Camera Recommendations

[seahawk]

Not a a Nikon D200, you only would have a chance at ISO100 to make it into jp today, D300/D300s / D7000 would be my choice for Nikon.

[Felipe Garcia]

Here are my recommendations.

Judging by the phone photo, you are equipment limited, as you’re pushing the phone too much, and have the technique nailed down. You will definitely have to learn some editing, as it’s different, and the camera won’t do as much for you, but that isn’t that big of a deal.
I would not recommend a new cheap camera, even though they are affordable and more powerful than what many of us started with, you’re better served by a used camera from the early 2010s or so.
However, $150 is way too limited of a budget.
EOS 60D, 7D, or Nikon D300s/D7000. Those will be 150-200 used (KEH, B&H, Adorama are good places to buy stateside), plus a 55-250 or 70-300 (DO NOT GO FOR THE CANON 75-300, the price is tempting but it’s a very hit and miss lens when it comes to quality). You’re looking at close to $400 for the kit.

Now, if the $150 (ish) is your absolute max, by all means get something to stay within budget. A 55-250 IS and a Rebel XT/XTi or 20D will keep you in the 150-160 range. Is it ideal? Nope. Will you get good results in sunny days? Absolutely. It would be bad advice to tell you to wait until you can afford something better. Many of us would have sold a kidney at 15 for a 20D. My XT (which was still called Digital Rebel XT, the non-digital Rebel was still being sold at the time!) introduced 3 other friends to photography, at that point it was a 6-7 year old camera.

[MBreaux59]

Here are my recommendations.

Judging by the phone photo, you are equipment limited, as you’re pushing the phone too much, and have the technique nailed down. You will definitely have to learn some editing, as it’s different, and the camera won’t do as much for you, but that isn’t that big of a deal.
I would not recommend a new cheap camera, even though they are affordable and more powerful than what many of us started with, you’re better served by a used camera from the early 2010s or so.
However, $150 is way too limited of a budget.
EOS 60D, 7D, or Nikon D300s/D7000. Those will be 150-200 used (KEH, B&H, Adorama are good places to buy stateside), plus a 55-250 or 70-300 (DO NOT GO FOR THE CANON 75-300, the price is tempting but it’s a very hit and miss lens when it comes to quality). You’re looking at close to $400 for the kit.

Now, if the $150 (ish) is your absolute max, by all means get something to stay within budget. A 55-250 IS and a Rebel XT/XTi or 20D will keep you in the 150-160 range. Is it ideal? Nope. Will you get good results in sunny days? Absolutely. It would be bad advice to tell you to wait until you can afford something better. Many of us would have sold a kidney at 15 for a 20D. My XT (which was still called Digital Rebel XT, the non-digital Rebel was still being sold at the time!) introduced 3 other friends to photography, at that point it was a 6-7 year old camera.

When I said $150, I didn't really realize how much a decent camera costs lol! Now that I know, I'm going to wait a little while until I can afford something more expensive. Thank you so much for the advice. And for saying that I have the technique nailed down. That really means a lot to me

[mahagonny]

I don't want to seem repetitive to you, but there are photographers who publish photos taken with every possible tool here. From smartphones to compacts, to bridges to the very expensive sony or panasonic kits.
The camera isn't your first thought. Your first thought is: what or where should I photograph.
Tell us this and the advice will be more targeted.

[thepiecesfit]

Thank you so much for the advice! I know nothing about cameras, so this has really helped me alot in knowing what to look for. You mentioned something about my phone images being oversharpened, I did sharpen the photo I posted in this thread during editing. Did I oversharpen it? Thanks!

Yeah, the image looks oversharpened. Phone cameras make up for the lack of good lenses by sharpening the image a lot, which can look unnatural when compared to an image from a camera and good lens.

and also, an update on my last post where I recommended you some cameras, I think I've changed my mind as to what the best used camera + lens options are under $400. I think your best bet is to try and get an older professional camera instead of a newer entry level one, something like a Nikon D300 and a 70-300 A G lens, or a used Canon 7D mark ii and 55-250. Aviation shooting is almost the easiest environment possible for a camera, if you're planespotting and not much else, a D300/7D will be easier to use in that particular use case than a newer camera like an SL2/SL3. That being said, these newer cameras are more versatile in other use cases and have better video capabilities so that's something to think about too.