Photography Camera Help

[Clarktar]

I know we have several members on here who are well versed in Digital cameras, and photography in general. I even think there are a few "pros" as well. My wife would like a new camera. She has about 600-700 dollars to spend. She is not sure what to get.

SOme background. We have an old Cannon Rebel (10yrs?) with 1 lens (basic lens). It rarely ever gets used. I have a Olympus TG-4 that I use alot and really like.

Something with a steep learning curve will not work for her. I know her patience and time constraints. But she does want the ability to take "nice" photos. We are mostly outdoors folk, so the camera would be used in a variety of outdoor settings (from mountains to the beach). We are having a second child, so I doubt she wants a huge camera to lug around along with 2 kids all there stuff, and my stuff

She is considering cameras with lens that you can take off, that way she can upgrade lens in future (I a simple guy, I don't want to many lens options!).

ANyone have some recommendations in that price range?

She sent me this link for consideration
Canon T6 vs Nikon D3400 Detailed Comparison

 

[Dos Perros]

I have the Canon T6s. It's my first DSLR and I have found it to be pretty easy to use. It came with the 18-135 IS lens and my dad gifted me some ???-270 lens too. I've heard Canon's are easy to use and Nikon's are tougher to learn. I really like some of the pictures I've taken, and I haven't dedicated that much to learning how to use it.

 

[colonel00]

Well, I'm admittedly a Pentax fanboy for numerous reasons. For that budget, with upcoming sales (most likely) she can get into a great setup with Pentax much cheaper than Canikon. Plus, with Pentax, in a lower budget tier you still get their Weather Resistance which costs top dollar in other brands.

Any DSLR is going to have a learning curve if you want to start getting some of the more difficult shots or you want to learn how to work with RAW images in software like Lightroom. However, a DSLR will give you good results just using the Auto or Program modes.

Things to consider:
Consider all things about a brand. Once you start buying lenses and bodies, it's tough to change to a different brand later.
What does she (and you) anticipate photographing mostly?
Is she willing to lug a DSLR and probably a couple lenses around but the trade off is much better photos that can be printed or touched up easier.

These are the two packages that I'd recommend. The lens they come with is a pretty good lens for the money and with this lens, you have a weather resistant setup. A little more than your stated budget but worth it for the upgraded lens.

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[Clarktar]

Thanks for the replies so far guys!

 

[colonel00]

Whatever route you decide to take, remember that Black Friday/Cyber Monday is right around the corner.

 

[Clarktar]

Anymore Input?

 

[PJG]

I personally think most people focus on the camera body, and IMO this is a bad approach. I would personally focus the lense and then the price range. For instance take a look at the price of the top of the line cannon and Nikon lenses, if the price of these lenses doesn’t scare you then I would look at the highest quality body that you would use for these lenses.

I personally use an Olympus OMD-EM1. All you have to do is read a couple reviews on this camera and you will quickly see why people use them. They are small, lightweight, fully sealed and Olympus has a pretty good reasonably priced lense catalog. With all that said the truth of the matter is that this camera can be very complicated to use and I personally wish the dynamic range was better. I would happily carry a bigger camera and larger lenses to get more dynamic range. But, I would be looking at a body that is close to 1,000-1,500 more and lenses that are exponentially more. So, for what I do the price to get better dynamic just doesn’t make sense for my budget. I end up settling for something a little less.

There are people on this site that take absolutely incredible photos with point and shoot cameras. The sony RX 100 is a prime example of this. If you don’t want to go down the road of buying multiple lenses then a high quality point and shoot might make more sense.

I personally feel that a three lense kit is the minimum kit for someone wanting to get the most out of their DSLR type cameras. Add up the cost of buying three lenses and you will soon find out that you will end up spending far more on glass than anything else.

 

[Devonian]

If you haven't take a look at the mirrorless 4/3rds cameras like the Sony A6000. It takes great photos and is in your price range. I prefer a mirrorless because they have the same capabilities of a dslr in a smaller package.

 

[Clarktar]

We do have 1 cannon lens, so maybe we should stick with cannon? It is probably the basic lens that was packaged with the rebel..

 

[Finch]

We do have 1 cannon lens, so maybe we should stick with cannon? It is probably the basic lens that was packaged with the rebel..

If it's the "kit" lens, then I wouldn't let that hold you back from going with a different camera make. Doesn't sound like you're TOO invested at this point. The wife and I went to Alaska back in 2012 and I bought a Canon 60D with a tamron 18-270 lens and a "nifty fifty." Also, we rented one of the Canon "L" lenses, the 100-400mm. Took some awesome shots. However, anymore the camera stays in the closet because I don't like lugging it around. I wish I had something smaller. Something to consider.

 

[Clarktar]

Well, she ended up getting a Nikon D3300 with the 18-55 and a 55-200mm lenses. Anyone have any feedback on this camera?

 

[colonel00]

I don't know that camera specifically but I'm sure it will be a good intro kit for her. You might look for a 55-300 tele lens as 200mm is somewhat limited. Still, it will be good enough of a start to see if you want to pursue the photography any further with minimal investment.

 

[colonel00]

Oh, I forgot to post this before but for anyone that may come across this thread in the future, this video epitomizes exactly why I went with Pentax.

PENTAX DUST AND WEATHER SEALING IN AFGHANISTAN - YouTube

 

[Clarktar]

Oops, it is the 55-300 lens!