Son wants one of these, and is planning to spend his own money on one. He's got a very good eye, and really could and probably would use a camera like this. Any sage comments or suggestions about it or better alternatives, or places to find one cheaply?
If the eye is there and he get photos in a digital format I'd worry more about what lens to get in the future opposed to cost versus other options. I snap about 2,000 photos a weekend when on assignment and think to when I had to process my film and develop photos. The cost of chemical solutions, paper, equipment. Suddenly it makes $1400 for a lens not seem so bad.
Anything a D5300 can do can also be done by a D3300 for cheaper. That said, the 18-55 VR II lens that both cameras comes with is excellent and very easy to compose great shots with.
The smokin' deal for a D3300 is at Costco Nov. 28-30. $600 gives you a new D3300, the 18-55, a 55-200 telephoto (around 100 used and also an excellent lens), a 16 GB card, and a bag.
If he doesn't mind a slightly older model (it takes equally good photos), the D3100 w/ 18-55 is refurbished at Adorama for $330 (that means brief warranty and real return policy; I bought one last year and love it): Link to Adorama
If he's into shooting race cars and things that move fast, try to find a refurb or used 70-300 mm VR telephoto (usually around $350 or so) since it autofocuses more rapidly than the 50-200 mm VR (which is otherwise the best bang for your buck if you need to zoom). If he's into shooting at night using available light handheld, look for a used 35 mm f/1.8 (around $150 used). If he has both a 35 and an 18-55, make sure he keeps both for about a month before selling one or the other (no sense having overlapping lenses but zoom vs. prime does change one's shooting style).
If you're looking for a great gift, have him buy his camera kit and surprise him with a legitimately awesome camera bag. I love my Think Tank Retrospective.
By the way, if your son is already experienced with photography and manual exposure, the D7100 can be had without a lens for $820 refurbished: Link to Adorama
It'll blow away the D5300 for close to the same price. You'll still need lenses.
The 7100 won't really blow away the 5300. The 5300 and 7100 share sensors, so they are pretty close in terms of imaging performance.
I chose the D5300 simply because it had a bunch of features that may or may not mature in the coming years. Built in wifi, GPS, articulating screen. None of those things are necessary to take good pictures (I already had decent lenses), but I wanted a camera that in 5 years still has some technology that perhaps has been modified or hacked by the aftermarket to do neat stuff.
Both the D5300 and D3300 suffer from the same Menu-Based settings issues that I already don't like. I've heard the 7100 and Pro-DX models are much better about this. Easy to reach buttons on the outside of the camera that allow you to change settings without going into a menu. If I was hoping to make money with my camera, I'd want the D610s, D750, etc. Nikon D750 Review
I also got the D5300 refurbished, with memory card and kit lens for $750.
Ultimately, if I'd suggest anyone who doesn't already have a kit to look into the Micro 4/3rd cameras. That's the future.
I picked up a Sony A58 for my kid. It was new and came with the basic 18-55mm kit lens and a bag for $360. I looked at the Nikon/Canon equivalents and the Sony really stood out by way of value for your dollar. I'm a Nikon guy but was told by a professional photographer not to get too hung up on the brand. He shoots with a Sony A78. The bonus has been that there is some really good older AF Minolta glass that fits the Sony mount. We've picked up some excellent used lenses that would've been 3x the cost for Nikon or Canon.
This past spring I spent money on a nikcon d5200 off ebay. I spent 1600 on a great packagevof 6 lens, 2 16gig cards, case, backpack, remote trigger, filters, cleaning kit, small tipod,, and a bunch of othervthings also. It takes video and pics, the big thing I did see, is during night I had troble shooting at night, then again still learning how to fix the focus rating.
What sort of photography are we talking about here? How big are you planning to print? If you're not printing, and printing big, the body/sensor don't matter much at all, at least in terms of resolution. Where it does matter is in the controls; does he shoot manual or program? How much do accessible controls matter? As far as image quality, lenses matter way more than the body.
kylini wrote: By the way, if your son is already experienced with photography and manual exposure, the D7100 can be had without a lens for $820 refurbished: Link to Adorama It'll blow away the D5300 for close to the same price. You'll still need lenses.
This. Nikon menus are much better than Canon. Having used the D3100, D5300, and D7000 I want the D7000. The added controls, noticeably faster shutter speed, and auto focus are worth it.
His passion is nature photography. He can spend an hour taking a picture of a blade of grass. When he's done, especially after editing it, its beautiful.
He currently has a Leica v-lux1 and he chafes at the pixel resolution on it. He won't enter competions or even do large prints from it because of the lack of sharpness and detail.
Its the combination of pixels and features that he likes about the 5300. Pixel count is what's knocked the 7000 out, as far as he's concerned. The 3300 is a contender, but hes shown me how the focusing, especially in automatic mode, is not as good. The lack of features, particularly the tilt screen, hdr, and bracketing make him still lean towards the 5300
He knows it's not a professional camera, and he doesn't feel the need for a professional camera yet. But he does want something that could carry him for a number of years, and get pretty close to professional results.
If photography is his passion, and he want's to pursue it and keep his gear for a while, it's definitely time to move up from a Leica branded Panasonic point and shoot! Any 2010+ model DSLR is going to be a significant upgrade. Heck, a Nikon D40 is going to be an upgrade.
The best general purpose, especially for a nature and landscape oriented photogrpaher, crop-sensor camera available is the Pentax K-3, and now it's down to just about $900 body only, $1250 when bundled with the excellent DA 18-135mm WR lens. Adding a $100 16gb flucard add smartphone/tablet tethering, and there is a GPS hotshoe accessory that allows easy long exposure astrophotography using the in-camera shake reduction. Oh, and there's no AA filter so the photo's will be noticeably sharper than the D5300's.
A good prime lens, the DA 35mm f2.4, for general work is about $200. The D FA 100mm WR Macro is one of the best available for the "single blade of grass" type work, and it's weather sealed like the camera so shooting in bad weather isn't a problem for it. The DA 15mm Limited is one of the best wide angle lenses available. The DA 40mm ltd offers fantastic IQ and is so small that it makes it and the camera almost pocketable.
Oh, and you can use any pentax K-mount lens more or less natively, and with an inexpensive m42-K adapter can use some truly fantastic and cheap lenses from the Pentax screwmount era or modern Zeiss or Voitlander m42 lenses for that matter. Oh, and they're ALL compatible with in body shake. There's a Pentax M50mm f1.4 in my local camera shop for $50. Manual focus only, but find me a Canikon 50mm 1.4 for less than 10x that...
Even better, Pentax cameras are laid out by photographers with photographer's in mind. Controls are either on the body or extremely easy to get to on top level menus, or both. Controls are customizable too.
If it sounds like I work for them, I don't. I'm just a amatuer with a Pentax K-30 (and waiting for K-3 prices to drop a little more) and a couple of their excellent modern lenses. It's a great system for people who like to shoot still photo's.
Whellllll.... Amazon has dominated Thanksgiving.
If your son wants Nikon, he can get a D7000 friggin' new for $549, or with the 18-55 VR II lens for $649. I really really wish I wasn't broke because I'd upgrade my body in a heartbeat. http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D7000-DSLR-Body-Only/dp/B0042X9LC4
Essentially the only differences between the D7000 and D7100 is 8 MP (16 vs. 24) and fewer shots per charge (D7000 wins by about 1000).
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