Thoughts On Nikon D3200 vs Canon 100D?

Jony27 · 15 May 2015 at 14:54

Hi all, Im thinking of starting photography and getting my first entry DSLR.

I've taken an interest in the two after a quick search on beginners DSLRs.

Photos will mostly consist of city/landscape/nature shots.

Budget of £300 for the body+lens.

Im just wondering if I go for the Nikon, would I be better buying the body on it's own and getting a different lens, this will give me £80 to play with for a different lens?

Thanks.

EDIT: After more research, I found out about WEX and have gotten more options.

I could either get a Refurbished D3300 + kit lens, or a refurbished D3200 + Nikon 18-105mm.

Both the above combination will be the same price at £300.

Another option is a refurbished Pentax K-50?

Could probably push the budget up for a D5200 + kit lens if the hike in price is worth it.

As it stands. the Canon 100D is out and Im torn between the D330 + kit lens combo and a D3200 body + Nikon 18-105mm lens.

squerble · 16 May 2015 at 07:23

I have no experience with the Canon, but have a D3200 (just bought a D7200 too...). Fantastic first camera and will last you a while. There's not a lot of difference between the two bodies - the main ones are that the D3300 has a slightly newer processor, giving a little better ISO performance; and the removal of the OLPF which should produce slightly sharper images, although this may not be very noticeable unless you're zooming in 100% on every picture.

I think in this case the 18-105 will give you a nice little extra range, but considering you want to city/landscape shots, most of them will probably be taken at the wider (18-35mm) end of the lens anyway.

When you say nature, do you mean wildlife, or just general scenery shots?

Phal · 16 May 2015 at 09:02

The 100D isn't really meant to be an equivalent anyway so comparing them was a bit pointless

100d is just there if you want something small

Jony27 · 16 May 2015 at 12:11

Thank you for getting back.

At this point I have pretty much scraped the idea of the 100D.

So you think I would be better off with a D3200 and saving my cash?

And yeah, by nature I mean scenery shots.

There's also the option of getting a twin kit lens with the D3200 which are 18-55mm and 55-200mm.

Also any experience with Portus digital?

I take it they're grey imports?

jono_astra · 16 May 2015 at 12:25

Jony27 · 16 May 2015 at 12:42

Thanks, I think Ill be going with the D3300 body, I know that if I don't, it'll hunt me for a while not paying the difference of £25 between the D3200.
As for the lens, I'll be getting the 18-105mm, it should hopefully give me a good range of focal points just in case I move on from scenery.
Thanks guys.

Jony27 · 16 May 2015 at 15:03

Just placed an order for the D3300 body at PortusDigital for a total of £235.
Have a used Nikkor 18-105mm lined up at £95.
Also put in an order for a Transcend UltimaProX 64GB memory card.
Everything should hopefully be here for next week just after my exams

squerble · 17 May 2015 at 22:45

You won't regret it! The below picture was taken with D3200 and kit lens - if you forgive the bad framing, I think the quality is very good for a "basic" DSLR.

DSC_0201 by instasquink, on Flickr

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 17 May 2015 at 22:50

A mate has a refurbished D3300 and it is not a bad camera at all. If you can afford the D5200 it does have much better AF though which is worth considering and if you intend to do things like attach the camera to a telescope,the D3000 series is not supported by the more popular control software.

Regarding the K50 it has a Pentaprism and is weatherproofed. The Pentaprism is much brighter than a Pentamirror and the viewfinder has a higher viewpoint which makes it better for people wearing glasses. The AF is closer to the D5200 than it is to the D3300 and the camera even has an AA battery adaptor which you can get.

There is also a difference in the sensors. The 24MP sensor in the D3300/D5200 does not have an OLPF which means in better light it will tend to do have more detail,whereas the K50 has a sensor which is similar to the one in the D7000 which means it will be better in low light. My mates D3300 is noisier than a D7000 if you intend to whack up the ISO ratings. Every camera or compact which has used the Sony 16MP APS-C sensor has been great in low light.

Jony27 · 17 May 2015 at 23:00

Thanks for the replies guys.
Im really excited about it!

Squerble, if you dont mind, what focal length was used for the picture?

And CAT, I have already ordered the D3300 and lens.
Thanks for the feedback though.

squerble · 17 May 2015 at 23:03

It's at 18mm on the 18-55mm kit lens, hence the face being disproportionately bigger in the photo.

If you scroll down on Flickr, you'll get body + lens details on most photos, including focal length, shutter speed and ISO etc.

CAT-THE-FIFTH · 17 May 2015 at 23:19

Its not a bad body - in good light with a decent lens you can get some really nice shots with it.

The 18-105MM is quite a sharp lens and can be picked up relatively cheaply secondhand and he uses it as his standard lens.

Jony27 · 17 May 2015 at 23:36

Thanks both.

Yeah, that's my plan for now, using the 18-105 as my starting lens.

It was either that or a 35mm prime, but ended up with the zoom lens.

squerble · 18 May 2015 at 00:06

Definitely add the 35mm f/1.8 to your arsenal when you can. Cracking little lens for the price, and really, really sharp (this is with the new D7200 body - zoom in for full effect):

DSC_0328 by instasquink, on Flickr

Jony27 · 18 May 2015 at 00:30

That's what I plan on doing when funds allow.

Already went over budget by £60 so, it might be after summer till I can get one.

Qdos · 22 May 2015 at 13:42

So has it arrived yet? Been looking at picking up a starter DSLR and I've plumped for the D3300, would be interested to see what you think of it.

Jony27 · 22 May 2015 at 14:20

Well, technically yes both the lens and body have arrived but they're not in the same household

Had to get the body delivered to my parents and it'll be with me on Monday, will let you know when I have it to test with.