[URGENT] DSLR under 25k - Beginner

Hello, all.

First off, I've never operated a DSLR. But I'm very much interested in photography that I've enough enthusiasm to put some effort into learning it.

That being said, after a lot of delays, I've decided to get myself a DSLR; although on a tight budget. Also, I'm just a beginner, so investing in a high budget cam won't be justified for me at this point in time.

I'm planning to order by tomorrow (March 1st evening, latest)

I have about half a day to go to a store and check out the following cams, but I'm afraid I won't be able to give each of them enough time to get a good feel of the features. Hence, I resort to you people.

So, these are the DSLRs that I have currently on my mind and are within my budget.

Canon EOS 1200D 18MP (25.3k)
Nikon D3200 24.2 MP (20.65k)
Nikon D5200 24.1MP (25.4k)
Nikon D3300 24.2 MP (24k) (My eyes are on this)

My budget is a maximum of 25.5k

What do you guys suggest? All kind of opinions / knowledge bomb welcome. If you guys think I've to hold off and invest in some other cam, suggest me so too.

Thank you

IMO D5200 is the best DSLR in your budget.

kaz said:
IMO D5200 is the best DSLR in your budget.

Do you mind telling me why? I'd like to know the pros & cons from a user perspective rather than me just reading up on some articles filled with affiliate links

prehistoricgamer said:
Do you mind telling me why? I'd like to know the pros & cons from a user perspective rather than me just reading up on some articles filled with affiliate links

D5200 has better focusing system compared to D3300. Also sensor is better in D5200. On the other side D3300 has better video recording capability.

When I was choosing one the price difference between D3300 and D5200 was ~6k. Still I got the D5200

kaz said:
D5200 has better focusing system compared to D3300. Also sensor is better in D5200. On the other side D3300 has better video recording capability.

When I was choosing one the price difference between D3300 and D5200 was ~6k. Still I got the D5200

Seems reasonable. I'll wait for other opinions as well if you don't mind.

Thank you.

R

The 1200D is a twin lens kit isn't it? That's a very good deal. The second lens will make a lot of difference to your photography.

raja manuel said:
The 1200D is a twin lens kit isn't it? That's a very good deal. The second lens will make a lot of difference to your photography.

Yes it comes with dual lens, but a lot of complaints regarding the lens, warranty & accessories. If I can get some peace of mind with a good cam & single lens, I'll settle for that over a 1200D with a risk of problems.

I'm reading the reviews on Amazon India, by the way, if it helps.

prehistoricgamer said:
Yes it comes with dual lens, but a lot of complaints regarding the lens, warranty & accessories. If I can get some peace of mind with a good cam & single lens, I'll settle for that over a 1200D with a risk of problems.

I'm reading the reviews on Amazon India, by the way, if it helps.

This is the first I am hearing about this issue. But I assume this is a rare case. All the four cameras have an average rating of about 4.5/5 in amazon that pretty much says the bottom line.

Somehow in your mind it's registered that Canon is not good, so kick it off from the list. I don't think your mind will convince otherwise in less than 24hrs. But still...

Why you should buy,
1200D - Attractive pricing for dual lens. I personally would go for this mainly because of the pricing.
D3200 - If you prefer Nikon over Canon and want to spend less
D3300 - If you want sharper IQ
D5200 - If you want swivel screen
There are more about these cameras than swivel screen, IQ, price. For that you have to look for in depth reviews. And also check sample photos online.

Going by the reviews all the 3 Nikon's IQ is better than 1200D and overall ratings are better too. But still I would prefer 1200D for the pricing. It was even more attractive about a month back.

nac said:
This is the first I am hearing about this issue. But I assume this is a rare case. All the four cameras have an average rating of about 4.5/5 in amazon that pretty much says the bottom line.

Somehow in your mind it's registered that Canon is not good, so kick it off from the list. I don't think your mind will convince otherwise in less than 24hrs. But still...

Why you should buy,
1200D - Attractive pricing for dual lens. I personally would go for this mainly because of the pricing.
D3200 - If you prefer Nikon over Canon and want to spend less
D3300 - If you want sharper IQ
D5200 - If you want swivel screen
There are more about these cameras than swivel screen, IQ, price. For that you have to look for in depth reviews. And also check sample photos online.

Going by the reviews all the 3 Nikon's IQ is better than 1200D and overall ratings are better too. But still I would prefer 1200D for the pricing. It was even more attractive about a month back.

No, I didn't mean Canon isn't good. The fault could be from the seller. If you read through the 1, 2 or 3 star reviews, you will find a lot of complaints about warranty, lens & bag quality issues. This is for the 1200D. Also, some users complaining about the build quality of this cam. One said it's got a very plasticky feel, flash popup (idk the technical term) creaking when comes up, etc.

I couldn't find the same in D3200 or D5200.

Of course, I take such reviews with a grain of salt. I will probably hit the stores to finalize my decision as I believe comfort is a considerable factor as well since my hands aren't that big to handle heavy or bulky cams easily.

prehistoricgamer said:
I will probably hit the stores to finalize my decision as I believe comfort is a considerable factor as well since my hands aren't that big to handle heavy or bulky cams easily.

Yeah, trying them in a local store before buying will help you to decide better. Good you're doing that. And keep us posted what camera you buy and join our TDF photographer community by posting some of your photographs.

I would anyday prefer D5200 for better built, more features, focus module of D7000 with 39point AF , flip out screen for video and macro ...would buy a D3xxx series only if I cant afford D5xxx range

whats the update..what did the OP buy

sujoyp said:
whats the update..what did the OP buy

No idea is the update from my side.
Even if he did order, it will take few days to reach him. When he buy, he will post and we will know. Until then we have krishnandu.sarkar's travelogue to read.

sujoyp said:
whats the update..what did the OP buy

Ah sorry for the delay in update. I wanted to go with D5200. But by the time I tried ordered it, the price had shot up by nearly 4k out of my budget. So, I had to put off the plan of buying it temporarily. I checked around a couple of places and they still are quoting me around 28 to 29k.

I've decided to wait it out until I get a good deal or price.

I missed the offer by just a couple of hours. Oh well

ooh thats sad.. but just keep patience and keep looking for offers...it pops up very regularly.

sujoyp said:
ooh thats sad.. but just keep patience and keep looking for offers...it pops up very regularly.

Yeah, that's the idea. Will do. Fotocircle at Anand Rao Circle (Bangalore) quoted me 29k while Amazon has it currently at 28k. I heard shops provide good deals, but it doesn't look like it.

shops provide a max discount of 15% on MRP

prehistoricgamer said:
Ah sorry for the delay in update. I wanted to go with D5200. But by the time I tried ordered it, the price had shot up by nearly 4k out of my budget. So, I had to put off the plan of buying it temporarily. I checked around a couple of places and they still are quoting me around 28 to 29k.

I've decided to wait it out until I get a good deal or price.

I missed the offer by just a couple of hours. Oh well

I have heard off line stores give good discounts. But most of the time I see good deals online than offline. D5200 price fell to ~25k and it's there for quite some time. If Amazon has hiked check others (or you have Amazon coupons?). FK price is still around 25k.

nac said:
I have heard off line stores give good discounts. But most of the time I see good deals online than offline. D5200 price fell to ~25k and it's there for quite some time. If Amazon has hiked check others (or you have Amazon coupons?). FK price is still around 25k.

I'm sticking with Amazon as I didn't see any warranty complaints from Amazon sellers. On the contrary, a lot of warranty issues on Flipkart for the D5200. Happened the same with my 45k laptop from Flipkart. I was supposed to get a 3 year warranty. But WS Retail screwed me over. Since then, I haven't shopped anything on Flipkart, no matter how good a deal I get.

prehistoricgamer said:
I'm sticking with Amazon as I didn't see any warranty complaints from Amazon sellers. On the contrary, a lot of warranty issues on Flipkart for the D5200. Happened the same with my 45k laptop from Flipkart. I was supposed to get a 3 year warranty. But WS Retail screwed me over. Since then, I haven't shopped anything on Flipkart, no matter how good a deal I get.

Okay. Anyhow this is where the price is going to be (~25k). I don't know why it's way higher in Amazon, but I believe it will come back to 25k range soon.

- - - Updated - - -

prehistoricgamer said:
I'm sticking with Amazon as I didn't see any warranty complaints from Amazon sellers. On the contrary, a lot of warranty issues on Flipkart for the D5200. Happened the same with my 45k laptop from Flipkart. I was supposed to get a 3 year warranty. But WS Retail screwed me over. Since then, I haven't shopped anything on Flipkart, no matter how good a deal I get.

Didn't I say? It's back to 25k in Amazon.

25k is good enough price for D5200...grab it.

It may be an old model but its pic quality is said to be better then D7100

sujoyp said:
25k is good enough price for D5200...grab it.

It may be an old model but its pic quality is said to be better then D7100

Where are you guys seeing the 25k price? It still shows as 27999 for me. I'm looking at the body + 18-55 kit lens combo product.

Nikon D5200 with 18-55mm Lens Price in India- Buy Nikon D5200 with 18-55mm Lens Online at Snapdeal

prehistoricgamer said:
Where are you guys seeing the 25k price? It still shows as 27999 for me. I'm looking at the body + 18-55 kit lens combo product.

Seems like D5200 price is more volatile than a share market

It was 25499/- when I saw this morning. Yes, it was with kit lens, not body only option.

nac said:
Seems like D5200 price is more volatile than a share market It was 25499/- when I saw this morning. Yes, it was with kit lens, not body only option.

This is amusing. The price now has surpassed even what Fotocircle quoted me. I think I'll bite the bullet and order from Flipkart. At least I can return the product if it's not eligible for a warranty. Also, I get a free cam bag and class 10 memory card from FK at 25.5k as compared to no goodies at 26.6k on snap deal.

prehistoricgamer said:
This is amusing. The price now has surpassed even what Fotocircle quoted me. I think I'll bite the bullet and order from Flipkart. At least I can return the product if it's not eligible for a warranty. Also, I get a free cam bag and class 10 memory card from FK at 25.5k as compared to no goodies at 26.6k on snap deal.

Finally ordered a D5200 + LCD screen guard at 25.7k from Amazon after some constant price checking.

My only concern right now is if I'm going to get all the accessories + the warranty. I hope I don't end up getting bricks instead of the camera like some customers.

A

prehistoricgamer said:
Finally ordered a D5200 + LCD screen guard at 25.7k from Amazon after some constant price checking.

My only concern right now is if I'm going to get all the accessories + the warranty. I hope I don't end up getting bricks instead of the camera like some customers.

Congrats bro.

prehistoricgamer said:
Finally ordered a D5200 + LCD screen guard at 25.7k from Amazon after some constant price checking.

My only concern right now is if I'm going to get all the accessories + the warranty. I hope I don't end up getting bricks instead of the camera like some customers.

Congrats...good luck.
Amazon wont do something like that...just read yeaterday that its most trusted online retailer in India

prehistoricgamer said:
This is amusing. The price now has surpassed even what Fotocircle quoted me. I think I'll bite the bullet and order from Flipkart. At least I can return the product if it's not eligible for a warranty. Also, I get a free cam bag and class 10 memory card from FK at 25.5k as compared to no goodies at 26.6k on snap deal.

I took a snap to prove that it is actually around 25k and I see here you already placed the order.
*i102.photobucket.com/albums/m108/tkphotos1/sna_zpsxrrdgsa0.jpg

Congrats for the purchase. Keep us posted.

- - - Updated - - -

prehistoricgamer said:
My only concern right now is if I'm going to get all the accessories + the warranty. I hope I don't end up getting bricks instead of the camera like some customers.

Open the brick pack in front of the courier boy. And return it if it's actually a nice red brick

nac said:
I took a snap to prove that it is actually around 25k and I see here you already placed the order.
*i102.photobucket.com/albums/m108/tkphotos1/sna_zpsxrrdgsa0.jpg

Congrats for the purchase. Keep us posted.

- - - Updated - - -

Open the brick pack in front of the courier boy. And return it if it's actually a nice red brick

Yup. I'm going to have a pair of scissors handy as soon as the courier guy calls. I hope I don't end up scaring the poor chap. Hah.

Also, you managed to find it at the lowest price I have ever seen for this cam. Your luck is godly.

- - - Updated - - -

Finally, got it. Just under 2 days for delivery from Amazon. Amazon's yet to disappoint me. Until then, I'm sticking to them.

Got all the accessories, freebies and warranty stuff with the camera. Online registration went smooth. Nothing missing in the box so far as I know. Only thing left for me to do is to take the camera to the service center and get it verified in person. Happy that it turned out to be a good shopping experience. Mercy on those poor souls who had bitter experiences, especially with expensive products.

The camera works fine. But I take horrible pictures since this is the first digital camera I've ever owned. The flash pop-up has a mind of its own. Still gotta learn the ropes of it. Looking forward to yet another exciting hobby

Thanks for the help guys. Hopefully, I'll post some good pictures soon.

Cheers.

P.S:- I was out on the road with a pair of sciscors just like I said I'd do

Delivery guy was more than obliged to do the opening honors. Touch wood. No brick.

Congrats and happy clicking...

prehistoricgamer said:
I'll post some good pictures soon.

We're looking forward to that...

It's unlikely that Amazon Fulfilled deliveries will be fraudulent.

At least, I haven't come across any issues so far.

Also, you might want to check out the latest firmware for the camera. 1.03 I believe.

[MENTION=235385]prehistoricgamer[/MENTION] nice..good that you were not with a big knife

secret to learn is keep clicking and learn from mistakes...initially try to analyse you pics and see what went wrong

Yup, gonna probably take a trip to hampi and try to get some pictures. Or maybe Cubbon Park if I feel lazy.

The view near my house is one big concrete mess.

Also, any significant boost the new firmware gives? I don't want to fiddle with the software until I'm quite comfortable with it.

Official change log
___________________________________________________
Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.02 to 1.03
• Reduced noise (horizontal lines) in movies shot with 1280×720; 60p or 1280×720; 50p selected for Frame size/frame rate.
• Fixed an issue with the camera freezing when the Clean image sensor option was used.
___________________________________________________

Not a significant update. I haven't figured out how significant the noise reduction is since I rarely use the camera for videos.

tamatarpakoda said:
Official change log
___________________________________________________
Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.02 to 1.03
• Reduced noise (horizontal lines) in movies shot with 1280×720; 60p or 1280×720; 50p selected for Frame size/frame rate.
• Fixed an issue with the camera freezing when the Clean image sensor option was used.
___________________________________________________

Not a significant update. I haven't figured out how significant the noise reduction is since I rarely use the camera for videos.

Don't think I'll be updating it myself anytime soon. Nothing in the changelog is of pressing importance. I might get it done if I pay a visit to the service center for warranty verification. Thanks for the info.

Hello all,

Just now registered to this wonderful forum. So far I was just reading queries, discussions, suggestions in this forum and came up with this thread and thought to share my experience to whoever is looking for 25k DSLR camera.

I have recently entered into DSLR photography world with my Nikon D3200 and kit lenses so I'm a still amateur. This is my first DSLR camera (Nikon D3200 with 18-55mm VRII and freebies) which I have bought three months ago from Amazon India for 19k. I was in hunt for budget DSLR camera since long and that was the day I found best price so garbed it quickly. I also looked for D3300 and D5200 but I didn't find extra features worth for my use. I'm didn't like articulated LCD on D5200 and D3300 features didn't felt worth for extra bucks. Buttons on D3X00 were easy to operate for me. Canon 1200D costs very similar but its spec is inferior to D3200. For example, it has only 9 focal points compared to 11 on D3200, 460,000 screen dots compared to 921,000, 3.0 fps compared to 4.0 fps and etc. Only thing D3200 lacks is EV and WB bracketing but even its not available in D3300 (Don't know why Nikon didn't include bracketing to entry-level cameras which is a essentially thing).

After playing around with kit lens, I felt the need of more reach so I bought Nikon 55-200mm ED VRII lens early this month from paytm for 8k, which is good, fast and lightweight. Only thing I'm missing now is the lens for low light photography. For this I shortlisted to Nikon 35mm F1.8 and I may buy it in next few months.

Thanks...
Best Regards

CRACING said:
Just now registered to this wonderful forum...

Welcome.
Browse your PC and share us some of your work in Photography thread.

nac said:
Welcome.
Browse your PC and share us some of your work in Photography thread.

Thank you sir.

I have already shared my photos in 500px. Please click here. Not great shots yet but trying to get better everyday. As soon as I start to take great shots, I will surely share in Photography thread.

CRACING said:
Thank you sir.

I have already shared my photos in 500px. Please click here. Not great shots yet but trying to get better everyday. As soon as I start to take great shots, I will surely share in Photography thread.

You have some great lens to start...I too started with D3100+18-55+55-200 and its a great combo...bought 35mm just 2 months back and i am loving it..just share the pics from 500px here..there must be some link to share pics

sujoyp said:
You have some great lens to start...I too started with D3100+18-55+55-200 and its a great combo...bought 35mm just 2 months back and i am loving it..just share the pics from 500px here..there must be some link to share pics

Yes sir, both are very good lenses and take pretty sharp photos. Before I had confusion to choose between Sigma/Tamron 70-300mm and Nikon 55-200mm VRII but I took Nikon lens because it has VR, ED, Fast Focusing and takes sharp photos in the entire range. Sigma/Tamron 70-300mm has softness issue near 300mm and at that range macro works. OS/VC of the same lens are better but they are out of my budget.

Now I'm confused with 35mm F/1.8 and 50mm F/1.8. Both play different role in different conditions. 35mm is good for streets, indoors, tight spots, landscapes and 50mm is good for portraits, close-ups and etc. Being used with zoom lenses, its hard to decide prime lens. I also thought to get 50mm manual focus lens (used or new which goes for very cheap) and also 35mm G lens so that both will fulfill my needs. However, I have postponed the purchase until I decide a suitable one.

yes nikon 55-200 vr is really a hidden gem which people do not consider. its sharp and produce nice blurring.
regarding 50mm and 35mm, I have both and truth is 35mm is far more useful on cropped sensor dslr...50mm was too tight but 35mm gives sufficient space to take portraits and landscapes. I have almost stopped taking my wide angle tamron 17-50 2.8 with me due to usefulness of 35mm.

Did u get warranty buying online ? Why nikon website os saying not to buy from online store.

kool said:
Did u get warranty buying online ? Why nikon website os saying not to buy from online store.

I didn't bother to check it. Although I did get the warranty cards and booklet, they are all empty while they are supposed to be stamped by the seller. If need be, I can contact the seller directly and get it filled I suppose.

But I got tied up with a couple of things and didn't follow through with the warranty checking. So far the camera has been working fine. I just hope it does for another year and a half.

As per nikon , only if the seller name is there on the Nikon website's authorised seller then warranty is valid...else they wont bother.
So if your online seller is a nikon official dealer and name on there website then you are sure to get warrenty else no warrenty.

sujoyp said:
As per nikon , only if the seller name is there on the Nikon website's authorised seller then warranty is valid...else they wont bother.
So if your online seller is a nikon official dealer and name on there website then you are sure to get warrenty else no warrenty.

Thanks. I wasn't aware of that. But like I said, I'm not too worried about warranty at this point. I've been maintaining the camera well. I believe I can do so for some a couple more months

even I didnt need any warrenty for 2 years..I am facing no problem...but if something goes wrong then its badluck

prehistoricgamer said:
Thanks. I wasn't aware of that. But like I said, I'm not too worried about warranty at this point. I've been maintaining the camera well. I believe I can do so for some a couple more months

Even if seller is not an authorised dealer, if you ask he can arrange stamps for the said camera and can ask service centre to attend your camera. All these have good contacts when in business.

guys,

I am looking for Nikon D5200 from long time on onliine site, unfortunately only "snapdeal" and "paytm" is shipping to my address (PATNA). So right now i am getting Nikon D5200 (with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55 mm F/3.5-5.6G VR II Lens) for Rs.26k after cashback and Nikon D5200 (with AF-S 18 - 55 mm VR Kit + AF-S DX NIKKOR 35 mm f/1.8G Lens) for Rs.34k after cashback.

So,
Should I buy this model with kit lens 18-55mm only or with additional 35mm lens ? If I buy 35mm lens later it would cost me Rs.10k. Is Rs.34k good deal with additional lens ? Or should I buy later ?

By the way, I am new to DSLR cameras, after doing lots of research online i have shortlisted Nikon D5200 and 35mm prime lens. So kindly hep me to choose what would be best for me ? I m buying from CAMCAT seller, and this seller is from PATNA :winking_NF:

Online Mobile Recharge - Postpaid, DTH & Datacard Bill Payments at Paytm.co

Online Mobile Recharge - Postpaid, DTH & Datacard Bill Payments at Paytm.co

[MENTION=39722]sujoyp[/MENTION]

M

kool said:
guys,

I am looking for Nikon D5200 from long time on onliine site, unfortunately only "snapdeal" and "paytm" is shipping to my address (PATNA). So right now i am getting Nikon D5200 (with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55 mm F/3.5-5.6G VR II Lens) for Rs.26k after cashback and Nikon D5200 (with AF-S 18 - 55 mm VR Kit + AF-S DX NIKKOR 35 mm f/1.8G Lens) for Rs.34k after cashback.

So,
Should I buy this model with kit lens 18-55mm only or with additional 35mm lens ? If I buy 35mm lens later it would cost me Rs.10k. Is Rs.34k good deal with additional lens ? Or should I buy later ?

By the way, I am new to DSLR cameras, after doing lots of research online i have shortlisted Nikon D5200 and 35mm prime lens. So kindly hep me to choose what would be best for me ? I m buying from CAMCAT seller, and this seller is from PATNA :winking_NF:

Online Mobile Recharge - Postpaid, DTH & Datacard Bill Payments at Paytm.co

Online Mobile Recharge - Postpaid, DTH & Datacard Bill Payments at Paytm.co

[MENTION=39722]sujoyp[/MENTION]

It's better to go with 5300 or 3300, these produce more clear picture than 5200. If budget is really your concern, stick with 3300!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MENTION=2608]kool[/MENTION]

D5300 costs 35k approx (Excluding cashback or discounts), 7k more then D5200. For that you'll get new processor, 0.2" bigger display with more pixels, Lots of scene modes (Are these really useful to DSLR photographers? I doubt), 2 more fps, Builtin Wifi, Built in GPS, No low-pass filter and etc. So you pay extra for these all and it seems worth but I doubt picture quality would be better then D5200. It may be better because of lacking low-pass filter but the difference would be little.

If you choice D5300 then next comes D5500 with a extra 12k but there is no end to this. I would suggest to spend more on lenses and less on body because lens matters more.

As of D3300, I don't think its a best choice because it lacks some important option compered to D5XXX. i.e No AE Bracketing, No WB Bracketing, Only 11 focal points, Not supported by Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 (You have to use 3rd party) and etc in settings. Indeed it may produce better pictures but difference would be very little. In 25k price range, Canon 1300D would be better. It has all the above options plus latest tech.

If I had to save money then I would choice D3200 and wouldn't mind about lacking options.

I will always suggest getting the mid level DSLR...even if the tech is slightly old like D5200 ... there base range is poor in built and slow in focussing.
I have used D3100 for 2 years...although I got many good results but after using D7000 i can find many issues in that...D5200 or d5300 is a balance between both

CRACING said:
[MENTION=2608]kool[/MENTION]

D5300 costs 35k approx (Excluding cashback or discounts), 7k more then D5200. For that you'll get new processor, 0.2" bigger display with more pixels, Lots of scene modes (Are these really useful to DSLR photographers? I doubt), 2 more fps, Builtin Wifi, Built in GPS, No low-pass filter and etc. So you pay extra for these all and it seems worth but I doubt picture quality would be better then D5200. It may be better because of lacking low-pass filter but the difference would be little.

If you choice D5300 then next comes D5500 with a extra 12k but there is no end to this. I would suggest to spend more on lenses and less on body because lens matters more.

As of D3300, I don't think its a best choice because it lacks some important option compered to D5XXX. i.e No AE Bracketing, No WB Bracketing, Only 11 focal points, Not supported by Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 (You have to use 3rd party) and etc in settings. Indeed it may produce better pictures but difference would be very little. In 25k price range, Canon 1300D would be better. It has all the above options plus latest tech.

If I had to save money then I would choice D3200 and wouldn't mind about lacking options.

bro, after lots of research i have selected D5200

kool said:
bro, after lots of research i have selected D5200

Then look no further. Just buy it. :grin_NF: