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Advice for a newbie. Please be gentle !!

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scottie

scottie

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Stuart
My last SLR is/was a Pentax MS Super (Camera of the year in 1983 IIRC) and since then it's all been point and shoot.

She Who Must Be Obeyed has decreed that we should buy ourselves a "good camera" for Christmas this year. She spotted this at Costco (same deal is available on Canon's web site).

I guess the questions I have are
1. Is this a good deal
2. Is there anything better out there in the same price range (<$1000).

Is this a better choice

I intend to use the camera for mostly family stuff, but when I was younger (ME Super days) I liked to think I was pretty good at shooting old cars and the likes.

PS I still have the ME Super, but it hasn't taken a shot since I bought my first digital (Nikon Coolpix 990) back in 2001.
 
Here's a side-by-side of them....

http://www.dpreview.com/products/co...os700d&products=nikon_d5200&sortDir=ascending

Remember, when you purchase into a brand line such as Canon, Nikon, Sony etc, you are buying into their "system". ie: the more/deeper you go in, the more you are tied to them. After doing this for quite a while, I think you really can't go wrong with either Canon or Nikon. It's just what feels comfortable in your hands and if you like the camera controls and ease of use. As you become more proficient, you'll start recognizing things you like/don't like and if still interested, begin the upgrade process.
 
If you are coming from a point n shoot, any DSLR is going to be good.
You can't go wrong with either a Canon or Nikon. For the money, you would be ok with most budget DSLR's and buying better glass. Try Adorama or B&H Photo online.
 
I'm with Scott. These days, Nikon or Canon is potaeto potaato. Both are excellent systems. Unless you're a superb photographer, either system's limitations are probably beyond your current skill level, and will challenge you to expand your skill sets.

By the way, I remember the ME Super. It was a sweet camera in its day. I bought one for my brother at Metro Photo in Arlington, oh, about 1983.
 
I owned the original ME along with its brother,the totally manual MX. They were wonderful physically small SLRs
 
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tshelfer said:
I'm with Scott. These days, Nikon or Canon is potaeto potaato. Both are excellent systems. Unless you're a superb photographer, either system's limitations are probably beyond your current skill level, and will challenge you to expand your skill sets.

By the way, I remember the ME Super. It was a sweet camera in its day. I bought one for my brother at Metro Photo in Arlington, oh, about 1983.
Click to expand...

Wow, Metro Camera, that brings back fond memories. I spent alot of time and money there.

Nikon/Canon...Chevy/Ford. Go to a camera store or Best Buy and handle both. See how it feels and how each operates. You can't go wrong with either. But remember you are buying into a system.
 
Canon and Nikon rule the DSLR world. I own a Sony but that's because I had Minolta cameras before and figured the lenses would be interchangeable (and they were but they're old and not very good). I wound up buying new lenses, etc. The camera I got off CraigsList and was my first DSLR. Like mentioned, any DSLR is pretty much better than any P&S.

You could go the mirrorless route, cameras are a bit smaller but still produce the same quality of images as most APS-C sensored DSLR cameras. http://photographylife.com/mirrorless-vs-dslr

There is so much to go through when you dive into camera world but if you're a novice and expect to stay one you could get away with purchasing a used camera and lenses that have little use. Your investment won't be as much as new and with Canon and Nikon there are a ton of used pieces on the market much like the new one you linked to at Costco. Of course you really don't know what you're getting when buying used over new but for the most part you'd be OK getting used as long as it hasn't been dropped too many times, submerged, etc.

Think I just threw more mud on the subject.
 
Lot of good info in this thread.

I'd seriously consider going mirrorless. DSLR with the flopping mirror is just a bandaid between the old SLR film world and the new digital world. The Sony mirrorless cameras are the current standout. Canon tried and failed with an EOS variant. As Sony get's better and faster glass and bigger/better sensors, the other big players will have to get in the game.

Canon has been resting on their past for far too long in my opinion. Nikon has made some strides, but still isn't up to Sony's game just yet.

A lot depends on what type of photography you plan to do. If you shoot outdoors in bright sunlight, then fast prime lenses are probably not the best place to spend your money.

Generally my recommendation is to buy the best glass (lenses) you can afford. Changing the body every few years is affordable as technology marches forward. Good lenses should last for many years.

I like the Sony NEX line. The lenses are decent, and you can pick a body prices from $450 to $2,200. eMount lenses work with them.

Other industry veterans are moving away from the DSLR to the mirrorless bodies because of the size, less moving parts, durability, etc... Trey Ratcliff (stuckincustoms.com) did this over a year ago, as an example.
 
Do the Sony DSLRs use SD cards? My first digital was a Sony. It was a great little camera with amazing low-light characteristics for digital in 2002. But it used Sony's propitiatory memory stick, and those darned little things cost about 3X per meg as anything else.
 
scottie said:
I intend to use the camera for mostly family stuff, but when I was younger (ME Super days) I liked to think I was pretty good at shooting old cars and the likes.

PS I still have the ME Super, but it hasn't taken a shot since I bought my first digital (Nikon Coolpix 990) back in 2001.
Click to expand...
I still have my ME. I won it in a Spring Photo Contest at Arlington Camera in the early 1980's. It was the Grand Prize and my first ever photo contest. I decided to STOP right there and retire undefeated... :zen: ;-)
 
tshelfer said:
Do the Sony DSLRs use SD cards? My first digital was a Sony. It was a great little camera with amazing low-light characteristics for digital in 2002. But it used Sony's propitiatory memory stick, and those darned little things cost about 3X per meg as anything else.
Click to expand...

The Nex can use the Memory Stick Pro Duo, Pro-HG Duo, or SD/SDHC/SDXC

I'm not generally a Sony fan due to their proprietary shenanigans, but the camera is a nice unit and I think right now, nothing else compares.

DPReview is here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/SonyNex5Nex3
 
I'd make sure you know what She Who Must Be Obeyed really means by a good camera. One she plans to use? Does she? I bought my wife a top end Lumix last year, external flash, remote trigger, 2 extra lens. She never used it. Too complicated, too many buttons, view finder vs display, turn this push that.

This year I bought her a Sony RX100 II not cheap but does everything. Best is the I Auto+, she sets it and takes great movies and pictures, she loves it AND uses it. No muss no fuss, turn it on and shoot. Crazy smart with smile detect, track focus, 1.8 Zeus, 1" ccd 20MP sensor. Extremely fast lens and auto focus, she only blurred one pic of our 3 year old grand daughter at her party. I'm happy.
 
tshelfer said:
Do the Sony DSLRs use SD cards? My first digital was a Sony. It was a great little camera with amazing low-light characteristics for digital in 2002. But it used Sony's propitiatory memory stick, and those darned little things cost about 3X per meg as anything else.
Click to expand...

I have a Sony A550 and it uses both the Memory Stick and/or SDHC cards (I only use an SDHC). My camera is technically old but still takes great shots. I love experimenting with night time lighting.

My favorite memory card is a Samsung 32GB class 10. With only 14MP it takes a long time to fill, I routinely download (backup) the photos and it's very quick.
 
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When I bought my first real camera, I went the mirrorless route and after a year with it I decided to go with a DSLR. I owned an Olympus m4/3 and it was fantastic in bright daylight. But indoors, or anything that was not very bright, the camera suffered badly. Sure I could get a fast lens, but fast glass for that platform cost more than my current Nikon WITH fast glass.

Then there was the whole ISO thing. With my Oly, I didn't want to push it above ISO800 because the images would be my definition of unusable. With my Nikon I can easily go to ISO3200 before I reach that same threshold. I do realize that the mirrorless stuff has gotten better, but so have the DSLR's.

The bottom line for me was lens choice. Look at what camera supports the lenses you want, and then buy it. I chose the m4/3'rds option and then regretted it after about 2 months because any "good" lens I wanted was over 2x the cost of the Nikon equivalent. Anywho, that is just my history with it.
 
aharbi said:
I'd make sure you know what She Who Must Be Obeyed really means by a good camera. One she plans to use? Does she? I bought my wife a top end Lumix last year, external flash, remote trigger, 2 extra lens. She never used it. Too complicated, too many buttons, view finder vs display, turn this push that.

This year I bought her a Sony RX100 II not cheap but does everything. Best is the I Auto+, she sets it and takes great movies and pictures, she loves it AND uses it. No muss no fuss, turn it on and shoot. Crazy smart with smile detect, track focus, 1.8 Zeus, 1" ccd 20MP sensor. Extremely fast lens and auto focus, she only blurred one pic of our 3 year old grand daughter at her party. I'm happy.
Click to expand...

I agree. A lot of people buy the DSLR and then shoot with it on auto mode. I bought a nice cannon DSLR, Took a class on how to use it, Dropped money on some different lenses, nice tripod, bag, triggers, etc. I did some light writting and long exposures at night but as far as regular use. I lugged all that gear all over nicaragua . The guy next to me pulls out a new cannon point and shoot from his pocket that has more zoom than my $400 lens and can be put in manual mode to adjust the ISO and apature and takes great pictures. I ended up dropping my DSLR in Kuwait. It seamed silly to get it fixed when a nice point and shoots is a fraction of the cost and is capabale of taking great vacation/family/weekend pics.
 
Completely agree with everyone. I used to make a living with my camera, which justified the high end gear, not so much any more. Decide exactly what you are trying to accomplish then get the right camera for the job.

The camera you have with you is the one you will use. While I have a bunch of high-end Canon gear it sits at home most days while I carry a G15 with me every day. The G15 is small, light, has a fast (F2) lens, and works.
 
2N2OUT said:
Completely agree with everyone.
The camera you have with you is the one you will use. While I have a bunch of high-end Canon gear it sits at home most days while I carry a G15 with me every day. The G15 is small, light, has a fast (F2) lens, and works.
Click to expand...

I'm with this guy! How much camera do you really NEED! I have a Sony A57 with the Sonysal 18/250 lens along with my old Minolta Dimage Z6. Over the past 3 years, 90% of my pics were taken with a Canon G12 while traveling al over the US and Canada. Way easier to access and shoot and put away than my other cameras. Due to a scratched up lens on it , just bought a Canon G15. Love the low light lens and a touch faster on boot up and taking pictures. Has everything as per controls I'll use 95% of the time.
So, don't rule out these small, high end point and shoot cameras in your decision.
 
You don't need high end gear to be a great photographer and take extraordinary pictures. It was true back in the film days too.
 
Consider a high end bridge camera too. It is going with me on my Vegas trip. The DSLRs stay in the closet usually.

Bridge cameras have decent focal lengths, can go manual, and look like a shrunken SLR. The onboard flash is the weak link but many even have hot shores for their flash or someone else's.
Fuji was the pioneer in this.

A PnS is what I use around family or cycle rides.
 
Apologies to the OP, but I want to know more about the Canon G15.

I know next to nothing about cameras, my present camera is a Canon Powershot A520 from years ago.

Most of my pictures will be outside, so I think I want/need an optical viewfinder.

Needs to fit in a tankbag.

Batteries, I thought I wanted AA, but research on this forum has me mostly convinced that's a non-issue these days.

I'd like to think I'll learn to use this camera, but the reality is it'll probably be in auto mode 98% of the time. Do I really need this much camera?

Is this a decent deal?
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009I2BRUS/]Amazon.com: Canon Powershot G15 12 MP High-Performance Digital Camera 32GB Bundle: Camera & Photo[/ame]

Or just buy the camera? Assuming I don't talk myself out of it
 
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Most of the time I still shoot my good old and reliable Canon a720is "P&S." With a modest hack the little guy evem shoots RAW. It's hard to beat for it's size and ability to go completely manual.

If you really want a DSLR I have to go against the grain and recommend Pentax.

I bought my wife a Pentax K7 when she wanted to get back into photography. She used a film slr back in the day, developed her own photos, etc. so I knew she wanted a GOOD camera. After using the Nikons and Canons for work around campus we decided we liked the controls on the Pentax better.

Pentax has used the same lense mount since the stone age so lenses can be had used and cheap if you want to experiment with any old lenses.

For something that would see lots of outdoor use the weather sealing was a big selling point too.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk
 
The D40 was and is a very good consumer-level camera. Not as good as the current generation of general consumer DSLRs, certainly not as good as, say a D7100. The reality, though, is that most of us really don't generally approach the limits of our cameras - I include myself in that. So if money is an issue in your purchase, it's good to be sure there's a reason for that higher level of camera, and that you know what that reason is.
 
Liteitup said:
Apologies to the OP, but I want to know more about the Canon G15.

I know next to nothing about cameras, my present camera is a Canon Powershot A520 from years ago.

Most of my pictures will be outside, so I think I want/need an optical viewfinder.

Needs to fit in a tankbag.

Batteries, I thought I wanted AA, but research on this forum has me mostly convinced that's a non-issue these days.

I'd like to think I'll learn to use this camera, but the reality is it'll probably be in auto mode 98% of the time. Do I really need this much camera?

Is this a decent deal?
Amazon.com: Canon Powershot G15 12 MP High-Performance Digital Camera 32GB Bundle: Camera & Photo

Or just buy the camera? Assuming I don't talk myself out of it
Click to expand...

I'm on my 2nd of the G series Canons because I love the ease of use while traveling on my bikes across country and just general riding about my area. The View finder is a must for me for when I do stop to take photos as I've not seen any screens that work in bight sunlight. The G15 is just a view finder period; none of the info as per larger type cameras. But, most of my pictures are taken when on the move , with just the left hand getting the camera out of the tank bag, turning it on, shooting a few pictures while holding the camera at different angles , turning it off and putting it away. In case of HURRY, just put it away and make sure you have something soft on put it on and not scratch up the lens as I did on my G12 of the last 3 years. A pic of me playing with the G12 with is just a tad thicker than the G15 due to the permanent fixed LDC screen.
LA92fun.jpg
 
I've been using the G15 for a little over a year. Take it everywhere. It's small, light, and is almost pocketable. I got the Megagear case for it as a gift. It' works really well, and make the camera look like an old school film camera.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/MegaGear-Protective-Leather-Camera-PowerShot/dp/B009Y2P8Z2/ref=pd_sim_p_3"]Amazon.com: MegaGear "Ever Ready" Protective Leather Camera Case, Bag for Canon PowerShot G15 (Dark Brown): Camera & Photo[/ame]

Some shots I took on a recent trip to Ireland with the G15.

A

A

A

A
 
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