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Archive 2014 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question

  
 
bpgoll
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


I've been having a look round here, online and various magazines on some suggestions for a first time DSLR and am interested in the 5300 or 3300. What are people's thought's on lens should I go with the 18—55mm vrII lens which comes with it or should I go body only and look for something else (any suggestions)

Probably going to be used to take pics when out and about for stuff like landscapes, buildings, and in the garden I also go to a lot of car & bike shows & meets mostly stuff parked up but some times at the track so a bit of zoom maybe helpful.

Any advice would be great. Thanks
Jun 19, 2014 at 01:54 AM
williamkazak
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


You will probably get one hundred opinions on this. The kit lens zoom is very inexpensive and could be useful to you outdoors. until you need something else when you discover its limitations.


Jun 19, 2014 at 07:25 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


I wouldn't buy a body (these days) that you can't fine tune, if you're "serious" about your photography.


Jun 19, 2014 at 07:38 AM
mshi
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


Get D5100 instead if you're a RAW shooter because D5100 is cheapter and gives you 14-bit RAW if you shoot RAW. 18-55VR is an excellent lens and I use it all the time on D600 in crop mode in day light and it FX mode in certain situations because it's small, light and convenient with VR. You can visit here https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1156565/39 to see some of the examples that I shot on D600.


Jun 19, 2014 at 12:27 PM
Chestnut
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


There are many approaches. You say you're a first-time DSLR buyer - but are you new to photography, or do you already have your feet wet in other areas (like using a point & shoot, or other forms of photography?)

If you know your needs or creative style, that helps to narrow down your choices and preferences. My wife, for example, can use just a few primes, as long as one of them is a macro lens. She figured that out by using some of my zooms, and finding that she gravitated towards certain focal lengths, or finding herself being limited by minimum focus distances.

The kit lens isn't bad. Maybe get a 5300 with kit lens, and see where it takes you. If you want wider, there are wider lenses. If you find you want more on the long end, you've got plenty of options. If you find that you're limited by insufficient amount of light, or too great a depth of field, there are "faster" lenses out there (≤ f/2.8). From what you described, I can see using a very wide range of focal lengths... so you're gonna have to experiment and see where you end up.

If you have budget to play with nicer lenses, I'd forgo the 18-55, and get the 16-85VR and 70-300VR pair. That's my "travel duo", which usually satisfies ~80-90% of my needs while traveling. IMO, it's a great pair to start with, then realize what your style/needs are, and add more specific stuff.

Hope this helps



Jun 19, 2014 at 12:35 PM
CanadaMark
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


Get at least a 5XXX series body, you will outgrow the 3XXX bodies within a week if you are keen about photography. By that I mean you will want to try things, change settings quickly, bracket many frames, demanding AF scenarios, etc. and find out you simply can't on a 3XXX body. The menu digging on a 5XXX body would even grow tiresome very soon, I would think.

There is an occasional deal with the D5300, Nikon bag, and 18-140 VR (the new one) for $799. That is hard to beat if it comes back (I've seen it twice now).

Alternatively I would recommend a D7000 body and a used or cheap starter lens. You can buy them for $684 CAD, and it is a full featured body with AF fine tune and top LCD (personally no top LCD is a deal breaker for me). That would also make an excellent starter camera as well.

A D300S can be had (used) these days for around $400-$450. That would be a fantastic option as well, and you wouldn't grow out of it or be left wanting features after you get the hang of things.

As for AF fine tune, I have never had to fine tune a lens in the last 10 years of shooting. Moving it off zero always made things worse, especially since the fine tune value only works at the specific focal length and subject distance you tune it at (global settings do seem to work for some people, but definitely not for me). Maybe I just got lucky.



Jun 19, 2014 at 12:41 PM
runamuck
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


Before long, somebody will be suggesting you spend $25K on a D4 and Nikon's best lenses. With a3300 or 5300, go with the 18-135 (cheap and sharp, no VR) or the 18-140(more expensive, quite sharp and has VR). Either of these lenses will give you far more reach than the kit 17-5MM lens.


Jun 19, 2014 at 01:08 PM
johnctharp
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


I'm going to take a different tack- if you're actually serious about photography, get a D7000, used or refurbished, and whatever kit lens it comes with, then add a 50/1.8G.

You get one very important thing- a twin-dial setup, which allows you far more fast and direct creative control of your shots and shot-to-shot adjustments, along with a larger continuous shot buffer, and better AF, and a longer-lasting battery. I'd say the same thing to a Canon or Sony shooter; with Sony it's the a77, and with Canon, well, I recommend Nikon (to people I like) if not going full-frame .



Jun 19, 2014 at 01:14 PM
MitchSC
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


I would also recommend the D7000 or D7100. But my wife has a D5100 and it does everything she needs it to.
For lens: My first DSLR lens were the 18-70 & 70-300. If I were starting today on a budget it would be the same lens. My wife now uses these lens.

Edited on Jun 19, 2014 at 01:48 PM · View previous versions



Jun 19, 2014 at 01:35 PM
mshi
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


It really boils down how much you want to spend on a system, not just camera and lens. I suggest a used D5100 with 18-55VR kit lens because you can get the combo between $300 and $400 with average price of $350. You can get a used SB-600 speedlight for another $150. So for $500 you get yourself a very capable rig. When you outgrow D5100, you can still use 18-55VR DX lens even on a full-frame camera. If D5100 can't teach anything you need to learn about photography, neither can D4s.


Jun 19, 2014 at 01:43 PM
shymon
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


I used the D5000 and D5100 for four years -- great cameras and you'll love the 5300. You can absolutely take great photos with them in a wide variety of situations and, no, you don't have to dive into the menus to change the most important settings. The 5000 series cameras are also lightweight, small and have the fold-out screen, which is very helpful.

My hunch is the kit lens will probably suit your purposes just fine. As someone else mentioned, if you don't mind spending the money, the 16-85 or the 18-140 gives you more flexibility in terms of being one lens that will help you take photos of the things that interest you.

I bought the D5000 as my first DSLR in 2010. The biggest thing that helped me were weaning myself off shooting on automatic and shooting in RAW. But take it a step at a time, play around with the camera often to learn its functions and have fun with it. No need to break the bank or get into an advanced/heavier camera to take great pictures. There will be plenty of time to spend all your extra money on photography later



Jun 19, 2014 at 03:47 PM
gfinlayson
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


I'd recommend a D7000 as a starter DSLR. The 16MP sensor produces great images, and all of the most commonly used settings are on the body without delving into menus. Built in focus motor too, so you can use older, but still great AF lenses. AF is fast and accurate and fine tuneable.


Jun 19, 2014 at 05:28 PM
cope07
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


My recommendation (for reference my path was D3000, d90, d700, d800E), would be to echo the others here and go used D7000. Camera bodies depreciate quickly but are fairly robust so used makes a lot of since (the only camera I bought new was the D3000 and I got a helluva deal on it). The D7000 is still a reasonable size/weight camera (there is a decent jump in size/weight to the d300/700/800 body), with great camera control, a MUCH MUCH better pentaprism (not mirror ) viewfinder and all the nice bits like twin dials and top LCD.

If I had to pick one lens to go with on a DX camera, it would be the 35mm 1.8 DX lens. Cheap ($200 new, $150 used), fast (great for learning to play with shallow DOF, one of the most fun new things about a DSLR and great for low light), sharp, small. If I could go two lenses, I would go with the 35mm DX, and an 18-XX zoom, preferably the 18-105, 18-140, or the 16-85. 18-55 is just such a small zoom range and the lenses is really cheaply made. I think the 16-85 is a great lens fit on DX bodies and built MUCH better than the alternatives. I loved it other than the slow aperture, but this is where the 35mmDX lens can take over.



Jun 19, 2014 at 06:33 PM
ChipThome
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


Nikon builds a fantastic kit lens in order to get you real happy right away so you buy more and more expensive Nikon lenses as your interest builds. The kit lens and a 35mm f1.8 for around $200 extra would give you lots of coverage both inside and out.

The articulating screen of the D5300, once you get to utilize it, you will be hard pressed to go without it again.

Good luck !!!



Jun 20, 2014 at 03:51 AM
andre03
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Nikon 5300 & 3300 lens question


Nikon D90 and a 50mm f/1.8 G lens, a battery grip and some spare batteries, memory cards and a good bag ( LowePro, Kata, Vanguard, etc.) to hold all of it. Make sure the bag has enough room for future items (flash, etc.).

This kit will not cost you a lot of money...and the level of build quality, controls, lens that you can use, etc. that you'll gain over the 3xxx or 5xxx series is significant.

...then go out and shoot your butt off...while learning about photography on the internet, library, other photographers, clubs, classes, etc.

Later, get a "decent" tripod, remote shutter release, a Nikon flash (SB 600, SB 800...or SB 700)....and MAYBE think about adding another lens or two.

There are many options open to you. This is only one.

...but I have (...and still live/travel overseas) taken my Nikon D90 w/grip, 85mm, 50mm and 35mm lens...and been very pleased with the results.

...and good luck.



Jun 20, 2014 at 06:25 AM





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