Back to basics?

elektro13

elektro13

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Name
Danni
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I understand most of you are reasonably developed in photgraphy and technical jargon! I am just starting out and i would appreciate it if you guys could help me out on what first camera/equipment to buy? Nothing too expensive but nothing too naff either! Any help would be appreciated.

I am looking into digital photography. Thanks
 
HI :).

What kind of things do you like taking photographs of?. And how technically minded are you?.

Aaaand, welcome to TP, pink lady.
 
Howdy elektro13 :)

There are many levels you can start with digitial photography:

Firstly - You can go for a fairly cheap "Point and shoot" which are the small cameras that will take good enough pictures, but everything is pretty much sorted by the camera, this lets you get the feel for photography and work out composition of shots etc, but doesnt really help with the technical side of exposing a shot and using various tricks/techniques to make a shot look how you want.

Secondly - There are cameras called "bridge cameras" (amongst other things) these tend to be smaller than Digial SLRs (next step) and let you expand on the skills you can develop with a point and shoot, these cameras tend to let you play with some of the settings, such as shutter speeds and aperture. They are not always more expensive than point and shoots, and can be a very good first step.

Thirdly - There are some DSLR (Digital Single Lens Relfex) cameras aimed at amateurs and beginners. These are cameras such as the Canon 350D. It has a lot of the features of its bigger brothers, but these features are more limited in their ranges. DSLRs also offer the chance to change lenses and add other accessories that let you expand you photography further and work out what kind of photography you like and what you might want to work upto etc...

Hope that helps, and that you didnt get bored half way through :p

A lot of it depends on how much you want to invest and how much, if any, photography you have done in the past :)


oh and yeah - welcome to the forums :D
 
All depends on alot of things:

What sort of photography are you interested in; landscapes, sport, people?
What sort of level are you at now, do you know about shutter speeds and aperture, what about depth of field, or are you the proverbial blank canvas?
Where do you want to go with photography, do you just want to take good photos, it become your main hobby for the rest of your life or want to make money?
How much money can you afford to spend now - the absolute max figure?

But as a basic answer now is that if you know that you really want to "get in to photography" then an DSLR will be the best choice. Assuming the DSLR route your choice really comes down to how far you are likely to go and if you are at all likely to taking things far then I would suggest buying in to either the Nikon or Canon systems as these give the best routes for growth in the future all the way to Pro. Your choice of system is effectivly an investment in the future opting for Nikon / Canon may cost a few extra £ now or you might loose a feature or two on your current choice of body but making the right choice now will save you money in the long term - there is nothing more costly than changing systems. I'd personally look at either a new or second hand basic Nikon (e.g. D40 new or D50 S/H) or Canon (e.g. 400D new or 350D S/H) depending on what you can afford using as little of your budget as you can on the body and spending the greater portion on the lens (lenses are again an investment - a good one will remain useful much longer than the useful life of DSLR bodies).

Of course if you are unlikely to ever think about turning pro or wanting Pro level kit then you can also consider the offerings from the others DSLR manufactures (Sony, Pentax, Samsung, Olympus) as you will almost certainly get more features for your money, but you are less likely to find these S/H, as there is less of an upgrade path.

However, if you are just wanting to see if photography is really for you and/or money is very tight then a secondhand "bridge" type camera from ebay will allow you to have full control over all the important things like shutter speed and aperture so you can learn the basics on the cheap. The results from these won't be quite as good as a DSLR but if we are honest composition and technique are more important to a good photograph than the kit used. I've just had a quick look and you should be able to easily find a good example Fuji 4900Z for under £50 or the newer Fuji S9500 for around £100 both should come complete with memory card(s), cables, spare battery(s), etc.
 
haha you did well with the pricing and names of examples though Simon :p - thats extra credit that it :D


(on a side note, its interesting how much more detailed the replies a for a pretty lady)
 
benneh said:
HI :).

What kind of things do you like taking photographs of?. And how technically minded are you?.

Aaaand, welcome to TP, pink lady.
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The most important things these days. If you can't use a computer, annoyingly you won't get the best from your digital camera because you need Photoshop / Photoshop Elements / Lightroom / magic fairy to adjust them. If you don't know what you want to take photos of I'd suggest getting a bridge camera. It'll give you a taste of photography. As you get more into it then upgrade to a DSLR and buy lenses for what you're into. Remember one important thing though. Photography is all about light. Its not about kit, money, computers, anything. You can buy a £20 Holga off ebay and enjoy photography as much as the guy who has a £2k 5D and bag of L glass. If you understand light you'll be fine.
 
I agree with PeteMc that with digital photography you will get far more out if it you have a computer and editing program and know how to use them both approprately.

Remember that there are many good programs for photoediting out there and some can be obtained legitimately for free; one such program is GIMP.
 
Hey everyone and thank you for your replies, you are all so kind! I am looking into photographing people and animals manily, and some possible location stuff too. I have a budget of around £100-£150 to start out at and wanted to create a mini home studio later on. I have no idea about anything really, i only know what i know through being a part time model and experimenting! I get on well with photoshop too so i can do all that just need to know more about the equipment and starting out, thats why i called upon you guys! xx
 
Generally what you want then is a camera with full manual controls. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO and full manual modes. Av, Tv, M is what you want on the dial. If its got that and is by Canon, Fuji, Panasonic or Nikon buy it. You can't really go wrong with any model by those companies.
 
petemc said:
Generally what you want then is a camera with full manual controls. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO and full manual modes. Av, Tv, M is what you want on the dial. If its got that and is by Canon, Fuji, Panasonic or Nikon buy it. You can't really go wrong with any model by those companies.
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Great point, I took it for granted, as I wouldn't look for a camera without those.
I'd prefer those which can save in raw file format without having to install a hacked firmware, but full manual controls are a must if you want to learn something.
 
Given your budget go for a second hand bridge camera off ebay, spending as little as possible with as much extras as you can find. I'd budget on getting a new battery or two for whichever one you get (max £20) rechargable batteries only have a fixed life and therfore most S/H cameras come with knackerd batteries. If you go for the Fuji 4900 you should get a good package for under £70 with at least 1 new battery.

Save the money you don't spend so you can upgrade to a DSLR later, if you find that photography is for you.
 
FUJI FinePix S5800/S6000/6500.

Personally I would go for a FUJI FinePix S6000 off ebay :). It's a bridge camera, 6.3MP (which is plenty), nice screen, seems to have decent noise handling, full manual mode, 28-300mm 35mm equivalent lens, seems to do raw too?.
 
Slapo said:
Great point, I took it for granted, as I wouldn't look for a camera without those.
I'd prefer those which can save in raw file format without having to install a hacked firmware, but full manual controls are a must if you want to learn something.
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RAW's nice n all, but for someone wanting to sample photography, to get into it I'd simply say check its got Av, Tv and M and buy the model you most feel comfy with. I'm guessing RAW on a compact isn't as fast saving to the memory card as a DSLR too. JPG will be fine. Film was fine for all those decades before RAW. I wouldn't try and bog someone down with technical terms, file formats, and things. I'd rather get them to buy a camera they like and enjoy taking photos.
 
petemc said:
The most important things these days. If you can't use a computer, annoyingly you won't get the best from your digital camera because you need Photoshop / Photoshop Elements / Lightroom / magic fairy to adjust them. If you don't know what you want to take photos of I'd suggest getting a bridge camera. It'll give you a taste of photography. As you get more into it then upgrade to a DSLR and buy lenses for what you're into. Remember one important thing though. Photography is all about light. Its not about kit, money, computers, anything. You can buy a £20 Holga off ebay and enjoy photography as much as the guy who has a £2k 5D and bag of L glass. If you understand light you'll be fine.
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By 'technically minded' I was really trying to gauge (not knowing budget) whether she would be better off with a full DLSR or a bridge cam, and indeed what kind of PP she should be researching.

Good post though, whilst post production is quite important to a lot of photographers, a £45 canon a75 and a quick go in 'Microsoft office image manager' to boost colours/contrast can be just as satisfying :).
 
benneh said:
Good post though, whilst post production is quite important to a lot of photographers, a £45 canon a75 and a quick go in 'Microsoft office image manager' to boost colours/contrast can be just as satisfying :).
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Yeah exactly. Canon A70 and an iPhoto like app. iPhoto has some great features for image editing, even RAW's. You can always get Picasa too.
 
Thank you all so much for your help, you really are so helpful. Ok guys, im going to go up on the budget now as i have realised if im going to be taken seriously i need to start off as i mean to go on! New budget - £350. Any new advice? xx
 
£350 just about brings you in to DSLR range. I think you may just find a new Nikon D40 with 18-55mm kit lens for that price. It's a nice camera but it is slightly limited as to which lenses work on it - only the newer Nikon AF-S or Sigma HSM lenses will autofocus.

You could go down the refurbished route I think Nikon D50 (which doesn't have the same lens limitation as the D40) and Canon 350D or even 400D should be obtainable for £350 and they chould come with 1 year warranty and basic kit lens, but you might have to look hard to find one.
 
For £369 you can get the Canon 350D (which is what I have). Its an excellent camera and VERY good to learn on. That comes with the "kit lens" 18-55mm, it doesnt have the limitations of the Nikon as all Canon fit lenses work on it (or so I believe).

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?/photo/digicameras/canon.html#350d

A little over budget, but a mighty fine camera :)

P.S Be warned, it may take over your life and wallet :p
 
I would definitely go second hand off eBay - 2 Options for me:-

*350D Kit - around 270 - although I wasn't impressed with my kit lens but it certainly will do if that's all your budget can afford.

*350D BODY ONLY will set you back around 230 looking at completed listings (stuff that's already been sold so you can get an idea of price - a useful feature!)

Then choose which lens you want - I've also recently bought myself a Sigma 17-70mm for 220 off eBay so although a little over your budget but you would get a great package which would last you a long time and take great pics.

Well that's my thoughts, take them or leave them!!

Eddie.
 
petemc said:
What about lenses? You buy into a lens system. Don't argue over bodies when you can swap that 6 months later.
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I agree entirely Pete - hence my edit prior to you posting this. I have pointed Elektro to a EOS350 for sale by Rob on here, could be worth her looking at.

Have to say though, that whilst I agree, there are a myriad more lenses available for Nikon/Canon etc, and the range for 4/3rds mount is somewhat restricted - the kit lenses supplied with the E-410 are excellent.

Also - I am not arguing, just providing my opinion, which is as entirely as valid as yours. If I were new to photography and bought a Nikon D40, then found out about the E-410, I'd have been well disappointed. I am sure Elektro will find this information usefull too.

You're a better tog than I that's for sure, but it doesn't mean my opinion on the Nikon is any the less useful. Besides, us Oly users are far outnumbered on here... :)
 
theMusicMan said:
Also - I am not arguing, just providing my opinion, which is as entirely as valid as yours. If I were new to photography and bought a Nikon D40, then found out about the E-410, I'd have been well disappointed. I am sure Elektro will find this information usefull too.
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Yeah I didn't want it to turn into a body fight :) As you say, she's new to photography so she should be made aware of how important the lens system is. Sure the Olympus might look great on paper but 6 months down the line she might want a lens only Canon does.

You're a better tog than I that's for sure, but it doesn't mean my opinion on the Nikon is any the less useful. Besides, us Oly users are far outnumbered on here... :)
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Yup everyones entitled to their opinion, just wanted to point out lenses :)
 
As PeteMc has said you need to think this decision in terms of buying in to a lens system as swapping systems when you reach the limit is very costly.

This is something I wrote in reply to a similar message on this forum.

To be honest there is very little difference in the photos that come out of consumer DSLRs these days so I always suggest looking at choosing your first one as starting an investment into a system. In doing so you need to look past the features and gimmicks of the first buy and look 5 years into the future and ask yourself how far you do you want go and then looking at how you'll get there and what costs will be - it is quite enlightening.
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Each system has their strengths and weaknesses and IMHO I think that Nikon and Canon have the edge over the other systems as they are the ones that allow you get the pro kit for the least cost. I personally find that the Sony system is very expensive for pro lenses (f2.8 and wider) when compared to the Canon / Nikon system. Pro lenses aren't generally available for the Pentax / Samsung system and the 4/3rds system used by Olympus (crop factor is 2) rules it out as an all round contender as wide angles are difficult to obtain. But this is my opinon.

At the end of the day what ever you choose will be right for you and you will be happy with it.
 
SimonTALM said:
....and the 4/3rds system used by Olympus (crop factor is 2) rules it out as an all round contender as wide angles are difficult to obtain. But this is my opinon.
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Incorrect sorry... :shrug: I just got myself a gorgeous 11-22mm wide angle lens, which was very easily obtained.

Here's a recent review:

Verdict The Olympus 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5 offers an very good build quality, handling and AF speed combined with a generally excellent optical performance. The resolution figures are exceptional for an ultra-wide lens. On the down-side the lens exhibits visible chromatic aberrations at the borders (can be corrected). The level of distortions is very low for a lens of this class and vignetting is no real issue to worry about. At about 750EUR/700US$ the lens isn't cheap but worth every penny. Highly recommended!
 
theMusicMan said:
Incorrect sorry... :shrug:
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:embarrassed: Thank you, for updating my knowlege - It appears that wide angles are easily available for the Olympus system but at a high cost ;) (You can get the Sigma 10-20mm for Nikon, Canon, Sigma, Pentax and Sony for about 1/2 the price.)

Like PeteMc I don't want to turn this in to a body war - the choice of system is down to the individual; there are strengths and weaknesses of each and provided that people do their research everyone picks the system that is right for them.
 
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