I want a digital camera. I know nothing of cameras anymore.
Let’s say budget is $300 total for lense and body. Could be new or used.
What should I look for? What is the Miata of the camera world? Or maybe the minivan or the Camry.
I want a digital camera. I know nothing of cameras anymore.
Let’s say budget is $300 total for lense and body. Could be new or used.
What should I look for? What is the Miata of the camera world? Or maybe the minivan or the Camry.
I asked a similar question with a slightly higher budget:
The Sony A6000 is very versatile and you can find a used one around your price. Mirrorless digital cameras in general can be good for a beginner because a very broad variety of lenses can be adapted to them. I have bought a few large lots of old lenses cheap and learned a lot sorting through them and using them with manual settings.
Lots of great info on this camera forum: https://www.dpreview.com/forums
Lots of YouTube about any mass produced digital camera you may consider.
Camry of the camera world = iPhone
Minivan = Canon 1D Mark whatever you can afford, or Canon 5D (mkI)
Miata = micro 4/3rd's Olympus or Panasonic or Sony NEX/Alpha
I'd actually recommend looking at the "jeep" of cameras:
Nikon D300 / D300S / D90
these will shoot just about every Nikon lens, except the newer AF-P. but, on a budget you should stick to the AF and AF-D lenses.
what kind of shooting are you looking to do?
In reply to sleepyhead :
I have the D90, and love it. While it may be the Jeep in some respects, it certainly isn't in terms of resale, which is a good thing.
In reply to Cooter :
I'm probably stretching the car/camera metaphor a bit too far
although... the thing to keep in mind is that it's a lot harder/impossible to swap "engines"... but buying good brakes/tires (i.e. lenses) will make you camera capture the best moments
Huh, so I've already got the Camry of the camera world. Who knew? Not good enough.
Looking into the others now. My dad has some old lenses that he used on his Mamiya, then his Nikon--both film. Would any of these work on any new(er) digital bodies?
You can adapt almost anything to mirrorless. The Mamiya lenses are probably M42 screw mounts, and the Nikon are likely F mount.
Before you do anything, determine what sort of photos you want to take. Different types of cameras work better for certain uses.
IMHO dealing with lens adapters is mostly worth it for high quality lenses - good adapters cost good money. I do occasionally use one of my Contax lenses on my Fujifilm mirrorless and it certainly works, but most of the time I can't be bothered with the additional faffing about.
02Pilot said:Before you do anything, determine what sort of photos you want to take. Different types of cameras work better for certain uses.
In a lot of ways, this thread is like a "what car", but you haven't told us if you want to HPDE, autocross, drags... if you're just looking to get to work, how many kids you've got to schlepp along, etc.
so, it's hard to get an idea of... should we suggest a camera that will reach out well, or do they need to shoot wide, or are they in the dark, etc etc.
We picked up a Nikon D3400 DSLR about a year and a half ago when we had some issues with the professional photographer who had been photographing and videoing things for the Dancer's non-profit. Was about $300 in a Black Friday sale with a starter kit with the lens, bag, etc. and it's been a great camera for everything we've needed it for.
It takes a bit of playing with to get how everything works, but it takes really good high-quality photos under most light conditions (including the really annoying low-light some of the pieces during the shows have) and take really surprisingly good video- it's now what we use to record the video I use to make the DVDs of our performances (and it could actually be used to make Blu-Rays if there was any demand for them since it records in full HD). It's also got a useful (to some people, hasn't really been for me yet) feature of being able to transfer photos directly to mobile devices over Bluetooth. The only thing I've found I don't like is that you're limited to only being able to record video for 20 minutes in a row- I guess it's to prevent the camera from overheating, but it is a bit frustrating to time when to stop and restart it during the performances, but with running several other (nowhere near as nice- one is a GoPro) cameras that I can cut to when we have to stop and restart the main one it isn't a big problem.
Nikon has been using the F-mount way back into the 60's so the simple answer is yes, you can probably use your dad's old lenses. That said, there's some nuance to that answer. Most of that has to do with what bodies support which autofocus system, which sleepyhead mentioned above. However, there is at least one case where damage will occur if you mount non-Ai lenses to the newer "pro/prosumer" bodies with the autofocus screw drive built in. That's a pretty extreme example of a vintage lens and modern body though. Some basic research should tell you what glass will work with whatever body you're considering.
sleepyhead said:02Pilot said:Before you do anything, determine what sort of photos you want to take. Different types of cameras work better for certain uses.
In a lot of ways, this thread is like a "what car", but you haven't told us if you want to HPDE, autocross, drags... if you're just looking to get to work, how many kids you've got to schlepp along, etc.
so, it's hard to get an idea of... should we suggest a camera that will reach out well, or do they need to shoot wide, or are they in the dark, etc etc.
Well, I got to looking for one in the first place when I realized how much better the photos of my daughter are that were shot with my dads camera than with my iPhone. First time I've ever really cared about it too. That was low-light, no-flash allowed situation. So pictures of kids, dogs, family, etc. would be the first use.
Then this week alone I would have used it to take a picture of the moon, or the water (which is really ice). I'll post the pics I'd have used a good camera for had I had one when I take lunch.
Sports? Maybe in the future, but that'd be 5-8 years in the future. Moving cars? Probably not.
Mirrorless. You don't need a DSLR unless you're doing the kind of stuff that really needs an optical viewfinder, and you're more likely to carry a smaller camera more often, so you'll probably get more use from it. The only line I'm personally familiar with is Fuji's, which I prefer because of the rendering of the X-Trans sensor, the ergonomics, and the high ISO performance. I suspect most mirrorless cameras will do what you want, so then it comes down to personal preferences on size, lenses, ergonomics, and such. Look at KEH.
I am still very much a beginner with modern digital cameras and there are gaping holes in my knowledge, but I learned a lot over the last year.
+1 to what 02Pilot has said here...
I have bought from KEH and Roberts Camera, both were a good customer experience. I have also bought a lot of cheap stuff as a gamble from eBay and thrift stores (old lenses and filters mostly). I bought my Sony a6000 kit on Amazon from Beach Camera and later realized that I could have done better elsewhere and most of the accessories were junk. Love the camera though.
Adapting lenses to a mirrorless camera can be cheap and easy or expensive and complicated. To use a Nikon lens with my Sony NEX E-mount cameras I have a variety of adapters. For about $15 you can get a simple adapter that physically mounts the lens at the correct distance from the sensor. For ~$25 - $50 an adapter will also include a manual aperture adjustment for lenses that need it. Around $150 - $500 can buy an adapter that includes electronics for autofocus and other features: E-Mount Review
What sensor do you want? The Sony line uses an APS-C sensor which has a 3/2 aspect ratio. The Panasonic and Olympus Micro Four Thirds ( MFT, M4/3 and µ4/3) cameras use a 4/3 aspect ratio. Most smart phones have a wider aspect of 16/9. There is way too much to know about sensor size, aspect, crop, and pixel density. Here's some of too much: Northrup, Crop Factor, and Zeiss, Sensors
I like my Olympus OM-D EM-1 and my Sony, but they are very different. Screen, buttons, and menu selections can make a big difference in usability. What works for me may not make sense to you. Go to a store where you can hold some and try them out. An actual camera shop would be great, otherwise maybe BestBuy?
I have really grown to love some of the old manual film camera lenses. The Konica Hexanon lenses can be found cheap and are very usable. My latest buy was an old Konica camera with two lenses included. No info about the lenses was in the listing, but I saw in the pics it had a 50mm F1.4 lens that I wanted. Great for lower light indoor situations. Here's an example taken with it that would have just been a dark mess with my cell phone:
Here's a hawk 50 yards away with an old Canon FD 100-300mm F5.6 lens:
Brand and format is very subjective. Get your hands on a few cameras and figure out what works for you.
I have a Nikon D3200. That is the lowest model (at the time anyway) that shot 1080p video as well.
I absolutely love all of my Nikon gear. Nothing against Canon, I've had a few, but I prefer the Nikon. I find them easier to use, but that's also partly because I'm more familiar with them.
If you're looking for a point-and-shoot, I'm not going to be any help.
I bought a D3300 kit 3 years ago and if I was shopping now I would just get a bridge camera.
mtn said:Well, I got to looking for one in the first place when I realized how much better the photos of my daughter are that were shot with my dads camera than with my iPhone. First time I've ever really cared about it too. That was low-light, no-flash allowed situation. So pictures of kids, dogs, family, etc. would be the first use.
Then this week alone I would have used it to take a picture of the moon, or the water (which is really ice). I'll post the pics I'd have used a good camera for had I had one when I take lunch.
Sports? Maybe in the future, but that'd be 5-8 years in the future. Moving cars? Probably not.
The $300 limit will make some interesting trade offs. I'd be curious to hear what camera you dad has. I'll back up what people have said already, about looking at KEH... I think they've got the cheapest used prices around, and a "reliable" grading system... whereas on ebay it's much more "as-is". That being said, I wouldn't purchase anything below "EX"/excellent.
I've got some setups in mind... but, I'm curious to hear what your dad has, and see some of the shots that have prompted the change.
edit:
I should note that I've shot with a Nikon D40 (similar to the 3xxx cameras mentioned) with a couple DX lenses, some Canon setups, as well as a Sony a5100. So I've got experience with most of the options suggested so far.
And back to this...
here are some of the pictures I took with my iPhone I wish I had a good camera for:
The second one there, of Angela, actually was taken with my dad’s good camera. The difference between that and my cell pics when printed is astounding. May not show up here as this particular file has now been emailed, then texted, then uploaded here, so it may be ocercompeessed at this point.
Thanks for the share.... 
Please continue to know we care.
FIGured out my dad’s camera: EOS M 18P. He said he doesn’t like it himself, he bought it because it was a good deal and he figured it would be a good bridge between his old Mamiya and digital so he could figure out what he really wanted
And this whole thread may now be moot—my little brother needs new wheels for his TSX, and I just happen to have a set in the garage. Dad offered a trade—his camera for my wheels
John Welsh said:Thanks for the share....
Please continue to know we care.
Thanks John. Much appreciated—I’ll go and post some pics in the other thread
02Pilot said:and you're more likely to carry a smaller camera more often, so you'll probably get more use from it.
I second this.
I have a Canon EOS T5 with nice lenses I got off CL. Guy had to have it for a college class. I got a nice bag that comfortable. I love it. And I take 10x more pics with my cell phone....
mtn said:FIGured out my dad’s camera: EOS M 18P. He said he doesn’t like it himself, he bought it because it was a good deal and he figured it would be a good bridge between his old Mamiya and digital so he could figure out what he really wanted
And this whole thread may now be moot—my little brother needs new wheels for his TSX, and I just happen to have a set in the garage. Dad offered a trade—his camera for my wheels
Keep in mind, trade-in for that camera is probably $75, with retail around $200 depending on the lens it’s got on it (I’ll guess it’s the kit 18-55mm IS). That’s probably a good setup to start with... just keep in mind the lens ecosystem for it is limited... and Canon’s got three lines to manage right now (EF, M, R)... so I wouldn’t invest heavily in lenses for it, imho.
sleepyhead said:mtn said:FIGured out my dad’s camera: EOS M 18P. He said he doesn’t like it himself, he bought it because it was a good deal and he figured it would be a good bridge between his old Mamiya and digital so he could figure out what he really wanted
And this whole thread may now be moot—my little brother needs new wheels for his TSX, and I just happen to have a set in the garage. Dad offered a trade—his camera for my wheels
Keep in mind, trade-in for that camera is probably $75, with retail around $200 depending on the lens it’s got on it (I’ll guess it’s the kit 18-55mm IS). That’s probably a good setup to start with... just keep in mind the lens ecosystem for it is limited... and Canon’s got three lines to manage right now (EF, M, R)... so I wouldn’t invest heavily in lenses for it, imho.
Wheels are worth about $100, so it’d be a fair trade
Cool... figured I’d make that explicit
re:lenses...
you should probably pick up the 55-200mm IS at some point, can find at keh from $220. That’ll give a pretty big range in a small/lightweight cheap package. If you find the 18-55 isn’t wide enough, there’s a 15-45 IS you can swap it out for... and not worry about the “lost 10mm” in between.
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