Buying my first DSLR

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redrabbit

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Hi Everyone,

I have a Sony RX100 which I've had for about 18 months. I love the camera although annoyingly it's just broken however I am getting it repaired.

I feel I really want to experience photography more and have always liked the idea of a DSLR and since using my RX100 this idea has grown. I am very flexible on budget but was thinking around £600-£700 for the body, or up to £1000 with lens.

Initially I really liked the look of the Nikons however I can't find any in my price range that have the flip out screen which I feel I could benefit from when doing some videoing. I saw this evening the Canon 70d which seems really ideal for me.

I love taking all sorts of pictures, especially modern street life stuff and I love cityscapes too. I haven't really experimented with wildlife that much as my current compact digital is a bit limited in that respect.

I know this has been asked about a million times, but any advice for someone in my situation?

Thanks everyone,
Redrabbit
 
It doesn't really matter, as long as it's a camera you're comfortable using. You'd be hard pushed to find a bad camera, although the lower the budget the less expectation you should have of the camera performing magic by itself rather than you taking control and working within its performance level.

You'll probably only use one camera at a time but end up with half a dozen lenses. It makes sense to start with the lenses you like and see which body they will fit to, although that's hard if you've never tried any of them before.
 
If just getting into this now I'd go mirrorless... especially if you're potentially into video as some of the mirrorless cameras seem to be more video orientated than some of the DSLR options.

Maybe you could do some research on Compact System Cameras (CSC's) / mirrorless cameras and see if there's a system that catches your eye. Maybe you could also have a think about lens options as you can waste a lot of time and money with the wrong choice for your shooting style and preferences.
 
As above make sure it's one you find comfortable, like the layout and enjoy using. Also DSLRs aren't renowned for their video capability, or should I say autofocus during video, and also 4k is only just creeping into DSLRs. If video is important then maybe mirror less/CSCs would be a better choice.
 
There's a third category between the mirrorless exchangeable lens cameras and DSLRs. That's Sony's line of SLTs, a hybrid of DSLR and mirrorless technology. Sony's idea was to combine the best of DSLR and mirrorless technology. Their detractors think they combine the worst. They look and behave much like DSLRs, but have EVFs, not just tilting but fully articulated live view screens, and can autofocus during video. If you take your time researching all these options carefully you may well find a new model arriving from one or other manufacturer which may well simplify your choice. Or perhaps complicate it :)

It used to be the case that buying into a lens system pretty much locked you into the manufacturer of the camera's which fitted those lenses. The MILCs have upturned that restriction by being able to fit, with adapters, a wide variety of lenses from different systems, although not always with the full performance of all the auto functionality.

What one might call the enthusiast/professional interchangeable lens camera market is struggling to find a marketable strategy with which to navigate the current and future technological changes. It's an interesting time to be considering a DSLR :)

Your RX100 is good enough for you to experiment and discover more precisely in what specific ways you want improved performance. Doing that will help to narrow down what kind of lenses and other features are most important to you.
 
getting into wildlife is like throwing 20 pound notes off the edge of a cliff in a gale ,fine if you have deep pockets ,figure in camera bodies,longer and bigger aperture lenses ,clothing ,travelling ,tripods and supports ,subscriptions to reserves etc caveat emptor
 
I now REALLY like the look of the mirror less cameras - and I've seen the Sony Alpha A7 which is in my price range.

Just be clear... Video is totally secondary. That's not at all a priority. The video I do is just home ones or ones when out travelling to film me and GF at a place.

...

Are the mirror less lenses labelled differently as most seem to only go from about 20-80mm.
 
Worth having a look at Flickr and see what people are achieving with various set ups /brands.
Unless you need super duper focus tracking then I'd recommend a mirror less system. Not cheaper but smaller and lighter - much. Have a look in your local camera shop and see. If you haven't got one of those then check out the "camera size comparison" website and see the difference in size.
With mirrorless you also get great video. And fantastic WYSIWYG EVFs.
And worth checking second hand stuff. Camera improvements really are very incremental. People talk about 5 year old cameras as if they are antiques - those antiques will still provide you with fantastic photos.
Fuji/Sony/Olympus/Panasonic all great brands with great kit.
I've got a Sony A6000 with a Sigma 30mm lens - good for just about all you've mentioned except wildlife. But then you just buy a telephoto.
Have fun choosing - bear in mind that, like modern cars, all modern cameras are very capable.
 
redrabbit said:
I now REALLY like the look of the mirror less cameras - and I've seen the Sony Alpha A7 which is in my price range.

Just be clear... Video is totally secondary. That's not at all a priority. The video I do is just home ones or ones when out travelling to film me and GF at a place.

...

Are the mirror less lenses labelled differently as most seem to only go from about 20-80mm.
Click to expand...
Have a look here:

http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Sony/Sony-NEX-System

The full frame lenses for the A7 are marked FE, the others are for the APS-C cameras (NEX/A6000 etc)
 
And with adaptors you can use just about any lens you like on a Sony.

Further, of note, my Nikon D7000 and a dozen lenses sit in a wardrobe gathering dust - great kit but just too cumbersome/heavy.
 
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redrabbit said:
I now REALLY like the look of the mirror less cameras - and I've seen the Sony Alpha A7 which is in my price range.

Just be clear... Video is totally secondary. That's not at all a priority. The video I do is just home ones or ones when out travelling to film me and GF at a place.

...

Are the mirror less lenses labelled differently as most seem to only go from about 20-80mm.
Click to expand...
What is your priority as you mention video, and also wildlife. I do not rate mirrorless for wildlife, autofocus is still just not up to the job imo unless it's static. Yes you can get some very good wildlife shots with mirrorless, and I've even managed a few half decent ones myself, but it's sooooo much easier with a capable DSLR. I find shooting wildlife with mirrorless extremely frustrating.
 
Wildlife ... I just said I haven't really tried it. My camera is a bit limited in that respect - it's got a limited zoom and I've not really made an effort to try.

My priority is:

- a good ALL ROUND camera

- I enjoy city scape photos

- also some general lifestyle stuff (if that's a category!)

...

It is NOT A PRORITY:

- video - I use basic video functions just to record some random stuff, just home video really for our own memories of holidays and things.

So my needs are probably very generic and wide ranging.
 
redrabbit said:
Wildlife ... I just said I haven't really tried it. My camera is a bit limited in that respect - it's got a limited zoom and I've not really made an effort to try.

My priority is:

- a good ALL ROUND camera

- I enjoy city scape photos

- also some general lifestyle stuff (if that's a category!)

...

It is NOT A PRORITY:

- video - I use basic video functions just to record some random stuff, just home video really for our own memories of holidays and things.

So my needs are probably very generic and wide ranging.
Click to expand...
Sorry, it'll teach me to read properly. It was the post by the black fox that made me think you wanted to do wildlife ;)

Mirrorless would be good then as they're great all rounders, as long as you don't plan on taking too much moving stuff. If you do want to take the odd moving thing and want mirrorless the Sony A6000 and Olympus EM1 are arguably your best bet. There's an EM1-II due for release soon but I'd imagine this'll be well out of budget.
 
The Olympus EM1 seems good ... Some of the reviews are mixed though.

I notice it has 16mp in contrast with my others that have 24. Do you believe that should be taken into account?
 
If can, try to pop along to a local shop and have a hold of / try them out.

It is an individual thing buying a new camera and you need to make sure it feels right in your hans, you like / can get along with the menu system and as you are doing, decided what is / isn't important for you on your new camera ...
 
redrabbit said:
The Olympus EM1 seems good ... Some of the reviews are mixed though.

I notice it has 16mp in contrast with my others that have 24. Do you believe that should be taken into account?
Click to expand...
Not unless you tend to crop a lot, or want to print huge. Don't forget a HD screen is only 2mp so you don't need anything bigger than a 2mp camera to view on that. A 4k screen is only 8.3MP so half of what the Olympus offers.

What's the mixed reviews you've read. The only real negatives I've seen regarding the EM1 is noise in really long exposures, and that noise isn't quite as good as the newer Ollies. Probably only less that 1/3 stop compared to the new ollies though, and if pushed I'll shoot at 6400 on my EM5-II (although try to keep it below 3200).

andyred said:
If can, try to pop along to a local shop and have a hold of / try them out.

It is an individual thing buying a new camera and you need to make sure it feels right in your hans, you like / can get along with the menu system and as you are doing, decided what is / isn't important for you on your new camera ...
Click to expand...
This, ergonomics and control layout is arguably the most important thing, if you don't get on with it you won't use it. Olympus menu systems are probably the worst, but don't let this put you off. Once set up and you've personalised the function buttons and activated the super control panel they really are a joy to use, and you rarely have to venture back into the menus.
 
Wander round a shop and have a hold of them all. You originally mentioned the Canon 70D - which has the flippy out screen. That would be a good choice if you want the DSLR experience (which isn't better than mirrorless, just different, more old school sort of). I was in a similar position to you a while back and went DSLR because moving aeroplanes and birds were on my list of things I wanted to shoot and DSLR's focus faster, at present anyway. I went Nikon because I prefer the button layout having tried a few. There are downsides though, like shutter/mirror noise if you're somewhere quiet, size is another, they can be big lumps. Have fun choosing!
 
If you're considering micro 4/3 I'd also consider the Panasonic G7. It's the equal of the EM1 in every way except in-body stabilisation, but has better ergonomics IMHO and is a lot cheaper. (If you use Panasonic lenses they're generally stabilised anyway). Take a look at some reviews...
I think micro 4/3 is a good choice as the system (i.e. including lenses) is smaller/lighter than nearly every other system, while the quality is plenty good enough. There's also a very good range of decent lenses, and a wide selection of bodies, in a wide variety of styles, to choose from.
 
I went from Canon 550d to 6d to Fuji X-T1, the latter being the best camera I've ever owned.

I'm all one for wanting to go out and enjoy taking pictures. The 6d and lenses was just too much of a beast to haul around everywhere.

The X-T1 with 18-55 kit lens is out this world. It's build quality, ease of use, picture quality, size, all is near perfect IMO. I don't miss full frame at all. This camera is so diverse!
 
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