How does this camera compare to a Nikon D3100? Does it take good indoor/low light pictures when in auto? Is it easy to use for a fist time dslr user?
1935409
don't know about the nikon but it is a easy camera to use, works well in any light but a tripod is a must in real low lightthe one thing i really liked was the tiltable viewer
1935410
I have never used a digital Nikon, the last Nikon I had was 35 mm, the Sony A390 works well in all light if you know how to set it properly, sometimes I have to shoot and check the lighting to assure myself I have the right light and settings. It doesn't work as well in Auto with low interior lighting, it can be adjusted for the interior low lighting.
1935411
dear friendfrom my experience Nikon d3100 is much better than sony a390 I have the both camera and I am more satisfied with nikon
1935412
Hello Kathy I love the sony camera. It is a great value for an intro camera. The ability to interchange the lens is great and will be where a lot of the money will go in terms of accessories. Sony also offers carl zeiss lenses which is amazing. And they are very affordable at $100-300 a piece Although sony does lack a lot of the lens options that nikon and canon offers, it is more than enough for a novice like myself. If you are looking to step up, this camera will not give you that ability. You will need to change camera body and maybe lenses. I am not too familiar with the nikon but from a cursory review online it doesnt seem people are very enamored with it. But i am biased since i love my camera. I have used a wide angle lens to take pictures of nature (flowers). With blurred background as well as pictures of my newborn daughter. Blowing them up to poster size (20" x 30") the resolution is more than enough to take great photos. And the body and lenses are small enough to be travel friendly. Hope that helps. Congrats on this (future) purchase and have fun. Wil
653987
MY experience has been that it takes good low light pictures in the same room. If you were to zoom in and take pictures from 20-25 feet away in the AUTO mode, I did not have good success in this mode. However, there are many modes on this camera and I have not tried them all. What impressed me the most about this camera is for outside long shots, you can zoom in long distances and get detail from the architecture on the tops of buildings. It was also great for getting close up shots in the zoo. I took pictures of pandas and could get a picture that looked like the panda was standing next to me. MY experience has been that it takes good low light pictures in the same room. If you were to zoom in and take pictures from 20-25 feet away in the AUTO mode, I did not have good success in this mode. However, there are many modes on this camera and I have not tried them all. What impressed me the most about this camera is for outside long shots, you can zoom in long distances and get detail from the architecture on the tops of buildings. It was also great for getting close up shots in the zoo. I took pictures of pandas and could get a picture that looked like the panda was standing next to... » Read More MY experience has been that it takes good low light pictures in the same room. If you were to zoom in and take pictures from 20-25 feet away in the AUTO mode, I did not have good success in this mode. However, there are many modes on this camera and I have not tried them all. What impressed me the most about this camera is for outside long shots, you can zoom in long distances and get detail from the architecture on the tops of buildings. It was also great for getting close up shots in the zoo. I took pictures of pandas and could get a picture that looked like the panda was standing next to me. « Show Less
1199108
takes great pictures in low light. I find all I need to use is the "auto" mode. Shoots fast as well, no distortion. The 20x zoom is fantastic. I did own a Panasonic Lumix which was 4 years old. I researched Panasonic, Nikon, Fuji and this was the best and I have now owned it for over three months.. Also the battery lasts a long time as well!
2128958
I too looked at both of these cameras before purchasing the D5000. this is my first dSLR and don't have much to compare it to but I have been very happy with the quality of the images it takes and it is very easy to use. I thought the canon and nikon specs and reviews looked extremely comparable and that you would be getting a similar quality camera from both companies. I decided to go with the Nikon basically because it was $50 cheaper and used the savings to buy a memory card. whichever way you go you will be getting a big step up from a standard point and shoot camera (I had previously been using a Canon SD750) I too looked at both of these cameras before purchasing the D5000. this is my first dSLR and don't have much to compare it to but I have been very happy with the quality of the images it takes and it is very easy to use. I thought the canon and nikon specs and reviews looked extremely comparable and that you would be getting a similar quality camera from both companies. I decided to go with the Nikon basically because it was $50 cheaper and used the savings to buy a memory card. whichever way you go you will be getting a big step up from a standard point and shoot camera (I had previously... » Read More I too looked at both of these cameras before purchasing the D5000. this is my first dSLR and don't have much to compare it to but I have been very happy with the quality of the images it takes and it is very easy to use. I thought the canon and nikon specs and reviews looked extremely comparable and that you would be getting a similar quality camera from both companies. I decided to go with the Nikon basically because it was $50 cheaper and used the savings to buy a memory card. whichever way you go you will be getting a big step up from a standard point and shoot camera (I had previously been using a Canon SD750) « Show Less
2059524
I have been very pleased with mine in low light. In really low light situations I have seen some problems getting it focused. I also have a D3100
1673296
I am also comparing the two and cannot make a decision. Help, please. I am not that interested in video, but most concerned with qulaity of photo (true colors & sharpness) and the use in low light (indoor). I have concerns about the flash and what I have read is not too promising. Is one of these cameras better than the other in low light situation....without the use of 'flash'?
839108
Hi Allison, I think this is a very good DSLR camera, and also the smallest. I love Olympus cameras since they have one of the best algorithms to process light into pixels, thus ensuring excellent picture quality.Regards,Andras Heimann
1697749
@Jeffrey... I will agree with you that the Nikon D3100 feels better than the T3 in the hand. Actually the most solid-feeling entry-level DSLR out there right now is the Pentax K-r but that's beside the point. It does have more intuitively laid-out controls. However I have shot with both the D3100 and the T3 and had a much more enjoyable shooting experience with the T3 than the D3100. The T3 seems faster in just about every aspect than the D3100, it has a better viewfinder, and despite its screen being low-res, I actually didn't think it was that bad and it's better than the D3100's. And it has impressive photo quality (even with the kit lens). I think Canon was smart to only have the sensor @ 12mp. So I think overall the T3 is the better DSLR. However, I think Canon should be worried about the Nikon D5100 as a competitor to their T3i.
1196606
Any photos developed yet? My one concern is low light photographs...Just wondering about quality and ease of use. How easy are the automatic features to use?
859783
I have taken some good pictures with it. You have to use it in manual mode. I'm not a lazy person so I don't mind using manual mode.
1647720
I love my camera. I just had twins, so I take picture all the time. I haven't had any light issues. I would recommend this camera.
1928265
It copes pretty well, but you should operate under low loght conditions in manual mode.Personally, I am satisfied with the way the camera behaves in low light situatuions, but it depends on what do you expect - it is one step above the majority of the point-and-shoots cameras(as the model is indende to be).For example, I got some amazing photos and videos of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan sceneries during night from the Hudson river.Generally speaking, I can say: yes. :)
1102565
Because I do a lot of "street" photography, auto works best for me in most situations. Ive found this auto to be pretty decent but it is slower than a DSLR. IF you use burst after the first focus, the rest will be focused the same as the first one.
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
1759226
With good light it takes about 5 pictures per second, autofocus is not very fast but very good for such a low price camera. The iso is high enough for taking pictures at low light without using flash.
111690
I've only taken one low light photo, and it turned out well. However, I still would not recommend this camera. It's heavy and not particularly user friendly.
2137224
I haven't used this camera in a while, but from what I remembered it handled it self pretty well in low light conditions. It depends a lot on the light that is available. I am assuming you're looking to rent the camera because of it's size, but if size is not an issue, there are probably better DSLR's out there that handle low light conditions better in terms of speed and ISO performance. But, for its size the Ricoh does a really good job in low light conditions.