DSLR crew, advice needed

[nate]

I'm looking to buy a nice camera for my wife for Christmas. Mostly for family pictures, but would see some business use for real estate and special events. A wide angle lens is a must for getting good interior shots of homes, and I'd like the ability to shoot decent video. Other than that, I am clueless. My max budget is around $450-$500 since we are both complete beginners with a camera that doesn't have a phone attached to the front of it. I know $500 doesn't seem like a lot for some of the elite crew, but we really don't want to spend more until we know if we are even going to use a quality camera for all its worth. I've found a couple of packages on sale for Black Friday, but have no idea if they are good deals or have a bunch of crap I won't need or is just junk.
Here are the two I've been looking at
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nikon-D31...Wide-2.5x-Telephoto-Lenses-Filter-Tr/39612791

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/nikon-d...&cmp=RMX&ky=28nQAhv5JSh2r2ipkPLhCTBuU5ZyvwcE9

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Explosive]

Also curious, have thought of getting one for some time and black Friday wouldn't be a bad time.

 

[AAG]

Keep an eye on this page and you'll find a good deal come up, especially with Black Friday and Cyber Monday on the way.

Scroll down and filter for camerashttp://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9&intagid[]=294

 

[lobra97]

b&h photo, fredmiranda.com too has a lot of good deals too, so does slick deals as mentioned above. i bought a useD d90, 50mm, bag, filters, extreme mem card, etc for $500. then again i sold my other stuff for the difference on it lol.

 

[nate]

I've made a habit of watching slickdeals for a few years. Problem is I have no idea what is considered a good deal or just something that was marked up before black friday and marked down to help clear inventory to people shopping based off how much they "think" they are saving.

 

[lobra97]

what kind of camera do you want, model, etc? don't forget you'll need a post processing program after. don't buy "the best" camera people recommend and expect to shoot all crazy out of the box.

 

[Double"O"]

B&h is always a good place to start!

Nikon and Pentax are good to go...so are Minolta, Cannon etc
i just prefer nikon and pentax lol

 

[nate]

Does the Nikon d3200 with the lens/accessories from Best Buy for $499 seam like a good deal? Link is in the OP.

 

[nate]

Also, the refurbished Nikon D3100 from walmart for $374 has an awful lot of goodies with it. How is the quality of the Nikons?

 

[lobra97]

seems fair my D3k was about $450 which doesn't have video. if you wanna save some cash you could buy a used one if you don't mind not having the fresh camera smell lol. those lenses are garbage anyways, you'll want a 35mm 1.8G and a 50mm if you plan on using it for what you said. 35mm for portraits and 50mm for landscape type.

 

[nate]

seems fair my D3k was about $450 which doesn't have video. if you wanna save some cash you could buy a used one if you don't mind not having the fresh camera smell lol. those lenses are garbage anyways, you'll want a 35mm 1.8G and a 50mm if you plan on using it for what you said. 35mm for portraits and 50mm for landscape type.

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll just try to find a good deal on a body and pick up the lenses separate as I need them.

 

[lobra97]

the 18-55 was good for me and i got a lot of great pics in the beginning while learning to use it but later i wanted a better camera and vbetter lenses once i started to get the hang of it. fredmirada.com has alot of good pics, tutorials, and hw for people who want to learn. go look around in there, lot of good info. yeah i'd just get a used and go from there unless it has to be new. chances are you'll want to upgrade later anyways.

 

[RDJ]

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'll just try to find a good deal on a body and pick up the lenses separate as I need them.

the kit lenses are not "garbage". they are decent nikkor lenses and are good learning lenses. as Lobra said once you get into it you will want some better lenses but I would recommend you stick with the kit until you are comfortable knowing what you are doing, how the camera works with the lens, and what you can expect from the various lenses. it is expensive to buy quality glass and that is really where you want your money to be. but drop a lot on glass when you are just starting out you run a big risk of wasting your money.

http://blackfriday.bestbuy.com/?cat...=Nikon&_suid=14169603489070026527732845530893

best buy is having a black friday sale on the camera kit at 499.00 and you can order it online ... regular price on the kit is 549.00

Best buy usually has it 18months at 0% if you have their best buy CC. I am all over using someone elses money to get stuff ;-)

 

[lobra97]

the kit lenses are not "garbage". they are decent nikkor lenses and are good learning lenses. as Lobra said once you get into it you will want some better lenses but I would recommend you stick with the kit until you are comfortable knowing what you are doing, how the camera works with the lens, and what you can expect from the various lenses. it is expensive to buy quality glass and that is really where you want your money to be. but drop a lot on glass when you are just starting out you run a big risk of wasting your money.

http://blackfriday.bestbuy.com/?cat...=Nikon&_suid=14169603489070026527732845530893

best buy is having a black friday sale on the camera kit at 499.00 and you can order it online ... regular price on the kit is 549.00

Best buy usually has it 18months at 0% if you have their best buy CC. I am all over using someone elses money to get stuff ;-)

yup, gonna be like damn i wasted money on lenses and idk how to use them. alot have that issue and end up losing interest. also OP, adobe has a good deal on post processing software. you can get all programs for $10-$15 a mth so lightroom, PS, etc for that price isn't bad. i got mine with a student discount for $65 but that's still a good deal^^.

 

[nate]

the kit lenses are not "garbage". they are decent nikkor lenses and are good learning lenses. as Lobra said once you get into it you will want some better lenses but I would recommend you stick with the kit until you are comfortable knowing what you are doing, how the camera works with the lens, and what you can expect from the various lenses. it is expensive to buy quality glass and that is really where you want your money to be. but drop a lot on glass when you are just starting out you run a big risk of wasting your money.

http://blackfriday.bestbuy.com/?cat...=Nikon&_suid=14169603489070026527732845530893

best buy is having a black friday sale on the camera kit at 499.00 and you can order it online ... regular price on the kit is 549.00

Best buy usually has it 18months at 0% if you have their best buy CC. I am all over using someone elses money to get stuff ;-)

That is actually one of the bundles I mentioned. Looks like I have a winner.

 

[RDJ]

That is actually one of the bundles I mentioned. Looks like I have a winner.

LOL yeah I noticed that after I posted. I started out with the D70s and upgraded to the D7100. If you guys enjoy taking pictures I would highly recommend you take a basic photography course at your local community college or check with a camera specialty shop ( NOT a chain like Ritz camera) they sometimes offer good classes at a reasonable price

 

[lobra97]

http://slickdeals.net/f/7422468-canon-mg5520-wireless-aio-printer-adobe-lightroom-5-80-free-shipping


OP printer and lightroom for $79 shipped! damnnn

 

[Lt. ZO6]

The DSLR body is the least expensive part of your kit that you will put together. The glass can empty a budget very fast. Also, just having a DSLR doesn't guarantee good pictures...

I have several cameras; a Canon DSLR and some point and shoots.

My recommendation is to get a really good point and shoot, as it will meet just about all your wife's needs. I have a Sony RX100, which is an awesome point and shoot. It has a large sensor (more important that MP's) and takes photos just as good (almost) as the big boys. It isn't cheap, though.

 

[RDJ]

http://slickdeals.net/f/7422468-canon-mg5520-wireless-aio-printer-adobe-lightroom-5-80-free-shipping


OP printer and lightroom for $79 shipped! damnnn

not all that great in the grand scheme of things. Lightroom 6 will be out in march and apparently is MUCH better than v.5 you get in this package. but then the printer is allegedly worth 70 bucks and the entire package can be had for 59.00 LOL so many choices


http://www.breathecast.com/articles...res-70-percent-faster-than-version-5-5-20440/

 

[numbnutz]

Op I have a good camera deal in the market section, Nikon 5100 with accessories. It is literally like new.