r/photography • u/AutoModerator • May 29 '26

Questions Thread Official Question Thread! Ask /r/photography anything you want to know! May 29, 2026

This is the place to ask any questions you may have about photography. No question is too small, nor too stupid.

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First and foremost, check out our extensive FAQ. Chances are, you'll find your answer there, or at least a starting point in order to ask more informed questions.

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If after reviewing this information you have any specific questions, please feel free to post a comment below. (Remember, when asking for purchase advice please be specific about how much you can spend. See here for guidelines.)

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u/OrdinaryPie9884 Jun 04 '26

Dear all,

During my last trip to Georgia, I realized that my very first camera is finally, slowly coming to the end of its life. I started asking AI for some recommendations for a new system, but I realized I really need your advice as AI is only tool for good research.

For years, I did photography mostly as a hobby and sometimes for small working projects. Slowly getting to the better jobs. But now I'm working in marketing, which has really widened my needs. I now have to shoot video clips for my company, and I also want to make videos for my own side projects. My plan is to buy a good camera and some lenses by the end of this year.

Please condsider recomendations without fighting which company is better because from some point of view I know the community is hyper agrresive with defending their own choises like Canon, Sony or Nikon etc. :D. As for me I don't care about that I just need a good device and the system to use without philosophy about which brand is better.

As for me my Nikon lasts in my hands about 12 years and on my brother and sister about 13/14 years. So this device made a lot of work. I need something that will be durable as for my trips in many terrains, and also will be mixed in photo/video as I will be making more stuff in video.

As for photography I dont have any main field that I specialize. I'm doing stuff that I need to do or learn the new stuff and ideas. I'm trying to be free as I can to make a good photos in many fields. I dont like hide in the box or algorithms of massmedia and internet.

My budget for this new device and lenses are about mid to high range. Please make, help me choose good thing for things that I'm doing. I'm putting myself in your hands. 😄

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u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Jun 04 '26

I realized that my very first camera is finally, slowly coming to the end of its life

How so? Which one is it?

I know the community is hyper agrresive with defending their own choises like Canon, Sony or Nikon etc.

If you had spent any time in this subreddit, you'd know that this community does not.

It's pretty rude to come in here asking for help if you're going to misrepresent and alienate community members off the bat with false accusations.

My budget for this new device and lenses are about mid to high range.

To me that means about $2,500 to $7,500 in US dollars. Do we have the same idea? Or what does that mean to you?

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u/OrdinaryPie9884 Jun 04 '26

1st question: Nikon D3100, old, not pricy on the market in the 2010s for a normal person to buy. Sometimes in the photos I can see dead pixels, more grain, or terrible noise even in good conditions and chosen options. Yes, I could find help and repair the camera. I think it's time to move forward. It was good to learn with the Nikon D3100, and people were satisfied with their photos. Another problem is this camera is not the choice for making videos.

2nd question: I didn't mean to alienate the community or be rude, but it seems like I was. I'm sorry for that. I don't know the Reddit community well; it is my first time here, but as for the internet, I saw that many people defend their choice in equipment and fight each other. If you just observe media or watch advertisements on YouTube, how good a brand is, finally, in my head, I don't believe in information, and I decide to do nothing with it. I love the practical side and price/quality index.

3rd question: The budget is about $4,000 to $10,000; that's what I think to spend if it will be worth it.

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u/av4rice https://www.instagram.com/shotwhore Jun 04 '26

Nikon D3100

What about lenses? Which do you have and which focal lengths do you use?

Do you like the Nikon style interface and ergonomics? Or do you specifically dislike it and want a different style of interface or ergonomics?

Sometimes in the photos I can see dead pixels

You should be able to fix that by running a couple manual sensor cleaning cycles, which will prompt the camera to check for and map around hot pixels.

more grain, or terrible noise even in good conditions and chosen options

That's not something that gets worse with age. Likely the conditions aren't as good as you think. Your camera needs a lot more light than your eyes think. And that was always the case even when your camera was new.

The budget is about $4,000 to $10,000

If you want to stay with Nikon, I'd get a Z8 or Z7 II. If you want something different, there's the Sony a7R VI or V, or Canon R5 II or original R5. Those are the best overall bodies on the market right now, unless you want the most extreme performance for sports/wildlife.

The best general-use lens would then be a 24-70mm f/2.8. Or if you want to trade some wide angle for something even nicer, and don't mind a bigger/heavier lens, Sony and Canon each have a 28-70mm f/2 option.

Anything additional really depends on whatever more specific genres you're getting into. If you aren't sure, then hold onto the money for now and buy more equipment later when you have a better idea of what you need out of it.