lovesphotography

Hello there,
My name is Ang and I have always loved taking pictures. I currently have a Nikon DorP90 and I am not happy with it's quality of action pictures. I have been dubbed the group photographer for my daughters llama group. I was set on the Nikon 5300 but not I am second guessing myself. The main reason I decided on that one is the Wifi feature but now not sure if it's worth it or not. I need interchangeable lenses to get distance shots as well as action.

Thanks for any advice.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

What lens(es) do you have? How much do you want to spend? What is/are your major concern(s)?

lovesphotography

I don't have any lenses yet. I just want something that will take good action photos without them being blurry and no good. My stepson has been doing really good in football too so it would be nice to have something that would take good photos at games too.
I've been looking at bundles on ebay, don't want to spend more then $1000, less would be even better.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Are you looking for a point-and-shoot, a bridge camera (both do not have interchangeable lenses) or a DSLR? Do you have a brand preference?

lovesphotography

The ones that I have been looking at are DSLR. I have liked Nikon before but was told by a photographer in town to consider Canon. So I don't know. :(

Cherie S Loc: Athens Ga

Hi, I'm new here too. A local photography instructor recommended Nikon for me, mainly because my interests are outdoors. I bought a 5100, I have not been disappointed.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

Welcome to the forum :)
Here are a couple of links to help you navigate the forum and some resources to hopefully answer your questions or guide you in your quest...

You will get various opinions on what brand to buy -

My input is to find one that fits your hands, is comfortable to hold and shoot and fits your budget.

You can get a DSLR with multiple lens in a kit from Best Buy / Walmart / Costco / Sam's club and the on-line stores that are decent kits -
You can get a DSLR and the 16-300 for crop sensor or the 28-300 for full frame - both of which are excellent all around optics...

You can get bridge cameras with 12x zoom that can fulfill your needs...

But remember - *** The shooter makes the excellent shot - not the camera ***

Questions on Pixel count - lots of info out there on this subject... Basically, the higher the pixel count, the larger the print you can produce.
Image Size Calculator A quick explanation of Pixels and Dots...
Digital Image Size in Pixels and Photo Print Size A pixel to print calculator

A quick review and comparison of cameras (not by any means the final word - just a quick overview of the technical differences):

Alternative buying options are refurbished and used. I buy refurbished and have been very pleased with the equipment. Other members buy used and the comments have been very positive.

Top recommended on-line sites for photo gear:
B&H Photo & Video site
Adorama site
Cameta Camera site
KEH Camera site

For those located it in the U.S., it is recommended to stay away from gray market items (non-USA items) as explained in this article by Nikon. Although it is a Nikon article, a recent announcement by Canon says the same thing...

Hope this helps...

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

The D5300 is a nice camera, but the big flaw I see is lack of an internal focusing motor, meaning you can then only make use of AF-S lenses going forward to have Auto Focusing. By moving up a little farther to a D7100 you get a camera with an internal focusing motor that can use AF-S and/or AF-D lenses and provide Auto Focusing. Why would this matter? Well, you could pick up many older lenses that are AF-D, which rely on a camera with an internal motor for auto focus for much cheaper then needing to buy new every time.

My lens bag has many good lenses with years of life left in them that were purchased as good used lenses for much less than a new lens would go for.

WIFI to me should not be a reason to pick a camera, besides, you can always buy a wifi adapter for the camera, or use eye-fi memory cards.

I started with a Nikon D3000 a few years ago, soon sold that and moved to a D5100, within 6-8 months moved up to a D7100 - I have been shooting the D7100 for over 1 year now and have no plans on moving higher yet.

One more point, if you are not invested in many lenses yet, pretty much any brand of camera at the higher mid level or "prosumer" level will do well. Canon and Nikon make excellent cameras.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

If you would take a look at the B&H website, you can search, under cameras by brand, if you wish, and by price. As was said above, there are several packages available in the price range you indicated. In the Nikon line, there is the 7100 which has a fantastic price right now as a replacement is expected shortly, but it is at the top of your range and without a lens. Someone also suggested used lenses, from reliable sources like B&H, Adorama, KEH, Cameta and the Mfr. themselves. Check a few sites to see what's available. Good Luck with this adventure.

MarkD Loc: NYC

Nikon made both a D90 and a P90. The D90 is a DSLR that is still a very good camera. The P90 is a bridge camera with a non-interchangeable zoom lens. If you have the D90 all you need is a good lens or two.

In either case I did some research and found a D5300 with a Nikon 18-140 VR lens at B&H and Adorama for $996.95. If you want longer than 140mm I found at B&H a Nikon D3300 with an 18-55 VR II lens for $496.95. You can add a Nikon 55-300 VR for another $396.95. Together that's $900. The 55-300 VR would be good for football.

I love the picture of your daughter with her llama. I can see that she really loves him/her. Living in the city I've only come in contact with llamas at the petting zoo first with my daughters and then with my granddaughter. Obviously they make good companion animals (I hate the word pet).

Another way to go if you don't want to change lenses is a D5300 body and a Sigma 18-250 Macro OS HSM all-in-one (aka superzoom) lens. You will give up a little image quality at the long end compared to the 55-300 VR but you won't have to deal with changing lenses and possibly missing pictures. Some find the loss of image quality worth it. Others don't.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Keep copies of both photographs, keep them forever. Great shots!

lovesphotography

Thank you all for your advice. I am so glad that I stumbled across this forum and joined. I ended up deciding on the Nikon D7100 and found it on ebay with lenses and flash for little over what I wanted to spend but I think it will be well worth it. I bought my current Nikon on ebay too and have not been disappointed, until I wanted more from the camera. LOL It must be a P90 from marks description. Obviously, I have a lot to learn before I am able to do a whole lot with photography. I don't want to go 'big' but would love to do some pictures for people.
Are the training CD's worth purchasing???
Thank you again.

Stan W. Loc: Tampa, Fl

I find youtube videos very useful.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

There is a huge amount of free training available - no need to buy CD's... Here is a starting point:
My resource page - training and info
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user_page.jsp?upnum=1327

Forum FAQ's
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-106-1.html

jjbrenner Loc: San Angelo, TX

Shellback, thank you for these links. They are excellent, and I know that Ang, as well as many more of us Hoggers, are most grateful for your help. Jim