First interchangeable lens camera

Bacms · Jan 14, 2016

Hi guys,

I am getting a bit frustrated with my current camera (Panasonic TZ5) as it does not allow me to change much in terms of options. I use it to take pictures of my hobbies, miniature painting and aquascaping/fishkeeping and also for the occasional holiday photos and photos around the house. My main problem is that getting sharp pictures is very difficult specially if I want to take close up photos.

For these reason I was advise to upgrade to a DSLR which to be fair I know nothing about but doing some research it seems that are system of interchangeable lens that would give similar results. My budget is around the £500 mark can you suggest some cameras for me to look into for my purposes? I also understand that a macro lens would be a required upgrade shortly after the camera but I am not including the price of the lens into it at the moment.

Have been looking at the Nikon and Cannon offerings and it seems that the Nikon D3300 is a good deal and would leave some money for the macro lens. But I am wondering whether it is worth splashing a bit more of cash and get something like a Nikon D5300, Cannon 700D or even stretch the budget a bit and go for a Nikon D5500/Cannon 750D, specially since Cannon is doing a cashback offer at the moment.

Ace of Sevens · Jan 14, 2016

By close-up, do you mean like someone's face filling the frame or a penny filling the frame?

P Langham · Jan 14, 2016

I would go with the two lens and camera all for way under your budget by Olympus.

The epl-6

http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/outlet/reconditioned-cameras.html

You get everything you want, and a touchscreen focus which is extremely useful for your indoor close work.

Bacms · Jan 14, 2016

Ace of Sevens said:
By close-up, do you mean like someone's face filling the frame or a penny filling the frame?

I am referring to take photos of miniature models about 35mm in size so in the scale of a 2 penny coin. I would also like to be able to capture photos of single fish and shrimps which range in scale from 2cm to 10cm. So I guess it would be the second option

bmoag · Jan 14, 2016

I believe the D3300 kits are the best bang for the buck. If you pursue dSLR photography you have to enter somewhere and discover what you like and don't like.

In truth all the entry level kits are good values and very good for their intended purpose. The lenses are not much different in optical performance.

The advantages of the D3300 in my opinion are best in class sensor (lowest noise/highest resolution), small and light size, easy to use in automatic or more advanced modes, price/value ratio, optical viewfinder. Once used to an optical viewfinder you may find electronic view finders in cameras less desirable. There is no tilt-out screen which is useful for video because in the real world it can be impossible to see the LCD outdoors in sunlight while shooting video.

Bacms · Jan 14, 2016

P Langham said:
I would go with the two lens and camera all for way under your budget by Olympus.

The epl-6

http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/outlet/reconditioned-cameras.html

You get everything you want, and a touchscreen focus which is extremely useful for your indoor close work.

davidedric · Jan 14, 2016

Bacms said:
Hi guys,

I am getting a bit frustrated with my current camera (Panasonic TZ5) as it does not allow me to change much in terms of options. I use it to take pictures of my hobbies, miniature painting and aquascaping/fishkeeping and also for the occasional holiday photos and photos around the house. My main problem is that getting sharp pictures is very difficult specially if I want to take close up photos.

For these reason I was advise to upgrade to a DSLR which to be fair I know nothing about but doing some research it seems that are system of interchangeable lens that would give similar results. My budget is around the £500 mark can you suggest some cameras for me to look into for my purposes? I also understand that a macro lens would be a required upgrade shortly after the camera but I am not including the price of the lens into it at the moment.

Have been looking at the Nikon and Cannon offerings and it seems that the Nikon D3300 is a good deal and would leave some money for the macro lens. But I am wondering whether it is worth splashing a bit more of cash and get something like a Nikon D5300, Cannon 700D or even stretch the budget a bit and go for a Nikon D5500/Cannon 750D, specially since Cannon is doing a cashback offer at the moment.

I also suggest having a look at mirrorless systems. Personally, I use micro 4/3 - there are two manufacturers, Panasonic and Olympus, who share the same lens mount (in fact I recently sold my dslr kit to go solely micro 4/3.

There is a good range of bodies and prices. If you think you might go secondhand, in the UK have a look here https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-photo-and-video/ (they are the people I sold my dslr kit to).

Dave

Bacms · Jan 14, 2016

bmoag said:
I believe the D3300 kits are the best bang for the buck. If you pursue dSLR photography you have to enter somewhere and discover what you like and don't like.

In truth all the entry level kits are good values and very good for their intended purpose. The lenses are not much different in optical performance.

The advantages of the D3300 in my opinion are best in class sensor (lowest noise/highest resolution), small and light size, easy to use in automatic or more advanced modes, price/value ratio, optical viewfinder. Once used to an optical viewfinder you may find electronic view finders in cameras less desirable. There is no tilt-out screen which is useful for video because in the real world it can be impossible to see the LCD outdoors in sunlight while shooting video.

The specs do seem quite good for the price but is the extra points of focus on the D5300 worth spending a bit more?

LynniePad · Jan 14, 2016

Bacms said:
bmoag said:

I believe the D3300 kits are the best bang for the buck. If you pursue dSLR photography you have to enter somewhere and discover what you like and don't like.

Click to expand...

The specs do seem quite good for the price but is the extra points of focus on the D5300 worth spending a bit more?

Not important at all for your type of photography.

Rather than a macro lens, you may find a general-purpose zoom lens such as the Sigma 17-70mm VC more useful. This style of lens offers quite good close-up capability. This lens replaced the kit lens on my D3200 and is now almost a fixture on the camera.

Here's a couple of shots hand-held. You can do a lot better with a tripod, and if this is not close enough, you can always crop the image.

Bacms · Jan 14, 2016

Most fishkeeprs seem to recommend a good 100mm macro lens for photo of the tank although I agree it is a much more specialized use and not useful for much else. The lens you suggest overlap the same range as the kit lens so would it be better to buy the body only and get a better lens like the one you suggest?

LynniePad · Jan 14, 2016

Bacms said:
Most fishkeepers seem to recommend a good 100mm macro lens for photo of the tank although I agree it is a much more specialized use and not useful for much else. The lens you suggest overlap the same range as the kit lens so would it be better to buy the body only and get a better lens like the one you suggest?

If you can get a good deal on the body + Sigma 17-70mm, that would be worthwhile.

The Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 "C" OS HSM Macro (to give the lens its full name) and its cousin, the 17-50mm f/2.8 get consistently good reviews. Of course, it's not a true macro lens, but does offer 0.32x magnification at the 70mm focal length. (A 60mm fish would almost fill the frame).

I use the D3200 + Sigma as my backup camera, and quite often it's the most appropriate lens if my other camera has something else fitted. Some of my better shots have come from the Sigma.

This scene of an old mining town was deliberately under-exposed to emphasise the church and the clouds; it printed well on canvas.

Bacms · Jan 15, 2016

Thank you very much I think I will make a visit to jessops today and see if I can hold and pay with the nikon for a bit.

Photophilo · Jan 15, 2016

Thw D3300 is a great camera, and paired with the right glass there is not much that it can't do. It's not great in low light, but that doesn't seem like it will be an issue for you.

Bacms · Jan 15, 2016

Photophilo said:
Thw D3300 is a great camera, and paired with the right glass there is not much that it can't do. It's not great in low light, but that doesn't seem like it will be an issue for you.

Well that would be my assumption but one of the problems I have at the moment is actually getting enough light into the sensor while keeping the shutter at a good enough speed to capture a fish moving. But I am guessing the DSLR would partially solve this problem by having a bigger sensor and changeable aperture.

For example this morning the fish were looking almost iridescent after feeding so I grabbed my camera and tried to take a few pictures but could not simply get enough light. Off course they can be improved by post processing but I just wanted to show you some of the problems I have. I have some edited photos as well in here: http://bacms.imgur.com/ if that helps with a recomendation

Nevica · Jan 15, 2016

I cannot recommend to highly the Sony a6000 camera. It is a phenomenal piece of technology. Plenty of bang for your buck with this camera.

It is very affordable and gives a really good introduction to mirrorless cameras for a relatively cheap price. There are also some very affordable and excellent lenses available for the camera which can give stunning results!!!

D Cox · Jan 15, 2016

bmoag said:
I believe the D3300 kits are the best bang for the buck. If you pursue dSLR photography you have to enter somewhere and discover what you like and don't like.

In truth all the entry level kits are good values and very good for their intended purpose. The lenses are not much different in optical performance.

The advantages of the D3300 in my opinion are best in class sensor (lowest noise/highest resolution), small and light size, easy to use in automatic or more advanced modes, price/value ratio, optical viewfinder. Once used to an optical viewfinder you may find electronic view finders in cameras less desirable. There is no tilt-out screen which is useful for video because in the real world it can be impossible to see the LCD outdoors in sunlight while shooting video.

A tilting LCD is also very useful for close up work.

D Cox · Jan 15, 2016

Bacms said:
Most fishkeeprs seem to recommend a good 100mm macro lens for photo of the tank although I agree it is a much more specialized use and not useful for much else. The lens you suggest overlap the same range as the kit lens so would it be better to buy the body only and get a better lens like the one you suggest?

100mm (or near it) is also a good length for insects, flowers, and similar size objects.

Aberaeron · Jan 16, 2016

You don't need an interchangeable lens camera for what you do. Of my personal cameras I would, without a doubt use the Fuji X20. The X30 would be even better. The main benefit is a reasonable zoom range, excellent image quality, bright high quality lens, compact size, and especially a built-in macro and super-macro facility.

MarkInSF · Jan 18, 2016

Bacms said:
bmoag said:

I believe the D3300 kits are the best bang for the buck. If you pursue dSLR photography you have to enter somewhere and discover what you like and don't like.

In truth all the entry level kits are good values and very good for their intended purpose. The lenses are not much different in optical performance.

The advantages of the D3300 in my opinion are best in class sensor (lowest noise/highest resolution), small and light size, easy to use in automatic or more advanced modes, price/value ratio, optical viewfinder. Once used to an optical viewfinder you may find electronic view finders in cameras less desirable. There is no tilt-out screen which is useful for video because in the real world it can be impossible to see the LCD outdoors in sunlight while shooting video.

Click to expand...

The specs do seem quite good for the price but is the extra points of focus on the D5300 worth spending a bit more?

There is no significant difference in image quality between those two Nikon lines. They are both excellent. The D5300 has some added features. For the kind of photography you're interested in the extra focus points won't matter because this kind of photograph is typically done with the camera mounted on a tripod or copy stand and then manually focused. However, the D5300 does have a other feature that is helpful in this sort of photography and that is the tilting back screen. With a camera mounted to take a picture of something small, especially pointed down, the rear screen can be hard to see. A tilting or fully articulated screen can help.

Bacms · Jan 19, 2016

MarkInSF said:
Bacms said:

bmoag said:

I believe the D3300 kits are the best bang for the buck. If you pursue dSLR photography you have to enter somewhere and discover what you like and don't like.

In truth all the entry level kits are good values and very good for their intended purpose. The lenses are not much different in optical performance.

The advantages of the D3300 in my opinion are best in class sensor (lowest noise/highest resolution), small and light size, easy to use in automatic or more advanced modes, price/value ratio, optical viewfinder. Once used to an optical viewfinder you may find electronic view finders in cameras less desirable. There is no tilt-out screen which is useful for video because in the real world it can be impossible to see the LCD outdoors in sunlight while shooting video.

Click to expand...

The specs do seem quite good for the price but is the extra points of focus on the D5300 worth spending a bit more?

Click to expand...

There is no significant difference in image quality between those two Nikon lines. They are both excellent. The D5300 has some added features. For the kind of photography you're interested in the extra focus points won't matter because this kind of photograph is typically done with the camera mounted on a tripod or copy stand and then manually focused. However, the D5300 does have a other feature that is helpful in this sort of photography and that is the tilting back screen. With a camera mounted to take a picture of something small, especially pointed down, the rear screen can be hard to see. A tilting or fully articulated screen can help.

I had the chance to go to John Lewis and test a few of the cameras. The only one they didn't have in stock for me to try was the sony alpha 6000. I did prefer the feeling and usability of the Nikon ones compared to all the others I have tried so it is definitely going to be nikon. I know there are probably cheaper contestants on the market but I think long term will prefer the feeling of the Nikons and I will end up using it more as I find it more intuitive.

Also had the chance to try the Nikon D5500 but the viewfinder for some reason is really dark, not sure whether that was a problem with the particular camera or a general issue with the viewfinder. Main problem is I also had the chance to try the Nikon D7200 and think I am in-love but can't really justify it's cost so it is probably to be the D3300 in the end unless I somehow find a way to justify the D7200 to the missus

First interchangeable lens camera

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