Hoping someone can help me?

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Kimberley
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Hi everyone,

Let me start of by saying I am absolutely useless when it comes to cameras. I know nothing! But, I would be very grateful for some much needed advice.

This year, for health reasons, my husband and I have spent a lot more time out and about doing countryside walks etc and as a result my husband has developed an interest in nature photography along the way. Currently we own a Nikon bridge camera which is useless as it rarely focuses on anything and freezes a lot. I am therefore going to buy him a new entry level Dslr camera for Christmas, however I have absolutely no idea where to start.

Any recommendations or advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you :)
 
Ok there's soooooo many suggestions, so I think to start narrowing things down a bit we could do with knowing budget, whether he'll just be taking landscapes or whether he'll venture into other genres? Also, does he want something more compact and lightweight as compact system cameras can deliver everything a DSLR can barring the autofocus systems of the high end DLSRs, and often in a smaller lighter package.
 
His favourite thing to find and photograph was wild birds, from robins to birds of prey. The other main use we have is for photographing our own pets (dogs and a parrot) so need something with quick responses as they don't fit still for long! He didn't do many landscape shots, but I think he also wants a Dslr as they offer a lot of photography days at the national trust properties we visit and felt left out without one!

Budget is around £400-500.

Thank you!
 
His favourite thing to find and photograph was wild birds, from robins to birds of prey. The other main use we have is for photographing our own pets (dogs and a parrot) so need something with quick responses as they don't fit still for long! He didn't do many landscape shots, but I think he also wants a Dslr as they offer a lot of photography days at the national trust properties we visit and felt left out without one!

Budget is around £400-500.

Thank you!

Ok a DSLR would be better due to the better autofocus for moving subjects. This would be a very good starter package IMO, giving you a short zoom for general photography (including landscapes) and telephoto for wildlife. Nikon do some of the best entry level DSLRs.

http://www.jessops.com/online.store...R Lens - Exclusive to Jessops-93221/Show.html

The other option would be to buy the D3300 with telephoto such as the 55-300mm in the above package, and then a 35mm or 50mm f1.8 prime lens (single focal length) for your pets as this will allow you to get the classic portrait shot with blurred background.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-NIKKOR-35mm-1-8G/dp/B001S2PPT0
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-...TF8&qid=1448748404&sr=1-1&keywords=Nikon+50mm

I personally think you'd be better with the first package and then maybe look at a prime at a later date if you wish to take those kinds of photos.
 
But the OP says they have a bridge and want a DSLR instead :confused:

I know… but she said:
wild birds, from robins to birds of prey. The other main use we have is
for photographing our own pets (dogs and a parrot)

Maybe, like I, she didn't know of the zooming feature, light weight and cost!
Just an idea.
 

I know… but she said:
wild birds, from robins to birds of prey. The other main use we have is
for photographing our own pets (dogs and a parrot)

Maybe, like I, she didn't know of the zooming feature, light weight and cost!
Just an idea.
I think the P900 might be a little slow, especially to focus and in low light (a real issue with birds in forests). Also for fast moving dogs a power zoom isn't good, a quick manual zoom is the order of the day :)
 
You say for health reasons,well getting into a DSLR can mean carrying a fair bit of weight in the form of lenses,the benefit of something like the P900 is all the lenses in one relatively light package,not going to argue about the down side but there are downsides to DSLRs,cost, weight,bulk and lens changes,you need to work out how deep your husband wants to get.
The P900 would be close to useless for moving birds,i have the P610 and know this ;)
 
The problem with four thirds is focusing on moving objects, the OP said they want pictures of their dogs which never sit still! Other than that four thirds is another option.
 
Personally I'd be looking at the micro 4/3 systems.....plus you can get a decent long range focal length for a decent amount......and they're light to carry.
JohnyT
Yep, hence my original questions, but they have a major limitation as pointed out by Mintchocs. I'm lucky enough to have both, and I was hoping to be able to use the M4/3 for wildlife rather than carry 3kg worth of camera and lens, but the AF just isn't up to the job imo.

The problem with four thirds is focusing on moving objects, the OP said they want pictures of their dogs which never sit still! Other than that four thirds is another option.
 
Yep, hence my original questions, but they have a major limitation as pointed out by Mintchocs. I'm lucky enough to have both, and I was hoping to be able to use the M4/3 for wildlife rather than carry 3kg worth of camera and lens, but the AF just isn't up to the job imo.
Zone focus could help, especially with Micro 4/3 giving a greater depth of field.
JohnyT
 
Zone focus could help, especially with Micro 4/3 giving a greater depth of field.
JohnyT
It could, but I like subject isolation and pin sharp images and when taking unpredictable moving targets I don't find it gives me the results I'd want.
 
Thank you so much for all your advice it has given me a lot to think about :)

Ok a DSLR would be better due to the better autofocus for moving subjects. This would be a very good starter package IMO, giving you a short zoom for general photography (including landscapes) and telephoto for wildlife. Nikon do some of the best entry level DSLRs.

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/Digital SLR Cameras/products/Nikon/D3300 Digital SLR 18-55mm VR Lens 55-300mm VR Lens - Exclusive to Jessops-93221/Show.html
.

I like the look of this one, thank you. Could you help me with a few questions?
Are nikons okay? The one we have at the moment is rubbish, it was only £100, but it blurs regularly and is impossible to shoot anything in trees as all you get is a green blur. This made me a bit weary of buying another Nikon.
Is the lens this package comes with sufficient for our needs?
Are there any accessories I should get with it?
What exactly makes this a good camera for what we want? As in, what numbers and spec things should I be looking for?

Thanks again!
 
I have owned the older version of the D3300 (D3100) and the lenses which are included in the link given by @snerkler. As a starting out camera it was very good but for me, but I would possibly just buy the camera body with the 18-55vrii lens and buy a Tamron 70-300mm VC lens as it's a better lens than the 55-300mm linked. I currently own one for my D750. The price will be roughly the same or a few quid more than the original linked. Also the Tamron lens comes with a 5 year warranty.

As for accessories, I assume you have memory cards with your current camera, starting off I would just buy a bag to carry the equipment. I'm not sure what you mean buy health reasons in your opening post, perhaps your trying to get fitter?

If you need stability you can look to purchase a tripod or monopd if needed, but I would try the package out first before buying.

The camera will be an improvement over what you have and with this camera you can crop into the images which is very useful for wildlife photography. A DSLR will have a bigger sensor over your current package and will capture more detail, it will also be quicker as mentioned by Mike above. The nikon camera will last you a good while and will take a little learning to get the best out of it, this applies to most cameras.

Body & 18-55mm lens > http://www.jessops.com/online.store...-18-55mm-f-3-5-5-6-vr-ii-lens-90108/show.html

Tamron 70-300mm VC lens > http://www.jessops.com/online.store...4-5-6-di-vc-usd-lens-nikon-af-77949/show.html
 
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Thank you :)

Does that camera have wifi as on the video shown on the Jessops page it says it does but on techreview it says it doesn't?
 
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Thanks I really liked the look of that camera especially as it comes with two lenses (or we could buy two lenses for the same cost as you mentioned above) so would be good with different things, but having wifi connectivity would be a really handy feature which it doesn't appear to have :(
 
I have owned the older version of the D3300 (D3100) and the lenses which are included in the link given by @snerkler. As a starting out camera it was very good but for me, but I would possibly just buy the camera body with the 18-55vrii lens and buy a Tamron 70-300mm VC lens as it's a better lens than the 55-300mm linked. I currently own one for my D750. The price will be roughly the same or a few quid more than the original linked. Also the Tamron lens comes with a 5 year warranty.

As for accessories, I assume you have memory cards with your current camera, starting off I would just buy a bag to carry the equipment. I'm not sure what you mean buy health reasons in your opening post, perhaps your trying to get fitter?

If you need stability you can look to purchase a tripod or monopd if needed, but I would try the package out first before buying.

The camera will be an improvement over what you have and with this camera you can crop into the images which is very useful for wildlife photography. A DSLR will have a bigger sensor over your current package and will capture more detail, it will also be quicker as mentioned by Mike above. The nikon camera will last you a good while and will take a little learning to get the best out of it, this applies to most cameras.

Body & 18-55mm lens > http://www.jessops.com/online.store...-18-55mm-f-3-5-5-6-vr-ii-lens-90108/show.html

Tamron 70-300mm VC lens > http://www.jessops.com/online.store...4-5-6-di-vc-usd-lens-nikon-af-77949/show.html
Yep the tamron is a better lens but I didn't mention it as it would put the OP over budget.
 
Thanks I really liked the look of that camera especially as it comes with two lenses (or we could buy two lenses for the same cost as you mentioned above) so would be good with different things, but having wifi connectivity would be a really handy feature which it doesn't appear to have :(
I have Wifi and never use it tbh, but if you want wifi you can buy SD cards with wifi in the card.

As for whether Nikon are any good, they are one of the leading brands of cameras, used by amateurs, enthusiasts and pros alike.

Without seeing your images and EXIF data it's difficult to say why you were having problems but it will be either a faulty camera which is very bad luck, or (without being rude) technique/lack of knowledge of the camera. Even bridge cameras have a lot of settings and different autofocus modes and it's very easy to accidentally change something which can throw off the autofocussing or something, we've all done it ;)
 
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Take your husband along to a shop and try a couple out. remember when you get a DSLR you buy into a system so make sure its the right one for you. don't settle for i will get used to it make sure the buttons are in the right place for yo the menu system suits you. good luck
 
I have a Nikon D7000 for sale in the for sale section. You'd then have £250 or so to spend on a lens such as the tamron 70-300 at about £239 which has really good reviews and would be a good starting point for birds. The d3300 has better has more megapixels meaning more definition (though the d7000 still has very good image quality), but the one I'm selling has more focus points making focusing on moving birds easier. So it depends what's more important for you.

Mine doesn't have wifi, but my new one does. From my understanding, wifi won't allow you to just send the images via wifi from camera to computer, it will only allow you to view them on your mobile phone if it's nearby (happy to be corrected if that's not the case).
 
I have a Nikon D7000 for sale in the for sale section. You'd then have £250 or so to spend on a lens such as the tamron 70-300 at about £239 which has really good reviews and would be a good starting point for birds. The d3300 has better has more megapixels meaning more definition (though the d7000 still has very good image quality), but the one I'm selling has more focus points making focusing on moving birds easier. So it depends what's more important for you.

Mine doesn't have wifi, but my new one does. From my understanding, wifi won't allow you to just send the images via wifi from camera to computer, it will only allow you to view them on your mobile phone if it's nearby (happy to be corrected if that's not the case).
No access with 5 posts.
 
Some good advice here . I think you'd be happy with canon or Nikon basic dslr with kit lenses for now . You defn need a zoom lens. Upto around 250 or 300 for now . If poss buy second hand from here .
 
Some good advice here . I think you'd be happy with canon or Nikon basic dslr with kit lenses for now . You defn need a zoom lens. Upto around 250 or 300 for now . If poss buy second hand from here .
Tbh the D3300 kit is so cheap new the savings 2nd hand are hardly worth it IMO.
 
Probably better optics and definitely the fact it's got VC (image stabilisation).
 
Thank you everyone :)

I know this lens:

http://www.jessops.com/online.store...4-5-6-di-vc-usd-lens-canon-af-77950/show.html

Must be better than this lens:

http://www.jessops.com/online.store...-f4-5-6-di-ld-macro-nikon-af--66332/show.html

Because there is such a huge price difference. But they are both 70-300mm so what is the difference? (Sorry I am still learning!)
One's for Nikon and one's for Canon :p

Joking aside (both are available for Canon and Nikon) it's Vibration Compensation, build and optics.
 
I wouldn't worry about that, just make sure you update to the latest firmware when you get it (if it's not updated already).
Is there one? I've just done research following the OP's post and I can't find anywhere that says there's been a firmware update to fix it. It's a weird bug for sure. During the day I can't see it being an issue, but in low light shooting I can see it being annoying tbh.

Edit, definitely no firmware update.
https://support.nikonusa.com/app/an...current-firmware-available-for-nikon-products
 
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Oops!

Thanks for the info!

I was pretty set on the 3300 til I saw this:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3671086
Weird one that. Personally it wouldn't stop me buying it, but for people that do a lot of night shooting I could see it being irritating. During the day you probably won't notice it. Strange that Nikon haven't released an update as the issue seems to be well documented when you google it.

You could always play safe and go for the D3200 or D5200, or of course look at Canon which is the other major brand in DSLR. The only trouble is for this price point Canon sensors can't compete.
 
Is there one? I've just done research following the OP's post and I can't find anywhere that says there's been a firmware update to fix it. It's a weird bug for sure. During the day I can't see it being an issue, but in low light shooting I can see it being annoying tbh.

Edit, definitely no firmware update.
https://support.nikonusa.com/app/an...current-firmware-available-for-nikon-products
I'm surprised there is t a FW update, that would suggest it's not such a big issue?
 
I'm surprised there is t a FW update, that would suggest it's not such a big issue?
No, probably not and as I mentioned it wouldn't put me off I don't think. But a bug's a bug and they should fix it IMO.
 
That DP link is from 2014 initially, perhaps Nikon have fixed it without a FW update?
 
That DP link is from 2014 initially, perhaps Nikon have fixed it without a FW update?
True, quite possible the new ones don't have it. Might be worth trying one in store to see if it has the bug, assuming it's from a latest batch.
 
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