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Some of the compactless mirrorless are as good as or better than the low-end DSLRs but you pay a significant premium for it.
I'd say that a D5300 would be better than the RX100. The sensor is bigger, it's got an optical viewfinder (trying to use a screen for pictures is tough, particularly in the bright sun), it has interchangable lens so you can get a good zoom or a wide angle, focusing is much easier and faster.
I have a D3200 (base level Nikon) and it takes great pictures. I've spent a decent amount (compared to just buying a compact, not much compared to what you can spend) on lenses ranging from about £125 for a 35mm prime to £350 for a zoom which you'll probably end up doing with a DSLR at some point.
I also own a Sony Nex 5 which is a compact(ish). Also takes very good pictures, actually has the same size sensor as the DSLR, but isn't quite as easy to use. The pictures aren't quite as good which may be partly down to lens quality.
They'll all take great pictures. If you're happy to lug a DSLR around that will probably get you most bang for your buck and best in the way of upgrade options (loads of secondhand lens, etc).
It can be a faff to carry them round though which is the bonus of the compact ones. If you want to go that route I'd look at something like the Sony A6000 (or A5000 for the older model). Has a lot of the benefits of a DSLR like bigger sensor size, viewfinder, interchangable lens, etc and sizewise sits in between the two extremes.
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aggi
Once again I’m in need of forum guidance but this time camera related; what’s the current forum best-buy camera up to £500?
My girlfriend & I both quite fancy getting a DSLR – we’ve got a few friends that have them & the picture quality does just seem better than everything else we see. We’ve been to some really beautiful places recently & all our photos are crap quality (we’ve both only got smart phones atm) so we want something that’ll last a good few years & take nice pictures.
My internet research has drawn me towards the Nikon D5300 w/18-55 lens kit that’s selling for about 440 on Amazon etc… As it’s a brand I’ve heard of & looks like what I’d expect to be getting for that kind of money – is this any good? Anything better for the money?
Two of my workmates have got those Sony RX100’s that they say are “just as good as DSLR’s” – are cheap DSLR’s like the D5300 really not up to it & so we’d may as well go for a nice-ish compact like the Sony or will the Nikon beat it? Size/weight isn’t really a problem as we’ve always got back-packs full of miscellaneous rubbish with us anyway.
I feel I know enough about bikes & musical instruments (my two main hobbies) to be able to guide people past the ripoffs/waste of money purchases but with cameras I have absolutely no clue! Any help would be greatly appreciated.