# Help choosing DSLR



## Machin3 (Jan 18, 2013)

I was wondering if I can get some help. I want to get a DSLR camera in the next couple of weeks, and I was wondering if I can get some guidance. Ive had this Canon G10 for a while now and truth be told I don't really like it. For the price, idk, it doesn't really suit me lol. Its probably the zoom isnt too great and picture quality kind of bothers me and I've played with that thing so much. There is an incredible amount of noise in the picture. 

I was thinking of starting with something basic to see how I like it, play around with its settings and such. I was thinking of the Canon T3i 1100D? I mean is it a good idea? Just looking to explore a little. I'm taking a trip to Mexico in February so I'll definitely get to play with it there to. 

Anyone have any suggestions on what I should get as a basic starter?


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## Punk (Jan 18, 2013)

Low end Canon or Nikon is what you're looking for, some of us here have those and I personally have a (old) Nikon D40. Go to a store and try them out to see which one you like the best. When it comes down to spec and price, they are about the same for those two brands. Wait for the input of those that bought low end Canons or Nikons 

You have to know that once you go with a brand, all the equipment (lense, flash...) will have to be either from the brand or compatible with.

Hope to see some of your picture soon!


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## Rit (Jan 18, 2013)

Punk said:


> Low end Canon or Nikon is what you're looking for, some of us here have those and I personally have a (old) Nikon D40. *Go to a store and try them out to see which one you like the best.* When it comes down to spec and price, they are about the same for those two brands. Wait for the input of those that bought low end Canons or Nikons
> 
> You have to know that once you go with a brand, all the equipment (lense, flash...) will have to be either from the brand or compatible with.
> 
> Hope to see some of your picture soon!



I agree with what Punk said as far as going and trying them out. Personally I found Canon to fit better in my hands than Nikon, plus I liked the location of the controls better. And as far as 'low end' bodies it depends on where you want to go with your photography. And I mean, literally go. 

If you plan on doing more backpacking/outdoors, or you're just a clumsy person, then you'll want go the Canon X0D line (10D, 20D, etc...) and not the Rebel line. But if cost is an issue, you're careful with your stuff, etc... Go the Rebel line. Either 'line' of Canons will produce the same pictures (for a newbie/amateur).


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## spirit (Jan 18, 2013)

You need to go to a shop and try them out. See which one you like best.

I would stay away from the 1100D. It has a horrible plasticy feel to it. If you want a Canon, get a 550D or 600D, if you want a Nikon, probably want to go D3100 or D3200.


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## Justin (Jan 18, 2013)

Just for shooting photos the 1100D will suit your needs but if you plan on shooting videos I'd stay away from it since it can only shoot up to 720p.


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## Geoff (Jan 18, 2013)

Whatever you go with, you should try to plan for the future.  Canon's lenses are generally a bit cheaper, and they have more options available in various price ranges.  I will say that Nikon has better lower-end cameras and lenses though.

For starting out you'll want a camera that's comfortable for you, some prefer Nikon's feel, and menu/button layout while others such as myself prefer Canon.  It's safe to say that whatever you start out with, there's a good chance you'll stick with them if you decide to get into photography professionally.


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## spirit (Jan 18, 2013)

As well as Nikon and Canon, you may also want to consider Pentax and Sony too. Pentax have some very nice bodies on sale. The K-30 is a fantastic body and is weather sealed (a big advantage Pentax have over Canon and Nikon in the lower-end market) and it's quite cheap. I probably wouldn't recommend the K-30 for video though as it doesn't have an external mic input I don't think, but for stills it'll be great!

If you want to save space you may want to consider a mirrorless camera too.


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## voyagerfan99 (Jan 18, 2013)

I'll sell you my EOS 50D


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## Geoff (Jan 18, 2013)

voyagerfan99 said:


> i'll sell you my eos 50d



 

You would, lol


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## voyagerfan99 (Jan 18, 2013)

Well I do wanna get rid of it. I don't need two camera bodies


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## Life (Jan 18, 2013)

voyagerfan99 said:


> Well I do wanna get rid of it. I don't need two camera bodies



How much do you want for it? I am in the market for a new camera myself.


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## Machin3 (Jan 18, 2013)

Ok I understand, I'll probably go over to a store then and check it out. I was looking between the canon 1100D/600D and the nikon 3100/3200 and was going to go with a nikon 3100 but I heard it has that weird AF noise when you are shooting video. Correct?


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## voyagerfan99 (Jan 18, 2013)

{AL}-Life-{CoS} said:


> How much do you want for it? I am in the market for a new camera myself.



$650, body only (You'd need to buy a lens). Comes with a battery grip, three batteries, battery charger, neck strap, manual, and I'll even throw in a 128MB Compact Flash card. It's currently getting looked at for service. The shutter will most likely be replaced, but I'm not 100% sure yet.


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## Geoff (Jan 18, 2013)

voyagerfan99 said:


> Well I do wanna get rid of it. I don't need two camera bodies


Oh I mis-read, I thought you were wanting to sell the new 7D you just bought from me


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## spirit (Jan 18, 2013)

Machin3 said:


> Ok I understand, I'll probably go over to a store then and check it out. I was looking between the canon 1100D/600D and the nikon 3100/3200 and was going to go with a nikon 3100 but I heard it has that weird AF noise when you are shooting video. Correct?



Yes that's correct. If you are shooting video you don't want a D3100 because you can't use an external microphone. You want a D3200 or a D5100 or D5200 for video, they all have external microphone ports.

I own a D3200 myself and I love it. I chose it over the 600D because it was cheaper and to me it felt better. If you want to see some photos I've been taking with it, see here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonbrown2013/

If for whatever reason you can't try out a D3200, try out a D3100 - because the D3100 and the D3200 feel exactly the same.


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## Life (Jan 18, 2013)

voyagerfan99 said:


> $650, body only (You'd need to buy a lens). Comes with a battery grip, three batteries, battery charger, neck strap, manual, and I'll even throw in a 128MB Compact Flash card. It's currently getting looked at for service. The shutter will most likely be replaced, but I'm not 100% sure yet.



Sorry, but 650 was a bit out of my price range, sorry though.If you ever find yourself coming down on that price, shoot me a pm.


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## Machin3 (Jan 18, 2013)

spirit said:


> Yes that's correct. If you are shooting video you don't want a D3100 because you can't use an external microphone. You want a D3200 or a D5100 or D5200 for video, they all have external microphone ports.
> 
> I own a D3200 myself and I love it. I chose it over the 600D because it was cheaper and to me it felt better. If you want to see some photos I've been taking with it, see here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonbrown2013/
> 
> If for whatever reason you can't try out a D3200, try out a D3100 - because the D3100 and the D3200 feel exactly the same.



Ok, yeah I was looking at a review of the 3100 and they were saying that one of the major setbacks was that AutoFocus noise and the fact that it kept doing that and that it had no external microphone port. I mean, I don't know how much video I'll be shooting but its nice to have that option too you know? But I'll take a look around for a 3200 see if there is one cheap or something. 

I saw your flickr page and really liked the photos. You like how the 3200 handles and everything?


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## spirit (Jan 18, 2013)

The D3200 is a really nice camera, the 24 megapixels are great it you want to crop, but the downside is the files are large (RAW files are about 20MB a piece, JEPGs about 15MB and over 20MB usually once processed in Lightroom). One of the major reasons for buying a D3200 over the D3100 asides from the megapixels was it offers more expandability with the microphone. The trouble is you never know what you might like to do in the future, so if you do get into video, you'll find the D3100's lack of a mic jack a real limitation. The D3200 has the autofocus noise problem too, but you can resolve it by using an external microphone, whereas on the D3100 obviously you can't. 

The price of the D3200 is falling, so I'd definitely recommend getting a D3200 over a D3100 and even a D5100. The D5100 has a few features which the D3200 does not have - in-built HDR (I think), a 'flippy' screen (not really needed anyway apart from maybe if you want to take photos or video from weird angles) and it's a tiny bit larger, but overall I think the D3200 is a better camera. It certainly has a newer, faster processor and obviously more megapixels.

You're going to want to shoot in RAW and post process the photos yourself if you want to get the best out of the camera. That goes for any D-SLR though. 

By the way I have a 16GB and a 32GB card for my D3200. The 16GB card can hold around 500 RAW files, the 32GB can hold around 1000.


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## Machin3 (Jan 19, 2013)

Ugh, I'm really tempted to get that D3200 but its roughly ~$550 which is a little much I guess. Idk, I'm sure it would be worth the price due to the 24 megapixels and microphone input port. This is a pretty hard decision I must ponder upon. :/


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## voyagerfan99 (Jan 19, 2013)

Spend at least a decent chunk of change on an entry DSLR. It'll take you at least a little while to conform to it and learn to use it. When you feel limited, then just upgrade.


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## Machin3 (Jan 19, 2013)

Ok, so get the D3200 then right lol?


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## voyagerfan99 (Jan 19, 2013)

Correct


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## Machin3 (Jan 19, 2013)

Alright, thank you gentlemen for your help!


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## spirit (Jan 19, 2013)

Yes, definitely get a D3200 if you want an entry level Nikon. It's worth of cost. I love mine.


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## Machin3 (Jan 19, 2013)

Just ordered the 3200. $547 lol. Can't wait till it gets here to play around with it.


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## spirit (Jan 19, 2013)

Excellent! It really is a fantastic camera.


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## Machin3 (Jan 26, 2013)

Got my pretty toy in yesterday and I've been playing around with it. I really like it so far. Definitely a big difference from the Canon G10. 

I was wondering in terms of lenses, and pardon me because I am still learning this new system of DSLRs, what kind of lense would I need to get a farther zoom if that's the correct term to use with DSLRs. Like in the terms of a point and shoot camera, you had say a 15x zoom for example. Is there a lense that allows you to zoom in farther than the stock lense?


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## Life (Jan 26, 2013)

Oh yes there are lots. Here is an example of one of many: http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-55-300m...359165829&sr=8-1&keywords=zoom+lens+for+d3200


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## Machin3 (Jan 26, 2013)

Oh ok, so keep it at 55mm and just change the second value? so either 200mm or 300mm?


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## Life (Jan 26, 2013)

Machin3 said:


> Oh ok, so keep it at 55mm and just change the second value? so either 200mm or 300mm?



For zoom yes. They cost between $140-$400, depending on what you get for what camera. When you get Geoff's camera, you'll be spending $1000-$3000.

I personally recommend this lens. http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-55-200m...74&sr=8-2&keywords=Nikkor+zoom+lens+for+d3200


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## Machin3 (Jan 26, 2013)

Yeah thats the one that I was looking at. I didnt want to get as much as 300mm but wanted a little more than stock. I think I might pick one of those 200mm ones up. Thanks for the help.


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## Life (Jan 26, 2013)

Machin3 said:


> Yeah thats the one that I was looking at. I didnt want to get as much as 300mm but wanted a little more than stock. I think I might pick one of those 200mm ones up. Thanks for the help.



Any time, if you have anymore questions, shoot away:good:


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## spirit (Jan 26, 2013)

Yes, the bigger the second number, usually the longer the focal length.

However, you'll want to keep your 18-55 too because obviously the 55-200, 55-300 and 70-300 lenses aren't wide lenses (they are telephoto only). The smaller the first number, the wider-angle the lens is.

So for the wide shots (landscapes mainly), you'll want your 18-55. For the telephoto shots (nature, planes, 'things which are a long way away'), you'll want your zoom lens.

Nikon have a great tool here which allows you to try lenses virtually - here it is http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/simulator/ just drag the slider along and it'll tell you what focal length you're looking at. As you will be able to see, there isn't a lot of difference between 200mm and 300mm, so I'd probably save your money and get the 55-200mm. Make sure you get the AF-S one with VR because the D3200 doesn't have an in-built focus motor. VR is handy too as it will minimise blurry shots taken at long focal lengths.

By the way, I'm thinking about picking up that lens for airshows.


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