First DSLR - Question& Ideas

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LeahP

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Leah
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I am so sorry to make another thread, and I hope it isn't a problem. Today I have been given some fantastic advice regarding a first DSLR for a total beginner looking to get into photography with the view of becoming a professional.

I have had a few awesome suggestions, given my budget is around £250.

The following have been suggested (second hand):

Sony alpha 58 + kit lens
Canon 40D - with Canon 18-55 IS, Canon 55-250 IS, Canon 50 f/1.8 II
Nikon D300 + a 18-55mm vr lens
Nikon D90 + 18-55 VR lens
Nikon D200 + Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens

They all look great and I am already looking at second hand ones.

My question was, however, that I didn't focus so much in my original post in my second threat, is that the main focus I want to really use my camera for, and eventually do professionally all going well, is newborn and birth photography. Obviously in the mean time I would focus on perhaps pet photography, and people, in order to really get an idea of photographing subjects, rather that nature etc. Would these camera's be suitable for this purpose specifically?
 
They'll all up to the job mate . I'd suggest canon as lenses second hand are easier to come by . But just pick the one you like the best . You'd be better off with a prime for portrait photography . Mind the nifty fifty which you mention is great in good natural light but not so good in low light - hunts for focus lock and a bit noisy . The 1.4 much nicer but bit more pricey (and you need to look after it)

In terms of your professional plans . Photography all about light and composition. Camera and lens not that important . You make a good photo not take one. If I was you I'd study lots of websites of professionals that are in the genre you are keen on and practice copying them . The odd book or this site will help . You'd be better of practising with a doll and then family friends first . Offering to do a feee for free at the start will get you on the ladder .

Hope that helps

David
 
Hi Leah,

I don't think any of these cameras is going to be the limiting factor in terms of getting professional portraits as long as you can shoot in good light and at low ISO's.

If money is no object, portraits would ideally be shot using "fast" lenses (f/2.8 and faster) because that allows you to blur out the background better. Unfortunately most fast lenses don't fit in your budget with the exception of the Canon 50 f/1.8 II, which is nevertheless a good performer. The other obvious portrait lens in the Canon lineup is the Canon EF 85 f/1.8 but that will set you back £200 or a bit less. You could just start out with a 40D and the Canon EF 50 f/1.8II and see how you get on with natural light portraits. The zooms I suggested would allow you to deal with most photographic situations other than shooting portraits indoors so if portraits are your goal they are not a must and it might be a better idea to spend the money on a flash.

I have suggested Canon because that is what I know something about. I am sure someone else can clarify the Nikon and Sony choices as well.
 
In my local Sainsbury from time to time there are a couple of girls photographing babies.They have a posed set up, baby in chair, bouncer etc.
They have the camera on a tripod, lights all set up and camera linked to laptop.They used a 40D with a kit lens,take pix , show doting parent/grandparent pix on laptop.
Take order , take payment/ deposit , presumably enough to cover costs if punter does not pay) get prints done by ext lab ( see http://www.proamimaging.com/ for an indication of prices), send to parent.
I am not sure how they take payment, I did not think asking was a good idea.
They obviously pay the supermarket for the facilty.
 
Thanks guys. I think I've settled on the Canon EOS 40D with the Canon 50 f/1.8 II lens to start with.. just need to find the best deal now! :)
 
Leah, have a look at the Yongnuo 50mm f1.8, it's considerably cheaper than the Canon one, very quick to focus, cost me £40 on ebay, it's cheaper build quality, but, does a great job.
I've no idea about prices on second hand cameras, but, I used to have an 1100d and recently bought the 1300d and I am extremely happy with it.

Check out this comparison site.....

http://cameradecision.com/compare/Canon-EOS-Rebel-T6-vs-Canon-EOS-40D
 
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IMO the Canon 40D is an excellent older body, the one I used to have had images that post processed beautifully.

Getting the set you mention will allow you to explore the potential of what "you" can do with a dSLR.
Do not get fixated on kit and this stage..........almost any body & lens combo can achieve decent results. The reason I say that is because, even with the genres you aspire to you must first test both your camera handling skills and in lots of ways more importantly your 'photographers eye'.

Get the kit you can afford...........take lots of pictures to prove that you can compose a shot and create a pleasing image . as advised study lots and find your style.....do not be clone if you wish to stand out from the crowd.

Bear in mind that your aspiration could click (no pun intended) quickly or could take years but if you are passionate about your path you will succeed.

Best of luck with your dream :)
 
Thanks guys.

I have found a 40D for £139 in excellent condition with 6 months warranty and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 for £80 second hand in very good condition... so think I will go for both.
 
LeahP said:
Thanks guys.

I have found a 40D for £139 in excellent condition with 6 months warranty and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 for £80 second hand in very good condition... so think I will go for both.
Click to expand...

Don't forget to post pictures for constructive criticism.
 
Oh I'll post lots! I already have some photos I have taken, but with my Samsung Phone, nothing fancy.

Also, before buying, there are three cameras (all 40D) I am looking at but with diff shutter counts, wanted options.

1 - £100 - 25616 counts
2. £119 - 39,454 but with 6 months warrenty
3. - £143 - 17,373 with 12 months warranty
 
Well No. 3 the obvious one but where are being sold, might make a difference to the answer.
 
Don't forget to buy a cf card too (I'm pretty sure that's what the 40d uses).
 
LeahP said:
Thanks guys.

I have found a 40D for £139 in excellent condition with 6 months warranty and a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 for £80 second hand in very good condition... so think I will go for both.
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Unless the 50mm is the new STM version, I wouldn't pay £80 for one s/h. A new STM is £90 brand new and is twice as good as the mkII version.

The 40d is still a very capable camera, even though the IQ isn't up to modern standards.

I still have mine and it got some pro use last year.
 
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Eltheza said:
Hi LeahP:)!

A cf card is a Compact Flash card. Some examples here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_14?url=search-alias=electronics&field-keywords=compact+flash+card&sprefix=compact+flash+,aps,228&crid=2M5OA7JSKL6OO
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Don't forget that if you go with an older camera, using CF, you'll need a card reader too.
Something like:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Computer...qid=1489314373&sr=8-6&keywords=cf+card+reader
I would recommend against gong with really cheap readers, CF uses pins which can get bent, you want something with a decent guide for the card.
 
LeahP said:
the main focus I want to really use my camera for, and eventually do professionally all going well, is newborn and birth photography. Obviously in the mean time I would focus on perhaps pet photography, and people,
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Given this, I would avoid the Nikon D200 option because IME and O it's not up to use at anything above ISO800 and even there you have to nail the exposure to get clean results. It handles very nicely and gives great results at lower ISOs but it's poor at anything approaching low light.
 
I'm going to chuck this in here
http://strobist.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/lighting-101.html
Worth a read through for the basics of lighting (inexpensive).
If you're going to concentrate on portrait style photography, then being comfortable with lighting is going to be important.

Don't be afraid of Yongnuo for flashes etc. They are pretty good (and a fraction of the Canon price).
(Other makes are also available - Others will have experience with them).
 
Okay so I'm going to need: Camera Body, Lens, SF card, CF reader.

Haha I am so confused with it all! Does the SF card store the photos?
 
LeahP said:
Is this the same Yonguo lens? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yongnuo-EF-YN-50mm-1-8/dp/B00QIIMEMK

And thanks guys, sorry for all the questions, I'm a total newbie..
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Yes, that is the same lens, I have it myself and absolutely love it, fantastic shallow depth of field and great for low light photography, pretty quick to autofocus, there are reviews on youtube for it, compared to the canon they look very similar, but, the price is so much lower.
 
LeahP said:
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/t...samsung-galaxy-panasonic.649223/#post-7763523

Thought I'd share some photographs I've taken casually :) Be nice haha, they aren't anything special!
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Great pictures LeahP, as I always say to my photography group attendees, it is not the camera that takes the photograph, it's you, if you have the creative eye, the camera is just a tool, it's the same as a builder or joiner, if they have the tools they can build great things, but, give the same tools to someone who hasn't got a clue and you'd end up with wobbly shelves and stuff that falls apart as soon as you look at it (the latter is describing myself, lol)
 
A CF card is just a memory card, in the the same way that a lot of camera phones uses a sd card to store data (photos), a dslr also needs a way of soring photos. Some use sd cards and cf cards, some only use sd cards, but a 40d (which is the camera you were looking at) only uses a cf card. You won't need to by a cf card reader straight away as long as you have a usb cable to connect the camera to your laptop/pc/mac.
 
Thank you!! You are so right.

Which SF card is the best to buy? And what is the CF reader?
 
As a complete novice to the world of dSLR this might aid your progress

https://digital-photography-school.com/megapost-learning-how-to-use-your-first-dslr/


Re your other post with pictures
IMO they show that you think and consider what the image will look like including compositionally........having said that some are just snaps and nothing wrong with that but compared to some novices I see a creative photographers eye.

When you get the dSLR there will be a learning curve so get stuck in and the enjoy the ride.

To summarise kit:-
Camera body (should have its body cap)
Lens (the Canon 50mm f1.8 mkii is good) should come with its two caps.
CF card - I use Sandisk brand
Battery & charger
(Ideally the seller should include all the leads etc included when sold new?)
If no manual you can download a PDF version from the makers website
CF card reader - buy a new one, such as Lexar or Sandisk model

Lastly, you have not mentioned computer and software - best tell us what you have?
 
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Nostromo said:
A CF card is just a memory card, in the the same way that a lot of camera phones uses a sd card to store data (photos), a dslr also needs a way of soring photos. Some use sd cards and cf cards, some only use sd cards, but a 40d (which is the camera you were looking at) only uses a cf card. You won't need to by a cf card reader straight away as long as you have a usb cable to connect the camera to your laptop/pc/mac.
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Thank you! I have a 2015 MacBook pro which has a card reader, and the camera I am looking at buying comes with a USB cable.

:D
 
LeahP said:
Thank you! I have a 2015 MacBook pro which has a card reader, and the camera I am looking at buying comes with a USB cable.

:D
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The card reader in the MacBook won't take CF cards, you can connect the camera, but most people would go with a card reader for speed and convenience.

A rare but notable issue being if the camera battery dies during transfer and you're using a cable, you'll lose images. Plan on buying a reader eventually.
 
And if you're planning on getting a £40 50mm, spend the money saved on a s/h 18-55 kit lens.

I couldn't live with just a 50mm on a crop camera.

Too long for a walkabout, too short for a decent portrait (IMHO)

And if you're really thinking of shooting portraits, plan for an 85mm 1.8 next. It's a bargain and an excellent portrait lens on crop.
 
Phil V said:
And if you're planning on getting a £40 50mm, spend the money saved on a s/h 18-55 kit lens.

I couldn't live with just a 50mm on a crop camera.

Too long for a walkabout, too short for a decent portrait (IMHO)

And if you're really thinking of shooting portraits, plan for an 85mm 1.8 next. It's a bargain and an excellent portrait lens on crop.
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But as a learning 'tool' a fixed focal length lens can be very good but I do agree 18-55mm is a worthy bit of kit though slower and needs discipline to control depth of field (depending on the subject).
 
Box Brownie said:
But as a learning 'tool' a fixed focal length lens can be very good but I do agree 18-55mm is a worthy bit of kit though slower and needs discipline to control depth of field (depending on the subject).
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I don't agree with the modern fixation with 'fixed focal length' as a panacea, because focal length is such an important factor in photography, and 50mm on crop is IMHO just a crap focal length.

I know other people feel differently and that's fine too.

But I think Canon are missing a trick by not copying Nikon on this point by releasing a 35mm 1.8 just for crop (or 30mm).
 
Phil V said:
I don't agree with the modern fixation with 'fixed focal length' as a panacea, because focal length is such an important factor in photography, and 50mm on crop is IMHO just a crap focal length.

I know other people feel differently and that's fine too.

But I think Canon are missing a trick by not copying Nikon on this point by releasing a 35mm 1.8 just for crop (or 30mm).
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Ah! overlooked the crop element plus 'back in the day' all I had were fixed focals and these were on 35mm film :LOL: so yes a 35mm lens on a crop for PoV and perspective is a good choice. (One thing for sure I am not fixated on fixed vocals ~ all zooms bar one 60mm EFS that I have been meaning to sell to fund something else!)

But Leah has a limited budget...... so your suggestion of the 18-55 kit lens (as it did me in the past ;) ) should serve her well.
 
Guys, apologies I made a new thread. The camera I'm going to buy I think is..

Canon EOS 40D with a 50mm F/1.8 Yongnuo lens.

However a friend of mine studying photography didn't rate it as he thought the ISO was low along with picture quality. A lot of you have said don't get too caught up in the equipment at this stage, focus on getting the best photograph from the equipment which I totally agree with, however because I will be forking out a good bit of money (for me) I do want to feel confident in what I'm buying.

He recommend the Nikon D3200 or D3300.

I am willing to spend (for the body and lens) about £300 second hand. (My budget has increased a little), so help me out guys. Within that budget and bearing in mind I am mainly looking at doing portraits (although I will buy a second lens that's better for nature shots should I stick to the Canon EOS 40D, or go with the Nikon, or for my now increased budget could I get something better second hand?

Blah, so hard making a choice, just need to do it!
 
LeahP said:
Guys, apologies I made a new thread. The camera I'm going to buy I think is..

Canon EOS 40D with a 50mm F/1.8 Yongnuo lens.

However a friend of mine studying photography didn't rate it as he thought the ISO was low along with picture quality. A lot of you have said don't get too caught up in the equipment at this stage, focus on getting the best photograph from the equipment which I totally agree with, however because I will be forking out a good bit of money (for me) I do want to feel confident in what I'm buying.

He recommend the Nikon D3200 or D3300.

I am willing to spend (for the body and lens) about £300 second hand. (My budget has increased a little), so help me out guys. Within that budget and bearing in mind I am mainly looking at doing portraits (although I will buy a second lens that's better for nature shots should I stick to the Canon EOS 40D, or go with the Nikon, or for my now increased budget could I get something better second hand?

Blah, so hard making a choice, just need to do it!
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That's the problem with noobs, they get hung up on the wrong things.
The IQ of those 2 Nikons is loads better than the 40d. But I'd miss most shots diving into a menu system to set the camera up.
The 40d has all the controls you need under your fingertips - leaving you to concentrate on operating the camera not staring at the back screen looking through menus.
 
Wow! I just looked at the Canon 40D on flicker and I am in awe of some of the beautiful images.. totally inspired me..
 
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