Camera with good image quality and good motion photography

[rancho]

Hi all , I am confused between dslr's and csc's. I want to buy a camera with good image quality and which is good for motion photography too and which has good autofocus also. I am a newbie into this photography world. These are some of the camera into which i have looked into D5300, D5500, A6000 . Also my budget is around $700 USD. Please help me out in choosing the best one.

 

[basroil]

Any camera will be limited by YOU at this point, and for that price you can throw out good AF too!

$700 is well below the minimum recommended starting kit, I generally recommend no less than $1000 for your first kit.

At that price range, you have:
http/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1116101-REG/canon_0591c003_eos_rebel_t6i_dslr.html
http/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1024153-REG/nikon_1522_d_5300_slr_with_18_55mm.html

but you'll be looking at a slow 18-55mm lens in both cases. You'll need to budget another~25 for memory (unless video is the concern, in which case triple that price) and ~50 for a good bag.

Tell us exactly what you want to do with a camera and we can find you a better match.

 

[rancho]

Hi basroll thanks for your reply , Actually i am looking for cameras in range $700 USD not more than that which can give me good image quality . So I found out some cameras in this range which were D5300 , D5000 and A6000. But I am confused in these three . so please help me out in choosing the one.

Any camera will be limited by YOU at this point, and for that price you can throw out good AF too!

$700 is well below the minimum recommended starting kit, I generally recommend no less than $1000 for your first kit.

At that price range, you have:
http/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1116101-REG/canon_0591c003_eos_rebel_t6i_dslr.html
http/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1024153-REG/nikon_1522_d_5300_slr_with_18_55mm.html

but you'll be looking at a slow 18-55mm lens in both cases. You'll need to budget another~25 for memory (unless video is the concern, in which case triple that price) and ~50 for a good bag.

Tell us exactly what you want to do with a camera and we can find you a better match.

 

[basroil]

Hi basroll thanks for your reply , Actually i am looking for cameras in range $700 USD not more than that which can give me good image quality . So I found out some cameras in this range which were D5300 , D5000 and A6000. But I am confused in these three . so please help me out in choosing the one.

You're seriously confused! Even the D5300 18-55mm kit is exactly $700, which means absolutely no overhead for memory card, lenses, lighting, etc. I will NOT recommend any of those, because they are all horrible for what you described. That said, ANY camera a good photographer uses can be better than ANY camera someone with zero photographic experience uses.

Tell me exactly what you want the camera for, and I will recommend something that is ABOUT your budget (if you ask for too much, of course the budget will increase proportionally)

 

[Hello man]

Hi basroll thanks for your reply , Actually i am looking for cameras in range $700 USD not more than that which can give me good image quality . So I found out some cameras in this range which were D5300 , D5000 and A6000. But I am confused in these three . so please help me out in choosing the one.

Any camera will be limited by YOU at this point, and for that price you can throw out good AF too!

$700 is well below the minimum recommended starting kit, I generally recommend no less than $1000 for your first kit.

At that price range, you have:
http/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1116101-REG/canon_0591c003_eos_rebel_t6i_dslr.html
http/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1024153-REG/nikon_1522_d_5300_slr_with_18_55mm.html

but you'll be looking at a slow 18-55mm lens in both cases. You'll need to budget another~25 for memory (unless video is the concern, in which case triple that price) and ~50 for a good bag.

Tell us exactly what you want to do with a camera and we can find you a better match.

Someone here will crucify me here for saying this, but buy used stuff. I don't know if you have craigslist in your area, but you should check. It usually beats eBay on pricing, and you can actually meet and verify the condition before you buy. I have bought a lot of camera gear that way, and sold stuff too.

Basroil is right-the lens that comes with those setups you mentioned, the "kit" lens, is pretty much just something good enough to make the camera take a picture when it comes out of the box-it isn't enough zoom to get a good action photo under most circumstances. You'd be better off with a 50mm F/1.8. than an 18-55 f/4.5-5.6 (what most 18-55mm kit lenses aperture range is).

I shoot sports. I shoot a lot of spots. I took 7,000 photos of sports last year. I am assuming that is what you mean by motion photography. The first thing to know is that there are a few things that really make a "good" action camera.
1. Frame rate (not to be confused with shutter speed)-if the action happens between shots your camera fires, you'll miss it. Most cameras in your price range will only be in the 4-5 FPS range.
2. Autofocusing system-most cameras in your price range will suffer here as well, buy you might find a system with 11 or so points. Ill see what kinda stuff I can find on eBay in that range.
3. Good lenses to put on said camera! Lenses with faster apertures reign supreme in action photography. If you don't know what aperture is (and since you are just starting, I will assume you don't), essentially it is a diaphragm in the lens that opens and closes, regulating the amount of light that is let in. The smaller the F number, the bigger opening. Bigger openings let in more light, which helps when shooting at high shutter speeds to stop motion, as well as create a shallower depth of field, meaning less of your shot will be in focus, isolating the part you are actually interested in. It helps give a photo a more "pro" look.

To some extent, ISO capability matters. This basically boils down to how grainy the image looks at different ISOs, which are sensor sensitivity levels. Higher ISO=brighter image and more ugly grain. But for now, we will kinda ignore that part. Not a big deal unless you wan to shoot at night events or in really dimply lit gyms.

A camera you might want to look at is the D300 or D300s. I forgot about them until I was this far through writing this. Both old by todays standard, but were true flagships in their day. They both allow 8FPS with a battery grip, but that costs money, and I know how to get around that problem and shoot 8FPS in 9 frame bursts. The d300s lets you shoot 7fps vs 6fps on the D300 without the grip. No other camera in that price range will give you that option.

The autofocus system is pretty solid. 51 points. A lot more than you'll find in any camera in that price range. A basic copy of the system used in the D3S, the top of the line pro camera from Nikon in those days (~2009).

Depending on the condition of the body you want, they can be had today for between 300 and 500 USD. at the mid range, this would give you $300 for a lens. Not bad!


Lenses:

Okay, so nothing in the 300 dollar range is going to give you amazing aperture and amazing focal length. On the longer end of things, check out Nikon's 55-200mm. Maybe even a 55-300mm, I found them for less than $250 online. Pick up a compact flash card and maybe an extra battery, and you are off to the races. Plus, the d300s looks and feels pro. It is!

Let me know if you have questions-that is kind of a lot to take in, I know.