First Camera

Dean Wil

Dean Wil

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Dean
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As ive said in a few other posts, im new to photography, but am very interested in getting into it.

Heres the rub, ive never owned my own camera, and have taken only one good photograph, ever.

I want to do everything digitally, but i dont want to fork out alot of money, when im just starting out in the hobby. I want to photograph nature and wildlife generally.

Im really just looking for suggestions of what sort of equipment would be best for me to start with.

Thanks, Dean.

Edit- im comfortable in the £200-£250 mark, but the less the better really.
 
feel like I am stalking you Dean :D... not suggesting an answer, but some advice...

When you decide on what you want... the classified section of this site is excellent.

Will save you a bob or two.
 
Since you've specified that you'd like to be photographing nature and wildlife then I'm not sure that the standard kit lens on a second hand SLR is really going to cut it for you - you may be better off looking at a bridge camera that has a longer zoom range and possibly some macro functions as well.

If you were going to look at an SLR with these types of lenses you could be looking at a lot more money.
 
guybrush said:
Since you've specified that you'd like to be photographing nature and wildlife then I'm not sure that the standard kit lens on a second hand SLR is really going to cut it for you - you may be better off looking at a bridge camera that has a longer zoom range and possibly some macro functions as well.

If you were going to look at an SLR with these types of lenses you could be looking at a lot more money.
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Sounds very much like a bridge camera could be for me!

Lets wait and see what others suggest :thumbs:
 
Dean Wil said:
Sounds very much like a bridge camera could be for me! ....Lets wait and see what others suggest :thumbs:
Click to expand...

perhaps a bridge would be restrictive....:shrug:

I would suggest getting a used body
and buying a new lens such as the Sigma 70-300mm APO..."here"
make sure it's the APO version about £150

then later add a shorter zoom eg Nikon 18-55mm .. £80 new at Parks

[I have listed a used Nikon D40 in the "Sales" but it's Sold - pending Payment]
 
Just so happens I have a 400D for that price ;)
 
Marc.W said:
Just so happens I have a 400D for that price ;)
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hope you dont mind - but as you are new here- please post a link to your "Sale" thread for the item.............:thumbs:
 
Yardbent said:
hope you dont mind - but as you are new here- please post a link to your "Sale" thread for the item.............:thumbs:
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Don't have it on TP, will get it put up now and post link :)

*EDIT* It appears I can't create a new topic in the for sale section so I will put a link up of another forum (Mods Please free to remove if against site rules)

Canon 400D & Extras For Sale
 
Another suggesting a bridge, who doesn't find using one restrictive!
 
After thinking about it overnight, i really do think a bridge is a good idea for me, aside from not having to fork out for expensive lenses and such right at the start, im assuming that a bridge will be less overwhelming than an SLR. As ive mentioned im 100% new to this.

So now that ive decided on a bridge, the question is, what bridge? What sort of optical zoom am i looking at needing, for photographing wildlife at a distance?

Suggestions are welome :thumbs:
 
Yardbent said:
perhaps a bridge would be restrictive....:shrug:

I would suggest getting a used body
and buying a new lens such as the Sigma 70-300mm APO..."here"
make sure it's the APO version about £150

then later add a shorter zoom eg Nikon 18-55mm .. £80 new at Parks

[I have listed a used Nikon D40 in the "Sales" but it's Sold - pending Payment]
Click to expand...

Well it will become restrictive further down the line as he seeks to broaden his interest in photography, but at the price he's listed you're not going to be able to buy a second hand SLR and telephoto lens for that kind of price.

If you're really serious about photography then you will at some point want to buy an SLR, that's pretty much guaranteed. But until you've got a little more cash to justify spending on lenses then a compact/bridge will do you fine.

The closest you could probably come on Canon's end is the 55-250mm and maybe a 350D, but I think you'd be better off with a compact that covers that range and much more. SLRs aren't the be all and end all of photography.

I don't think SLRs are really that overwhelming anymore, the learning curve is not so bad anymore, they're very user friendly peices of equipment if you've got the patience to learn how to use them correctly. You're more likely at first to struggle with aspects of photography in general than the kit you're using but that's fine and if you keep at it then you should get the grip.

Now moving onto what camera to buy, if you're going to be taking photos of animals in the wild then you're best looking at 200mm minimimum.

There are quite a lot of cameras on the market that cover that range, so you're going to need to do quite a lot of hefty research into finding out which one is most suitable to you, probably worth heading on down to Jessops or your local camera store and seeing what they say. Since my compact is a Lumix and I'm biased I'm going to suggest the Panasonic Lumix Fz38.

Good luck in your search for a camera. :)
 
guybrush said:
Well it will become restrictive further down the line as he seeks to broaden his interest in photography, but at the price he's listed you're not going to be able to buy a second hand SLR and telephoto lens for that kind of price.

If you're really serious about photography then you will at some point want to buy an SLR, that's pretty much guaranteed. But until you've got a little more cash to justify spending on lenses then a compact/bridge will do you fine.

The closest you could probably come on Canon's end is the 55-250mm and maybe a 350D, but I think you'd be better off with a compact that covers that range and much more. SLRs aren't the be all and end all of photography.

I don't think SLRs are really that overwhelming anymore, the learning curve is not so bad anymore, they're very user friendly peices of equipment if you've got the patience to learn how to use them correctly. You're more likely at first to struggle with aspects of photography in general than the kit you're using but that's fine and if you keep at it then you should get the grip.

Now moving onto what camera to buy, if you're going to be taking photos of animals in the wild then you're best looking at 200mm minimimum.

There are quite a lot of cameras on the market that cover that range, so you're going to need to do quite a lot of hefty research into finding out which one is most suitable to you, probably worth heading on down to Jessops or your local camera store and seeing what they say. Since my compact is a Lumix and I'm biased I'm going to suggest the Panasonic Lumix Fz38.

Good luck in your search for a camera. :)
Click to expand...

Thankyou! A very helpfull reply, ill begin searching immdeitaly, im now alot more sure of what sort of camera i want.
 
If you are patient you can get something like:
Canon 300D or 350D: £100-£130
Canon 18-55mm: £30
Tamron 70-300mm or Sigma 70-300mm: £70-£80

Total: £200 to £240 and better than any bridge camera under £300 that I can think of.
 
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