On a budget, D3100 with kit Lens, D5100 with kit lens or D5100 body with other affordable everyday type lens? I will be mostly taking pictures of my kids...portraits, playing, etc... Oh and I am a beginnner.
185426
i have the d3100 and i love it. since you're a beginner on a budget save the $ and get the cheaper d3100, and stay with the kit lens it comes with. the d3100 can take wonderful photos, and handles very well. the kit lens is a good lens, great for beginners. once you're more advanced with your skills, and you've learned some of the manual modes on the camera, then i'd recommend either the nikon 50mm 1.8g or 35mm 1.8g. one thing you might want to consider adding when you get the camera, is a telephoto lens for reach/zoom. the nikon 55-200mm af-s or 55-300mm af-s are great lenses and will give you more reach, so you can be farther away and get in close to your subjects. just something to think about. oh, another reason i like the d3100 over the d5100 for beginners, it's got a guide mode to teach you how to use the camera. very useful! good luck, let us know what you end up getting.
885110
I had a Sony Nex 7 for a while. Great camera/lenses but too complicated. Currently own a Nikon 5200 and have the OM E M-10 for a month. Have a few lenese. Optics very good, camera small, light and intuitive. For an intermediate its not too complicated. Built in flash just adequate but has a hot shoe. Overall its my go to camera for now. The Nikon is twice as big for same quality pics. An eight for me.
2097654
There are a number of lenses available for this camera. The one I chose was the 12-50 mm Zuiko Digital f/3.5-6.3. It's ideal for every day shooting plus the added bonus of a fine video lens. The price range is around $500. If your budget is a little tight you may also consider the 12-42 mm Zuiko Digital f/3.5-5.6. The price range is around $300. Either one of these lenses can be ordered at the time of purchase of the camera. I hope that this is helped you in your selection, you will enjoy either one of these products.
499920
Thanks I appreciate your input. My main reason for asking was because the price difference between them is only 100 bucks which wouldnt be too much in the long run. I can fully appreciate that the D3100 is more beginner friendly. I just don't want to regret spending an extra $100 once I become less of a beginner. The swivel out LCD seems like it could be useful. Maybe not, what do I know. Anyway, thanks for the input. I do appreciate it.
990748
I would suggest getting the 35mm because it's going to be a lot more useful for 99% of your shooting situations. Unless you really need to get up close to a subject, like during a football game, the 35mm is the best choice. It's excellent in low light, great for portraits, and really really fast. It's an excellent buy, you won't be disappointed. If you're still uneasy, go to a store to try it out. I went to B & H to try it out, where I made my final decision.It all really comes down to putting each in your hand and trying them out to see which one will suit you better. Good luck!
247132
This is just my thoughts. If you have to buy Nikon, then get J1. If you want to get the best among all compact system cameras, then I would go with Sony Nex 5N or Pana G3 for the price range. If you can spend more than $1000, Sony Nex 7 or Fuji X100 is nice. If you want to save money but get better Image Quality than J1, I recommend Olympus E-PM1. I prefer Canon S100 over Nikon P7100
1998390
This was just the post I was looking for. My daughter has the D80 (I think) and wants to step up to more manual features, rather than simply point and shoot. Already familiar with Nikon layout - she selected the 3100 for her next step up but I was wondering what the differences were with the 5100. I agree with the swivel ability of the screen. She does a lot of self and group portraits that I think is needed for such situations. Anyhoo, I am glad I found you two talking about this.
2198742
What do you shoot? Both are great! I think the 30mm is a bit sharper, but it is tighter. The 19mm great for landscapes because it is sharp all the way to the corners! Both lenses are great value, depends on what you shoot.
2027082
Yup, if you're comfortable using manual focus this will work with your D3100. With that said, I'd probably put my money towards the 35mm 1.8 (Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras). It's more expensive and can be a little hard to get your hands on, but it will auto focus with the D3100. However, if you want a great lens to shoot static images (product shots, nature shots, even portraits) you really can't go wrong for the price. If you plan on taking candid pics of your kids or other non-posed pics, expect to loose some nice shots while you're trying to manually focus. Yup, if you're comfortable using manual focus this will work with your D3100. With that said, I'd probably put my money towards the 35mm 1.8 (Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras). It's more expensive and can be a little hard to get your hands on, but it will auto focus with the D3100. However, if you want a great lens to shoot static images (product shots, nature shots, even portraits) you really can't go wrong for the price. If you plan on taking candid pics of your kids or other non-posed pics, expect to... » Read More Yup, if you're comfortable using manual focus this will work with your D3100. With that said, I'd probably put my money towards the 35mm 1.8 (Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras). It's more expensive and can be a little hard to get your hands on, but it will auto focus with the D3100. However, if you want a great lens to shoot static images (product shots, nature shots, even portraits) you really can't go wrong for the price. If you plan on taking candid pics of your kids or other non-posed pics, expect to loose some nice shots while you're trying to manually focus. « Show Less
1946228
Check out the D300s - if it's beyond your budget, get the D90, not the D300- It's outdated. The D90 is an awesome camera. I have it.With the extra cash left, you can buy a lens ;)
774987
Hi Mr. Hewitt (I wonder if we have any relation?) Anyway, for a true beginner (as in you've never used anything but a point-and-shoot) I'd recommend you get a Nikon D40 and an 18-200 VR. Keep the 18-55 kit lens, you'll find it lighter when your just taking snapshots of the family or whatever. The D40 is an excellent starter camera, it has almost all the tweaks of this much more expensive camera without the weight and cost. The D300 has many advantages over it, but I really feel you'll learn a lot faster with a simpler camera, and step up to this when your ready. I actually started out with a D40 a bit over a year ago, it made starting out quite fun. The 18-200VR will follow you as a great lens on the D300 too, and you can use any newer AF-S lenses on it. If you have older AF-D Nikon lenses lying around that you want to use, a D80 is also a good place to start. It's easier to make the custom tweaks you'll learn about in your photography classes on the D80, but it still has Auto modes as well to get you started. Checkout www.kenrockwell.com, especially his recommended camera page. He's a bit more eloquent than I am. And I wouldn't be so fast to recommend the D60 to anyone, it's just the D40x's guts (plus active D-Lighting, but without the other enhancements of the D300/D3) with a different name stamped on it. I wouldn't recommend the D40x or D60 to anyone, they exist to fill a price point to compete with Canon. If your eyeballing either, jump to the D80 and don't look back.
43425
I also have the nikon d5100...i purchased the body only...i will be purchasing the 55-300mm soon...I'm now currently using the 35mm lens. The 55-300mm lens you're inquiring about would fit well with the d5100.
1905577
Upgrade the lens, b/c you can always use them WHEN you upgrade your camera. The 50mm f/1.8 is a good start, you may also thinking about a 85mm f/1.8 and/or the 35mm f/1.8 as options.
597329
Sounds good! I'm buying my first digital camera for my daughter and her family. I've locked in on the t1i and 15-85. I really like my 24-105 lens and think that the 15-85 should be a great match for the camera.
886540
Since its an fx lens it would be best to get a full frame camera. The cheapest (and still very good) is the Nikon d600. If you can't swing the cash for that, getting an fx lens might not be worth it since it'll be cropping every shot.
2254947
Thanks for the good info. I had a Canon Rebel that I returned because of picture quality with the standard kit lens. I have been trying to decide between the Nikon D90 & the Pentax K20D. I am going to go with the K20D and start with the 18-250 and see how far I go. So I am off to shop now. Again... Thanks a lot.
520385
I went from D300S to D600, which, in my opinion, is a good entry level FX-format DSLR with amateur controls (D300S controls are more flexible and accessable). I sold my DX lenses and am very pleased with new FX set, but very expensive. If your style of photography doesn't require FX, you may want to consider D7000, which is less expensive upgrade from your D3100.