon argument. It's purely personal preference. You do not need to join a camp. I use both personally and professionally.

a reply to: Domo1

Have a look at Sony the mirror less cameras look at an A6000.

Look for this video on youtube I can't link it

Pin Up Shoot In Abandoned Detroit St. Agnes Cathedral Sony A6000 Frames Per Second with Jason Lanier

Although it says pin up video is safe.

Sony now make 40%+ of all the camera sensors used now Nikon,Pentax,Apple buy from them even Canon's new 50 mp sensor was fabricated by Sony to a Canon design and that is not as good a sensor as the new Sony 42 mp in the Sony A7R MKII.

The other major advantage is that if you have other manufacturers lenses adapters can be bought to attach to the Sony A6000 / A7 range of cameras.

Here is a good example of how Sony is shaking up the camera market from the usual Canikon choice.

a reply to: Domo1

Are you going to use your camera for general photography or do certain subjects interest you more

a reply to: brace22

Way to go by getting into photography

Thanks! I always had a slight desire, but my girlfriend and her family got me hooked! They're all at least a few steps higher with hardware, being avid photographers and all, so I figured it made sense to do my own research. It's hard to keep yourself informed about a hobby and about the lower end of that hobby at the same time. Girlfriend sat down with me tonight and looked over the top rated in the price range I was comfortable with, and thought this would be a good choice. She said that Canon and Nikon tend to leapfrog.

I have a feeling that if I spent more $ by the time I mastered all the features it would be very obsolete and I would just need to replace it. Might as well save a bit in the meantime. I got frustrated with the point and shoot after about a month, but I don't think that's going to happen when I have so much more to learn and understand.

Luckily for me, my girlfriend has a few nice lenses, and for some reason trusts me. Tomorrow she's going through all of her camera's functions with me again so I can borrow it. Love seeing how passionate she gets about it, she's adorable, and an awesome teacher! She's been (nicely) critiquing what I've shot at the end of the day, so I feel like I've jumped from a 1 out of 100 to a 2! Her dad is helping me out too, and got me looking at the world in a different way, paying more attention to things and appreciating things more. I'm pretty excited about this, like a little kid, I think I took 100 pictures of a flower in different light the other day to get a better idea how it all works.

Thanks for the help! Appreciate any advice you've got! Any tips are appreciated!

originally posted by: wmd_2008
a reply to: Domo1

Are you going to use your camera for general photography or do certain subjects interest you more

Ugh. I wish I knew. For now just general photography. If I listed all the things I were interested in it would take too long and wouldn't really help. I want to be able to do as much as possible on my budget. No selfies.

I recently purchased a Nikon d3300. I love it. It has lots of useful features. I got it with 2 lenses the standard one and a 300 mm. Does everything I need it to do and more. I am a beginner as well. Be sure to get a good tripod and a very fast SD card. I bought a couple of 64gig cards as the files are quite large.

a reply to: lonegurkha

Hey thanks! Glad to hear you're enjoying it! It seems like a good choice.

Sorry can't help you this time. Good luck though

i ended up buying the d5100 about 4 years ago if i remember right
As i'm sure you know, all these products put emphasis on different things.
the d5100 and the newer models have an lcd screen that can swivel out, that allows you to shoot at "strange" angles, it's pretty great to not have to be constrained to a fix screen or the viewfinder and the price is pretty
the newer D5200 is very similar to the d3300 and the price is within your budget.
So it might be a nice alternative, especially if you want less restrictions with your shots.
either way, it's a fun hobby that will drive you mad with all the possibilities

a reply to: Domo1
Have a read through Ken Rockwell's "recommended cameras". He's a pro photographer, and down to earth about equipment and photography.

a reply to: Klassified

Can't recommend checking out the Ken Rockwell site listed enough! Has so much good information.

I currently have a Nikon D7000 and I really like it.

originally posted by: Domo1
Hey all. So I recently picked up a camera, and I'm already feeling pretty constrained by the lack of control I have over it. It's just a little point and shoot deal I grabbed at Target. It's actually pretty great for what it is, but there are a lot of shots I want to take that this thing just can't.

I'm looking for something around $500 that includes a lens and that is going to be at least decent and has some more control. Right now I'm looking at the Nikon D3300. It seems like the next step up is pretty much the same thing but with wi-fi and something else I don't think is worth the markup. The next step after that would put me a little too close to $1,000 for my taste when beginning a new hobby.

Link to the D3300

Thoughts? Hoping someone else has recently looked into the same thing and has some advice. Thanks! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

The Nikon D5300 is a bit more then $500 but you may find them used on craigslist for around that. The flip screen is nice for getting shots from different vantage points and I think the video is 1080 60s. Picture quality is comparable to the 3300. As you mentioned it has wifi which makes it easier to share photos if thats what your after! Good luck

I've got a Nikon D5300 about two months ago, and I can only recommend it.

I got it with the Kit 18-55mm lens, and got a Nikkor 55-300 mm tele and the 35mm with fixed focal length.

Especially the 35mm fixed one is a fantastic lens that makes sharp and crisp pictures even in suboptimal light conditions.

It's a really nice setup while still being close below the 1000€ mark.

10/10 would buy the D5300 again.

Bought the D3300 last night, and am really loving it. Found it on sale for the same price I saw it on Amazon at a local place so I figured why not?

I've been snapping pictures of everything and trying out all the settings, and seeing how things all effect each other.

a reply to: Domo1

Congratulations, that's a nice camera.

Try playing around with the M mode as soon as possible to get the most out of your pics.

a reply to: H1ght3chHippie

Freaking M mode. Spent an hour last night getting a picture of a sunflower.

Hi...i think Nikon D3300 DSLR is a great camera with affordable price. You can check the review from this D3300 DSLR It has many features that can be selected, long baterry life and much more.