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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => The Basement => Topic started by: Bob Leonard on June 01, 2014, 08:51:01 AM

Title: DSLR camera
Post by: Bob Leonard on June 01, 2014, 08:51:01 AM
At a very young age I was bitten by the photography bug, passed on to me by an uncle who was at one time the photographer for Cypress Gardens FL. The result was the need for a decent and sometimes pro level camera. So, over the years I've owned a number of good cameras including large frame format cameras, Nikon F1, Pentax, etc., and at one time processed my own film, color and B&W.
 
So time passes and I've been through a number of cameras and not been really happy with any of them, the exception being an Pentax SF1 I bought 35 years ago. Still working I'll pass this and all of the lenses on to my older daughter. I've owned, and still own a number of those little digital cameras from Nikon, Canon and others, and those are OK for quick shots, parties, etc., but you get what you pay for.
 
Thursday I decided to enter back into the world of photography in a small way after seeing a sale at Best Buy and bought a Nikon D3200 DSLR. The sale included Nikkor 18-55mm and 200mm zoom lenses, a nice case, battery, charger, lens caps, shades, etc. all for $529, which I thought was a steal. Yes, I looked at Pentax and Canon, but was swayed by the focal points, features, ease of use, available accessories, reviews, and the fact it can also work as a movie camera with built in mic and has the ability to accept external mics.
 
I still have the opportunity to return this "kit" so my question is simply this. Does anyone have a specific reason I'll find at a later date that may make me wish I had purchased another model entry level DSLR. And please don't say save my money for a digital F1. I'm not going that far this time. (I hope)
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Russ Davis on June 01, 2014, 11:13:02 AM
I've been through a number of cameras and not been really happy with any of them, the exception being an Pentax SF1 I bought 35 years ago... Does anyone have a specific reason I'll find at a later date that may make me wish I had purchased another model entry level DSLR.

IIRC, most (if not all) Pentax DSLRs will accept your K-mount lenses, albeit with limited automation.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: TonyWilliams on June 01, 2014, 01:11:43 PM
Both Canon and Nikon DSLRs in this price range are great values. I bought a canon T3i because I had easy access to other Canon lenses. Now I've moved and all my new friends have Nikon cameras. Doh!


- Tony Williams
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Steve M Smith on June 01, 2014, 06:27:55 PM
I have seventy two cameras (!!). Only two are digital and one of them is a Nikon D3200.

Whilst the D3200 is a lower priced, entry level model, it is very capable and I don't think you will be disappointed with it.

I usually use mine with the pre AI Nikkor lenses I have for my Nikon Fs,


Steve.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Bill McIntosh on June 01, 2014, 08:10:20 PM
Whilst the D3200 is a lower priced, entry level model, it is very capable and I don't think you will be disappointed with it.

Looks like the successor to my D60 (very similar kit as Bob described).  It is a better camera than I am photographer.  I have gotten decent pictures of hit baseballs (and some missed ones -- cool to see the ball twixt bat and glove).  It does low-light well enough to get some nice shots at gigs, captures the lighting effects.

If you try a lot of action shots -- like baseball games -- I have seen that leaving the auto-focus on has a time lag before the shutter trips. 

My main gripe is about the ViewNX2 software -- it no longer supports USB connection to the D60, so I have to pull the SD card out to transfer the pictures.   Still really happy with the camera though.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Bob Leonard on June 02, 2014, 12:31:50 AM
I took about 200 pictures today of gear going up on Ebay. I was very pleased with the results. I left the camera on auto focus and was very impressed with the speed. No delay and every picture was sharp and in focus. Here is an example, size reduced by 70%.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Taylor Hall on June 02, 2014, 10:07:36 AM
Get yourself an SB-600 and you'll be able to handle pretty much anything.

I also have an 18-200VR I'll offload for a song if you're interested. I sold off some off a lot of my DSLR gear recently and that's the last thing on my list to downsize.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Ned Ward on June 02, 2014, 02:25:11 PM
Bob - I have this exact camera, upgrading from a D40. Love it. video works great, but the internal mic can use some help for music critical applications (like my daughter's piano recital).

I have the SB400 flash and it is great for getting a more natural lighting.

I think you got a great deal! grab some polarizing filters and you should be good to go.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Matt Tudor on June 02, 2014, 05:26:12 PM
At a very young age I was bitten by the photography bug, passed on to me by an uncle who was at one time the photographer for Cypress Gardens FL. The result was the need for a decent and sometimes pro level camera. So, over the years I've owned a number of good cameras including large frame format cameras, Nikon F1, Pentax, etc., and at one time processed my own film, color and B&W.
 
So time passes and I've been through a number of cameras and not been really happy with any of them, the exception being an Pentax SF1 I bought 35 years ago. Still working I'll pass this and all of the lenses on to my older daughter. I've owned, and still own a number of those little digital cameras from Nikon, Canon and others, and those are OK for quick shots, parties, etc., but you get what you pay for.
 
Thursday I decided to enter back into the world of photography in a small way after seeing a sale at Best Buy and bought a Nikon D3200 DSLR. The sale included Nikkor 18-55mm and 200mm zoom lenses, a nice case, battery, charger, lens caps, shades, etc. all for $529, which I thought was a steal. Yes, I looked at Pentax and Canon, but was swayed by the focal points, features, ease of use, available accessories, reviews, and the fact it can also work as a movie camera with built in mic and has the ability to accept external mics.
 
I still have the opportunity to return this "kit" so my question is simply this. Does anyone have a specific reason I'll find at a later date that may make me wish I had purchased another model entry level DSLR. And please don't say save my money for a digital F1. I'm not going that far this time. (I hope)

I shoot a 3100, which is the predecessor to the 3200. It's been a great camera. If I had one complaint, I think the higher ISO settings (+1600) get grainy faster than I would like. I notice it more with the long kit lens (I have both the ones you mention) at full zoom, especially low-light like at gigs. I've also found my Sigma 55mm prime has better color than the short kit lens at 50mm.
The competition at that price bracket is really Canon. I don't remember the model, but I used a Canon with similar lenses in a photo class along side my Nikon 3100 with kit lenses. I think that the color rendition of the Canon  seemed very marginally better before processing, although by the time we got thru adjusting exposure and such in Lightroom, I couldn't tell the difference between Canon and Nikon photos in the final project. I found navigating the Canon's menus difficult and the camera was noticeably heavier. I personally like the lighter Nikon, although I talked to people in my class who preferred the heavier Canon because it made it easier to steady the camera during longer exposures
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Bob Leonard on June 02, 2014, 06:07:07 PM
The graininess was addressed in the 3200 with the upgrade to 24 mega pixels.
Title: DSLR camera
Post by: Conrad Muzoora on June 03, 2014, 12:31:39 AM
The graininess was addressed in the 3200 with the upgrade to 24 mega pixels.

So I too have had a photo bug for a while, I have used canon entry level rebel Xs, T1i T2i, T3i etc. My photography only turned around when I took up a Nikon D300. Now the D300 is only 12mega pix where as the canon T1i is 15 but the d300 shots will kill the t1i any day.   In cameras it's not all about the megapixel there is a lot more. The Nikon D90, D200, d300 will all outperform the D3200 especially in low light, focus, and color. If you want to go even further try the D700! And all these models are only 12megapix! They however don't do video! The grain is equivalent to noise in the audio world, cameras with bigger sensors are going to have less "signal to noise ratio". Most entry level cameras will have noticeable grain at ISO of 600 up. Fortunately, you can learn to set the gain structure just like in sound, but there is always a tradeoff. Have fun
Conrad
www.kooleventug.com


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Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Bob Leonard on June 03, 2014, 02:01:14 PM
Conrad,

Anyone can have anything they want. All it takes is money. If I were in the market and made my living as a professional photographer then I would own a D4S, but I don't so I won't. I'll have to say that the more I use the 3200 the more I like it as an everyday go to camera.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Yosi Melamed on June 04, 2014, 04:04:25 PM
You bought a great camera so enjoy it as much as you can.

Just one thing, you can't fix graininess with upping the pixel number of the sensor, you're just dividing the same amount of light to smaller sized pixels so theoretically you should have more graininess but manufacturers usually couple upping the pixel count together with an upgrade in sensor+processor technology that usually almost compensates for the smaller pixel area due to higher pixel count.

I used the Nikon D3200 and the D3300 coupled to an older version 18-300mm and the Canon T3i, I know reviews say the nikon sensor is way better, I just couldn't see the difference in every day shooting. If anything I would suggest you get the 18-300mm instead of your 18-200mm you have, they have pretty much comparable IQ but the latter is better for the times you want to take portrait type of photos but just don't want to keep running after the younger ones.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Erik Jerde on June 06, 2014, 03:48:18 AM
Enjoy the camera, if it meets your need then it'll serve you very well.  It sounds like you should know enough about photography that you are well equipped to judge your needs.

Nikon/Canon/etc - these days really depends on personal preference and if you have glass you want to use on the new body.

I'm a Nikon guy, d800, f2.8 zooms, faster primes.  The 3200 with those lenses doesn't meet my needs, but I know that and pay (quite literally) the price.

My one suggestion to you is stick with Nikon lenses.  The autofocus just seems to work best and they have better quality optics.  If you want more of a one lens do-all setup check out the 18-200 or if you don't mind the size and weight the 18-300 lens.  They aren't fast lenses, but they sure are versatile.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Erik Jerde on June 06, 2014, 03:52:03 AM
.My main gripe is about the ViewNX2 software -- it no longer supports USB connection to the D60, so I have to pull the SD card out to transfer the pictures.   Still really happy with the camera though.

Bil, it's probably doing you a favor by not transmitting over usb.  I've always found the transfer speed to be vastly superior when I put the card in a proper card reader.  Plus then you don't chew up the battery doing a transfer.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Yosi Melamed on June 06, 2014, 04:29:32 AM
Enjoy the camera, if it meets your need then it'll serve you very well.  It sounds like you should know enough about photography that you are well equipped to judge your needs.

Nikon/Canon/etc - these days really depends on personal preference and if you have glass you want to use on the new body.

I'm a Nikon guy, d800, f2.8 zooms, faster primes.  The 3200 with those lenses doesn't meet my needs, but I know that and pay (quite literally) the price.

My one suggestion to you is stick with Nikon lenses.  The autofocus just seems to work best and they have better quality optics.  If you want more of a one lens do-all setup check out the 18-200 or if you don't mind the size and weight the 18-300 lens.  They aren't fast lenses, but they sure are versatile.
Actually the 18-200 weighs the same as the newer 18-300, the older version of the 18-300 did weigh much more (that's the one I have).

Why didn't you go for the sharpness king, the 800E?
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Bob Leonard on June 06, 2014, 07:02:53 AM
I see a local company has the 5200 on sale for $528 w/ 18-200 included, but no 55mm lens. I'm not sure but felt the 5200 may have been less of a camera than the 3200. Regardless, you really can't go wrong with a Nikon and the 3200 seems to be a perfect fit for my present needs. The days of having my own darkroom are long gone right along with the need for expensive bodies and long lenses.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Steve M Smith on June 06, 2014, 09:55:11 AM
I don't think there's much between the D3200 and the D5200.  For 99% of the time, they will be identical.  The D5200 has a few extra features and also has a folding out screen - something which I would never use, but it's really just the same box with the same (or very similar) sensor.

Despite getting into digital photography back in 2003 with what now seems an outrageously priced Nikon D100, I am now going back in time.  I have a 5x4 enlarger and am half way through building a 5x4 folding field camera from brass and mahogany.


Steve.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Bob Leonard on June 06, 2014, 05:11:28 PM
That camera and a trip out west would be a lot of fun.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Erik Jerde on June 08, 2014, 09:08:23 PM
Actually the 18-200 weighs the same as the newer 18-300, the older version of the 18-300 did weigh much more (that's the one I have).

Why didn't you go for the sharpness king, the 800E?

There's 2 18-300's out, one is 3.5-5.6 one is 3.5-6.3  the second weighs the same as the 18-200.  So we're both right! :)

I went for the regular D800 because I wanted the AA and moire filters (and the $300).  I still get incredibly sharp if I shoot with all the correct settings and circumstances.  Since I'm not blowing up to wall-sized posters it's a worthwhile tradeoff for me.
Title: Re: DSLR camera
Post by: Rob Spence on June 08, 2014, 10:08:21 PM
While I have Canon gear, I really love my 28-300 IS lens. I like that I can just take the one lens in the motorcycle saddlebag on trips. I like not opening up the camera along the side of the road to make changes. I have a point & shoot for other shots.


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