Cameras for Nate

By Ferdinand Garrido

TOP featured a post a few days ago asking readers' advice on an inexpensive but capable used DSLR for a college student named Nate. Here's what TOP readers are recommending as a suitable workaday used DSLR for Nate (and other similarly situated aspiring pros). 

Top ten DSLRs for Nate recommended by TOP readers

Here's the breakout by brand:

 

Age: The top 10 recommended models range in age from 11 months (Pentax K30) to eight years (Canon 5D "classic"). Used examples in stock at KEH are available for as low as $245 for the Pentax K20D in "Bargain" condition up to $665 for the three-year-old and highly recommended Nikon D7000 in Ex+ condition.

All told, 54 DSLR models were recommended by 132 TOP readers who gave advice (only the first recommendation was tallied from commenters who gave multiple choices). Non-DSLRs were not tallied. DSLR models from the "Big Two" (Canons and Nikons) and Pentaxes accounted for 94% of the total. Their respective shares are shown in the following "bubble chart" of DSLRs recommended by at least two readers. The chart situates each model in terms of popularity (frequency of recommendation) on the vertical axis and age on the horizontal one:

 

All of the above charts were tabulated from data culled from this Google spreadsheet, which is a one-for-one tally of all comments to the post as of April 8th.

Sarge

Ferdinand Garrido is a TOP reader (and data mining specialist) from Manila in the Phillippines who comments using the handle "Sarge." He did a similar workup for me for the "out the door" camera responses that I'll publish soon. As for the verdict from the real Nate, I haven't heard yet, but he's read all the comments and received all the offers of free and bargain cameras. I'll let you know what he does as soon as I know.

Thanks to Sarge! —Ed.

Original contents copyright 2013 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

TOP links!

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Tim F: "Funny to think the Canon 5D is eight! That means I've averaged around 10 shots a day with it since it came out and I got one, and it is still going strong—haven't seen anything that is a compulsory upgrade yet."

Colin Work: "I find it interesting that the 'elderly' Canon 5D is still generating so much support—eight years! That's got to be 56 in film camera years. Groundbreaking camera at the time, and still going strong. But perhaps that was the last time Canon really had a 'must have' camera (for still photographers anyway). It was perhaps a wake-up call for Nikon, as they seem to have gone from strength to strength since then."

rnewman: "Sarge's analysis reinforces my opinion that there are a lot of good cameras out there, and Nate's choice isn't likely to be a drag on his development as a photographer. Different folks prefer different methods of operation, making one camera preferable to another. His first choice is unlikely to be his last, as skill and experience increase. One consideration is how he intends to use his photos. If his primary interest is in news, and his work will be seen primarily in newspapers and/or magazines, his best choice may be different than if he plans to do large gallery displays and wall installations. His cost constraints shouldn't be a factor, as good used cameras are available. Mike, please let us know what he decides."

Comments

[Jeremy]

I wonder if there is any statistical significance to Pentax's high % of recommends given it's low market position. This seems to correlate with most users experience with Pentax, that they tend to punch well above their weight.

[Ben Rosengart]

Nice work, Sarge!

[Patrick Perez]

Adding to the Pentax suggestion, apparently the Pentax K-01 may now be purchased new for $249 from Adorama. K5 IQ for the price of a 'bargain' used K30. Pretty tempting, though the handling of the K-01 may make it a non-starter for Nate.

Patrick

[SerrArris]

Argh! I am running under the 2% who recommended "other" cameras! But truth to be told: one can buy any camera of the recent years (ah, my roughly 10 cameras - do disposables count? - have an averaged age of 20 vears ;-) That's not what I mean by recent.) and make a good deal, usually. The thing with the two big brands is just that used lenses are (compared to Pentax and Olympus) so expensive...

Best regards,
Markus

P.S.: If in the original post you would have not explicitly asked for "sports and action" compatible, I would for sure have recommended a Rolleiflex. One camera for everything. Except sports and action.

[Patrick Dodds]

This post just goes to show how friendly and helpful the internet can be, reflecting the good that lies inside the human a lot of the time.

[matthew]

Golly....I cannot believe no suggestions for Fujifilm s3 or s5 pros? Especially for a budget first ¨get you feet wet¨ dslr.
Though many ¨pro´s¨ wrinkle their nose and sneer at them, they really can deliver fine results, and serve as a good learning platform. I´ve used them for many students. They were able to migrate their lenses straight over had they the Nikon bug bite.

Next year, I´ll be shifting to Sony and Panasonic for student dslr use (or go mirror-less as I´ve junked all my dslr stuff except to teach).
Anyway, just 1/2 of 1/10 cent worth! :-)!

[Ed]

I'm worried now.......the world agrees with my choice....need to see a psychiatrist now :-).

Greets, Ed.

[Svein-Frode]

Still use the Canon 5D as well. The last great camera that doesn't have over complicated features and video mode. Less is more, and apart from the constant dust problem on the 5D sensor, it is my favorite Canon digital. Light and with excellent image quality. Less is often more! Don't see myself upgrading unless Canon makes something as simple with a 30+ MP sensor in the future.

[Tom Kwas]

Very Interesting to me that Nikon controlled so much of the "pie". I can lay odds that in all my studio and professional travels, Canon far outsells DSLR's to both professional and amateur markets than anything Nikon makes. You can walk into almost any studio in America and see a full compliment of Canon gear; with a 5D Mk I, II, or III, being in primary, or at least secondary position. TOP seems to have quite an overstock in Nikon afficiandos.

This reminds me of that weird area where people model their buying assumptions based on advertising, similar to the 1970's camera advertising pitting Nikon against Canon for camera used by most professionals, giving the consumer the idea that professionals actually used 35mm in abundance, when in fact, most professionals, somewhere in the 80%+ category, actually didn't use 35mm at all! There must be a lot of TOPer's with vintage glass, or a history of using Nikon back in the day, to have the pie chart weighted that high in Nikon suggestions.

[Gaspar Heurtley]

If you buy a pro/semi-pro body (either new or used) there's no chance of going wrong.

A friend of mine (a Nikon shooter that made a great career in my country) said that when the digital revolution came along he chose Nikons for the ease of use.

Right after you got the glass, he says, the thing you must look at is user interface.

Right now, he's putting away his Nikons and flirting with m4/3, I'm afraid he's got crazy.

[Crabby Umbo]

To Gaspars point about user interface, I just did a lighting tech job for another photographer the other day, and he was a long term Canon user. He had to borrow a Nikon camera, because the cameras he usually rented were unavailable. He was quite surprised to find the Nikons far easier to manually focus because on all the lenses he borrowed, the focus ring was far closer to the camera body than the ring would be on Canon lenses. Even tho he's been using Canon since the dawn of digital, he's really contemplating those Nikons, just because of this one feature...

[Robbie Corrigan]

No K-5's mentioned?
I would have suggested one as I picked a slightly damaged 11 month old one up for £250 delivered a couple of weeks ago. Cost me £11 to fix the damage (cracked info screen on the top) so am still wandering around in a haze of "Did I actually pick it up so cheaply and with original boxes and accessories?" Still reckon it was a one off so would have been unfair to your result :)

[Erik]

I nearly skimmed past this post, but the memory it grabbed-

I once,, a few years ago thought about writing an article comparing the K20D with the 40D, both of them being at the time freshly "outdated" and both at about $500 used. I owned the K20D, then the 40D, each for about a year and a half. The verdict: the Canon is faster, The Pentax, otherwise, is "better." I still recommend it to people. I skip recommending the 40D in favor of the 50D.

The Nikons, somehow, just are not compatible with my brain. Perhaps too close-but-different with the Pentaxian controls I committed to memory. I'll bet they're great, though.