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Dec 25 2015 10:09pm
Currently have some shitty bathroom selfie 12mp canon.

Looking at the d3300

Is there anything better for around 500 on amazon?

For 500 on amazon I can get the d3300, 18-55 lens, a free nikon bag and a 55-200mm vr lens
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Dec 26 2015 12:47am
Quote (Wydz @ Dec 25 2015 09:09pm)
Currently have some shitty bathroom selfie 12mp canon.
Looking at the d3300
Is there anything better for around 500 on amazon?
For 500 on amazon I can get the d3300, 18-55 lens, a free nikon bag and a 55-200mm vr lens


I'll run through some questions for you that you should answer:

1) Do you know what shooting in RAW means? If not, look into that. It's going to be the main reason you upgrade to a DSLR.

2) What kind of picture quality are you expecting out of the new camera? Sharp photos? Better colour? Better contrast. It is best to be realistic and figure out your exact expectations. Entering into photography with general "I'll get better pictures" kinds of expectations often leaves people a little sad. Figure out what you want to do with the camera. For example, do you want to get those blurred-out-background kinds of photos?

The D3300 certainly is a good value lens. I would also say that the 18-55mm lens is fair, and the 55-200 is so-so... If you got the D3300, I would recommend you check out the 35mm 1.8G (DX $200 lens) as well.
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Dec 26 2015 12:59am
Quote (Canadian_Man @ Dec 25 2015 10:47pm)
I'll run through some questions for you that you should answer:

1) Do you know what shooting in RAW means? If not, look into that. It's going to be the main reason you upgrade to a DSLR.

2) What kind of picture quality are you expecting out of the new camera? Sharp photos? Better colour? Better contrast. It is best to be realistic and figure out your exact expectations. Entering into photography with general "I'll get better pictures" kinds of expectations often leaves people a little sad. Figure out what you want to do with the camera. For example, do you want to get those blurred-out-background kinds of photos?

The D3300 certainly is a good value lens. I would also say that the 18-55mm lens is fair, and the 55-200 is so-so... If you got the D3300, I would recommend you check out the 35mm 1.8G (DX $200 lens) as well.


1. I've heard of it but don't know exactly what it is. I'm guessing it's shooting photos that you primarily want to leave blank to edit them? I could be completely wrong lol.

2. I want to shoot a lot of outdoors stuff and racing. So yeah blurred background stuff would be fairly common for me depending on how good of lighting it is at the track since the racing I wanna shoot is at night.

I plan on travelling a lot this year so I figured the time to upgrade would be now. My birthday is in march, maybe the 35mm will be a birthday present to myself :)

Edit: the 35mm is an older lens? I'm guessing it's still a great pickup?

This post was edited by Wydz on Dec 26 2015 01:01am
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Dec 26 2015 01:27am
Quote (Wydz @ Dec 25 2015 11:59pm)
1. I've heard of it but don't know exactly what it is. I'm guessing it's shooting photos that you primarily want to leave blank to edit them? I could be completely wrong lol.

2. I want to shoot a lot of outdoors stuff and racing. So yeah blurred background stuff would be fairly common for me depending on how good of lighting it is at the track since the racing I wanna shoot is at night.

I plan on travelling a lot this year so I figured the time to upgrade would be now. My birthday is in march, maybe the 35mm will be a birthday present to myself :)

Edit: the 35mm is an older lens? I'm guessing it's still a great pickup?


The 35mm 1.8G (DX) lens is still a good choice. The 35mm 1.8G (FX) lens really offers no benefits over the cheaper version if you are using a DX sensor camera (such as the D3300). The reason why people would pay more for the more expensive 35mm 1.8G is because it functions on an FX camera differently. The difference is the size of the glass, covering a different sensor size.
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Dec 26 2015 01:33am
Quote (Canadian_Man @ Dec 25 2015 11:27pm)
The 35mm 1.8G (DX) lens is still a good choice. The 35mm 1.8G (FX) lens really offers no benefits over the cheaper version if you are using a DX sensor camera (such as the D3300). The reason why people would pay more for the more expensive 35mm 1.8G is because it functions on an FX camera differently. The difference is the size of the glass, covering a different sensor size.


yeah i saw the FX one on Amazon and it was like $520 or something like that.

I just want a great beginner DSLR that will last me a year+ or so and i was deciding between the T5 or the D3300, and I feel like the D3300 is an all around better pickup
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Dec 26 2015 01:40am
Quote (Wydz @ Dec 26 2015 12:33am)
yeah i saw the FX one on Amazon and it was like $520 or something like that.

I just want a great beginner DSLR that will last me a year+ or so and i was deciding between the T5 or the D3300, and I feel like the D3300 is an all around better pickup


Makes sense to me. The purchase choices are appropriate.
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Dec 26 2015 03:30am
this is a little late news, but if you're in WA (seattle guid?) come up across the border this weekend and see if you can get a better deal. your dollar will go farther and we do something called boxing day and the sales are pretty ridiculous.

see if you can just get the body and get a 70-300mm. its a lot better than the 55-200.

edit: also good choice on nikon. better sensors by far. as much as buying DX lenses is fine, keep yourself open to FX lenses so that if you upgrade to an FX body you don't end up with lenses that don't work.

This post was edited by Sonicgundam on Dec 26 2015 03:36am
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Dec 26 2015 04:24am
Quote (Sonicgundam @ Dec 26 2015 01:30am)
this is a little late news, but if you're in WA (seattle guid?) come up across the border this weekend and see if you can get a better deal. your dollar will go farther and we do something called boxing day and the sales are pretty ridiculous.

see if you can just get the body and get a 70-300mm. its a lot better than the 55-200.

edit: also good choice on nikon. better sensors by far. as much as buying DX lenses is fine, keep yourself open to FX lenses so that if you upgrade to an FX body you don't end up with lenses that don't work.


I don't have a passport or enhanced license to cross the border :(

So it looks like my birthday list to myself is a 70-300, 35 1.8, and a tripod haha
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Dec 26 2015 05:06am
Quote (Wydz @ Dec 26 2015 03:24am)
I don't have a passport or enhanced license to cross the border :(

So it looks like my birthday list to myself is a 70-300, 35 1.8, and a tripod haha


I'll tell you how my purchase decisions went:

I wanted a D610, but it was too much (2 grand). I settled on a D5200. I went through a ton of different lenses, all of which I resold: 16-85mm VR (never get that lens!!!), 70-300 VR, 35mm 1.8G, 18-35mm f1.8 Sigma Art, and Sigma 10-20.

I later sold the D5200 and got the D750. Now I just have the D750, the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary, 50mm 1.8G, and 85mm 1.8G. I do want a 24-70 f2.8, or something on the wider end, but I've got what I've got for now. In the grand scheme of things, I think I lost $900 on the resale of my used gear throughout the period of about 2 years.

My advice: Be aware of resale value of lens purchases, and minimize the $$$ lost on resale. You cannot anticipate where you will go, or what you will want when it comes to photography.

This post was edited by Canadian_Man on Dec 26 2015 05:08am
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Dec 26 2015 05:45am
also, don't forget that you can get a lot of really good lenses barely used.

a lot of people buy SLRs thinking they're going to use them and the lenses they get and then barely use them.

you want to be careful buying zoom lenses used, as you don't know how they were treated (were the left zoomed out too much and dust crept in, so on and so forth), but good lenses in good condition can save you a lot of money.

also, go to a best buy and see what they have for open box cameras as well. people buy slrs thinking they'll use them, and then return them within the 2 week return policy because they couldn't really afford it or they ended up changing their mind.

it can save you 10-20%, and if they have a 3200 or 5200 which should be clearance, you could save even more. the bundle is a decent start, but you might be able to find something better for your $500.

This post was edited by Sonicgundam on Dec 26 2015 05:46am
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