Hi there,

There was one day when my wife was taking pictures of my kid running around the field with her iPhone 8 and, she'd try to zoom the shots to capture. The picture turned out to be blurry (pixelated).

Therefore, we were thinking if a DSLR will solve that particular issue. Upon looking at the prices of DSLRs, we were also wondering if this justifies the cost or maybe it may be better to get a phone with better camera. By all means, we are not professional photographers, but it'd be nice if we are able to capture pictures which will not blur upon zooming.

The DSLR I am currently looking at is:

Nikon D3500 (warranty 2 years by Nikon - not supplier warranty)
Tamron 18-270mm PZD (so I don't have to keep changing lenses for different shots)
Athabasca 62mm filter
All comes with bag and 16GB memory card

TOTAL: RM3060

Is the above camera better than a phone camera, or there's no difference from a very good camera phone? Is the price mentioned a good deal or should I look elsewhere? Or should I consider a cheaper DSLR alternative since I am in no way a professional? I would pretty much like a auto focus function though.

Thank you.

honestly. just no

DSLR was not design for average user.
it more lile a prosumer/professional tools.

i practice photography.

i can shoot great photo with smartphone today.

the key problem was not the tools
is your photography skills......

Fair enough. Is there a camera then which I could use it to zoom without having to move forward for a capture which is not as complicated as a DSLR?

My 2 cents is that there are smartphone camera's with multi lenses that can achieve satisfactory zoom levels, if that's all you're looking for.

plus for casual users, printing up to 4r size, mid to high end smartphone cameras should be enough

iPhone 11 Pro user here hence that's my suggestion, I hear samsung galaxy phones are even better

mi 10

my friend (not professional) bought DSLR. After a year, DSLR rotten in store. End up bought p30 pro. Pro wannabe but failed hard. what he used to do is, take photo with DSLR then edit. what's the point as you still edit the coloring etc.

moral of the stories, DSLR is not justified if you're not pro. moreover, it is big to carry everywhere. When u walk alot, even 0.5kg is still burdening to your neck.

Budget only D3500 ? No need lo, go iPhone 11.

Smartphones have very limited zoom capability. At most they have 3 dedicated zoom steps. Most only have 2 steps (1x and 2x) only. Anything in between would be hybrid zoom, not actual optical zoom.

I'm guessing your wife tried to zoom all the way. Even on normal cameras, this would probably step into the digital zoom, which means quality degrades the more you zoom it.

I'm no pro photographer myself. But I understand the feeling of wanting to get closer to the subject. And when I zoom, I am always cautious that the camera doesn't step into the digital zoom mode.

I've had zoom cameras in the past, from 5x and up to 15x optical...but it seems that you can never have enough zoom lense. There will always be a case of needing more zoom.

It's definitely better than ANY camera on a phone.

My personal experience is that I've more photos of my family captured on phones due to it always being on me but if you've the $$ to spend, DSLR is a great tool with enough practice. And be prepared to carry it around.

I would suggest looking for used items, even products from 10 years+ will still beat current camera phones ... and if you find that DSLR is not for you at least the investment is minimal. And don't get anything mirror less.

Yes, my initial thought is that it will definitely gather dust as this is more of an impulse buying to solve an issue which may or may not be happen all the time. Also, yes, it's gonna be a pain to lug around a big @55 camera every time we go out.

So true that zoom lens is never enough when you need it most. Therefore, I was also wondering if there is a compact camera which has 20X optical zoom or 40X optical zoom which is a relatively smaller/cheaper version of a full fledged DSLR camera.

Not sure how far you are going to zoom. No, a DSLR is not what you need, a Sony RX100 VII pocket cam would be ideal but not at your budget. Maybe a Huawei P30/P40 Pro but will still blur as shutter and image stabilisation could not keep up with motion.

Errrmmmm... give or take, the object is probably about 25 - 30 meters away?

That is pretty far, like those shooting sports around the football field or ice skating rink.
To save money, better zoom with your feet. Let see if others have better suggestion.

Vivo X50 gimball steady video....

Or improve video cam handling skill...

I just came across this:

https://www.cameralabs.com/canon-powershot-sx740-hs-review/

You have a valid point there. Thanks!

I just came across this:

https://www.cameralabs.com/canon-powershot-sx740-hs-review/

You going to that DSLR few times and later collect dust.
After all the hassle of bringing DSLR around.

Yes, you are most probably right. I should be looking at compact cameras instead instead of DSLR.

Take note F3.3 to F6.9. Not a lot of light you can get. At zoomed range, you likely will shoot at 1/250 or 1/500 or faster.
Best if you find a demo to try if it delivers what you want.