Beginner What camera and lenses to buy?

stefanvats

stefanvats

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rahul
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Dear patrons,
I have been clicking pictures from my smartphone from last 10 years now. I have been playing around with pro mode on my oneplus for quite some time now. I believe it is time for me to embark on a journey to explore my photography hobby. I would appreciate advice on what should be my first camera for learning purposes. Manual mode is what i am most curious about. and what lenses should I start with?
 
A lot depends on your budget and the type of photography you're interested in... There are some great bargains to be had on slightly older APSC bodies... The Fuji XT3 or the Sony A6400 are both great first cameras that shouldn't break the bank.
 
Assuming you want to skip compacts and bridge cameras which will give you some manual controls but without the benefits of interchangable lenses.

You either futureproof yourself now and buy into mirrorless technology OR you treat this as a stepping stone into a hobby you are not totally sure about, and take advantage of the drop in value of cameras which are percived to be old tech. Lenses you buy now for this older format (dSLR) will often carry over to new mirrorless systems pretty seamlessly.

Some guidance on what you want to photograph, and a budget would be useful - eg nature and sports photography generally require more expensive kit.

The cheapest camera in a range is often touted as being ideal for beginners, although I've found them to be harder to operate than the next tier up, becasue a lot of functions are buried within menus, rather than having their own control on the camera.
 
luthy said:
An idea of what you want to photograph and a budget will help.
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I am from India, and I have a budget of 75-80k INR that roughly translates to 1000 USD. I like clicking portraits, sunsets, silhouettes, long exposure highway shots, patterns and objects in general.
 
andrewc said:
Assuming you want to skip compacts and bridge cameras which will give you some manual controls but without the benefits of interchangable lenses.

You either futureproof yourself now and buy into mirrorless technology OR you treat this as a stepping stone into a hobby you are not totally sure about, and take advantage of the drop in value of cameras which are percived to be old tech. Lenses you buy now for this older format (dSLR) will often carry over to new mirrorless systems pretty seamlessly.

Some guidance on what you want to photograph, and a budget would be useful - eg nature and sports photography generally require more expensive kit.

The cheapest camera in a range is often touted as being ideal for beginners, although I've found them to be harder to operate than the next tier up, becasue a lot of functions are buried within menus, rather than having their own control on the camera.
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I am from India, and I have a budget of 75-80k INR that roughly translates to 1000 USD. I like clicking portraits, sunsets, silhouettes, long exposure highway shots, patterns and objects in general. also, I have been clicking pictures for more than a decade now, i would love to get better at it and keep constantly outgrow the technology I use. so I would love to grow in this hobby
 
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Santafe2000 said:
A lot depends on your budget and the type of photography you're interested in... There are some great bargains to be had on slightly older APSC bodies... The Fuji XT3 or the Sony A6400 are both great first cameras that shouldn't break the bank.
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I am from India, and I have a budget of 75-80k INR that roughly translates to 1000 USD. I like clicking portraits, sunsets, silhouettes, long exposure highway shots, patterns and objects in general. Apart from this, i would love to tinker with the manual modes and explore more into the aperture, ISO, shutter speed variables and play around with light a lot.
 
stefanvats

Just for future information:

If you want to reply to more than one person without repeating yourself every time, use the button marked '+Quote' at the bottom of each post you wish to reply to and follow the instructions that say 'insert quotes' beneath the 'reply' box.
 
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Don't forget that the camera market in India has quite different pricing to UK/US/AUS - there certainly used to be ferocious taxes/duties (at times 200% or more) applied at the point of import & that flowed through to retail prices & 2nd hand prices.
 
It sounds like any mid range DSLR from the last 10 years with a decent lens or two would be a good starting point. I would really recommend going second hand from a reputable seller, preferably with a returns policy, or try before you buy. You'll get a lot more for your money going used. If you want to take long exposures then you'll need a sturdy tripod and probably a ball head of some kind.

I recently sold a Nikon D7100 and 17-55 f/2.8 for well under $1000 which I had used for over 10 years getting great shots. Well, it wasn't the gear that stopped me getting good shots, at least. I don't know how that translates in the India prices but leave room for accessories like a tripod, memory cards, bag and software.
 
I have a feeling our dear TP members are wasting their time replying…
 
firewireguy said:
It sounds like any mid range DSLR from the last 10 years with a decent lens or two would be a good starting point. I would really recommend going second hand from a reputable seller, preferably with a returns policy, or try before you buy. You'll get a lot more for your money going used. If you want to take long exposures then you'll need a sturdy tripod and probably a ball head of some kind.
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I fully agree. Mirrorless today means that used lenses are less plentiful, and new lenses are priced typicall higher than the same FL in dSLR-compatible lenses. 'Mirrorless' simply means a different bit of gear that does the same thing as dSLR. Yes, mirrorless might allow some newer technology advantages in focusing automation, but generally speaking all of the same KINDS of photos that mirrorless does a dSLR can do too. dSLR has fewer of the newest whizzbang features that assist the photographer, but those are not needed by all photographers...not everyone needs to shoot faster than 10fps, for example, or to shoot virtually silently.
 
Rahul. If you want to "learn" and enjoy your photography I suppose there are many ways to go. One way could be to go for a cheap 35mm equivalent digital camera and an old film era manual prime lens which you can use on modern cameras via a cheap adapter.

You could go for a used Sony A7 or A7II and go for a film era Minolta, Olympus, Canon or Nikon 50mm f1.8 and a cheap adapter. These lenses will need to be used with the camera in either aperture priority or manual mode but you'll certainly be able to learn composition and framing and experiment with techniques such as zone and hyperfocal processing. Or, instead of using old film era lenses you could even go for cheap modern manual lenses such as the very cheap TTArtisan 50mm f2.

Whichever way you go, good luck and have fun and please come back and talk about gear and post some of your pictures :D
 
Im sorry I know nothing about the prices in India. I would suggest you go somewhere you can handle a range of cameras and see what feels comfortable to hold. Like others I would assume mirrorless is out of your price bracket. Look at secondhand where there is a good range of available lenses to fit. Look for something with a range of modes. There is no right or wrong for your first camera Im sure many on here started with a borrowed or gifted camera and went from there I know I did.
Good luck but most of all enjoy its a great hobby.
 
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ShinySideUp said:
stefanvats

Just for future information:

If you want to reply to more than one person without repeating yourself every time, use the button marked '+Quote' at the bottom of each post you wish to reply to and follow the instructions that say 'insert quotes' beneath the 'reply' box.
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got it!! i will keep that in mind.
 
Thank you for your valuable inputs. i will research more on the options you all mentioned and see how well they fit in my budget. I read and watched a few videos online and they all had a common theme that you grow in a ecosystem according to the first machine and lens system you buy and it gets costly when you decide to switch the entire ecosystem. Hence, I am trying to gather as much information as I can. Again thank you for the insights.
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as above; there’s no ‘bad’ camera for your purposes.
All I’d say is buy second hand and avoid the ‘entry level’ models. There’s no such thing as a beginner camera in photographic terms, entry level cameras are built to be less easy to use thus creating an upgrade path.

The other point I feel compelled to make is that lots of people starting out really believe the secret to being a better photographer is ‘manual mode’. This couldn’t be further from the truth, manual mode has its uses, but they’re the exception not the rule.

The key to learning to use a camera is understanding how the automation is helping and overriding when it’s hindering.
 
Phil V said:
as above; there’s no ‘bad’ camera for your purposes.
All I’d say is buy second hand and avoid the ‘entry level’ models. There’s no such thing as a beginner camera in photographic terms, entry level cameras are built to be less easy to use thus creating an upgrade path.

The other point I feel compelled to make is that lots of people starting out really believe the secret to being a better photographer is ‘manual mode’. This couldn’t be further from the truth, manual mode has its uses, but they’re the exception not the rule.

The key to learning to use a camera is understanding how the automation is helping and overriding when it’s hindering.
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that makes sense. i will delve deeper in it.
 
Hi and welcome to TP

Just some thoughts to consider.

Remember it is you that takes the picture not the camera, that is only a tool to record your 'vision'. It is for you to learn your 'cameracraft'

I suggest you read up about "the exposure triangle"

AFAIK the smartphone when producing it's pictures has a (strong) element of what is referred to as Computational Photography i.e. it is editing your pictures without your control.

All pictures you will see hereabouts and everywhere have been post processed, to a lesser or greater degree, by the photographer using a Mac or PC
 
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Manual modes are useful when either the light is rapidly changing, or there is complex lighting to the scene - or you are in total control of everyting - as you would be in a studio environment. In the real world, most of the time, the semi-automated modes come into their own.

Reading up on exposure is useful.

Some describe it as a triangle, of shutter speed, aperture and ISO (sensitivity).

Some describe it as a circle, or a pie chart, with the added fourth element - light. In very dark conditions, light makes up a small amount of the pie chart. In bright conditions, a much larger slice of pie. You can adjust the three variables to compensate - or you can choose to add some light with the use of flash.
 
stefanvats said:
thank you for your valuable time and energy you spent posting your feelings.
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That’s ok, I’m more concerned about Our TP members valuable time And energy been wasted. Tell me this dear @stefanvats, are you a bot?
 
A camera is only as good as the person behind it. maybe a better idea to ask in your own country
 
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andrewc said:
Manual modes are useful when either the light is rapidly changing,
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I believe the opposite to be the case.
When the light is constantly changing Manual is a hindrance and the semi auto or auto modes save time and effort.

Where the light level is constant the auto modes save very little time.
 
Phil V said:
I believe the opposite to be the case.
When the light is constantly changing Manual is a hindrance and the semi auto or auto modes save time and effort.

Where the light level is constant the auto modes save very little time.
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I shoot a lot of athletics and sometimes the light is changing quickly - clouds plus shaded areas caused by trees. I've found switching to manual and dictating the exposure I want gives more consistent results - anyway - it works for me anyway. If the scene is consistent, then semi-auto is reliable (as to be expected). Auto ISO has helped as well.
 
andrewc said:
I shoot a lot of athletics and sometimes the light is changing quickly - clouds plus shaded areas caused by trees. I've found switching to manual and dictating the exposure I want gives more consistent results - anyway - it works for me anyway. If the scene is consistent, then semi-auto is reliable (as to be expected). Auto ISO has helped as well.
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If you're calling M with auto ISO 'Manual' - well that's a whole can of worms due to the language not keeping up with reality.
 
Phil V said:
If you're calling M with auto ISO 'Manual' - well that's a whole can of worms due to the language not keeping up with reality.
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It's a mode that is becoming more common as cameras become increasingly able to handle higher ISO values without excessive noise.
It does need a distinct name, but not sure what that would be?
 
Phil V said:
If you're calling M with auto ISO 'Manual' - well that's a whole can of worms due to the language not keeping up with reality.
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The first cameras I had with auto ISO I didn't really trust that much, the current crop I've found to be pretty dependable. M with Auto ISO is more manual than Tv or Av mode where you have control of one of the three variables. M with Auto ISO gives you control of two of them, and full fat manual mode gives you all three.
 
Just to add another view, I use aperture priority when I am out on a photowalk for the hand held stuff but have Auto ISO set to Max 3200 and a min shutter speed of 1/125 which is kind of controlling all 3 in a limited way. I like to look at it as working with my tech but not letting it have full control.
 
andrewc said:
The first cameras I had with auto ISO I didn't really trust that much, the current crop I've found to be pretty dependable. M with Auto ISO is more manual than Tv or Av mode where you have control of one of the three variables. M with Auto ISO gives you control of two of them, and full fat manual mode gives you all three.
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Choice not control - distinct difference.
 
Topsy said:
Just to add another view, I use aperture priority when I am out on a photowalk for the hand held stuff but have Auto ISO set to Max 3200 and a min shutter speed of 1/125 which is kind of controlling all 3 in a limited way. I like to look at it as working with my tech but not letting it have full control.
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Exactly how I shoot for non tripod landscape/ sunrise/night skies Paul ;)
 
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