Cheapest DSLR for beginner?

[slackerinabox]

I've been bitten by the photography bug but honestly know very little. I'd like to take a class to learn the basics, what would be a good starter dslr to go with with a photography focus (I don't care about video features)?

I do own a Canon T4I for work (videography stuff, I edit/direct, I don't shoot), but don't want to touch it for playing/learning. I'm tempted to stay with canon for the sake of lenses but, to be honest I mostly rent lenses anyways so don't plan on building up too big of a collection. Nikon's always been tempting.

Used/refurb/ a few generations old is fine. For budget I'd say as cheap as possible - this is completely hobby territory and sub-300 can fly under the radar with the mrs

 

[slackerinabox]

This guy's right in my budget, brand new. Thoughts on sony DSLR? Nikon/Canon used > sony new?

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Interchan...ords=sony+dslr

 

[biostud]

In most cases the cameras are quite close in performance, but have different features and strong/weak points.

All dslr's will work fine for your needs, but consider that the different brands have different setups, so if you're used to use Canon or have access to Canon cameras you might want to consider learning on a Canon.

When buying a budget camera you might soon run in to some missing features, that more expensive models have. But if it's just for the most basic features any DSLR will be fine.

For me, when I started shooting I went with Nikon D5100 + 35mm f/1.8G prime. I learned a lot about moving around since I didn't have zoom and also working with the aperture. At the same time I felt it was a body I could use for more advanced photography and also buying a couple of lenses that could complement my first buy.

 

[slackerinabox]

Thanks for the feedback! Question, would a micro 4/3rd or sony's nex series be ok to learn on vs a full dslr? The sony nex 3nl's mighty appealing, with a sensor size similar to a nikon d3300, smaller camera size, and smaller price

 

[luv2liv]

in the sub $300, i can only think of mirrorless dslr. you often find these refurbs and sometimes new for $200

 

[Nohr]

If you want to stick to Canon you might consider one their refurbs, they're like new. The T3i is $336. It's similar to the T4i but there are a few differences like no touch screen, slower fps, a single cross-type AF sensor, etc. Here's a more detailed list of the changes.

 

[shortylickens]

A refurbished Nikon D40x or D60.

 

[slackerinabox]

Sort of jumped the gun and got an amazon warehouse deal that almost seemed to be too good to be true: sony nex-5n with the kit lens (silver) for $248 in good condition. Was missing the battery charger cord but I just ordered one for $20 with a spare battery.

Fingers crossed that it's not mislabeled and missing the lens!

 

[Imp]

I think a T5i is a slightly updated T4i.

I'm also in the market for a DSLR, was set on getting a SL1, but then I did some shooting with my SX50 and was reminded of how useful the rotating LCD screen was.

 

[slackerinabox]

I think a T5i is a slightly updated T4i.

I'm also in the market for a DSLR, was set on getting a SL1, but then I did some shooting with my SX50 and was reminded of how useful the rotating LCD screen was.

Just ordered a T5I for my day job, specs seem pretty identical to my t4i but we'll see tomorrow once it's delivered.

The sl1 seems like an odd camera, smaller but not quite small enough and otherwise unspectacular for the price.

Any NEX-5N fans here? Seems like a lot of camera for the money

 

[AkumaX]

I think a T5i is a slightly updated T4i.

I'm also in the market for a DSLR, was set on getting a SL1, but then I did some shooting with my SX50 and was reminded of how useful the rotating LCD screen was.

Yeah, it's just a T4i + Instagram Filters (and updated dial I guess lol)

T4i/T5i/60D all in the same ballpark with the 9 pt AF (all cross-type)

Just ordered a T5I for my day job, specs seem pretty identical to my t4i but we'll see tomorrow once it's delivered.

The sl1 seems like an odd camera, smaller but not quite small enough and otherwise unspectacular for the price.

Any NEX-5N fans here? Seems like a lot of camera for the money

The SL1 is like a T2i/T3i in a small body (since it only has the 1 cross-type AF point)

Nice find on the NEX-5N! I'm having trouble selling my NEX-5R body
Sony's NEX prices tanked a lot considering they released so many models in the past few months.
NEX-5N -> 5R -> 5T -> a5000 (no longer NEX, moved to Alpha E-mount).
All perform quite similarly (there is a little jump between the 5N->5R with the AF, and the 5R->5T is adding NFC (lol)

You got a AC wall adapter for the battery right? You can't in-body charge the batteries, that started with the 5R series (charging the battery in the camera via MicroUSB)

 

[blastingcap]

I've been bitten by the photography bug but honestly know very little. I'd like to take a class to learn the basics, what would be a good starter dslr to go with with a photography focus (I don't care about video features)?

I do own a Canon T4I for work (videography stuff, I edit/direct, I don't shoot), but don't want to touch it for playing/learning. I'm tempted to stay with canon for the sake of lenses but, to be honest I mostly rent lenses anyways so don't plan on building up too big of a collection. Nikon's always been tempting.

Used/refurb/ a few generations old is fine. For budget I'd say as cheap as possible - this is completely hobby territory and sub-300 can fly under the radar with the mrs

Sort of jumped the gun and got an amazon warehouse deal that almost seemed to be too good to be true: sony nex-5n with the kit lens (silver) for $248 in good condition. Was missing the battery charger cord but I just ordered one for $20 with a spare battery.

Fingers crossed that it's not mislabeled and missing the lens!

NEX-5N is a great camera, also comes with touch-focus though not touch-shutter for brain dead simple operation. Great image quality, not that great expandability though (nonstandard hotshoe so forget about regular flashes, you do get access to EVF though I think?). A great starter camera, and you can just sell it off and get something better if you need to, or just stay with it.

 

[ElFenix]

one day i was rocking my canonet, a 70s compact rangefinder. a friend of mine, who programs space robots for a living (not kidding), asked, 'isn't that complicated?' 'no,' i replied, 'it only has 3 controls.'

and that is something fundamental that has gotten lost over the last 3 decades in photography. exposure seems complicated and daunting, but it's really very simple - a point which comes across very well when you realize moving the aperture and shutter rings in unison keeps the exposure the same, just shifts it. you don't get that moving endlessly clicky wheels and diving deep into setting menus.



oldmanshoutingatcloud.jpg

 

[wasabiman123]

one day i was rocking my canonet, a 70s compact rangefinder. a friend of mine, who programs space robots for a living (not kidding), asked, 'isn't that complicated?' 'no,' i replied, 'it only has 3 controls.'

and that is something fundamental that has gotten lost over the last 3 decades in photography. exposure seems complicated and daunting, but it's really very simple - a point which comes across very well when you realize moving the aperture and shutter rings in unison keeps the exposure the same, just shifts it. you don't get that moving endlessly clicky wheels and diving deep into setting menus.



oldmanshoutingatcloud.jpg

Have any good links/resources that explain this :hmm:, I'm going to probably grab a nice mirrorless camera like a Fuji X after Photokina, and start learning this stuff for fun. The whole Aperture/shutter/exposure thing isn't something I actually understand very well, although that is due to a lack of trying to learn so far...

 

[fralexandr]

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-exposure.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_(photography)

 

[Syborg1211]

one day i was rocking my canonet, a 70s compact rangefinder. a friend of mine, who programs space robots for a living (not kidding), asked, 'isn't that complicated?' 'no,' i replied, 'it only has 3 controls.'

and that is something fundamental that has gotten lost over the last 3 decades in photography. exposure seems complicated and daunting, but it's really very simple - a point which comes across very well when you realize moving the aperture and shutter rings in unison keeps the exposure the same, just shifts it. you don't get that moving endlessly clicky wheels and diving deep into setting menus.



oldmanshoutingatcloud.jpg

I'm an optics engineer, and I still found learning manual control a rather long and somewhat difficult process (I started learning ~3 years ago). I wouldn't consider manual exposure something that has gotten lost over the years. 3 decades ago there were just so much less people doing photography. Automatic modes have made the hobby more accessible to people, but I don't think that anyone who would have learned manual control 3 decades ago isn't learning it now.

It's really up to the person behind the camera to decide that they no longer want to roll the dice every shot and hope the camera reads their mind on what they want the exposure/dof to be. I know that's how I ended up learning manual - I wanted to increase the keeper rate.

 

[slackerinabox]

Yeah, it's just a T4i + Instagram Filters (and updated dial I guess lol)

T4i/T5i/60D all in the same ballpark with the 9 pt AF (all cross-type)



The SL1 is like a T2i/T3i in a small body (since it only has the 1 cross-type AF point)

Nice find on the NEX-5N! I'm having trouble selling my NEX-5R body
Sony's NEX prices tanked a lot considering they released so many models in the past few months.
NEX-5N -> 5R -> 5T -> a5000 (no longer NEX, moved to Alpha E-mount).
All perform quite similarly (there is a little jump between the 5N->5R with the AF, and the 5R->5T is adding NFC (lol)

You got a AC wall adapter for the battery right? You can't in-body charge the batteries, that started with the 5R series (charging the battery in the camera via MicroUSB)

Yep, I picked up a generic wall charger plus 2 generic batteries kit ($20 something bucks).If the amazon used camera's a lemon, what are you looking for the 5r? My new fear is that the flash isn't included, the description just mentioned cables/cds missing but warehouse deals often get the inventory wrong. Damn flash sold separately costs $150, I'll probably send the camera back unless I can find a sub-$50 generic.

There are a lot of new sony models! I'm a little wary of buying a 3 year old model, but the pictures look just great on the web and it's cheap enough that I can gamble a bit.

Got my day job t5i yesterday and it looks identical to my t4i, canon and their minor refreshes! Looking forward to trying another system, and the nex-5n's sized right to replace my canon s90 family/vacation p&s.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I've got a Canon XSi that I bought a few years ago. You can't go wrong with Canon or Nikon...but there are two clear camps of DSLR fans... If you pick between those two brands, you can stock up on camera lenses and most of them are interchangeable with all of the DSLR bodies. Canon has some amazing lenses for cheap that will cover most of your needs. When I bought my XSi, I got it with 2 lenses...it had a 18-55mm and a 75-300mm telephoto for under $550 (5 years ago).... I've only added a 50mm lens to go with it and may get a macro down the road. It takes great pictures...I just wish it had a slightly better processor. I may upgrade in a few years.

I prefer Canon because when I had 2 of their Digital Elph point and shoots, they both had eventual mechanical problems with the lens motors. (not defect, I used the heck out of those cameras in all kinds of weather and temp ranges) Canon NEVER hesitated to replace them under warranty. I simply mailed the body to their warranty center and had a camera back in 2 weeks. Service was top notch.

I would stay away from Sony out of spite...they have burned me on 2 other product lines and I don't buy from them anymore because of poor customer service. I've never owned a Nikon camera, but 2 of our photographers use them and the pictures are great.

 

[TerryMathews]

I've been bitten by the photography bug but honestly know very little. I'd like to take a class to learn the basics, what would be a good starter dslr to go with with a photography focus (I don't care about video features)?

I do own a Canon T4I for work (videography stuff, I edit/direct, I don't shoot), but don't want to touch it for playing/learning. I'm tempted to stay with canon for the sake of lenses but, to be honest I mostly rent lenses anyways so don't plan on building up too big of a collection. Nikon's always been tempting.

Used/refurb/ a few generations old is fine. For budget I'd say as cheap as possible - this is completely hobby territory and sub-300 can fly under the radar with the mrs

In your price range: Canon T2i or EOS 50d. Depends on which you want to do more: strictly photo or photo/video

 

[AkumaX]

Yep, I picked up a generic wall charger plus 2 generic batteries kit ($20 something bucks).If the amazon used camera's a lemon, what are you looking for the 5r? My new fear is that the flash isn't included, the description just mentioned cables/cds missing but warehouse deals often get the inventory wrong. Damn flash sold separately costs $150, I'll probably send the camera back unless I can find a sub-$50 generic.

There are a lot of new sony models! I'm a little wary of buying a 3 year old model, but the pictures look just great on the web and it's cheap enough that I can gamble a bit.

Got my day job t5i yesterday and it looks identical to my t4i, canon and their minor refreshes! Looking forward to trying another system, and the nex-5n's sized right to replace my canon s90 family/vacation p&s.

Sent you a PM (and price is flexible, lol). And btw, you're looking at the wrong flash, the stock flash is the F7S which is around ~$40 street value

And then I find out that there's already an a5000 replacement, the a5100 (haha!)

 

[blastingcap]

I'm an optics engineer, and I still found learning manual control a rather long and somewhat difficult process (I started learning ~3 years ago). I wouldn't consider manual exposure something that has gotten lost over the years. 3 decades ago there were just so much less people doing photography. Automatic modes have made the hobby more accessible to people, but I don't think that anyone who would have learned manual control 3 decades ago isn't learning it now.

It's really up to the person behind the camera to decide that they no longer want to roll the dice every shot and hope the camera reads their mind on what they want the exposure/dof to be. I know that's how I ended up learning manual - I wanted to increase the keeper rate.

There's something to be said for manual, but one thing I've really liked about going with Sony's NEX system is how you can see in the EVF the histogram in real time and the exposure and DOF in real time, something that DSLRs struggle to do, or can't do at all, in their OVFs. The OVF still holds some advantages over the EVF, but for my purposes the EVF's pros heavily outweighs its cons.

 

[Throckmorton]

Thanks for the feedback! Question, would a micro 4/3rd or sony's nex series be ok to learn on vs a full dslr? The sony nex 3nl's mighty appealing, with a sensor size similar to a nikon d3300, smaller camera size, and smaller price

No because the Nex 3 has no viewfinder.

Get a Sony A57. You get to see the results of your settings changes in the viewfinder

 

[Throckmorton]

NEX-5N is a great camera, also comes with touch-focus though not touch-shutter for brain dead simple operation. Great image quality, not that great expandability though (nonstandard hotshoe so forget about regular flashes, you do get access to EVF though I think?). A great starter camera, and you can just sell it off and get something better if you need to, or just stay with it.

You need the A6000 for EVF

 

[AkumaX]

You need the A6000 for EVF

Or NEX-6

 

[slackerinabox]

You need the A6000 for EVF

what about this? http://www.amazon.com/Sony-FDA-EV1S-.../dp/B005K8AUOI

pricey, but I'd buy used anyways. Also about the non-standard hotshoe, I was going to order this eventually:

http://www.amazon.com/Fotasy-SANEX-A...ex+5n+hot+shoe