DSLR camera recommendations

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This area of the Mk3 Cavalier Owners club is for you to exchange hints and tips on how to take awesome photos, and to discuss the equipment and techniques used that help you along the way. Post examples of your snap-happy achievements for all to see! Please note: club/Vauxhall event reports/photos should be posted in the 'Events, Meets, Gatherings and Parties' section (viewforum.php?f=19).
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James McGrath
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DSLR camera recommendations

Post by James McGrath »

I've been thinking quite a bit recently about getting a much better camera.

I've always been interested in cinematics and photography but haven't indulged my interest since I was a young teenager using 35mm film cameras.

Anyway, I'm looking for a decent DLSR camera but I know very little about them or which lens to get.
I'm after a good all round camera on a fairly limited budget, about £400 max. I'm not interested in any fancy additions like Wi-Fi connectivity, I'm just interested in picture quality.

I've seen some good reviews for the Nikon D3300 and the Canon eos 1200d can be had for a really good price at the moment but I have no idea what lens to get with them.

Does anyone have any recommendations or tips as to what I should buy?
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humbucker
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by humbucker »

It's the lens that's the most important factor tbh. A really good setup would be something like an Canon EOS 700D with an EF 17-40mm lens. You will never want to take that lens off the camera. The lenses supplied as standard are usually okay - good for getting you up and running - but definitely something you'll want to improve upon in the long term.

EOS 700D currently £459 from John Lewis. Couldn't recommend it highly enough:
http://www.johnlewis.com/canon-eos-700d ... en/p430232

Beware of cheaper grey label cameras (imported Canons etc. from the outside of the UK that aren't covered by any warranty in Europe). It's easy to be swayed by complete camera packages with umpteen lenses for half the cost of a UK purchase. John Lewis is a good retailer to buy from due to cashback options, genuine products that come bundled with retailer and manufacturer guarantees etc.

You'll also want to think about the kind of stuff you're taking photos of. I'm primarily taking snaps of cars, so needed a polariser straight away. Hoya filters are pretty much the standard. I bought one off of eBay and another off of planetC. He's a good person to speak to - a very good photographer, and knows his stuff.
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Lowrider Dave
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by Lowrider Dave »

Just to echo what Dan has says, the 700D is pretty good camera for the price and the lens that comes with it is perfectly capable for most everyday situations.

You would be wise to read up about it and the Nikon equivalent (D5200), on spec the Nikon just tips it but it would be well worth visiting a camera shop and trying both out to test the weight, how comfortably it sits in your hands, cost of batteries and accessories, etc.

I'm a Canon man, so bias to a degree towards them but I never rule out the competition as Nikon has some very good camera and I've heard a lot of good things about the mirrorless Sony's (but outside your price bracket).

A polariser filter screws onto the front of your lens and will help cut out reflections on glass (windscreen glare) and also water - one of the few filters I use regularly.

Try: http://www.wexphotographic.com/
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by James McGrath »

Thanks for the help guys.

I think the 700d is a little out of my price range and I'm finding it hard to see what it offers me over something like this:

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/cat ... /show.html

I think I'm going to go to a camera shop though and test some out in person as suggested.
I know there is more to cameras than just their specs alone.
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by humbucker »

When the Canon EOS 700D and the Nikon D3300 are compared side by side, it's difficult not to notice the Canon’s higher-resolution, three-inch, fully articulate flip-out touchscreen, which makes for an intuitive experience when recording Full HD movies or wanting to edit/navigate your way around the camera's user interface. It's swipeable, zoomable and produces playback or viewfinder images in fine detail. The Nikon has a fixed screen.

Image

The Nikon D3300 does, however, offer a higher 60fps frame rate (compared to 30fps) for video recording, and has a longer battery life, but tbh, I can load a battery in my 700D and take hundreds of photos, spend time downloading etc. and the battery still soldiers on. I bought two spares and two 64GB memory cards just to be on the safe side though!

The Nikon is a smaller, lighter camera, but has already been replaced by the D3400 which has built-in WiFi. I guess for the difference in cost compared to the Canon, it all depends on whether or not you're likely to kick yourself later down the line for not having the Canon's UI. Also worth noting that the Nikon doesn't have an articulating screen.
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by humbucker »

Just found this

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 700D over Nikon D3300

9 advantages
Articulating Screen
Touch Screen
9 cross-type focus points compared to 1 on the Nikon
LCD Screen Resolution is 1.040k dots vs the Nikon's 921k dots
12% higher resolution screen
Flash Coverage is 13.0m vs the Nikon's 12.0m (Canon has a 1m longer range)
Canon's sensor pixel area is 18.54µm2 vs 15.28µm2 (19% larger pixel area)
AE Bracketing for tough lighting conditions and HD recording
Flash Sync Port to connect off-camera flash
Selfie Friendly LCD that allows you to rotate screen for taking selfies

That last one made me laugh, haha
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by James McGrath »

humbucker wrote:The Nikon is a smaller, lighter camera, but has already been replaced by the D3400 which has built-in WiFi.
Hasn't the 700D also been replaced though with the 750D?
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by humbucker »

Is it a replacement? It's almost double the price. For wifi. Ha!
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by Lowrider Dave »

700D has not been replaced, Canon just added the 750 and 760 to the range - being higher spec'd than the 700D.
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by Lowrider Dave »

humbucker wrote:Selfie Friendly LCD that allows you to rotate screen for taking selfies
*shakes fist angrily*
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by James McGrath »

Just been to have a look at some cameras.
I tried out quite a few including the Canon 1300d and 700d and the Nikon d3300 and d5500.

The one that stood out for me though was the Nikon d5300. I think the price to specs ratio was really good and I like the layout of the buttons and the feel of the camera too.

I did like the 700d. Seems very comfortable and easy to use, but I think the image was a bit sharper on the Nikon.

I haven't bought anything yet but the d5300 is currently at the top of my list.
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by humbucker »

James McGrath wrote:I did like the 700d. Seems very comfortable and easy to use, but I think the image was a bit sharper on the Nikon.
Do you mean the image on the preview screen or the image exported from the camera?
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Re: DSLR camera recommendations

Post by James McGrath »

Best possible image quality for the lowest price is my main requirement for this camera so I tested them all pretty thoroughly. Especially the Canon 700d and Nikon d5300.

They were exported onto the shop's picture viewing station. Zoomed in as far as it would go the Nikon had a bit less noise.

It be fair though, they were low light images taken inside the shop and there was no noticeable difference when they weren't zoomed in. They were both taken on the auto setting too so I'm sure with manual settings the image could be tweaked a bit.
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