DSLR Camera - Is This a Good Kit?

[hornadylnl]

Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera 4 Lens Kit 18 55mm VR 70 300 mm 32GB Kit 018208254781 | eBay

Going up to the Upper Peninsula this year and planning on several road trips over the next 5 years out east and West. I currently have a point and shoot that does fine but I'd like to get something that I can zoom in a lot closer. IE, I don't want Mount Rushmore to be 1/4th of the frame. I don't want to identify a fly species at 1000 yards but I want to be able to get some good close ups. I'm thinking with 16mp, even if I can't zoom in as far as I want, I have enough quality that I can crop and get what I want.

I'm sure this camera has 10 times the features I'll ever want but I don't want a 5 model year old camera either. Thanks for any advice.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Even with 16Mp you still need good optics or all you'll get is a lot of fuzzy pixels. High Mp count is good for point and shoot, because it allows for sharper high ISO shots, after the camera processes the image.

6MP is all the more anyone ever needs if you have the right glass for the shot. That will allow you to print a poster sized image without pixalation. Large objective lenses will allow more light into the sensor, which is what gives you a nice clear shot.

I think you will be blown away by the color and clarity of your shots with that 5100 if all you've ever used is a point and shoot.

 

[Indy-Mike]

The camera and the 18-55 lens is fine. The other lens, the 70-300 is not auto focus. (Note: AF not supported by D40 D40x D60 D3000 D3100 D3200 D5000 D5100 and D5200 cameras - only manual focus)

The two screw on lenses will do more harm then good for image quality. And the rest of the accessories are pretty cheap added to make the package look like your getting a lot.

Also, make sure your getting a US warranty, many of the online retailers use grey-market products that will not have a warrenty in the US. Your manual may not come in English as well.

 

[hornadylnl]

May last SLR was a Pentax K1000 if that gives you guys any ideas of my camera expertise.

I found a couple other kits and wonder if the lenses are of better quality.
TheDigitalPros.com - Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera Package 13
TheDigitalPros.com - Nikon D5100 Digital SLR Camera Package 14

I like the idea of the Tamron lense as it looks like 1 lense would do everything I'd need it to do.

 

[hornadylnl]

Are there any reputable online shops you guys recommend?

 

[x10]

Good kits my 2 cents for outdoor photography from 1 hour before dusk to dark you will find that the lower F stop the better pictures you will get, But the F stop is one of the things that is costly,

I tried the kit lenses with VR is still not a substitute for F stop,

Best to get the kit and start shooting and if your getting fuzzy pics start looking at the camera settings

the Nikon 5100 is a good camera it is a Consumer quality and will take great pics but you still need to get the light to the sensor, and that's all Lens,


Photography is a complete Hobby/passion/profession that is every bit as complicated and simple as shooting,

Start here

Strobist: Lighting 101

and come back to us

 

[nipprdog]

Are there any reputable online shops you guys recommend?

B&H Photo is the best.

 

[SERparacord]

Are there any reputable online shops you guys recommend?

Roberts in Indy, you can even talk to them on line.
Nikon

 

[ATOMonkey]

Roberts in Indy, you can even talk to them on line.
Nikon

I'll 2nd this.

 

[ATOMonkey]

If you aren't too hung up on AF, then you can get really good deals on very nice used lenses.

Just something to think about.

 

[hornadylnl]

If you aren't too hung up on AF, then you can get really good deals on very nice used lenses.

Just something to think about.

Kind of leery of going used on this unless it came from a good shop and it's been serviced. I'd hate to spend a lot and it be full of dust or scratched.

As of now, I don't have any intentions of making a hobby of it but if I'm going to get something, I want something pretty decent.

I'd like to keep it at $800 or under. I did a quick search for reviews on the site for the last 2 links I posted and they weren't good at all. I'll steer clear of them.

 

[Snapdragon]

I've done some business with Beach Camera and found that they were helpful and had good prices. BeachCamera.com - Trusted Retailer of Cameras and Electronics since 1983

That being said, I don't know if you will beat the price of the package you posted.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I'd get the body and 18-55 lens and as little else as possible, then pick things up as you want them. Some years back I got a D90 that way. It came with a decent bag, then I picked my other stuff. Extra battery packs, tripods, that kind of thing. The 18-55 should serve you well, then I got one of those Tamron lenses with an insane zoom range, but it does autofocus. Pretty much the only one I use. Keep in mind, the focal lengths are standardized to 35mm film; depending on the size of your image sensor the effective focal lengths will vary. Probably not important to you, though, just geeking out here.

 

[bobzilla]

I've been running my D3000 for a few years. great, durable body and takes great pics with a good lens. Takes better pics than the photog using it should eve be able to do. The 5100 is just an updated, larger version.

 

[philbert001]

You can't go wrong with Nikon body and Nikkor lenses. A 55-200 would be a good do-all lens for your purpose.

BTW, don't be scared of an older model nikon! I still run my Nikon D1-X and it's pushing 14 years old! Back when they still built em like tanks! 5mp, but takes better photos than the high dollar high mp point and shoots! As was said up thread, the glass is more important than the mp count!

 

[hornadylnl]

I found this kit on ebay that has a Nikon 55-300mm lens with auto focus.
Nikon D5100 SLR Camera 4 Lens 18 55 55 300mm Flash 16GB Kit Much More 18208885138 | eBay
Any kits with a single lens are in the $500 range and I don't think I can add that lens for the same money. Kits with just the 18-55 and 55-300 lenses are only about $50 less than this kit with all the extras. I realize the extras aren't much but I do want a case, tripod, memory card, and the remote would be nice.

How do you guys carry your cameras while on trips? When going west, I don't plan on doing a lot of hiking but I don't think I'd want a shoulder bag. Thinking a backpack to hold the camera with mounted lens, extra lens, and a tripod would be great.

 

[indykid]

Been a Nikon fan for over 40 years, taken literally millions of pictures with them as a free-lance photographer. Although I am not familiar with the D5100, I recently added a D3200 to the kit and am very happy with it. Price is in line with what you are looking at, but of course not all the add-ons in the ebay ad. Contrary to what was written above, mine does have full autofocus ability.

We need to be careful when talking about pixel count, because unless the image sensor is large enough, 24mp really isn't possible without software messaging it. When I see an Iphone bragging about an amazing pixel count and unreal zoom, then look at the actual 10mm focal length and try to figure out if the image sensor is visible to the naked eye, versus a true DSLR with true focal length and a good CMOS sensor which can pack all those pixels properly, I wonder how good the pictures are from that little phone/computer/camera.

Unless things have changed, about the only thing I have against Nikon is that they don't maintain parts for their cameras after 4 years, which is when you are most likely to have problems.

I have been playing with the D3200 for a while now and have to say if I was to design a camera for every day use as well as light commercial use, this would be it. With a nice longer range zoom in addition to the wide angle to normal view zoom, plus the super high pixel count on a top rated censor, you can really enjoy some nice photos when you have to enlarge and crop them due to long distances shot.

Thankfully the D3200 is available at many locations, not just camera shops, so you should be able to find a place like Target or Walmart to look at one if a Roberts is not near you. Granted having someone who knows about cameras showing it to you is a big plus, but that is not always the possible.

 

[Mark 1911]

Generally speaking, a 70-200 zoom should suffice for most of the shots you will be taking from wider angle landscapes to closer in wildlife and would make a great primary lens. As stated above, I would put more money into the optics than the number of megapixels. A 10mp camera with high quality lens will take far nicer pics than a higher mp camera with a lesser quality lens. Camera's have advanced so rapidly that you can easily get a really good deal on ebay on a slightly used Nikon or Canon DSLR body. My strong suggestion, spend less on the camera body, more on the lens, and then get yourself an extra lens or two if you can. Lens quality is the #1 factor. If you're taking a lot of landscapes, you may want to get another lens with a wider angle than your primary lens. If you're taking a lot of wildlife shots, get a longer length telephoto or zoom.

 

[hornadylnl]

I knew there were threads here about DSLR's and did a search but the ones I saw were about a year old. I figured enough had changed so I wanted some fresh opinions. In those threads, the only names I saw mentioned were Nikon and Canon and there were a few posters who had a D5100 and loved it so I figured I'd go that route. Don't want to get the minimum camera to do what I need but don't want to overkill either.

What kind of lenses should I be looking at that are better quality than the Nikkor 18-55mm and 55-300mm? I'm not opposed to spending more on better glass but don't want to spend double the money for a 5-10% gain either. Is Tamron a good quality lens? On the 18-270mm macro, am I giving something up by being able to get that much zoom with such a short bodied lens?

 

[melensdad]

Just to throw you a curve ball, I gave up on DSLR cameras.

I've gone to a different class, that offers a more compact size, but still a quality image and interchangeable lenses.

You may want to consider the MIRRORLESS cameras. They offer a lot of advantages. I bought one a year or two ago, so they now have more features and even better quality. I'm sure it was a better choice for me than replacing my older DSLR.

Here are a couple to consider, there are many more to consider too:
Fujifilm X-E2 Review: Digital Photography Review
Olympus PEN E-P5 Review: Digital Photography Review
Fujifilm X-E2 Review: Digital Photography Review