Newbie DSLR thoughts?

[troutman]

Hello All,

I'm thinking about taking the step from a basic digital camera to a DSLR. Living near the coast has given me some excellent photo opportunities but sadly my photos have been let down by the lack of control available on my current camera. I'm really interested in taking some night time shots too along with early morning sunrises. The DSLR which I'm considering is a Nikon D3200. The price is about the top of my current budget and although I want to get into photography I simply do not have the time to use the camera on a weekly basis which is why I can't justify spending any more.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this camera or similar? having searched the net I have seen a lot of good reviews for it. I'm concerned that the "guide" function might be too restricting? any thoughts? Naturally I want to control the exposure time by altering the shutter speed- especially for taking pictures of moving water etc- do you think this camera would give me enough control for such shots?

Any help would be VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!

 

[Imagedude]

The 3200 will probably do all you want and a lot more, is your PC up to the task of working with a 24 million pixel camera? Does the kit lens suit your needs?

 

[Elines]

Why not get the hang of using a simpler camera first - I have just bought a Panasonic TZ 30 and it does loads of things at a cost of ?£160 from John Lewis (no connection etc), including manual controls (if I want to use them) and, 20x zoom and good macro - and it fits in my pocket.

When my previous compact died I dercided to see how far I could get with the TZ30 and find out what a DSLR would do that I can't with the Panasonic, before deciding if it was worth spending all that dosh on a DSLR.

Which? have just done a report on cameras or you could spend a fiver or so buying a camera magazine to assess what might best suit you - they have ratings on loads of camera in the back eg What Digital Camera (again - no connection). That £5 could be a very good investment

 

[brancho]

The D 3200 is a great machine for the money but as has been said is your PC up to the challenge.
The D3100 is still available and good too. My advice is to go to a camera shop and try them out along with offerings from Canon and sony too as both have much to offer and how a camera feels in the hand is important too.

As an Olympus user I am not bisaed by any of these.

A tripod is a an almost essential piece of kit too btw.

 

[Ben98]

Pentax K-10/20 D
Get one second hand on eBay, around 200 quid for the k-10d should get you a near new body and a good kit lens. Its a weatherproofed professional quality camera that takes awesome shots
P.s. the Samsung gx-10 is the same camera, but when it comes to getting replacement parts Samsung have modified it just enough to make it so that spare parts are impossible to come by, one to avoid


Sent using the force

 

[brancho]

What type of shots are you actually trying to acheive?
What type of camera do you have now?
Are you actually going to cart around the weight of a DSLR?
Have you considered a CSC or a better compact?

With a little knowledge great results can be achieved with simple kit.

 

[Robbi]

found this, might help

http://tech.uk.msn.com/cameras/10-best-dslr-cameras-for-beginners

 

[Wayland]

I currently use a full frame DSLR with a brace of decent lenses. Damned good but weighs a ton.

If I was starting my buying decisions now I would look very seriously at a compact system camera.

 

[brancho]

I currently use a full frame DSLR with a brace of decent lenses. Damned good but weighs a ton.

If I was starting my buying decisions now I would look very seriously at a compact system camera.

My 4/3 rds kit is pretty heavy when I have my best lens with me and its small and light compared to what Wayland has or the D3200 with a good lens.

I rather fancy an Olympus OM-D E5 which is way over you budget but an Olympus PEN EPM1 is rather cheap small light and very capable.

 

[markmullen]

The biggest thing for sunrise and sunset shoots is a decent set of ND grad filters and the knowledge of how to use them, they'll fit any dslr and to be honest there isn't a bad camera on the market.

As such try some cameras and see how they feel, other things to take into account include whether you have friends or relatives whose gear you can use.

 

[troutman]

Thanks for the advice chaps. Currently I'm using a cheapo compact which I just can't get the types of shots I'm after with. I have a tripod etc so that should not be a problem. Also my PC is up to the task (I think). I have friends who are obsessed with photography and who would likely lend me a few lenses etc!

 

[sskunky]

I have just sold my DSLR and bought a Sony Nex7 and I have to say I love it! It's 24 MP and has a load of effects and different shooting modes built in. It's small enough to take anywhere, it has full HD video and I use loads of old manual lenses with adapters and it handles them really well. You can use live view and eye piece depending on your preference. Worth considering if you haven't already got one.

 

[bigroomboy]

consider looking a bridge/ superzoom camers. these will give the options you want but the lens on these is often better unless you are planning on buying a range of lenses for the DSLR

 

[brancho]

Thanks for the advice chaps. Currently I'm using a cheapo compact which I just can't get the types of shots I'm after with. I have a tripod etc so that should not be a problem. Also my PC is up to the task (I think). I have friends who are obsessed with photography and who would likely lend me a few lenses etc!

I suggest talking one of your mates and asked them to loan you a camera for a few hours and maybe go along with you to show you how to take some shots. A bit of a try before you buy.

 

[Baggy]

A good site for comparing caneras, the forums are good to

http://www.dpreview.com/

 

[Bucephalas]

DPreview is the bible.

I would look at the weight of the camera you decide to buy.
I use a Nikon D300 and D700 but now tend to use my new Olympus EPL3. As a 4/3's camera the image quality and low light capability rivals my D300 but for a fraction of the weight.

A bridge camera is neither one thing nor the other imo.

 

[Partickpebbles]

Nikon all the way, I have a D300 and my father in law D700... big difference, but both produce great results!

I like the new Samsung compact digital camera seen on bill boards Samsung Smart I think... good to take to the woods!

http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/camera-camcorder/smart-cameras/compact/EC-WB150FBPBGB

 

[Nonsuch]

We have a Nikon D3000 (now superseded) and a Nikon D7000 in the house. Both do an excellent job. The D7000 is three times the price and takes slightly better pictures, but really it is all in the lens anyway and the more expensive camera is much bigger and heavier. The entry level Nikons are great cameras when teamed with a nice lens and they are not so heavy that they are too big to take in a rucksack.

The difference to a basic compact camera is dramatic. However the best camera is the one you have with you at the time, and a good compact is always in your pocket ready.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

I was always dedicated to Canon on my film/slide cameras and my first DSLR was a Canon then i had a play with a Nikon D3100 and moved to that, first thing i did was to buy a new lens to replace the kit lens. Made a huge difference but even now i will pick up my Canon G10 as its much more compact and takes some stunning photos.

To me all the effects on cameras these days are nothing but gimmicks that dont need to be there.
The G10 has something called color swap which is fun but in the real worl it will never be needed

 

[LeinsterBushcraft]

After a few years of photography I ditched my canon 40D + L series lens and went for a high end compact camera as all I wanted was 1080p recording. If I was to recommend any DSLR it would be the Canon 5D.