I've only bought my camera (Nikon L120 -nothing too special) about 6 months ago, and I really wish I would have just saved the extra cash to save up for the camera I really wanted (DSLR). I was wondering if anyone has any advice on upgrading.
1. Do you think I should experiment more with my camera now?
2. Consider upgrading & in return selling my camera.
I'm sort of stuck on what I want to do. I know it's a bit of an investment, but I'm pretty sure I know now that I have LOVE for photography now. Maybe I was a little unsure when I first purchased my camera if my passion was going to continue to grow. I think the reason I want to upgrade is because I've fallen in love with the fisheye lens (weird maybe? lol)
If you think I should take the next step, what kind of camera would you recommend coming from the non DSLR.
If you can afford the upgrade now I say go for it. The potential to learn and experiment is higher with a dslr. Having said that, I also believe photography is just as much about the photographer as it is about the equipment. There are tons of beginner dslr options out there. Go take a look and see what fits best/feels most comfortable in your hands :)
go big or go home. with that, it is not just just the camera, but the passion as well. if you can get a camera that has full manual settings i will always suggest going that route - but if you can not, as long as you have a camera and shoot that is the most important. *** WARNING ***** asking what kind of camera often open a can of worms of most humorous nature - my advise - able to have full manual control, and feels good in your hand (nikon or canon) and brace yourself for all kinds of suggestions hehehehe - you have proved yourself as a camera junkie to this site, i suggest a DSLR that has full manual setting **cough** *Nikon** **cough** there are ** cough** **Nikon*** lots of good options, Nikon and Canon leading the pack
I agree with @cchambers chris chambers that as long as you have manual mode you will have the others. Canon or Nikon really doesn't matter. I shoot Canon other shoot nikon. I would however say that I would only suggest either of these two brands as they have a much greater flexibility going forward.
Honestly, If you can't upgrade now then don't. Learn to use the tools you have to the best of their abilities. Using the excuse of not having a good camera is like saying your cooking abilities depends on your microwave.
@ariananeala
I'm not saying I don't have a good camera, I love my camera, but I want a better one, with more options. You know? I bought it as a starter to see if I really had the passion (bc I started just taking pix with my camera phone, which I'm sure a lot of people do) but I wanted the actual camera....I wanted to be able to take better pictures. I'm not saying my pictures are great by any means, but I want to be able to explore with more options.
@cchambers - thank you! I have never shot with a Canon, obviously but I really really really love my Nikon, it's fantastic! I do believe everyone has their personal preference, but I know almost nothing when it comes to a DSLR...sort of why I asked for advice.
@agima thank you so much for taking the time to read and write back!! :) I really appriciate it!!
Just make sure you don't buy a DSLR for imagined extra features. I'd first try to get everything you can out of your current camera, and if you find there are things you just can't do that justify upgrading, then do it. DSLRs do some technical things better, but they don't make the artistic side of things better, like composition and so on. Looking through your photos there's nothing to give away that you aren't shooting with a DSLR.
by all means @amoment it's a good investment. hopefully you know the technical aspecs of using ISO F-Stops and other terms. If you get a DSLR your gonna need to know some of those stuff. It's a no ordinary point and shoot. Although there are settings for it, but most people do manual shoots. another thing in camera choices, it's up to you, but i prefer getting the same cameras as with any family members that have the same brand your getting. so you can interchange lenses. like for example, i use a Canon t3i and my cousin uses a Canon t3. We can swap lens at anytime that's if we do shoots together. But if you were to get a Nikon and a family member or friend(s) have a Canon. You can't change or swamp lenses cause they are different models. And if i were you go to a camera specialty store. Not Best Buy, Walmart, or any other. know what to get before purchasing. Some specialty camera stores will let you try the camera in shop. to see if you like it or not. but it's all up to you.
Lots of good advice in this thread - I myself upgraded from a Coolpix, my first real camera, to a Nikon D40 DSLR, and it was a great and easy transition for me. A lot of the buttons, menu choices, etc. were the same so my learning curve was less steep.
The one thing I would suggest you consider, though, is NOT upgrading until you can afford to do so without selling your current camera. I'd strongly suggest holding onto that for a couple of reasons. One, it's easier to travel with or to take someplace where the risk of damage to your 'main' camera might be high. Two, this forum is filled with horror stories of broken and lost cameras. :) It would be a real shame if something happened to your DSLR and you were left totally cameraless.
About 3 years ago i went from a point and shoot to my D90 and I Love it! I have even gotten many complimelimens on my choice from Real Professionals(Cannon User) as they took it into the office and said the sensor was unbelievable for it being a beginner to semi- pro rated camera from Nikkon...It also has HD video if you use it I have never even looked for the button to turn it on... No Video for me...Stricttly Photos...I am not a Pro yet but working on it and Just fell in love with the Nikon D4 it is beautiful also Beautifully priced at 6,000 dollars!!...and like someone said above,,, it appears Nikon does streamline thier buttons and bows pretty much the same way to the Upper level's of .Thier flagship models..(D4) i compared it to my D 90 and most of all the buttons and knob and setting's where the same as the D4 with some slight difference.. thus makes for an easier transition. Mine was affordable and it hasnt change much in price in the last 3 years so you wont loose your Trade in Value if you want to even go up from there in the near future...I know your going to get alot of opinions here and may get confused but i to believe you cant go wrong as long as you go with a Nikon or Cannon..They will always be competitors!!!.Good Luck ! I Love mine and i actually asked for a Cannon but my Husband didnt get the message right and it was a Birthday Present so i couldnt refuse!! lOL..I learned to love his choice!!
Only buy the camera you can afford to keep! Tonight I worked out that I was carrying over $5000 worth of gear on my shoulder...It scared me a bit...Once you buy the camera body you decide on a lens (or two). Then you need an extra cable and a few more cards and another lens (or two)... I guess this really means that you need to decide which path you'll take...the canon or the nikon...because once you're committed the cheap bit is changing the camera...(but I see you're already a Nikon person so no further discussion is in order...gotta love Nikon)
I would consider upgrading in your situation due the the lack of manual control in your current camera.
Budget not a big issue, I would sell the L120, buy the DSLR and a Canon G12* or G1x. Something with more manual control, at least. Try to have a P&S as well as a DSLR.
As far as Canon v nikon, there are differences, but I think you would be happy either way.
As has been said, the photographer is the key component. That said, a DSLR will not instantly make you a better photographer, but it will make the same photo better.
* Or, I suppose, you could consider the P7100 by that other company. @cchambers
Do see if you can trade your current camera in. I am buying my first DSLR ( Canon) and I am trading in an expensive lens I got for my Nex that I bought a year ago. It means i can buy a better DSLR than if i was to keep my existing kit. I love my Nex and didn't want to part with it, so I thought trading in some of the peripheral stuff I have for it was the best compromise!
Anyway, that's what I would do, I have wanted a full on DSLR since I bought the compact system so this is a year in the making, but it also came at a time when I am going to make the camera work for me and start doing semi-prof work.
Good luck with your decision and Nikon or Canon will always raise an
Interesting debate on here, go to a decent camera shop and hold them, try the diff lens you would consider using and see how it feels, I fell in love with the Canon 7D as soon as it was in my hand, even more so when I looked through the view finder, it will just feel right!
I agree with Shelly, that it's worth keeping the compact camera if you can. There are times when you don't want to take your DSLR with you, but that may be the very time that an opportunity arises to take an interesting shot.
I had been using a couple of Fuji compact cameras before I bought a Nikon D3100 last July. It's been a great camera, and does everything that I want it to (for now). I still use my compact cameras on more occasions than I do my DSLR, but I take far more photos with the DSLR.
With a DSLR, there is much more scope to get things just right, but the downside of that is that it's also a lot easier to get things horribly wrong! It took me a few weeks to even begin to get a feel for what settings to use in particular situations rather than being able to rely on the automatic camera settings getting me in the right ballpark.
i did this about 6 mths ago and - did my research online first, then went to the camera shop and held a few camera's - they let me take some photos with them too - so i could decide - it was only then that i made my mind up and have been really pleased that i went down the dslr route - i am completely addicted now. above all enjoy, experiment and have fun : - )
Something to keep in mind. Nikon lenses will always fit a Nikon body. I have several that are from the 70's that I use on my D90. That being said, there is no AutoFocus and aperture is controlled on the lens. Some of the older lenses that do have AF still won't do it with new body. There are other smaller differences but if you don't go back much past the 70's with lenses you will be alright. This opens up the ability to get an "old" lens for cheap if you want to get something vs trying to buy a "new" lens. Canon lens mounts have changed several times over years so they won't fit newer Canon bodies. There are adaptors out there to make pretty much any lens fit any camera though. They even have one that will let you put a Canon lens on a Nikon body (gasp, the horror!) That is my only reason for Nikon over Canon. Don't forget Olympus and Sony though too, they make quality cameras. But I agree with @beautifulthing don't sell/trade it if you don't have to. It's nice to have a P&S around just in case.
I have a Canon60D and multiple lens. I loaned it to my nephew when he went to Italy. I have insurance on my equipment as a rider to my home-owners policy. The only buy equipment you can afford to keep is a good suggestion. Also, making sure you take proper care of it and get it insured will make you less nervous about taking it into public places. I choose Canon because of the HDR feature build into the video, but I have old Canon film/SLR cameras and the lenses are NOT interchangeable. And with the new technology just around the corner... all I can think is.. here we go again.
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thank you!
I'm not saying I don't have a good camera, I love my camera, but I want a better one, with more options. You know? I bought it as a starter to see if I really had the passion (bc I started just taking pix with my camera phone, which I'm sure a lot of people do) but I wanted the actual camera....I wanted to be able to take better pictures. I'm not saying my pictures are great by any means, but I want to be able to explore with more options.
@cchambers - thank you! I have never shot with a Canon, obviously but I really really really love my Nikon, it's fantastic! I do believe everyone has their personal preference, but I know almost nothing when it comes to a DSLR...sort of why I asked for advice.
@agima thank you so much for taking the time to read and write back!! :) I really appriciate it!!
The one thing I would suggest you consider, though, is NOT upgrading until you can afford to do so without selling your current camera. I'd strongly suggest holding onto that for a couple of reasons. One, it's easier to travel with or to take someplace where the risk of damage to your 'main' camera might be high. Two, this forum is filled with horror stories of broken and lost cameras. :) It would be a real shame if something happened to your DSLR and you were left totally cameraless.
Best of luck! :)
Budget not a big issue, I would sell the L120, buy the DSLR and a Canon G12* or G1x. Something with more manual control, at least. Try to have a P&S as well as a DSLR.
As far as Canon v nikon, there are differences, but I think you would be happy either way.
As has been said, the photographer is the key component. That said, a DSLR will not instantly make you a better photographer, but it will make the same photo better.
* Or, I suppose, you could consider the P7100 by that other company. @cchambers
Anyway, that's what I would do, I have wanted a full on DSLR since I bought the compact system so this is a year in the making, but it also came at a time when I am going to make the camera work for me and start doing semi-prof work.
Good luck with your decision and Nikon or Canon will always raise an
Interesting debate on here, go to a decent camera shop and hold them, try the diff lens you would consider using and see how it feels, I fell in love with the Canon 7D as soon as it was in my hand, even more so when I looked through the view finder, it will just feel right!
I had been using a couple of Fuji compact cameras before I bought a Nikon D3100 last July. It's been a great camera, and does everything that I want it to (for now). I still use my compact cameras on more occasions than I do my DSLR, but I take far more photos with the DSLR.
With a DSLR, there is much more scope to get things just right, but the downside of that is that it's also a lot easier to get things horribly wrong! It took me a few weeks to even begin to get a feel for what settings to use in particular situations rather than being able to rely on the automatic camera settings getting me in the right ballpark.
Thank you all!!!!