First proper look at a few cameras today

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Dominic
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Hi again everyone,

Decided to go out today and have a look at a few models that I was considering.

Had a look at the Canon 600D, Nikon D7000 (which shocked me) and the Sony a57 and a65.

I really enjoyed the Nikon, felt good, solid and fast. The Canon seems a nice and simple body which is fairly cheap.
I also enjoyed the Sony models (but that doesn't surprise me).

Which of these would you suggest for someone to learn their craft and maybe look to progress into wedding photography? It's down to these I guess, all felt good in the hand.

Thanks in advance!!
 
It's all about buying into a system if you are considering going pro at some point in the future, I would personally stick with Canon or Nikon if that is your goal due to the options, both new and 2nd hand, available (lenses, flash, bodies etc).

What has made you decide already on wedding photography rather than sports, portraits, shools, commercial etc? It isn't going to affect gear at this stage as I'm guessing you are a few years off making the jump to pro, but the lenses and bodies you choose at that point will be dictated to more by what you want to shoot, while learning the basics you will be fine with what you are looking at (they would also be OK as backup bodies).
 
I was hugely impressed with the Nikon, so I think it is in the lead slightly right now.

Hi Mark, I have always been a fan of wedding photography, not just the shots being taken, but the whole experience of the day etc. It excites me, and I guess thats quite important. I am very new to this, so I am looking forward to exploring all avenues.
 
Ok, I will take a look at the 5d. Im willing to go 2nd hand also, so I will keep my eyes open at the regular places for these.

Hopefully when I can access the classifieds on here, someone might have a little gem!
 
I will pop into LCE and Jessops today, will have a good look at the Nikon again and maybe the Canon 7D.. They sales people will be sick of the sight of me soon I bet! :lol:
 
Hi Dom7

I would not discount the Sony offerings so quickly.

I've shot Canon for most of the past 6 years, including lots of weddings, and now shoot with Sony, for lots of reasons.

If you are interested in wedding photography the Sony Zeiss 24-70 and 85 mm lenses are simply outstanding for this use. Drop these onto an a57/65/77/850/900 body and you will be sorted out for 90%+ of your wedding shots.

Just my £0.02.

Good luck with your selection though.

Regards
 
Thanks Gary,

I did use the Sony a57 and looked at the a77 (but think this might be out of my budget). They didn't have the a65 in stock unfortunately, which is a shame as I was really looking forward to handling that.

I am able to get the Sony camera's on the cheap after working for Sony and still being friends with a lot of the guys at head office. So I am still possibly looking at either the a57 or a65, if you can shed any light on which might perform better that would be great! :)

I am probably going down the 2nd hand route if I go for the D7000..
 
Hi Dom7

You can obviously check out the specs to see which suits you best but I would distill it down to to a65 gives incredible detail in its images plus great dynamic range at low iso. In contrast, and just going off the reviews and the dpreview comparometer, a57 offers really good high Iso performance but "only" 16Mp images. I got a used a77 for £800 which is a magnificent camera for lots of reasons. If doing weddings the high iso of a57 might be a deal clincher ?

Good luck with the choice.

Gary
 
Hi again everyone,......

Had a look at the Canon 600D, Nikon D7000 (which shocked me) and the Sony a57 and a65.

I really enjoyed the Nikon, felt good, solid and fast. The Canon seems a nice and simple body which is fairly cheap.
I also enjoyed the Sony models (but that doesn't surprise me).

!!

D7000 is probably the best small sensor camera out there. ...... - the comparison should be against 7D!

Hi Dom

The 60D is another alternative to look at, if the 7D is out of your price range...

As has been said in above posts, you are buying into a system and a lot of people don't generally swap makes once they get going, so it's a very personal choice...

My FIL runs a Sony A700 and loves it, he also has an older Minolta body, both of which have IS built into the body, where as Canon & Nikon are lens specific - another area to maybe consider...

A
 
Hi Andy.

The 60D seems fairly similar to the 600D? Is that correct? (sorry if that is a silly question).

From working for Sony in the past, I have grown attached to their products. But the Nikon so far has felt the best, and the reviews from people on here seen consistent. I'd ideally like something to challenge me and that I can learn a lot from and grow into if you see what I mean.

As soon as I can, I will check out the classifieds and see if anyone is selling anything for the right price. :)
 
Dom7 said:
Hi Andy.

The 60D seems fairly similar to the 600D? Is that correct? (sorry if that is a silly question).. :)

Hi

No not silly question, the 60D is a step up from the 600D, it's also a larger body than the 600D so may feel nicer to hold for you

Canons bodies generally go up

xxxxD then xxxD then xxD then xD

hope this is of help ...
 
Before you jump for a camera do some research on lenses,cost ,3rd party options etc.
The camera body you will certainly change, but you are buying into a system and once you get a few expensive ( Canon L or Nikon equivalent) changing gets very expensive.
 
All good advice here.
Andy, thanks. I did not know this. Obviously from reading I can see that the 7D and 5D are a huge step up from say the 600D. Just wasn't sure between the 60D and 600D.

Mark, thanks for that. Care to suggest something? the more suggested the better as I am not rushing into this :).

Chris, I agree completely, doing lots of research at the moment, trying to work out what would be best for me. Checking out lenses, flash, filters etc..
 
Mark, thanks for that. Care to suggest something? the more suggested the better as I am not rushing into this :).

I would say either go Canon or Nikon, either will allow you to grow well, and by the time you are at the level of doing pro work you potentially will have changed from your current body anyway, or if it is a backup then anything from the 600D/60D or Nikon equivalent will be fine (as by that time you will be many of thousands of pounds further along with gear). To allow you to learn then every camera mentioned will enable you to do that, just by starting with one of the big two brands you are as safe as is possible that you won't be needing to make a switch to another make.
 
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