New gear please :)

Soldato
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25 Jul 2006
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Hi all,

Just wanting some recommendations from the photography gurus please.
I’m relatively newish to this, but of experience from years ago, but haven’t the foggiest of what’s new nowadays.

I’m wanting to pick up a new camera to get back in to photography and was just after some recommendations please? I don’t have a set budget but wouldn’t want to spend more than 1-1.5k. I’m more of a one lens does all man however would consider anything that’s recommended.

Any advice, recommendations and help would be great and very much appreciated :) tia
 
Associate
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Not sure how many pages further back you can go but that thread has several pages of camera recommendations developing
 
Soldato
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Hi all,

Just wanting some recommendations from the photography gurus please.
I’m relatively newish to this, but of experience from years ago, but haven’t the foggiest of what’s new nowadays.

I’m wanting to pick up a new camera to get back in to photography and was just after some recommendations please? I don’t have a set budget but wouldn’t want to spend more than 1-1.5k. I’m more of a one lens does all man however would consider anything that’s recommended.

Any advice, recommendations and help would be great and very much appreciated :) tia
The problem you’re going to have is everyone will recommend what they currently use/own. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that but often it’s personal preference with regards which system is better/nicer to use.
Personally I shoot Fujifilm and have wholeheartedly recommended it to any friends who have wanted to get into photography and they haven’t been disappointed. One of the main reasons is the Fujifilm out of camera jpgs are superb and no other camera brand comes close. This is helpful when you don’t want to shoot in RAW. Additionally Fujifilm have some very sharp yet small lenses which are great if you don’t fancy lugging around big and heavy gear.

Personal recommendation aside, in general, I would suggest buying used gear. It’s much cheaper than buying new and if you get it from the right places e.g. WEX/MPB/London Camera Exchange then you can’t go wrong.

Also, I know you don’t have a strict budget, but whatever amount you decide on, I would say make it around 40/60 split between camera and lens(es). You’ll yield much more from a midrange camera and good lenses than from a good camera and mediocre lenses.
 
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Soldato
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Hi guys,

Thanks you. Id just like a camera that I could pick up and pretty much shoot all with a great outcome (as good as myself) something thats better than an iphone.

The Fujifilm x100vi sounds like it would have been a nice start from what I've read, but seems hard to get a hold of. So any other alternatives would be great.....
 
Caporegime
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Hi guys,

Thanks you. Id just like a camera that I could pick up and pretty much shoot all with a great outcome (as good as myself) something thats better than an iphone.

The Fujifilm x100vi sounds like it would have been a nice start from what I've read, but seems hard to get a hold of. So any other alternatives would be great.....

The X100VI is a very good all rounder if you can live with the fixed focal length.

For an easier to obtain alternative, get the XT5 + a lens of your choice. It has the exact same internals (auto focus + sensor). It is larger but you do have the option of change lenses should you want to, which I think you might as you are not sure what you want exactly.
 
Soldato
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Hi guys,

Thanks you. Id just like a camera that I could pick up and pretty much shoot all with a great outcome (as good as myself) something thats better than an iphone.

The Fujifilm x100vi sounds like it would have been a nice start from what I've read, but seems hard to get a hold of. So any other alternatives would be great.....
What are you planning to do with the images you take?

What type of subjects are you wishing to capture? Landscapes, street, product photos?
 
Soldato
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The xt5 I will have a read up on I did see in reviews it mentioned it was the x100VI alternative. Size wise not too much of an issue.

Id like to photograph landscapes predominantly, some shots of my family out and about, and general just spur of the moment shots when our and about.

In regards to "what will I do with the shots" it's more of a personal achievement of what and how good I can be, and just personal use. Just to challenge myself again.

Will the X100VI be deadly available anytime soon?
 
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Caporegime
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The xt5 I will have a read up on I did see in reviews it mentioned it was the x100VI alternative. Size wise not too much of an issue.

Id like to photograph landscapes predominantly, some shots of my family out and about, and general just spur of the moment shots when our and about.

In regards to "what will I do with the shots" it's more of a personal achievement of what and how could I can be, and just personal use. Just to challenge myself again.

Will the X100VI be deadly available anytime soon?

If you want one, just pre-order one, get your name in the queue. It will be about 1-3 months (or 3-6) depending who you ask. But the longer you wait, the longer that queue is getting.

I only waited 1 month and pre-ordered at the end of February.
 
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Caporegime
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@Raymond Lin where would be the best place to pre order from?

Personally, I would go a multi routes approach.

1 - Sign up to Email Notifications in John Lewis. When they pop up in stock, it is fastest fingers first. You will have a chance of getting it much sooner than pre-order if you are quick as John Lewis do not take pre-orders.

2 - WEX - They cost nothing to pre-order. Just get your name in the queue

3 - London Camera Exchange - They ask for 10% (£150) to be paid up front to secure your name in the queue. The balance is deducted when the stock arrives. If you cancel, you get your money back.

I got mine from LCE, I feel that the £150 up front payment put people off, so they have less pre-orders than other players. A lot of people don't like putting money down for things they might change their mind later which means less people competing with you. Honestly, I think they do this to weed out exactly these people and it works. I got mine in 1 month. I don't know anyone who pre-ordered in WEX got theirs yet.
 
Soldato
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Thanks all for the input so far.

Quite tempted to pull the trigger on the XT-5 body. I quite like the idea of having a bit of versatility after someone mentioning the fixed lens wouldn’t be ideal if you “don’t know what you’re doing”

What lens would anyone recommend as a good all round starter ?
 
Caporegime
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Thanks all for the input so far.

Quite tempted to pull the trigger on the XT-5 body. I quite like the idea of having a bit of versatility after someone mentioning the fixed lens wouldn’t be ideal if you “don’t know what you’re doing”

What lens would anyone recommend as a good all round starter ?
The 18-55mm f2.8-4 lens is a pretty solid starter.
 
Associate
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I bought the X-T5 along with a kit lens 16-80 f4, as well as a 35mm f2 and have been pretty happy with it.
The size was a major factor for me, as started to leave my old camera at home, rather than lug it about.
Coming from the Canon dslr system, so a bit of a learning curve, but plenty of YT vids to watch.
 
Soldato
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Thanks all for the input so far.

Quite tempted to pull the trigger on the XT-5 body. I quite like the idea of having a bit of versatility after someone mentioning the fixed lens wouldn’t be ideal if you “don’t know what you’re doing”

What lens would anyone recommend as a good all round starter ?
There’s an argument to made for both sides with regards to starting out. It can sometimes be advantageous to be “restricted” to a single focal length as it makes you think about the other fundamentals of photography. On the other hand, a focal length can be a personal preference so you would probably want an idea of what length you wanted.
As it is, with the X-T5 you have the option of many fine lenses. The 16-80 would be my recommendation for a jack of all trades zoom.
 
Soldato
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Been watching a few YouTube videos and one mentioned the Sony alpha 7CII (with the 28-60 lens) there’s a couple on ebay brand new for the same price as the XT-5, is this a worthy contender?

Apologies for throwing a few contenders about, however just trying to narrow it down to then watch some more in depth reviews to decide.
Tia.

 
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