There is a possibility that I might be helped financially to replace my Nikon Coolpix L310 camera and I have been looking, for several weeks now, at the d3300/ d3400/d5300/d5400 series Nikon cameras.
Currently, and as far as I can tell for the future, I do not have a smartphone or compatible mobile phone that I would want to synch to a camera, any camera. Apart from any other reason, wireless communication helps drain batteries and ties the camera into a function that might interfere with a possible photo shot!
Taking that into consideration I ruled out the d5000 series although I did quite like the idea of the flexible display on the 5400! However having been a repair tech for several decades and noticed how flexible cabling always eventually breaks, I have decided to vie away from the idea .. perhaps get a mirror at 45 degrees instead to take those low level shots!
The idea of the d3400 which has improved battery life (1200 shots against 700) .. I certainly wouldn't get it because of the bluetooth function for transferring photo's to a phone or PC .. was interesting until I read a review suggesting that it had problems with white balance .. and compared shots of two "white" pictures .. the one from the d3400 had a definite blue tint to it ..
The biggest Problem that I have is understanding what lenses to get to go with the d3300 body
I have been looking to see what is available, what is being sold in kits, what some photographers are recommending and why ... until I think I have found myself rejecting all but a few pieces of glass .. of which I have just rejected yet another because the 55-200mm I was thinking of doesn't give me such a large image on the d3300 sensor as it does on my L310 Sensor .. which I already know is much smaller than the d3300 from webpages I have visited.
I have read that the 18-300mm VR is a worthy lens to own .. whilst I was also thinking that possibly two lenses might be better an 18-55mm & and a 70-300mm both with VR. I have rejected the idea of a 55-200mm after comparing my L310's ability to capture the moon at full analog zoom and using the extra x4 digital zoom. The L310 filled the screen with more content at 4320*3240 analog only zoom than a crop from a 24MP picture at the same analysis.
Photo of Full Moon taken at full analog zoom with tripod using the L310 (4320*3240) no crops no editing
Photo taken using d3300 with 55-200mm at 200mm (6000x4000) no crops no editing
Cropped to 4320*3240
Photo of Full Moon taken at full analog + x4 digital zoom with tripod using the L310 (4320*3240) no crops no editing
So here I am confused as to what lens or lenses I should get to go with the d3300 that will allow me to "mimic" the L310 but have a better quality image out of the camera ... I have noticed that there is a certain quality of definition missing from my photo's on many occasions .. a crispness or missing sharpness that I believe is part due to the fact that the glass I am using is not of the best quality and partly due to a lack of image resolution, possibly due to compression to jpg or the fact that I am not taking photo's in RAW mode.
Sorry to have been so long winded ..
and as a parting shot .. the L310 also takes damn good shots at Macro level at about 1cm from the lens .. I would like to keep that ability although I could always, for the time being, carry the L310 around with me too!
Currently, and as far as I can tell for the future, I do not have a smartphone or compatible mobile phone that I would want to synch to a camera, any camera. Apart from any other reason, wireless communication helps drain batteries and ties the camera into a function that might interfere with a possible photo shot!
Taking that into consideration I ruled out the d5000 series although I did quite like the idea of the flexible display on the 5400! However having been a repair tech for several decades and noticed how flexible cabling always eventually breaks, I have decided to vie away from the idea .. perhaps get a mirror at 45 degrees instead to take those low level shots!
The idea of the d3400 which has improved battery life (1200 shots against 700) .. I certainly wouldn't get it because of the bluetooth function for transferring photo's to a phone or PC .. was interesting until I read a review suggesting that it had problems with white balance .. and compared shots of two "white" pictures .. the one from the d3400 had a definite blue tint to it ..
The biggest Problem that I have is understanding what lenses to get to go with the d3300 body
I have been looking to see what is available, what is being sold in kits, what some photographers are recommending and why ... until I think I have found myself rejecting all but a few pieces of glass .. of which I have just rejected yet another because the 55-200mm I was thinking of doesn't give me such a large image on the d3300 sensor as it does on my L310 Sensor .. which I already know is much smaller than the d3300 from webpages I have visited.
I have read that the 18-300mm VR is a worthy lens to own .. whilst I was also thinking that possibly two lenses might be better an 18-55mm & and a 70-300mm both with VR. I have rejected the idea of a 55-200mm after comparing my L310's ability to capture the moon at full analog zoom and using the extra x4 digital zoom. The L310 filled the screen with more content at 4320*3240 analog only zoom than a crop from a 24MP picture at the same analysis.
Photo of Full Moon taken at full analog zoom with tripod using the L310 (4320*3240) no crops no editing
Photo taken using d3300 with 55-200mm at 200mm (6000x4000) no crops no editing
Cropped to 4320*3240
Photo of Full Moon taken at full analog + x4 digital zoom with tripod using the L310 (4320*3240) no crops no editing
So here I am confused as to what lens or lenses I should get to go with the d3300 that will allow me to "mimic" the L310 but have a better quality image out of the camera ... I have noticed that there is a certain quality of definition missing from my photo's on many occasions .. a crispness or missing sharpness that I believe is part due to the fact that the glass I am using is not of the best quality and partly due to a lack of image resolution, possibly due to compression to jpg or the fact that I am not taking photo's in RAW mode.
Sorry to have been so long winded ..
and as a parting shot .. the L310 also takes damn good shots at Macro level at about 1cm from the lens .. I would like to keep that ability although I could always, for the time being, carry the L310 around with me too!