Camera Recommendation for 2014: A Review Of My Top Pick

Summarizing today's post: My recommendation for a starter DSLR camera, Christmas gift ideas, & enhancing your photography skills.

With Thanksgiving behind us, we are officially into the Christmas season. Indeed! Hard to believe it's here already. We now have a little more than three weeks to prepare our gifts for our loved ones. Have you decided what YOU want for Christmas this year?

With that in mind, I wanted to give you my camera recommendation for 2014. My top-pick for a starter DSLR camera. If by reading my blog over the past year you have been inspired to start picking up your camera a bit more, and you are ready to make the jump from a point-and-shoot camera, this review will interest you. You might even forward it to Santa. Or, you might know someone who wants to take their photography to the next level.

I have decided to limit my pick to the Nikon family, mainly because I feel they have the best camera system in general. I have been shooting with a Nikon camera for almost 7 years now (see more here), and have been very pleased.

Nikon D3100 (Image courtesy of Amazon.com)

My recommendation for the first-time DSLR user, is the Nikon D3100 camera system. Released in 2010, it is a tried and true model with excellent reviews. It can be purchased from Amazon or from many other online retailers for under $400 with the 18-55mm Nikkor lens (which is truly remarkable).

Nikon D3100 top view (Image courtesy of Amazon.com)

I use Amazon for a lot of my purchases, but also I use it to read reviews about items, gadgets, gear...you name it. You can get all the info on the D3100 that you would ever need (including 3rd party reviews) by clicking here. This link will carry you straight to the Amazon page detailing out the features and benefits. 

I will list the highlights that I think are important here:

• Modest 14.2 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor
• 3 inch LCD display on the back with liveview
• Ability to shoot at 12800 ISO (good in low-light situations)
• 11 point autofocus shooting system
• Built in pop-up flash
• EXPEED 2 image processing system
• Active D-lighting for in-camera image touch up
• Can shoot up to 3 frames per second for great action shots
• HD video capability (in my opinion this is a novelty, but still nice to have)

A DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera is much different your point-and-shoot compact. The main difference is the ability to expand. The most noticeable feature is that you can use multiple lens...a priceless option. Also, the fact that there is almost zero shutter lag (when you press the shutter button, the picture is taken right then) is wonderful. You can only get this with a true DSLR camera.

The most important 2 features (while not exclusive to this model) are this: 

• The ability to put the camera in manual mode, and
• With the camera's hotshoe, you can start to dive into the world of off-camera lighting

There are plenty of other very good cameras out there...hundreds of good choices in fact. I selected this one for it's ease of use and low cost for first-time DSLR camera enthusiasts. It is a powerful machine for the price. (You can even find refurbished models on Amazon or eBay in the $200-300 range...just incredible.) 

One thing to note about a DSLR. It is NOT a pocket camera. This the only disadvantage I can think of. So keep your old point-and-shoot for casual snapshot usage if you step up to this type of camera system. The reliable compact camera is great for birthday parties and hiking trips (and whenever space is a priority).

The whole purpose of moving up to a camera system such as the Nikon D3100, is to take your photography skills up a notch and to let your creativity explode. As with any hobby, you have to put the time into it to enhance your skills. It's not all about the toys and gear. 

If you find a camera this Christmas that you are considering buying for someone else (or one you are considering asking Santa for yourself!), feel free to contact me and I will give you my honest opinion about it. Find my contact form here: brantthompson.com/contact

I hope this has been a helpful review to you guys. Let me know if you all have any questions.

Wish everyone has a wonderful Christmas season!

Thanks for reading,

Brant

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Beautiful Fall: Our Favorite Season

Summarizing today's post: Using your photography skills to capture this beautiful fall season, peace and contentment, & carrying your camera with you always.

shot at 48mm, ISO 200, f/4.5, 1/320th of a sec, ambient light only, morning sun

Nothing comes close to the beauty of the fall season. We look forward to it every year, and this year has been especially nice. The exquisite colors produced by the vast amount of trees in our area have been prolonged by several weeks of mild weather. Other years I remember the season being cut short by an early frost or a period of heavy rains (which knocks the brittle leaves off their branches).

shot at 150mm, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/250th of a sec, ambient light only, morning sun, WB set to shade

There have been so many opportunities to take photographs of the beautiful foliage around central and eastern NC. It has been hard to know what to shoot, and when to shoot it, honestly. There are times that a camera doesn't do the scene justice. When those times come about, it is best to simply take a "mental snapshot" and just enjoy the moment (more on that here).

I preach all the time to my readers that if they...YOU...will learn to use that dormant camera of yours and shoot things that naturally bring you happiness, cool things will happen. Such as? Your level of peace and contentment rise. And in such a busy life today, we need all the little nuggets of peace we can get. Amen? Yes.

On that note, today I thought I'd share a sample of the photos I have taken over the past few weeks. These are images that have made me happy, and that have brought me peace and contentment.

shot at 75mm, ISO 400, f/5, 1/800th of a sec, ambient light only, afternoon sun

The two best times to photograph anything outdoors (if you have your choice) is either early morning or late in the day. When the sun is low on the horizon, you'll get the best results, every time.

The first two images at the top of the page were shot early in the morning just after the sun had peaked over the treeline at our home. Notice in the second photo, you'll see the steam rising off the roof as the early morning sun starts to warm things up a bit. Nice little effect. 

shot at 24mm, ISO 400, f/11, 1/25th of a second, ambient light only

These last 2 photographs were shot late in the day as the sun was setting. I literally had to pull over on the side of the road while driving one Sunday afternoon to "take in" the beauty of the treeline. And since I had my camera with me--of course--I was able to capture what I saw. [Read the Camerawith! Challenge here for more on taking your camera with you all the time.] 

I certainly hope that you have taken the time to appreciate the beauty in nature with the fall season this year. If not, there's still a little time left. Take a drive down a long stretch of highway this weekend. Bring your camera and give yourself a little extra time. Test your photography skills a bit and just play. 

When you get home, you just may find that you have increased your level of peace and contentment...if only ever-so-slightly. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great Friday!

Brant
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Happiness In The Little Things

Summarizing today's post : Finding happiness in the little things, family time, capturing these awesome little experiences with your photography skills, & some photo tips for outdoor shooting.

shot at 32mm, ISO 200, f/11, 1/250th of a second, on-camera fill balanced with ambient light

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to go on a quick little picnic. It was a gorgeous 65-degree day with hardly any clouds in the sky. We took advantage of the opportunity and headed down to the "Town Commons" in Greenville, NC.

shot at 36mm, ISO 200, f/11, 1/250th of a second, on-camera fill balanced with ambient light

When we arrived, we immediately headed down to the water's edge (Tar River) and found a nice spot to spread out our blanket. Since we had a stiff breeze coming out of the north, we situated ourselves so that we were mostly in the sun. Nice and comfy. 

I, of course, had my camera with me hoping that we might see some early fall colors, but none to be found just yet. That's okay because I had a couple of models right ready to pose for me :) 

I put my camera to good use and captured our fun day. Talk about happiness in the simple things... nothing could be simpler than a picnic, yet it turned out to be so much fun. 

shot at 70mm, ISO 200, f/8, 1/320th of a second, ambient light only

I have touched on taking photos in fun-on sun before (see here) and I utilized some of these same techniques here. In the 2 images at top I added a little on-camera fill lighting from my flash to lighten the shadows across Pinky and Gavin's faces. Nothing fancy, just something to balance the ambient light.

shot at 18mm, ISO 200, f/8, 1/250th of a second, on-camera fill balanced with ambient light

My sweet Pinky had to grab the camera and play a little herself, as she couldn't stand for me not to be in some of the shots. She did an awesome job in capturing Little Bud and I horse-playing a bit, don't you think? I think this photo of Gavin's expression is the best of all, so natural and not forced. 

It was such a fun and priceless day. Simple and inexpensive fun with the family.

When was the last time you went on a picnic? You ought to try it as we still have some nice fall days left before heading into the winter months. Carry your camera of course and capture YOUR happiness along the way.

Thanks for reading and have a nice Friday!

Brant
     
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New Website: BrantThompson.com

Summarizing today's post: The introduction of the new website and defining my purpose.

Happy Friday!

This is a quick post to let my readers know that from this point forward I will be linking to my blog thru my new website, which is found HERE.

To say the least, this site is a work in progress. It is sufficient, however, to allow you to see it and for me not be too embarrassed over it. I doubt I will ever be completely satisfied with it, but that is just how I am!

Go check it out and see what you think. Browse around my About page (found HERE) and let me know if you see any typos. On this page you will find that I am defining my purpose for what I am doing here.

I trust my readers to let me know what you think. If you have any recommendations, let me know! 

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Brant

Photo Tip Monday: Changing Perspective

Summarizing today's post: Photo tips and tricks, changing your position/angle as photographer, & giving a new perspective. 

shot at 18mm, ISO 200, f/8, 1/250th of a sec, ambient light only

I hope everyone had a nice and safe Halloween and a wonderful weekend that followed. Its so hard to believe that it is November already...Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. Then Christmas! Wow. Time is flying by, and 2014 will be in the history books before long. Mercy. 

I want fall to hold on a little longer. My wife and I love this time of year when the leaves are bright and colorful. May it stay a while before wintertime hits.

Okay, today is Monday, and that means I have a quick photo tip for you! Let's talk about changing perspective. 

On a recent trip to the park a couple weeks ago, I went out with the camera in hopes of catching a few leaves turning colors. I was a bit too early, the foliage was mostly still green. Dang it. I wasn't going to NOT shoot something tho. [If you have read my post on the Camerawith! Challenge, you'll know why (see here). In short...when you bring along your camera, you will look for things to photograph!]

There was a beautiful little cedar tree in the corner of the park that interested me. Instead of photographing it head-on, I decided to change my perspective and walk underneath it and shoot looking straight up. With the sun shining thru its needles, it turned out to be a pretty interesting shot. I thought I'd share it with you. Technically speaking, it is not correctly exposed (its a little too dark and contrasty), but I like it. It would look nice on a canvas as more of an artsy piece, what do you think?

Photographing head-on would have yielded just an everyday looking tree. Especially since the sun was directly overhead almost (never the best time to take an outdoor shot).

Sometimes it's just about changing your camera position and your perspective. 

Don't be scared to lay on your back under a tree and try this sometime. You'll be amazed at what you can produce. Play with your shutter speed if you have a DSLR camera to get different results. Even if you have a point-and-shoot camera, you can still have a fun time. 

Just go play.

Thanks for reading and have a great Monday!

Brant

Wow, look at you...you made it all the way thru my post! I really appreciate you as a reader. Don't forget to register your email for automatic updates up at the top. Please pass this blog post on to your friends using the Tweet, Facebook, and Google+ buttons. That would be awesome.