A good DSLR for beginners?

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waveparticle

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Hey all,

So I've been really interested in photography lately and I really want to get a DSLR to learn and take amazing pics. However I don't know which camera will be good for a beginner and which will last for some years. I'm mostly interested in taking pictures of animals and landscape.

Any suggestion would be welcomed. And my budget isn't huge, so I would appreciate it, if you could post the prices along with the models.

I've read a bit and I see that Nikon and Canon are the most common ones. But I seriously have no idea about cameras.

Thanks.
 
Hi Waveparticle.

Welcome to the start of a BIG money-pit.

Consider looking at secondhand equipment. You can get better equipment.
I am a Nikon guy, but you can't go wrong with either Canon or Nikon. Biggest rule I learned was spend more on lenses than the body.
 
Badprop_za said:
Hi Waveparticle.

Welcome to the start of a BIG money-pit.

Consider looking at secondhand equipment. You can get better equipment.
I am a Nikon guy, but you can't go wrong with either Canon or Nikon. Biggest rule I learned was spend more on lenses than the body.
Click to expand...

Does the ISO matter when taking pictures of landscapes/animals? I was looking to get the Nikon D3200 with the lens that come with it, but I honestly don't understand a thing about ISO(except that it helps taking better pictures in low-light), FPS, etc.

Are there any reliable shop that you know of that sell second hand(great quality) body? As for lenses, which one would be a good one for starters? The long lenses are like super expensive. I saw a 18-55mm lens is more affordable, but I have no idea.
 
Canon 600D a.k.a T3i in the USA.
Google the reviews and search for better prices. Doubt you'll find anything better that's close to that price.
 
waveparticle said:
Does the ISO matter when taking pictures of landscapes/animals? I was looking to get the Nikon D3200 with the lens that come with it, but I honestly don't understand a thing about ISO(except that it helps taking better pictures in low-light), FPS, etc.
Click to expand...

Begin here
 
You can go to Outdoorphoto in Menlyn or Kameraz in Rosebank. Their you can also have good chats to the guys.

The D3200 is a very good camera. The only problem is that you will not be able to autofocus with lenses that does not have a built-in motor.
The 18-55 is a very good cheap kit lens. You can add the 55-200 lens which is also cheap as a zoom lens. Both will autofocus on the D3200.
I have seen the D3200 with the above lenses secondhand at ODP.

ISO is important, but you can always get a better low light lens (35mm f1.8) later to assist.
Just stick to your budget as it is easy to overspend. Also, decide what kind of photography you want to do. From here you can decide which lenses you want.
 
Decide what you one day want to specialize in what you like, then choose your brand most likely Nikon or Canon, you can't go wrong either way but both have pretty different approaches to photography.

I have Canon and love it, but for instance at the higher end the Nikon D800 is amazing for landscapes, weddings (low light) etc, might be years away but but changing down the line is very difficult. I still use lenses I got years ago even lenses my father used.

Enjoy the journey it is rewarding!
 
waveparticle said:
Does the ISO matter when taking pictures of landscapes/animals? I was looking to get the Nikon D3200 with the lens that come with it, but I honestly don't understand a thing about ISO(except that it helps taking better pictures in low-light), FPS, etc.

Are there any reliable shop that you know of that sell second hand(great quality) body? As for lenses, which one would be a good one for starters? The long lenses are like super expensive. I saw a 18-55mm lens is more affordable, but I have no idea.
Click to expand...

ISO comes from the old film days and basicly means how sensitive your camera is, it means you can get higher shutter speeds and freeze the animals and generaly get sharper pictures. So it is important but most new DSLR's are perfectly suffiecient to start with.

Get a "Nifty Fifty" a nice cheap prime (not zoom) lens with great appature (opening of the lens) great lens to play around with to learn about the relationship of appature / shutterspeed / ISO.
 
herbertk said:
Decide what you one day want to specialize in what you like, then choose your brand most likely Nikon or Canon, you can't go wrong either way but both have pretty different approaches to photography.
Click to expand...
I didn't have a clue what I wanted to specialise in when I started off - if I had I probably would have started off way differently (why the heck did I buy that 16-35mm f/2.8?).

@OP - Canon and Nikon are great - they're also great at leapfrogging each other so while the D800 might be the bees knees for landscape today the next Canon 5 series could well hold the crown by the time you get to it. However, if you don't have aspirations for long lens work then you're doing yourself a disservice not looking at Pentax/Sony et al. They make some fantastic bodies.
 
bwana said:
I didn't have a clue what I wanted to specialise in when I started off - if I had I probably would have started off way differently.

@OP - Canon and Nikon are great - they're also great at leapfrogging each other so while the D800 might be the bees knees for landscape today the next Canon 5 series could well hold the crown by the time you get to it. However, if you don't have aspirations for long lens work then you're doing yourself a disservice not looking at Pentax/Sony et al. They make some fantastic bodies.
Click to expand...

True that, I guess hindsight is the perfect teacher...
 
If you don't have a lot of money to spend why not have a good look at a bridge camera like the Canon SX50HS. I bought this one a few months ago and I am extremely happy with it. It comes with a fixed lens and a fantastic zoom. I would suggest you rather go this way and play with it for a while so you get to learn more about photography and get to know which field you would really be interested in before spending a fortune on all kinds of lenses that you may never get to use much.
 
Malkie said:
If you don't have a lot of money to spend why not have a good look at a bridge camera like the Canon SX50HS. I bought this one a few months ago and I am extremely happy with it. It comes with a fixed lens and a fantastic zoom. I would suggest you rather go this way and play with it for a while so you get to learn more about photography and get to know which field you would really be interested in before spending a fortune on all kinds of lenses that you may never get to use much.
Click to expand...

Never fear - with a 5K budget OP is not about to rush out and buy lenses once he sees what they cost :o
 
bwana said:
However, if you don't have aspirations for long lens work then you're doing yourself a disservice not looking at Pentax/Sony et al. They make some fantastic bodies.
Click to expand...

I cannot speak for Sony

@OP regarding Pentax ,as Bwana says, their cameras are very good.
I can vouch for both the K5 as well as the K3,

HOWEVER

1) Very few shops in S.A stock Pentax or Pentax related products.
2) Pentax lenses are often more expensive than Nikon, Canon or Sony in S.A.
3) Both Sigma and Tamron make lenses for Pentax but sadly, have to be ordered as neither company really supports Pentax in any significant way in S.A. (its a market related thing)

The S.A. market is flooded with Canon and Nikon, so starting out, rather go with something easily available.
 
Canon 100d.

You'll love the smaller size and it's a great beginners camera.
 
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