DSLR for a newbie...

[Estate]

Having spent a while getting shots from the air using drones, I'm wanting to get into some basic ground-based photography with an entry level DSLR.

Reviews and reports online point in the direction of the Nikon D3400......does anyone have any experience of this particular camera?

Thanks

[singlecoil]

Neither Nikon nor any of the other makes are in the business of making bad cameras. It's all about matching your requirements and budget to the features and cost of the cameras under consideration. Working out what you want and need is the hardest part. Once you've done that the choice will be easy.

[eltawater]

Have a read here:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Tim2k9]

I was in the same situation 9 months ago and ended up going for a mirrorless instead as it fitted my needs a lot better. Just an option to consider.

[bakerstreet]

Don't discount a used camera from someone like mpb.com You could use the money saved on lenses and a decent bag. Also worth buying some UV filters just to protect the lens.

I already had an old bag and memory cards, but even the accessories still added up to quite a bit. You also find that camera bags can be quite personal things. I recently bought a Caden bag from Amazon which is much nicer to carry and its a bit faster to get the camera out the bag when compared to a more traditional bag. Limited storage for lenses though, but I find that I only really use the fixed 35 and the kit lens.

I've rambled a bit, but the 3400 will be fine. I bought a used 3100 and I'm perfectly happy with that. Later 3000 series cameras have a push button for the Live View and that looks to be a useful addition when compared to thumb slide switch for live view on the 3100.

[zedx19]

I picked up a Canon EOS 1200D a few years back, a budget, basic camera. I know nothing about photography, I have it set on auto in RAW format and it seems to take superb photos, much much better than any compact I've tried previous. It's about 3 years old now, used every weekend and I'm still impressed by it, even my wife knows how to use it and has managed to get some good shots of our boys.

[WolfieBot]

I've got a Canon 600D which I'm really happy with as a beginner. Only really started using it off full auto recently but it's definitely far outstripping my ability at the moment.

There's probably a newer version out now but would be fairly cheap second hand now I imagine. I was gifted it from the FIL when he upgraded recently.

[bakerstreet]

zedx19 said:

I picked up a Canon EOS 1200D a few years back, a budget, basic camera. I know nothing about photography, I have it set on auto in RAW format and it seems to take superb photos, much much better than any compact I've tried previous. It's about 3 years old now, used every weekend and I'm still impressed by it, even my wife knows how to use it and has managed to get some good shots of our boys.

Bit pointless buying a DSLR and using it in Auto. Be brave, head to YouTube and try aperture priority and shutter priority.