Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

Welcome to the Hog Jim, enjoy.

jimkh

Welcome. The usual retail recommendations are B&H and Adorama both in NY City and both good. However, Unique Photo in New Jersey is also a very good place with whom to do business. I've bought and traded there on several occasions - also no NY tax. From a camera standpoint I've brcome mostly a Sony person. The A6000 is around 5-600.00, light and easy to hndle Its a good introduction to the more expensive and complicated modeld.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

I have several suggestions.

First: Go to a store that has a variety of brands and models. Which are comfortable? See which has menus that are intuitive.
Second: Borrow or rent. The best way to experience a camera and see if you like it.

Also - Decide what features are important to you. Two features that drove me to upgrade to my Canon 80D were articulated screen and improved low light focusing. I became a fan of touch screen after using it to adjust camera settings quickly and easily.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

Welcome to UHH! As far as mirrorless, they are for the most part out of your price range. There are several top DSLRs in your price range. Before you look at specific models you should decide on which system. Each major manufacturer has their own papraitory line of products that are not interchangeable with their competitors. Also, once you have invested in one brand, switching to another becomes more problematic and expensive. For example, if you buy Brand A and then buy one or two more lenses or accessories and then want to switch to Brand B, you now have an investment in Brand A that started at $750 and has now grown to $2,500 but has a resale value of only $900. Since you have $2,500 invested in Brand A and the Brand A camera, lenses and accessories are not compatible with Brand B, the real cost of switching to brand B may be too much because you will take a $1,600 loss ($2,500-$900) on the sale of your Brand A equipment on top of the cost of the new Brand B equipment.

The point is that unless you are either rich or a working professional, you should look at everything in each product line first. Then once the product line decision is made, hone in on the specific model of DSLR and lens you start with. Do your homework and due diligence now and you will save yourself issues in the future.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Welcome to UHH! Buying a first camera can be a daunting endeavor! But since you had a camera before, tell us what kind that one was. And were you happy with it? Sometimes familiarity can go a long way toward learning a new camera because the systems and logic tend to remain similar if not the same over time.

First thing is to do some research on what is available in your price range. New is always nice, but as others have pointed out, you can get more camera for the money if you go with pre-owned. [My principle is to buy the best you can afford. Don't worry about whether it is a "starter" or more advanced. They have a lot of similarities and a similar learning curve.] But buy new or pre-owned from a trusted vendor so you have options such being able to return if it is not what you like or not in the condition expected. The trusted vendors generally don't send any clunkers! [Adorama [NYC], B&H [NYC], Cameta, KEH] Living in New Jersey, if you are within a reasonable driving distance to NYC, you could go to B&H where they have just about every camera you could want, including a selection of pre-owned that have been examined and graded so their condition is well-defined. Same thing for lenses. [Located at the corner of W 34th St and 9th Ave] In the meantime, you could use their website https://www.bhphotovideo.com to do some research. It is always good to narrow down your choices before going to any store so you are less likely to succumb to the sales pitch of someone in a camera store. [My experience with B&H has been that they will NOT pressure you. In fact, I had one of their people tell me that the lens I was considering [pre-owned] was NOT going to produce the performance I wanted!]

Be sure to read specifications as well as reviews. To understand the letters and numbers used in descriptions, I know that Nikon has a glossary that is very helpful http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Photography-Glossary/index.page
Other companies probably have something similar on their websites. And feel free to come back with more questions! Everyone has their preferred camera system, so in the end you really need to decide for yourself. The three major companies are Nikon, Canon, and Sony [for mirrorless especially], all of which produce good cameras and have a wide selection of lenses.

I am in the DSLR camp, own Nikons, but many prefer mirrorless, which have come a long way in recent times. A lot depends on what requirements you prefer in a camera. For instance, is weight an issue? You will probably want to look at crop-sensor cameras because there will be more choices at your price point. The sensors are smaller, but the quality is good - technology has come a long way, and the crop and full frame cameras share many features in common. Do not forget that you will also need to decide what lens or lenses to buy. Many cameras come "bundled" with what are generally termed as "kit" lenses, which are often quite good. Just have to determine what kind of a lens would suit your photography objectives. Many lenses have vibration reduction, which is good to have if hand-holding the camera when shooting. When I first started with DSLR, I had 2 kit lenses - 18-105mm and 70-300mm. Those were my "training wheels" and kept me happy for a couple of years before I decided to upgrade. The principle I followed was to have lenses that would cover all or at least most of the focal lengths for a variety of photographic situations. There are "all-in-one" lenses that cover a wide range of focal lengths, and many love them for the convenience. Just keep in mind that the longer the focal length range, the less likely a lens will be sharp throughout that range.

Hope this helps!
Susan

jack schade Loc: La Pine Oregon

Welcome to the forum.

Jack

rfmaude41 Loc: Lancaster, Texas (DFW area)

Also http://usedphotopro.com (Robert's Camera)

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

There are lots to choose among... and when you ask questions like yours on a forum like this, you will get answers that you should buy into whatever system the responders bought! The Sony fanboyz and fangirlz will recommend Sony. The Nikonians will recommend Nikon. Canon users like myself will first correct you in your spelling () and then recommend Canon cameras. Etc.

Really they're all capable and with a budget of $1000, you should be able to get something nice and even new with the sales going on right now.

Mirrorless cameras are the latest rage and can be smaller & lighter than DSLRs. But if you shot with an SLR back in the 70s and 80s you might be more comfortable with a DSLR. Also, mirrorless systems are relatively new, have somewhat less selection and due to their current popularity tend to be more expensive. Besides any size & weight differences (some DSLRs and lenses for them are quite small & light, while some mirrorless aren't all that small or light).... there are pros and cons to both types of interchangeable lens cameras.

If you used one previously, you will probably want a viewfinder (there are mirrorless that don't have one). All DSLRs use optical viewfinders. Mirrorless with viewfinders use an electronic one.... essentially a viewfinder incorporating a small screen that displays an image captured by the camera's sensor. The illumination of an electronic viewfinder can be helpful shooting in low light conditions, can give you a preview of how your shot will look and may have helpful features such as Focus Peaking to assist with manual focus. However, electronic viewfinders also draw power continuously so most mirrorless cameras get about half as many shots per charge as a DSLR with an optical viewfinder that uses the same battery.

Below I'm going to give you some Canon examples, because that's the system I use and am most familiar with. You can probably find similar in other systems, though you should compare closely to be sure any system offers things you want now or in the future. The Canon and Nikon DSLR systems are the most comprehensive, each with a wide selection of camera models and about 90 lenses to choose among, plus a full array of accessories such as flash, battery grips and much more. Sony, Fujifilm and Olympus/Panasonic have the most well established mirrorless systems. They each have roughly 30 to 40 lenses to choose among.

You'll get the most bang for your buck if you buy a camera "in kit" and one or two lenses. There are both good and bad kits out there. The manufacturer assembled kits and those from the major retailers are pretty good.... but there are also a lot of shysters who substitute cheap junk and pull bait n switch tricks, so you have to be careful. For new gear I recommend B&H Photo and Adorama, primarily. K-Mart, Costco and Amazon Direct can be good, too... but I see limited selection there (and virtually no customer support to speak of).

If you consider refurbished gear, that's available in the US directly from Canon USA and Nikon USA. This can be a good way to make your $$$ go a little farther, but isn't always the best deal (so be sure to compare with the latest sale prices on the same gear). Canon USA has been selling refurbished directly from their website for three or four years now, most buyers report a good experience and their refurb gear carries the same warranty as new. Nikon USA more recently began directly selling refurbs too. I have no experience with it, but have noticed that they warrant the gear for only 90 days, like used at some of the other retailers.

In N. America, Canon's most affordable, entry-level models are their current Rebel T7 and it's immediate predecessor the Rebel T6. You can buy these in kit with two lenses for under $500 (T6 with 2 lenses is $300 refurb or $400 new). HOWEVER, if at all possible I would recommend "stepping up" a little. These most entry-level models lack some useful features (such as a self-cleaning sensor), use older tech (such as an autofocus system that was first introduced on the 20D around 15 years ago), and are bundled in kit with some of the most entry-level lenses. In particular, avoid the EF 75-300mmm "III" telephoto zoom that's often offered with these cameras. It's a bit more expensive, but the EF-S 55-250mm IS STM lens that's often bundled with more upscale models is a MUCH better lens in a number of ways! That 55-250mm has better image quality, faster/quieter autofocus, and image stabilization which the 75-300 III lacks. The T7 and T6 are almost identical. The only difference is that the newer/current model got a 24MP sensor and the older one uses an 18MP.

If you want something really compact, the Canon Rebel SL2 is one of the smallest/lightest DSLRs available... even lighter than some mirrorless. In kit with the EF-S 18-55mm IS STM lens it costs $400 refurb or $500 new. I do not particularly recommend the Rebel SL1... the SL2 got a lot of significant improvements over the earlier model: a sensor upgrade, an articulated LCD screen, WiFi, and more. The SL2 (and SL1) and other models here all have self-cleaning sensors, except for the T7 and T6 above.

A bit higher performance and feature-filled cameras are the Rebel T7i (note the "i") and the EOS 77D. These are largely the same camera, except the 77D has an additional display and slightly different control layout. The earlier T6i and T6s models are pretty similar, but don't have as good autofocus system as the newer models.

The T7i is currently on sale in kit with EF-S 18-55mm IS STM lens for $750, or refurb'd for $600.

In the cases of DSLR offered with only one lens, if you want a telephoto zoom too it would need to be bought separately.... The EF-S 55-250mm IS STM is one of the most affordable at $130 refurb (on sale now) or $300 new. Or, if you wanted a wide angle there is EF-S 10-18mm IS STM currently on sale new for $270. Or, if you want a short telephoto, portrait/low light lens the Canon EF 50mm f1.8 STM is avail new for $125. There are also ultra compact "pancake" lenses EF 40mm f/2.8 STM ($129) and EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM ($129). There's also an EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro lens for $349 new.

If you prefer a mirrorless camera, Canon makes two with viewfinders that sell for within your budget: EOS M5 with EF-M 15-45mm IS STM lens is selling refurb for $570 ($700 new)... Or M5 in kit with EF-M 18-150mm IS STM lens refurb for $600 ($900 new). The most recently introduced M50 is offered in kit with both EF-M 15-45mm IS STM and EF-M 55-200mm IS STM lenses is on sale new for $830 (refurbs actually cost more right now).

If needed to purchase separately EF-M 55-200mm IS STM lens sells for $349 new. There's also a wide angle EF-M 11-22mm ($349 new) and a "pancake" 22mm f/2 ($229). Canon has just released a new EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM lens for the M-series cameras, selling for $479 initially. And there's an EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro lens for $249 new.

All Canon EF and EF-S lenses ever made can be used on the DSLRs listed above. With an adapter, they also can be used on the M-series mirrorless cameras. The EF-M lenses cannot be used on any cameras other than the M-series mirrorless. There are also a lot of adapters that allow vintage manual focus lenses to be used on Canon DSLRs.... and even more allowing vintage, manual focus SLR and rangefinder lenses to be used on the M-series mirrorless cameras. There are are also third party (Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Rokinon, etc.) manufactured lenses and accessories for both the Canon EOS DSLR and M-series mirrorless systems.

All these cameras except the T6 use essentially the same 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor, which is also used in the Rebel T6i, Rebel T6s and the even more advanced Canon EOS 80D.... Among all these, only the older, more entry-level T6 uses an earlier 18MP sensor. APS-C sensors such as these are a bit smaller than the 35mm "full frame" images you probably shot on film in the 70s and 80s.... so you have to adjust how you think of focal lengths a bit. A "standard" lens is around 28 to 35mm on these. This makes telephotos "more powerful", but wide angles "less wide". That 250mm mentioned above will "act like" 400mm did on a 35mm film camera. Or an 18mm on these "crop sensor" DSLRs will behave much like a 28mm lens did on your old SLR. With Canon APS-C cameras, multiply any given focal length by 1.6X to compare with focal lengths on your SLRs. (Other APS-C cameras are slightly different... most use 1.5X "lens factor".)

All the Canon lenses mentioned above do not include a lens hood. I recommend getting the matching one for any of the lenses you might choose. (Canon premium L-series lenses include lens hood.)

Also set aside a little of your budget for extra batteries, memory cards, possibly some image editing software (Adobe Elements 2019... $70), and maybe a book or two ("Understanding Exposure" by Brian Peterson and a guide book for whatever camera you end up buying).

Again, I focused on Canon gear here because that's what I know best. I'm sure You can find similar, more or less, available from other manufacturers.

If at all possible, go to a store that sells various brands and models to check out as many as possible. You might find one brand or another "feels" better or it's menus are more easily understood or controls just make more sense. Probably you could get comfortable with and learn to use any of them in time, but it might be a bit easier getting started with something that's more comfortable.

Have fun shopping!

Insp Gadget Loc: St Louis area

I have to agree with the "get it in your hands" advice. I had plans for what I thought I wanted based on reviews and articles. I went to Best Buy and held them along with others and decided on the Nikon D5600 because it felt right in my hand, was much lighter and still had the options important to me. It was not on my short list before that moment. I went with the 18-140 VR and 70-300 VR lenses. I find I rarely take the 18-140 off the camera unless I need the reach.
You might find completely different choices but that's why the make so many models.
Find a way to get them in front of you.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Recommend new for your first entry into digital. Hard to beat the warranty, but factory refurbished is as good or better. For something that fits your budget - consider a Sony a6000 two lens kit and you will still have enough to buy a 3rd lens or an extra battery and memory card(s). Last time I looked they kit was in the $650 range. Mirrorless of course. It is a smaller body. If you have large hands, you may want something a little bigger like a DSLR from the older Canon Rebel models or the entry level Nikon kit like the D3400 for even less. If I were starting over, it would be mirrorless all the way. I do own an a6000. Great for close in sports with a 50/1.8. Starting to use it for more video due to smaller size.

papaluv4gd Loc: durham,ct

I agree with flee.Touchy,feely is the best way to decide. Not all cameras will feel comfortable or balanced. Local camera store.Hold a few.Take a few shots if they allow it.Good luck,and welcome.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Welcome to UHH Jim, glad you joined us. I see that you received a little advice. Will let you chew on all you received for a while.
Have fun, learn and enjoy the forum.

Don

bel air bill Loc: Bel Air Maryland

Welcome to UHH. I got some very good advice when I got started. After you decide what type of camera, look for Deals on Holidays. Best of luck and Enjoy. I also get Prints ( 4 x 6 ) for a Penny a Print at "SNAPFISH" when they have Sales, about every month or so. Save lots of Money.