Beginner What camera should I buy? or should I expand on mine?

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snapper

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Hi guys, I really want to take my skills to the next level having used a Sony Nex 5r for the past year. What should I go for, by budget is probably around £500. Should I buy a new camera or expand on my own?

Thanks alot

Snapper
 
You have a superb camera. Use it, learn it and learn with it.
 
snapper said:
I really want to take my skills to the next level ...
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Is your camera holding you back? If so, how? If you can't explain that, then a new camera's the last thing you need. Your question is so non-explicit that I suspect that you may be just looking for a self-indulgent excuse to buy a new toy. Tell us more!
 
Is this a guessing game.... I will go for... portraits?
 
lol, I want to eventually become a wedding photographer, however I know I have a long way to go! I don't think I have got to grasps fully with my camera, however I don't want to get into a situation where my camera may not be right for the result I want to get in the end which is to become a pro. I have took the camera on holidays and functions and its amazing but could I do better than what I have?
 
snapper said:
lol, I want to eventually become a wedding photographer, however I know I have a long way to go! I don't think I have got to grasps fully with my camera, however I don't want to get into a situation where my camera may not be right for the result I want to get in the end which is to become a pro. I have took the camera on holidays and functions and its amazing but could I do better than what I have?
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Impossible to answer unless you're going to give some sort of hint as to what you've done so far with what you've got.

The forum psychic hat was lost a long time ago, and having us play guessing games isn't going to lead to a helpful answer.
 
It's a very capable camera. What lenses do you have?
 
snapper said:
I have took the camera on holidays and functions and its amazing but could I do better than what I have?
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No, not for a big while. Your camera's far ahead of you. Learning comes from interest and application, not indulgence in more shopping.
 
snapper said:
I have an 18 55mm lens
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snapper said:
Not a bad lens but want to expand now
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You're asking us to be psychic again. We could come on here and suggest all sorts of lenses that would be 'better' than yours, for some possibly irrelevant definition of 'better', but you need to help us to help you.

You want to expand .... IN .... WHAT .... WAY?

What do you want to do, that you don't think you can do adequately with your existing lens?
 
You want advice on what to do to take your skills to the next level. You define your level as having used a pretty good exchangeable lens camera and kit zoom for a year. The next level is learning how to describe your photographic successes and failures to other photographers.
 
As said above if you don't say/show what you have done already no one can tell you if you could have done better. Post a few shots up here.

However, I think the answer to should you buy a new camera is in your second post - "I don't think I have got to grasps fully with my camera, ...."

Dave
 
Have a look on Meetup.com. see if there's a photo meetup you can join. Learn from others.

Or have a look at an organised photo trip. Get some feedback and learn from it.
 
I'm a beginner, but having used my Canon 1100d with 18-55mm lens for a little while now I decided to invest in a better lens (Canon 55-250mm IS). Having done so I can say my photography has improved massively. So I would say investing in another lens or two maybe just what you need to improve.

Having said that I'm no expert. Just making an obvious suggestion...
 
Chris Fallon said:
I'm a beginner, but having used my Canon 1100d with 18-55mm lens for a little while now I decided to invest in a better lens (Canon 55-250mm IS). Having done so I can say my photography has improved massively. So I would say investing in another lens or two maybe just what you need to improve.

Having said that I'm no expert. Just making an obvious suggestion...
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The 55-250mm IS isn't a better lens than an 18-55mm. They aren't comparable, unless you're only looking at test charts or optical qualities - but those won't help you improve your photography, at least not in an early stage. Horses for courses - they are completely different lenses that you'd sue in different situations.
 
Ido Scharf said:
The 55-250mm IS isn't a better lens than an 18-55mm. They aren't comparable, unless you're only looking at test charts or optical qualities - but those won't help you improve your photography, at least not in an early stage. Horses for courses - they are completely different lenses that you'd sue in different situations.
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I'm only comparing the photo's i've taken with the 55-250mm IS and they are a lot better than what I took with the 18-55mm. The 18-55mm doesn't have IS though so would this make a difference?
 
Chris Fallon said:
I'm only comparing the photo's i've taken with the 55-250mm IS and they are a lot better than what I took with the 18-55mm. The 18-55mm doesn't have IS though so would this make a difference?
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Whoa, I guess you have quite an old 18-55mm model. All the recent ones have IS, and they're pretty decent - exactly on par with the 55-250mm you have.
The lack of IS itself only hurts image quality if you're getting to a slow shutter speed while shooting handheld. Then any loss of sharpness could be attributed to camera shake, which is really easy to spot.
 
To be blunt... do whatever you think will make you want to get out there and take more photos.

For some, that'll be spending £500 on a new camera. For others it will be new glass. For others again it might be a £500 trip to somewhere interesting they haven't been to before - with camera in tow.

It's your money and as Ido has intimated, new kit won't make you a better photographer or take your photography to the next level. But practice, mistakes and occasional successes will - and the only way to getting those is clicking that shutter release...
 
Agree. You say you want to be a pro - wedding photographer. If you are the official photographer at any event, you need to be confident that when you press that shutter, you will get the desired photo. This means knowing your kit intemately. You won't get a second chance. Elsewhere on this forum someone posted the Daily Mail's ultimate guide to digital photography (is this a joke?) and I had to comment after a good laugh about "this is the camera for budding David Baileys"
 
OK, lets ask things differently: what is it about your present kit that is limiting you and making it hard for you to take the kind of images that you want? Or even IS your kit limiting you and preventing you taking those images? If it is, and you can say why, then we can help. If you cannot say why then it's likely the limitation is you, and that would be the best place to invest in improving.
 
Why not post a few of the shots that you really happy with and ask for comments/critique, at least then we can see what sort of level you are at and be able to offer "advice" better.
 
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