wanderful

HI Everyone,

I am a new member of the forum. I am a retired Boston Terrier Rescuer who loves to quilt. I will be taking pictures of my dogs, my quilts, my goats and my family. I am trying to decide what dslr camera to purchase and that is why I decided to join this list. Hopefully, those who have used a lot of cameras can point me in the right direction. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg for a camera, but I want a nice camera that will last me the rest of my life. I figure I can get a decent camera for under $1000. The lenses will cost more I know. But I am hoping I don't have to spend enough to buy a car like you do on some of the newer sewing machines. Thank you. :)

Erv Loc: Medina Ohio

Welcome to the site. Good to have you with us. It is a very nice place to hang out. Lot of awesome folks here. As far as which camera to get. I think you should go to the store and talk with them. Most camera stores have very good folks to help you. I like Nikons, and have had a bunch of them over the years. But you will have to go take a look and see which one feels good to you.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Welcome to the forum.

Trustforce Loc: Chicago, Illinois

For your budget you should consider buying a used or refurbished Canon or Nikon (for example B&H is selling a refurbished D7200 for $789). You’ll get a lot more features than on the entry level products.

deer2ker Loc: Nashville, TN

Welcome from another Tennessean! I researched to death all of the options out there and narrowed down the list, but then I went to Dury's (in Nashville) and just handled a bunch of cameras. That made the difference for me - I ended up with a Nikon D5500 because it had all the features I was looking for AND it felt great in my small hands. There are a lot of great cameras from different brands but it needs to feel right.

gsmith051 Loc: Fairfield Glade, TN

Welcome to the forum.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Welcome to our forum. Look forward to seeing your quilts and dogs. You have a budget but you need to look and see what options are available and how the cameras feel in your hands. With that said, go to your local camera shop. I am a Nikon guy. So checkout this camera..Nikon with 2 lenses.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1275034-REG/nikon_1573_d3400_dslr_camera_with.html

Joe Blow

Either a Canon or a Nikon entry level camera with the kit lenses will be a great start. These are smaller cameras that fit smaller to medium size hands well.

Besides the Nikon D3400 right above, a Canon suggestion would be the T6i with 18-135mm lens. This is a solid camera with a good lens with a nice range for $900. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1116102-REG/canon_0591c005_eos_rebel_t6i_dslr.html?sts=pi

The advantage of a Nikon or Canon is both are great manufacturers with a large line-up and a host of lenses. There are several smaller manufacturers with very good cameras ; Sony, Pentax, Samsung, and Sigma that also have great cameras. Only their support network is smaller.

Good luck.

Nature_Shooter Loc: Chesterfield Missouri

Welcome! Looking forward to your posts and pictures. Happy shooting!

wanderful

Hi, I went to Wolf Cameras in Texas when I purchased the camera for the rescue I worked at many years ago and they sold me a Nikkon 3000 I think it was. It was a point and shoot kinda camera and I think we paid around $800 for it which was why I thought I could get one for less than $1000. I am now in Tennessee where there aren't any camera shops close that I am aware of. I am doing good to find a Kroger within 30 miles of me. :)

wanderful

Drury's is in Nashville. OK I am only about 2.5 hours from there. I don't know where there is another camera store any closer than that. Thank you! I have small hands too. :) So that is good to know. :)

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

How about?
Dury's
· Camera Store
Nashville, TN · (615) 255-3456

Lensrentals.com

· Camera Store
Brentwood, TN · (901) 754-9100
Opens 8AM Mon

Camera Castle

Camera Store
Morristown, TN · (423) 587-2874

wanderful

I will see if my husband and I can make a trip to Nashville in the next few weeks to see the cameras in person. :) Thank you all. :) I will let you know which one I decide to get. :) Hugs,

Trustforce Loc: Chicago, Illinois

If you want a camera to last you the rest of your life, DON'T buy an entry level dslr. I didn't with my first dslr in 2011, a 16.4 megapixel D5100 (the step up from the entry level D3100) with two lenses, a 18-55mm and a 55-300mm. I was very happy with the quality of the images I was able to capture, but I rapidly got frustrated by having to go through menus to change ISO and white balance. It is much easier to change preferences with a "prosumer" level body. I became sorry that I didn't buy the D7000 instead of the D5100.

I'm not suggesting that you spend so much to buy a D7500 or the Canon equilivants new. NikonUSA is running a sale on a new D7200 kitted with a 18-140mm lens for $1299, but a factory refurbished combo can be had for less.

I would make a plea for you not to buy a "kit" lens for any camera you purchase. I got a 18-200mm lens in 2014 just prior to a trip to Italy, and that is the only lens I took on the trip, with great flexibility in my shot selection and excellent results in my images. Consider the less expensive "semi kit" 18-140mm as I found that I did not use the full extent of the telephoto for many of my shots.

So, in summary, think about stretching your budget and buy something that you will not outgrow so fast. Others here can tell you what Canon model and lens might be a similar "prosumer" level purchase for body and lens. Since the arrival of the D7500, D500 and the D750, and the Canon EOS 6D Mark II, there are trade-ins as people moved to these more sophisticated models. There are good values to be had in low shutter count used cameras and well cared for lenses, as well as factory refurbished models.

wanderful

Thank you for the suggestions. I know I want one that has the lcd thing on the back that moves so if I have to raise it over my head to get a good shot, I can still see what the camera is gonna take a picture of. The one we used for the rescue didn't have that feature, it was one that a Sony camera we had that had a drive for not loose 5 inch floppy only hard and about 3 inches, but the ones that came after that but not SD, had a movable LCD and it was great. I saw where like the 5000 series and up had adjustable lcds. So I am probably gonna start there if I can find one. I have been looking online and a lot of the Nikon cameras seem to be sold out.