I upgraded to a Canon 5D Mark IV about a year ago and like it a lot.

My favorite photography is outdoor/landscape and wildlife photography. I specifically enjoy the fall and winter seasons the most and like to combine photography with some type of activity; I went dog sledding and as part of the trip, took tons of pics of dogs, scenery, etc. That type of stuff.

I've done a little portrait work, but not a lot.

My wife takes a shit ton of pictures with her Canon 5D- mostly nature and outdoors photography, but also portraits and sports.

But even with a great camera you may have to photoshop depending on the look you are seeking. Check out Brian Peterson's books or classes if you want to get serious.

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Suffer Well.

I'm sure there are pros on here but I'll give our story.


Wife just got a Nikon D7500. This was an upgrade from her 3100. The best thing she did was go to a camera store and spend an hour talking to a salesman. She already has two lenses and the salesman pretty much said her lenses were better than what her camera could do so her best bet was to upgrade the body.

The other important thing to do is sign up for a class, whether its online, at a community college or whatever. No sense in buying a $1,500 camera if you have no idea how to use it.

Shots are mostly of our kids.

Editing to add: Nice part is a local camera store might sell used DSLRs. Her Nikon 3100 used was something like $150 in the store. I think many people try to get into it and give up or eventually upgrade.

Our Canon digital SLR is the go-to camera for proper photography - outdoor, portrait, art. I still have a nice Nikon 35mm SLR but that one ain't getting much use lately (35mm film - ain't nobody got time for that)

I also have a Panasonic LUMIX 'point-n-shoot' that is my go-to camera for snap-shots. This goes in my pocket when we travel places I don't want to lug my big bag. I took it to Disney World, Family trip to DC, or if my daughter and friends dress up in goofy costumes and want it recorded.

The GoPro Hero 5 Black that is for sports stuff and my teen kids to use. We take it skiing, the beach or the 'Obstacle Course' races.

And lastly my cell phone is my on-my-hip camera - always available to snap. It takes decent photos for day-to-day use.

If you are only gonna have one camera.... and price was no object, then get the Nikon Z6 ($2.5k)
...otherwise decide if you prefer the compactness/ease of a small mirrorless package like Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III ($350)
....or a bigger DSLR for fine photography like the Nikon D3500 ($400)

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Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's

I (currently) use a Canon EOS Rebel T6i (an APS-C size sensor) with a couple of different lenses and with two different telescopes, for general photography and astrophotography. The best bang-for-my-buck improvement for the latter would be to get a fullframe sensor body like a D5 or D6 (in the Canon brand), and then mod it for extended spectrum. But, if you're just getting started, then a mid to high end APS-C based camera will go a long way. Nikon, Canon, Sony and lots of others have good offerings in the $500 to $2000 range that will come with different lenses.

The advice to take a community college course is spot on. If you're lucky they will allow you to rent/borrow equipment that otherwise would be inaccessible or impractical to buy. You should get a solid grounding in techniques and technology from it.

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Less is more.

I use the Fuji X system and love it due to its light weight and an assortment of excellent lens. I would add a tripod for landscape photography and a good photo editing software - lightroom/ps/etc.

I used to shoot Nikon but was tired of hauling heavy gear to some of my favorite hiking trails.

You got me to check and I can’t believe my Nikon D-90 is 10 years old. I don’t use it a lot because the IPhone is so handy. But I have also been taking a bunch of pictures with my DJI Phantom 3 drone. Interesting landscapes with the drone, but more work to get pictures.

Get a good tripod to go with your camera if you want good pictures. Sister gave me an inexpensive one when I started and it only held up for a couple months.

I second the comment about reading Bryan Peterson’s books. Understanding Exposure is my favorite.

Nikon d5600. Use it all the time. It’s lowlight capability is unbelievable.

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Taco cat spelled backwards is....taco cat.

I use Nikon Coolpix L830, had it for 3 yrs or so for $ 150. It is a great all around camera and, I dare to say, unless you are a professional, it will meet most of your needs. I have taken great photos with it, up close


Far away


somewhere in between


Low light


Normal light


It does lack night capabilities except the fireworks mode but with very few times I never really missed that. It is a huge waste of money if you buy a camera loaded with features that you will never use. I also don't like to fuss too much with setups, changing lenses etc. Had I had to do all those I would have never taken lots of photos that needed immediate click. Buy whatever you think you will need and make sure the shop has a good return policy, mine had 3 months. Then go out and take photos in all kind of conditions, play with the camera and see if you need it.
Cheers

I have a couple of friends who take a LOT of pictures while out riding their bikes. They both use a Canon PowerShot Elph and end up with some great shots.

The idea of using those instead of a cell phone is that it's very small and "pocket-able), and if it's accidentally dropped while taking a pic while riding, they're only out ~$150 instead of a $500+ phone. With the optical zoom (8-10X, depending on the model), the picture quality is way better than any cell phone, and with WiFi built in, it's pretty simple to still upload the shots to social media.

Anyway...just a thought...

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Out of all the photography I do professionally (100% of my income is from photography), landscape is probably 1%-2%. That being said, as with any photography, investment should be made in lenses then a camera body followed by quality neutral density and circular polarizing filters (if you want to step up your landscape photography). It's hard to say what lens-camera system would be best for your needs - try renting or borrowing from a friend. If you go the Canon route, I can certainly provide support since I use only Canon bodies and lenses and am a Canon Professional Services member. I would also encourage you to watch YouTube videos and tutorials - FStoppers, Nigel Dansen and Thomas Heaton are ones that I follow.

In order of frequency of use...

iPhone X

Super wide pinhole.

Holga.

Cannon Powershot G12

Nikon F4

Sinar P2 4x5 studio view camera.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Don't over-complicate your life by over-studying, over-researching, reading tons of opinions, videos etc.

Have been at this for a very long time and do a little bit of many things. Life stopped at 1000th of a second is pretty amazing.

Coming off a cell phone it would be good to keep it simple. I read somewhere that cell phone pics look like cave drawings compared to what a dedicated camera can do. No argument from me.

The nikon p900 is a pretty amazing device. It zooms out to 2000 mm which will let you read license plates from well over a block away. It does great closeup and basic people stuff. It has internal vibration control that takes the operator jiggle out of pictures. It is really easy to use, just turn it on and go. It can be operated in various manual modes, but you can get to that later. No interchangeable lenses, it is self-contained. Nikon just came out with a p1000 that is 3000mm, a reach rivaling a telescope, for twice the cost of the p900.The p900 can be had for around $500. The p900 would be great for nature shots without high speed motion, or just about anything else you might want to do. It is not pocket size. A friend lent me his and I have been playing with it for the past week being most impressed with this do it all "bridge" camera. If you don't mind carrying around a camera almost as big as a dslr, this would fill the niche and give you an opportunity to learn some principles of photography while taking some great pictures.

My travel companion is a nikon w300. It can be dropped from 7 feet, can be frozen, and be taken 100 feet underwater. I put it on the bottom of the pool to video my swim stroke and take it out with me on swim warm-ups to record the triathlon setting from that perspective. It fits in the phone pocket in my running shorts, and have taken it trail running bringing it back covered with mud and sweat. I use it for family pictures and some nature shots. A really fun camera that takes great pictures that can be printed with beautiful results.

The nikon d7200 with a variety of lenses from macro to big telephoto otherwise gets the call.