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NWR: What digital camera should I buy?

I want to get a good camera - currently I only use my phone because my point and shoot stopped working.  I am going on vacation soon, and we still haven't taken a honeymoon (married in May!) so we are trying to plan a big trip for the spring.   We also are planning to start a family soon, so I figure now is a good time to invest in something a little better.  I am def not a good photographer, and don't expect a good camera to change that, but would like to start taking more pictures of better quality.  I had been looking at DSRL camera's thinking they are the best to have (and I am willing to spend around 500 or so) but I am not sure if I really need that?  are there other options that will take a great quality photo?  What do you have/recommend?  I've never owned anything bigger then a small point and shoot that fits in my purse or back pocket!

Re: NWR: What digital camera should I buy?

  • DSLR are very good but can be costly. If you can afford it, go for a Canon or a Nikon. I like Canon better but that's just me. If you're looking for cheaper but decent, Fuji is a good brand too.

    What will you be using your camera for? Photos for cards? Product photography? Family photos? The thing is, as much as I love DSLR cameras, if you're not looking for that kind of HD, professional quality, then I don't think it's necessarily worth the cost. They're really fun to play with but if you're not planning to play with lenses or do pro photography, a point and shoot would work just fine. There are nice point and shoot cameras out there. I have a nice point and shoot Fuji and it does fine for the normal things and didn't cost me too much ($200 was the original price but I snagged it on a Black Friday sale for $80). I actually ended up using the point and shoot more often than DSLR but part of that was because I was so paranoid of breaking the expensive DSLR or having it get stolen so I didn't enjoy taking it around as much. That's just me though; plenty of people do it and it turns out fine.

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  • Husband has a Nikon DSLR that was around $600. It takes great quality but we barely ever use it. We're like afraid of getting it wet or dirty or lost or whatever. So that's a big downside. We have an Olympus Tough which is waterproof & shockproof and the thing is amazing. ($230) We bring it everywhere, it's amazing to have a the beach and wet places so most of the time we just use that instead of his nice one. It has different settings, we took some close up photos of my accident wounds for the lawyer, and it looked like frigen national geographic- they came out so detailed. I know that's gross but we were really impressed with the quality. 

                                                                     

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  • edited January 2015
    I have the Sony Alpha NEX and absolutely adore it. It is a compact system camera, which means you can change lenses out if you want, and it has a full-size image sensor (crucial for capturing clear images in low light), but is still small and lightweight compared to a full-size DSLR. It has full manual and automatic settings, and the screen even flips out so you can see what you're shooting if you hold your camera high (over crowds) or low (at kid level without crouching) or to take selfies. ;) I have the third model and I think they're up to 7 now, so the 3 is a steal.

    ETA it also has skin-smoothing built in that makes you look flawless, an automatic setting for aperature priority that blurs the background, and smile detection that takes the shot when it sees teeth (which is great for taking pics of kids and grumpy people). Here are some of my favorites.

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    with timer
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  • I would use it for vacations, family photos, holiday's etc..which is why I was thinking maybe a dslr isn't the best choice.  Esp for vacations and having to carry it around.    I like the idea of having a great camera, but thinking that's not the most practical choice!
  • arrippaarrippa member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited January 2015
    I have a Nikon D7000 that I love. I did a lot of research and this camera was the best within my budget. I would read articles and reviews and find a camera that has features that you want. 

    ETA: I forgot a letter.
  • We have a GoPro Hero 4, and I absolutely love it. It's compact, which makes it great for traveling. It also takes amazing pictures. The fisheye effect makes it great for taking a selfie when there's no one around to take a picture of you and your SO. You can also change turn the fish eye off for a more normal angled picture.
  • You cannot beat the lens on a Nikon. Even just my little point-and-shoot Nikon has such an awesome lens.
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  • The best value for your money at that price point is Canon. I was a Nikon girl, but Canon offers more at the price point.

    Be honest with yourself, are you going to pack and lug around a dslr? Even as a photog I find myself leaving mine at home for many a vacation bc it takes up so much space.
    :kiss: ~xoxo~ :kiss:

  • lolo883   Great pics!!


    Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I am def going to start researching!

  • photokitty            Lugging it around is exactly my concern.  I'm sure I don't need a dslr with my limited photography capabilities and they are so large/bulky to carry that I'm afraid I won't be using it as often as i'd want.   
  • jv523 said:
    photokitty            Lugging it around is exactly my concern.  I'm sure I don't need a dslr with my limited photography capabilities and they are so large/bulky to carry that I'm afraid I won't be using it as often as i'd want.   
    Point and shoot little digital cameras can do some amazing things. Especially if you understand/know how to use all their functions. I know nothing about photography, and when I was in China, I was on a moving boat, at night, and took a photo of the cityscape in the distance (Shanghai, all lit up) that was so crystal-clear and sharp and detailed and amazing and beautiful.

    There are lots of photographers in my family and FI is a pretty damn good photographer. I know DSLRs are very nice cameras, I know they're pretty damn expensive, and I know they're a lot to lug around. I also know if you just want to take some good photos and you're not a pro, there's absolutely no reason to invest in a DSLR and carry that sucker everywhere you go.
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  • Ian admittedly a camera snob. I won't use anything other than Canon or Nikon. Personally I prefer Canon but that is just my opinion. We have two. A Canon Eos 7D which is a DSLR. I really like it but it is bulky so I don't really carry it anywhere. I mainly use it for family get togethers. I used to have a Poweshot S110, which is a little point and shoot I loved that thing. I dropped it in my sister's pool last summer and it died I really miss it, :neutral_face:. I replaced it with a Powershot G7 X. I like it a lot, it is easy to use, and it takes pretty good pictures.
  • vulpiepop said:
    DSLR are very good but can be costly. If you can afford it, go for a Canon or a Nikon. I like Canon better but that's just me. If you're looking for cheaper but decent, Fuji is a good brand too.

    What will you be using your camera for? Photos for cards? Product photography? Family photos? The thing is, as much as I love DSLR cameras, if you're not looking for that kind of HD, professional quality, then I don't think it's necessarily worth the cost. They're really fun to play with but if you're not planning to play with lenses or do pro photography, a point and shoot would work just fine. There are nice point and shoot cameras out there. I have a nice point and shoot Fuji and it does fine for the normal things and didn't cost me too much ($200 was the original price but I snagged it on a Black Friday sale for $80). I actually ended up using the point and shoot more often than DSLR but part of that was because I was so paranoid of breaking the expensive DSLR or having it get stolen so I didn't enjoy taking it around as much. That's just me though; plenty of people do it and it turns out fine.
    The bolded is exactly what I was going to say.  If you're never going to take it out of auto mode, there's really no point in having a DSLR.

    Point and shoots are really easy to run around with, fit in your pocket, and nowadays they can take really great high quality photos and a lot of them have pretty impressive zooms.

    Also, you're not going to find a new DSLR for $500 or less (I don't think.  Granted, I have no researched all the brands.)  I have a Canon Rebel T5i, which is pretty much Canon's lowest-end DSLR.  It's $600 on Amazon right now for just the body, and in order to use it you'll need to buy a lens as well.  If you buy it with the standard kit lens (an 18-55 mm lens), it's $750.  You can find some of the older used models in the Rebel series for under $500. 
  • DSLR is not worth it if you are not going to put the time into learning how to change ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. There is a steep learning curve before you take decent pictures. I used to have a Rebel and just upgraded to a 70D. But really, if I just want to take a quick shot of something cute or cool, I still whip out my phone and other photographers echo the same sentiment. It's kind of a pain to lug around a DSLR and configure it and change out equipment, so if you aren't really interested in doing at as a hobby, don't get one or it will just be a very expensive dust collector. 

    Point and shoots are pretty impressive these days. You can't really go wrong with Canon or Nikon and there are many very good point and shoots for around $150. 

    A nice in-between now is the option of going with a mirrorless camera. Sony has some really nice cameras that have many of the perks of a DSLR with more "fun" features and without the weight. They aren't great for hobbyists because there isn't an extensive lens lineup, but it still provides some good options for people that aren't quite ready to go full DSLR but still want a good camera to have some fun with. They are only a little cheaper than DSLR and there are some limitations, but I do think that eventually they will replace DSLR even for serious photographers. 
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  • @lolo833, thank you for the advice!  After a bit of research I went with the Sony Alpha A5000..which I've read is the equivalent of the NEX 3 (sony has replaced the nex with the alpha line).  I'm excited to start playing around with it!
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