New to DSLR's and would like some help

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MJ

MJ

MJ

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Hi All,

I have been a keen photographer for a many years and really do enjoy it but have never had the time or the money to get into as a hobby. Now I am a little older have more money and more time due to my own personal circumstances I would like to invest into a DSLR.

I am familiar with ISO, aperture and shutter speed and have had a go on a few DSLR's in the past but now is time to invest.

Although I say I am familiar with the above I am by no means a pro so do not want to get a camera which absolutely confuses and overwhelms me, whilst at the same time do not want to invest in something I outgrow in 6 months. I would rather have a steeper learning curve than having to change my kit every few months.

So basically I have a few question;

Canon or Nikon? Nikon you seem to get the most for your money but do you get the best in terms of build, lenses etc.

DX or FX? Do i need a full frame camera straight away? Is this a serious option to consider baring in mind I currently have 0 lenses.

Video? From reading Canon is the best, but how much better compared to price? I will predominantly be using it for pictures.

Price wise I have up-to £1600 but would like some starter lenses with that.

I have been looking on digitalrev at that looks like I am at D600 sort of territory for that price but is that too much camera for a beginner.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
D600 would make a fantastic choice.

I was, very recently, in a similar situation to yourself, and was upgrading from a Bridge. It meant I'd had a reasonable amount of experience with manual settings, so knew my way around ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed quite well. I knew how to navigate a camera menu without too much difficulty as well, and had read Understanding Exposure once and knew it fairly well. (I might read it again soon).

I had on my shortlist, D7000 + a few lenses, 7D + a few lenses, D600 + Kit, and 6D + Kit.

In the end I went with 6D + Kit. For some logical reasons, and some illogical. I prefer the Canon range of lenses. I'm not saying that it's better, just what they offer seems to be more suited to what I feel I may want in the future. Nikon's range is good from other perspectives I feel.

I liked the feel of the Canon much more than Nikon's. This is important. If you're going to be carrying a camera around for a few hours, you want it to be comfortable.

Both those reasons were down to personal taste, and took quite a bit of research to come to that decision. It may be completely different for you.

Full Frame - Ultimately, in my mind, why not get Full Frame if you can afford it. With £1600, from a Nikon perspective, I'd certainly be looking at the D600 over the D7000. The 6D is a bit out of budget I think, but I ultimately decided the Full Frame benefit and IQ gain over the 7D was worth it compared to the lost AF spread and FPS. Pictures are about IQ, FF is better IQ. As for the learning curve. I think you'll be fine to be honest. Not sure about the D600, but the 6D still has an 'auto' setting if I wanted to use it... Frankly, to start investing, I'd rather invest in FF, and FF lenses than buying a Crop and then investing in DX/EF-S lenses and then if I decided to upgrade to FF, having to sell off the lenses... (It's not a huge pain, but it is a pain).

As for additional lenses, to be honest, for the FF options, the 24-85 is supposed to be quite good on the D600. I think. I'd probably then add in a 50 1.8, and then in future if you find you need it a longer tele it could be worth investing in something like the 70-200 (although they aren't cheap), or a third party alternative like the Sigma 120-400 or something, which is a bit better priced. These can come at a later date if you need them I'd say, as once you have a kit, and start to use it you'll start to find where it's lacking.

Nikon is certainly better value for money, and at this value, neither are 'poor' quality.

Canon is better for Video, but Nikon's isn't awful. But if you're not going to use it too much for Video, it doesn't matter too much.

kd
 
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Ksanti said:
And here, ladies and gentlemen, is what ruins half of the various internet photo communities.
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Pah, you know what I mean.

I hope so anyway...

Light and feeling is what makes a photo realistically.

But, stuff like FPS, AF don't have as big an impact upon the final image as IQ, from a technical perspective.

I went into this presuming we knew that we're talking this from a technical perspective and not from a pure 'what makes a photo' perspective.

Was going on the basis, of same location, same light etc...

kd
 
Once you get over the initial learning curve (which you'll have to do for almost any camera) I find a lot of the higher end cameras are easier to use than lower end ones, in terms of ergonomics and button layout.

Obviously don't go out and buy a 1D but I would definitely shop in the middle/top tier if you are looking for an investment over the longer term.
 
Just a reminder that buying from digitalrev will mean you get no warranty and you may end up with a tax bill alongside your purchase (as they aren't paying the VAT and import tax for you).

The other option if you're going Canon is flashcamera (kerso) who imports legally and you get full UK warranty and any cashback deals.
 
MJ said:
I am familiar with ISO, aperture and shutter speed and have had a go on a few DSLR's in the past but now is time to invest.
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You are in an excellent position. You understand enough to make a good decision yet you have no legacy equipment with which to influence your path.

So stop. Ignore the cameras. They change frequently. The best choice for you this year will be replaced next year. Leave the "which camera" question to one side for the moment.

Lets think about lenses. After all, in the long term, that is where you are going to spend most of your money.

Take time to investigate the range from both Canon and Nikon and learn how their range matches with what you want to do. Learn how the prices compare. Learn what glass is compatible with which range of cameras. Neither manufacturer can fit every lens into every camera.

Canon do things that Nikon don't do, such as the MPE-65, the 85mm f1.2. Nikon do things that Canon don't do, such as the 200-400 (at least, that's the case right now - I'm sure there are others I just don't know Nikon well enough to tell you.)

Find these differences and consider what might be important to you.

You need to make a full frame or crop decision. I would advise making a decision you intend to stick to. You don't want to find yourself with the wrong glass because you move to FF in a couple of years or conversely move from FF to crop because you really need a sports body.

Once you have made the glass decision, such as "Canon FF" or "Nikon crop", then you are ready to choose the body which best meets your needs.

Andrew
 
No D600 is not too much to start off with as long as it's not too much a financial stretch.
In the long run I think it works out better/cheaper to start out with FF, than get a crop, then replace all the DX lenses if you then upgrade to FF.
 
Sony SLT maybe A37/A57/A65 or A77 (all have autofocus when doing video)

better than Canon/Nikon for video from what I read on the web
 
Hi all,

Thanks for all your input especially king danger and gaffer, I really appreciate all your input and you have made my choice a little easier.

I have decided to invest into Nikon, a D600 seems advanced enough with out going overboard and as it is FX it's a good investment in terms of lenses.

I do however have one question, digitalrev. Has anybody used them, they are far cheaper than any one here in the UK but as Amp34 states will i need to pay import and tax, they state that they pay for all of this on there website. They also state that they have a world wide warranty as can be seen here. Is this just a load of rubbish?

Thanks again and any other input on cameras would be very appreciated.
 
Careful with import tax. A few years ago it was a gamble to wether you get charged duty and vat. This last 12 months I've been hit every single time I've ordered something, which is a lot. My glide track ended up costing more than uk prices, and my follow focus kit ended only 20 quid cheaper but with a 10 day wait.

I'm not saying don't buy from digitalrev, but understand the chances you'll pay tax and don't cry when or if it happens! Others may have had more luck, but seems to me they're stopping everything to increase revenue.
 
DampCat said:
I'm not saying don't buy from digitalrev, but understand the chances you'll pay tax and don't cry when or if it happens! Others may have had more luck, but seems to me they're stopping everything to increase revenue.
Click to expand...

Digital Rev Website said:
No Import Tax/Duty to Pay:
Any import tax/duty charged will
be billed directly us.
Click to expand...

This is quoted in the basket section.
 
King Damager said:
14-24 2.8 is also well worth pointing out. Although someone has said that they might be announcing one of them soon?

kd
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Canon are releasing a 200-400 at some point (it's been announced).

Nikon don't do 70-200 f/4 (non IS), have just released but isn't available yet a 70-200 f/4 VR, don't do a 300 f/4 VR or a 400 f/5.6, don't do a 70-300 with fast AF and good build. Canon do all so if you want reasonable tele equipment then Canon is probably the best way to go.

However Nikon really do have the Crop area sewn up at the moment. Buy used lenses and changing formats is no big deal so the recommendation to ignore cameras until you decide on a format isn't entirely true. For example I swapped from Canon to Nikon recently, and have no quarms in 3 years time of swapping back when I go to replace my camera, if Canons cameras are better for my needs.
 
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MJ said:
Hi all,

Thanks for all your input especially king danger and gaffer, I really appreciate all your input and you have made my choice a little easier.

I have decided to invest into Nikon, a D600 seems advanced enough with out going overboard and as it is FX it's a good investment in terms of lenses.

I do however have one question, digitalrev. Has anybody used them, they are far cheaper than any one here in the UK but as Amp34 states will i need to pay import and tax, they state that they pay for all of this on there website. They also state that they have a world wide warranty as can be seen here. Is this just a load of rubbish?

Thanks again and any other input on cameras would be very appreciated.
Click to expand...

DigitalRev didn't used to do that, the question is whether they actually pay the Import/Tax if they haven't been caught (Paramoz certainly don't - they state everything is a toy etc, i.e. illegal). If you don't mind breaking the law from the look of it even if you do get caught they will pay for it. The warranty is warranty (and DigitalRev have been round a while) but it's not manufacturers warranty.
 
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