Confuse with DSLR camera

Hi,

I have been planning to buy a DSLR lately, it will be my first DSLR, have been researching for a while and finalized :

Nikon D5300 with 18-140mm VR lenses. (Rs. 52K online)

I am avoiding 18-55mm + 55-200mm kit as I have seen many times that people missing the opportunity while they changes lenses.

Primary use :
Photography for travel blog + casual photography.

Was using a good point to shoot from Pentax but now its just no more useful for me.

Here I need advice ...
Should I go for
--> Nikon D3200 with 18-55m kit vr and invest some money in lenses (23K approx. only)
--> Buy Nikon D5300 Nikon with 18-55mm + 55-200mm kit lenses (approx 60K)
--> Buy Nikon 5300 with 18-55mm DX VR lenses (Flipkart - 43K)

I don't want to upgrade camera so quickly and hence D5300. But on the other hand price difference is almost double .And then I thought to look into FX format but thats too costly.

Don't you think lighter cameras like compacts would be a much better option if you would be traveling a lot? Just a point to think...
I hope you have considered this when you were researching. If you're askin' us what would be the best camera your money could buy, I would say D7000. But again you might have already checked that too and sticking with the base models. And it could be helpful for us to help you if we know whys and why nots...

if travel is important then you should consider m4/3 too...
but if you want dslr then D5300 +18-140 combo is good as u said for traveling and you wont miss any opportunity..changing lens is not at all good while traveling ...

I would suggest you to purchase D3200/D3300 and get 18-55mm VR and 55-300mm VR. Total damages will be same as D5300+18-140mm. I don't think there is much difference between Nikon 3XXX and 5XXX series apart from focus points (11 vs 39)

nac said:
Don't you think lighter cameras like compacts would be a much better option if you would be traveling a lot? Just a point to think...
I hope you have considered this when you were researching. If you're askin' us what would be the best camera your money could buy, I would say D7000. But again you might have already checked that too and sticking with the base models. And it could be helpful for us to help you if we know whys and why nots...

I did check out, however D5300 is better for low light photography and along other features. Its available for RS. 48K (D7000 + 18-105 vr kit lense). If you have experience with D7000, can you give your views why its better than D5300.

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sujoyp said:
if travel is important then you should consider m4/3 too...
but if you want dslr then D5300 +18-140 combo is good as u said for traveling and you wont miss any opportunity..changing lens is not at all good while traveling ...

I travel in group like group of Riders.. I understand DSRL are big but I guess I need them. My current point to shoot is as small as a phone with 18x optical zoom. I will also carry it in sidepocket.

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arsenalfan001 said:
I would suggest you to purchase D3200/D3300 and get 18-55mm VR and 55-300mm VR. Total damages will be same as D5300+18-140mm. I don't think there is much difference between Nikon 3XXX and 5XXX series apart from focus points (11 vs 39)

I have seen people buying D3300 and a year later going for upgrade, I don't want to do that. I want to stick with camera for atleast 2-3 years and ready to invest in more lenses as I feel need for.

Here, if I buy D3300 over D5300, what will I loose ? (Btw, I am avoiding dual lense combo as changing lense is most of the time opportunity missed).

Here is another shot, people who have used Nikon as well as Canon, says that LiveView of Nikon is crap while on Canon its near to "what you see is what you get" ..

Ricky said:
I did check out, however D5300 is better for low light photography and along other features. Its available for RS. 48K (D7000 + 18-105 vr kit lense). If you have experience with D7000, can you give your views why its better than D5300.

No, I don't have first hand experience with D7000 or with any DSLRs for that matter. You really think D5300 is better for low light photography? or is it the reviews? If it's the reviews, then pretty much all of the Canon APS-C and yesteryear Nikon is not that good. Don't buy everything from the reviews. There are tons of sites you can see samples from those cameras. Check them and decide. May be they are better, it doesn't mean you got to buy solely based on IQ ratings.

And I heard there are some pro photographers using m43 for various reasons. If for them IQ/low light of m43 is good enough, I wonder why not for an hobbyist IQ/low light of any APS-C is not good enough. Don't take it personal, I am saying it in general. And I assume you didn't consider Canon solely because of impression you got from reviews with regards to IQ/low light. Don't give 100% weightage to image quality. For 30k you can get 700D, you get better handling, you don't need extra tool to control external flash, you have magic lantern...

Note: D7000 is the best one your money could buy. It doesn't mean I am suggesting you to buy that. Personally, I feel it's a lot better camera because of the feature set it has. Whether you need those features and ready to pay the premium to get them are all you got to review and decide. Same goes for 700D.

nac said:
No, I don't have first hand experience with D7000 or with any DSLRs for that matter. You really think D5300 is better for low light photography? or is it the reviews? If it's the reviews, then pretty much all of the Canon APS-C and yesteryear Nikon is not that good. Don't buy everything from the reviews. There are tons of sites you can see samples from those cameras. Check them and decide. May be they are better, it doesn't mean you got to buy solely based on IQ ratings.

And I heard there are some pro photographers using m43 for various reasons. If for them IQ/low light of m43 is good enough, I wonder why not for an hobbyist IQ/low light of any APS-C is not good enough. Don't take it personal, I am saying it in general. And I assume you didn't consider Canon solely because of impression you got from reviews with regards to IQ/low light. Don't give 100% weightage to image quality. For 30k you can get 700D, you get better handling, you don't need extra tool to control external flash, you have magic lantern...

Note: D7000 is the best one your money could buy. It doesn't mean I am suggesting you to buy that. Personally, I feel it's a lot better camera because of the feature set it has. Whether you need those features and ready to pay the premium to get them are all you got to review and decide. Same goes for 700D.

I don't mind at all, since its my first DSLR, I am sure after purchasing one, my perspective will change dramatically about my needs, I will be more informed then. Regarding canon, I have personally talked to few photographers and hobbyist, they say that canon lenses lineup is pretty costly as compared to Nikon (Nikon is not cheap either) and is preferred by Indian professional.

For MFT camera, I guess they are also known as Mirrorless cameras, I have also done a brief research on them and I feel they are still in nascent stage in terms of development, already they have advanced enough. I may consider it to be second camera if I ever need one.

I am not just seeing reviews based on experience but also considering views of people who have actually used it. Since there is no hurry (I had actually placed order day before yesterday but cancelled), I will inquire more about canon counterpart and have plan to meet some real professional for same also.

I have a D7000 and I can surely tell that D5300 have better low light capabilities then D7000 ...but that capability is useful only if you have good lens with you...
D7000 is something which have almost 90% of features which you may encounter in photography...and its a semi pro weather sealed body..

D5300 wont work in places of extreme cold like laddakh where D7000 will work.

But all this doest mean D5300 is bad...it have great focus, better low light and better pic quality then D7000

Ricky said:
I have seen people buying D3300 and a year later going for upgrade, I don't want to do that. I want to stick with camera for atleast 2-3 years and ready to invest in more lenses as I feel need for.

Here, if I buy D3300 over D5300, what will I loose ? (Btw, I am avoiding dual lense combo as changing lense is most of the time opportunity missed).

Here is another shot, people who have used Nikon as well as Canon, says that LiveView of Nikon is crap while on Canon its near to "what you see is what you get" ..

Here I compared Nikon D3200 and D5300, have a look. You will not find much difference - apart from the focus points. You will be able to save around 15k - according to flipkart, to invest in lens (I would suggest you a 18-140mm lens that will cover most of your requirements). And as you use, you will be able to understand what you want from your Camera. Accordingly you can add lens - if required.

However, if you are willing to go for Nikon D7xxx series, it's a different league. Sealed body, better auto focus system, penta prism instead of mirror are some the advantages comes to my mind. If budget permits, get the D7100 - it has the newer sensor, same as the D5300, I think.

D5300 have D7200 sensor

Thanks [MENTION=39722]sujoyp[/MENTION] and [MENTION=70577]arsenalfan001[/MENTION] for your valuable input.
Definitely more money you pour in, more features you get.

Since will be first DSLR, I know I don't know much about things I need, making me more inclined towards D3300 but again can't find any good deal on it with 18-140mm kit vr lenses. Everywhere its with 18-55 vrII lenses.

However, no one is here talking about Canon or sony or pentax, they also have good DSLR, any suggestions on them ?

I was advised that Canon is more user friendly. What about suggestion of similar counterparts from Canon ?

What about Sony Alpha SLT A58M with 18-135mm Lens, comes with higher ISO , continuous focus, comes with inbuilt images stabilization. 15 point focus and 18MP...

last I know was canon 700D which was quit good with great sensor and dual AF system ...

due to busy in other things I could not follow new releases

Ricky said:
Thanks [MENTION=39722]sujoyp[/MENTION] and [MENTION=70577]arsenalfan001[/MENTION] for your valuable input.
Definitely more money you pour in, more features you get.

Since will be first DSLR, I know I don't know much about things I need, making me more inclined towards D3300 but again can't find any good deal on it with 18-140mm kit vr lenses. Everywhere its with 18-55 vrII lenses.

However, no one is here talking about Canon or sony or pentax, they also have good DSLR, any suggestions on them ?

I was advised that Canon is more user friendly. What about suggestion of similar counterparts from Canon ?

What about Sony Alpha SLT A58M with 18-135mm Lens, comes with higher ISO , continuous focus, comes with inbuilt images stabilization. 15 point focus and 18MP...

If you are looking at a Canon look at 700D and upwards. 700D has a great focus system even for low light with excellent color reproduction straight out of the camera. Canon is the most user friendly among the DSLRs and 700D is more so with the touch screen interface. It is really a boon. Next in Canon line up is the new 750 and 760D. While both are same but for the ergonomics, a top plate screen and continuous tracking in video for the 760D. Both the cameras have amazing focusing system with 19 point all cross type auto focus points and and advanced RGB+IR Metering system,5fps and dishes out amazing photos. The 760 D is way better buy over the Nikon 5300 or 5400. If you want to buy a Nikon get the D7000 or D5500 instead over a 5300 at the moment.

Canon has a lens line up that is the best ,Nikon is of course the close second,no contest. Canon has a great warranty service. Nikon is finicky,so be careful from where you buy your Nikon.

I'm both a Canon and Nikon user. I use Canon 7DMK2 for wildlife and Nikon 810 for landscape. This is to say that both companies have exceptional cameras defined for particular fields. At the end of the day its only "you" who will bring out the best. So it's you who matters the most.

Ricky said:
Regarding canon, I have personally talked to few photographers and hobbyist, they say that canon lenses lineup is pretty costly as compared to Nikon (Nikon is not cheap either)

Yeah me too thought so but I read the opposite. It's good that you're looking little more than just the camera.

Ricky said:
and is preferred by Indian professional.

It's either an early conclusion or based on a very small sample size.

Ricky said:
I am not just seeing reviews based on experience but also considering views of people who have actually used it. I will inquire more about canon counterpart and have plan to meet some real professional for same also.

Good. If possible ask them if you can use it for a while. You will get an idea about the cameras.

Ricky said:
However, no one is here talking about Canon or sony or pentax, they also have good DSLR, any suggestions on them ?

Sony doesn't make DSLRs, Pentax India prices are super expensive than US and their presence in India is not that wide.

Ricky said:
What about Sony Alpha SLT A58M with 18-135mm Lens, comes with higher ISO , continuous focus, comes with inbuilt images stabilization. 15 point focus and 18MP...

Again, it's not a DSLR. It's kinda mirrorless. If you're new to this camera world and if you think you can look at a camera unbiased and with open mind, dig deep. Why mirrorless is better, what it offers, why you should/shouldn't consider mirrorless over DSLR and all. If you have already set your heart on DSLR, it's little tough.

S

nac said:
Yeah me too thought so but I read the opposite. It's good that you're looking little more than just the camera.

It's either an early conclusion or based on a very small sample size.

Good. If possible ask them if you can use it for a while. You will get an idea about the cameras.

Sony doesn't make DSLRs, Pentax India prices are super expensive than US and their presence in India is not that wide.

Again, it's not a DSLR. It's kinda mirrorless. If you're new to this camera world and if you think you can look at a camera unbiased and with open mind, dig deep. Why mirrorless is better, what it offers, why you should/shouldn't consider mirrorless over DSLR and all. If you have already set your heart on DSLR, it's little tough.

I would rather call Sony Alpha SLT A58M as hybrid. It does have a separate focusing mechanism like a DSLR, but it doesn't really use the "reflex" mechanism to show images on viewfinder, which are instead direct readouts from sensor(So you will still get what your are seeing, but the source is rather indirect.).

Mirrorless and DSLRs have one major difference, even though now there is no performance advantage for buying a DSLR over mirrorless, the lens range (first and third party) for DSLRs is quite huge, and you can get some good lenses on cheap. It's like: Buy a DSLR @ 40K, Invest 40K on Lenses, and you have a total system. On the Other hand, Buy a Mirrorless kit for 60K, invest atleast 30K on another good lens, and you will have a versatile compact package. But are you willing to spend more on "compactness" over comprises in build ?

Siddhartht said:
I would rather call Sony Alpha SLT A58M as hybrid.

Whatever it is, it doesn't seems to have any future. There was a rumour about a year or two ago, that there would be no more APS C A-mount SLT cameras. Since then, there was only one SLT i.e., A77 II. There is no update to FF SLT or entry level SLT. The ones they launched were a3000 and a3500. Though they look like SLT, (DSLR like) they ain't. It's mirrorless. It's better to stay off from this segment.

Eventually everything will go mirrorless once Bodies reach the 85 megapixel threshold where the present line up of lenses and the viewfinder will simply be redundant.

S

nac said:
Whatever it is, it doesn't seems to have any future. There was a rumour about a year or two ago, that there would be no more APS C A-mount SLT cameras. Since then, there was only one SLT i.e., A77 II. There is no update to FF SLT or entry level SLT. The ones they launched were a3000 and a3500. Though they look like SLT, (DSLR like) they ain't. It's mirrorless. It's better to stay off from this segment.

True. But the problem is that there are not many third party lenses for Sony ILC series either. For mirrorless, MFT would be the best option if quality and quantity of glass is considered.

Siddhartht said:
True. But the problem is that there are not many third party lenses for Sony ILC series either.

You mean native mount third party lenses???
If you're ready to go manual, you can find a lot of lenses. Amalan is using couple of old lenses for his NEX.

Thanks guys for the input so far.
I am thinking to decide for some 35K , taking cues from advices given here, may go for 700D with dual kit lenses (38K) and later upgrade to high end professional camera after a year or so, by that time I will be I guess more informed to make my decision based upon experience.

At the moment I think am not comfortable to spend 50K+ on something I barely understand. Though I liked Canon 760D over Nikon d5300 but prices of both are well above 50K, though D5300 with 18-140mm is available online for Rs.52K,

While Nikon D5500 with 18-140mm lens is for Rs. 57K

Whereas , D7100 with 18-140mm is around 84K

Nikon D7000 is also 76K

760D canon is also on higher side.

And frankly prices are holding me back for while and I think going entry level dslr is better at the moment.

So, if I go for 700D for now , will that be justified or I have any other choice in sub 40K budget ?

If you are going to upgrade anyway, why don't you purchase something 2nd hand or a new one with lowest price tag.
Canon 1200D with two kit lenses comes at around 27k, Nikon D3200 with a kit lens is also available at around same price.
Is there any specific reason for not choosing one among these?

[MENTION=70577]arsenalfan001[/MENTION] , that is the plan now, will go for cheaper at the moment so that atleast I can get it going. However, 1200D or D3300 looks too basic, I wanted to go for 750D .. but as gave reason, I will not feel good after spending 75K on it.. ..

Going by the price D5200 from Nikon is one option to consider against 700D. But I would still lean towards 700D. Since you're not in a hurry, read in-depth reviews of these two cameras before deciding.

What is major difference between 1200D and 700D , there is almost 10K difference in price however, spec wise I see that 700D has touch screen , articulated screen and 5 fps burst while 1200D has slightly better ISO but lower (3 fps) burst. rest seems identical..

On the other hand Sony SLT A58 also looks tempting, though not a DSLR but far easier to use and built in shake reduction and have fasted autofocus than 700D, 1200D, D5200 etc. and best viewfinder .. ?

Ricky said:
[MENTION=70577]arsenalfan001[/MENTION] , that is the plan now, will go for cheaper at the moment so that atleast I can get it going. However, 1200D or D3300 looks too basic, I wanted to go for 750D .. but as gave reason, I will not feel good after spending 75K on it.. ..

I still do not see much difference between D3300 and D5XXX series cameras.
Anyway, if you have decided then go ahead.
Good luck and hope to see your snaps here soon

arsenalfan001 said:
I still do not see much difference between D3300 and D5XXX series cameras.
Anyway, if you have decided then go ahead.
Good luck and hope to see your snaps here soon

Well, if had 100K then would have already made the purchase, it means I have yet not decided.

However, the D3300 and D5xxx has major difference of focus point, iso, sensor size ..

Ricky said:
What is major difference between 1200D and 700D , there is almost 10K difference in price however, spec wise I see that 700D has touch screen , articulated screen and 5 fps burst while 1200D has slightly better ISO but lower (3 fps) burst. rest seems identical..

On the other hand Sony SLT A58 also looks tempting, though not a DSLR but far easier to use and built in shake reduction and have fasted autofocus than 700D, 1200D, D5200 etc. and best viewfinder .. ?

Yeah, even for small difference they charge more. Like they just put little bigger sensor and better hardware and they're charging 10x for 5D series camera

It's common... You can look at things in a different angle, for a little difference they are offering 1200D lot cheaper

I think I have discussed about A58 in one of my previous posts. Best EVF? I don't think so... I prefer to have OVF over EVF in camera.

nac said:
Yeah, even for small difference they charge more. Like they just put little bigger sensor and better hardware and they're charging 10x for 5D series camera It's common... You can look at things in a different angle, for a little difference they are offering 1200D lot cheaper

I think I have discussed about A58 in one of my previous posts. Best EVF? I don't think so... I prefer to have OVF over EVF in camera.

I understand the tradeoff, but as I mentioned, being my first DSLR , I should go for something from lower end to start and later, I may go for something on higher end, may be full from D810 from nikon.. Here I wanted to avoid Nikon DX for , canon 750D is more I need but quite costly. Also, as from my first post, going with 18-140mm camera seems more logical than dual combo kit.

Then there are recommendation to go for STM lenses in Canon and VRII in Nikon ... so with those , there is no way to keep it under 50K .

Ricky said:
Well, if had 100K then would have already made the purchase, it means I have yet not decided.

However, the D3300 and D5xxx has major difference of focus point, iso, sensor size ..

Only the number of focus points are different. D3XXX offer 11, 1 cross type. D5xxx offers 39, 11 cross type.
Sensor size is same, all are APS-C.
For iso, anything above 3200 on a crop sensor does not make sense - there will be too much noise.

The point is, a DSLR is never too basic if we are upgrading from PnS or a mobile camera, just that we need to learn to use it fully. I use a D5500 with 18-140mm and yet to utilise even 50% of its potential.

C

As far as I know the only difference between D5300 and D5500 is the later has touch screen.

I suggest you to check reviews on canonrumors.com for Canon bodies and lenses.

IMO D5300 with 18- 140 is a very good option.
The no of autofocus points in Canon are much less compared to Nikon (in the same price range).
I feel Nikon is better than Canon in terms of technology (better sensor size in Nikon).

Please read review of Canon's new version of 50MM prime lens.