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matjam  ·  3210 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Is a DSLR necessary for leisure photography?

No. The best camera is the one you have.

So many people fall into the trap of buying a DSLR thinking they will improve their photos if only they had a better camera. I know this, because I've been buying DSLRs for over a decade and I'm the biggest sucker out there for shiny new camera gear. Yes, I took some great photos with my kit, and like all toys I loved them, but at the end of the day, my $2000 camera and $10000 worth of lenses really don't get used that much, while the crappy camera in my phone gets used every day.

Really the only thing that matters in a camera is that it has a reasonably flexible lens, and the sensor is good. That Nikon you have, has a good sensor - 16 megapixels and will go down to ISO100. The lens is not bad either with an f3.3-5.9, meaning that at fully wide, it is reasonably fast in low light. What else do you need? Better battery life? more choice in lenses? having a long lens is fun, but I can tell you that while the $2000 80-200 F2.8 Nikkor is a fucking beast of a lens, and worth every penny to someone, it didn't make me a better photographer. My girlfriend loved how well she looked through it though.

Look, if you have a chunk of cash burning a hole in your pocket, and you really really want to spend it on a camera, then a DSLR could be a nice toy to have. But don't fall into the idea that you can't take great, if not fantastic, photos with what you have. Your camera is not holding you back.

I've had 4 DSLRs and several expensive film cameras over the years. I've spent probably $10,000 on camera gear and lenses over that time. It didn't turn me into Ansel Adams. I took some nice pics with the kit. But I kinda wish I had the $10,000 now.