Beginner 1st camera to buy

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soulblighter

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Chris
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Hi All,

I'm just starting my journey in photography and I need some advice on what camera to buy. I would like to use it for taking pictures of wildlife, people and scenic/landscape pictures. I only have a budget of around £600 although I might be able to stretch it. I'm assuming my best bet is to buy 2nd hand. So I'm looking for any recommendations on what cameras I should be looking out for and I'm assuming ebay the best place to look?

Thank's in advance for you help
 
Have a read here, it answers the same question

www.talkphotography.co.uk

Beginner - Camera Reviews

Hi all, This is just a quick moan I suppose lol, I have been looking at various camera reviews on youtube for a few days, as a beginner who is totally new to this hobby, and unsure what camera would suit me, although MFT is looking good, things can get a bit confusing when you have so many...
www.talkphotography.co.uk www.talkphotography.co.uk
 
Nikon f1.8 said:
Be careful with eBay purchases, you get no warranty. Try Park Cameras, or Harrisons. as they will give you a warranty.
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Not totally true, there are some of the big national names who also sell on ebay, and I have bought a number of things from these people and the service has been superb, I'm quite happy with a 3 month guarantee, it is long enough to check it didn't arrive with any faults.

www.ebay.co.uk

Panasonic G5 Mirrorless Camera 16MP with 14-42mm, Shutter Count 58, V. G. Cond. | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Panasonic G5 Mirrorless Camera 16MP with 14-42mm, Shutter Count 58, V. G. Cond. at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.
www.ebay.co.uk
 
All I’ll add is that ‘wildlife’ is often on the newbie list as there’s no recognition that supertelephoto lenses are the most expensive bit of kit for any photographers.

I’m 40 years in now and have just bought my first ‘wildlife’ lens.

To keep costs down, go for a s/h M4/3 camera (like the Olympus suggested above) as that’ll keep down the costs (and weight) of longer lenses.
 
...and you can get an adapter for the Olympus camera body that will allow you to use older film-era manual lenses which can give you 200/300mm good quality lenses for a low price.
 
Nice to see Olympus recommended but don't forget Panasonic who also make Micro Four Thirds cameras and lenses.

Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras use lenses which are with only a few notable exceptions pretty much universally compatible between MFT camera bodies, for example a Panasonic lens will work on an Olympus camera and vice versa, and so on.

I've had Micro Four thirds kit since almost the beginning of the system and I've bought a lot of my kit on the used market. There are both Olympus and Panasonic threads in the equipment section of this forum.

Good luck choosing.
 
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With your budget I'd look for entry level camera's. People in this country seem to be obsessed with getting the very best they can. In the process they get in way over their head! I remember my old D70 Nikon. Was pretty easy to learn on and took good photo's. Drawback was only 7 mp, if I remember right, and didn't make large prints very well, but then I printed my own on an 8 1/2" printer. Worked out fine. Went from it to a D5000, don't remember what mp it had but it was more than the D70! Allowed me to get a 13" printer and get pretty good blowups with it. Persently I use a D7000 and a Canon 13" printer. I don't know that the D7000 is any better than that old D5000 and the only reason I got the D7000 was my grand daughter wanted into photography she thought so I gave her that D5000 and up graded. Up graded? Not all that sure I really did up grade but rumor is I did. Don't know that I can do anything with the upgrade that I couldn't also do with the old camera. What I found out is getting the body right is not as important as getting the right lens's and for some lens's you pay out the nose. The good part is you can get after market lens's for quite a bit less that will do a really good job for you. They are not pro quality but then neither am I! And the act of spending a bunch of money on a lens is not gonna get me there! Easy way to find this out for yourself. Spend more than you can afford to on a body and then get lens's you can afford. You'll reach a point where you'll look at your photo's and like them, even coming from inrxpensive after market lens's. Don't chase those lens's with wide open aperature's. For what most people do its much less expensive to get a flash!

I think, do yourself a favor and when you get the camera, also get an inexpensive 8 1/2" printer. I have never had to take digital photo's to a shop to get prints. Short learning curve there but just don't try to get to much right out of the gate. I've been shooting digital over 20yrs now and think the best thing I did was get my first printer and computer when I got the old D70!

If you want to get good do what a lot of us don't, really learn how to use the camera you have before moving on to an upgrade. I think most people haven't a clue how to use all their camera has to offer and as long as your getting photo's YOU like, that's not all bad. Example is I get what satify's me with my old D7000, no reason to spend the money on the latest and greatest. And one last thing, don't chase Mega Pixels! I think my old D7000 has 20mp. Biggest photo's I've printed with it to now are 12x24. Something that will keep you from more than say ever about 15mp is how much room you have on your walls and the cost of buying big frames!
 
Thank you for the help and comments, Also quite a lot to take in.

I check out the recommendations, good to know about the lenses. Before I came here I was looking at the Sony A7 as they normally had lenses as a bundle.

Just seen a shop called Wilkinson Cameras is in the next town to me, so going to take a look round.
 
I've had an original Sony A7 since they first came out. I've had it nearly 10 years now. The image quality is better than anything you'll get from MFT but it's not all good news as the camera is relatively slow in operation compared to the fastest responding cameras these days and tracking is well behind the curve. the A7 is however fine for static and posed shooting and for times when very good tracking or silent shooting aren't needed.

I think you can get a used A7 for around £400 or maybe even less these days. Lenses may well be more expensive than some MFT lenses though. I use cheap film era manual focus lenses and also cheap modern manual focus lenses a lot on my A7 but manual focus isn't for everyone.
 
So after the trip to the shop and having a mess around with the olympus. I think that's the camera I'm going to purchase and after speakingbto the shop assistant decided to increase my budget (not set yet). So things I'm considering so far:

Olympus EM1 MKii price £399 to £500
M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 R II Lens £70-£100
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 £90-£120
Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 £90-£149 (decided on this one due to it being cheaper than the olympus one. Also from what I read there isn't that much difference)
M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f1.8 Lens £340 -£400 ( was recommended this one by the sales assistant for portraits)
M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 £100-£160
2 x SanDisk 256GB Extreme PRO 200MB/S A2 UHS-I MicroSDXC With SD Adapter £25 each on sale with Amazon

The main things I will be doing are wildlife and portraits pictures. So I just need to decide what I need and don't need. Is the 75mm just overkill, anything else I should consider?

Again, thanks for all the advice and help
 
On question, did you try the Panasonic G9 as well?

Both are very similar on specs, each has a couple of "advantages" over the other, which may or may not be of any help to you.
(I'm not going to start on the pros and cons of either yet, people generally, myself included, have very firm views one way or the other)

The biggest difference is the usability, control layouts, customisation and menu system.

The Panasonic has a couple of useful lenses, the 12-60 lens to replace the 14-42 (they also have a 14-42) and a 14-140.
For wildlife the 100-300 is probably the minimum to aim for with the 100-400 being excellent, both makes have a 100-400 that are good, but will likely blow any budget away :)

I would avoid buying any primes at all to start with, use the zooms to learn what length primes you need, if any.

If you haven't held and tried a G9 it would be worth doing so before deciding.

Were the price ranges you quoted all from one place? They seem a bit odd for one source, rather look like they have been collected from several sources.

The other thing when comparing is age, condition and mechanical shutter count, to me the difference between a shutter count of 3000 and 30000 is meaningful, to others it doesn't seem to matter.
 
soulblighter said:
So after the trip to the shop and having a mess around with the olympus. I think that's the camera I'm going to purchase and after speakingbto the shop assistant decided to increase my budget (not set yet). So things I'm considering so far:

Olympus EM1 MKii price £399 to £500
M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 R II Lens £70-£100
M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f4.0-5.6 £90-£120
Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 £90-£149 (decided on this one due to it being cheaper than the olympus one. Also from what I read there isn't that much difference)
M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f1.8 Lens £340 -£400 ( was recommended this one by the sales assistant for portraits)
M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 £100-£160
2 x SanDisk 256GB Extreme PRO 200MB/S A2 UHS-I MicroSDXC With SD Adapter £25 each on sale with Amazon

The main things I will be doing are wildlife and portraits pictures. So I just need to decide what I need and don't need. Is the 75mm just overkill, anything else I should consider?

Again, thanks for all the advice and help
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I'm not an expert on the intricacies of the M4/3 system but I will comment on the choice of lenses which looks a bit odd to me in light of your 'requirements'.

For portraits - the 45mm 1.8 looks like it might be OK the 75mm slightly nearer my favourite focal length.
Obviously you will need the std zoom for general photography.

But the 25 (too short for portraits) and 40-150 (too short for wildlife) feel like a waste of an opportunity. Look for an 100-300 and accept that there's no such thing as 'too long' for wildlife
 
The other thing I’d point out is that whilst M4/3 is a great system, and a great choice for wildlife as you don’t need massive lenses. And perfect for travelling too.

For portraits I love the isolation of wide apertures on FF and M4/3 being a couple of stops effectively wider wouldn’t suit my style at all.
 
You don't have to get everything at once, my advice would be to get the body and two telephoto lenses, then see how you get on with those and what focal length you need for portraits.
 
You
Phil V said:
I'm not an expert on the intricacies of the M4/3 system but I will comment on the choice of lenses which looks a bit odd to me in light of your 'requirements'.

For portraits - the 45mm 1.8 looks like it might be OK the 75mm slightly nearer my favourite focal length.
Obviously you will need the std zoom for general photography.

But the 25 (too short for portraits) and 40-150 (too short for wildlife) feel like a waste of an opportunity. Look for an 100-300 and accept that there's no such thing as 'too long' for wildlife.
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You’re not taking into account the 2x crop factor the 75 will equate to 150mm full frame etc . If the OP decides to go the route of Olympus it would be better to ask on the Olympus thread to cut out conflicting replies
 
the black fox said:
You


You’re not taking into account the 2x crop factor the 75 will equate to 150mm full frame etc . If the OP decides to go the route of Olympus it would be better to ask on the Olympus thread to cut out conflicting replies
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I bet he is! If his favourite for portraits is 135 (which it is for some) then the OP is picking 90 and 150 so the 150 wins. :LOL:
 
Hi thanks for the replies.

No don't remember seeing a Panasonic, did try few others brands but they was older models and what he could do in my original budget. I'll take a look at it thanks for the suggestion.

Yes prices are from multiple sources, ebay, and multiple camera shops. I ended up getting multiple prices as haven't decided on which one to get, it's like buying a 2nd car but worse lol.

So seem best to drop the 25 and 40-150 and swap it for the longer one.

But again thanks for the advice it is helping a lot I'm learning new things
 
soulblighter said:
Hi All,

I'm just starting my journey in photography and I need some advice on what camera to buy. I would like to use it for taking pictures of wildlife, people and scenic/landscape pictures. I only have a budget of around £600 although I might be able to stretch it. I'm assuming my best bet is to buy 2nd hand. So I'm looking for any recommendations on what cameras I should be looking out for and I'm assuming ebay the best place to look?

Thank's in advance for you help
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Do not buy a camera! Buy a bicycle, a kite, a small chocolate bar, anything but a camera. If you buy one camera you will never be happy with it, if you buy a lens you will never be happy with it. You will constantly swap cameras and lenses in the vain hope that the next combination will be 'the one' -- it won't be! You are condemning yourself to a life of GAS, constantly watching YouTube videos for confirmation that your latest kit is 'the best' -- again, it won't be. You will take photographs that you will constantly think could be improved if only you'd had this camera, or that lens, or the other tripod or filter.

Don't do it! It's too late for us at TP here but can save yourself. Shut down your PC and try to pretend you had never heard of cameras and Talk Photography -- like smoking, the best way to give up is never to start! Shut it down, now, do it now!
 
ShinySideUp said:
Do not buy a camera! Buy a bicycle, a kite, a small chocolate bar, anything but a camera. If you buy one camera you will never be happy with it, if you buy a lens you will never be happy with it. You will constantly swap cameras and lenses in the vain hope that the next combination will be 'the one' -- it won't be! You are condemning yourself to a life of GAS, constantly watching YouTube videos for confirmation that your latest kit is 'the best' -- again, it won't be. You will take photographs that you will constantly think could be improved if only you'd had this camera, or that lens, or the other tripod or filter.

Don't do it! It's too late for us at TP here but can save yourself. Shut down your PC and try to pretend you had never heard of cameras and Talk Photography -- like smoking, the best way to give up is never to start! Shut it down, now, do it now!
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You omit to mention , his computer will never be fast enough, is it MAC or PC, does X software handle noise better than Y software , is this monitor calibrated correctly .....and the list goes on.
Its Ocean Racing -tearing up £10 notes while getting wet , although you don't set out to get wet
 
the black fox said:
You


You’re not taking into account the 2x crop factor the 75 will equate to 150mm full frame etc . If the OP decides to go the route of Olympus it would be better to ask on the Olympus thread to cut out conflicting replies
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And 150 isn’t a million miles away from my favoured focal length of 135mm

So… what precisely did you assume I didn’t understand?
 
Phil V said:
And 150 isn’t a million miles away from my favoured focal length of 135mm

So… what precisely did you assume I didn’t understand?
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it was meant more at the OP Phil .. these threads can be extremely confusing to someone starting off as you undoubtedly will know those of us that have been through the FF/ASPC/MFT/ and the various canon and Nikon small sensor options understand .i.e a chap came up to me yesterday asking for camera /lens advise he had been to a cash convertors and wanted to know if the lens he nearly bought would fit on a Olympus MFT body .it was extremely cheap I had to tell him (1) it was a four thirds fit and (2) it was the worst lens I ever tried . a virtual minefield for beginners
 
I don't know what the max shutter speed is of that Oly, maybe someone can confirm what shutter speed is possible?

I mention this because with the wide aperture lenses if using wide apertures it could be easy to exceed 1/4,000 which is the fastest shutter speed for some cameras, particularly older ones. The camera may one way or another be able to shoot faster but if not a ND filter may be needed. If so I'd recommend buying one to fit the lens with the larges diameter filter thread and step up rings for any other lenses.
 
soulblighter said:
Thank you for the help and comments, Also quite a lot to take in.

I check out the recommendations, good to know about the lenses. Before I came here I was looking at the Sony A7 as they normally had lenses as a bundle.

Just seen a shop called Wilkinson Cameras is in the next town to me, so going to take a look round.
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Wilkinsons are great - their staff are generally knowledgeable and helpful, and aren't just trying to push a sale (well, they are - but they won't try and sell you the most expensive or something you don't need). They also do a good range in pre-owned kit - and can get it in from their other branches as they're all quite close together.

Don't forget the Sony mirrorless - they and the lenses seem to be getting lighter and lighter, which is you are out walking for landscapes and wildlife is an increasing bonus.
 
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