burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Lots of truth here...

In 1968, age 14, I borrowed an older, midrange Canon FX from a family friend. I used it nearly every day for about 9 months. I read camera reviews in Popular Photography and Modern Photography. Then, I knew what to look for.

I tried a Nikkormat FTn, a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic, a Minolta SRT-100 or 101, and a Canon FT-b. All were fine, but the Nikkormat won. Handling or ergonomics — feel in hand — and lenses, were the deciding factors.

That’s a strategy I’d encourage now. Borrow or rent, to try before you buy.

ggab Loc: ?

I am a Canon shooter and started with a Rebel T3i.
It will work, however I would look for another lens.

When I bought my T3i I only bought the body. I then researched len's.

The used SL2 or SL3 are great starter bodies. I would then suggest either a used 18-55mm STM lens, 55-250 STM lens or both.
These will do you well with both video and photos.

Buy used or refurb if available. Save money and get a better kit.

Also google Canon Price Watch. They constantly look for Canon and Canon compatible gear from reputable sources and provide great deals.

Good Luck.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

I have to rather agree with Burkphoto on this subject. If possible, rent or borrow a camera or three, or five. Get a feel for different makes and models. However I also feel that the subject matter will be influential for the type of camera, DSLR, bridge, MILC or point and shoot. I would not recommend a high cost DSLR for someone just wanting to take selfies or quick family "snapshots". That would be akin to using a machine gun to hunt rabits or squirrels.

Look at all the possibilities for the type of photography one wants to do. As time passes, if the person wants to shoot other subjects, a new or upgraded camera may be indicated.

Low Budget Dave

In that price range, I usually recommend a Sony a6000 and the kit lens. Once they get comfortable, they can get a better lens, and each new lens will provide a new learning experience. It is one of the most popular cameras of all time for a good reason. The A6000 is a good combination of small, cheap, high quality, and widely used.

JoeJoe

User ID

Yup. Thaz the point.

Don't need any meddling half-baked
experts analyzing or recommending.

Get what is affordable in-budget and
use it. So what if it's "obsolete" in 6
or 16 months. The gear doesn't have
any clue that it's obsolete ... or that
it was "inferior" all its life. It will just
keep on clicking, oblivious to all that.

Then one day it dies :-( and then it's
time for a bit of justified GAS :-)

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

Very sell stated. It seems damn near everything brought up here is waaaaaay overthought.

JoeJoe

So let me recap... don't buy a camera or learn settings and continue using a camera phone.... Isn't that like saying go buy a cheap guitar that's hard to tune???

mjmoly

There is some solid advice here. I feel the key point is to purchase used gear. All the cavers apply—buy from a solid dealer with a good reputation. Don’t overprocess. Take a look at what is out there and take the plunge. That’s what I did 53 years ago. It worked out fine.

Love Wildlife

I don't much pay attention to how others shoot but when I started I watched a video from an individucal to which I can not remember his name but he has shot free lance for National Geogaraphic his career and he said it is not about the camera but about the glass. I started with a Nikon D3400 with a Sigm 150-600 contimpary lens and have not been discouraged by the info. This year I will be shooting with a D5600 and same lense and the camera is several steps above the D3400 but far below others which I am sure are great cameras from my on comparisons. Do the comparisons between the cameras you decide and choose your glass wisley. This was the best advice for me. Wish you well and good shoots.

JoeJoe

Don't rule out new kit out at the moment, serious enough kit and you get the warranty and peace of mind that new kit brings...

The benefits Mirrorless now brings to the playing field straight out the box is a game changer in terms of image quality....

DSLR has an inherent problem with focus and that previous entry level cameras didn't address.... and why they have a stigma of being of lower quality than their more expensive counterparts...

I started with a D5200 and had a camera body with the dreaded back focus issue (google it)… I didn't know anyone in my circles who was a photographer / general snapper to get that advice from and it cost me ….

To correct this you had to open the shutterbox and use an allen key right next to the sensor to calibrate the sensor distance to the lens …. more expensive cameras call this Fine Tune in the menu and it is a software correction... This is where Mirrorless excels in that there is no need to calibrate even when the weather changes...

IMHO sitting on the fence and telling beginners to go and find the right camera for your photography when they don't even know the basics and putting the onus back on the individual is a cop out…

If you went into a good camera shop and asked the assistant what they would recommend they would isolate a couple of cameras for your needs and budget.. And we as so called experts don't recommend is something I find quite shocking.....

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Actually, I had convinced a relative to buy a barely used Canon XTi for himself for Xmas.
Neat little dinky thing, 10mp, 2 bats, 2 lenses. Less than $100. (Yardsale- I convinced her to thro in a Lodge enameled cast iron pot, that I paid him $20 for).
It takes beautiful pictures. 10mp will print 8x10s with no problem, but he may never anyway. My D200 is a MONSTER to this. He's kinda happy with it, but a bit insecure. Yeah. *sigh* He looked it up.
It's a 10 year old plastic loss leader beginner's camera. So? My Toyota is 10 years old, as is this MacPro.
It's still a good camera. The "bad" reviews mention bells ans whistles it didn't have. Nobody
disliked the pics.

My *point* is: you don't need to spend a lot of money to get started, or to make great shots.
For many people, there's tipping points where they'll say "I don't know, so I won't spend that much."
Don't tell folk to buy too much camera, for too much money, and they get a closet shelf queen.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Chances are also good that a camera store clerk gets a "spiff" (incentive commission) for recommending certain gear, and that will be the first thing they push.

A good camera store clerk will follow a consultative sales approach, and ask plenty of questions to determine budget, level of knowledge, interests, intended uses, etc. The answers may be entirely, "I don't know," but more likely will reveal SOMETHING to steer a buyer in the general direction of what's appropriate.

Back in the early 1970s, when I was in high school, a friend of mine introduced me to her father. He was a prominent heart surgeon then, and rather affluent (Corvette for weekend jaunts to their mountain chalet, Mercedes as a daily driver, expensive jewelry for the wife...). He decided to become a photographer. So out came the wallet, and in came a huge leather case with two Nikon F2 bodies and six prime lenses.

While he was perfectly within his rights to buy such a system, it was the classic example of GAS leading to "Ready? FIRE! Aim? Uhh, whuuh — what the frip is aim?"

When he died, his daughter found the bag in the front hall closet, both bodies loaded with film, four rolls of outdated Kodachrome 64 in one side pocket, with six pre-paid processing mailers. In the other were the unopened packets containing camera manuals and lens manuals and warranty cards.

She said he gave up on photography when he got his first two rolls of slides back — one was blank (film leader didn't catch on the take-up spool), and the other was so poorly exposed it was useless. He "didn't have the time to learn another craft as complex as heart surgery," went the family joke.

Quite obviously, that was the wrong camera setup for the good doc to purchase. But the camera store clerk had smelled the GA$$...

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

Your post reminds me of my experience in the camera department of a large chain store a few years ago. I witnessed a middle aged lady speaking with the camera salesperson, who seemed to be somewhat under-informed, giving little information and seeming to suggest higher priced cameras. The clerk did admit he had minimal knowledge of cameras. I sort of interrupted the conversation and suggested to the lady that she should start out with a camera which be could learned easily and quickly. She was buying for someone with minimal photography experience and whose interest in it was somewhat undetermined. After a short discussion the lady decided on a camera with adjustable settings but was easy to learn. Also it was not a high priced and confusing camera with multiple menus to work through. I like to think I was helpful to her and the person who received the camera.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

GOOD sales is an art form... and a clearly definable process. A large part of it is communication with the potential customer or client. When a salesperson does not know a customer's wants, needs, hopes, dreams, and desires, how will they ever target them accurately, with features and benefits of their products or services? And if they don't know their products and services inside and out, and how those might, can, or should be used, then why the heck are they in sales at all?

I've seen your sort of scenario many times. Often, a clerk will simply barf features and benefits in the customer's lap, and then wonder why they wander out the door... I had a Toyota sales guy try to sell me an SUV the moment I walked in his door. Little did he know that I was there to buy a very specific Prius... I got it from another dealer who sat down with me first, and cared enough to ask why I was there.