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If they are insisting on a DSLR then you will you probably need to stick with Nikon and Canon - as far as I'm aware all to he other manufacturers have gone mirrorless.
For $1000 you will easily get a good entry level DSLR with an 18-55mm zoom lens. If she wants to progress further then she may want to add a telephoto zoom lens and/or a macro or fast aperture, but your original purchase will still keep her going for many years.
https://classic.pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=4008005
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-d5600
Pretty decent imho and the price is good at the moment.
rb99
If you think they will want to do video too, check the limitations on those features. Recording time, limited frame rates and no audio input for a decent mic are the 3 biggest issues with DSLR for video. Auto focus sucking is another but can be manually focused so is able to be worked around.
For photography classes, it is nice to have something that matches most of what the rest of the class are going to be using.
Canon DSLR's are most popular, So I would go that route.
Canons dslr naming convention is:
In short, the xxxxD camera's are seriously gimped (No stabilization on kit lens, no dipoler adjustment on view finder, 3000D has lower quality sensor etc). So I would only recomend this if your budget can't get to xxxD range.
At the xxxD level, The 200D and 800D are quite similar (same sensor), but the 800d has a lot more buttions for changing functions fast, the 200D's selling point is being the smallest / lightest DSLR.
200D kit is $885 from photo warehouse, and the 800D kit is just shy of $1000 from Photo warehouse, Noel Lemming, Pbtech, Jb hifi. (currently with black friday sale prices).
I have the 800D, and it has done very well for me, so would recommend that.
Be aware that photography is a bit of a slippery slope in terms of gear.
The wish-list to go with that camera & kit lens would be:
I'm guessing the kind of photography class that insists on a zoom lens (rather than a prime lens) won't need anything on that list (except maybe a trypod).
Technically Sony cameras do a bit better than canon at the moment, but they have focused on mirror-less camera's rather than DSLR's. Cannon has a great reputation for reproducing natural skin tones relative to other brands.
I went the lens hood route to protect the lens rather than protection / UV filters (except for my most expensive lens f/2.8 zoom lens).
Idk....I'd suggest getting polarized filter cover. Saves your lenses when cleaning them..
Just starting out...maybe I'd go with an 18-200mm lens...covers a wide range.
Don't forget, if you need to get anything soon Black Friday discounts are almost over.
rb99
Polarized filters should only be used when the situation requires them (making clouds pop, taking glare off non-metallic surfaces such as glass, and the paint finish of cars). They cut the light into the lens down by about half, so are going to make low light photos suck if they are left on.
rb99:
Don't forget, if you need to get anything soon Black Friday discounts are almost over.
Canon 800D if you want to spend, if you don't want to spend then buy anything cheap
Involuntary autocorrect in operation on mobile device. Apologies in advance.
Not to try sell my things everywhere on GZ, but I have a Canon 600D listed in the buy/sell section here including lens, bag, tripod, filters, few other bits and pieces, everything needed to get started if you were open to 2nd hand.
Thanks so much everyone for your advice, has been very helpful! Am definitely open to going down second hand route, so will also look into this option.
At present am waiting for the school to send through more detailed info on what they recommend (apparantly emails to be sent out later this week), so then will look into what's available more indepth.
Can anyone tell me how to access the buy/sell pages on Geekzone? (Sorry if its obvious...maybe im just not looking properly?)
Thanks again for all your replies... i'm sure I'll be back with more questions in the near future.
I'd definitely recommend going 2nd hand! There are hundreds of Canon D-SLRs on TradeMe right now. You can get a Canon 70D with 18-135 lens for $800 - that's a really good camera for the price! Buying 2nd hand allows you to get better gear for the money and you would lose less if you sold it later on.
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