looking to get back into photography after years

kaptainmarc

kaptainmarc

kaptainmarc

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Joined
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derby
Hi all,

so youve probally been asked this before but hey ho, I want to get back into photography after studying it in college and doing it in my spare time many moons ago i want to get back into it as i used to really enjoy it.

But my question is what camera do i buy? I have been out the game far too long to know whats good and whats not so thought id ask the people i the know.

i dont want anything silly money, just something thatl take nice landscapes/picture of cars/skating shots nice Hd photos

what would you people recommend?

not really got a budget as such but nothing that will break the bank just a decent entry level camera i suppose.

Thanks in Advance
 
1st thing, before anyone can really help, is a rough budget. Also there aren't really any bad cameras these days, you just need to go to a store & physically hold one & see which feels most comfortable to hold & intuitive to use.
 
hmm around the 250 mark? maybe 350? the lower the cost the better really haha, but i know the more you pay the better you get. However i can always upgrade in a year or so if i still really enjoy it.

iv held a few different cameras and played with sonys/cannons/nikons found most quite comfortable to hold and easy to get along with. then again this was a few years ago so i suppose i should go hold a few.
 
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For that budget, you would probably be best off with something like a Canon 400D/450D or Nikon D40x, depending on your preference. Start off with the kit lens and then get a 50mm 1.8 and that should cover you until you feel the need to spend more.
 
I sold my 30D for like £160 and my Tamron 17-50 for £180.

That would be where my money would go if I were in your shoes.
 
Forgot to say welcome, btw.

Are you sure you want/need a full size DSLR, rather than a more compact system?

I'd be careful on fleabay, especially the cheaper end, as you don't want something with any issues or that's been abused.
Imo, it would be best to be able to inspect before you buy, or at least have 3 months warranty.

Are there any camera shops/stores nearby where you can visit? Many also sell secondhand stuff.

Mifsuds are pretty good; http://www.mifsuds.com/acatalog/Used-Nikon-DSLR-s.html
Do you have a LCE branch near you?; http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Branch-Finder/
 
I'd be tempted to pick up a 2nd hand Canon 350D and 18-55mm kit lens or equivalent in that range, plus the 50mm f1.8, for under £200. Good quality, cheap, and relatively lightweight for lugging around when you're out and about. That keeps you enough under budget to save for future upgrades, or add a few extras such as a tripod, cheap telephoto zoom, macro gear, or wherever your interest takes you.
 
I have a 350D still somewhere, its a camera that was released in 2005 and while it was great as my first DSLR back when they came out, if I was buying second hand now, I'd try and stretch to something a bit more recent.
 
i was just browsing on ebay seeing what they go for, if i did buy second hand i would drive to collect and have a play with it make sure anyway :) iv recently moved too derby so not sure what shops are about but il definatly have a look

do the more compact systems have all the functions to change all the settings?

thanks for the links photopixels

my main things im looking for in the camera is to be able to get decent quality canvas' printed of my photos, be able to play around with the settings to get more interesting shots. i dont want to go too old because then i feel like my samsung s3 might take better photos haha just trying to find that happy medium.

Just check LCE website seems iv walked past it about a hundred times!
 
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Agreed that the 350D was a good starter SLR for its time, but I'd also argue that it's still a great option. They can go for around £90-£120 in good working condition with the kit lens (certainly beats the £700 or whatever they went for new back in 2005!), and the next few models weren't enough of an upgrade (very slightly bigger LCD, slightly higher megapixel count without significant overall image quality increase, etc.) to be worth the extra they seem to go for 2nd hand. Live view (from the 450D) or possibly video recording (500D) might be tempting, but by then you're looking at higher prices, and video is a different kettle of fish (at that level possibly better suited by a cheap camera for photography and a separate video camera... and I get the impression kaptainmarc's main priority here is stills?) What you save on the body you can spend on the glass...

Of course it all depends on what deal you can find. Equally, if I could find a cheap enough Nikon (say) with comparable features I could be swayed by that.

The main reason I'd be looking around that level of camera is that it's a relatively cheap entry into producing good quality RAW images. And RAW is ideally what you'd look to be shooting if you want to play around with the photos to get the most out of them, or produce decent quality sizeable prints (or, and this is worth considering for anyone just getting into it: if you ever think you will want to reprocess those images or make those prints.)

A cheap compact might be an alternative option, but for me at least, I'd only be interested if it could shoot reasonable RAW images, and again that tends to bump the price. Plus by going the SLR route you can end up with a lens or two that may well outlast the use of a cheap camera body; e.g. the 50mm 1.8 is still quite useable on a current high-megapixel body.
 
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