Please recommend a DSLR.

tardigrade · Jan 12, 2015

Depends if you are the type to succumb to GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) or not. A Nikon D7000 or its Canon equivalent is enough for pro quality work (and are probably less than $1000 at this point) but for some guys only full frame will suffice -- even though most viewers (even pros) are unlikely to tell the difference. If you're that type, a Canon 5D2 or 3 or even a D800 may be what you wind up getting. I would say the lenses are far more important: avoid getting a kit zoom in favor of a decent 50mm equivalent. There again, some people seem to need the top of the line, but even a $100 50mm is more than your skills are likely to ever surpass.

My advice:

sfeile · Jan 12, 2015

PeteB said:
The DSLR takes a while to master but once you start nailing those excellent pictures, you will be hooked. I'd advise to not buy much more kit, just learn with what you have and once you are proficient, then you can get whatever suits the shooting you like. A 35mm lens at 1.8 is fantastic for the Nikon, very cheap and gets great results in all light levels and for video also. Thats the only thing I'd recommend to use outside of the kit you get in a bundle, anything else is more specialist and that is the only cheap lens to get thats decent. All other cheap lenses are false economy. You also need to practice with Lightroom from Adobe if you are shooting with raw files. Raw files look pretty bad when they come from the camera, Jpegs look a lot better but raw files, once edited, hold a lot of information allowing you to get the exact look you want, be it natural or more arty. Just be aware that the pics from the camera are not the end of the story. All the excellent pics you see will most likely been altered to get the exact look the photographer wanted. Its not cheating, its just that the camera doesn't always capture exactly what you wanted! Some will argue that its not true, but really, in most cases, it is. Just focus on getting the correct field of view to start with know as "Framing" then go from there. Just make sure you don't use the camera in automatic, go to P then start to look at the aperture and the shutter speed to understand how they affect images and how you can use them to your own advantage.

On Youtube, Mike Browne, Jared Polin and Matt Granger are all good teachers.

This is good advice. If you are doing a lot of portrait style photos however, a longer focal length is recommended. 35mm will give you a "dog nose" effect. A 50mm on a crop sensor camera is close to an 80mm full frame, I would say to start there.

And a side note on "cheating" in photoshop, it was actually common practice for photographers to dodge, burn, push, and "paint" negatives for print to get the desired print. It is just easier now in the digital age. :thumbup:

That being said, I still like to get mine as close as possible in camera, because I am not good at all with PS. :blushing:

fast14riot · Jan 12, 2015

I'm another "in camera" guy. If you don't have a good place to start, then PS is only going to take longer than getting it right in camera anyways.

I agree about picking up the Nikkor 50. Although the superb and inexpensive 50 AF-D will meter on your camera, it will not auto focus. The 50 on my crop body is my go-to portrait lens. Gives a 75mm field of view. Wonderful length for portrait.

But, use what you have, just go out and fire off thousands of frames! You might get a few keepers even. Eventually, there will be less frames for more keepers. For a studio product shot I may still end up taking 25 or 30 frames until I'm happy.

Just go shoot!

shyrlock · Feb 5, 2015

I just put a very nice Nikon D7100 body with some great accessories on the market place forum.
It's DX format and takes great photos.

MarkM10431 · Feb 8, 2015

Bob L. said:
First off, I have been using Nikon SLRs since 1968. I switched to digital with the D90. I am an admitted Nikon bigot.

For your budget I'd recommend a Nikon D3200, D5100, or D5200. The 18-55mm lens is a nice starting lens. These cameras are easy to use in automatic mode. You can switch into almost any manual mode you can desire. They shoot jpeg and raw formats. (compressed and uncompressed)

Go to a camera store and play with all three. Check out the specifications to see which match your needs. Price them carefully. There is a lot of markup involved with a camera purchase.

Have fun!

I, too am a Nikon Snob, I started out with Canon, A-1 AE-1, and they kept breaking. I was in a place I really didn't think I was returning to wne the AE died and I switched to a Nikon N80. when i decided to go digital, i compared again, and the nikon had (IMHO) a better control layout, so I went to a D-80 which served well for many years. I finally outgrew it and went to a D-7100, and now my first full frame, a D-600. some are going mirrorless, and the Nikon N-1 has an adapter that allows using the legacy DSLR lenses.

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Please recommend a DSLR.

tardigrade

sfeile

fast14riot

shyrlock

MarkM10431

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