starter for a noob

Hey folks,

Been wanting to get into photography for a while but haven't had the chance to buy a decent camera til now. I know there are a lot of options but I was hoping I could get some experienced folks to chime in on a good starter camera that isn't going to be over complex. I'm finishing up my truck build and will be mainly using the camera for wildlife, sunrise/sunsets and star pics while on trips.
What are some suggestions for cameras and lenses that I should look into and explore further?

Thanks,
Rick

 

Rick,

If you can, go to Costco and get one of their package camera deals that has the camera and two basic stock lenses ( Canon EOS SL2, Canon EOS Rebel T6,

$849 Nikon D3500 W/ AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Black

Nikon D3500, or Nikon D5600 ). Have a friend or family member with a membership take you if you don't have a membership yourself ( though it's worth it just for the Costco branded gas savings alone ). The total cost for the camera kit will be less than $800 and that camera will be versatile enough in that it will auto-photo what you need to the point of letting you control everything manually as you become more skilled. I started with the original Canon Rebel, quickly outgrew that to a Canon 70D, and then to the 80D when I accidentally killed the 70D computer by dropping it a few inches onto concrete. The 1k+ camera's are getting into professional or serious hobby photography/semi/pro level which you may find yourself at some point. There are affordable photo editing tools out there that will help in post editing and buy all means, learn how to shoot in RAW format. All of this said, all of the fancy camera gear and editing tools in the world can't change a crappy photo into a good photo. A good/great photo always start with you and composition. Get on youtube and search for beginning lessons for photographers and you'll be giving yourself a free education and be much happier with your photos.

 

Costco had a D3500 kit (24 megapixel, two lenses, two batteries, carrying case and more) for $499 a few days ago. I already have a D3300 or I would have jumped on it. Fairly complex, but can be operated simply. A great choice for a beginner IMO.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I appreciate the help. @Norsemanvike @azreb