Help choosing DSLR

Machin3

Machin3

New Member
I was wondering if I can get some help. I want to get a DSLR camera in the next couple of weeks, and I was wondering if I can get some guidance. Ive had this Canon G10 for a while now and truth be told I don't really like it. For the price, idk, it doesn't really suit me lol. Its probably the zoom isnt too great and picture quality kind of bothers me and I've played with that thing so much. There is an incredible amount of noise in the picture.

I was thinking of starting with something basic to see how I like it, play around with its settings and such. I was thinking of the Canon T3i 1100D? I mean is it a good idea? Just looking to explore a little. I'm taking a trip to Mexico in February so I'll definitely get to play with it there to.

Anyone have any suggestions on what I should get as a basic starter?
 
Punk

Punk

Moderator
Staff member
Low end Canon or Nikon is what you're looking for, some of us here have those and I personally have a (old) Nikon D40. Go to a store and try them out to see which one you like the best. When it comes down to spec and price, they are about the same for those two brands. Wait for the input of those that bought low end Canons or Nikons :)

You have to know that once you go with a brand, all the equipment (lense, flash...) will have to be either from the brand or compatible with.

Hope to see some of your picture soon! :)
 
Rit

Rit

Member
Punk said:
Low end Canon or Nikon is what you're looking for, some of us here have those and I personally have a (old) Nikon D40. Go to a store and try them out to see which one you like the best. When it comes down to spec and price, they are about the same for those two brands. Wait for the input of those that bought low end Canons or Nikons :)

You have to know that once you go with a brand, all the equipment (lense, flash...) will have to be either from the brand or compatible with.

Hope to see some of your picture soon! :)
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I agree with what Punk said as far as going and trying them out. Personally I found Canon to fit better in my hands than Nikon, plus I liked the location of the controls better. And as far as 'low end' bodies it depends on where you want to go with your photography. And I mean, literally go.

If you plan on doing more backpacking/outdoors, or you're just a clumsy person, then you'll want go the Canon X0D line (10D, 20D, etc...) and not the Rebel line. But if cost is an issue, you're careful with your stuff, etc... Go the Rebel line. Either 'line' of Canons will produce the same pictures (for a newbie/amateur).
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
You need to go to a shop and try them out. See which one you like best.

I would stay away from the 1100D. It has a horrible plasticy feel to it. If you want a Canon, get a 550D or 600D, if you want a Nikon, probably want to go D3100 or D3200.
 
Justin

Justin

VIP Member
Just for shooting photos the 1100D will suit your needs but if you plan on shooting videos I'd stay away from it since it can only shoot up to 720p.
 
Geoff

Geoff

VIP Member
Whatever you go with, you should try to plan for the future. Canon's lenses are generally a bit cheaper, and they have more options available in various price ranges. I will say that Nikon has better lower-end cameras and lenses though.

For starting out you'll want a camera that's comfortable for you, some prefer Nikon's feel, and menu/button layout while others such as myself prefer Canon. It's safe to say that whatever you start out with, there's a good chance you'll stick with them if you decide to get into photography professionally.
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
As well as Nikon and Canon, you may also want to consider Pentax and Sony too. Pentax have some very nice bodies on sale. The K-30 is a fantastic body and is weather sealed (a big advantage Pentax have over Canon and Nikon in the lower-end market) and it's quite cheap. I probably wouldn't recommend the K-30 for video though as it doesn't have an external mic input I don't think, but for stills it'll be great!

If you want to save space you may want to consider a mirrorless camera too.
 
Machin3

Machin3

New Member
Ok I understand, I'll probably go over to a store then and check it out. I was looking between the canon 1100D/600D and the nikon 3100/3200 and was going to go with a nikon 3100 but I heard it has that weird AF noise when you are shooting video. Correct?
 
voyagerfan99

voyagerfan99

Master of Turning Things Off and Back On Again
Staff member
{AL}-Life-{CoS} said:
How much do you want for it? I am in the market for a new camera myself.
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$650, body only (You'd need to buy a lens). Comes with a battery grip, three batteries, battery charger, neck strap, manual, and I'll even throw in a 128MB Compact Flash card. It's currently getting looked at for service. The shutter will most likely be replaced, but I'm not 100% sure yet.
 
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spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
Machin3 said:
Ok I understand, I'll probably go over to a store then and check it out. I was looking between the canon 1100D/600D and the nikon 3100/3200 and was going to go with a nikon 3100 but I heard it has that weird AF noise when you are shooting video. Correct?
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Yes that's correct. If you are shooting video you don't want a D3100 because you can't use an external microphone. You want a D3200 or a D5100 or D5200 for video, they all have external microphone ports.

I own a D3200 myself and I love it. I chose it over the 600D because it was cheaper and to me it felt better. If you want to see some photos I've been taking with it, see here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonbrown2013/

If for whatever reason you can't try out a D3200, try out a D3100 - because the D3100 and the D3200 feel exactly the same.
 
Life

Life

banned
voyagerfan99 said:
$650, body only (You'd need to buy a lens). Comes with a battery grip, three batteries, battery charger, neck strap, manual, and I'll even throw in a 128MB Compact Flash card. It's currently getting looked at for service. The shutter will most likely be replaced, but I'm not 100% sure yet.
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Sorry, but 650 was a bit out of my price range, sorry though.If you ever find yourself coming down on that price, shoot me a pm.:)
 
Machin3

Machin3

New Member
spirit said:
Yes that's correct. If you are shooting video you don't want a D3100 because you can't use an external microphone. You want a D3200 or a D5100 or D5200 for video, they all have external microphone ports.

I own a D3200 myself and I love it. I chose it over the 600D because it was cheaper and to me it felt better. If you want to see some photos I've been taking with it, see here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonbrown2013/

If for whatever reason you can't try out a D3200, try out a D3100 - because the D3100 and the D3200 feel exactly the same.
Click to expand...

Ok, yeah I was looking at a review of the 3100 and they were saying that one of the major setbacks was that AutoFocus noise and the fact that it kept doing that and that it had no external microphone port. I mean, I don't know how much video I'll be shooting but its nice to have that option too you know? But I'll take a look around for a 3200 see if there is one cheap or something.

I saw your flickr page and really liked the photos. You like how the 3200 handles and everything?
 
spirit

spirit

Moderator
Staff member
The D3200 is a really nice camera, the 24 megapixels are great it you want to crop, but the downside is the files are large (RAW files are about 20MB a piece, JEPGs about 15MB and over 20MB usually once processed in Lightroom). One of the major reasons for buying a D3200 over the D3100 asides from the megapixels was it offers more expandability with the microphone. The trouble is you never know what you might like to do in the future, so if you do get into video, you'll find the D3100's lack of a mic jack a real limitation. The D3200 has the autofocus noise problem too, but you can resolve it by using an external microphone, whereas on the D3100 obviously you can't.

The price of the D3200 is falling, so I'd definitely recommend getting a D3200 over a D3100 and even a D5100. The D5100 has a few features which the D3200 does not have - in-built HDR (I think), a 'flippy' screen (not really needed anyway apart from maybe if you want to take photos or video from weird angles) and it's a tiny bit larger, but overall I think the D3200 is a better camera. It certainly has a newer, faster processor and obviously more megapixels.

You're going to want to shoot in RAW and post process the photos yourself if you want to get the best out of the camera. That goes for any D-SLR though. :)

By the way I have a 16GB and a 32GB card for my D3200. The 16GB card can hold around 500 RAW files, the 32GB can hold around 1000.
 
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Machin3

Machin3

New Member
Ugh, I'm really tempted to get that D3200 but its roughly ~$550 which is a little much I guess. Idk, I'm sure it would be worth the price due to the 24 megapixels and microphone input port. This is a pretty hard decision I must ponder upon. :/
 
voyagerfan99

voyagerfan99

Master of Turning Things Off and Back On Again
Staff member
Spend at least a decent chunk of change on an entry DSLR. It'll take you at least a little while to conform to it and learn to use it. When you feel limited, then just upgrade.
 
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