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A lot of the Canon L series lenses are white, you'll have seen them at big sports events and the such like.
Choosing my first DSLR and lenses
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The professional "L" series telephoto lenses that Canon make are all white. They claim it's something to do with temperature control. More to do with they stand out at events (lining the touch lines of football matches).
As to camera choice. When I first started I had an entry level body (canon 350d) and what I found was that it was ok until you wanted to take more control, because to alter settings you had to go into menus or it was a combination of multiple button presses. When I upgraded to an 60D things started to get more intuitive because they had more individual controls. In short the entry level cameras have their place more in those who just want a camera that looks the part. If you are thinking about getting into this seriously a 2nd hand, higher range body would be better. If I had my time over that's what I would do.
More importantly, spend lots of time with it, playing with the settings and seeing what changes when you alter things like shutter speed or aperture, and post your images on here asking for feedback. There are lots of people on here who are happy to give you a steer in the right direction and as to events where people are happy to spend time and show you the ropes, dive into the "community" section and have a look, it's a way off but the Nutters meet at Whipsnade in January is always well attended.
Looking forward to seeing some pics (I like some of the ones on your Instagram btw)
As to camera choice. When I first started I had an entry level body (canon 350d) and what I found was that it was ok until you wanted to take more control, because to alter settings you had to go into menus or it was a combination of multiple button presses. When I upgraded to an 60D things started to get more intuitive because they had more individual controls. In short the entry level cameras have their place more in those who just want a camera that looks the part. If you are thinking about getting into this seriously a 2nd hand, higher range body would be better. If I had my time over that's what I would do.
More importantly, spend lots of time with it, playing with the settings and seeing what changes when you alter things like shutter speed or aperture, and post your images on here asking for feedback. There are lots of people on here who are happy to give you a steer in the right direction and as to events where people are happy to spend time and show you the ropes, dive into the "community" section and have a look, it's a way off but the Nutters meet at Whipsnade in January is always well attended.
Looking forward to seeing some pics (I like some of the ones on your Instagram btw)
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Yeah, it's a pity. It's just bad timing I didn't decide to join a photography forum earlier! Having said that, I would probably be more comfortable going to a meet after I've actually used a dslr for at least a few months. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know what questions to ask and what to learn from people!
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I see. Thank for the answers!
White is my favourite colour (or lack of colour? lol) I would totally love it if there was a body and lens range in white. Thanks for explaining the difference between starting with an entry-level and FF. That's really helpful for me to know! And yes, I'd love to attend a meet some day, although I just quickly googled it and Whipsnade is really far for me!
And thanks for your comment on my amateurish Instagram pics. I know how most people, especially pros, feel about cheesy Instagram filters and frames. Which is why I only have about 35 photos in my account, lol.
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Distance is relative. I live in Whipsnade and my boat was in Poole. I used to go there every other weekendI see. Thank for the answers!
Thanks for explaining the difference between starting with an entry-level and FF. That's really helpful for me to know! And yes, I'd love to attend a meet some day, although I just quickly googled it and Whipsnade is really far for me!
And thanks for your comment on my amateurish Instagram pics. I know how most people, especially pros, feel about cheesy Instagram filters and frames. Which is why I only have about 35 photos in my account, lol.
But hey, keep an eye out for local meets. I'm not a camera club person, but I've met some lovely people on here and always willing to provide advice.
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It is also subjective. I'm one of those people who get motion sickness in cars and boats.Distance is relative. I live in Whipsnade and my boat was in Poole. I used to go there every other weekend
I use travel bands and they help a bit but they kinda hurt, lol. I most certainly will. Except I need to go out and buy a camera first, lol.
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Thanks for your suggestion, Chris.
Of course you'd feel limited by some kind of fixed lens bridge camera in a year or two. I'd be surprised if a well chosen bridge camera (one with all the facilities you'd get from an entry level DSLR except for exchangeable lenses) would have exhausted its learning potential and started cramping you in less than a year. The point is that the limitations you would be feeling after that year's experience would be what would guide you into a sensible choice of next system. At the moment you simply have no idea where you will end up in terms of kinds of photography and kinds of equipment. What's more, and rather important, is that the high end camera market is right in the confusing middle of a difficult technological revolution.
Let me give some historical perspective on that. The old 35mm film SLR for decades dominated a technological sweet spot of image quality, convenience, and cost. I'm old enough to remember all the doubtful head shaking from the professionals when the young scruffy David Bailey started doing serious professional top end magazine work with what was then regarded as a "toy" 35mm SLR. The crucial SLR (Single Lens Reflex) trick was to reflect the image from the lens up into the optical viewfinder to let you see through the same lens that would take the photograph. The mirror then flipped up out of the way to let that image fall on the film (or digital image sensor) to take the shot. The SLR went on to develop autoexposure and autofocus, which used specialised sensors which also used the mirror reflected image.
When digital sensors arrived the SLR was converted into the DSLR, basically a film SLR with a digital back. The DSLR inherited the SLR's mechanical spring controlled lens iris mechanism, mechanical shutters, and the flapping mirror. The DSLR inherited all the old fashioned but intricate well polished and highly capable clockwork technology. n a computerised device like a camera you can often save manufacturing costs and improve reliability by replacing clockwork with electronics, but you can only do so when you have developed electronic solutions which offer at least as good performance as the old clockwork. But it's rarely as simple a complete replacement. The new technology often offers some new extra features which for some make it worth having a bit before it's got quite as good as the old technology. For example the electronic viewfinders currently being offered by some camera makers aren't yet quite as good as optical viewfinders at simply showing you the view. They lack speed, resolution, and dynamic range. But they offer extras which the optical viewfinder can't, such as being able to show you immediately in the viewfinder the effect on the taken image of your changes in camera settings (exposure, white balance, black and white, etc.), extra information such as the luminance histogram, focusing aids such as focus peaking and image magnification, and so on. Autofocusing based on the image sensor isn't yet as fast as the old phase detection autofocus sensors which depend on the flapping mirror technology, but it's more accurate. Electronic shutters don't offer such high speeds as mechanical shutters, but they remove the last source of mechanical vibration from the camera's internals, vibration which degrades image detail resolution in certain circumstances.
These technological changes are not just improving the camera as an image taking device, they're changing the way photographers use cameras. For example, take the selfie. People love taking selfies, and photographers like being able to include themsleves in family photos. It used to involve putting the camera on a tripod, setting up a mechanical delay of several seconds, and then running round to get into the photograph before the shutter fired. Now you can get cameras which won't take the photograph until the people in the photograph smile, which can flip round the LCD to point to the subject so you can compose images which include you, or cameras which can be controlled from your smartphone including seeing the image the camera sees displayed on your smartphone. That doesn't just make selfies easier, it makes lots of other kinds of photography easier where you want the camera in a position much easier to get the camera into than a person, or where a presence of a person would spoil the shot, such as wild life close ups.
The reason for going on about these changes are that they're all in rapid development right now. The changes which may happen during the next year could affect your decision about what kind of camera to get.
That's the reason why eight years ago I bought a bridge camera. I was an experienced film SLR user. I developed and printed my own films. The bridge camera was to help me get to grips with digital camera technology and computer post processing so I could decide what kind of exchangeable lens camera to get. A year later I was still happily learning when a fatal accident to the bridge camera pushed me into a rather earlier upgrade than I was planning.
It's very exciting to buy into a new exchangeable lens camera system. But this is probably the most confusing and difficult time for at least the last ten years to make a decision that you won't regret a year later. I'm just trying to slow you down
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A Canon 6D is an affordable full frame option and it's a fantastic camera. It's my first upgrade from my entry level camera and I kind of wish I had started with it, although I did learn a lot from my 550D, especially the differences between crop and full frame and how this affects different lenses etc.
Both crop and full frame have advantages and disadvantages, but if you eventually want to go pro, then full frame is the way to go.
Also just because you haven't actually taken a photo with a DSLR yet you can still have the ambition of going pro in the future or have that as an ambition. I was exactly like you, wanted to be a professional photographer, than bought a camera, then learnt it all, set up my own shots, read a lot about business etc. and am now at the point where I'm thinking I might be ready to go pro. You can have the ambition from very early on and make it happen
Both crop and full frame have advantages and disadvantages, but if you eventually want to go pro, then full frame is the way to go.
Also just because you haven't actually taken a photo with a DSLR yet you can still have the ambition of going pro in the future or have that as an ambition. I was exactly like you, wanted to be a professional photographer, than bought a camera, then learnt it all, set up my own shots, read a lot about business etc. and am now at the point where I'm thinking I might be ready to go pro. You can have the ambition from very early on and make it happen
woof woof
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Didn't cross my mind till it was suggested here. I would probably only want to join a club after I've bought a dslr and used it for a while.
Of course you'd feel limited by some kind of fixed lens bridge camera in a year or two. I'd be surprised if a well chosen bridge camera (one with all the facilities you'd get from an entry level DSLR except for exchangeable lenses) would have exhausted its learning potential and started cramping you in less than a year. The point is that the limitations you would be feeling after that year's experience would be what would guide you into a sensible choice of next system. At the moment you simply have no idea where you will end up in terms of kinds of photography and kinds of equipment. What's more, and rather important, is that the high end camera market is right in the confusing middle of a difficult technological revolution.
It's very exciting to buy into a new exchangeable lens camera system. But this is probably the most confusing and difficult time for at least the last ten years to make a decision that you won't regret a year later. I'm just trying to slow you down
Wow, thanks for all the info. I understand what you mean and I will heed your advice. But how long do you think it will take for this "technical revolution" to sort itself out?
Thanks for sharing, Andi, and the encouraging words..A Canon 6D is an affordable full frame option and it's a fantastic camera. It's my first upgrade from my entry level camera and I kind of wish I had started with it, although I did learn a lot from my 550D, especially the differences between crop and full frame and how this affects different lenses etc.
Both crop and full frame have advantages and disadvantages, but if you eventually want to go pro, then full frame is the way to go.
Also just because you haven't actually taken a photo with a DSLR yet you can still have the ambition of going pro in the future or have that as an ambition. I was exactly like you, wanted to be a professional photographer, than bought a camera, then learnt it all, set up my own shots, read a lot about business etc. and am now at the point where I'm thinking I might be ready to go pro. You can have the ambition from very early on and make it happen
Do you think it's useful for a photographer to have used both crop and full frame so they understand the difference? Or does it not really matter?
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Thank you, Alan!You seem to have a good eye for a shot, good luck in the future
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Thanks for sharing, Andi, and the encouraging words..
I don't think you need to buy a crop first and a full frame after to understand the difference. That would be a very expensive lesson. This is something you can learn from online demonstrations, descriptions etc.
And if you go full frame straight away you probably won't ever need to know what a crop sensor does and why.
If you start with a crop sensor but buy lenses for a full frame you will then learn the difference pretty quick, which is why I personally felt the need to upgrade to a full frame.
Also, I don't think anyone's mentioned the rental option yet. You can rent lenses or cameras for a day here and there which would be an inexpensive option of getting to know the equipment and help you decide what you want to invest in.
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That (more controls, buttons, features, faster to change settings in use, etc..) is not a difference between entry level and FF; it's the difference between entry level and enthusiast/prosumer/professional level. There are FF cameras which lack these features and a variety of models with APS-C and smaller sensors which have them.
woof woof
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I haven't read the whole thread so sorry if this has already been covered but has software been mentioned? IMVHO for anyone looking to get serious it's worth thinking about shooting raw and processing for best effect or even just artistic effect Might be worth looking at software and putting aside some money for it. Creative Cloud could be an option. Soz if this has been covered already.
Might be worth looking at software and putting aside some money for it. Creative Cloud could be an option. Soz if this has been covered already.
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The problem with 'internet advice' and how you've got to where you are. It's not about cameras, it's about pictures.Didn't cross my mind till it was suggested here. I would probably only want to join a club after I've bought a dslr and used it for a while.
Wow, thanks for all the info. I understand what you mean and I will heed your advice. But how long do you think it will take for this "technical revolution" to sort itself out?
Thanks for sharing, Andi, and the encouraging words..
A camera is one of the tools you use to achieve a photograph.
When 35mm SLR's were the 'norm' no one considered shooting a half frame camera to get extra reach (as they now do with crop cameras) because the IQ wasn't up to it, we did move up to larger formats though for the improved IQ. But no one needed to shoot multiple formats to 'understand the difference'. We just shot with what we had, or bought what we needed if we could afford to.
The same holds true, crop cameras are perfectly capable of doing lots of jobs, for some jobs, we might feel a full frame camera is better, for others we might consider something bigger, and others are more suited to a compact system camera. Give most pros a Euromillions win and they'd buy the lot.
But we know they're just tools, at most they allow us to experiment with different techniques, but they're just a tiny part of the picture (pun intended).
Forgive me for once again trying to pitch some reality to cut through this gear obsession. Just buy a camera and learn to use it. There's no 'right one', if you like photography it's just your first camera, and by the time you're finding your feet as a pro, it'll be as significant as your first strawberry. And if you decide photography isn't for you, it's what you'll sell to buy something useful for your home. It really is that unimportant, though it doesn't seem that way to you now.
The sentimental old fart in me would happily go and buy a copy of every camera I've ever owned, but the practical working photographer keeps spending that money on new 'toys', ever better lenses, lighting gear, etc.
http://www.castlecameras.co.uk/
AND, don't overlook Pentax. You'll get a lot of camera for your money.
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They even do it in white
View attachment 39294
Joking aside, if you want to get serious, consider the fact that you will change the body at some point, the lenses etc will last many cameras. When choosing a brand you are adopting into a system, so consider what options there are for 3rd party accessories, 2nd hand lenses etc, all these help to keep the cost down.
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Phil very much speaks the truth here - I was one that had 35mm and bought medium format (and borrowed a 5"x4" 1/2 plate camera) for the highest image quality I could afford.
The most important bit of this is: the camera is not the key - it's the pictures you take with it, and the best cameras 'disappear' when you use them, so that you can get the picture instead of the camera etc getting in the way.
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Great, thank you for your advice!
Hmm, ok. Thanks for that. I think I just won't bother with that aspect in my decision making. Too complicated.
I haven't read the whole thread so sorry if this has already been covered but has software been mentioned? IMVHO for anyone looking to get serious it's worth thinking about shooting raw and processing for best effect or even just artistic effect
Someone did mention CC. I didn't know prior to the discussion in this thread that there's such a service. As in, I saw there's a product called Lightroom CC, but didn't know you get the software free for monthly subscription. Now I do, after reading about it more in depth. Thanks for highlighting it!
I appreciate your opinion and all the advice you have previously given. But surely you're not suggesting that every beginner should just walk into a camera shop and buy a camera off the shelf just like that? Would not doing some research on the internet and hearing what experienced photographers have to say help in some fashion?
Thanks for that. If I had a choice I would prefer to choose a camera that had easier controls than not.
Yes, I have read some good things about Pentax. Just thought I'd keep it simpler cos reading up about just the two main brands is already overwhelming as it is! And thank you for the link!
They even do it in white
View attachment 39294
Joking aside, if you want to get serious, consider the fact that you will change the body at some point, the lenses etc will last many cameras. When choosing a brand you are adopting into a system, so consider what options there are for 3rd party accessories, 2nd hand lenses etc, all these help to keep the cost down.
Wow that's beautiful. Makes me want to consider a Pentax seriously now.
And that's not a joke! Sorry, I'm not sure I get your last statement. The camera is not the key, that I get. The skills of the photographer is most important. But when you say "the best cameras disappear when you use them", does that not mean it's important to choose the right camera that will "disappear" in your hands?
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Well firstly, I never said you shouldn't do any research, but you've done some and got some great advice....
So, now it's time to go and buy a camera!
It's not a joke, you'll learn more in the first hour with the camera in your hand than you will in a years reading websites.
And to back up my opinion re the importance of your first camera; here's mine
Since that I've owned so many cameras I can't count them all, and currently own 9. (5 DSLRs and some other stuff), what significance do you really think that first camera has? Honestly, it's virtually irrelevant, I don't even buy all the b*****ks from people who say 'you need one that feels right'.
I picked a Canon 14 years ago based on something I wanted nearly 30 years ago, but if it'd been a Nikon, I'd be doing exactly the same work today. The camera doesn't disappear because it has magical properties, it disappears because the important thing is the subject of the photograph.
There's a huge difference between the advice given by 'camera owners' and 'photographers', the equipment section of photography forums isn't the place to get advice about photography, by nature it's skewed towards the importance of gear. It ought to be obvious, but it's not.
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Phil V is spot on. Its not about which camera. Its about learning the basics, practise and find your own style. Once you know that you'll figure out what it really is what you need.
And I agree, your instagram definitely show an eye for it.
And I agree, your instagram definitely show an eye for it.
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I'm going to have to give them a try. Can't get to a camera shop until next week!
Thanks! Your post has removed most of my fear of "choosing the wrong first camera".
Thanks for your comment! I'm so glad!
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What Phil says...... You now have a basic Idea, go and buy a camera and see where it leads you.