# Choosing a Starter level DSLR camera



## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

There is a possibility that I might be helped financially to replace my Nikon Coolpix L310 camera and I have been looking, for several weeks now, at the d3300/ d3400/d5300/d5400 series Nikon cameras.

Currently, and as far as I can tell for the future, I do not have a smartphone or compatible mobile phone that I would want to synch to a camera, any camera. Apart from any other reason, wireless communication helps drain batteries and ties the camera into a function that might interfere with a possible photo shot!

Taking that into consideration I ruled out the d5000 series although I did quite like the idea of the flexible display on the 5400! However having been a repair tech for several decades and noticed how flexible cabling always eventually breaks, I have decided to vie away from the idea .. perhaps get a mirror at 45 degrees instead to take those low level shots!

The idea of the d3400 which has improved battery life (1200 shots against 700) .. I certainly wouldn't get it because of the bluetooth function for transferring photo's to a phone or PC .. was interesting until I read a review suggesting that it had problems with white balance .. and compared shots of two "white" pictures .. the one from the d3400 had a definite blue tint to it .. 

The biggest Problem that I have is understanding what lenses to get to go with the d3300 body 
I have been looking to see what is available, what is being sold in kits, what some photographers are recommending and why ... until I think I have found myself rejecting all but a few pieces of glass .. of which I have just rejected yet another because the 55-200mm I was thinking of doesn't give me such a large image on the d3300 sensor as it does on my L310 Sensor .. which I already know is much smaller than the d3300 from webpages I have visited. 
I have read that the 18-300mm VR is a worthy lens to own .. whilst I was also thinking that possibly two lenses might be better an 18-55mm & and a 70-300mm both with VR. I have rejected the idea of a 55-200mm after comparing my L310's ability to capture the moon at full analog zoom and using the extra x4 digital zoom. The L310 filled the screen with more content at 4320*3240 analog only zoom than a crop from a 24MP picture at the same analysis.

*Photo of Full Moon taken at full analog zoom with tripod using the L310 (4320*3240) no crops no editing*











Photo taken using d3300 with 55-200mm at 200mm (6000x4000) no crops no editing










*Cropped to 4320*3240*










*Photo of Full Moon taken at full analog + x4 digital zoom with tripod using the L310 (4320*3240) no crops no editing*










So here I am confused as to what lens or lenses I should get to go with the d3300 that will allow me to "*mimic*" the L310 but have a better quality image out of the camera ... I have noticed that there is a certain quality of definition missing from my photo's on many occasions .. a crispness or missing sharpness that I believe is part due to the fact that the glass I am using is not of the best quality and partly due to a lack of image resolution, possibly due to compression to jpg or the fact that I am not taking photo's in RAW mode. 


Sorry to have been so long winded .. 

and as a parting shot .. the L310 also takes damn good shots at Macro level at about 1cm from the lens .. I would like to keep that ability although I could always, for the time being, carry the L310 around with me too!


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Fisherman,

From my experience you're going to want at least three lens: one that covers the wide-to-normal range and another for the normal-to-tele range. I've found that a single lens that covers the entire range, say 18-300mm makes too many compromises, is overly heavy, and slow. So I'd look for one in the 18-55mm and another in the 55-300 range, Look to 3rd party lens as opposed to only Nikon branded. I have a 70-300 Tamron that has a macro feature. While it's not professional grade it has served me well. 

Additionally, you're probably going to want a fast prime lens in the 35 to 55 mm range as a "walk around" lens. (something such as this) Your feet are the zoom.

Look to the used market if you want to save some coin. 

Enjoy


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Thanks Yustr .. 

I was expecting that a 35mm lens was going to be covered in the 18-55 mm although one problem that I have at the moment is understanding the differences between my 3 lenses bought as a kit alongside my 1980 Pracktika SLR film camera.

I have been along to a couple of stores that sell photographic equipment where I only managed to see a "camera body" which non functioning since no lens was present nor was it fitted with a battery .. so I must admit that I am working blind here not even knowing how these modern lenses function any more than I know how the camera body works either. 
Maybe I should try and make friends with a photographer but then again the equipment he will be using will be much different to what I am thinking of getting .. with every possibility that I end up buying the wrong stuff!


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Yes, the 35mm is covered by the 18-55mm zoom but unless you shell out big bucks the zoom will probably be F3.5-5.6. That's a pretty slow lens. (Slow meaning that it doesn't allow much light through.) You'll be limited to shots in daylight or using a tripod. A 35mm prime lens (such as this one) is F1.8, fully 3-4 F-stops faster. (depending on how you count). So in the same light that could mean the difference between having to shoot at 1/30 sec (zoom @ F3.5) or 1/250 sec (F1.8). Yes, you can raise the iso setting to compensate but that too is a tradeoff.

All that said, the 18-55 zoom is a good starting point. It will serve you well in most circumstances.

If the store doesn't have working cameras - find another store. You definitely want to see/feel how the whole kit handles. Especially if - for example - you're thinking of packing it on your bike.

You may want to think about one of the smaller removable lens mirror-less cameras. I have a Sony alpha (like this one)  that is small, light, and takes fantastic pics. It fits in the under seat pack on my road bike. :dance:


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Thanks again Yustr for your explanations and help .. I am still searching but have at least added the the extra lens to my wish list. I read, in a feed from a photo forum I am a member of, that a 35 mm fixed lens grabs a shot that is similar to what the human eye perceives, so I may well look for a 35 or 50 mm fixed lens. 
Zoom is quite important since on many occasions I find myself the wrong side of a barrier up in the mountains with some wildlife that is a little too far away for a decent shot .. getting any closer usually sends the object in the viewfinder or display running or flying.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

I would also recommend at looking at a mirrorless camera, like a Sony or micro four thirds (m43). I have a m43 camera and it produces excellent photos at a whole lot less cost than a Nikon or Canon.
As for lenses, really depends on what you want to take photos of. If you want a good catch all lens, then use the kit lens the camera comes with. They are better than most give them credit for. You said something about getting a lens that mimics the human eye. In 35mm film days, that's a 50mm lens. On modern digital cameras that depends on the crop of the sensor. My Panasonic m43 has a crop of 2x, so a 25mm lens on it gives me the same results as a 50mm lens on a 35mm film camera. So if you have been told that a 35mm lens gives the same viewpoint as the human eye, that means the camera in question has a crop of about 1.43x.
So, using some Googlefu, I have learned that your L310 has a crop of 5.62. It's maximum optical zoom is 94.5mm. So 94.5x5.62=531.09, so a 531mm lens is what you need on a 35mm film camera. To get what lens you need on the 1.43x camera you divide 531 by 1.43 and get about 371. So you'd need a lens of 371mm or greater to get the same photo as the L310 gave you. This brings you to a 80-400mm or 200-400mm lens, neither of which are cheap.
Hope this helps you.

EDIT: Another thing of note, if you get a mirrorless camera, you can uses your old lenses from your Pracktika if you still have them. You can't do that with ease on a DSLR.


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Shame I hadn't read that a couple of days ago Sinclair .. I'm not sure it would have changed anything though since my Pracktica Lenses are from around 1980 ~ 82, one of which the 50mm seems to have a bit of play that shouldn't be there, although I never noticed that I had any problems in my photo's .. 

I finally finished trying to decide what camera and lenses I was going to ask my brother to get for me a couple of days ago and this is the list. no sooner did my brother get the list than he ordered all for me & they are already on their way ! All parts are NEW according to the sellers. 

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 G Lens F1.8G

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II VR2 Lens F4-5.6G

Nikon Nikkor AF-P DX 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3 G ED VR Retail Box - 3 Year Warranty

Nikon D D3300 24.2MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Kit w/ AF-S DX 18-55mm VR II lens)

I opted to get the 55-200 VRII as well since I saw that it seemed too good an opportunity to miss and the price was about 110 pounds and may save some wear & tear on the 70-300. Certainly with this little bag of lenses I will be able to keep myself busy for some time to come! Couple of items that I am also looking into now apart from new memory cards are a remote control to avoid camera shake when taking low light level shots & a second battery .. also I will see how things go with taking photo's before deciding on whether I might need some of those macro adapters .. have seen some notes though that some adapters cause problems with mirrors resulting in breakages.

thanks all for you advice and suggestions .. and feel free to offer any more advice now that you know what i am getting myself into .. It'll be few weeks yet before I have the goodies in my hands .. looking forward to showing off some of my new work!


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi DF :wave:

I was going to suggest a Nikon Bridge-camera, but your new one is already on it's way now, so I won't bother :grin:

My P610 zoom is equivalent to 25mm~1440mm in 1 lens, and can be full or semi-automatic or full manual control.

Re: Remote control - I couldn't find if the D3300 has NFC (Near Field Control) or not, that would let you use a smart-phone to zoom in/out and take the shot, but there is a R/C unit available from Nikon, it looks a bit pricey though :ermm:

These were taken a month or so ago, and show the full zoom range from wide-angle to max optical zoom, both hand-held....












This is the (General Wolfe) statue seen between the 2 domes, between the trees in the far distance at 60X zoom.










They look a bit 'flat' as it was a wet and dismal evening, though 30 minutes later there was a spectacular sunset :grin:


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

hi Werebo

It's really strange (coincidental) that you should post those photo's since a few days (30/5) before the Borough Market incident I was thinking of you as I strolled with family through the market from London Bridge up to the Mayflower Inn (for a well earnt drink) and then on to Rotherhithe Station before heading for East Croydon and then Three Bridges near Gatwick.
It's just over a year since I also went to Greenwich .. saw the Marine Museum, crossed the date line, had a few beers in some local pubs that My brother and his friends knew about but I never had the opportunity of visiting in my youth. 

Thanks for reminding me of great times .. recent ones as well, I was also thinking of you last year and wondering "Which Way to Werebo??" WWW friend !!!


I had thought about your P610 although I couldn't remember what the model was at the time, however I was under the impression that it was like mine just a better / more advanced model .. had no idea though that it had manual capability ! I didn't spot anything in my searches that made me want to go back the way that I had already been and thought the d3300 was the way to go. I thought of the d3400 but reviews showed that White has a tendency to err on the side of Blue, it also has a way to communicate with an iPhone which I don't have and don't expect to own unless they start giving them away with packets of cornflakes! The only possible reason for purchase was that it took many more pictures than the d3300. I had also looked at the d5300 & d5600 but they seem to be just updated versions of the same camera with more WiFi ability on-board than I care to pay for (or can use) plus a very handy flexible display which no doubt after a few thousand movements would fail just like mouse & Monitor leads that are forever moving. 

As usual some beautiful pictures in spite of being a little grey .. It's nice to see whats going on "back home" and also nice to get informed about places that I might one day be able to visit & see for myself !

My thoughts are / were .. the simpler the better since


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Some more 'back home' shots for you, taken on the same walkabout as my shots above :wink:

This was taken from the river-side by the Cutty Sark and shows the old GPO-Tower, 4.6 miles away as the crow flies :grin:










Cutty Sark at night.....


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Not sure I would of gotten a 55-200mm and 70-300mm. They both cover basically the same view, so IMHO the money could of been better spent.



Done_Fishin said:


> Shame I hadn't read that a couple of days ago Sinclair .. I'm not sure it would have changed anything though since my Pracktica Lenses are from around 1980 ~ 82, one of which the 50mm seems to have a bit of play that shouldn't be there, although I never noticed that I had any problems in my photo's ..


My Canon lenses I used on my m43 camera are 70's vintage, and my Canon 50mm f1.8 is my goto lens. Age gas nothing to do it with, glass is glass.


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