Which camera to buy?

[BigRAWesty]

And a new 1tb hard drive minimum to put all these photos.

[Winnie]

And a new 1tb hard drive minimum to put all these photos.

Got one of those already luckily

Nope you want the quickest you can get. They ain't cheap.
Even a 3rd battery. As we found out at the pinicals

I might invest in a 2nd battery and see if 12V chargers are available?

[BigRAWesty]

Yea I've been looking for a 12v for the cannon and lappy. Now with the van and that

[FNQGU]

Ahh, you don't actually NEED the quickest and fastest Memory cards at all. Yes, if you are doing a LOT of video or using a lot of burst mode using large RAW files, (or Large File jpg) but otherwise don't stress about it and save your money for that better lens or that tripod. Memory cards of around 30Mb/s will do fine for most things. You also don't NEED huge size memory cards either. A couple of 8Gb cards will be cheaper and more efficient than buying much larger cards. Unless you are taking huge numbers of shots in one session, then don't bother wasting money there either. Downloading more often means less risk of losing photos too. :-)

I also don't necessarily agree with the advice to stick with Nikon or Canon. It is a valid opinion of course and they definitely have most of the market cornered, but Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Olympus etc. etc. all make excellent cameras and are just as good to use/buy as Nikon/Canon and all have a huge range of excellent lenses as well. After recently getting to try a Sony A7 II with a really nice lens, I was really taken with it. Downside was battery life, upside was features and size/weight.

That Nikon D5300/5500 is a great little unit, no doubt about it, but there are a LOT of other options in that same price bracket and as Winnie rightly mentions, price is as good a criteria as any other, maybe more so. Pick them up and hold as many as you can as some definitely feel better than others. You might find the size up or the size down suits you better. The more you get into it and understand your camera and its strengths and weaknesses, the more you will know what will suit you best. Besides ergonomics, and perhaps the specific features you want, I'm firmly convinced the body of the camera is less important than the quality of the lens you stick on it.

Jump on YouTube and punch in the model you are considering, there is a tonne of material and hands on reviews to help you make up your mind.

Don't mean to sound like a 'know-it-all', I'm definitely not. Cameras are like boats and cars, there is no one model that does it all perfectly.

[Winnie]

Let's say for example I am shooting in RAW and JPG (which it sounds like a lot of people do, RAW is new to me and when I did my photography course we used film) roughly how many photos would I get on a 32GB card?
I was thinking about getting just a single 64GB card but sounds like multiple of lower storage is the way to go?

[Bacho86]

RAW is new to me and when I did my photography course we used film)

You sound so old!! Lol


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[Winnie]

No my school just could not afford digital haha

[FNQGU]

Winnie, your camera should tell you how many shots you can get on your card. I have one 32Gb SD card, two 16Gb cards and a couple of 8Gb cards. I just checked my camera readings and it says I can take 949 shots on the 32Gb card shooting RAW files for a 16.3Mp sensor on my camera. Should give you an idea. Your camera is 24Mp isn't it?

Shooting in RAW is the way to go if you intend to develop them, and or print them. RAW files actually come out a bit flat in terms of colour on a lot of cameras and need to be developed to get the most out of them. They have more data in them though, whereas a JPG has been compressed a bit.

Shooting RAW and JPG can fill up your card rapidly, and is really only done by some who might want to send off a JPG file quickly, or some other reason I don't comprehend yet. If you are going to post process your shots, then shoot in RAW. If you are just taking holiday snaps and will never really develop them to their full potential, then you might be fine with just JPG. Lots do.

[lhurley]

As mentioned shooting in both raw and jpg will fill your memory card up super quick. I think I can get around 1000 photos on raw (canon 70D 32gb?? Card), few hundred more with just jpg but can only take around 400 if I shoot in both.

For the record I primarily shoot in raw as I want the full potential of each image.



Finally my 2 cents on camera choice. Buy the one you will use.

No point buying a $10000 camera if it sits in a bag. Using a camera is the best way to learn. Make excuses to go and use it. Take it on walks, take action shots of your pup, annoy your missus and take low light photos playing around at home. Before to long it will start to become more natural.

[rusty_nail]

I might invest in a 2nd battery and see if 12V chargers are available?

There are just not Nikon genuine. Let me know if you want one. I can get you at a good price.

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