New to DSLR - D3200 VS SONY A58

[Annon2255]

I've been in the market for something similar. How do the D3200/D5100 compare to a Canon T3i? I see their sensors aren't as up to date as some other cameras. I'm not a big camera aficionado, I'm looking to buy a camera as a gift for my wife so I don't really understand the specs on these cameras a whole lot. We've had several friends who have used Canons in the past and I was leaning that way initially, but I keep finding nothing but good things about the Nikons. Can anyone provide any insight into the T3i vs. the D3200/D5100?

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Really no difference between them especially for a beginner. Don't get caught up in the megapixel nonsense. It's the difference between print a really HUGE picture and printing a huge picture.

I would buy whichever is cheapest out of those options for a beginner.

 

[Throckmorton]

Really no difference between them especially for a beginner. Don't get caught up in the megapixel nonsense. It's the difference between print a really HUGE picture and printing a huge picture.

I would buy whichever is cheapest out of those options for a beginner.

No, megapixels make a big diff for cropping too

 

[fralexandr]

I've been in the market for something similar. How do the D3200/D5100 compare to a Canon T3i? I see their sensors aren't as up to date as some other cameras. I'm not a big camera aficionado, I'm looking to buy a camera as a gift for my wife so I don't really understand the specs on these cameras a whole lot. We've had several friends who have used Canons in the past and I was leaning that way initially, but I keep finding nothing but good things about the Nikons. Can anyone provide any insight into the T3i vs. the D3200/D5100?

Do any of your friends still shoot Canon? If they still have gear and you or your wife are close enough with them (physically and socially) to borrow lenses and learn some photography, it's a good way to start out.

It's all about the glass .

 

[VulgarDisplay]

No, megapixels make a big diff for cropping too

If you need to crop more than 7 inches off your photo you have way bigger problems than megapixels.

 

[Throckmorton]

If you need to crop more than 7 inches off your photo you have way bigger problems than megapixels.

My photos don't come in inches. They're 4912 x 3264 pixels and often I'll crop an image that's 1/3 that in both dimensions, which is only about 1600x1000

 

[Tom]

If you need to crop more than 7 inches off your photo you have way bigger problems than megapixels.

What a ridiculous thing to say.

Remember never to zoom in Google maps any closer than country view, wouldn't want violate your crazy rule, would you ?

 

[Destiny]

The Canon may be a bit user friendly... plus she will have friends that can teach her since they are using Canon too...

 

[elitejp]

At the current stage of things its hard to recommend canon over Nikon. For the last few years Nikon and sony have both pulled away from Canon in the sensor arena. In real world usage what this means is that if you take a picture that is a bit on the darkside and if you post process it to get it brighter every Canon camera currently will start banding (the dark areas in the picture will begin to have stripe like red and other colors that go across the picture). The Nikon/sony sensors dont do this and allow for a much better looking picture. Dynamic range is also better with nikon. So I never understand why so many canon shooters want to defend Canon for a system thats lacking. In real world usage dynamic range is more than just shooting landscapes...its about shooting proms, weddings, balls and dances where you may have one person wearing a black suit and a another person wearing a white dress. Now your trying to shoot a picture where the color extremes require the most out of a sensor without losing detail....Nikons do it better. Finally the upgrade path of the system makes me recommend Nikon. For the last few years since ive been following both companies Nikon has consistently upgraded there camera bodies without gimping the features due to some previous higher end model. The only thing canon has done these last 5 years is throw in some bells and whistles without actually making any real improvement in stills. These are both good companies and i shoot Canon. I bought a 50d 5-6 years ago the first day it came out. At that time Canon was king but since then Ive seen no reason to upgrade do to the fact that there isnt any real improvement that would make me want to spend more money...till then its no big deal will just continue to upgrade glass. So the comment about megapixels is misleading in the previous post....what he says is correct....megapixels arent everything but I think (annon) didnt have a question about megapixels. That comment was more of a thread derail than anything else

 

[elitejp]

Really no difference between them especially for a beginner. Don't get caught up in the megapixel nonsense. It's the difference between print a really HUGE picture and printing a huge picture.

I would buy whichever is cheapest out of those options for a beginner.

I just wonder who prints anymore. People always use this example but I know very few people who print their pictures.....maybe its just my circle of friends.

 

[iGas]

At the current stage of things its hard to recommend canon over Nikon. For the last few years Nikon and sony have both pulled away from Canon in the sensor arena. In real world usage what this means is that if you take a picture that is a bit on the darkside and if you post process it to get it brighter every Canon camera currently will start banding (the dark areas in the picture will begin to have stripe like red and other colors that go across the picture). The Nikon/sony sensors dont do this and allow for a much better looking picture. Dynamic range is also better with nikon. So I never understand why so many canon shooters want to defend Canon for a system thats lacking. In real world usage dynamic range is more than just shooting landscapes...its about shooting proms, weddings, balls and dances where you may have one person wearing a black suit and a another person wearing a white dress. Now your trying to shoot a picture where the color extremes require the most out of a sensor without losing detail....Nikons do it better. Finally the upgrade path of the system makes me recommend Nikon. For the last few years since ive been following both companies Nikon has consistently upgraded there camera bodies without gimping the features due to some previous higher end model. The only thing canon has done these last 5 years is throw in some bells and whistles without actually making any real improvement in stills. These are both good companies and i shoot Canon. I bought a 50d 5-6 years ago the first day it came out. At that time Canon was king but since then Ive seen no reason to upgrade do to the fact that there isnt any real improvement that would make me want to spend more money...till then its no big deal will just continue to upgrade glass. So the comment about megapixels is misleading in the previous post....what he says is correct....megapixels arent everything but I think (annon) didnt have a question about megapixels. That comment was more of a thread derail than anything else

Not entirely true.

On paper and some DxOmark tests Nikon and Sony current crop of sensors are slightly ahead of Canon, but photography is much more than just sensor. IMHO, in real world performance both Canon and Nikon/Sony are pretty close in IQ wise. But, once you pick the right camera body, such as the 5D MkII, 5D MkIII, 6D, and 7D with Magic Lantern that add Dual ISO for dynamic range of 14 and RAW video quickly evaporate and perhaps surpassed any advantage that Nikon/Sony may have over Canon sensor.

http://vimeo.com/70459941

 

[Throckmorton]

Dual ISO?? Is that like HDR but with a single shot?

 

[Tom]

It's true. If you spend $2000 or more on a Canon body, and throw the warranty out the window by hacking it, it can take pictures close to as good as the $500 d3200 this thread is about.

 

[Annon2255]

Do any of your friends still shoot Canon? If they still have gear and you or your wife are close enough with them (physically and socially) to borrow lenses and learn some photography, it's a good way to start out.

It's all about the glass .

They've all moved away at this point, so we couldn't share lenses. =(

I guess I'll just look for the best deal. Any recommendations for some starter lenses?

 

[darth maul]

If you bought a Sony, good starter lens options are older Minolta ones. Like the constant aperture f4 70-210, and f4 35-70. Those two are the beer can and mini beer can lenses. Those two at a maximum will set you back by $175 total. Colors you can get from them are as they say legendary. Or if you have more to spend, there are several lens options with a constant aperture of 2.8. Again there is a Minolta/Konica lens that will get you with that wide of an aperture for $300-350 our there about, I think the lens is a 24-80mm. And if you just want to take ok pictures with a supper zoom range Tamron has two lenses you might want to look at, 18-200, or the better reviewed 18-270. $200 or $400.

My wife and I bought into the Sony camp couple years back with an a230. With cheap and very respectable lenes from Minolta I think it's a great system to buy into.

 

[iGas]

They've all moved away at this point, so we couldn't share lenses. =(

I guess I'll just look for the best deal. Any recommendations for some starter lenses?

IMHO, any used DSLR would make a good starter camera with an inexpensive used 50mm or standard/kit zoom. However, it will make you inclined to stay with a system even on used equipment if you spend $300-400 on a body + $500-600 on lenses, hence it make sense to stay with Canikon.

 

[iGas]

It's true. If you spend $2000 or more on a Canon body, and throw the warranty out the window by hacking it, it can take pictures close to as good as the $500 d3200 this thread is about.

Hacking to improve performance out of electronic may not bode well with some people, but for the majority of the people here at Anandtech are hackers/tinkers that like to talk about technology and squeeze every bit of performance out of our electronics especially CPU and graphic cards.

PS. The founder of this forum was once a proud member of TheBrotherHoodOfTheCPU where he learned how to overclock CPUs and gets motivation for creating Anandtech.

 

[shortylickens]

I've been in the market for something similar. How do the D3200/D5100 compare to a Canon T3i? I see their sensors aren't as up to date as some other cameras. I'm not a big camera aficionado, I'm looking to buy a camera as a gift for my wife so I don't really understand the specs on these cameras a whole lot. We've had several friends who have used Canons in the past and I was leaning that way initially, but I keep finding nothing but good things about the Nikons. Can anyone provide any insight into the T3i vs. the D3200/D5100?

I been researching all those cameras this past month.

Image quality is the same so far as the sensor is concerned, but I noticed that in the low-end selection Canons tend to have more manual controls on the body. That means better images when you finally learn how to operate it.

However the D3200 and 5100 have Active D-lighting, which improves image quality right in the camera and means one less step during post-processing.

But if you always shoot in RAW and always plan to manually tweak photos on the computer, then the special features of one camera over another wont matter much.

 

[Annon2255]

Thanks for all the help. Is there a good book out there that is really helpful for someone getting into the hobby? The camera is for my wife, who knows more about this stuff than me, but I'd like to learn to use it myself.

 

[shortylickens]

Thanks for all the help. Is there a good book out there that is really helpful for someone getting into the hobby? The camera is for my wife, who knows more about this stuff than me, but I'd like to learn to use it myself.

There are tons of books but I wouldnt spend the money.
Read some online articles for free.
"Noobs guide to photo" or something like that.

 

[Munky]

Sony has been behind Nikon and Canon in terms of image quality ever since their first DSLR attempt with the A100. Every time I compare sample photos, I see them lagging behind. Not to mention their smaller selection of lenses and accessories, and insistence on wacky UI - see the NEX series.

 

[Tom]

Hacking to improve performance out of electronic may not bode well with some people, but for the majority of the people here at Anandtech are hackers/tinkers that like to talk about technology and squeeze every bit of performance out of our electronics especially CPU and graphic cards.

PS. The founder of this forum was once a proud member of TheBrotherHoodOfTheCPU where he learned how to overclock CPUs and gets motivation for creating Anandtech.

hey, I would do it. My comment was more about the necessity ? for such an expensive camera, given what this topic started out about.

 

[gevorg]

Thanks for all the help. Is there a good book out there that is really helpful for someone getting into the hobby? The camera is for my wife, who knows more about this stuff than me, but I'd like to learn to use it myself.

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-.../dp/0817439390

 

[shaolin95]

Oh boy so much BS being spread here from the usual Canon Nikon elitists.....any noob reading this, please do yourself a favor and research on your own and dont buy all this BS nonsense coming from those guys. Consider them the Apple Zombies of the camera world.
Regards

 

[Syborg1211]

Oh boy so much BS being spread here from the usual Canon Nikon elitists.....any noob reading this, please do yourself a favor and research on your own and dont buy all this BS nonsense coming from those guys. Consider them the Apple Zombies of the camera world.
Regards

Perhaps instead of making a sweeping generalization claiming an entire thread is full of BS. How about you really help future readers by pointing out the "wrong" claims and backing them up with some real information?

Or here's another thought - don't revive old threads (especially ones where the OP already made a purchase) with a comment that is purely a troll with no substance?