MiraMeadows Loc: Summerville, SC

Hi all, I am wanting to buy my first serious camera (had a Brownie Super 27 when I was 7 and took pictures of everything on the planet. Also had a point and shoot enjoyed it too. Now its my cell phone.). I am retired and want to become passionate about photography again. Not sure in which direction to go. I have the intelligence and enthusiasm to learn the working of any camera (also know I need to take a course and do some reading). My plan is to buy the body separately and maybe 2 to 3 lenses separately. I would love to go with a full frame camera, respectable MP, decent viewing screen and one that is enjoyable to learn to use. I will be traveling a lot in the future so landscapes, nature, candid shots of street scenes are my interests. I also love shooting macro or blown up shots of tiny things. I'm 66 and have some arthritis in my hands. First question, would a light weight DSLR be better or can I get decent fast lenses with mirrorless? If DSLR is the way to go, Canon or Nikon? I know enough to know once you commit to one or the other, your married. I dont want to buy cheap now and upgrade over and over again. I'm not 20 so I dont have luxury of many years for that. I want to buy a great camera and gradually add some great lenses, filters, etc. Help, any recommendations?..🤠

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Nikon D5
Nikon D850
Nikon D500

MiraMeadows Loc: Summerville, SC

Hi Mac, was thinking of Nikon D810, their entry level full frame. How is the 850 different.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Sony A6300, A6500, for a mirrorless crop sensor camera
Sony A7ii for a full frame mirrorless
Consider either an Olympus or Panasonic Lumix for a micro 4/3 format camera.

I mention these because you say you might consider mirrorless in lieu of a DSLR. None of these are cheap, by a long shot, but they will allow you to do what you describe.

For a DSLR, you have a lot of choices out there. Full frame DSLR's are expensive, and so are the lenses. They are also heavy, and I fully sympathize with you regarding the arthritis in your hands. I have arthritis in my hands and in fact, I'm have the end joint of my left index finger fused this month. Good thing it's not the right one!! I have a Nikon D7200 DSLR, and while the body isn't all that heavy, it is with a lens attached. I'd love to have a much lighter camera.

One more for your consideration that is a very good camera, very well though of, although not very expensive, is the Sony A6000. It's the first of the Sony A6xxx series, introduced a few years ago, and still going strong. It's currently available, with its two kit lenses, a 16-50 zoom and a 55-210mmm zoom for just less than $800.00. For what you want to do, it will satisfy your needs, I'm sure, and you won't likely feel the need to upgrade very soon.

Silverman Loc: Michigan

My first DSLR and still is the Nikon D3300 DX Camera with kit lens, 35mm 1.8g and 50mm 1.8g

AndyGarcia

If I were you I'd go mirrorless. I have Nikon D7K & D300 but both a heavy with lenses attached. A D810 whilst an amazing camera is heavy.

You have great choices out there from Fuji (I have an EX2), Sony and in Micro 4/3 Olympus and Panasonic.

Personally I'd go with Fuji but I'm biased. Best is to go to your local Camera shop and get to handle all of them and see what you like best.

If you have to go DSLR I'd go for the D500 (because I have have a life long relationship with Nikon). Full frame are too heavy for me and the lenses too expensive.

Good luck and enjoy.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Mira
The D610 is Nikon's entry level full frame DSLR, not the D810.
You said you didn't want to start cheap and keep upgrading, that is the reason I mentioned the cameras I did.

The D5 is Nikon's flagship full frame DSLR.
The D850 is Nikon's latest release.
The D500 is Nikon's flagship APS-C camera.

The D810 is a very good camera as is the D750.
I use a Nikon Df as my main camera and I love it. It is thinner and lighter than other full frame DSLRs.

One tip, don't put to much importance on MP counts.

MiraMeadows Loc: Summerville, SC

Thanks Wingpilot

MiraMeadows Loc: Summerville, SC

OK Mac, stand corrected on that. I've read that MP isn't everything...lens quality is very important. Of course the person behind the camera figures in too.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

The person behind the camera is the most important factor.

MiraMeadows Loc: Summerville, SC

Andy, going to research mirrorless..haven't really looked into them and they are lighter weight.

Old Timer Loc: Greenfield, In.

I like you was in a similar situation but I was about ten years older. My first good camera was a Canon bridge. After a year of so I went the xsi and used them for several years before upgrading. I found the learning curve was more at times than I expected. The bridge camera give me a start but going to SLR at times was overwhelming try to under stand all it could do. I have in last five years move on to the Canon 7D which has taken some time study and effort to learn it all it's capabilities. I have since added a full frame. l started buying my lens with all ef mounts so I could go full frame. With my experience you will want to buy again three to four times at your age if you are like most of us. I would encourage to invest in a good tripod and a couple of good heads to go with your other purchase. As we get older a tripod is a must, not an option if we want clear pics with out blur.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

What I don't care for with mirrorless cameras is the Electronic View Finder and Shutter Lag.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Medium format gear is very heavy, and very, very expensive, but you get maximum image quality and image size. Unless you are wealthy, a working pro, or full time artist, you don't need it. Normal lens is 75 to 80mm.

Full frame format gear is heavy and very expensive, but you get extremely good image quality and image size. Normal lens is 50mm.

APS-C format gear is marginally lighter than full frame gear, if you use APS-C lenses. It yields very good image quality and size. Relative to full frame gear, there's generally a one f/stop low light performance penalty, a one stop extension of depth of field for a given field of view, and a 1.6 crop factor (Canon) or 1.5 crop factor (everyone else). So a normal lens is 35mm.

Micro Four Thirds (Micro 4/3, M43, mu43, etc.) gear is about one fourth the size and weight of an "equivalent field of view" full frame system. It's about 1/3 the weight of an "equivalent field of view" APS-C dSLR system. It yields very good image quality and size. Relative to full frame gear, there's generally a two f/stop low light performance penalty, a two stop extension of depth of field for a given field of view, and a 2.0 crop factor for still images. So a normal lens is 25mm.

It is very hard to purchase a BAD camera these days. All the major brands are quite capable, and the gear is reliable. Nearly all cameras have the same core features, and then a superset of unique features that give each model its particular appeal.

The advantages of dSLR seem to be:

Ubiquitousness — They are the most popular advanced cameras.
Lens selection — An abundance of native and third-party lenses is available.
Best autofocus speed — Some more expensive models are most appropriate for sports and fast-moving wildlife.
No viewfinder latency — You see action in real time.
Best range of models available — see ubiquitousness.

The disadvantages of a dSLR include:

Viewfinder black-out at time of exposure — The reflex viewing system mirror has to move out of the way of light reaching the sensor.
Size, bulk, and weight — Lenses can be heavy, bodies are thick and heavier than mirrorless.
Noise — Shutters and mirrors can be quite loud.
Live view mode requires use of LCD/LED screen on back of camera. This can disturb patrons in a theater.

The advantages of mirrorless cameras include:

Mirrorless cameras are available in full frame, APS-C, and Micro Four Thirds formats.
There is no mirror chamber — you at least have smaller, lighter, more compact camera bodies.
No viewfinder blackout — There is no mirror to have to move out of the way at moment of exposure.
Most dSLR lenses and cinematography lenses can be adapted to mirrorless cameras (with some automation limitations).
Fewer moving parts can mean enhanced reliability.
Lenses can be engineered with better correction of chromatic aberrations, coma, astigmatism, etc.
Micro Four Thirds lenses are MUCH smaller, lighter, and compact than full frame and APS-C lenses.
Many mirrorless cameras have electronic shutter modes that are completely silent. This is great for working in theaters, concert halls, around wildlife...
Electronic viewfinders allow use of the electronic shutter in a dark theater without disturbing patrons.
Electronic viewfinders provide a view of your image the way the camera will process it for a JPEG. You can adjust menu settings and see the effects.
Set the camera to save B&W JPEGs, and also save raw color images for later choice. The viewfinder displays the image in B&W, for easier pre-visualization.
There is never a need to adjust fine focus of each lens to each camera body, as there can be with dSLRs.

The disadvantages of mirrorless cameras include:

Responsiveness — There is still a slight latency (delay) of the electronic viewfinder image. However, each generation of mirrorless diminishes it.
Some folks don't like the electronic viewfinder. But if you haven't tried one in three years, you're in for a treat!
Availability of parts and service — It's still a bit spotty, although Panasonic and others are starting to build professional services organizations and are beefing up their repair teams.

Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic, and Sony make the very best mirrorless cameras. Canon and Nikon make the most popular dSLRs. Pentax is still in the mix.

All the manufacturers have at least a decent selection of lenses. Where selection is relatively limited, the available choices tend to be professional quality glass.

Micro Four Thirds is a camera/lens mount system shared by Olympus and Panasonic. There are many lenses available for M43 — http://hazeghi.org/mft-lenses.html

Most mirrorless camera manufacturers have entry-level, "social and travel" cameras, enthusiast-level, and professional-level cameras. Most also have two predominant body styles — rangefinder-like and dSLR-style. Most do not have optical viewfinders. A few only have a rear LCD screen, and no EVF.

You really need to TRY any camera you think you might want to buy, so borrow, rent, or otherwise get your hands on one for a few days. Pay attention to:

Ergonomics — The size, weight, heft, balance, feel, button and dial placement, etc. in YOUR hands, not mine, Joe's, or Sally's.
Menu organization — Some brands have MUCH easier menu structures to navigate. Again, this is a personal preference thing.
Programmability — Some brands have dials and buttons that you can reassign to meet your needs and preferences.

There is no one "best" camera. There is only the one that meets your juncture of budget, weight, bulk, speed, feel, thinking style, photography style, subject choice...

You may want to buy USED or REFURBISHED gear to start. Adorama, B&H, Cameta Camera, and KEH are all good sources of used cameras, lenses, and other photo gear. KEH sells only used gear. Most manufacturers sell refurbished gear through their web sites as well as dealers.

If you are just learning the principles of photography, consider buying a good lens and a cheap, used body. Once you've recorded your "10,000 images," you should know what sort of camera system you really want.

AndyGarcia

Good idea. I'm a fit 69 and find lugging around my Nikons + lenses too much like hard work. I bought the XE2 and love the photos it makes. With the cheapo 16-50mm it is really light. I can also use all my vintage Nikon Ai lenses, manual focus, and some of the AF lenses (with aperture rings) too.I'll probably be getting the 50-230mm plastic fantastic too very soon.

The downside for me is battery life particularly with AF lens attached compared with my Nikons. So I have loads of batteries and always cary at least one spare.

Here's a photo with XE2 plus Nikon f2.5 105mm (Palms) and 16-50 (Sunset)

There's a really good offer on the XE2S with or without 18-50 lens which is supposed to be a great lens. The reason being is that an XE3 is about to be launched.

Let me know if I can help anymore.

Pura Vida from Costa Rica

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