EPT
suggestions for a dslr
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noojOh
United States755 Posts
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minus_human
4784 Posts
 Well the most important tip I think I could give you is that you should consider buying a camera AND a decent lens. My mistake was that I bought my Canon Digital Rebel XTi with its kit lenses, and honestly they kind of suck, even though the camera is a decent one for its price. I think the lens should cost as much as the body itself, but no more. As for brands, you should go with a Canon or Nikon, ooooor perhaps a Sony, they're heads and shoulders above their competition regarding professional equipment (in case you will ever upgrade to something more expensive), and the reason you should stick with them is because they offer a wide variety of products and options, always of guaranteed quality. As far as models go, with a 1k budget you should look for something like: -Canon EOS 450D (Digital Rebel XSi in the United States) -Canon EOS 500D (newer version, has HD filming also!) -Nikon D80 (don't think this model is on the market anymore) -Nikon D90 (with hd filming) As for Sonys, I'm not really that knowledgeable but I guess a decent model would be the Alpha 200 or 350 or something like that. Concerning lenses, I think a lens with adjustable focal distance would suit you best as a beginner and give you some flexibility. Canons 18-55 mm kit lenses are not so bad, if it has IS (Image Stabilization). My own camera is an older model of Canon EOS, and it has an older and crappy lens. Same goes for all the cameras, you should probably try to aim for a flexible lens. However, if you're interested in something particular, like for example portrait photography or nature, you should consider the following: -for portraits and macro shit: a lens with medium focal distance (~50 mm), an aperture with the F number as small possible (it should go down to at least 1.8 is even better, 1.2 is godly). If the lens is not adjustable (doesn't have a zoom) it shouldn't really matter for this category. -for landscapes and scenery, you should definitely look for a wide-angle lens, which even though can be a little more expensive, is absolutely crucial. A Sigma 10-20 mm or Tokina 12-24 mm or something like that would be ideal. -for nature photography, animals an such, you would need a big zoom, with a focal distance of at least 200 mm. | ||
NeverGG
United Kingdom5399 Posts
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phosphorylation
United States2935 Posts
On January 27 2010 17:59 minus_human wrote: copy pasted from a PM I wrote to a tl-netter last month Well the most important tip I think I could give you is that you should consider buying a camera AND a decent lens. My mistake was that I bought my Canon Digital Rebel XTi with its kit lenses, and honestly they kind of suck, even though the camera is a decent one for its price. I think the lens should cost as much as the body itself, but no more. As for brands, you should go with a Canon or Nikon, ooooor perhaps a Sony, they're heads and shoulders above their competition regarding professional equipment (in case you will ever upgrade to something more expensive), and the reason you should stick with them is because they offer a wide variety of products and options, always of guaranteed quality. As far as models go, with a 1k budget you should look for something like: -Canon EOS 450D (Digital Rebel XSi in the United States) -Canon EOS 500D (newer version, has HD filming also!) -Nikon D80 (don't think this model is on the market anymore) -Nikon D90 (with hd filming) As for Sonys, I'm not really that knowledgeable but I guess a decent model would be the Alpha 200 or 350 or something like that. Concerning lenses, I think a lens with adjustable focal distance would suit you best as a beginner and give you some flexibility. Canons 18-55 mm kit lenses are not so bad, if it has IS (Image Stabilization). My own camera is an older model of Canon EOS, and it has an older and crappy lens. Same goes for all the cameras, you should probably try to aim for a flexible lens. However, if you're interested in something particular, like for example portrait photography or nature, you should consider the following: -for portraits and macro shit: a lens with medium focal distance (~50 mm), an aperture with the F number as small possible (it should go down to at least 1.8 is even better, 1.2 is godly). If the lens is not adjustable (doesn't have a zoom) it shouldn't really matter for this category. -for landscapes and scenery, you should definitely look for a wide-angle lens, which even though can be a little more expensive, is absolutely crucial. A Sigma 10-20 mm or Tokina 12-24 mm or something like that would be ideal. -for nature photography, animals an such, you would need a big zoom, with a focal distance of at least 200 mm. Decent standard advice. However, if you want to be different and also save a lot of money, do what I did and look into old manual lenses. I recommend buying a canon eos body used (pentax k10d would also be a good option) and then buying an adaptor (10-20 dollars on ebay) i decided to look into the M42 mount lenses, because they were cheap and many were good quality; some of these lenses will match or outperform by canon L series lenses for a fraction of cost (talking about 1/10 to 1/20 of the cost) there is one drawback: you lose autofocus however, unless you are mostly doing sports/action photography, this is not a big deal and in fact, being forced to use manual focus will arguably develop you into a better photographer, thinking and learning more about DOF, composition, hyperfocal distance etc here is what i have so far, for reference canon xti (400d) with kit lens (bought used for 290) m42->eos adapter (13 dollars on ebay) helios 44-2 58mm f2 (25 dollars) super takumar 135mm f3.5 (30 dollars) looking to buy one in a wider focal length this is a formidable kit and optically will rival many of canon's standard lenses (non-L ones), which run for at least 10 times the cost and compared to my kit lens, oh boy, these lenses feel really solid and well-made i will post some pics up when i play aroudn wtiht he set more PS: i dont really agree with pigeon holing your lens purchases depending on what you shoot some of the best landscape photographs are taking with longer lens, creating impact through the compression effect if you really want a larger fov, you can just stitch the shots together using a program | ||
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konadora
Singapore66357 Posts
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noojOh
United States755 Posts
hopefully i'll get my camera soon and i'll be able to blog my photos | ||
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TimmyMac
Canada499 Posts
Alternatively you can buy a Sony and use old minolta AF lenses which are relatively cheap, but the body won't be as nice. | ||
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