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Originally Posted by headbanger While the pros continue to shower their experiences on the thread, I am finding myself a little naive to search relevant information on more than 900 pages of this thread.
I am stuck between Canon 7D Mk II, Canon 70D and Nikon D7200. Sony A6000 is a dark horse in case nothing else clicks for me. Since this will be my first DSLR, I am a little apprehensive if 7D Mk II will be an overkill.
To start with, I will be in portaits first and my immediate buy will be prime lenses in addition to kit lens, should I go for bundled package instead of body alone. I will not be utilizing the camera to capture videos. So this is not a must have feature for me.
Any help is appreciated if someone can point to me to relevant page(s) or post(s). OT: Since I am in US, any pointer to a good deal is also welcome. |
As you are starting with DSLR, keep in mind a few things :
. Lenses are what matter most. They will last you a decade or more. Bodies keep getting updated every couple of years. So do some research on what type of lenses you are interested in. That will decide which manufacturer - Canon, Nikon or Sony you will patronize. At present only Nikon and Canon have lenses which span the whole range of focal lengths and price points.
. Once you acquire a few lenses, unless you are making a lot of money through photography, you will rarely change the brand.
. Apart from body and lenses, you will need external flash, lens filters and a sturdy tripod. Buy the best tripod you can afford, as that is another piece of equipment which you buy only once (if done properly).
I am a Nikon user, so would recommend Nikon. For portraits Nikon D3300 with 85mm F1.8G will be more than enough. The D3300 has all the basics that the higher models D5xxx and D7xxx have. What it lacks is the extra dedicated buttons, Swivel Screen (D5xxx), Dual card slots and robust build (D7xxx). So if you want a light kit with excellent battery, it is D3300. If you need the extras then only the higher models make sense.
One advantage of getting the D3300 with its kit lens is that it is so inexpensive (about 28K-29K on the net). In case you realize that DSLR is not your cup of tea, your loss will be minimal. Once you have used the camera for six months or more and get an idea of what DSLR entails, you can decide on what direction to take - D7200, D750 or D810.
Canon has some drool worthy glass for portraits, but they are horribly expensive (so are the Nikon F1.4G glass)
If along with portraits you want to shoot landscapes, then an FX sensor is better buy, as the wide angle shots will be wider and the higher ISO (for shooting in low light) better. Nikon D750 is the most VFM FX body.
With D7xxx and FX bodies, you have a motor in the body, so a lot of "D" glass will AF. The D3xxx and the D5xxx will not. Again with with these bodies you can meter the older AIS MF lenses. For Landscape and Macro there are a lot of excellent AIS glass available, a few are still manufactured.