cardsfan

I am a recently retired teacher looking forward to time with grandkids and traveling with wife. I finally have time to devote to learning to use an SLR camera. I am definitely a beginner but am willing to devote time to enhance my knowledge/skill level. I am looking to buy a camera that is user friendly but will allow for growth. I envision shooting the grandkids (portraits and activities) as well as scenery while traveling. I'd like to stay in the$700-$1,000 price range. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much, Chuck

GWR100 Loc: England

Hi Chuck and welcome, best advise I can give is that there is not a bad camera on the market in that price bracket, and I would try the all and see which one feels the most comfortable in your hands, they will all do pretty much the same job and quality. If you do get really bitten by the but then tarts the time to move up to a camera with the facilities to totally control your pictures, and with that in mind I would also advise looking at the better cameras in your chosen range so that you can move forward with a camera system you are comfortable with. Personally I use Canon and have always done so because they work well for me, but I would never say they are the best for everyone, thats very much a personal choice,

Have fun

Geoff

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Welcome, Chuck! Which corner of the planet do you call home?

You can go to "my profile" link at top of page to include a general or specific location under your avatar, if you wish.

Geoff's suggestion to try the comfort of a camera in your hands is the best. Plenty of opinions on brand preference, but as he mentioned, all are "good" and that price range will start you off nicely.

Tip for this site: on the home page scroll down to "all sections" to find additional specialty forums. You'll need to click subscribe to any that interest you in order to view in newest topics link.

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

Welcome to UHH and retirement.

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Welcome to the Hog, Chuck. Take a look at the Nikon D3XXX and the D5XXX to get an idea what is available in your price range. You can find them new bundled with lenses that will get you moving in the right direction at Costco, SAMs, and on line at B&H Photo and many other shops. Canon and others also have similar bundles. You might also want to consider factory reconditioned rather than new at the online factory stores and the major online shops like B&H, Adorama and others. ;)

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Welcome to retirement!

joe west Loc: Taylor, Michigan

nikon p900 covers everything and not big at all

baygolf Loc: DMV

I like Canon equipment and I really just start with a DSLR in Dec 2014. Now I have several point and shot cameras, but I felt that I was missing out on something. For Christmas my wife bought me a Canon SL1 camera kit. It came with two lens, and a printer. This is a great camera: it has a small foot print and you will be able to grow with it. I think that the best (safest) and best value is to buy refurbished. Some example of cameras on the Canon Refurbish site:
- Canon EOS SL1 w/ EF-S 18-55mm IS STM lens

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-sl1-18-55-is-stm-lens-kit-refurbished

or

- Canon EOS T5i w/ EF-S 18-135mm IS STM lens

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-t5i-18-135mm-is-stm-lens-kit-refurbished

These are just samples of the Cameras Canon Refurbished has in stock. You could do internet search to find-out about the different Canon Cameras and then go to the refurbished site and get the one you want. All items sold from this site comes with and one year warranty so it's just like buy it new, but saving some money.

Now I would recommend getting the lens with the camera -- you will save a lot of money. I stared with the 18-55mm lens, but I wanted longer reach so I got the 18-135mm.

Good luck!!!

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Happy Retirement, Chuck!
And Welcome to UHH!

As you can tell you are going to get inundated with Buy this, Buy that.

My choice was a Nikon D3300 "lunch Box" from Sam's club.
Great start, lots to get going with, two kit lenses.
Then it gets wild from there on out. Lenses to fit what you want to shoot beyond the kit lenses, tripods, monopods, Ends and Odds... :lol:
That's one way.

A simpler way is the small all in ones. Like the suggested Nikon P900.
If you both shop together, you may find a compromise you can both use.
But go get your hands on the display cameras and get a feel for what you would like.

Congratulations on your Retirement! :-D

jfn007 Loc: Close to the middle of nowhere.

I love my Nikon D5300. As soon as I retired I bought one. I probably went a little overboard as I now own 9 Nikon lenses. I try to rotate them whenever I travel. I taught 23 years in The People's Republic of Claremont, CA. I wouldn't go back for $200,000 a year. Enjoy your retirement, enjoy photography.

Beowulf Loc: Aquidneck Island, RI

Chuck, welcome to retirement. I, too, retired from teaching 21 years ago. Although immersed in photography since the age of 10 or 11, I continue to use it to enhance retired life. Along the way, I supplemented teaching with real estate photography, wedding photography, and the like.

Other Hoggers have given you some good advice about where to start. Enjoy!

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

DSLR and user friendly just do not equate.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Happy Retirement!

I think you have now discovered the fasted way to start a food fight here is to ask which camera to buy. In that price range, there are many to choose from. And to be honest about it, they are all really good. Some excel in one direction, and others in another direction.

Some basics rules of thumb:

1) Big sensors are good. But the cost is higher and the lenses cost more too.

2) Crop sensors are good too. Cost is somewhat lower and lenses are a bit smaller and less expensive.

3) There is another group that offer what known as 1 inch sensors. They may not have changeable lenses. The results are quite good from these cameras too.

4) And there is a group called four thirds. Again, some fine cameras here.

5) Moving yet smaller in sensor size are the bridge super zoom cameras. They offer reasonably small size and lots of zoom. many to choose here too.

6) And finally the smaller Point n Shoots. Even these take surprizingly good photos.

If you intend to blow up your pictures to larger sizes, the big sensor cameras are best. If you are happy with the 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 size, just about all of them are good. If you intend to crop, big sensors are better.

There are other things to compare, but I won't spend time on them here: vibration supression, ISO range, and others.

Have fun picking out something that you like.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Did you buy a car before you knew how to drive? You're a teacher so start at the beginning, learn something about photography. After you know something about it you can begin to search for your camera. A camera is a personal possession that needs to fit the user. There is a sea of camera gear that you need to learn in able to navigate what is on the market. You are wise to choose a price range, but you fail to say whether that is for the camera or for a camera body and lens. DSLRs are not intended for single lens usage so plan on including other lens. Is that part of your price figure? Good thing you are retired, now you can devote your time on a great interest. Research first, the internet is loaded with video training, free and for fee. You might consider a course at a local adult education facility, junior colleges usually have them. If there is a local camera shop you might seek guidance from someone connected to it, a mentor would be your lucky find. Good luck to you, have fun reading all the recommendations for the world's greatest cameras.

JPL

You are already getting lot of comments here and like usually everyone is recommending their own camera to you. And that is normal because there are many good cameras to choose from.

So I am going to recommend you in a little bit different way.
Look for a camera that has/is:
- Max 2 year old model.
- 1" sensor or bigger.
- around 20 megapixels or more.
- Dslr or mirrorless does not really matter.
- Interchangable lenses.
- Has fast and accurate autofocus
- Has built in flash
Has the best price of the cameras that fits this technical criteria.

Often the so called refurb cameras are as good or better buy as new ones as they have been checked and have warranty, so that is a good option for buying at good prices.