Hi, I have decided to get a DSLR camera recently and have been doing research. I was hoping if I can get some tips and advice on my selected models. I have a budget of about $1000 for a DSLR camera kit. I have narrowed down to the Nikon D5100 kit selling for about 945 at electronics stores. I have also considered the Canon EOS 600d or 650d but I heard that the sensor of the Nikon is better as it is similar to the D7000.
I want my camera to be able to shoot in very low light and the options of the camera must be fully customisable such as things like ISO, shutter speed etc.. Image quality is of course of up most importance.
I hope to hear the comments of owners of the Nikon D5100 or the Canon 600d or 650d. Other DSLR owners are most welcomed.
Thank you
Fundamentally there is not much need to compare between the 2 camps of DSLR cameras because it's always a catchup game for technologies. Today canon came up better, tomorrow Nikon launch a new flagship with newer technologies.
Between entry level DSLR of the 2 camps, there is not much of a fundamental differences. If you actually play along with photographers, you will quickly realise their focus on equipments are not entirely the DSLR body. More are on lens and other accompany accessories such as strobes, filters, softboxes and as such.
DSLR body while expensive, are largely depreciative component of photography. Lens do stay for a long time even across several bodies. That's why it's often when a photographer stick with a certain camp, they will continue to do so since changing all the lens will be a hefty cost. Adapters exist but are not the ideal choice for good quality reproduction. Adapters also often removed certain features from the lens that are designed for its own brand of bodies.
Important when choosing a camera body is first your budget. Remember to do good photography is not just having the best lens and body. You also need a good tripod, a good external flash, probably some other expensive items like ND, Polariser, GND etc. You may also want to invest in more lens of specialize nature such as a fish eye lens for creative framing etc.
Having good software such as DxO, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe PS are also part of your cost. An adequate dry box to put your stuffs inside etc.
I often come across people looking for low light capability camera and so forth. If you are really into photography, you will quickly realise that's not important. The most important is knowing your gears limitation and how to tame the environment and how to adapt to it. What kind of shots are possible, what are the alternatives. Good photographer search for good light, when good light are not available, they either wait or come back another day. If possible at all, create the necessary light to create the mood. Post processing is also very important in the process of creating great photographs. In the history of photography, there is so many powerful photographs created using cameras and lens that are not considered state of the art even when compared to the entry level DSLR we get from the market today. Do you think when you print out a print that grainy photograph of great composition from a 35mm compact camera will lose out to one that contain 40MP of black screen from the flagship of any company today ? Understand what you are trying to capture and how to do it right.
There are just so many people nowadays asking for low light capability of a camera without understanding why instead of attaching a f/1.4 lens that they should be using flash lights instead. Using flash properly is a difficult skill set. The skill set to balance light between the ambient and the artificial light from the strobe is an art. Understanding what flash gel to use, where to light up, how long the exposure of the flash, the sync speed, how to control the light balance between the flash and the balance, how ISO and shutter speed plays in the part of the control etc.
Image quality is not the most important. Composition and skill set to control your gear and its accessories are far more important. You get good quality when you know how to control them and how to setup lights.
If it's not convincing for you, I'm a Nikon user, first D300, then D3 for 2yrs, and then move on to D3s for like 3yrs. Today when I take photographs, my most common ISO used is L1.0 equiv to ISO100. My common max is ISO800 occasionally bumping to ISO2500. My most used lens is the 24-70 f/2.8. But often I shoot at f/4 and even to f/8 depending on what my scenes are. My SB800/SB900 flashes are mandatory items for any important shots, unless it's a scenery, even during daytime.
My point is having the best camera doesn't mean you capture at f/1.2 even if you have such a lens. It's not that because the ISO is cleaner at 3200 means you ought to be doing that at night. You need to understand your scene and what you are trying to achieve. Use a tripod when you need to. F/1.4 lens and great ISO sensors are not your ticket to good photography. It's the eye behind the viewfinder.
Having said that. Today Nikon and Canon are still 2 of the best camps available in the photography industry is because of the arsenal of good lens and compatibility with tons of good electronic accessories that they possess. People who don't need these accessories and don't understand how to use them won't be able to appreciate the value of these 2 camps.
Fundamentally the only kind of controls one require to create fantastic photographs are essentially the following. Control of aperture, shutter speed, focus, choice of Aperture/Shutter/Manual adjustment, a good viewfinder, control of flash power, coverage, exposure and flash power compensation, ISO. Any other things are superficial and good to have. If you can't master the control of the above, giving you a high ISO body wouldn't make you a great photographer or create good photographs. Most important above all the above is a good eye for good composition. A medium format Hasselblad camera given to someone with no art sense will not produce photographs that will stun the world.
So please re-align what you really want, go down to the shop, feel the DSLR, get something within your budget and think more about what you want to do with it.
