Best DSLR / Lens combo for £1000

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scott21071982

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I'm looking to take the plunge into semi-serious photography, I'm an aspiring graphic designer so think it's something I should be adding to my skill set.

As my title states I'm working with a budget of around a grand though I could stretch to a little more if necessary.

I'd be using the camera mostly for studio work so mainly product shots involving foods, drinks, jewellery and other small(ish) items.

From researching variuos threads and articles it seems that the lens is as important as the camera so I am thinking of splitting the budget 50/50.

The obvious choice in terms of value seems to be the 550D which I can get, body only, for about £500. I know that the D5100 is around the corner but from what I've learned it's not going to offer significantly better spec and will in all likelyhood be a couple of hundred quid more expensive. Again my budget is flexible so if there's a really compelling reason to extend to the 600-750 pound region, I'd consider it.

The real headache is the choice of lens. For somebody who is firmly at the novice end of the scale the sheer variety of lenses is quite daunting. An employee of Jessops recommended the Canon EF 100mm F2.8 Macro USM and its big brother the Canon EF 100mm F2.8L Macro USM at £400 and £650 respectively.

As I will only have 1 lens for the medium term am I better to go for a zoom lens which will offer a bit more flexibility, though, from what I've read, compromise macro performance or stick with Jessops man's advice?

Sorry about the long post, hopefully some of you can guide me in the right direction on how best to spend my £1000 and avoid the dreaded buyer's remorse.

Thanks in advance.
 
I'd go into the shops and try out the cameras, Find out which system you like best. Then personally i'd buy a second hand body, and spend as much as you can on good Glass
 
There are plenty of cameras for the £500 price mark...Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax all have decent DSLRs so the best thing to do is to go to you local store and handle them all. the one you think fits better in your hands is the one to go for!

I wouldn't spend your budget on a single lens tbh if I was just starting. You will probably get a decent kit lens with your camera for 30-40 more than the body only price (it's worth the money as a start till you find out what you like to shoot mostly). A decent macro lens (options heavily depend on what camera you decide to go for) should set you back about 250-300. You also need to allow for a good flash (circa £150-200), tripod (£100) and some other accessories you may need.

Hope that helps..
 
Ok, I'll take another trip to jessops and try out the main contenders. As for the kit lenses, I've heard nothing but bad things, though I suppose if it's only adding < 50 quid to the price then it's no big deal.

As for the flash, is this a necessity or an optional extra for studio work? I've already got a couple of 85w spots...
 
Ok, for studio work:

Lencarta Lights package - £350 ish or a good flash (Nikon SB900 for example) is £300

I would have a couple of primes for top IQ, maybe a 85mm 1.8 and a 35mm 1.8 type thing - New for Nikon around £500.
 
You are on a very tight budget to build photography into your workflow. Here's my thoughts.

Since you are going to use as a part of design workflow, in a studio, you don't need a zoom lens. Low/medium end zoom lenses are optically inferior to a prime lens. A good prime or 2 is much better suited to product photography. What will make or break is the lighting.

Your shopping list should look something like

Camera body - unimportant - Nikon, Canon. Just about anything released in the last 5 years will do the job just fine if you are shooting up to A4'ish magazine spread. Anything over 12MP is surplus to requirements even at A3. But I'd stick to Canikon, just because of the lens/parts/accessory availability. Don't bother with a new body. They depreciate like new cars. Get a well looked after used one, that will serve your purpose while you learn the rope. Get something under £300. Canon 450D, 30D/40D, Nikon D80/D200, etc.

Lens - 50mm/85mm/105mm depending on your work space and budget. You want macro? Consider Sigma 105mm f2.8 - cheaper than Nikon/Canon, and optically, perfectly matched. £300

Tripod - most £100 ones will more than happily hold your prosumer bodies and your medium primes.

Lights - since you are in studio, you should get a 3 head studio kit, along with a few softboxes and a set of snoots/barndoors/grids. Lencarta is popular around here. Elemental is also worth a look for budget kit. You should get 1 boom stand and 2 straight light stands, too. This is where most of your cash will go, I'd imagine. £5-600

Flash triggers - 1 set, and trigger the other 2 by optical slave. Yongnuo RF602 for £20.

Job done. That should be around £1000, and enough gear to get you set up pretty good to start shooting products. I don't know how much you know about product photography, but it's actually one of the harder genres of commercial photography. Lighting is much more intricate than a simple portrait. I'd either take a course in it, or learn from photographers you previously worked with. It'll take time to learn it for you to be competent, but it's worth it.
 
Ok, so you have some hot light, but at 85w, it's not that powerful. I'd say that won't play much part in the set up. For hot lights to be effective, you want a LOT more power, but then again, as the name suggests, it gets very hot, so not ideal for long shoots unless you have a lot of room.

Lighting will take a lifetime to master, but with the right gear, and basic knowledge, you can get started, and tear all your hair out before getting to grips with it. Hope I haven't scared you too much, lol. It's all a part of progression. Good luck.
 
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