Can someone help me choose?

[Meister]

I hate to get another software subscription right now, but the standalone lightroom is a lot too.

I understand. The Adobe Cloud subscription bugs me, too. I like to own the software and I am forced to pay for Ps, which I barely use and could as well replace with Pixelmator for cheaper. Also Adobe gets you sorta dependent on their cloud.
Nevertheless your editing program is one of the most important aspects of photography. Nikon raws give incredible options for post production. Without the right app you are really missing out.

 

[Apple fanboy]

There is really no point to transfer a whole raw file to an iOS device.

I recommend you get some other app than iPhoto. Maybe look into the adobe Ps and Lr subscription. It also comes with Lr for iOS. It then syncs copies to your iOS device for editing.

2nd this. Lightroom is due for a refresh though, so I would hold off buying the version 5. No issue with subscription version of course.

 

[Traverse]

I understand. The Adobe Cloud subscription bugs me, too. I like to own the software and I am forced to pay for Ps, which I barely use and could as well replace with Pixelmator for cheaper. Also Adobe gets you sorta dependent on their cloud.
Nevertheless your editing program is one of the most important aspects of photography. Nikon raws give incredible options for post production. Without the right app you are really missing out.

2nd this. Lightroom is due for a refresh though, so I would hold off buying the version 5. No issue with subscription version of course.

You know, it's those little expenses that drain your money! Reviewing my past 6 month of bills I realized I'm spending $20-30 a month at Subway on my campus! That's unacceptable!

I could cut that out, but the subscription and STILL come out better!! Before I do that however, I want to make sure: you two think Lightroom is well worth the money? Can I still sync elected photos to the stock iOS Photos app without the lightroom app? I only use iOS devices to show off pictures.

 

[Meister]

You know, it's those little expenses that drain your money! Reviewing my past 6 month of bills I realized I'm spending $20-30 a month at Subway on my campus! That's unacceptable!

I could cut that out, but the subscription and STILL come out better!! Before I do that however, I want to make sure: you two think Lightroom is well worth the money? Can I still sync elected photos to the stock iOS Photos app without the lightroom app? I only use iOS devices to show off pictures.

I would not consider 20-30$ Per month for food a lot of money.
Of course you can export from lightroom to jpeg and then sync to iOS photos. You can do this on Lr ond Lr mobile.

 

[Traverse]

I would not consider 20-30$ Per month for food a lot of money.
Of course you can export from lightroom to jpeg and then sync to iOS photos. You can do this on Lr ond Lr mobile.

For a few sandwiches it is. I love them, but I can cheaper if I just have soup or something at home.

Could you use Lightroom as you main editor and organizer and just export them as jpeg to iPhoto for synching with iOS? I assume you can directly synch lightroom through iTunes.

 

[Meister]

For a few sandwiches it is. I love them, but I can cheaper if I just have soup or something at home.

Could you use Lightroom as you main editor and organizer and just export them as jpeg to iPhoto for synching with iOS? I assume you can directly synch lightroom through iTunes.

I export them for syncing. Lr does not sync through iTunes. It syncs through the adobe cloud.

 

[Traverse]

I export them for syncing. Lr does not sync through iTunes. It syncs through the adobe cloud.

Export to iPhoto I assume. *sigh* more space taken up. I need to get another external drive, my current one is used for TM backups.

 

[Apple fanboy]

If you get bitten by the photography bug, the one thing your going to need is storage!

 

[monokakata]

I suggest that instead of using A mode, you use P mode.

P is just as automatic in the sense that you don't have to make decisions about exposure. But with the flick of a finger on the control wheel, you can easily see the differences between high and low shutter speeds, wide and small apertures.

In the old days when all we had were exposure meters (shutter speed and aperture were manual) we were, in effect, using P mode all the time. The meter got the exposure right, then we would decide what shutter speed and aperture pair was appropriate for the shot.

Make friends with P early on. You'll be glad you did.

And I recommend Lightroom. It has just about every tool you'll need. Working with RAW just requires one more step, and you take that step only when you need to export a JPG.

True, there's a new version coming sometime. But now -- as you're getting used to a new kind of camera -- I think is the best time to get used to a new workflow.

 

[Meister]

Export to iPhoto I assume. *sigh* more space taken up. I need to get another external drive, my current one is used for TM backups.

I wouldn't do that. Make a library in Lr that auto-syncs to Lr mobile.

 

[Destroysall]

I hate to get another software subscription right now, but the standalone lightroom is a lot too.

Why not go for Adobe Photoshop Elements? It's a software you can own and is only $100. You may not use it, but it has the same basic features of Lightroom.

 

[Traverse]

Why not go for Adobe Photoshop Elements? It's a software you can own and is only $100. You may not use it, but it has the same basic features of Lightroom.

I haven't heard good things from people that use it.

----------

I wouldn't do that. Make a library in Lr that auto-syncs to Lr mobile.

So you avoid the stock iOS photos app all together?

 

[Apple fanboy]

I haven't heard good things from people that use it.

----------



So you avoid the stock iOS photos app all together?

That would be my recommendation.

 

[Hughmac]

Tip

As someone who relies on glasses to see anything, I have removed the rubber eyecup from my Nikon(s) and slid the adjuster right to the top.

I can now focus much more easily through the viewfinder and still keep my glasses on.

Enjoy your new camera!

Cheers

Hugh

 

[Traverse]

I understand.

Do I have to install the included software to transfer my pictures over the included USB cable? I can get them off and into my photo editing software by physically inserting the SD Card, but if I connect via the cable I they don't detect each other. The instructions say to install the software, but I didn't really want to.

 

[robgendreau]

Adobe does have good educational discounts; not sure if they're still available for standalone LR though. There are several types, so check carefully. The academic price for the whole CC subscription (basically most of Adobe's stuff) is really killer. If you need it.

 

[Traverse]

Also, it is okay to keep my photo folders within the Lightroom Folder in Users/Pictures?

 

[Meister]

Do I have to install the included software to transfer my pictures over the included USB cable? I can get them off and into my photo editing software by physically inserting the SD Card, but if I connect via the cable I they don't detect each other. The instructions say to install the software, but I didn't really want to.

I don't own a D3300, but with my D610 I can tether and transfer the files directly with the USB cable into Lr.

 

[monokakata]

I can download from my D810 via LR, but OS X has never been able to see the D810 (or the D800 before it) as a drive, either USB2 or USB3.

Because I like to put my image files in certain places, and also rename them while I'm doing it, I always use Nikon Transfer 2. You can set it to rename, to transfer to a backup on another disk, and so on. There's no need to use that other Nikon package they give you -- I forget what it is, but you don't need it.

Transfer2, though, is very handy.

 

[Policar]

The Olympus OM cameras have better ISO performance than some DSLRs and faster AF. Not to mention the lens selection outside of manufacture lenses is phenomenal. The Sony A7 cameras have FF sensors that outperform a lot of DSLR sensors and have become primary cameras for some photographers. Of course, the price is a lot more than the OP is looking for. Video viewfinders do have their upsides, like having WYSIWYG shooting. You have to rely on the light meter in a DSLR where you can physically see the setting changes made and how they affect the exposure with a video viewfinder.

Boring. Tuned out as soon as I read specs and sensor analysis (says whom?). Specs will all be better next year anyway.

dSLRs will have better metering, focus, and finders (and lens selection and compatibility)... and will for many, many years. As for the sensor, who cares... they're all good enough to print big and post to Facebook and if you meter so badly or have such bad taste as to use tone mapping that you need endless gobs of DR then that's just your own damned fault. The Canon sensors are fine, even if others are still better, and the Nikon sensors are pretty darned great, too. I know Canon measures badly for color, but the colors on Canon cameras always seem great to me. They are noisy a bit, though, sure. So is film.

If you like it, though, cool! My video camera is mirrorless and I like it just fine. Nothing wrong with digging mirrorless. Secretly I want a Fuji X100T pretty bad. Or an M9 monochrome with a Summicron Apo... and really nothing else. Ooh and a Mamiya 7 (also mirrorless).

But it took a lot of zooms and dSLRs and fooling around to realize I dig 35mm and 50mm more than other focal lengths. And a lot more fooling around to realize that sometimes I need to pull out that 200mm f2 even if the nifty fifty usually lives on my 5D III.

In some respects mirrorless are more "advanced" cameras for those who know just what they want. But otherwise, they're compromises, and I don't have the money (yet) to spend on a compromise. Cool if you do.

 

[VI™]

Boring. Tuned out as soon as I read specs and sensor analysis (says whom?). Specs will all be better next year anyway.

dSLRs will have better metering, focus, and finders (and lens selection and compatibility)... and will for many, many years. As for the sensor, who cares... they're all good enough to print big and post to Facebook and if you meter so badly or have such bad taste as to use tone mapping that you need endless gobs of DR then that's just your own damned fault. The Canon sensors are fine, even if others are still better, and the Nikon sensors are pretty darned great, too. I know Canon measures badly for color, but the colors on Canon cameras always seem great to me. They are noisy a bit, though, sure. So is film.

If you like it, though, cool! My video camera is mirrorless and I like it just fine. Nothing wrong with digging mirrorless. Secretly I want a Fuji X100T pretty bad. Or an M9 monochrome with a Summicron Apo... and really nothing else. Ooh and a Mamiya 7 (also mirrorless).

But it took a lot of zooms and dSLRs and fooling around to realize I dig 35mm and 50mm more than other focal lengths. And a lot more fooling around to realize that sometimes I need to pull out that 200mm f2 even if the nifty fifty usually lives on my 5D III.

In some respects mirrorless are more "advanced" cameras for those who know just what they want. But otherwise, they're compromises, and I don't have the money (yet) to spend on a compromise. Cool if you do.

And sometimes a DSLR is a compromise. Not everyone wants to lug around a 30+lb bag of cameras and lenses. And I'm not sure what your DR comment has to do with my post, but even so it's a useful tool. Relying on gobs of DR means you can shoot a scene without lugging around lighting equipment so you can have a properly exposed bright noon sky and subject. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to lounge around until sun rise or sunset to shoot a scene.

 

[ChrisA]

Thank you all for the replies. Now I just have to decide between the D3300 or a second hand one. I'm not big on refurbished or used electronic devices, but I suppose factory refurbished is good.

If you buy a new camera, the next day you will have a used camera. It becomes "used" as soon as you open eh box.

SLRs are quality built and u can expect one that is may years old to still work just fine.

What LENS will you buy? The lens matters more than the SLR body. In fact it makes little difference if you get a D3300 or something else. They all wok more or less the same. This is NOT true about lenses they are very different from each other.

What happens is you buy a Nikon SLR. Then a lens, then another lens then some day you want to upgrade the body. Because of your investment in Nikon lenses you will have to buy a Nikon body. So pick a brand carefully. It is hard to switch later

 

[Policar]

And sometimes a DSLR is a compromise. Not everyone wants to lug around a 30+lb bag of cameras and lenses. And I'm not sure what your DR comment has to do with my post, but even so it's a useful tool. Relying on gobs of DR means you can shoot a scene without lugging around lighting equipment so you can have a properly exposed bright noon sky and subject. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to lounge around until sun rise or sunset to shoot a scene.

Yeah but then you tone map and it looks like **** every time. If you're not waiting on the best light, you'd better have a good reason why. Also, bascially any normal exterior scene can be capture with the DR in any dSLR with a competent exposure. The only decent lanscape photographers I know shoot 4x5 slides, which gives you 4-5 stops of dynamic range and AMAZING rich images, you just need to wait on light and not fall back on bad technique. Of course, extra DR can't hurt, it just leads to a lazy mentality like yours where you expose wrong or "fix" bad lighting in post.

That aside:

I agree dSLRs have downsides for sure. (Though my favored combination, 5D III with 50mm f1.8 is hardly 30lbs.) I'd love to have an X100T or Leica M3. But I know it would always be secondary to a dSLR, and I think a dSLR is a way better learning tool than mirrorless, at least until the mirrorless systems evolve to match dSLR-level flexibility. I also can't stand EVF finders, even for video they bug me compared with a nice ground glass on an SRII or Panavision.

But there's cool mirrorless stuff too. A7S looks a blast for video, and I shoot video on a mirrorless system currently and it beats the pants of my dSLR for that.

Just woudldn't recommend a mirrorless camera in this case. dSLRs are great learning systems, the most versatile thing going, and have the best and most secure system that you can grown into.

 

[VI™]

Yeah but then you tone map and it looks like **** every time. If you're not waiting on the best light, you'd better have a good reason why. Also, bascially any normal exterior scene can be capture with the DR in any dSLR with a competent exposure. The only decent lanscape photographers I know shoot 4x5 slides, which gives you 4-5 stops of dynamic range and AMAZING rich images, you just need to wait on light and not fall back on bad technique. Of course, extra DR can't hurt, it just leads to a lazy mentality like yours where you expose wrong or "fix" bad lighting in post.

So being paid to shoot when a client needs you there at a certain time leads to a lazy mentality like mine? Weddings, magazines, portrait sessions, etc... when you're working on a client's schedule and they can't all wait until just after dawn or just before dusk?

You know, not everyone is a landscape photographer and it certainly doesn't make you lazy if you're shooting on a client's time instead of your own.

I've seen examples of wedding photographers shooting outside in bright sun that give you a choice: overexpose the sky and light the sunject, underexpose the subject and light the sky, or go pull out the big strobes, modifiers, and batteries and make your subjects wait even though you're on a time crunch. The reason I invested in the D750 is after seeing photographers properly expose the sky and underexpose the subject just to push the shadows in post to get a properly exposed sky and subject and no one uses tone mapping. The camera is that good. It's another tool that allows you to land amazing photos and that is being creative, not being lazy. Having the tools and not using them is lazy. Delivering photos to clients that are mediocre is lazy.

These look ****?:
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2949/15415572896_71ca78e586_c.jpg
http://www.slrlounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/32-Nikon-D810-Review-Images.jpg

 

[shaunp]

Go for the D3300 and get a 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 Lens. Yes it's more expensive than the point and shoot, but it will teach you a lot more about photography. You don't need any more kit than this to begin with (other than a spare battery and memory cards).

If you later decide that it's not for you the DSLR will hold it's value much better than a point and shoot ever will and good lenses have very little depreciation. If on the other hand you decide to keep it you will have a setup that will last you a long while and will be capable of capturing great photos.