Anyone who knows anything about me knows I love to take photography. I'm not awesome, but I'm getting better all the time and I just really enjoy doing it. I've been wanting to upgrade from my Fujifilm Finepix S5200 camera for a while.
I tried upgrading the S5200 by buying some cheap aftermarket lenses. It was then that I really realized how limited I was by my camera. I'd learned all about how to work my camera and how to use it. I've been taking online photography courses to really help me understand ISO, aperture and shutter settings.
My puny little built in flash was really frustrating. Being able to zoom in and see things that I can't light up with my flash is so irritating.
I've been reading over reviews of entry level DSLR cameras. I wasn't sure which brand to go with. The two big ones are, of course, Canon and Nikon, but there are other good brands, such as Olympus, Sony and Panasonic.
I figured that my best bet would be to buy an affordable body and save my money to buy better lenses. I plan to keep the body for as long as I possibly can and just upgrade with the lenses and accessories.
After weighing all the options, I decided to go with either the Nikon D3000 or D5000. Since I do YouTube videos and the D5000 is video capable, that made the decision. D5000 it is!
Nikon D5000 Body
It may seem a little strange to buy a camera that doesn't come with a lens, but upper level camera have separate lenses. I was in luck, though, since good lenses typically start at $200. RitzCamera is having a Father's Day sale and I managed to snag two lenses, the 18-55 VR lens and the 55-200mm, a nice camera bag and DVD (I have no idea why they included a DVD,) along with the body for a reasonable price (about $850).
18-55 VR Lens
55-200mm Lens
Since I've been having such a difficult time with my flash, I decided to buy a flash gun. The Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight Flash went into my cart, as well. It was on the pricey side at about $200, but I really think it's worth it since flash has been one of my main complaints.
I had to buy an 8GB SD card for storage, since my Fuji takes an XD card I can't reuse that with the Nikon. I looked for a lens hood for a while, but apparently the 18-55 VR lens comes with one. I bought a filter kit from Amazon.com for $25 and I'm in business.
Future purchases for my camera will be more storage (8GB just isn't enough, of course,) and an extra battery. I'll probably buy more lenses, starting with a nice wide angle lens, but that's a ways off. After shelling out such a huge amount of cash, I'm done with large purchases for a long time. Let's face it, blogging, fun as it may be, doesn't bring in much money.
RitzCamera is one of the better places to purchase camera.They offer free Ground UPS shipping, which is awesome, considering I'm in Hawaii. I'll be stalking my UPS man until my camera arrives, but I can't wait to post new pictures here with my brand spankin' new camera.
If you're considering a new camera, I recommend Cameralabs.com. They have excellent YouTube reviews and a chart to help you figure out what kind of camera is best for your needs.
That is great Jessica! I had no interest in shooting video so I went with the more economical D3000. I have the exact same lenses but I wish I had gotten the 18-200mm lens. I could have just used one lens and cover the same range as the 18-55 and the 55-200 without switching lenses. The separate flash unit is a must as the built-in flash on the camera is totally inadequate. I decided to go with the SB-900. It was a little more expensive but well worth the extra money for the range and recovery time. It really fills a room with light and works great for fill. If you plan to shoot a lot of pictures I would recommend getting a spare battery. I got one from http://www.bestbatt.com. It was considerably less expensive than BestBuy. Congratulations on your new camera! I can't wait to see some of your pix!
ReplyDeletePat
Thanks, Pat. I plan on getting an extra battery. Many moons ago (well, years, actually,) I had a rechargeable camera and it would die on me all the time. It really frustrated me. I don't want to be limited by my battery.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on www.bestbatt.com. I'll be checking it out.
All your pics were good before. With this equipment I'm betting we'll see some awesome work. Have fun.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bill. You always have such sweet things to say about me. :-)
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