Advice on Starting Anew with Purchase of camera (Page 2): Toni, welcome to the Hog. Good luck SS...

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Toni, welcome to the Hog. Good luck
SS

erinjay64

Canon, and Nikon, have the largest array of lenses, speedlights, etc, to choose from. Sony, Fuji, etc, are good, but have a smaller number of accessories to choose from, and also have problems with overheating, short battery life, etc. I like the controls on Nikons better than those on Canons. You may feel the opposite. Check each out, and see for yourself. For portraits, use a Prime (single focal length) lens...a 100mm lens rather than a 100-300mm Zoom lens. For a Full Frame camera, a slight telephoto lens of a focal length of 60mm, or larger, would work. I like 85mm, or 105mm, or 135mm. Some folks prefer 150mm, or 200mm. Prime lenses will be sharper than Zoom lenses. The larger your focal length, the further away from your subject you have to stand. If you use an APS-C Crop Frame camera, you can use a lower focal length lens, and get the field of view of a larger lens....so a 60mm Nikon lens, on a DX camera would give the field of view of a 90mm lens on an FX camera.

Mirrorless can be handy, as the viewfinder, or screen, shows what the sensor sees, rather than showing an image reflected through mirrors, and / or prisms. Full Frame mirrorless cameras are about as big, and weigh about as much, as most DSLR cameras, so size, and weight, are not really factors to consider much. If you go mirrorless, a smaller sensored-Micro Four Thirds(M4/3), One Inch, etc, camera will give you size, and weight, savings, but also give greater Depth Of Field, and so NOT produce the sort of Bokeh (blur in front of / behind the subject) that most portrait shooters desire. All else being equal, an APS-C camera will give greater Bokeh, and a Full Frame camera will give even greater Bokeh.

The way to cut costs is to buy used, or even Factory Refurbished. nikonusa.com, adorama.com, bhphotovideo.com, and amazon.com, are the best places to shop. Other places may be good, or not.

In the Nikon line, a used, or refurbished D7200 would be a good DX (APS-C) choice. Adorama has one for $689.00. They also have a used Nikon 60mm Macro AF lens for $115.00. On the D7200 (a DX camera), that lens gives the field of view of a 90mm lens on an FX body, and that is good for portraits. The true 1:1 Macro capability lets you shoot from as close as 8.64 inches from your subject, if you wish to. The AFS version of the lens will cost a bit more, and focus from a bit closer (7.28 inches). This Macro capability lets you get close ups of things like stamps, coins, jewelry, etc, when you want to. You can also shoot non-macro images-portraits, etc-with the lens when you wish to.

You can get a used Full Frame Nikon for around $1,000.00. bhphotovideo.com has one (body only) for $1.099.95. Ebay has several for around $730.00 to $860.00.

The 60mm Macro lens mentioned above is an FX lens, but can be used on a DX body.

If I were you, I'd probably go with either a used Nikon D7200, and Nikon 60mm Macro 2.8 lens...or a used Nikon D610 and a used Nikon 85mm 1.8 lens.

You could find similar Canon products, which would usually cost a bit more (as Toyota cars tend to cost a bit more than comparable Hondas), or go with a used mirrorless system from Fuji, Pentax, Olympus, or such. If you go Full Frame mirrorless-for Bokeh-you will have higher cost, and lower battery life, and overheating problems. If you go Crop Frame mirrorless (APS-C, M4/3, One Inch, etc), you will get less Bokeh, and get the battery / etc problems, but have a smaller, lighter weight, system.

There is no one all around, always best for everything, camera, lens, flash, or anything else. What works well for one thing will be less good for something else. All of photography is a matter of compromises, and trade offs. Balance what you want / need in the way of: shutter speed, aperture, burst rate, etc, against: cost, availability, ease of use, and such. Come up with what suits you / your type of photography best. You have my recommendations above. Others will recommend something else. Do some research. Download, and read, copies of the owner's manuals of cameras you are considering. Read product reviews online. Watch YouTube videos about the cameras you are considering. I usually research a product for a year, or two, before buying it. By then I know a lot about it, and the price has dropped a bit.

Toni Girl Loc: Maryland's Eastern Shore

erinjay64 wrote:

Canon, and Nikon, have the largest array of lenses, speedlights, etc, to choose from. Sony, Fuji, etc, are good, but have a smaller number of accessories to choose from, and also have problems with overheating, short battery life, etc. I like the controls on Nikons better than those on Canons. You may feel the opposite. Check each out, and see for yourself. For portraits, use a Prime (single focal length) lens...a 100mm lens rather than a 100-300mm Zoom lens. For a Full Frame camera, a slight telephoto lens of a focal length of 60mm, or larger, would work. I like 85mm, or 105mm, or 135mm. Some folks prefer 150mm, or 200mm. Prime lenses will be sharper than Zoom lenses. The larger your focal length, the further away from your subject you have to stand. If you use an APS-C Crop Frame camera, you can use a lower focal length lens, and get the field of view of a larger lens....so a 60mm Nikon lens, on a DX camera would give the field of view of a 90mm lens on an FX camera.

Mirrorless can be handy, as the viewfinder, or screen, shows what the sensor sees, rather than showing an image reflected through mirrors, and / or prisms. Full Frame mirrorless cameras are about as big, and weigh about as much, as most DSLR cameras, so size, and weight, are not really factors to consider much. If you go mirrorless, a smaller sensored-Micro Four Thirds(M4/3), One Inch, etc, camera will give you size, and weight, savings, but also give greater Depth Of Field, and so NOT produce the sort of Bokeh (blur in front of / behind the subject) that most portrait shooters desire. All else being equal, an APS-C camera will give greater Bokeh, and a Full Frame camera will give even greater Bokeh.

The way to cut costs is to buy used, or even Factory Refurbished. nikonusa.com, adorama.com, bhphotovideo.com, and amazon.com, are the best places to shop. Other places may be good, or not.

In the Nikon line, a used, or refurbished D7200 would be a good DX (APS-C) choice. Adorama has one for $689.00. They also have a used Nikon 60mm Macro AF lens for $115.00. On the D7200 (a DX camera), that lens gives the field of view of a 90mm lens on an FX body, and that is good for portraits. The true 1:1 Macro capability lets you shoot from as close as 8.64 inches from your subject, if you wish to. The AFS version of the lens will cost a bit more, and focus from a bit closer (7.28 inches). This Macro capability lets you get close ups of things like stamps, coins, jewelry, etc, when you want to. You can also shoot non-macro images-portraits, etc-with the lens when you wish to.

You can get a used Full Frame Nikon for around $1,000.00. bhphotovideo.com has one (body only) for $1.099.95. Ebay has several for around $730.00 to $860.00.

The 60mm Macro lens mentioned above is an FX lens, but can be used on a DX body.

If I were you, I'd probably go with either a used Nikon D7200, and Nikon 60mm Macro 2.8 lens...or a used Nikon D610 and a used Nikon 85mm 1.8 lens.

You could find similar Canon products, which would usually cost a bit more (as Toyota cars tend to cost a bit more than comparable Hondas), or go with a used mirrorless system from Fuji, Pentax, Olympus, or such. If you go Full Frame mirrorless-for Bokeh-you will have higher cost, and lower battery life, and overheating problems. If you go Crop Frame mirrorless (APS-C, M4/3, One Inch, etc), you will get less Bokeh, and get the battery / etc problems, but have a smaller, lighter weight, system.

There is no one all around, always best for everything, camera, lens, flash, or anything else. What works well for one thing will be less good for something else. All of photography is a matter of compromises, and trade offs. Balance what you want / need in the way of: shutter speed, aperture, burst rate, etc, against: cost, availability, ease of use, and such. Come up with what suits you / your type of photography best. You have my recommendations above. Others will recommend something else. Do some research. Download, and read, copies of the owner's manuals of cameras you are considering. Read product reviews online. Watch YouTube videos about the cameras you are considering. I usually research a product for a year, or two, before buying it. By then I know a lot about it, and the price has dropped a bit.

Canon, and Nikon, have the largest array of lenses... (show quote)

Erinjay64:

Thank you so much for such a thorough guide. You have given me great steps and considerations to follow. I greatly appreciate all of your effort in doing so!

-Toni

Toni Girl Loc: Maryland's Eastern Shore

SharpShooter wrote:

Toni, welcome to the Hog. Good luck
SS

Thanks for the welcome, SharpShooter!

-Toni

Toni Girl Loc: Maryland's Eastern Shore

[quote=Toni Girl]Erinjay64:

P.S. The lens information you provided is an enormous help. I forgot to mention this in previous reply, didn't want to let the thanks pass by!

-Toni

Toni Girl Loc: Maryland's Eastern Shore

orrie smith wrote:

I would suggest a Nikon d7200 with an 18-140mm lens to start with. It may, unfortunately be a bit over your budget, but finding it used at places like camerata, B&H photo, or adorama may work to your budget. The d7200 has an internal focusing motor, so in the future, any Nikon lens will work with it. The d3xxx and 5xxx series cameras are also great, but they do not have internal focusing motors, so you would need lenses that have autofocus motors or learn to manually focus your lenses.

Orrie,

Thank you for the recommendation, especially involving the internal focus. I greatly appreciate your help.

-Toni

Toni Girl Loc: Maryland's Eastern Shore

jcboy3 wrote:

There are more convenient options than getting an interchangeable lens camera (ILC, either DSLR or mirrorless), and that is to get a fixed lens camera. There are two categories; point & shoot, and bridge. P&S are much more compact, while bridge cameras look and feel more like the bigger ILC brothers.

You have to ask yourself if you want a big camera, if you want to carry multiple lenses, if you want the expense and hassle involved in such a system.

There are a number of very capable cameras that are small enough to toss into your purse. And remember, you can't take pictures if you don't have the camera with you.

To figure out what you want, of course, you should start with a list of what feature you want. These are the things to consider:

1. Flash. Some cameras have built in flash; some have a hot shoe for an external flash. Built in flash if very limited and not very good. External flash is better; and gettting the flash off camera will be important for portraits or if you do close-up work. In my opinion, a hot shoe is an important consideration.

2. RAW. The abiity to capture images in RAW format will improve your ability to edit pictures after taking them. It does provide a steep learning curve, but you can do a lot more with RAW images than with JPG. I always suggest shooting both RAW + JPG, and save the RAW for use when you learn how to process them.

3. Viewfinder. A good viewfinder is of value if you shoot in bright light, or dim light.

4. WiFi. Most modern cameras have WiFi; this allows you to transfer your photos as you take them, as well as control your camera remotely. This latter is a key feature for me, as I often use my iphone to control my cameras and get pictures from viewpoints that would be hard otherwise. One example; I clamped my camera to the front of a coaster ride and filmed under control of my iPhone.

5. Filters. There aren't a lot of filters needed for digital photography, but polarizers, close-up lenses, and neutral density filters are useful. The ability to easily attach filters in a standard thread size is a feature to consider.

Finally, a recommendation. Consider the Panasonic LX100. It covers all these features; in particular I think the Panasonic wi-fi app is the best. And for your use, you can add a Ray-Nox macro filter to improve the already good close-up focussing ability of the camera.

Of course, if you don't mind the size, ILC cameras provide a lot of flexibility. But to take advantage of it, you are going to be spending a lot more money.

There are more convenient options than getting an ... (show quote)

jcboy3,

THANK YOU. This is so thorough and you have brought up considerations I would not have thought of until after my purchase! Every point you make is valid and extremely helpful. Love the suggestion you give to others about shooting both RAW + JPG. Very forward thinking. I love what you did with your wifi capability with the coaster ride! How insightful! A great big thank you for recommending a camera that fits these parameters. Big time saver! Last, but not least, love the idea of having a camera to fit in my purse! So many times I have said to myself…"Why don't I have my camera…this would be a great picture!" All great, relevant information…thank you so much!

-Toni

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I guess it is time for me to join the "favorite brand" party. Unfortunately, not many stores carry Pentax these days, but Pentax does continue to manufacture fantastic cameras at prices that undercut "comparable" Canikon entries.

In your case I would suggest a Pentax K-70 + 18-135mm kit; B&H has these for under $900. This kit is Weather Resistant, so you can be as consistent as the USPS used to claim to be. Unlike Nikon, even lower-tier products like the K-70 has in-body focus motor and in-body Image Stabilization, so virtually every lens can be used with it, essentially better than when the lens was manufactured because of the IBIS.

Toni Girl Loc: Maryland's Eastern Shore

rehess wrote:

I guess it is time for me to join the "favori... (show quote)

Rehess
Glad you joined the party! Thank you so much for this input. Love your comment on "USPS consistency!" In-body focus/IS stands out here. Leaves much room for growth with lenses. Thank you so much for taking this time to "party" and your guidance is greatly valued!
-Toni

le boecere

Toni Girl wrote:

I have been without a camera for about two years. ... (show quote)

Toni,

My car is a 1993 Nissan Maxima.

I don't buy new cameras.

My camera "needs" are nearly identical to yours:
"I want to photograph people in their normal life activities, hoping to capture candid shots, not greatly interested in video, and my other desire is on detailed close-ups. I want to be able to have at least one lense to do close ups of still objects or people's expressions while laughing, reading, crying, etc"

After trying to photograph flying grandkids, dogs, jet boats flying up the river, etc., with several compact and pocket cameras of 5-7 years ago; in April of 2014, I purchased a "used" Sony Alpha a6000 for $400 and the previous semi-pro owner threw in an unused 16-50mm kit zoom (which I seldom use). That camera system captures almost anything that moves.

Then, for lenses: (from my journal)

Sony 35mm f/1.8 for $200 ~ the 52mm equivalent "normal" that's usually on the camera, as it's the most versatile.

Sony 50mm f/1.8 for $200 ~ the 75mm equivalent "portrait" that goes on the a6000 when sitting across the table from my unsuspecting subject ~ at certain events ~ on wider streets ~ anywhere that the extra "boost" is desirable (for IQ, this is THE bargain prime of the bunch)

Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS for $230 ~ for use as a "travel zoom" instead of the pricey and iffy Zeiss Vario-Tessar T✻ E 4/16-70 ZA OSS ~ ~~ (and then I discovered the Fujifilm 18-55mm f/1.8-2.8 "kit zoom").

That topped my initial $1000 upper limit.

Then, as years passed, I acquired a Sony RX100III (pocket camera) ~ and, recently, a Fujifilm X-E2 (to get the kit zoom), and then added a 27mm f/2.8 "pancake".

The fastest digital camera I've ever owned, from "cold" to capturing the candid image, is the a6000 w/the 35mm or the 50mm prime lenses.

So, I've still never spent over $500 for a mirrorless camera. I eventually did give a local pro $600 for a "Zony" 24mm f/1.8 (he'd purchased it from a local store and had never opened the carton)

Shop carefully.

_Van

queencitysanta Loc: Charlotte, North Carolina

I have a Nikon D5500 that I purchased from Adorama in December 2016 it has 477 clicks, an extra battery and charger, Nikon camera strap $475 if that might interest you. The camera has no lens but they are available from many places. The reason I am selling I bought a Nikon D7200.

queencitysanta Loc: Charlotte, North Carolina

I have a Nikon D5500 that I purchased from Adorama in December 2016 it has 477 clicks, an extra battery and charger, Nikon camera strap $475 if that might interest you. The camera has no lens but they are available from many places. The reason I am selling I bought a Nikon D7200.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Toni Girl wrote:

I have been without a camera for about two years. ... (show quote)

Your first choice is DSLR or mirrorless. Although mirrorless start out small, add a tele lens, and they grow. Tough choice. Before I buy something pricey, I read all the reviews and comparisons I can. I don't rely on personal opinions because people tend to like what they have - like my D750 and A6000. Rely on what you've read. It's your money and your choice. I'll add some comparison sites, just in case you haven't come across them.

Congratulations on the thirty-year old Honda. What model and how many miles? We kept two Civics ('80 and '97) for seventeen years each, 305,000 on the '97.

Read comparisons and specs, and decide what features are important to you.
(Reviews) https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCameraStoreTV/videos
http://www.cameradecision.com/
http://cameras.reviewed.com/
http://camerasize.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
http://snapsort.com/compare
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

CO

Entry level DSLR cameras like the Nikon D3xxx and D5xxx series cameras have a pentamirror viewfinder. If you go with a D7xxx series or higher Nikon you get a superior pentaprism viewfinder. The glass prism inside gives a larger, slightly brighter view through the viewfinder. I think it helps with composition. I'm not that familiar with Canon cameras so I'm not sure which ones have a pentamirror or pentaprism viewfinder. It's easy to find out.

One thing I would mention about the Nikon D3400. Nikon eliminated the ultrasonic sensor cleaner in that camera. If you get the D3400 be sure to get a good filtered blower to clean the sensor. I have the Koh Global Hepa Jet Air II blower. It has a larger hepa filter, an anti-static filter, and one-way check valve. Adorama camera has that blower and you can also get it from Koh.

georgiapeach2 Loc: Georgia the Peach State

Hi Toni,
I have a Canon T6I you may be interested. I have several accessories with it and 3 more batteries.
If you are interested let me know I can give you the price and anything you would like to know about this camera.
I also have other cameras for sale right but this one I would highly recommend it takes great photos and videos.
Hildegard
hmpatton@knology.net