Best Budget DSLR

[C-Reefer]

So I'm looking into getting a DSLR camera, both for aquarium photography but also for personal use. I want something that will be able to take good macro/moving fish and coral shots, and also be able to take any other shots e.g. landscapes or cars or whatever. I know a lot of that is the lens but I'm not sure if the camera affects that at all.

Are cameras ok to buy used ? From what I've seen, most decent new cameras run around $500... More then I can spend. Thanks!

 

[jsker]

let see

 

[BigJim]

The only way you could get a dslr and lens under $500 is to buy used. I am currently selling my nikon d7000 and a 18-140 lens on eBay and most similar packages have been going to $350-$400. A decent macro lens would add at least another $300 if used. I am a Nikon guy, so I would recommend looking for a used Nikon D3200. There are great cameras from other makers but I am not familiar enough with them to make a recommendation. You can get a D3200 without a lens for around $200 on sites like KEH, B&H or Adorama. It's a little more expensive than eBay but a little safer. I would look for a Tamron 90mm or Tokina 100mm macro lens if you are looking for really close shots. They are the least expensive and both are good quality. If you are not looking for super close pictures or your tank is quite shallow where you can get close with the camera, the Nikkor 40mm micro is a great lens that you can get for around $200 used.

 

[naoki]

I agree with Jim, I would also recommend used equipments. I rarely buy a new camera, and the only time I had a problem is with the stuck sub-command dial of Nikon D2x a couple months ago. But KEH quickly replaced it (they even paid the return shipping). I highly recommend KEH. I admit that newer bodies have some nice features and low light capacity (well, my "new" is pretty old; Nikon D800E and Olympus E-M1), you can get very nice images with 10-year-old bodies. For web-related stuff, I even use 19 year old body (D1) for fun. It would be more fun to spend money on nice lenses and lighting gears.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I also agree above, glass is glass for the most part, free of any defectives a lens from 1980 is will produce a very similar image to lens from 2018. Most of the recent advances in the last 30 years have been in weather sealing and auto focus, not optics.

 

[Big E]

If you want to buy new--

A Cannon Powershot SX60($369) can do a lot for the price. I would research these types regardless of brand first. You may find out that is all you need vs spending more money on a DSLR.

I did all these pics on my thread with an old Powershot G3 I bought in 2005.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/big-e-rimless-80g-sps.206607/page-11#post-4523885

When shopping Power shots or similar brand cameras I would make sure you focus on what's needed for aquarium pics.........

Swivel screen
RAW
Manual mode
Custom white balance
Free editing software(ex. Cannon DPP)--- there is no reason to be tied to Photoshop or something else you have to pay for.

If you want to be able to swap out lenses then you're going to pay approx. 300 more and onto the DSLR cameras.

As an example, I just bought a Cannon EOS Rebel T7i as it was time to upgrade and I wanted to be able to buy a macro lens down the road. It's more than enough for what I need.

I'm not familiar with the other brands so I posted what I know and like.

 

[mtraylor]

Sams and Costco usually have some beginner DSLR camera bundels with a couple lenses (Nikon/Cannon) starting in the $400/500 range.

 

[geddavis]

I got a DSLR starter pack off of amazon. they have some cheap and extensive packs on there

 

[Instigate]

I would buy used for sure. Also keep in mind that lenses will retain their value far longer than the camera body will so that's where I would want to spend most of my money. I still use many Nikon lenses that were manufactured for film cameras. Before I got into this hobby I sold my macro lens and haven't replaced it yet but for the mean time I just use extension tubes. I started on Nikon film cameras and have since used Cannon and Nikon DSLRs and currently am using Sony A series mirrorless. Of course I love the Sony cameras but they are all capable of taking really nice macro shots. A used d7100 and Tamron 90mm macro would work nicely, I would also look at buying vintage Nikon lenses.

 

[UFreefer]

The only way you could get a dslr and lens under $500 is to buy used. I am currently selling my nikon d7000 and a 18-140 lens on eBay and most similar packages have been going to $350-$400. A decent macro lens would add at least another $300 if used. I am a Nikon guy, so I would recommend looking for a used Nikon D3200. There are great cameras from other makers but I am not familiar enough with them to make a recommendation. You can get a D3200 without a lens for around $200 on sites like KEH, B&H or Adorama. It's a little more expensive than eBay but a little safer. I would look for a Tamron 90mm or Tokina 100mm macro lens if you are looking for really close shots. They are the least expensive and both are good quality. If you are not looking for super close pictures or your tank is quite shallow where you can get close with the camera, the Nikkor 40mm micro is a great lens that you can get for around $200 used.

I'm in the market to upgrade my Nikon as well.
The 7500 is more than I want to spend. I already have the Tamron 90mm.
The d7000 can be found pretty cheap, is it worth paying more for the d7100 or d7200?

 

[BigJim]

I'm in the market to upgrade my Nikon as well.
The 7500 is more than I want to spend. I already have the Tamron 90mm.
The d7000 can be found pretty cheap, is it worth paying more for the d7100 or d7200?

The D7000 is still a nice camera and would be nice if you are just using it for general use and aquarium pictures. I primarily upgraded for better low light performance and because I can shoot more shots per second in burst mode for wildlife photography. Is the Tamron 90mm you have compatible with Nikon F mount? I assume you already looked into that, but I just want to be sure. The link below reviews the differences in the cameras.

https://cameradecision.com/compare/Nikon-D7000-vs-Nikon-D7200

 

[zyphen]

I had the same need as you for a DSLR to use mainly for coral shots, and to take with me on a Grand Canyon trip. I ended up getting one used from www.mpb.com. You do have to know what you want (I ended up with a "like new" Nikon D3400 with 251 shutter count (barely used at all)) that came with it's original box and really was like new. They also sell lenses for the camera. Their condition ratings were super easy to read through and I would recommend at least looking there to compare prices with eBay.

 

[UFreefer]

The D7000 is still a nice camera and would be nice if you are just using it for general use and aquarium pictures. I primarily upgraded for better low light performance and because I can shoot more shots per second in burst mode for wildlife photography. Is the Tamron 90mm you have compatible with Nikon F mount? I assume you already looked into that, but I just want to be sure. The link below reviews the differences in the cameras.

https://cameradecision.com/compare/Nikon-D7000-vs-Nikon-D7200

Yeah I currently use the Tamron on a D40. Thanks for the comparison link. How much will the ISO 25.600 of the 7200 vs 6.400 help with coral shots?

 

[GabeM]

Yeah I currently use the Tamron on a D40. Thanks for the comparison link. How much will the ISO 25.600 of the 7200 vs 6.400 help with coral shots?

I have a 7200 and it is excellent in low light - your shots will be much less grainy if you are taking shots with shadows/blues/lower lights.

 

[BigJim]

The lens is more important than the camera body for low light situations, but I definitely get less noise in low light with my D7500 than I did with the D7000 using the same lenses. The extra 5 megapixels might have something to do with making it look less grainy. I don't think you will see much difference between the two cameras if you are primarily taking coral pictures using a tripod. You can set it in aperture priority mode and the shutter speed will be slow enough to avoid noise. You may see more of a difference taking coral and fish pictures hand held. Either camera would be a big upgrade from the D40.

 

[maroun.c]

Agree with above pists on buying used, a D3200_D3400 used should fit ur budget and allow for a kit lense or a small upgrade on the kit lense if u can stretch ur budget a bit.
I disagree with the macro lense recommendation as u mention u want to use the camera for every day shooting. If u can find it used a Tamron 17_50 2.8 is pro quality glass at a fraction of the price. I uded it for most of my shooting and for tank pictures as well till i upgraded to a full frame body.

 

[Ly78]

Im still using nikon d700. Great camera but i think lenses are what makes a real difference

 

[GabeM]

Agree with above pists on buying used, a D3200_D3400 used should fit ur budget and allow for a kit lense or a small upgrade on the kit lense if u can stretch ur budget a bit.
I disagree with the macro lense recommendation as u mention u want to use the camera for every day shooting. If u can find it used a Tamron 17_50 2.8 is pro quality glass at a fraction of the price. I uded it for most of my shooting and for tank pictures as well till i upgraded to a full frame body.

That's interesting I have the same lense and I've never used it on my tank - I'll give it a shot!

 

[maroun.c]

That's interesting I have the same lense and I've never used it on my tank - I'll give it a shot!

The tamron 17-50 gives u very close min focusing distance which makes for some very good closeups of corals in front of the tank. This also helps with top down shots where most of the time ur very close to corals. Fixed 2.8 aperture gives u very sharp images starting 3.5 (2.8 is still sharp as well ) and also allows for fast focus in limited light.
Checkout my build thread most shots taken on it are using it as well.