Want to get into Photography

tisonlyme

tisonlyme

tisonlyme

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Hi guys,

For years now, I've really enjoyed taking photos, and I'd consider myself to be pretty good at it (for an amateur anyway). My camera is pretty much glued to my hand, I take it everywhere with me and I've been told I have a very good eye. My family and friends keep going on at me to take it up professionally, which I would love to do, but obviously I can't just pick up a camera and be a pro.

What I would like to do though is take it more seriously, and see where it goes. I'm just using a regular digital camera at the moment (Canon Ixus T900i) which I love, but would like to purchase a digital SLR, but have no idea what to go for. It all seems very confusing for a n00b like me :D I'm on an average salary, so not exactly made of money. Can anyone suggest anything? And other other gear I may need? I'm really into landscape and wildlife photography...

Any other tips would be most welcome too - cheers guys! :)
 
I'd be willing to spend maybe £400-600 at a push on the camera. I know it's going to be a damn expensive hobby, I'm bracing myself for it :D But if I get years of enjoyment out of it, what the hey!
 
If money is tight then i would suggets the Sony A200. Very good entry level DSLR with a lot of features. I use to have one and it was my 1st DSLR when i took the plunge in to photography. You can pick them up for around £220 these days with a 17-70mm kit lens. The lens isnt bad to be honest but it isnt the best. You can however get some good results with it.

As you mention, your into landscape and wildlife and for that i would suggest an ultra wide angle lens. I use a Sigma 10/20mm for all my landscape and arcitectural shots. Its a descent lens and pretty sharp around F8-11.

You would also require a tripod. Check out "Redsnapper" stuff as they are value for what they offer. a lot of people use Redsnapper tripod and heads and claim its as good as Manfrotto gear.

You would also need a remote shutter trigger. You can pick one up for the A200 for a fiver on the bay and on e-tailors.

Also, i would suggest using a polorizing filter. They cut through reflections and haze and make colours look more vivid.

So Sony A200 (£220) + Sigma 10/20mm (£360) + Tripod (£100) + Remote Shutter Trigger (£5) + Polorizer (£60) = £745

Go 2nd hand to save a load of money. Check out the classified section of AVForums as there are always people selling Sony gear on there. I bought my Sony A200 + Manfrotto tripod + Head + Sigma 10/20mm 2nd hand via AVF and saved over £200!


EDIT: You will also need a bag and cleaning gear (Rocket Blower, LensPen, Microfibe cloth, sensor swabs, lens cleaning fluid etc). Dont forget about about storage. You will need Compact Flash cards (if you went for a Sony), ideally 2x 4GB. Most of these items are not expensive but they all add up! Expect to spend around £100 on accessories.

I would also recommend buying an extra battery as backup!

Photography isnt cheap (and gets more and more expensive). I havent even mentioned Filters or Sony "G" or Carl Zeiss lenses yet :)
 
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tisonlyme said:
I'd be willing to spend maybe £400-600 at a push on the camera. I know it's going to be a damn expensive hobby, I'm bracing myself for it :D But if I get years of enjoyment out of it, what the hey!
Click to expand...

You won't go very far with a kit lens shooting wildlife so i'd personally split the budget in half for a camera and lens.

£300 -Canon 30D (Bit over what I paid for mine)
£200 - Sigma 70-300

£100 saved ;)
 
Well, i am going to get flamed by some people here for this but what the hell.

Stick with Canon and Nikon !!!!!!

Olympus & Sony do cheap entry bodies SLR with abundance of features is because they want to get into or get a bigger share of the SLR market, and the best way is to get users who are new to photography by offering them MORE for their money compared to the rivals. Because once people buy into a system/brand, they are sticking to that brand. Not out of loyalty but because they are stuck, unless they sell of everything they already have and switch to a different brand/system which costs a lot of money. last I checked, Canon and Nikon together holds 80% of the Market and there is a big reason for that, their system, range and choices as a whole are much more comprehensive, both in New and the Secondhand market.

So, when buying a camera, unless you are CERTAIN you are NEVER upgrading then get whatever you want. If you are not certain, then why limit yourself to a system that has:-

a. Limited choice of lenses and accessories
b. more expensive lenses and accessories
c. harder to sell secondhand if you choose to upgrade

My point is that, you shouldn't think of it as buying a camera, but buying a system. Because that is the whole point of an SLR, you can change lenses to suit what you want to photograph. Why limit yourself to something that might restrict your photography? It might be a little bit more money (like £100), but it'll be a saving in the long run, should you choose to upgrade and it will be money well spent in the first place.

And if you want proof, look at the pros, there is a reason why they all use Canon or Nikon. I have never seen one using a Sony or Olympus at a football match or a Wedding (they might have a Leica but that's a whole different ball game). Same reasons as I have stated above, both of these system provide the best and biggest choices of gear for their user base.
 
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Sony bought Minolta a few years ago and all they really have been doing is rebranding. Most of the internals are still the same. I doubt any one would argue that Minolta were bad.

PS. Sony make the sensors for Nikon DSLR's.
 
photoshop said:
Sony bought Minolta a few years ago and all they really have been doing is rebranding. Most of the internals are still the same. I doubt any one would argue that Minolta were bad.

PS. Sony make the sensors for Nikon DSLR's.
Click to expand...

I never said they were/are bad, I am saying Sony has the same problem Minolta had, the reasons that i stated in my previous post.
 
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another vote for Canon and Nikon, not only is there an abundance of current lens, but also you really open yourself up to a much larger second hand market, and as someone who has 4 lens, 2 of which are second hand, ive saved hundreds!


and theres another vote for spending half on the body half on the lens, a cheap bit of glass in front of an expensive body is a waste of everybodies time :p
 
Get a very cheap canon or nikon body, and a decent lens.

You can upgrade the body after a few years, but the decent lens will last a lifetime.
 
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