Beginner Which camera is right for me?!

harris3112

harris3112

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Hi all,
I'm afraid this will probably be the same post as about 1000 others but here goes....
I have been using a Sony DSC HX300 bridge camera now for a year and feel like I'm really starting to outgrow it so would like a DSLR. The only problem being the more research I do, the more confused I am becoming!! I am a very keen photographer and always use the priority modes on the Sony so I am familiar with settings etc. I see myself as more of an enthusiast than a beginner and would love to shoot sports scenes mainly (surfing), along with landscapes and anything else that takes my fancy! (I have a Facebook page M H Images with examples of the stuff I like to take).
I suppose I would just like advice on what camera I should be going for..... canon/nikon/old body new lenses/new camera pack (like the ones on sale in currys at the moment- they appear to have a good deal for a nikon d3300 but don't know if I should go for something a little more higher spec). I would have ideally liked my budget to be about £500 incl a lens or two but I don't know if that's being a little "head in the clouds" as it were!
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!
 
You could make a shortlist of "camera packs" (kits) with long zooms and read reviews of those zooms : for surfing of course you will want the best long kit zoom inside your budget. (in other words the lens is more important than the body, since ALL modern bodies have good sensors)
If any of the available long kit zooms get a good writeup just go and buy that kit.
They are mostly great value these days ...
 
Best advice I have had and given over the years is to go and try them out (as best you can) and see what you like the best. Which model's buttons feel the best for you, which make's menu system seems most intuitive to you, which has the better options you like, which feels best in your hands ... etc etc

It's very much a personal choice choosing a camera, and will tend to recommend their make ...

And enjoy the process, it's a lot of money to spend, so make it a pleasurable experience
 
Oh and another bit of info, if you want Image Stabalisation (IS) for Canon and Nikon its in the lens (sometimes they do 2 versions of the lens) whereas with Sony / Pentax its in the body, so any lens you buy, has IS available.

Just another thing to think about.
 
As Andyred said, go to a proper camera shop and have a play. If you have a couple of cards, CF and SD, the you can take some images and take them home to look at them. There's lots of choice out there at the moment, each camera slightly different, control layout, motorised body, none motorised body, built in IS etc. Also don't try and buy everything in one go, buy the best you can with your budget, ie get one lens and a body. The camera kits are rubbish, very average / poor lenses. If you what the best for your $$$ then buy used. Ffordes, mifsuds, camtech, park cameras, digital depot, mpb photographic all sell used gear, WEX and Jessops do as well.
 
Thank you, I suppose it's just tricky to know what good second cameras are. A friend of mine has mentioned that a canon 40d is a really good camera, but it's quite a few years old now and I like to print my pcities quite large (as I have them in frames). Can anybody recommend shops where you can go and play with the cameras as this is something that I have not done yet.
I have been swaying between a seconsecond hand canon eos 60d or 7d as the specs are relatively similar and you can get a second hand body for around £400- plus then buy a decent lens for about £100 to begin with- but when you look at the spec for a nikon d3300 it looks just about as good (but with a slower shutter speed and some other minor things).
In an ideal world I would love the nikon d7100 (purely going by online reviews and specs). Along with some other very impressive stats, it has 51AF points and a really fast sensor (which I have been told is great for sports photography). This camera is waaaaay out of price range unfortunately, can anybody recommend another camera similar to this one that they may have used for sport photography?
Thanks
 
Where are you based?
Any good specialist camera shop, London Camera Exchange for example.
How big do you print your images, managed to print very good A2 prints or a 60x40 canvas print from a canon 20D with only 8mp.
The tamron 17-50mm f2.8 can be bought used for less than £200, then you have £300+ to buy a body, that would start you off, then think about a longer zoom at a later date.
 
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If someone told you a camera has a fast sensor which is good for sports, i'm not sure they know what they are talking about, fast focusing does not come from a fast sensor. Just about any SLR will be a big step up from what you have. With your budget you should not expect to much. Nikon, canon, Sony and Pentax all make good cameras. The second hand market is flooded with cameras bought and hardly used. You mentioned the 7d which is a great camera in good light just be carful because a camera thats designed for sports and wildlife could easily have taken over 200,000 photo's. I shoot canon for work but I think Nikon is leading the way with new camera's. The specs of the 3300 look like they would suit your needs. Buy the best camera you can and add better lines once you have saved up.
 
You say you feel you're starting to outgrow your Sony bridge camera, and want a DSLR, but you don't tell us in what ways your camera has been starting to irk you with its limitations. I travelled a similar route (my bridge camera was the Sony R1), and what started to irk me was the limitations of the fixed lens. I wanted both longer and shorter focal lengths. So obviously I wanted to upgrade to an exchangeable lens camera.

But DSLRs aren't the only exchangeable lens cameras. There are the new mirrorless exchangeable lens cameras made in a variety of flavours by several manufacturers, and the DSLTs, a hybrid mount-compatible technology with which Sony has replaced its previous line of DSLRs.
 
It's definitely the lack of range in the lens that is frusutrating. With a minimum aperture of f8- landscape photography has definitely taking a back seat! I have decided to go for a canon 7d and spend a little over my original budget, but I think that it will be worth it. Like someone said, any DSLR will be a step up from what I have now, but wanted something that I could also grow into and not outgrow within a year.

Thank you for your help!
 
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