Hi there. Over the past couple of years, I've become an avid nature photographer on my daily walks in North Carolina and during our multi-week visits to the beautiful coast of Maine each summer. I've strictly been using my Samsung Galaxy S9+ phone camera and it takes some pretty decent pictures. (I'm on Instagram at
https://www.instagram.com/verycarync/).
Several people have told me that I'm a good photographer, including some pros, so now I'm ready to step up my game and buy a big girl camera. I am planning to purchase a Nikon D3500 from Costco. In researching that camera vs. the Canon EOS Rebel T7, my husband I came across this site and it looks like it will be immensely helpful.
I'm delighted to be here and I look forward to gleaning a lot of great information!
Get the best camera and lens you can afford. I ended up upgrading twice in just 2 years.
Take a look at the Canon M50. It's an APS-C camera like the Rebel and D3500 but with a Viltrox EF-EOS M2 adapter it also emulates a full frame. You can use EF-M lenses or with the standard adapter, use EF and EF-S lenses. It's an MILC so it's smaller and lighter than most DSLR'S and it's loaded with lots of features and, relatively speaking, not all that expensive for a good quality camera.
lmenglert wrote:
Hi there. Over the past couple of years, I've become an avid nature photographer on my daily walks in North Carolina and during our multi-week visits to the beautiful coast of Maine each summer. I've strictly been using my Samsung Galaxy S9+ phone camera and it takes some pretty decent pictures. (I'm on Instagram at
https://www.instagram.com/verycarync/).
Several people have told me that I'm a good photographer, including some pros, so now I'm ready to step up my game and buy a big girl camera. I am planning to purchase a Nikon D3500 from Costco. In researching that camera vs. the Canon EOS Rebel T7, my husband I came across this site and it looks like it will be immensely helpful.
I'm delighted to be here and I look forward to gleaning a lot of great information!
Hi there. Over the past couple of years, I've beco... (
show quote)
Welcome Lisa, are all those Flower photos yours? Yes, very nice, some of them are excellent! I am starting to agree SmartPhones can take pretty darn good images if kept or printed small. My wife and I have Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (me) and Note 9 (my wife). They take really nice 12MP JPG or Raw images.
Camera deals at Costco can be a good value. I would think either a Nikon D3500 or Canon EOS Rebel T7 would inexpensively serve you well. You might get more camera in a Nikon D7500 or Canon 77D. But also since you are used to using a SmartPhone with good results you might also want to consider a not over priced Fujifilm Mirrorless camera. Some models like the X-A5, X-E3, X-T100, X-T2, X-T30, $399 - $999 for body. Since you like flower close-ups I might suggest a Macro Lens.
You'll love your D3500. I started with a D3300 and have since upgraded to a D7200 because of the internal focus motor, larger buffer, faster frame rate, and other features good for nature photography. Have fun and welcome.
I think the 3500 would be great as a starter camera and the deals at Costco are good. It'll get you started and headed in the right direction. You may want to upgrade in a few years, though, since it sounds like you have a major interest in photography and are good at it. You can always get something like a Nikon D7200 or 7500...you can get them refurbished and save money for lenses. I have a 7200 and love it. My daughter has the 3400 and it's very lightweight in comparison to mine, if weight is something you need to consider. Nice photos on your Instagram! Welcome to the forum!
Welcome to the Hog, Lisa, your Instagram pictures are very, very good, enjoy.
Welcome to the HOG!, go with the T7i, Bob
Welcome to the Hog. Camera choice is a personal thing. People who shoot Canon swear by Canon. People who shot Nikon swear by Nikon. If you like the 3500 buy it.
Thanks, Erik. That is sage advice!
Thank you for the recommendation! I'll check it out. This is a whole new world to me, but I'm excited to get started.
If you want to reply, then
register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.