IPhone X has probably the nicest camera you need for your purposes. Plus it can do all the other stuff a stand alone camera cannot.
John

Something like Olympus TG-5 might fit the bill. It's not as "good" as a DSLR but a step up from a phone, and has some fun features like microscope mode for macro shooting. Cheap relative to a DSLR setup, and built to take being dropped all day long.

My girlfriend just got a Canon Rebel T6 this past week, and after taking just a couple photos with it, i’m blown away. And I’ve been spoiled with a 5d Mark 2, with L series glass, and the rebel with a kit lens amazes me. Seems to be built very well, though i’m not sure if it’s young/teenage boy tough ;)

Somehow I haven’t destroyed any camera equipment yet 🤷🏼‍♂️

We just went out in the mountains today and shot a little so if she send me any pictures I’ll post some of hers and some of mine and compare them.

Also, a T6 on sale is half the price of an iPhone X ;)

I always had she's but the camera I always had with me was a rx100 which is amazing

Right now I'm tossing around the idea of a mirrorless Canon M10, mostly because it can use my other lenses. Also toying with the idea of KAP photography right now rather than following the drone crowd.

I have a DSLR camera. I still take shitty photos.

A friend of mine has an iPhone 5C. His photos are better than mine.

It’s not the camera. It’s the person taking them.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Over the past 30+ years my experience with cameras ranges from slr, dslr, point and shoot, mirror less, and phones.

My latest camera is waterproof to 100 feet, can be dropped from 7 feet and is freeze-proof. Takes great pics as a point and shoot, is easy to use, has become the camera I have with me, and is just about idiot-proof. So far mine has taken underwater videos to evaluate swim stroke, has proven apple-pie proof, been to a tri where I took pics out in the water during warm-up, and beach sand-proof.

Nikon aw 130, I purchased as a refurb from Nikon, $300.

https://www.nikonusa.com/...130-refurbished.html

Funny, that’s exactly what the gf is doing next month, grabbing the 1.8 (:

I “learned”/“taught myself” photography with a 50 f/1.8 on a 30d. And now that I think of it I was a 13 year old boy (: but I love that combo. A beginner isn’t going to care about full frame vs crop sensor, or having iso 128,000 (: a simple sale like that (or the more recent equivalent) or the rebel are awesome.

My most commonly used lens right now is a 24-70 2.8, and while I love it to death, the 50 1.4 is probably one of my favorite lenses I’ve ever used. Portraits turn out awesome, I’ve just got to be careful if i’m shooting at 1.4 because if my subject is turned at an angle at all one eye can be in focus and the other out of focus 😂

This (and I am saying it because I shoot professionally and may/may not be the best)

Have you thought about mirrorless? If you have the coin, I would seriously consider looking at Sony's A7-series. It pains me to recommend anything other than Canon, but Sony is several steps ahead when it comes to the mirrorless camera market.

It's sounds like you think you want a camera, but in reality you don't need one. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy a camera, but having that stuff adds cost and complexity.

The phone cameras are pretty good right now and can do a few things even the best cameras can't do. The thing you have to ask yourself is what you need a camera for? If it's just portraits and landscapes, a high end phone camera is pretty good these days.

I was thinking the A7 too. My gf is waiting for Canon to come out with mirror less for her use. But, some of the underwater photos I've seen with A7 are great, and cost wise to Nikon or Canon, it's no debate.

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Gnothi Seauton.

mirrorless and an intro to photography course or something similar. the camera is really just a tool. it's more about composition and luck/timing. also, buying cheap lenses is...buying cheap lenses (for a DSLR). i bought a couple of cheap lenses with my first "real" camera purchase (D7000) and i regret spending very little money because the lens quality differences are definitely noticeable.

yes, very fair. my nifty fifty is solid, but the sigma 70-300 for $300 or whatever it was has some glaring weaknesses.

It's sounds like you think you want a camera, but in reality you don't need one.

I'm not a professional photographer so no I don't *need* one. I also don't think I want a camera I know I want one. If money was a non issue I would not have posted this and would have looked up a high end camera, high level of lenses and other goods and clicked "Add to cart". The question is if it makes sense to have and spend the money on one and how much and what should I get if anything at all.

The thing you have to ask yourself is what you need a camera for?

I would guess,

1) Different lenses
2) Filters
3) More settings and more stuff to experiment with.

Personally I'm not interested and running out and taking point and shoot pictures all that much. I'm more interested in exploring what can be done with cool toys. OTOH my wife would be more interested in point and click. I think my kid would be somewhere in between.

~Matt

High end cell phones have two lenses now, that covers a pretty good range unless you want ultra wide / fisheye or super zoom.

Filters aren't used that much anymore unless you need a polarizer or neutral density. A lot of the 'filtery' effects can be done in post with software.

Like I said before, cell phones can do some things that other cameras cannot. So settings wise it's a wash these days.

The big advantage of a cell camera is that it is almost always with you. You can also share instantly and edit your photos without having to connect to your computer.

Apple/Samsung/Google are hiring the best engineers away from the camera companies. They have much deeper pockets than the camera companies which are struggling. So the technology has advanced at a much more rapid pace.

All that being said, it's hard to beat the laws of physics. There is only so much you can cram into a tiny package.

the d7200 was discontinued for the d7500

there is not much space btwn them

this a really good price for a really good camera with very good lenses

your wife can shoot off the back of the camera as a "point and shoot"

it may take your son until college to master the capabilities

I have been dealing with Adorma for a long time, very reliable

https://www.adorama.com/inkd7200k2.html

It's not available just yet, and it'll be a bit pricey, but at least take a look at the highly innovative Light camera. It's unlike everything else out there, and just might fit the varying desires within your family.

https://light.co/camera

carrying around a DSLR gets old in a hurry. I have a couple that never get used anymore.

If I want "artsy" photos, I'll break out the film SLR and some B&W film, and develop it myself.

The only time my DSLR gets used is for Christmas / Thanksgiving dinner photos.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I can understand why people feel this way, but I personally haven’t hit that (yet) (:

I’ll carry a 5d with a battery pack/grip and a substantial lens all day. If i’m going for comfort I’ll take off the grip and use a 50mm.

The gfs rebel with kit lens I mentioned early makes mine seem like an anchor. So really they aren’t all that bad in my opinion. I’ve only been shooting for 7 or 8 years though, so I can’t say what the future will hold 🤷🏼‍♂️

Try looking at the mirrorless cameras by brands such as Olympus, Fuji or Sony. I'm partial to Fuji and this is a really good price point.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/...era_w_xc16_50mm.html

Of course you can go up from there depending on what features you are looking for and the type of lens you're looking at.