Cheap DSLR for baby photography

shanestatham

shanestatham

shanestatham

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25 Oct 2011
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My partner is looking to start taking some snaps for family member of children / babies etc.

Starting as a hobby and maybe in the future taking it further, can anyone recommend a starter DSLR.

Also any recommendations about certain lenses would be helpful i.e are Auto focus lenses good or is it better to manual focus etc.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
I've had a Pentax K50 for a few months now. Shortlisted the K50 with the Canon 700D and the Nikon D5300, handled all of them and went with the K50. Just seemed like a decent place to start - I also wanted dust proof which the K50 is (although I appreciate not a priority for you)

I would recommend going to a local camera shop and trying all of them within your budget. Went to the local currys PC world but they were useless so would avoid those places.

As for lens I'm not sure - still learning myself. Indoors taking pics of people I think a prime lens is supposed to be the best idea - Pentax have a 35mm which I'm planning to get for xmas snaps around the house - although quite prepared for more knowledgeable folk to tell me I'm talking cobblers :)
 
Nice price, but it's a non-VR model, if that sways your decision.

Edit: If you find a good deal on a D3200 though, have a +1 from me. I love mine, even if I'm a bit pants with it at the moment.
 
Last edited:
Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm VR Lens - £299 with a £20 cashback (so £279) at John Lewis. Has a 2 year guarantee as well
 
Andy90 said:
Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm VR Lens - £299 with a £20 cashback (so £279) at John Lewis. Has a 2 year guarantee as well
Click to expand...

I was having a look at this the other day and then started looking at the Canon EOS 700D/T5i (which I know is a little more expensive), and then saw the 1200D for the same ish price and my brain started to hurt from all the permutations :):(
 
you need to invest in a flash unit (strobe), they can really make a massive difference when taking baby shots inside. Its all about the light.
 
^ Sorry to hijack the thread, but for someone looking for exactly that kind of flash, any you'd recommend for a starter?
 
Mirrorless is worth considering too, I picked one up for family photos and the quality is not far off a DSLR but much lighter and more compact.
 
Sony Mirrorless cameras are the way forward IMO. I have the A6000 - which has standard APS-C size sensor found in all but FF DSLRs, quick autofocus an excellent EVF and shoots 11fps.

I use it almost exclusively with manual focus lenses from the 1980s which are much cheaper than modern lenses and can be very, very good. The old Canon New FD 50mm f1.4 is a great lens for baby photos, also the Tamron Adaptall SP 90mm f2.5 Macro. I have a large Tamron Adaptall collection and they offer superb image quality.

Manually focusing with focus peaking is a breeze. The Sony A7 - full frame - is also dropping in price as the mk 2 has been announced.
 
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