What's the best dslr camera for a reasonable price?

[Yokohammer]

Nice one Hammer! I recently moved from two D700s to two D600s. Time to get the 700s checked over by Nikon and then sold...

I just unloaded a bunch of Leica and Hassy stuff, and the proceeds went to the D800 and the 35mm f1.4 Nanocrystal. Still have pair of D700s, one of which I'll probably keep because the D800 is definitely not a casual camera. It's a disease, you know.

[FG Lurker]

You might want to consider returning the Nikkor 35/1.4 and getting the Sigma 35/1.4. It's a better lens and about half the price.

[Yokohammer]

You might want to consider returning the Nikkor 35/1.4 and getting the Sigma 35/1.4. It's a better lens and about half the price.

Oh crap. Where were you a couple of days ago?

Maybe I'll try one out, but to be honest the Nikkor is turning out to be very nice thus far. The D800 is quite lens (and technique) sensitive, and faults tend to stand out. Some people were even complaining about focusing issues, but most of the problems came down to poor technique. It is not a good choice as a first DSLR. It needs to be handled like a medium-format camera, and it really needs to be on a tripod. Anyway, it's new to me, I have some sussing out to do, so I'll stick with it for a while. I also have the f/2.8 Nanocrystal zooms from 14 mm out to 200 mm, and I'll need to spend some time putzing around with those on the D800 too.

Bloody toys ...

[FG Lurker]

Oh crap. Where were you a couple of days ago?
Maybe I'll try one out, but to be honest the Nikkor is turning out to be very nice thus far.

The Nikkor is certainly an excellent lens and it's a better lens than Canon's aging 35/1.4L that is likely to be replaced soonish. The Sigma is really in a league of its own though, better than any other 35/1.4 on the market and cheaper than anything except a Samyang. It's one of those insane steals that come up once in awhile.

The D800 is quite lens (and technique) sensitive, and faults tend to stand out. Some people were even complaining about focusing issues, but most of the problems came down to poor technique. It is not a good choice as a first DSLR. It needs to be handled like a medium-format camera, and it really needs to be on a tripod. Anyway, it's new to me, I have some sussing out to do, so I'll stick with it for a while.

The D800 is indeed an insanely impressive camera. I opted for the D600 instead as I do not need 36mp images and in nearly every way the D600 was just as good an option as the D800 for my needs at this time. The only negatives for the D600 for me are that the AF points are clustered towards the center of the frame (it's the same AF sensor that the D7100 has) and it has no PC port for studio flashes. I switched to wireless triggers awhile ago anyway so the lack of PC port isn't a huge issue.

I paid 160,000yen each for these cameras, it was just too good a deal to pass up. Also on the plus side is that the D600 works really well with Eye-Fi SD cards which I really like using in the studio.

I also have the f/2.8 Nanocrystal zooms from 14 mm out to 200 mm, and I'll need to spend some time putzing around with those on the D800 too.

I have a fairly large collection of glass as well, it adds up in a hurry! 17-35/2.8 (wanted to be able to use front-mounted filters), 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8 VR, 105/2.8 VR Micro, Sigma 50/1.4 HSM, 70-180/4.5-5.6 Zoom-Micro... Thankfully I can write all this off as business expenses! I usually have access to some super-teles as well but rarely have a chance to make use of them.

Bloody toys ...

He who has the most toys wins!

[Russell]

Hmm, everything has been said on this thread, except:

The best camera is the one you have with you.

That calls for a camera of a small size.

Recently, there are increasingly many cameras that are compact and deliver good performance. Just google "high-end compacts".

I know, it is not as fancy as all that big stuff carried around by some hunks, but it is definitely convenient when traveling.

Here is a pic taken by a Lumix LX-3 (bought for less than 40,000 Yen many years ago).

HimejiCastle-cleaned.jpg

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I think I just ejaculated while fantasizing over camera equipment....

[Yokohammer]

... 105/2.8 VR Micro ...

I have that one! That's a great lens for some things. Nice flat image field.

Thankfully I can write all this off as business expenses!

That too! Photography is not my main gig, but it does play a part in what I do from time to time so I get to write the gear off. At the very least I get to say that all of my photo gear has paid for itself.

[Yokohammer]

The best camera is the one you have with you.

That'd be the camera in my smartphone. Use it a lot.
Phone cameras have become the Kodak Brownie of the 21st century. And they'll only get better.

Here is a pic taken by a Lumix LX-3 (bought for less than 40,000 Yen many years ago).

Nice pic.
The LX-3 is a really nice little camera. Like anything else, it's how you use it.

I only take my big cameras out when I'm specifically going out to "do photography." Otherwise it's a little Canon S95 or my camera phone. Although the Sony RX100 is starting to look pretty good ... aaaaaugh ... somebody stop me!

[FG Lurker]

... 105/2.8 VR Micro ...

I have that one! That's a great lens for some things. Nice flat image field.

I used to use it in the studio for some things but the 70-180 Zoom-Micro is amazingly good for that, and being able to reframe without moving the tripod and having to reset everything up is a huge time saver. It's my main studio lens for some things now. I have dreams that one day Nikon will release a new AF-S version of this lens, and there have been a few rumours but so far nothing announced.

Thankfully I can write all this off as business expenses!

That too! Photography is not my main gig, but it does play a part in what I do from time to time so I get to write the gear off. At the very least I get to say that all of my photo gear has paid for itself.

My gear has definitely all paid for itself many times over. I couldn't do what I do without it so even though photography isn't what I spend most of my time doing it is critical to my work. Definitely no problems justifying gear expenses to the tax office.

Although the Sony RX100 is starting to look pretty good

I think you should check out the Fujifilm X-Pro1. They've addressed a lot of the issues of early versions via firmware updates. The image quality is amazing and the camera handles very well. I don't have one but it's definitely the camera I would buy if I wanted something compact to carry around more.

[GomiGirl]

I think I just ejaculated while fantasizing over camera equipment....

You think or are you sure?

Surely that is something that you would know... I would assume...

[Yokohammer]

I used to use it in the studio for some things but the 70-180 Zoom-Micro is amazingly good for that, and being able to reframe without moving the tripod and having to reset everything up is a huge time saver.

One thing I value the 105/2.8 Micro VR highly for is ... shooting flat stuff.

Specifically, I had to shoot a number of wood samples that would be printed in a catalog. As in, wood used for making guitars. The grain had to be clear, and the color had to be right. Unfortunately with a lesser lens the image isn't "flat" and you end up with grain that's distorted one way or another. The Nikkor was ideal. Brilliant for that application, so I assume it'd be great for shooting artwork and stuff like that as well. Definitely a keeper.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I think I just ejaculated while fantasizing over camera equipment....

You think or are you sure?

Surely that is something that you would know... I would assume...

Well, like when I waited with bated breath as No. 3 unleashed her incubus so I could see its face and determine whether I had been the lottery winner, there were a number of things going on simultaneously that could have resulted the way they did. I guess the porn helped, but the camera talk was still fairly exciting (even though I didn't fully understand it!)

[Coligny]

I think I just ejaculated while fantasizing over camera equipment....

You think or are you sure?

Surely that is something that you would know... I would assume...

Well... there was a picture of Divine on his desk at that time... so noone can be sure...

[Coligny]

Cosplay is awesome...

[John Dillinger]

Sorry I took so long to get back to this guys. I decided to buy my buddy's old Canon 40D. It's not as fancy as the newer models, but it gets the job done. I also picked up a Canon 1/8 50 mm fixed lens which I've heard is pretty good lens for beginners. Thanks for all suggestions guys!

[Russell]

Sorry I took so long to get back to this guys. I decided to buy my buddy's old Canon 40D. It's not as fancy as the newer models, but it gets the job done. I also picked up a Canon 1/8 50 mm fixed lens which I've heard is pretty good lens for beginners. Thanks for all suggestions guys!

Good choice.

50 mm was my favorite lens in my Nikon film days. You probably mean f/1.8, I assume...

Wish you much fun.

Edit: I now see that the 40D has not a full format (35mm) sensor but an APS-C sensor (crop factor 1.6), so your 50 mm lens is actually the equivalent of an 80 mm lens on full format. That makes for a nice portrait lens, but if you really want something around 50 mm, then I would recommend a 28 mm or 35 mm lens.

[Coligny]

I was told there would be no math !

[omae mona]

Sorry I took so long to get back to this guys. I decided to buy my buddy's old Canon 40D. It's not as fancy as the newer models, but it gets the job done. I also picked up a Canon 1/8 50 mm fixed lens which I've heard is pretty good lens for beginners. Thanks for all suggestions guys!

Good choice.

50 mm was my favorite lens in my Nikon film days. You probably mean f/1.8, I assume...

Wish you much fun.

Edit: I now see that the 40D has not a full format (35mm) sensor but an APS-C sensor (crop factor 1.6), so your 50 mm lens is actually the equivalent of an 80 mm lens on full format. That makes for a nice portrait lens, but if you really want something around 50 mm, then I would recommend a 28 mm or 35 mm lens.

I'm with Russell, but you have a good starting point. I picked up the same f/1.8 50mm "Plastic Fantastic" a.k.a. "Nifty Fifty" as one of my first lenses. It's got a well deserved reputation; pretty darn good image quality despite dirt cheap price and dirt cheap construction. But on a 1.6x crop camera, it is a bit longer than I wanted to be walking around with as a prime lens. I had to keep stepping backwards to try to get my subject all in frame, usually resulting in me slamming the back of my head on a slab of concrete. I eventually picked up a Sigma f/1.4 30mm lens, which I found a lot more useful. Sadly, nowadays I am less into dragging gear around with me, so I keep a zoom lens on my camera about 95% of the time.

Speaking of which, if anybody is interested in buying that used 30mm lens (Sigma's old one, not their new one) off of me, please contact me. It's a nice lens, but I hardly use it.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

A friend is looking to buy a small, handled pick-and-shoot camera.
Do any of our resident experts have a good recommendation?

[Coligny]

Aren't they all excellent these days ?

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Aren't they all excellent these days ?

That was the exact answer I gave the friend who asked me....and she was a little disappointed, which is why I posted here. I know we have some really knowledgable camera fans here and hoped they could help, but the point-and-shoot models all seem good to me...

[Yokohammer]

A friend is looking to buy a small, handled pick-and-shoot camera.
Do any of our resident experts have a good recommendation?

If you don't want to mess around with interchangeable lenses but still want a range of focal lengths as well as high resolution, I'd say the Sony RX100II is worth a look. Brilliant little camera. Currently around 67,000 yennings, I believe.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

A friend is looking to buy a small, handled pick-and-shoot camera.
Do any of our resident experts have a good recommendation?

If you don't want to mess around with interchangeable lenses but still want a range of focal lengths as well as high resolution, I'd say the Sony RX100II is worth a look. Brilliant little camera. Currently around 67,000 yennings, I believe.

Ah, yes! I'd forgotten this one. Thank you, Hammer!

[rayanah]

Nikon D3X is best dslr camera, it has great features specially LCD screen display is outstanding.

[Russell]

Nikon D3X is best dslr camera, it has great features specially LCD screen display is outstanding.

Too late, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 has just been announced.