Which entry level DSLR to buy?

[pupupuchi28]

I have almost decided to buy Nikon d5100 i.e. if I dont change My view after reading this thread. The lowest price on Ebay is Rs 29,280 and the lowest quote I got in market was Rs 29,000. I might be able to bargain a bit when I go to purchase the product.

Are you aware that there is already a new version (D5200) in market for almost 6 months now? If you decide to upgrade / downgrade you may loose a lot on D5100. I can see a face expressing "Holy molly...I'm even more confused" :lol:

Lifecycle of an amature photographer

Which camera to get
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Oh! ok, Ravi told me DSLR kharid, and offcourse Canon is better
v
got a budget DSLR :yahoo:
v
Man, this thing is awesome :yahoo:. That P&S felt like a toy in hand.
v
Are yaar, low light aur thoda achha hota to? I heard primes are awesome for low light photog, got a prime
v
Holy moly, this is getting even better hyeah:
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But why are the pictures blurred, when I click close enough? Oh got it, issue with very less DOF aur kitne baar lens change karna parta hai :sad:
v
I guess a flash will be good, but TTL ya manual :licklips:
v
Triggers chahiye kya?, kharid lete hai, bas do ek hazaar hi zyada hai :licklips:
v
Yes, low light ke liye yehi to chahiye tha, this is the best and certainly what I wanted hyeah:
v
Sahi hai yaar, 'Light Room' mein yeh photo kya se kya ban jata hai. Acha kiya DSLR kharid liye
v
Par itna sara kaise carry karunga, bag kharid lete hai
v
Are baap re, yeh bada sa bag aur itne sare gadgets leke ghoomna padega
v
Yaar, girlfriend ke sister ke shadi mein to main hi photographer jaisa dikh raha tha. Damn! I think her Mom & Dad were upset and my prospects are at risk
v
Yaar, ab to had hi ho gayi, Mummy ne bhi keh diya, "tu yeh bada sa jhola leke hamare saath trips and shadiyon mein nahi jayega"
v
Abbe, 200 photos of our recent trip process karne mein to mahino lag jayenge? Thik hai JPEG main khichte hai, par then woh itna impressive nahi lagta hai.
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ab to bor marne lag gaya hai, yeh bada sa camera, lens, bags, kitna sara process karo, upar se girlfriend / gharwalon ki suno
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Ravi koi pocketable camera nahi kya, jo achha pic khicti ho?
v
Ravi bola - "Sabse pehle maine wohi kaha tha, ek achha P&S camera kharid"

 

[goyal.sanchit]

Are you aware that there is already a new version (D5200) in market for almost 6 months now? If you decide to upgrade / downgrade you may loose a lot on D5100.

I was aware about the Nikon d3200 model but not the Nikon d5200. I checked on internet and it seems to be about 10-11k expensive than the Nikon d5100. Would it be worth to spend 10-11k more on it?

I know that having a dslr has its troubles as well. For a normal Holiday carrying a dslr wouldnt be very easy.

I have been practising Photography as a hobby for years now and here are the results which I have acheived with a normal digital camera and cellphone camera

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1253149459420.2038106.1550052540&type=1&l=8a0b44bcea



But these cameras have their limitations when it comes to specialised photography.

 

[Shivam]

I was aware about the Nikon d3200 model but not the Nikon d5200. I checked on internet and it seems to be about 10-11k expensive than the Nikon d5100. Would it be worth to spend 10-11k more on it?

I know that having a dslr has its troubles as well. For a normal Holiday carrying a dslr wouldnt be very easy.

I have been practising Photography as a hobby for years now and here are the results which I have acheived with a normal digital camera and cellphone camera

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1253149459420.2038106.1550052540&type=1&l=8a0b44bcea



But these cameras have their limitations when it comes to specialised photography.

A little off the point -
Facebook edits and applies some filters to the photos before showing them in profile. If you want to show your pictures in the best of their quality, use a website like Flickr which is dedicated for photos.

Regarding the DSLR to buy -
My suggestion is always to buy the camera that feels most comfortable in ones hands.

Somewhere else I had pointed out three more steps in buying a camera which I am repeating here again -
Buy the most expensive lens that one can afford
Buy the cheapest camera body that supports that lens (and feels comfortable)
Click raw and post-process all images.

 

[goyal.sanchit]

A little off the point -
Facebook edits and applies some filters to the photos before showing them in profile. If you want to show your pictures in the best of their quality, use a website like Flickr which is dedicated for photos.

Regarding the DSLR to buy -
My suggestion is always to buy the camera that feels most comfortable in ones hands.

Somewhere else I had pointed out three more steps in buying a camera which I am repeating here again -
Buy the most expensive lens that one can afford
Buy the cheapest camera body that supports that lens (and feels comfortable)
Click raw and post-process all images.

I didnt know that fb uses filters for the images. The thing with adding photos on fb is that it is somewhat convenient as compared to other websites! hyeah:

Sometimes I rue the fact that I do not know photoshop or other similar software and cant post process the images that well. Post processing gives much more flexibility and can make the photos more beautiful.

 

[pupupuchi28]

I didnt know that fb uses filters for the images. The thing with adding photos on fb is that it is somewhat convenient as compared to other websites! hyeah:

FB does not use a filter on any picture. Depending on the file size it certainly does compress the files to have 2040 pixels, maximum length / breadth. During this compression, you loose sharpness and color depth and few other things, avoiding it right now to keep things simple. Red colors are mostly impacted during this........not sure why. Search google baba for how to optimize pictures for fb.

Sometimes I rue the fact that I do not know photoshop or other similar software and cant post process the images that well. Post processing gives much more flexibility and can make the photos more beautiful.

Sanchit, jokes apart, if its just for better low light and flexibility of use/processing etc, then there are several mirrorless APSC bodies and lens combinations. These will not be significantly bigger than most P&S camera, but perform equivalent to most APSC DSLRs. Certainly they have their own cons, but those should not bother you. Though you will have to increase your budget a bit. But thats the main driver for all the purchase.

I agree to Shivam's view of, cheap body (rather I would mention, decent body ) and expensive glass. With the kit lens, a DSLR is no better than a P&S, except with the DSLR, you will be able to click 'hazy and soft low light pictures'. If you dont plan to shoot RAW, then think twice abt DSLR. Your incremental expense will not be equal to your increase in expectation.

 

[goyal.sanchit]

FB does not use a filter on any picture. Depending on the file size it certainly does compress the files to have 2040 pixels, maximum length / breadth. During this compression, you loose sharpness and color depth and few other things, avoiding it right now to keep things simple. Red colors are mostly impacted during this........not sure why. Search google baba for how to optimize pictures for fb.



Sanchit, jokes apart, if its just for better low light and flexibility of use/processing etc, then there are several mirrorless APSC bodies and lens combinations. These will not be significantly bigger than most P&S camera, but perform equivalent to most APSC DSLRs. Certainly they have their own cons, but those should not bother you. Though you will have to increase your budget a bit. But thats the main driver for all the purchase.

I agree to Shivam's view of, cheap body (rather I would mention, decent body ) and expensive glass. With the kit lens, a DSLR is no better than a P&S, except with the DSLR, you will be able to click 'hazy and soft low light pictures'. If you dont plan to shoot RAW, then think twice abt DSLR. Your incremental expense will not be equal to your increase in expectation.

I would like to have a significant depth of field for the photographs. Would I be able to acheive that with a Nikon d5100 and a basic 18-55 lens? If not I may upgrade to other lenses as well but at a later stage.

If I plan to upgrade lenses later then is Nikon d5100 a good buy as far as basic camera is concerned?

Thanks

 

[pupupuchi28]

Do you want to have significant depth of field (everything in the frame is clear)? Asking it again, because usually people shifting from P&S to DSLR are after the shallow DOF (blurry effect)

Well yes, you can decrease the aperture and get everything clear in the frame. The worst of the lens will perform good when the aperture is decreased to f8.

D5100 is a 'good' camera for the price. But you should set your expectation right with a kit lens. Certainly you can get better lens later on this journey. For the price of a new D5100 + kit lens, I would rather get a used D90 / D80, a 50mm f1.8 and the kit lens. D90 is a much better body than D5100. Provided you are fine with used stuffs.

 

[goyal.sanchit]

I generally am not very fond of used stuff. The joy of having something brand new is different.

I would like the kind of depth of field required for product photography since I have an Ecommerce Business. The product should be clearly in focus. While I would like to use that for other purposes as well since photography is a hobby as well but acceptable dof would be good.

 

[pupupuchi28]

One really cannot suggest you the appropriate DOF for products , unless he/she is aware of the projuct. Moreover, DOF to certain extent is used for creative presentation, therefore very subjective.
I general, for food, jewellery, watches etc (mainly small product which have lots of detail), you will need a macro lens or close focusing lens.

 

[goyal.sanchit]

I guess I should buy a camera as of now. I can always upgrade the other things later. Now whether it would be Nikon d5100 or the canon that I have to see. Though most probably it would be a nikon.

 

[pkr]

There was a similar discussion in another thread.

I found that I am using my compacts more and more. And compacts are getting better and better.

My thoughts on the Panasonic FZ200 here.

The F2.8 Lens is a great one. Add a CPL and it works like a charm.

 

[pupupuchi28]

^^ + add a good ETTL / iTTL flash (anything above 35 GN) and thats a good portable kit.