Beginner Some thoughts from a beginner

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Dave
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My second post - so be gentle with me :)

I thought I would post a few things here as it may provide information to other beginners (although I have little experience, but it is fresh :) )

I spent a month trying to identify what camera I should buy - in the end I went for a Sony A6000 as it is light and small enough for me to carry anywhere and is a solid performer.

I almost bought a Canon EOS M - just picking one up almost convinced me as it felt so good in the hand.

The key features that I really like on my new camera are the adjustable screen and the EVF. The Canon had neither and after using the A6000 I can say I would really have missed them.

The adjustable screen really helps me to get low / high or tight in shots when my old back just would not let me do it with a view finder or fixed screen. If the screen was not adjustable then I would really have suffered when trying to take some photos of my daughters kitten at the weekend. I could just sit on the settee and drop the camera to floor level with the screen angled up. I was even drinking tea whilst tommy gunning the kitten in burst mode :D (just a shame you can't turn off the shutter sound - it did kind of spook the subject)

The view finder did come in very handy when the sun was really bright in some woods on Saturday. It also makes previewing photos already taken very easy - especially if you are trying to show the photos to someone who is even older and blinder than yourself!

I suppose the point here is that the camera I originally planned on buying (EOS M) would just not have suited me - maybe if I was younger and more supple :)

I didn't really consider what I would be photographing or how I would be doing it - I got lucky with my purchase but could have easily made a wrong purchase.

Dave.
 
My tuppence worth... us newbies need encouragement and good reason to keep going out and taking loads of photos. Well, more accurately, what we don't need is reasons NOT to get out and take photos.

If you find your camera difficult to use, clunky, "not fun" etc. then you won't use it as much. Which is bad.

So absolutely - get the right camera for you by trying them out. Play with them and if you can, borrow one for a while (from a friend etc.) Like a poorly fitting suit, a badly fitting camera is just not going to be used as much - and won't help us progress as quickly, which is what we all want.

But equally don't get hung up on features, megapixels, format etc. At our level it's not going to make a blind bit of difference. A decent lens and practice, however, will.
 
I totally agree - I spent around 3 weeks watching videos and reading reviews and my main focus for this was the technical specs of what the camera could do. I didn't really put much thought into how I would use it or what situations I would use it in.

In my other hobby we always suggest that people get to a club and try before they buy - just not sure how easy that is with cameras?

Dave.
 
It's a bit late now but Canon does have adjustable screens on more then one of their eos models. My first camera was a T3i (or 600D over seas). The other one that has the adjustable screen is the 60D. I'm not sure who told you that Canon doesn't have that but they either were not informed or worse. I went full frame and had to give up my adjustable screen and really miss it. I love to shoot from right off the ground and now that's a pain to do. Although I wouldn't trade my 5D3 for anything I do miss that feature.
 
I went for Nikon, a friend of mine had a D200 and I handled that a lot and liked the feel and menu layout. I finally opted for a D300, I find that accessing, shutter speed, iso, and aperture are just at my fingertips. Obviously I can not comment on canon menu's etc, but I did have a play with, 30D and a 40D, but the Nikon just felt right.
 
It's a bit late now but Canon does have adjustable screens on more then one of their eos models. My first camera was a T3i (or 600D over seas). The other one that has the adjustable screen is the 60D. I'm not sure who told you that Canon doesn't have that but they either were not informed or worse. I went full frame and had to give up my adjustable screen and really miss it. I love to shoot from right off the ground and now that's a pain to do. Although I wouldn't trade my 5D3 for anything I do miss that feature.

I was specifically referring to the Canon EOS M. That just felt right when I picked it up, but I know now that I would have missed the adjustable screen and evf :)
 
Finding a camera that feels right & handles well is important, since it's part of the creative process and anything that gets in the way will affect how you take pictures. And I agree that an articulating screen is enormously helpful for those of us that no longer wish to go on hands and knees or prone in order to capture an image. :)
 
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