First from the faq, let me answer the standard questions, then describe my situation to you all =)
Budget
* Around $400, but I am flexable.
Size
* Size does not matter to me at all.
Features
* How many megapixels will suffice for you? Does not matter to me. I will not be cropping images or taking far away shots.
* What optical zoom will you need? None, however standard might be a nice option in case I need it in the future.
* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10). 8 or 9.
Do you care for manual exposure modes (shutter priority, aperture priority, manual)? I do not know how to manually do anything on a camera. I’ve never owned a camera other than my smartphone one. lol
General Usage
* What will you generally use the camera for? youtube videos and photos of my girlfriend for lookbook.nu (photos of her wearing different outfits).
* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? no prints.
* Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? yes.
* Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? perhaps. not a huge deciding factor though. I would be fine without being able to take action photos.
Miscellaneous
Are there particular brands you like or hate? nope.
Are there particular models you already have in mind? I’ve looked at a few, but dont know which is right.
(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD). I dont know. I dont think I need any special features.
Let me just state this up front and honestly as I can.
I am absolutely new at photography. I am not really even interested in learning. I more or less want good results easily. I dont currently own a camera. I dont know what I am looking for besides good pictures and good video =)
My girlfriend and I want to upload videos to youtube and we want to take pictures of her.
I dont have a budget, but I am not sure I would notice or appreciate the extra features or quality that anything outside of an entry level camera would give me, say around $400, but I am flexible.
I’ve seen some reviews on d3100, A3000, and t3i, but they often dont really mention how they are at video, so I am concerned if I spent $300-500 on one of these that I would have to turn around and spend a few more hundred on a camera for video.
I’ve seen that the d3200 takes decent video. However it’s $100 more than the d3100. Is there a noticeable difference in the video quality? Should I go with the sony A3000 because it’s cheap and easy to use? Do any of these cameras do good videos? Am I even looking in the right direction?? Help!!!
I just want someone to tell me which camera is
• easy to use
• has an entry level price
• takes good pictures and videos
and for a few other people to agree with their suggestion. I absolutely do not want subpar quality pictures or videos. I dont want a cheapo $100 camera like quality. I want something close to entry level professional quality.
Thank you for your time