Recommendation on Getting into Photography

Hey all. I have been climbing for a little under year and loving it. I have been documenting all of my climbing trips with a pretty old point and shoot camera that leaves a lot to be desired. I am looking at getting into photography and buying a dslr camera, the issue is I only have about $1000 to work with.

I have done some research on the camera, and the nikon d3300/d5200 seems like solid cameras for getting into photography (though I am open to recommendations). The issue I am having is finding a lens that will work for me. From what I have read most people seem to recommend a 80-200mm lens as the general do it all lens, but these lens are way out of my price range. Another consideration is that I plan to bring this camera backpacking (providing that I find a solid weather proof case) so weight and size is another large consideration with the lens.

Is there a camera set up body+lens that will be suitable to capture quality climbing pictures for under $1000? Nikon d5200 has an option to get a 18-140mm VR lens for around $900... is that a good option? I will also be photographing scenery on backpacking trips, family events, etc so I would also like to a lens that could handle these as well. Any insight and recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Maybe check out mirrorless cameras if you have concerns regarding size and weight.

thewirecutter.com/?s=mirror…

I have a panasonic GF1 m4/3 camera. I love it. It is light and compact enough to go in a custom designed and hand sewn chest pouch so I can get it out at a moments notice.

I use it for ski photography, landscape, and travel.

You will need a few lenses, I love to 40-150. It is light and cheap. the 12-50 is also very nice. I think the combo of them will do what you want. Buy the lenses on sale.

If you are willing to have a body that is out of date, check this out: getolympus.com/us/en/outlet…

If you try hard you can find each of those lenses for just over 100 each. So that is 100 for the body... a great deal and a great place to start. Then get better lenses and upgrade the body later.

BTW, I shot almost all the photos here: www.coloradobackyard.com with my GF1

I would try and get the best glass I could and get whatever body I could afford with what $ is left. With your budget you're not going to get exceptional lenses in the telephoto range, but you can get something to get started.

An 18-140 or 18-200 lens is a great do everything size. If I could only have one lens i would pick one of those, probably the 18-200.

That said, I have the 18-200, but lenses I almost always have mounted are my 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/1.8. Which are much faster and have better image quality (contrast and sharpness). But I'm primarily doing portraits of my family these days

There's a tamron 70-300 which looks pretty nice and has good reviews, goes about $450, but you can find a $100 rebate on it. bhphotovideo.com/c/product/… Maybe pair that up with a kit with the standard 18-55 lens?

I'd second the recommendations for considering a mirrorless/micro 4/3rds camera and lens setup if your primary focus is documenting climbing trips and climbs that you're personally climbing. It's no fun to carry around a DSLR body and 18-200mm lens on a route and you'll likely find yourself less inclined to carry a big camera. But if you're looking to go out and shoot more images of other climbers climbing, a full DSLR setup could be a bit better.

I have an older Nikon DSLR (D90) that I use when going out specifically to shoot other climbers climbing. My primary lens for this is a Nikon 18-200mm lens. I find that a great range to have despite the fact the lens is relatively slow.

But when going out to climb for myself and document the climb, I never lug the DSLR and opt for a high-end point and shoot or mirrorless camera.

+1 on an m4/3 setup.

I ditched my nikon dslr over a year ago for an olympus m4/3 and haven't missed it once. Light so you can carry it anywhere and quality glass is half the price of what you would pay on a dslr.

While there's a lot to like about the m4/3 format, for equivalent image quality at the same price point, they do not beat DSLRs. Of course. that may not matter much, there's a point where the quality is good enough, and m4/3 is certainly more than good enough. And m4/3 is a lot smaller system. The lenses, however, when converted into equivalent aperture, is more expensive than your average Canon/Nikon/Sony SLR systems. Mirrorless systems also tend not to perform focus tracking nearly as well as DSLRs, though they typically AF better in video.

Thanks everyone for the quick response! There is a lot of great information here. I am still leaning towards the D5200/ 18-140mm as a decent place to start, but until today I have not considered the a mirrorless camera. I want to do some research on the micro 4/3 since a lot of people have recommended it before I jump to any conclusions.

I had a 55-200 for my nikon d5000, but it fell out of my crash pad while bouldering in Lincoln Woods and I lost it. It's okay though, because I find that 80% of the time, I prefer having the fixed 35mm lens anyway. It's lighter, the 1.8 f-stop is nice, and half the time at the top belay you can't see your second until they are pretty close anyway.

I have no experience with mirrorless cameras, maybe they're the way to go?

Canon is what I shoot, mostly because it fits in my hands way better than Nikon, and I feel the important adjustments are easier to get at with Canon. the Internet's advice won't explain that difference, you have to go in a shop. Understand that for 1000$ you won't get full format, so landscape is going to be a bit harder due to the crop. If I had to pick two lenses, it'd be tamron's 10-22 and canon's 18-135, at least for what you are talking about shooting. FWIW, I love my Canon Rebel XS for backpacking. Mix that with a 10-22 and an 18-55, you should be under a grand.

Just Got into photography about 6 months ago defiantly go Mirrorless I have a sony NEX and love it. Light compact and loaded with all the features of a dslr whats not to love

I would build your arsenal with the fastest glass you can afford, 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8, 24mm f/1.8 etc.
Get a used or refurbished body and upgrade if the photography bug strikes you. I've gone through 5 bodies over 10 years while still using the same glass.