Any camera nuts here?

Jbird

Jbird

Kick Henry Jackassowski
I'm thinking about buying a 'nice' camera, one that I could use all the lenses on if I so chose.

DSLR? Or mirrorless? Do I need image stablization? Most shots I would take I wouldnt be using a tripod.

Also, one that is beginner-friendly. I'm not one to do a deep dive into how to get great photos. I am more of a "ooh, that looks cool (point, shoot)" type of person.


What are some good beginner options that would still take good photos if a pro were using it?
 
DSLRs are rapidly on their way out but I love mine. All the photos I post in the Cars subforum are shot with an old Nikon D7100 and a Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8. I think of it as kind of the Fender Player Series of the DSLR market 10 years ago. There's nothing premium about it. It's a crop sensor camera, the lens isn't crazy expensive, I know how to make it do everything I want it to do, it's durable, it's not irreplaceable, and it take great photos.

Eventually I'll move on but for now I'm perfectly happy with a very mundane older setup.
 
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i'm using a Sony Alpha 550 with a 18-250 Sigma zoom f3.5 with image stabilization (and other stuff)
and vertical grip that holds 2 batteries and additional controls for portrait oriented photos.
you should check out the MWGL PHOTOGRAPHY thread. there are several of us here that are also photographers.
https://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/threads/mwgl-photography-thread-ii-continued.89905/
 
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I bought a Sony A6000 a few years ago and I absolutely love it. Vastly superior to the Nikon D3300 SLR it replaced.

The only downside of this camera (and all mirrorless cameras in general) is battery life. The D3300 would shoot for days on one charge. The A6000 gets about 4 hours of use. You really need two or three batteries. One bright spot is that the battery can be charged while in the camera using a micro USB cable.
 
They all do so many things now. Find one that feels good in your hand if you can. What you using if for? Vlogging? Stills? That can help narrow down and exact model. Research lenses. For example, Canon has a severe lack of 3rd party lens options. Sony has tons of options. However, my fav lens is a Canon so I have a Canon system.
 
From what I understand it's hard to buy a *bad* camera these days. It all depends on what you want/need.

Personally I have an Olympus E-M1 Mk II, a micro 4/3 (crop sensor) body that isn't the latest and greatest, but has features I like. I like to do nature photography so the smaller system means it's lighter, so I don't have a ton of extra weight in a bag. The body is smaller but has a nice grip, is weatherproof, has good in body image stabilization, and a few features like a high res mode for when it is on a tripod. But some people need more resolution, better low light performance, dynamic range, etc. that the micro 4/3 system can't achieve. It hasn't been a problem to me, though.

Budget is a big question, depending on the brand you may lose stuff like image stabilization on a body below 1k. Used or refurbished isn't a bad way to go. Personally I know a few people who love their Fujifilm X system cameras and if I were doing a different system that would be my choice. Still a crop system with smaller, lighter gear, but a bigger sensor than micro 4/3.
 
Almost any of the modern cameras will do good point and shoot in auto mode but you'll be blown away when you do actually do that deep dive into settings. It's not as complicated as it might seem. My father is a pro photographer and has been trying to teach me for years. When I finally sat down and listened it was all pretty straight forward. The current technology is very forgiving and also has all of the options for those that dig deeper and make their own adjustments.

All of that said, I agree with who said "Get one that fits your hand well" as well as look at how light the whole gear set up will be and the third party options. My father is a Canon guy. Canon is great. If I was buying today I'd likely go with a Sony set up based on my use and research.
 
I opted for the Sony a7III some years back. I wanted a full size sensor being an old film guy. Lots of lenses available though Sony, Sigma, Tamron, and many other companies. As stated earlier it would be hard to by a bad camera. Many aftermarket lens companies have many lenses for Sony, Canon, Nikon, some Olympus but so much in the Fuji line. Good luck.
 
The cameras and lens I really want are unaffordable, so the Nikon P900 will do.

I'd love to have a simple yet pricey Leica SL2-S, of course.
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I just have a Nikon D3200 DSLR with 3 lenses and a handful of other accessories. Don’t know if that is a decent ‘MIM Tele’ or if it’s a ‘Squire Hello Kitty’ but its served me well on a few vacations and even worked to capture video for a couple live performances that I later sync’s with the board audio.
 
baimun said:
I just have a Nikon D3200 DSLR with 3 lenses and a handful of other accessories. Don’t know if that is a decent ‘MIM Tele’ or if it’s a ‘Squire Hello Kitty’ but its served me well on a few vacations and even worked to capture video for a couple live performances that I later sync’s with the board audio.
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LMAO. Those analogies are hilarious. In the camera world it's probably closer to a Squier but not Hello Kitty bad. I had the 3200. Loved that camera. We'll just have to agree on MIM Tele for this discussion's purposes.
 
MonkeyZero said:
LMAO. Those analogies are hilarious. In the camera world it's probably closer to a Squier but not Hello Kitty bad. I had the 3200. Loved that camera. We'll just have to agree on MIM Tele for this discussion's purposes.
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Cool, I’ve had it for a decade but it was good enough to capture these in Jamaica…

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… including a burst of crisp photos during my cliff jump at Rick’s that I stiched together into this.

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Any thoughts on the Olympus range of cameras?

I've been reading that they are easy to use, more compact, easier for smaller hands, and have the best image stabilization on the market.

What about lenses for them? Do they only take Olympus lenses?
 
Recent Olympus/OM System bodies will take any micro 4/3 mount lenses. Olympus/OM System, Panasonic Lumix/Leica, and other third parties such as Sigma, Venus, TTArtisan, etc. I've loved my E-M1 MK II since I bought it in late 2020 after starting out with an older version of their entry level camera, the E-M10 MK II. If you would like some examples of what I've used it for personally, I have a site where I host some of my photography; will.pictures If you have any specific questions let me know!
 
Am I correct in saying that all micro 4/3 lenses are compatible with all micro 4/3 cameras?

My impression of the 4/3s world is that they are great compact cameras. But the low light sensitivity isn't as good as APS or full-frame sensors. And for whatever reason, the micro 4/3 cameras tend to be more expensive than APS sensor cameras.
 
I don't understand why the different brands aren't compatible. You can move the same set of nuts from a Ford, to a Chevy, to a Dodge, no problem. Why can't cameras be like trucks?
 
MonkeyZero said:
Almost any of the modern cameras will do good point and shoot in auto mode but you'll be blown away when you do actually do that deep dive into settings. It's not as complicated as it might seem. My father is a pro photographer and has been trying to teach me for years. When I finally sat down and listened it was all pretty straight forward. The current technology is very forgiving and also has all of the options for those that dig deeper and make their own adjustments.

All of that said, I agree with who said "Get one that fits your hand well" as well as look at how light the whole gear set up will be and the third party options. My father is a Canon guy. Canon is great. If I was buying today I'd likely go with a Sony set up based on my use and research.
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Can't agree more. Manual sounded really complicated, and it can be, but 10 minutes to get a basic understanding of what shutter, aperture and ISO do and how they interact improves you photos 100 fold.

My dad has had decent cameras for years but never bothered to shoot out of auto. I spent 20 seconds tinkering with his camera at my cousins wedding and the difference between the first half hour of photos and everything after is night and day.

Anyways. I have a Nikon d810 and nhce tamron lens.

If I'd to replace it I'd likely go mirror less but most of my shooting is at gigs with difficult lighting and moving / drunk subjects so I'd need to find something that suited.
 
Bob411 said:
I don't understand why the different brands aren't compatible. You can move the same set of nuts from a Ford, to a Chevy, to a Dodge, no problem. Why can't cameras be like trucks?
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Other than the different sensor sizes which means different mounting dimensions, for ones like full frame it's probably so that you're stuck in one brand's ecosystem.

Also Nikon probably doesn't want to have to be afraid that someone will buy a Canon lens then complain of compatibility problems if something doesn't work right, which means testing all these lens they're not making money off of to ensure it works.

There are adapters you can buy that mounts to your body and takes other mount types. I have a couple old M42 film SLR lenses and adapter that makes it usable on my camera.
 
BB123 said:
Other than the different sensor sizes which means different mounting dimensions, for ones like full frame it's probably so that you're stuck in one brand's ecosystem.

Also Nikon probably doesn't want to have to be afraid that someone will buy a Canon lens then complain of compatibility problems if something doesn't work right, which means testing all these lens they're not making money off of to ensure it works.

There are adapters you can buy that mounts to your body and takes other mount types. I have a couple old M42 film SLR lenses and adapter that makes it usable on my camera.
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OK. Doesn't really mater to me anyways. I can't imagine waking up tomorrow, wanting a set of nuts hanging down from my camera. Just not me.
 
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