Review on Find the Best Deal on Nikon D5200 24.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR NIKKOR Zoom Lens (Bronze) (Discontinued by Manufacturer) by Niranjan Reynolds

I've had a camera in my hand since 5th grade. My first was the Kodak Brownie Hawkeye - a 620-roll film camera - which gives you an idea of how many cameras have passed through my hands. Film cameras about two years ago. First I tried a very good number like "Point and Shoot" (while still had my 3 Nikons and their 7 lenses). But I have an ingrained habit of holding the camera to my eyes to compose and simply twisting the lens barrel to adjust the focal length. I tried Canon - with the viewfinder at eye level; very good camera, but the viewfinder was not "wysiwyg" - only an approximation. And I don't care how good the rest of the camera is, photographing whales "zoomed" with a lever controlled by my finger on the shutter button just doesn't work. For anything more serious than "snapshots" a DSLR is required (IMHO). My first, the Nikon D-80, was "good" but not that far from "amateur" and "pro" - so I switched to the D5200 - kept my VR 18-200 lens (and later added (70 -300 - or whatever - which I picked up cheaply.) There is NOTHING I dislike about this camera - except the fact that I had to go through the manual again to find out features , which I haven't used (or not at all) Unlike the CoolPix P510, which I currently use for "snapshots", the D5200 turns on as soon as I turn the lever and I can pan/zoom instantly to get a Taking picture - just what a doctor needs to photograph whales! compensates for a variety of lighting conditions and controls the light excellently for example sunrise/evening shots. Sometimes I even shoot "movies" and enjoy the results ) weighs in the beginning just a few pounds a day and weighs in at E end of the day as much as a small pencil case! SIGH!