Hey there
not sure if anyone on here is into photography but Ive recently been given a voucher for course. I'm searching round, but dont want to spend a fortune on something that may just be a fad.
Any models I should be looking out for or avoiding?
Any thoughts or suggestions welcome.
Cheers
It's like people read your post and didn't even try to understand it!
There is an old adage. Great photographers take great pictures even with poor cameras. Bad photographers take bad pictures with the best gear.
If your subject is not moving very fast, is very dark, or is far away ... then almost any modern SLR (or mirrorless) is capable of taking stunning pictures. The more money you spend, the better you are able to take pictures in fringe conditions. You are not there yet .... you don't even know if you will enjoy the effort to get those pictures.
2nd adage .... the best camera is the one you have with you. Sure those full-frame cameras with their big lenses can take the best "technical" pictures. I don't use my full-frame nearly as much as my APS (smaller sensor) DSLR camera. It's half the weight, and when you are hauling one around all day, especially hiking, that makes a big difference. I am seriously considering selling it and buying a mirrorless camera for even more size and weight reduction.
Realistically you can't go very wrong with any SLR/mirrorless made in the last 3 years from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax or even Olympus. Canon, Nikon and Sony are the most popular ... which is nice because you can pick up good used lenses for 1/2 the price of new ones ... usually sold by people buying better lenses thinking it will make them a better photographer .... but they just end up taking sharper bad pictures
Sort of the standard "starter" DSLR has been the most recent bottom end of the Nikon or Canon range. Canon's bottom end is more bottom end than Nikon's in terms of image quality. Lenses are pretty similar and features are as well. My personal preference is Nikon's low end for a variety of reasons which I won't list or this thread will never end.
But .... as someone starting out, size of the package really is critical. Too big and you will rarely use it. Everyone has their pain threshold. It is definitely worth checking out the latest Sony and Canon mirrorless APS-C cameras ... very good image quality, excellent auto-focus, excellent video features, and small. You may want to even look at 4/3". You take an image quality hit compared to APC-C, but it's way better than your cell phone.
One thing about Sony and Canon, their video features tend to be better than Nikon. That may matter to you ... it may not.
If I was hooking someone up with their first SLR, and knew nothing about them, and had a reasonable (but not big budget) I would probably put them into a Sony/Canon mirrorless .. probably Sony due to a more mature user interface, better auto-focus and a bit better image quality. If they really cared about image quality and had a more limited budget, a bottom end Nikon would be my choice. I would go for a reasonable range Zoom kit lens ...something about 18-140 for APS-C. Enough range for almost every occasion, still pretty good optically.
If you need specifics Nikon D3500, Sony A6000, Canon M6, Canon EOS M100, Canon Rebel SL2, Olympus PEN E-PL9/10
Update: D3500 - 2 lens kit is on at Costco (US) for $499, with a camera bag. That's a lot of camera for $499. I still think most beginners are better served by an all-in-one lens, but the 18-55 on the camera makes for a really light kit. The good thing about spending at this level, with something as well rated/known as this Nikon (and especially on sale), is if 6 months later you find it is not for you, you can resell it and only be out $150 (or so). Don't wait too long to make up your mind though.
Don't get too hung up on megapixels. All modern SLRs have enough. Unless you are spending large money on lenses (with some exceptions), most lenses cannot extract the full resolution of the sensor. Pretty much any modern SLR with suitable shooting conditions (mainly enough light) can take a picture that can be blown up to 24*36" (or more).
Update: LAST ADAGE -- For 90% of photographers, a $100 course will improve their photos 10x more than a $1000 in equipment.
