Beginner 700d and d5300

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Adam
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Hi guys

Looking at getting a first dslr without spending a huge amount (for now) and looking at reviews the 700d seems to perform worse than the d5300. Would this be a noticeable difference? Especially at my level of skill. As I do like some of the features on the 700d (touchscreen for menus etc).

Plan on using it for usual shots of the kids, animals, landscapes etc. Some of which could be in low light.

Cheers for any help you can provide

Adam
 
You need to hold both and see how they feel to you. Personally I'd go for an older 2nd hand body and lens to start off with if it's your first DSLR. The only reason I say this is to see if you enjoy the onerous task of carrying around a DSLR with a lens attached. It can become a bit of a chore.
 
There are a couple of other good reasons to buy second hand too. Canon and Nikon - in particular - have different ergonomics and control systems, and some people have a strong preference for one or the other. Handling the cameras will give you a good idea of what they feel like, but there's really no substitute for using them. New cameras lose a lot of value quickly, and changing systems can get expensive if you find that you'd really prefer something else. Buying second hand is cheaper and you can often sell on without losing much on the deal.

I doubt if you'd notice any difference in image quality at all between the 700D, the D5300 and their previous incarnations, going back two or three generations. This is mainly down to the photographer.
 
Yeah didn't think would be a noticeable difference.

My local shops don't have those models but similar so will have to look around

Cheers everyone
 
what sort of lens would you guys recommend to start off with? would you just suggest the kit lens or maybe a 50mm f/1.4? or even a longer one like 18-140 or 18-300?
 
Learn the tricks of the trade with the kit lens first. Understand what it can do and what it can't do then decide which additional lenses you need. Just jumping for a prime lens may not suit you or if it does then you may not be happy with the 50mm focal length so may want to consider others instead... Just have a play in a shop with both makes and see if you can navigate their menus aswell.
 
just the 18-55mm first? or the 18-135mm if its affordable for me? or would it be worth just getting a longer 70-300 in the future?
 
The 18-55 will be fine but obviously the 18-135 offers more scope. Both are good lenses. I had the 18-105 with my Nikon but swapped it for a 17-50 f2.8 and can't say I miss it but I have a 70-300 aswell so maybe that's why? If going Canon then I believe the 55-250 is a very well respected lens that punches above it's weight and is usually favoured over the 70-300.

If you have the cash then the bigger kit lens would be the one I go for just so that you don't keep thinkin 'what if' and it'll be worth more if you come to sell.
 
Yeah just have to see what deals I can find then.

Thanks for your help.
 
Yeah ill get some posted. Probably be a month till I grab a camera anyway :(

Bloody kids and their birthdays haha

Again thanks for the advice
 
But think iv managed to get the Mrs to let me spend around 700 so think I'll get the longer kit lens on whichever of the cameras I prefer the feel of! Result!

Haha
 
Problem is I can't get into trade on here and places like mpb are still fairly expensive as most don't seem to come with a lens.

Originally I was just looking at around £500 and was looking at the d3300 but now looking to push that to bout £700 at most
 
On mpb used 700d and 18-135 lens works out at £600 so not really sure what higher body + lens to look at​
 
Brand spankers

http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/nikon-d5300--18-140mm-vr-kit-1531-p.asp

http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/canon-700d-kit-18-135-stm-1277-p.asp

Better models

http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/canon-60d--canon-18-55mm-is-ii-lens-589-p.asp

http://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/nikon-d7000-d-slr-digital-camera-body--18-105mm-vr-lens-811-p.asp

They're grey imports but offer better value for money and the warranty is taken care of by the seller themselves.

Are you dead set on a dslr? If not then you could consider a mirrorless system such as the Olympus em5/em10 or Panasonic GX7. You could also look into the Fuji X system. Maybe the x-e1 for example. You could also look at the new Sony a6000.
 
Too many choices and options! At least got a bit of time to think about it and do my research. Only other option could be to get one of the high end entry models from there and get a better lens aswell if budget will allow.
 
can get the 700d for example with 18-55 and 55-250 for £100 less than the 18-135. would the 18-135 be worth the extra money? obviously get less zoom but the benefit of not having to change lens and its STM which will benefit movies..... ooooh too many choices haha
 
I've never done much with dSLR video except to discover whilst the footage is excellent, it needs a lot of thought planning a shoot compared to a traditional camcorder.

When friends ask me what they should buy I suggest that until they discover where their photographic interests lie, to buy a camera with the kit lens and to couple it up with the equivalent level of telephoto zoom and possibly add a cheap fast prime - e.g. 50mm f/1.8, and with these they stand a chance of getting a reasonable shot of most subjects, and as they develop their interests and focus on what genre they like then to refine their lenses and sell off what they don't use.

Many people also buy the wrong equipment for what they want - e.g. a full DSLR setup when what they really needed was a high quality compact or one of the newer mirror less cameras. Its the difference between taking up photography as a hobby, rather than wanting capture a record of your current lifestyle.
 
Yeah thanks for your advice. I do want to take it up as a hobby so just need to find the right model for me now really.

Thank you
 
Yes it is on my list of possibilities. Plenty of time to think yet
 
Well iv handled a 700d and a d5200, both felt comfortable to be honest and im guessing the other models by each make are going to be similar so now depends on budget. I'm still unsure between d5300 and 700d although the touchscreen seems to be swaying me towards 700d for ease of use (at a cost of iq and iso performance according to reviews?) And if I decide to spend a bit more then I would choose d7000 over 60d.

With the possibility of a d7200 announced soon (photokina in September? ?) Do you think the d7000 will be discontinued? And a possible price reduction in the d7100? That could make the d7100 a possibility.

Thoughts on that?
 
I'm not waiting for the d7200 haha. Just wondering if it was as imminent as rumours suggest then if it could bring the d7100 within my price range which would be a nice possibility. I will more than likely buy a d7000 before that time anyway (want to get shooting asap!)
 
I found myself making a similar choice back in February when I was choosing between the 700D and D5200. From a technical specs point of view it was again a choice between the touch screen on the 700D and the apparently slightly better IQ of the Nikon. Deep down I think I also preferred the thought of owning a Nikon for some purely brand related image reason.

For me the choice was made easier when I took the advice of people on here and tried them in the shop. I found my thumb naturally rested over a couple of the buttons on the D5200 where as it seemed to rest more naturally on the rubberised section between the buttons on the 700D. I went for the Canon and have been happy with my choice (not to say I wouldn't have been happy if I'd preferred the feel of the Nikon and I'd gone for that).

In terms of body IQ I've found this to be pretty much irrelevant. I don't think IQ related to the 700D is a significant limiting factor in my photography at the moment and I'm guessing it won't be for some time. As I’ve bought extra lenses to cover different focal lengths I’ve found better lenses do make a significant difference to IQ, much greater than I expected to be able to see as a beginner. However I still think I'm the biggest limiting factor to my photography so haven’t upgraded my kit lens.

I have found the touch screen invaluable. As someone who's last three phones have been touch screen I frequently find my self irritated when I pick up none touch screen devices of a similar size. This aside being able to just touch the settings on the screen that I want to change has made things much easier for me to pick up as I'm learning. As I get more used to the camera I am starting to gradually use more of the direct access buttons but I'm always going to use the touch screen to scroll through images or zoom in on an area and can't currently imagine myself moving to a none touch screen camera in the future.

I notice the D5300 has GPS and Wi-Fi built in which would have made the decision slightly harder but I think with hindsight I'd still rather have the touch screen myself.

If you find yourself looking at more expensive bodies I'd think carefully about whether to do that or spend the money on lenses and other kit. The money I spent on my body and kit lens turns out to have been a small fraction of what I’ve spent on kit since. (Hope you realise what you could be starting here :) )

Just my 10 cents worth from my admittedly limited experience so far. We all have different preferences so the touch screen may not be such a big draw for others.
 
No I completely understand and am expecting to spend a lot over the years haha. I'm not getting one for a month or so I believe so plenty of time to check price and handle more cameras. But again I think the touch screen would sway me if budget restricts and if I can spend that little bit more then ill go for a dual control dial camera to make manual shooting that much simpler.

How do you find the touchscreen/menu for manual shooting and changing settings?
 
I haven't really used full manual, I tend to switch between Aperture and Shutter priority.

For me the main advantage of the touch screen (settings wise) was whilst getting the hang of the various parameters because you can look at what's set and just touch that setting to change without having to then locate the direct access button. I've pretty much always set ISO manually and this is the one direct access button I've used from the start. I've now moved on to the direct access buttons and the top dial for setting exposure compensation and focus points which I find quicker than the screen now I'm used to them. Now I mainly use the screen for switching between drive modes (single or continuous shots), metering modes and focus modes but I'm starting to use the direct access buttons for drive mode and focus modes as well.

The touch screen makes access to file type and metering modes and navigating through menus to find lesser used functions much easier. Also navigating and zooming in on images is really easy.

I think I'd now find the additional dial on the 70D useful for focus point selection and exposure compensation but that would have been £400 I wouldn't have been able to spend on other bits and that functionality wouldn't be as useful to me as my 70-300, prime, tripod or filters, etc. Now I've got the 700D I can't really justify upgrading until I've improved further although it would be nice. Also at the time I went for the 700D I didn't really know if I'd get into photography or if it would be a 5 minute wonder so couldn't really justify the extra expense.

I went for the 18-55 kit lens. An 18-135 would give more flexibility initially but again at a price and I'd personally rather put that money elsewhere, for example towards a fast prime or 70-300. Clearly a lot of this depends on available funds and other financial priorities. If I could afford the 18-135 kit lens on a 70D and then go out buy everything else shortly after if I then decided I needed it, I might go for that option.
 
Yeah I'm just trying to work out how far I can push my budget.

Thinking a 700d with 18-55, 55-250 and a 50f1.8

Or if I can justify the extra

A d7000 with similar or replace the 18-55 and 55-250 with a 18-105 (18-140 if funds will allow) plus the prime and get the longer zoom later
 
I had a canon 350 for a few years, then changed to m4/3 with a panasonic G3.
I liked the size of the panasonic, and the touch screen etc and was happy for 3 years.
I then had a hankering to get another dslr and was considering canon/nikon.
In the end I settled on the nikon D7000 and I love it. I thought I would miss the touch screen etc but I don't.
I like the two dial control, and have customised all the buttons for the controls I use the most.
I replaced the 18-105 with an 18-200, and bought a 50mm 1:8. All I need now is a decent macro lens and I'll be a happy chappy!
 
What did you think to the 18-200? Iv heard they are not as sharp as say a 55-200? Was it much sharper than the 18-105? Or just longer zoom?
 
Most people would replace their kit lenses with something like the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 which offers faster performance and better IQ for a great price. 50mm is a bit meh on crop sensors so 35mm would be a more 'normal' focal length for a prime lens on these bodies.
 
What David said about the 50 v's 35mm. I think a lot of people talk about 50mm because of the nifty 50 which is so cheap.

I started looking at the 50mm 1.8 and then moved to the 50mm 1.4 because I preferred the build quality and managed to get a new one from Wex for not much more than they were going for 2nd hand on ebay. In hindsight once I'd moved into that price bracket I would have been better looking for something like a 28 or 35mm.

I found the 50mm a little long on a recent trip to Goodwood. That said, although its not as useful to me as a general lens I think it in encourages me to be more creative and think about what I'm doing so I'm not going to get rid.

For me maybe a 50mm 1.8 and a 28mm would have been a better option.
 
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