Camera recommendation - first-time DSLR

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Mad Scientist
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#1431436 19-Nov-2015 22:31

Stu:
joker97: I'm going to correct the first statement a little bit, sorry PRO. A dSLR can take better pictures in the right hands.

Whereas a recent end mirrorless actually has more all round abilities .... I am thinking 4K video with proper contrast detection AF :)

Where did I say I was a pro? I didn't even make a comment that could be construed as coming from a pro. I was comparing sizes of the RX100 with interchangeable lens camera options.

Sorry I was referring to Timmay's statement

Stu

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#1431438 19-Nov-2015 22:34

I'll let you off. You quoted my post. All good ;-)

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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#1431440 19-Nov-2015 22:36

Stu: I'll let you off. You quoted my post. All good ;-)

Phew. I am spared from the big hammer.

Yogi02

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#1431451 19-Nov-2015 23:58

Im looking as well - Check Out Bruce Watt Photography. They are on the square, halfway between Church and Main St

lxsw20

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#1431464 20-Nov-2015 00:26

I got an SLR and TBH it was a total pain with the size and weight, so I never ended up taking it anyway, hence back to the smart phone camera. When you have little ones it's yet another bag to carry around if you're taking all your lenses etc with you. I now own a Sony RX100M3 that I could not be happier with.

As others have pointed out it doesn't go directly from iPhone to DSLR if you want a good camera.

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#1431468 20-Nov-2015 01:27

What about a bridge camera, Lumix and sony do some good ones (I think they share the same parts). Some have almost the same quality as a DSLR with big sensors, but you don't have to worry about lenses, as the built in lens is fairly adaptable. Some are as big as DSLRs too, but no need to also carry bags of lenses. I have a bridge camera and find it great, and I use it far more than I did with my old DSLR, partly because it has a great zoom, and I don't have to carry a huge bag with me. The only thing is that they can be fairly pricey for the better ones.

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#1431478 20-Nov-2015 03:38

The size of the sensor determines the quality of the picture. Usually. A lot of those "bridge" camera mentioned have sensors the same size of an iphone. You are really buying another iPhone with a zoom. Really. Waste of time in my opinion.

I'm on a mobile so i can't link properly but Google camera sensor size

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#1431491 20-Nov-2015 07:05

joker97:
Stu:
timmmay: A DSLR takes slightly better pictures, but it needs a backpack to carry around.

Whereas a micro four thirds would (does) fit in a shoulder bag with a number of lenses. Not as compact as your RX100, of course. Certainly somewhere between the RX100 and a DSLR though? OP has some thinking to do!

I'm going to correct the first statement a little bit, sorry PRO. A dSLR can take better pictures in the right hands.

Whereas a recent end mirrorless actually has more all round abilities .... I am thinking 4K video with proper contrast detection AF :)

joker97: The size of the sensor determines the quality of the picture. Usually. A lot of those "bridge" camera mentioned have sensors the same size of an iphone. You are really buying another iPhone with a zoom. Really. Waste of time in my opinion.

I'm on a mobile so i can't link properly but Google camera sensor size

Mostly agreed. M 4/3 has a lot more automation and in the hands of an average person will probably take better pictures, but in the hands of an expert a DSLR will take better pictures. Sensor size is important, but so is the generation - a modern crop sensor will probably give better images than a 10 year old full frame sensor, at least at high ISO. Strangely enough at low ISO some people rate the older cameras as slightly better, but I don't think there's much difference.

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#1431509 20-Nov-2015 08:16

Thanks for all the replies. Some good comments and advice.

I did try a couple of mirrorless cameras in store. Can't remember the specific models, but one was a Panasonic and one was an Olympus. They were nice, but they didn't really feel right. I think it was to do with the size and the way it felt in my hands. Also, I wasn't a fan of the EVF. I much prefer the optical viewfinder of the DLSRs I tried. I may go back and have another look at mirrorless today, but I haven't really been taken with them. Maybe I'm missing something?

The size question is a good one. I fully accept the point that mirrorless are more compact, which makes it more pocketable. Comments about "bags of lenses" are valid, but I'm not envisaging buying a huge number of lenses. I think the kit lens will probably suffice to start with, and we may buy a second or third lens over time. It's more about being able to add on lenses to expand the functionality, rather than diving in headfirst and buying up a studio's worth of glass. So I don't envisage needing to lug around a lot of gear. Plus, we are probably going to be using the camera at home mostly. For when we are out and about, the iPhone camera will probably be fine. And the Nikon D5500 that I am currently favouring is "reasonably" compact for those occasions when we do take it out with us.

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#1431515 20-Nov-2015 08:22

I have a Lumix G6 - a great compromise between a DSLR and a compact. I'd used 35mm SLRs for a long time before going into digital cameras but this is my first "proper" digital. Quality of photos is a leap above any compact. I very much like the eye-level viewfinder - not optical, but used in the same way.

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#1431540 20-Nov-2015 09:27

Personally think it might be worth considering a Pentax (probably cos no-one else has). They tend to come with a proper pentaprism viewfinder, two control wheels and are weather resistant. A but is they don't have the large presence in NZ like Nikon and others. Also not sure on pricing. And I guess they're also a bit big.

Sony A6000 I like, probably good for capturing kids, can be compact, but has an electronic viewfinder and extra lenses tend to be expensive.

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#1431553 20-Nov-2015 09:41

Pentax is maybe #4 if they're lucky, behind Canon, Nikon, Sony. I wouldn't go with them, less money for R&D, less lenses, less third party support.

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#1431563 20-Nov-2015 09:54

The reason for Canon and Nikon is their lenses are freely available.

Sony is probably superior if you don't mind having 15 min battery life, but their lenses will cost you a house deposit over time.

Pentax ... Hmm ... No idea about lenses availability or cost.

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#1431576 20-Nov-2015 10:20

I have a Canon AE1 Program SLR film camera (25 plus years old) my wife has a Sony a57 mirrorless , which is like a DSLR, plus she has a Canon IXUS compact.

They're both great cameras and they're really nice to use with plenty features. However their size and the need to have a bag to carry the camera and accessories around means we don't take them with us very often. So we don't use them as much as our phones or compacts.

I think a compact camera is the way to go with most people. I had a Canon Powershot A520 which got stolen and I haven't replaced. It did a pretty good job.

If I was to buy another camera I'd be thinking seriously about the likes of the Sony RX100 mentioned earlier.

Your choice comes down to what you want to use it for.

If you want to have the option of good quality close up (bee in the flower) and long range photos (distant scenery) you will most likely need a range of lenses, hence a DSLR is a better choice.

If you want family snapshots a compact is better as you will likely have it handy, it will be quick to use (no faffing around changing lenses and setting it up) so yo'll be able to capture the moment.

If you have the need to take a lot of photos in low light you'll need a flash and one that has some grunt, most internal flash units are not much good for more than a couple of metres. You'll need to choose a camera that can trigger an external flash.

If you want to take video as well as stills the mirrorless DSLRs offer an advantage in that the camera will continue to focus while recording. As the subject moves about the camera will keep it in focus. The DSLR's with a mirror cannot focus properly once the shutter is opened for video recording.

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#1431584 20-Nov-2015 10:29

I have a Pentax system and am absolutely happy with it - I've never wished I'd gone with Canon or Nikon instead. However, I do regret buying into a DSLR system at all. Three overseas holidays of lugging a camera bag around everywhere I went, and I threw in the towel and bought a smaller camera (Ricoh GR), which I now use most of the time.

If I could do it all over again, I would invest in mirrorless gear (probably Fuji X), and only spend money on a DSLR system if I could justify spending top of the line money on top of the line gear (full frame, premium lenses) for those situations where getting the absolutely best possible result made lugging it all around worthwhile.

Finally, people stress way too much about "buying into a system", lens availability etc, when 99% of people won't ever buy more than a couple of extra lenses. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, all of these will do more than you need. Just buy the camera that has the features you want and feels best in your hands for the price you're willing to pay.

PS. the Pentax K-50 is far better value than anything you're considering, and has features that will be useful from day one (image stabilisation with all lenses, bigger viewfinder, weather sealing) as opposed to being able to theoretically use more $6000 lenses down the track ;)

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