How is this camera for a beginner to DSLR, would something like Canon 700D, or Nikon D5300 be a better choice? I'd like to be able to do video with it.
1465875
Video with this camera is the best I've ever seen. Better than my $3500 Canon Mark III. This is one of the best cameras out there. For stills it's great however, because it has a smaller sensor, cropping photos is a bit tricky. You can't crop too deeply. You lose a lot of resolution and begin to see artifacting. I try to avoid cropping by making sure I frame the photo so there is no need to crop.
1465876
The GH3 is a great choice for starting to use high quality interchangeable lens. The quality of images are basically indistinguishable from most DSLR but come from a smaller sensor. This allows for a smaller and lighter camera and lens. Importantly high quality lenses cost less so you can build a variety of lens over time at a much smaller cost, if you find you like higher quality photography. Since two major camera manufacturers create lenses for M/43rds you get an outstanding variety of lenses. The video of the GH3 is outstanding. Pro quality. Best in class. Quality, variety, reasonable price makes this a good choice. The GH3 is a great choice for starting to use high quality interchangeable lens. The quality of images are basically indistinguishable from most DSLR but come from a smaller sensor. This allows for a smaller and lighter camera and lens. Importantly high quality lenses cost less so you can build a variety of lens over time at a much smaller cost, if you find you like higher quality photography. Since two major camera manufacturers create lenses for M/43rds you get an outstanding variety of lenses. The video of the GH3 is outstanding. Pro quality. Best in class. Quality, variety, reasonable... » Read More The GH3 is a great choice for starting to use high quality interchangeable lens. The quality of images are basically indistinguishable from most DSLR but come from a smaller sensor. This allows for a smaller and lighter camera and lens. Importantly high quality lenses cost less so you can build a variety of lens over time at a much smaller cost, if you find you like higher quality photography. Since two major camera manufacturers create lenses for M/43rds you get an outstanding variety of lenses. The video of the GH3 is outstanding. Pro quality. Best in class. Quality, variety, reasonable price makes this a good choice. « Show Less
1465877
The GH3 is generally considered to be the best multi-use camera (still & video). The video from this camera is outstanding. However as you are a "beginner" you might want to try the less expensive G6.
1465878
This camera is perfect for beginners to advance photographers. I'd take the GH3 over any Canon or Nikon entry level camera anyday. You'll be perfectly comfortable as a beginner with this camera but don't be afraid to wander in the semi-manual and manual modes, that is the only way you are going to learn. :)Buy it, you won't regret it.Enjoy
1465879
If you intend to shoot video primarily and stills, as well, I feel the GH3 is clearly the better choice. If you primarily want to shoot stills and some video, too, maybe the Canikon choices would be a bit better. They shoot stills a little better than the GH3, but the GH3 is so geared to video, it is just a natural choice for that. I shoot nature and wildlife video, so having the 2x crop factor of the Panasonic is better, and with the addition of the ETC mode the amount of magnification you can get from a lens is staggering. For instance, a 300mm lens on the Canon (1.6x crop factor) or Nikon (1.5x crop factor) is equivalent to 480mm and 450mm, respectively. With the Panasonic GH3, with the 2x crop, the 300mm lens becomes a 600mm equivalent (to full-frame cameras, like the Canon 5D MK III) and with the ETC mode dialed in (2.4x addl. crop factor w/ NO LOSS OF LIGHT) your 300mm lens has become a 1440mm equivalent telephoto monster lens...insane! Another factor about the GH3 is having no mirror. This means the camera's sensor is closer to the front of the camera and allows just about any lens ever made to be adapted to the camera, usually with an adaptor (Fotodiox brand adaptors are a huge favorite of micro 4/3 camera users...well made and very inexpensive) costing around $20.00. I also like putting my eye up to the live electornic viewfinder, but the swing-out LCD can be used to focus and compose video shots, too. The video recording codecs used by the GH3 are many, stable and of high quality. The body of the GH3 is weather-sealed magnesium, a high-end, professional feature. So, yes, I really REALLY like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3. Put high-end new or used glass on it and get gorgeous images. I use it professionally on ALL my nature-based shoots and always get great shots...when I've done all the right things first! Read bunches of reviews before you buy, but if video is your main need/desire, this is the choice right now.
192594
I apologize for taking so long to respond to this - it got lost in my Inbox. Yes, I would highly recommend this as a great beginner camera. Spend a bit of time and study the manual and practice with the different settings, and you will be amazed at the pictures you take!
456321
The D300 was my first SLR Camera. Before that I was using point and shoots. I would say it is appropriate for a beginner who is learning actively. When I bought this cam I had started taking courses and I evolved rapidly to a serious hobbyist. I would say you shouldn't buy it if you're not planning to learn how to be a better photographer, otherwise, the Canon 40D which is also a medium sized SLR would be much more suited. It has many kinds of automatic modes that you would select. The D300 has only four modes: Manual, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Program mode. Personally I'm glad I ended up choosing the Nikon D300, it's such an amazing camera... I hope this was helpful
2212637
Canon T3 is an AMAZING CAMERA, I would recommend everyone to buying it, ive had nikon before and im not as satisfied with it like i am with canon...
1324959
I would have considered it a starter camera possibly 2-3 years ago..but now since the firmware is at it's highest revision the camera is limited to older SD cards up to 4GB, no further. Those are becoming harder to find. I have gone from a D50 to D80 to a D7000 currently. The D80 or D90 would be good choices to learn on. I hope this helps!!
1203730
Marcus - This is an early DSLR from Canon, without a video function. It's just a camera. : ) I sold mine to a friend 6 years ago, and now have a Canon 30D and a Canon 7D (excellent HD video).
1645974
J. Perez --There is a lot of fanboyism going on at the beginning of this thread... and it's passed off as fact to be worse.If you're looking at these two cameras consider your needs. You already have nice canon glass so you may be better served going with the 5d II. What do you shoot? If it's sports I would definitely say lean to the D700 or look at the 7d (or 1d III as you mentioned). I personally think the 5D II has the best IQ of the bunch, but that is an opinion.Really, the two cameras mentioned here are a different beast. It's like comparing mac laptops to windows desktops. First decide if you use your camera more for sports or portraits then decide if you want the canon or nikon. J. Perez --There is a lot of fanboyism going on at the beginning of this thread... and it's passed off as fact to be worse.If you're looking at these two cameras consider your needs. You already have nice canon glass so you may be better served going with the 5d II. What do you shoot? If it's sports I would definitely say lean to the D700 or look at the 7d (or 1d III as you mentioned). I personally think the 5D II has the best IQ of the bunch, but that is an opinion.Really, the two cameras mentioned here are a different beast. It's like comparing mac laptops to... » Read More J. Perez --There is a lot of fanboyism going on at the beginning of this thread... and it's passed off as fact to be worse.If you're looking at these two cameras consider your needs. You already have nice canon glass so you may be better served going with the 5d II. What do you shoot? If it's sports I would definitely say lean to the D700 or look at the 7d (or 1d III as you mentioned). I personally think the 5D II has the best IQ of the bunch, but that is an opinion.Really, the two cameras mentioned here are a different beast. It's like comparing mac laptops to windows desktops. First decide if you use your camera more for sports or portraits then decide if you want the canon or nikon. « Show Less
314103
Looks like others have already answered your question...so I'll just add that I'm very happy with the camera...it's sharp and the controls are reasonably easy to use...love the 11 frames per second drive (not at the very highest resolution, but you can use a higher resolution for, I believe, 8 frames per second), the manually operated zoom, and the waist level finder...lots of capability for the price...lots of people buy dSLRs who don't need one...unless you're going to make large prints (16x20 or larger) this camera should be all you need.
199905
if money is no object , buy the d5300 , i had the d3200 and it was a great camera you can routinely make really nice 20-30 size pictures ,specially with the prime lenses like the 50mm 1.8g , i bought the d3300 because the new sensor is scarper and the new lens is really much more portable and last but not least the included lightroom 5 software was in a refubrished package deal, between the 5200 or the 3300 the 5200 with its swiveling screen might be more camera to grow into , how ever if you only are doing basic photograhy the the d3300 or d3200 are more then enough for any photografer
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 ;)
2044188
This would be a nice camcorder for beginners, it's main flaw is it's lack of a fully manual operation, which is a must if you're learning how to shoot video in general, as most professional shoots are done using custome settings in manual mode of the camera.I would recommend getting a video optimised DSLR, becuase it has a big sensoras it would give you a more "cinematic" feel to the video
846288
I would agree that for that kind of photography a DSLR would be best but this is still very good. The zoom is great (400mm equivalent) but still longer lenses can be had with a DSLR. One more thing that you should take into consideration is that the shutter lag on this camera is very long (maybe a half a second or more), This could be problematic for shooting moving subjects. But for the money this is an all round great camera.
1866175
I was able to find a D40 kit for $400 a year ago. If you are going to pay $650 you might as well get a D3000, or even better a D40, a second lens, and maybe some accessories. The XS is a decent camera as well, it really depends on what ecosystem you want to get into. Both Canon and Nikon make nice cameras, I think you'll be happy with a camera from either.
2106054
Canon vs Nikon is a personal choice. I would say that it's like using windows vs Mac OS. In terms of quality, they take pretty much the same. This canon is as good as it looks, and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised what you can do with it. In the hands of a good photographer you can get amazing results. I personally would go with canon as I feel that there is more literature written about it. More community support, etc. I would be more apt to research if I was going into the higher end cameras, but make no mistake... Professionals use this camera and write a ton about how they were able to pull of their shots. There is a great book for the T5i by Jeff revell which you can purchase for amazon. I think the new book for the T5i comes out this month, but the one for the t4i is essentially the same in terms of operating the camera. On a final note about your question as to the more advanced camera... The 60d and the t5i are essentially the same camera. The 60d leans more toward strictly photography, while the t5i is more of an all in one package. I've heard from most reviews that the 60d has a slightly better picture, but most of these stats are on paper only and not necessarily anything you'd be able to see a difference in from one photo to the next. I would say what you're looking for is the t5i. The other great thing about buying a t5i is... If you maxed out your technique and were dying to upgrade in the future... Your lenses, filters, accessories will carry over. And you'll only need to upgrade to a better body. I think this is hands down the camera to get. Even if you want a better one in the future... Spend the time juicing this one for all it's worth... So that your eye picks up to the subtleties of the differences between this and the next body up. That's just something that's harder to gauge the higher up you get. Like anything in life, the higher up you move, the more subtle the difference between(save the price.) I hope this helps.
1543305
Baku: I purchased a D70 s new. I purchased 2 used D 70 s cameras, one through Amazon. 1. I was pleased with the quality/condition of the unit; there was an instruction booklet, charger - the condition was more than I expected. Now let me tell you what a premier repair shop in Cleveland said. "It is everything you need" talking to me. I have a 35-70 2.8, 80 - 200 2.8 and a 85 1.8 among others. Mike's retired principal has a D 60 and he takes great photos. If you can purchase a D 70 s used ( I assume you have Nikon lenses ), it is worth purchasing. I know, I know the latest sounds like it is a great camera & some people like to take streaming video but, I am a bit of a purist. Mike
1699312
Would love it if someone could comment on this. I am at the same decision point. Was also looking at the Sigma EF-530 DG Super, which is cheaper than the Canon 430. I am working with a Canon EOS Rebel XT and am an amateur. Translation, automated functionality is very desirable where possible ... but I'm also looking for a reasonable price. I'd really appreciate it if someone could share their advice. Thanks in advance for your help with this.
347544
I keep thinking the price will drop on the D90, just like the Canon did. Canon 50D doesn't offer the video recording does it? My worse fear is always buying a portable item at this price point, losing or dropping it. There is a certain amount of loss I can afford.I am not waiting too much longer to buy, the video option is weighing less on my mind since I just bought the wife a Panasonic Lumix (Tz50?) for quick pics. It was a HD video capture option, much better than the D90's, higher resolution, and the ability to zoom while recording. Cheap at $237.