Beginner My new hobby and the much needed camera

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justapersonreally

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Greetings all! And Happy New Year!!
And so a new year springs upon us all and new year resolutions come fourth. I've been a good boy all year apart from really annoying the woman of my dreams, hey men mess up sometimes!
One hobby I've always wanted to get into was photography, I'd love to be able to go on walks with friends or family or on my own and just be able to bring back memories of the places I have been.

So, to begin with.. I came across this.
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/camera...i-telephoto-zoom-lens-22103762-pdt.html#cat-0

As you see in a minute when you open the page or see from the contents of the URL, it's a DSLR camera or 'diss-la' as I say. Yup, shoot me now, I'm a rank amateur. I don't like doing things by halves and so to begin my hobby I want to begin with equipment that can take me up the ranks of photography to a place where I'am comfortable understanding my equipment and equipment beyond that, I hear buying a lens is a good investment and a tripod etc. But before that, I want a reasonable camera with plenty of 'power' and abilities. I was looking in a store in the city today and saw that I can get a good camera for under £200 and it come with focusing(?) and aperture(?) features for making the photo great. I'm not really interested in a camera I can hold with a few fingers, I want a camera that requires effort. I want a good camera then I suppose.

Also, can anyone recommend me books I can start reading as I'm buying the camera/a camera pretty much straight away.
Any comments, suggestions would be great and perhaps tell me what the camera has in terms of features because it looks very complicated but I'm guessing it's a good one?

Thanks.
 
Sounds like you want all the gear but have no idea. I have to agree with the man in the shop though, focussing and apateure do make for great photos.

At £280 it's cheap enough to start out with and if you put it in manual mode it will certainly require effort and knowledge.
 
YouTube is your best friend! Or look for online courses/ day courses on how to get off auto mode! It's a good camera to start off with! You can't/won't learn how to use a dslr in a day of reading, every day you learn something new!!! Take pictures upload on the forum and take the crit/help/suggestions offered
 
For the money its a damn good camera,not sure how easy it will be to use full manual as you may need to go into the menus (worth checking) but semi manual ie you controlling the shutter or aperture should be easy.
 
The D3200 is a good entry level camera but don't over complicate things.

Buy a camera, take photos, learn how to use it, rinse and repeat. The most important book you should be reading is the manual. I'm not joking, the amount of people who don't bother is staggering. It's normally the same people who then post on here asking how to do things.

After the manual this is a good read http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Pho...RO4_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420265087&sr=1-3 there's three books in the series and all of them are written in plain english and easy to understand. After that there's a ton of resources available for free. Youtube is great.

Why don't you sign up to the 52 week project on here? Each week a theme is drawn and you post a photo that meets the theme. That should kick start your inspiration.
 
UaeExile said:
The D3200 is a good entry level camera but don't over complicate things.

Buy a camera, take photos, learn how to use it, rinse and repeat. The most important book you should be reading is the manual. I'm not joking, the amount of people who don't bother is staggering. It's normally the same people who then post on here asking how to do things.

After the manual this is a good read http://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Pho...RO4_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420265087&sr=1-3 there's three books in the series and all of them are written in plain english and easy to understand. After that there's a ton of resources available for free. Youtube is great.

Why don't you sign up to the 52 week project on here? Each week a theme is drawn and you post a photo that meets the theme. That should kick start your inspiration.
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This - £280 is a very small amount of money for any DSLR, but it is still a good camera, however good photos are much less about the tool used and much more about the tool holding it ;) As well as the links Adam has provided, have a look here on TP in the tutorials section too, plenty of guides there to get you started and understanding how aperture, shutter speed work together and how to start looking at photos and taking them well. http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/resources/categories/photography-technique.3/
 
newbies think it's about cameras, enthusiasts think it's about lenses and the experts know its all about the light.

don't stress over the choice of camera - at £200 they're all pretty much of a muchness - instead go try a few, see how they feel in your hands, and if how they work suits you. Then buy one, and take pictures. Lots of pictures. Put them up on here for critique, and take notice of the critique you're given. Don't have a hissy fit if someone doesn't like your picture - they're not emotionally invested in it like you, and will be ripping it to shreds on its technical and artistic merits, not because they don't like the look of your Mum or Daughter or Dog or Car or whatever it is you've shot.

Learn to use the camera well enough to forget about the technical aspects of using the camera, then get on with the important thing of taking the image thats in your minds eye, and capturing it in the camera.
 
mikew said:
For the money its a damn good camera,not sure how easy it will be to use full manual
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Very easy. I use mine with manual pre-AI lenses most of the time.

Also that is a good price. I paid that for a secondhand body only a couple of years ago.


Steve.
 
Books are great but the internet has nearly everything for free !!!

As already mentioned You Tube is a great place to start an there are loads of magazines in the shops that will help you get to grips with the basics and fill you in on latest equipment reviews etc.

When you have your camera just to help getting the creative arts moving, try copying/recreating some of the images you see in books. magazines and online.
 
There is no such thing as a bad DSLR really. The one you have linked is a last generation budget body, it's been replaced by a newer model, however for the money it's fine. It's the cheapest of the Nikon range.
Really the camera is irrelevant. Quality pictures come from light, and the photographers skill. If you don't have those things, then you could have a £30k medium format camera and you'd still have a crap photo.

Rather than rush out buying loads of stuff, take time to learn photography and learn what makes a good photo. Otherwise you will have spent a lot of money for very little gain.
 
Thanks everyone for your comments! :)
In regards to what a lot of peeps have been saying, it seems to sways more towards the ability of the person holding the camera. I love photography angles, lighting and just finding a really awesome spot to take a photo, I've just had crap cameras all my life otherwise maybe I'd be one step ahead (or maybe two) if I had invested in one. All my cameras have been integrated into the phone I use and I don't go for expensive phones and so, I don't get a decent camera. The last I must of held a real camera must go back 10-15 years now when disposable cameras were all the rage and even then, I enjoyed photography as much as I do now. Getting to the click before the last few shots and then taking the camera to Boots to get them processed. Coming back home with a wallet full of photos and some negatives also. You don't get that anymore and that's what I remember all too well. Shame hey, nevermind..

So it's always been down to my equipment. The possibilities are there. I love travelling and I travel a lot around the country but I don't even want to reach into my pocket and pull out my little crappy camera on my phone and take a photo because it does absolutely no justice whatsoever. In all honesty, I've never gone above 5MP, ever. Put that into perspective. I'd love to take photos and travel the country and have a collection for memories, seeing as I haven't had much luck taking photos that will remain memories because of said reasons.

I'm glad the camera is good, I'm going to stick with it I think. The reason I chose DSLR is because, I hope I'm right in saying this, it's 'another level' to photography, it's a little more advanced and I've always been that way inclined to get something of lasting quality more than getting something that comes with a disposable shelf life.
 
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justapersonreally said:
The last I must of held a real camera must go back 10-15 years now when disposable cameras were all the rage and even then, I enjoyed photography as much as I do now. Getting to the click before the last few shots and then taking the camera to Boots to get them processed. Coming back home with a wallet full of photos and some negatives also. You don't get that anymore and that's what I remember all too well. Shame hey, nevermind..
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Then you might need to look elsewhere in the forum... film is still alive and kicking with an avid following http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/categories/film.143/
 
justapersonreally said:
So it's always been down to my equipment. The possibilities are there. I love travelling and I travel a lot around the country but I don't even want to reach into my pocket and pull out my little crappy camera on my phone and take a photo because it does absolutely no justice whatsoever. In all honesty, I've never gone above 5MP, ever. Put that into perspective. I'd love to take photos and travel the country and have a collection for memories, seeing as I haven't had much luck taking photos that will remain memories because of said reasons.

I'm glad the camera is good, I'm going to stick with it I think. The reason I chose DSLR is because, I hope I'm right in saying this, it's 'another level' to photography, it's a little more advanced and I've always been that way inclined to get something of lasting quality more than getting something that comes with a disposable shelf life.
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There are plenty of smaller systems about that are just as capable as DSLR's in terms of image quality and manual control that might be worth looking into, especially if you travel around a lot. But the main thing is, as has been said before, it's about the person using the equipment rather than the equipment itself. Yes, the top of the range equipment does make some things easier but it can not decide what, where, and how to take a shot etc.....Same as everything in life, you have to learn the fundamentals. For example, buying a top of the range oven isn't going to instantly turn you into a michelin star chef.
 
justapersonreally said:
Thanks everyone for your comments! :)
In regards to what a lot of peeps have been saying, it seems to sways more towards the ability of the person holding the camera. I love photography angles, lighting and just finding a really awesome spot to take a photo, I've just had crap cameras all my life otherwise maybe I'd be one step ahead (or maybe two) if I had invested in one. All my cameras have been integrated into the phone I use and I don't go for expensive phones and so, I don't get a decent camera. The last I must of held a real camera must go back 10-15 years now when disposable cameras were all the rage and even then, I enjoyed photography as much as I do now. Getting to the click before the last few shots and then taking the camera to Boots to get them processed. Coming back home with a wallet full of photos and some negatives also. You don't get that anymore and that's what I remember all too well. Shame hey, nevermind..
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You definitely can still shoot with film. Many people do. And you can pick up excellent second hand 35mm SLRs (or even medium format) without spending a lot of money. You can easily find fantastic camera bodies for around the £20-30 mark; and a decent lens for £50-100. Something like a Nikon F301 with a 50mm 1.8 AF lens can be had for £75 (+/- £20ish) all in. Lots would argue the image quality is better with film too.
 
I always thought if you are literally staring out it might be better to buy a cheaper second-hand DSLR with a lens or two (you get better deals in the second-hand market long as the condition of the gear is great) and then play around with them. You can always get your money back if it doesn't work out for you, provided you haven't been ripped off from the first place lol.

And trust me, any DSLR does what any DSLR does. You should not be bothered with the minute differences and specs as a beginner. Any camera is capable of taking fantastic photos provided you know how to use it. A Canon 350D is a very old (by today's standards) DSLR, yet it is extremely capable and I wouldn't have a problem taking it out for a photographic tour if that's what I can put my hands on. It is almost dirt cheap nowadays too. You will find similar options from Nikon and other brands.

Just make sure you look into the future before you commit to a brand. You buy Nikon, all your gear becomes Nikon. You buy Canon, all your gear becomes Canon, etc.

I have found that the second-hand market is much richer with Canon gear, and therefore cheaper, than Nikon. This makes it rather easier to trade your gear and upgrade in the future. It will cost you a little bit more to do with Nikon equivalents. No comment about other brands.
 
Looks to be a really good buy and perfect for getting into photography with :)
Full auto program or manual control everything you will need to turn out some great pictures with a limited knowledge.
It can be set as simple as point and shoot or set up for full manual exposure and focusing and comes with a great kit lens.
 
@justapersonreally

Get yourself a used Nikon D80 off Ebay. More than enough for most people... probably around £100 these days with a kit lens. Proper manual controls (two command dials... no silly button pushing), and easy to sell on for little loss if you decide it's all not for you after all.
 
Pookeyhead said:
@justapersonreally

Get yourself a used Nikon D80 off Ebay. More than enough for most people... probably around £100 these days with a kit lens. Proper manual controls (two command dials... no silly button pushing), and easy to sell on for little loss if you decide it's all not for you after all.
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Good advice - the same applies to a number of other similar models (from a range of manufacturers).

The only downside is that as a 'beginner' there is a risk of ending up with a (partly) faulty camera and not realising there is a problem.
If you have a friend who has a DSLR (and a level of familiarity / experience with it) and can give any s/h purchase a quick check for basic operation that would make it a much safer option.
 
Go for it buy a camera and get out there! The more advice you get the more you will ponder what to do, get hold of a camera and start your journey!
 
If not too late, whatever you buy try to get one in your hands first, see how it feels, is the viewfinder usable ( if you wear glasses this can be an issue) look at the menus.
 
TheBigYin said:
newbies think it's about cameras, enthusiasts think it's about lenses and the experts know its all about the light.
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True, but then the experts usually have amazing cameras and great glass then find the light.
 
its not the camera but the idiot 4 inch behind the lens that makes a good shot !!:banana::banana::banana:
 
25 years ago you had books and mags, now with the internet and youtube, you can learn FAST, no excuse not too... videos are a great way forward
 
lesz42 said:
25 years ago you had books and mags, now with the internet and youtube, you can learn FAST, no excuse not too... videos are a great way forward
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Those very same books can now be bought from charity shops. Money much better spent than wasted on current photography magazines.


Steve.
 
photography magazines seem to be on constant repeat! guess there is only so much to show and say ,i have practical photographer mags from the late 90s/2000s, and the reader submissions and general quality of images were bad, peoples images on average are so much better now, but so is everyone else's! the bar has gone up
 
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