First DSLR on a budget - my options

SamTD

SamTD

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Sam
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Hi all first post here! Wasn't sure if this should go in the section or the beginner forum so I apologise if it's in the wrong place!

I'm really interested in getting my first DSLR camera as up until now I have used my wife's bridge camera, or a mobile phone.

I'm limited by budget as I have just got married, so I'm looking at second hand and for my budget I have seen:

-Nikon d3100 or d3200
-Nikon d5100
-Canon 1100d or 1200d

I know there are other brands but I've just been researching these at the moment, any advice on these cameras and which you would reccomend.

I plan on doing nature photography and sightseeing photography really.
 
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what is your total budget will make it much easier for people to recommend you something!
 
Hi Sam and welcome to TP

First thing I would recommend is you try to have a play with a couple of different makes / models to see what feels best for you, which buttons on the camera sit best and whose menu system you like / don't like...

The Canon 40D is a belter of a body and certainly worth a look at 2nd hand...
 
If it was me I'd track down a Nikon d3200 with kit lens which should be achievable for that budget it's a cracking camera with a really solid sensor, you can then look to expand your lens collection over time.
 
Checkout Mifsuds, they have a large selection of used cameras and lenses.
 
You're going to have to consider lenses as well. Nature photography is a broad spectrum which could include landscapes, but could also include birds and so on. Coupled with sightseeing, you may end needing a long telephoto as well as a wider angle lens.
 
As already mentioned I would strongly urge you to try a few of the main brands out and see which suit you best. Some of the controls are quite different and you may prefer one over the other. Once you've decided on a brand then start looking at models. I shoot Nikon so can only advise on those, but the D3200 is hard to beat for the money.
 
Wow thanks for all the friendly advice :)

should have time tomorrow to pop in to a big shop and try out a few of the Different camera brands. The more I read however the d3200 seems like the frontrunner, lots of them available second hand near me.
 
SamTD said:
Wow thanks for all the friendly advice :)

should have time tomorrow to pop in to a big shop and try out a few of the Different camera brands. The more I read however the d3200 seems like the frontrunner, lots of them available second hand near me.
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The sensor in the d3200 is a step up from anything else in your price range I would say, the canon offerings can't touch it!
 
a1ex2001 said:
The sensor in the d3200 is a step up from anything else in your price range I would say, the canon offerings can't touch it!
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Agreed, for an 'entry' level camera the sensor performance is very impressive.

 
I bought my first slr totally blind I don't think it really matters they will all take some getting use to and will very rarely be a perfect fit!
 
a1ex2001 said:
I bought my first slr totally blind I don't think it really matters they will all take some getting use to and will very rarely be a perfect fit!
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You pays your money you takes your chances. I'm glad I tried before I bought as I wanted the Nikon D7100 when I bought my first DSLR, tried it in store and hated the ergonomics and walked out with a Sony A77 instead.
 
It looks like you have been given some good advice regarding cameras but have you thought about lenses yet? Handling cameras does help you decide which to go with as if it doesn't feel natural you won't use it as much.

Nature and sightseeing photography covers quite a broad subject and can mean quite a broad range of lenses too. If you have a budget if £200 for the camera what's your budget for lenses? A kit lens like a 18-55mm can be picked you for around £50-80. If you are looking at telephoto lenses then it can easily be in the realms of £200 for a good second hand lens like a 70-300, although you can pick some up for around £80-100 but there are compromises with slower auto focus. It can be a bit of a minefield knowing which lens to go with but I'm sure everyone on here can give you some advice.
 
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a1ex2001 said:
The sensor in the d3200 is a step up from anything else in your price range I would say, the canon offerings can't touch it!
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The 18MP Canon sensor is easily good enough for any use an amateur would probably use it for, and the price of Canon lenses for a user on a budget is quite a bonus for any photographer on a budget.

Just look at the Canon 10-18mm, 24 STM, 40 STM, 50 ii, 55-250 STM, 70-300 IS, where there are Nikon variants they are usually more expensive.
 
I bought a Nikon d3200 a few months back and I would recommend them, but has been mentioned go and have a play to see which feels the best.
 
rob-nikon said:
It looks like you have been given some good advice regarding cameras but have you thought about lenses yet? Handling cameras does help you decide which to go with as if it doesn't feel natural you won't use it as much.

Nature and sightseeing photography covers quite a broad subject and can mean quite a broad range of lenses too. If you have a budget if £200 for the camera what's your budget for lenses? A kit lens like a 18-55mm can be picked you for around £50-80. If you are looking at telephoto lenses then it can easily be in the realms of £200 for a good second hand lens like a 70-300, although you can pick some up for around £80-100 but there are compromises with slower auto focus. It can be a bit of a minefield knowing which lens to go with but I'm sure everyone on here can give you some advice.
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Honestly at first I'm going to just use the kit lens, see what I enjoy the most and then go from there, whether it be a zoom or wide :)
 
I would hunt for a brand new kit which includes the long zoom lens, find the cheapest inclusive. (£200 is too stingey) They are all such good sensors these days.
I would include Sony and Pentax in my choices too, since this is just a cheap entry-level DSLR kit.
 
Dave1 said:
The 18MP Canon sensor is easily good enough for any use an amateur would probably use it for,
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Whilst possibly true, if starting from scratch wouldn't you rather get the best you can for a given price point? There's no denying that with regards to the part of the camera that captures the image, the Nikon is significantly better than the Canons in the example above.

and the price of Canon lenses for a user on a budget is quite a bonus for any photographer on a budget.

Just look at the Canon 10-18mm, 24 STM, 40 STM, 50 ii, 55-250 STM, 70-300 IS, where there are Nikon variants they are usually more expensive.
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There are some bargain Nikon lenses too, but you're right if one brand has specific lenses you want that are considerably cheaper then it's worth considering for sure.
 
SamTD said:
Honestly at first I'm going to just use the kit lens, see what I enjoy the most and then go from there, whether it be a zoom or wide :)
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Looking at MPBs prices you could pick up a d3100 and a kit lens like a 18-55mm lens within the £200 budget. If you are not happy going down the second hand route via place like ebay MPB are a good place to buy from and usually give a 6 month warranty too. A d3200 and kits lens should be within your budget if you buy privately second hand.

One word of warning at the start you won't need lots of accessories like tripods, filters, extra batteries etc. A memory card, a lens cleaning cloth and maybe a rocket blower is all you really need as a start.
 
Ulfric M Douglas said:
I would hunt for a brand new kit which includes the long zoom lens, find the cheapest inclusive. (£200 is too stingey) They are all such good sensors these days.
I would include Sony and Pentax in my choices too, since this is just a cheap entry-level DSLR kit.
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I'd be concerned about buying Sony at the moment tbh as the future of a-mount seems a bit uncertain. Granted they have just announced an new entry level DSLT but it still seems a bit uncertain. The Sony cameras are excellent though.
 
Dave1 said:
The 18MP Canon sensor is easily good enough for any use an amateur would probably use it for, and the price of Canon lenses for a user on a budget is quite a bonus for any photographer on a budget.

Just look at the Canon 10-18mm, 24 STM, 40 STM, 50 ii, 55-250 STM, 70-300 IS, where there are Nikon variants they are usually more expensive.
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I do agree to a certain extent BUT the Sony sensors Nikon are using are better across the range and if anything the gap seems to be widening so if choosing a system tomorrow I would certainly choose Nikon! I chose canon ages ago though and I'm still happy with my choice!
 
SamTD said:
Honestly at first I'm going to just use the kit lens, see what I enjoy the most and then go from there, whether it be a zoom or wide :)
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If you PM me your address I would be happy to send you a SD memory card I no longer use. At least it would give a start. That is of course if the camera you go with uses SD cards otherwise it would be pretty useless!
 
a1ex2001 said:
I do agree to a certain extent BUT the Sony sensors Nikon are using are better across the range and if anything the gap seems to be widening so if choosing a system tomorrow I would certainly choose Nikon! I chose canon ages ago though and I'm still happy with my choice!
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Yeah it's a bid odd that Canon have let themselves slip so much, I do sometimes wonder if they have something up their sleeve.
 
When I bought my DSLR I had about the same budget as you and bought a canon 1100d. Now that I've had it for about 10 months, I wish I had saved up for longer and bought something a bit more up to date. The noise at anything over iso 800 renders the picture nearly unusable for me.
 
snerkler said:
I'd be concerned about buying Sony at the moment tbh as the future of a-mount seems a bit uncertain. Granted they have just announced an new entry level DSLT but it still seems a bit uncertain. The Sony cameras are excellent though.
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A few years back I moved brands because of something similar with Olympus. I had a E410 and a couple of kit lenses and I was looking at upgrading both in the near future. Olympus seemed to be withdrawing support for the micro thirds with no replacement cameras for the e620, e3/e5 cameras or recent lenses. I decided to move before having too much invested. I had a few friends with nikons that I felt handled nicely so I went that way. If I had friends with canons then maybe I would have gone the other way. To be honest until you start investing in lenses you can easily change systems and not make a mistake deciding with manufacturer to go with.
 
rob-nikon said:
A few years back I moved brands because of something similar with Olympus. I had a E410 and a couple of kit lenses and I was looking at upgrading both in the near future. Olympus seemed to be withdrawing support for the micro thirds with no replacement cameras for the e620, e3/e5 cameras or recent lenses. I decided to move before having too much invested. I had a few friends with nikons that I felt handled nicely so I went that way. If I had friends with canons then maybe I would have gone the other way. To be honest until you start investing in lenses you can easily change systems and not make a mistake deciding with manufacturer to go with.
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To be honest if Sony had shown more interest in A-mount, especially FF bodies I'd probably still be a Sony user rather than a Nikon user ;)
 
Nostromo said:
When I bought my DSLR I had about the same budget as you and bought a canon 1100d. Now that I've had it for about 10 months, I wish I had saved up for longer and bought something a bit more up to date. The noise at anything over iso 800 renders the picture nearly unusable for me.
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I'm surprised they're that bad tbh. I'm picky with noise and wouldn't have too much of an issue using the D3200 up to ISO 3200 with a bit of NR in PP.
 
rob-nikon said:
Looking at MPBs prices you could pick up a d3100 and a kit lens like a 18-55mm lens within the £200 budget. If you are not happy going down the second hand route via place like ebay MPB are a good place to buy from and usually give a 6 month warranty too. A d3200 and kits lens should be within your budget if you buy privately second hand.

One word of warning at the start you won't need lots of accessories like tripods, filters, extra batteries etc. A memory card, a lens cleaning cloth and maybe a rocket blower is all you really need as a start.
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Prices are falling fast for entry level DSLRs, you can now get the D3300 brand new with kit lens for only £259.00. Surely you can't go wrong with that :)
 
snerkler said:
I'm surprised they're that bad tbh. I'm picky with noise and wouldn't have too much of an issue using the D3200 up to ISO 3200 with a bit of NR in PP.
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I borrowed my friend's D3200 a few times, and stuck my 35mm 1.8G on it. Pretty good images for such a low cost camera, even up to pretty high ISO settings.
 
jonbeeza said:
Actually it is ONLY £259 with cash back, surely it has to be worth a look !
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Thanks for posting this! £260 after cash back for a brand new D3300! Thats what I'm buying! Wont be until Christmas, but I like to plan ahead and research.

Thanks for all the help, I will go in to the shop and check I like how it feels tomorrow and let you all know!
 
I would back up the recommendation of handling these cameras before you buy. I tried a bunch and found the D3200 terribly cramped in *my* hands, eventually choosing the Sony a58. If you've been using a bridge camera then you would probably find the EVF of the Sony an easier transition than a typical DSLR with a relatively dim pentamirror viewfinder that doesn't provide a live view.
 
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