# What is the best Nikon camera for beginners?



## yL2K (Jun 2, 2014)

I really like Nikon cameras and I really like photography. What is the best camera by Nikon for a beginner?


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## jaomul (Jun 3, 2014)

Welcome to the forum. Do you want a camera that you can change its lenses, and how much money do you want to spend


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## molested_cow (Jun 3, 2014)

A manual film SLR. I know I may sound like an asshat, but that's where I started and it really helped me build a good foundation on the understanding of how things work. It was a bit painful, but fun.


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## jkzo (Jun 3, 2014)

molested_cow said:


> A manual film SLR. I know I may sound like an asshat, but that's where I started and it really helped me build a good foundation on the understanding of how things work. It was a bit painful, but fun.



a manual film camera !! For the  modern times, so painful, expensive and time consuming to learn


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## acparsons (Jun 3, 2014)

I would say a D80 or D90.


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## Trblmkr (Jun 3, 2014)

I think the best to learn on is the one that you can afford.  You might be happy with the 5100, 5200, 5300 but out grow it and then you're looking to buy another one.  However if you really take a look at what you want to do, and how often you plan on using it you might want a 7000, 7100.  Or, you can go the Pro route and really pay for a camera.. all depends on your budget.


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## JoeW (Jun 3, 2014)

yL2K said:


> I really like Nikon cameras and I really like photography. What is the best camera by Nikon for a beginner?



I'm going to start by assuming you're looking at a DSLR.

First, we don't know what your budget is and also what you want to shoot.  So some details about that would be good.

Second, especially for a beginner, the absolutely best camera is one that you have with you.  B/c you won't use it if you don't have it with you.  So you need to go to a big box store or a camera store and hold a couple of different bodies.  The D3XXX and D5XXX series are smaller and lighter (they don't have an autofocus motor in the body--they rely on the lens having an AF motor) so for some people (with smaller hands or muscles or looking for a camera that is simply easier to lug around or through in a bag), they're the cats' pajamas.  Others are looking for a do-everything, solid, never-break down camera and so a much bigger (and older) used D90 is the ticket.

A good new D3200 is a nice camera for a beginner.  It will small (for a DSLR), good sensor and good ISO (so able to shoot in low light without a flash), can be had new for under $400.   Worst case scenario is you buy it and then discover you hate lugging a camera around or have no patience for manipulating settings and see that a point and shoot is the way to go for you.  In which case $400 isn't a huge investment.  More likely is you'll discover the joy of a DSLR and while you'll want to upgrade, the D3200 will give you enough pixels and flexibility to create some lovely photos.


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## sonicbuffalo (Jun 3, 2014)

I've got a great deal on a D7100 + a 18-140 mm lens!  Fewer than 200 actuations (last time I checked)....I just recently bought a D610 so I won't be needing 2 cameras.  Everything is in original boxes with manuals, batteries, and copies of David Busch's Guide to the D7100 and a David Busch's Fieldguide to the D7100.  I'll throw in 2 memory cards as well.  Must sell.


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## goodguy (Jun 3, 2014)

Without giving us a price range its hard to recommend you a camera but I assume you have limited funds so my recommendation is

If you can afford it then Nikon D5200 with its kit lens, fantasticly good camera.
If you cant afford even that then the minimum I owuld recommend is the Nikon D3200 which is at the lowest place in Nikon's cameras lineup but it is still a very good camera, actually in many ways its not far behind the D5200 in many ways.

Good luck


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## manaheim (Jun 3, 2014)

Buy the best camera you can comfortably afford (and keep in mind, leave some room for money for lenses).

Cameras are a study in balanced limitations. The more you spend, the fewer the limitations. Limitations will not keep you from taking pictures, but it will make some pictures harder to capture, and it will occasionally make the experience of capturing them a little more frustrating.

Certain situations (low light, fast movement) require specialized equipment choices, but these rules apply pretty well to all forms of photography.


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## Solarflare (Jun 3, 2014)

The D7100, because you'll never need another camera, unless you have special demands or you're well beyond the 5 year limit of useage of a digital camera.

The D5300 is a not too bad choice too, because of the swivel screen, the lesser weight and smaller size, and IIRC it also has WiFi, which opens new possibilities.

I frankly have no friggin clue why the D3300 exists.





molested_cow said:


> A manual film SLR.


 If you're a true masochist, yes.

Digital cameras allow you to take pictures basically for free, review your results instantly, and to photograph in situations in which film cameras are an extreme hassle.

My first camera was a film camera. You know how many photos I shot ? A total of zero photos. Why ? Because it was an insane hassle and I didnt had the nerve.




jkzo said:


> a manual film camera !! For the  modern times, so painful, expensive and time consuming to learn


 You forgot to point out SLOW. It can take days and weeks to get your film developed. And to get film in the first place and transport it and having to change it every 38 or so exposures.




acparsons said:


> I would say a D80 or D90.


 Those are pretty old. Dunno about the D80, but the D90 I've handled and yes its a good camera, too.




manaheim said:


> Buy the best camera you can comfortably afford (and keep in mind, leave some room for money for lenses).


 I used that strategy and ended up spending a lot more than I would have, had I just bought a really good camera in the first place.

After spending about 3k&#8364; on various compact, bridge and entry level DSLRs I went all "wtf are you doing, you spend this much money and what do you have to show for it ?"


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## bigal1000 (Jun 4, 2014)

D4s


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## PaulWog (Jun 4, 2014)

If you're looking for a point-and-shoot, look up reviews for the year you're buying in (2014), and go with Canon or Nikon depending on what turns out to best fit your needs and budget.

If you're looking for a DSLR, you need to figure out your budget. Let's say your budget is $1000 for a camera and lens. In that case, you might want to get a D5300 with a nice lens to begin with such as the 35mm 1.8G.


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## dmfw (Jun 12, 2014)

if this is for a real beginner, then you might consider a 3200 or 3300.  I, personally, would spend more $$ for a D5200.

One issue, the 3200/3300/5200 require a lens with a motor.  Having a body with a motor give you the best lens options.


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## manaheim (Jun 13, 2014)

Solarflare said:


> manaheim said:
> 
> 
> > Buy the best camera you can comfortably afford (and keep in mind, leave some room for money for lenses).
> ...



So, what? You want my advice to be to spend more than you can comfortably afford, and leave no room for glass?

I'm a huge proponent of buying the best so you don't have to buy twice, but putting yourself into hock over it is stupid.

Especially when you factor in that some large percentage of DSLRs sit on a shelf and collect dust.


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## hamlet (Jun 13, 2014)

This place can become very convoluted when someone just asks for general advice.


Let me phrase the cameras in a simple way for you. The Nikon cameras come in different tiers and the more you pay the more capable your camera becomes but the more experience you need to use it to its full capabilities:


I'll go through them from very non-experienced but friendly to use, to more professional cameras:


*Basic DSLR's* are easy to use and you can let the camera worry about the technical stuff:
D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300 <-- from older to newer models


*Mid level DSLR's* are the same as the D3000 models but with a little more features and still easy to use:
D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300 <-- from older to newer models


*semi-pro* *DSLR's* are cameras for the more experienced users, it has a lot more bells and whistles and can be confusing to beginners.
D7000, D7100 <-- from older to newer models


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## bigal1000 (Jun 13, 2014)

molested_cow said:


> A manual film SLR. I know I may sound like an asshat, but that's where I started and it really helped me build a good foundation on the understanding of how things work. It was a bit painful, but fun.



Are you kidding,do really think someone starting out today is interested in a film camera for their first camera !!!!!


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## robbins.photo (Jun 13, 2014)

yL2K said:


> I really like Nikon cameras and I really like photography. What is the best camera by Nikon for a beginner?



Ok, well a variety of responses here already but I guess I'll weigh in as well.  When choosing the best camera for you a lot is based off of your budget - how much you want to spend, as well as what sort of pictures you think you'll be taking most.  That will give you a better idea as to what sort of camera/lens combo will give you the best results within your given budget.

For Nikon's when your first starting out I generally recommend the D3200 or the D5200 for most, they both have an excellent 24 mp sensor which does well under most circumstances.  The D5200 will offer you a few more options that might be attractive depending on what your using the camera for, such as the abiltiy to do in camera HDR and an articulating screen which from what they tell me is nice to have when your trying to shoot at odd angles and also for shooting video.

The 5200 has a better autofocus system and a little bit better lowlight capabilities, it also shoots just a touch faster than the D3200.  The 3200 is a little smaller and lighter than the 5200, and it has a guide mode which some folks really like when they first get started taking pictures - though really the auto modes on the 5200 (and most DSLR's) will allow you to get some pretty decent shots even when you are first starting out.

If your budget is more limited then you have other options as well, such as possibly a D3100 or D5100, etc.  But if you can afford it the D3200 or the D5200 would both be good options to investigate, both provide excellent image quality and a reasonable price.


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## Solarflare (Jun 17, 2014)

Uh-hu.

I dont really believe that semipro models are more confusing than beginner cameras, really. They also have green mode and even these stupid scene modi if you're into that. I never used them, but they are there.

There are more buttons on the semipro cameras, but frankly they dont hurt. You dont NEED to know what they all do to use the camera. And once you figured out what they do, these additional buttons are helpful. While if you start with a "beginner" camera, these buttons arent there in the first place - which will slow you down.

Personally I dont understand why Nikon left the green mode out of the D800, but D610 and D7100 should be fine. And quite frankly, I dont need more direct buttons than the D610 offers, anyway.

And thats the good about semipro cameras: you can use them on any experitise level. They can grow with you. And you'll never really need something better, unless you have special demands.

A bit more intelligent than green mode is program mode. Then aperture and shutter priority modes once you figured out what these mean. And thats all I still use. Full manual is too slow for my needs, most of the time.

The only problem is if you DONT WANT TO LEARN PHOTOGRAPHY anyway. But then a DSLR is maybe a bad choice anyway ? The advantage of these cameras is more direct control over the photographic process.


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## greybeard (Jun 17, 2014)

I started with a 4x5 view camera 40 years ago but, I definitely wouldn't recommend starting that way today.  I think the D7000-D7100 cameras are very well suited to the serious amateur.  All the controls needed for creative photography and all the auto stuff for point and shoot.


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## Derrel (Jun 17, 2014)

hamlet said:


> This place can become very convoluted when someone just asks for general advice.
> 
> 
> Let me phrase the cameras in a simple way for you. The Nikon cameras come in different tiers and the more you pay the more capable your camera becomes but the more experience you need to use it to its full capabilities:
> ...



Simple. Brilliant. On-target.

Look for a marked down D7000 if you want to get a lot for a good price. Buy "one generation back" like D7000, or D5200, or D3200 if you want to "save some money".


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## bpgoll (Jun 17, 2014)

I think about Nikon D3200, It had an old-ish 6 megapixel image sensor, when 10+ megapixel sensors were expected. Even so, many found it to be so good at what it did, there was hardly a better camera with just enough features.


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## Skyehammer (Jun 20, 2014)

I bought a Nikon F80 to start off with , just to get the feel of a camera in my hands , and because I couldn't afford a DSLR , then I  took voluntary redundancy from my last job as they were looking to reduce their staff , and bought a Nikon D7000 .
It cost me over £1000 then , nowadays you can get them for around half that price new , less second hand .
Please remember that some of the ' cheaper ' entry level Nikons can't accept motorised lenses so that will restrict which ones you can buy .
I would buy the very best camera I could afford , which in 2012 was the D7000 , today I'd go for the D7100 , if I had loads of money , I'd get the D4s and a Ferrari .


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## MartinCrabtree (Jun 21, 2014)

bpgoll said:


> I think about Nikon D3200, It had an old-ish 6 megapixel image sensor, when 10+ megapixel sensors were expected. Even so, many found it to be so good at what it did, there was hardly a better camera with just enough features.
> View attachment 77202


HEY!!! The D3200 has a 24MP sensor.


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## Solarflare (Jul 1, 2014)

I will never understand people who obsess over the Nikon D4s ... this is a working horse for journalists and wedding photographers who still want to make photos under the worst conditions, need insane amounts of frames per second to get the right shot for the news, and need their camera to be extra reliable too.

For an amateur, this camera is just unnecessarily large and heavy, and its image quality (in good enough light, anyway) is actually WORSE than that of the D810 and D610.


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## greybeard (Jul 1, 2014)

Solarflare said:


> I will never understand people who obsess over the Nikon D4s ... this is a working horse for journalists and wedding photographers who still want to make photos under the worst conditions, need insane amounts of frames per second to get the right shot for the news, and need their camera to be extra reliable too.
> 
> For an amateur, this camera is just unnecessarily large and heavy, and its image quality (in good enough light, anyway) is actually WORSE than that of the D810 and D610.


Because they see professional photographers using them.


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## ibrahimbeno (Jul 1, 2014)

*be careful before take the final decision*, [wrong decision mean wrong investment and a bad photography experience.]
for beginners i always suggest Nikon D3200 because it's :
simple to use.
have a Guide mode made by pro photographer for help you to take pictures in different situation.
low price; => you can invest in Bag and lenses and memory card and guide like (nikon D3200 for dummies # 1 best seller guide )
large sensor and more pixel 24.2 and same processor chip as the expansive D800, this make Nikon D3200 provide great image quality.
and more features, please see this article (is nikon D3200 the best DSLR camera for beginners ?) it will show you exactly what to choose between *Nikon D3XXX *series / *D5XXX*  / *D7XXX* and *Canon cameras under 700$, depending on your budget limit and experience level.*


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