INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH MIKKEL?
DON'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT.
Thank you for your great comments on my Part 1 post on this topic. This post will finish it off! Hopefully you’ll have ease of reference when someone asks you what camera they should get if they want a “better” camera than what they have, whatever “better” means to them.
I’m going to start this post off with a well said quote from my photographer friend Harry Lim’s comment in Part 1: Remember a camera is just a box that records light. It’s just a tool, how it’s used is up to the user.
We last left off with your decision to buy a DSLR camera for the right reasons. And you’re off to the camera store to “try them on.” Great!
What should you keep in mind at the store? I considered the following as do many others I know:
- Are the menus user-friendly?
- Does it feel good in my hands? Can I easily manage holding it for a while?
- Is it heavy?
- On the converse, is it so light it feels like it’s not made from good materials?
- Is the screen quality?
- What kind of card does it take? (I actually had a friend text message me this week out of frustration that his first DSLR, and Olympus, didn’t take an SD card.)
- Can I grow with this body until I can gauge how serious I am about photography to either stay where I am or move on up with new equipment or am I going to grow weary of it in 2 weeks?
- What kind of lenses does it take?
All things to consider.
Keep in mind buying a camera should not be a 1-2-3 purchase. Be an educated buyer. Don’t buy on a whim. Do your research. If you want somewhere to start, model-wise, for both Canon and Nikon my suggestions are below. They’re the minimum I would even start considering for a DSLR camera. Anything lower, in my personal opinion, isn’t worth the money. Of course price and bells and whistles go up and up from these models but it’s a great place to start. (Note the date of this post if you’re reading this next year or years from now, even. Prices and model numbers will change!)
NIKON:
- Nikon D3100 (newest model of this level of camera): about $650 (includes body and lens as a “kit”).
- Nikon D3000 (older model of the above, doesn’t do video like the 3100 does but you can get it for less money): about $500 for a kit. Word to the wise: Ken Rockwell quotes this as Nikon’s worst DSLR ever. I trust what he says. It’s worth reading his review because it’s important to know what makes a camera bad as well as good.
- A step up from the 3100 is a Nikon D90: between $900 – $1000 as a kit.
CANON:
- Canon Rebel T2i : comparable to Nikon’s D3000 series and will run you approximately $800
- Canon Rebel xSi: approximately $725.
- Canon EOS 60D is comparable to the Nikon D90, I believe. It’ll run you around $1200 for a kit.
And as I once mentioned before, I’m not an expert nor do I play one on this blog. Professional? Yes. Expert? No. So I’ll leave you with someone who I do consider an expert though I don’t personally know him. His site’s a great reference go-to place on the web: Ken Rockwell. He provides great reviews on Canons and Nikons. Also, if you do start your own business one of the best things I ever did was join The B School. It’s a private forum and learning “location” for serious photographers.
I’m going to throw in an add on portion of this 2-parter just to shout out some lens terminology. Crash-course, if you will.
Have a great Friday. Especially Christmas Eve for those of you who celebrate!
