Beginner Camera options

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Dannii28

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Danielle
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Hi there I'm just after some advice I am looking at my first "proper camera".
I know I've got a long journey ahead of me but I would really love to become a professional photographer I've booked my self on to a master class for photography but I just don't know what camera to look for.
I've looked at some cameras and am steering toward a canon but it's like a minefield just after some recommendations really on good starter cameras I've looked at the canon 200d and 750d I have a budget of up to £600
 
Hi Dannii

Welcome to the forum.
Go to a shop and hold some bodies and see how the ergonmics are for you.
Also have play with the menus as these tend to vary with manufacturers.
You be holding the camera a lot so it needs to feel comfortable for you.
Although I'm a Canon user I'm not going to tell you to do the same as another brand may appeals to you as well
However both the 750D and 200D would be a good starting point into photography.
 
Buy a camera:

Second hand, midrange rather than a beginner model. They’re much easier to use, and you’ll lose less money when you sell it. Use it, learn, use it some more, learn some more.

When you’ve learned enough, you’ll know whether or not you have a cat in hells chance of ever being a pro*, then you need to find a niche, find a market, learn how to build a business (by now you’ll be on your 3rd or 4th camera).

Don’t stress about your first camera, because it’s just that, the first. It’ll either get stuck at the bottom of the wardrobe or sold on and either because you loved it and used it to death, or you gave up.


*seriously youre opening statement sounds like ‘I’d love to be a professional footballer and have booked on a course, what football boots do I need’. And if you think that’s daft, most mid sized towns in this country employ >20 full time footballers and dozens of part time semi pro, all of whom have been playing since they were 5. And there’ll be about 12 full time and a couple of dozen semi pro photographers.
 
To add to Phil's comments about 'Pro' adoration; it's also oft forgot that to be a 'Pro' you just have to be paid.... you DON'T actually have to be all that good!
At least at taking photo's! As Phil says, the key skills needed to be a Pro are marketing and business, not necessarily photographic!

The reverence in which 'Pros' are held is quite often erroneous. Yes, a lot of them take good photo's, but, do Ford make good cars? What about Porsche, do they make 'better' ones? What about Yugo? These manufacturers all make cars and make money from them, but what about the Locost kit-var made by some-one in their garage just for fun? Quality is fitness for purpose, not ultimate excellence.

Imperative here is to recognize you are a beginner, and to pick a camera for THAT purpose. You don't buy a toddler a carbon fiber Bordman replica push-bike, because that's what the Pros ride... you buy them something from Toys-R-Us with stabilizers... and a fixed gear.... when they have learned to pedal, then you can take the stabilizers off, when they have learned to not fall over, then you can look at things with gears.... then when they have learned to use them, you might start worrying about something with more gears, or stronger wheels, or fancy suspension; its NOT really so important off the stops.

And when it comes to taking photographs; most of it is where you point it, NOT what it is. Spend more time looking through the camera, not at it; worrying about the subject, not the settings; that's how you get better photo's, bot with supposedly 'better' cameras.

Pretty much ANY camera 'will do'........ even for a Pro!
 
Knowing a couple of pro togs I agree they are good business people but nothing special on the shots side BUT adequate for the job.
 
Teflon-Mike said:
mperative here is to recognize you are a beginner, and to pick a camera for THAT purpose. You don't buy a toddler a carbon fiber Bordman replica push-bike, because that's what the Pros ride... you buy them something from Toys-R-Us with stabilizers.
Click to expand...

With respect, that’s a rubbish analogy.
It completely ignores marketing.

Cameras aimed at ‘beginners’ are harder to use, slower to learn on and basically designed by the manufacturers to create an upgrade path.
Enthusiast cameras build all the important controls into buttons, so you don’t need to dive into menus to set important things.
 
Got to agree with Phil on this about mid-range cameras. They tend to be neither intimidating nor restrictive. An older mid-range body is a much better starting point than a new shiny entry level model IMVHO.

£600 would go much further on a used body and a couple of used but high quality lenses that will likely serve you well for some time.
 
Phil has made some very good points.
Nowadays the choice of good used bodies is quite extensive, far more than when I bought my first DSLR in 2008.
As others have stated, with the used market you should be able to buy a body and a couple of lenses for £600.
You could buy from somewhere like mbp as they give a 3 month warranty but you will pay a higher price.
I know that some people shy away from a certain auction site but asking the right questions is very important and you can grab a bargain.
Look for items ending during the working day as there is more chances of less people bidding towards the end of the auction.
 
Thanks for the reply guys.
I have looked on auctions sites but am scared to buy something so expensive as have bad experiences before on them,i have been offered a lumix g2 which i think is quite old in the camera world it comes with len18mm-55mm and a zoom lens which is up to 300mm for £150 it's 12megapixels and the ones I was looking at were 24 megapixels which is quite a difference but you have given some great advice so will maybe buy this just to start with and see if it is for me and them if it is look at something a little more.
I understand all the marketing side and stuff but i am a very long way from that as I am a complete novice in the world of photography
 
Dannii28 said:
Thanks for the reply guys.
I have looked on auctions sites but am scared to buy something so expensive as have bad experiences before
Click to expand...

When it comes to buying used camera gear via auction I've generally found most sellers have a clue but there will always be a few idiots.
As well as the photos when it comes to camera bodies the type of questions you need to ask are: is the sensor clean and is there any dust when looking through the viewfinder?
The auction sites tend to favour the buyer so getting a refund shouldn't be too much of a problem. A decent seller should give you a refund if you are not satisfied without a quibble.
A friend of mine made a mistake and didn't ask the right questions and received a body with the filthiest of focussing screen I have ever seen, there were even a couple of hairs behind it. I contacted the seller on his behalf and he apologised and gave a full refund and covered the postage cost back to him.
When it comes to specks of dust in a lens this is quite common but these don't normally cause an IQ problem and any seller with a clue will mention this in a listing.
With a bit of patience you can find a good bargain.
 
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