# Getting DSLR need some advice



## elvtnedge (Aug 10, 2007)

So like the topic says, the wife and I are looking to jump from point and shoot to a dslr. We'd like to start taking better pictures but we're beginners so to speak.

I had figured out in my mind after reading reviews and comparisons etc that the D3100 was going to be the model for us and get an 18-200 lens. We walked in Henry's yesterday and explained what we wanted etc and the worker there said before we make a decision to consider the Sony A55. Granted it was a little more expensive, he did tell us the features and advantages such as 10fps in burst mode, an amazing HD movie mode with very fast auto focus, geotagging etc. With regards to the A55 the comparable Nikon would not be the 3100 but the 5100 which is a little more. I don't mind spending a little more because chances are, we won't upgrade unless this sparks a very serious photo bug in us.

So I came home and have looked online at sites.. some sites authors rate the D5100 above the Sony A55 and yes on the same site the user reviews prefer the Sony. I know Nikon is one of the big "staple" companies and I know they make great products. I never considered Sony when looking at entry level however the features are having me quite confused.

Both cameras are on sale right now and the Sony with the 18-200 lens would be about $100 cheaper than the Nikon. I tried looking online for sites that would compare photos to see.

Any advice?


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## Jason H (Feb 1, 2004)

I've got a Sony A200 with a Sigma 18-200mm lens. So far its been a great camera, i've had it for three years. Its spend most of the time travelling with me and been all over north america bouncing around.

One of the reasons I bought the Sony was that the body was made in Japan. None of the other entry level DSLR's were made in Japan. Plus I wasn't a fan of Nikons user interface and I did like the old Minolta film SLR I had years before so I decided to give Sony a try!


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## Kazak (Jan 19, 2004)

Hoping to see some more opinions here . . .


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## KC4 (Feb 2, 2009)

I started with Canon and moved to Nikon DSLRs. I don't regret the move to Nikon. They seem to be sturdy, reliable, not riddled with vexing issues and mostly give me the results I wanted (or that I unwittingly asked for). Nikon lenses are also my fave, although I do own other brands that work just fine for me. 

I don't personally know anyone who has a Sony A200, so other than reviews I can point you to, I really have no comment.

All other things being equal (or close enough), I usually go with the established tried and true myself.

I like and trust this site for decent reviews:

Digital Cameras: Digital Photography Review, News, Reviews, Forums, FAQ


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I too began with Canon, but dropped it in favour of Nikon which for me was far superior. Each to their own, I guess. I now own two Nikons and a high end point and shoot Lumix. I am currently mulling selling my Nikon SLR 8mpx Coolpix 8800 with four batteries and case included.


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## Niteshooter (Aug 8, 2008)

A long long time ago I was one of the guys standing behind the counter in a photo retail environment....

What I would try and figure out from the customer...

- what system(s) do your friends use, this can be important from the standpoint of technical help and possibly tryouts of different lenses.

- how does the camera feel in your hands, do the controls make sense? In other words are the buttons intuitive or is it so complicated that you need to carry the manual. If you buy something you will always be fighting with then you tend to stick it in the closet....

- are the accessories suitable when you decide to grow your system further on down the road?

I think Nikon is a good system, I've shot with it in the past though now I use Canon. Both are equally good. These days there are a lot of good cameras out there, even the Micro 4/3 gear is starting to get interesting. I currently shoot with a Panasonic M 4/3 body and Canon FD and Leica M lenses through a couple of adaptors.

Sony, well I'm kind of on the fence about it. They have some very nice Carl Zeiss lenses in their kit but image quality from the cameras has always left me a bit lukewarm. Not quite as accurate as Nikon or Canon I thought.

But I guess the main thing is don't get confused by the specs and numbers if at all possible try and take a few test photos with the cameras and just see how you like the results.

Now a wild card might be shooting in a mode called RAW where the sw in the camera isn't used to heavily process the image but me being the lazy type I'm always trying to get the best pix with the least amount of work...


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## elvtnedge (Aug 10, 2007)

Thanks for the replies, it's really appreciated. I found a site that had sample photos of both cameras and to my amateur eye the nikon is a touch better. Thats what were going with I think. Also asked a couple of photo buddies and they use nikon too so I could always try out their lenses down the road too.


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## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

Sony is releasing the A77 next month. from the previews it looks like an exceptional camera. I really like the direction Sony is going with their translucent mirror design.


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## Guest (Sep 12, 2011)

Yep Sony is applying some really forward thinking to their designs. I've also heard a lot of good things about their sensors from the pros and they have good glass to offer as well.


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## media_jedi (Jan 13, 2006)

From my experiences, I generally like the control layout better on the Canon models but the build quality of the Nikon cameras.

If you want to do some video with your SLR though I would have to say its Canon all the way.

take care


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## elvtnedge (Aug 10, 2007)

I just bought the D5100 today and have been playing around with it for the later part of the day. I got it just with the 18-55 lens but I'm thinking of getting the 70-300 vs the 18-200. I want to have plenty of zoom and don't mind carrying around a 2nd lens. Also the 70-300 is cheaper too.


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## okcomputer (Jul 18, 2005)

Great decision! I have a friend who has a SONY and was recently buying a new dSLR. He was really leaning towards the new A77. He liked that he could use his SONY and Minolta lenses (like the 50mm 1.7), and the feature set was impressive.

I tried to steer him towards Nikon or Canon. Though SONY has come a long way, they are still not in the same league as the two biggies. The reason they have so many features and high specs is because, otherwise, they wouldn't stand a chance. They have to sell their cameras based on specs rather than pro performance. And it works for them.

But the numbers don't like. Take a poll of which cameras pros and semi-pros and serious amateurs use and it will overwhelmingly be Canon and Nikon. Not just because they've been around longer, but because they are built better, produce better images, and have MUCH better lenses.

It's all summed up in digital rev's review of the A77: 
Sony Alpha SLT-A77 Hands-on Review - YouTube

Lastly, the translucent mirror is cool, but it's in its infancy. As you'll see in the video, you lose light. They measured it at around 1/3 stop at least. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want with an expensive camera is to have use a longer shutter speed or higher ISO to combat the cameras faults. It should be the opposite.

Congrats on your purchase, you'll be pleased I'm sure. 

PS: My friend bought the D7000 and is loving it. He almost became my camera twin with the 60D, but he preferred the body of the Nikon. I'm the opposite (obviously) - the only Nikon that has felt good in my hands is the D3 and that's just a _little_ out of my price range.

PPS: Specs really don't mean anything at all. Look at the pro bodies from both Nikon and Canon. They rarely have the highest megapixels or frames per second. They are built with accurate AF, great high ISO performance, accurate colour reproduction, etc. etc. Don't get lost in specs - pros could care less, as long as the camera creates good images.


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## robodiem (Sep 13, 2011)

Excellent decision, indeed. I couldn't argue more in favour of Nikon... But just don't rush into buying lenses. You already have a great 18-55 zoom to start with and experiment. Good to high quality (pro-) lenses remain a sound investment, especially Nikon ones. Prime/fixed focal lenses, for example, seem weird to the DSLR beginner user, but they do provide higher quality pictures and push the photographer to “work” more, and not rely as much on auto settings or zoom capabilities...
Anyway, have fun! I'm sure you'll have plenty with your new 5100.


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## media_jedi (Jan 13, 2006)

Congrats on your new camera, if you want to get your feet wet with some prime lenses I would recommend taking a look at the used market (from reputable dealers of course). Primes don't tend to change to much over the years so you might be able to get a great value on a slightly older 35mm or 50mm (2 very popular focal lengths).

have fun


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## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

okcomputer said:


> Lastly, the translucent mirror is cool, but it's in its infancy. As you'll see in the video, you lose light. They measured it at around 1/3 stop at least. I don't know about you, but the last thing I want with an expensive camera is to have use a longer shutter speed or higher ISO to combat the cameras faults. It should be the opposite.


you lose 1/3 of a stop with the translucent mirror, but you gain 1/3 of a stop with the in body stabilization. evens out.


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## Guest (Sep 27, 2011)

okcomputer said:


> I tried to steer him towards Nikon or Canon. Though SONY has come a long way, they are still not in the same league as the two biggies. The reason they have so many features and high specs is because, otherwise, they wouldn't stand a chance. They have to sell their cameras based on specs rather than pro performance. And it works for them.
> 
> But the numbers don't like. Take a poll of which cameras pros and semi-pros and serious amateurs use and it will overwhelmingly be Canon and Nikon. Not just because they've been around longer, but because they are built better, produce better images, and have MUCH better lenses.


I dunno about that. I think you might be a bit behind the times in that statement. The higher end Sony units pretty much are right up there with the Canon and Nikon -- in fact a lot of pros rate the new Sony above the nikon offerings in the high end. The quality in terms of hardware (both construction and sensor.electronics) is in the same league as C&N and the Sony has one advantage that their of the C or N offerings do, in _body_ stabilization -- you're not paying a super high premium for each lens ... any lens you attach will have stabilization. 

Sony A900 and Canon 5D MKII

As for Sony not having good glass (or C&N having MUCH better lenses as you put it) ... I dunno about that one either. Sony is shipping Carl Zeiss lenses which are incredible, in fact I dare say probably better than anything Canon currently makes and right up there with the super high-end Nikon stuff. A few reviewers have compared them to the high-end Leica lens offerings in terms of quality in fact.

If I wasn't so heavily invested in Canon glass I would probably give Sony a run personally.


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Zeiss certainly ranks right up there with Schneider and maybe just a tiny bit ahead of Leitz as one of the best in the business. Not to say that all lenses from any of these three necessarily meet the standards set by the best in their line-ups. You gets what you pay for. I have three Schneiders in my collection. One of them is OK the other two are nothing less than superb. I would expect nothing less from the Zeiss line-up.

Canon and Nikon are excellent lens manufacturers but generally fall a little bit short of the superb quality standards set by the big three. Will the average photographer notice the difference in day to day use? Probably not.


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## crawford (Oct 8, 2005)

mguertin said:


> If I wasn't so heavily invested in Canon glass I would probably give Sony a run personally.


And this is probably the single largest reason why more pros are sticking with Nikon or Canon. They did't become the dominant players overnight and won't be toppled very quickly either.


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## Guest (Sep 27, 2011)

crawford said:


> And this is probably the single largest reason why more pros are sticking with Nikon or Canon. They did't become the dominant players overnight and won't be toppled very quickly either.


Who said anything about Sony toppling Canon and Nikon?  I'm just saying that in the short time they have been offering serious DSLR's they have made a pretty good foothold and are offering some serious competition to C&N quality wise.


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## crawford (Oct 8, 2005)

@ mguertin: I agree with you. I was actually referring to an earlier post by okcomputer regarding the preponderance of Nikon and Canon among pros. It's more likely due to a reluctance to change and past investment in lenses.


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## Frank Rizzo (Aug 17, 2007)

Something to remember is that the Nikon D3100 and D5100 have no built in auto focus motors. Therefore the lens must be an AF-S, if you want to autofocus. Older or non-AF-S lenses will have to be manually focused.


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## Icecrystal (Dec 7, 2011)

Slr camera advice eh...

Was in the same boat too...

Nikon all the way, went to my local store to buy one, til the clerk asked me what I wanted in the camera...

Weather sealant... have kids who swim and like to run in the sprinklers, and play in puddles....
Durable... survive a kid like environment.
FF or no need... FF What the heck is that ?
Can track kids who run at full speed... 
Love nature and wildlife photography...
And family photography is a MUST...

That is when he pointed me at Pentax, 

Nikon and cannon... HaHaHa

I herd that...

I bought the k10 then the k20 now I recently got the Pentax k5. 

My kit is as follows

540 flash
Pentax macro flash
77 limited
31 limited
50 135 weather sealant lense
200 weather sealant lense
300 weather sealant lense
100 macro
50 lense
12 24 wide angle
75 300 zoom
18 ?? Kit lense non weather sealant

I am very impressed with what this camera can dish out.... 

Beautiful results...

But please do not run out to buy Pentax or any other slr, do you're homework first...

Here is a web sight that will help you in making a choice granted it is not easy one to make.... But check it out before you buy...

Dpreview. Com

Every model point and shoot to slr beginner midrange to high end. You and you're wife will be happy you both did...

They even have a forum you can join, you can even view photos form those who own different models...

Good luck friend I wish the both of you the best of luck in finding the perfect camera, that you will enjoy and use for a lifetime..

Just remember this it is not the camera it is the person behind it that truely matters...

Ice crystal.....


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