Newbie - Looking for advice on basic starting kit

Blackvault

Blackvault

Blackvault

Soldato
Joined
5 May 2004
Posts
4,381
Location
Northern Ireland
Hello

Dediced to get interested into photography and would like some recommendations on a camera and relative lens for myself. I have not really had experience with SLRs and would like some advice one what type of camera that is best for me. I would not be willing to spend more than £300 if possible.

Can anyone add me to msn and chat about it?

My msn is in trust.

Thanks in advance

Blackvault
 
Unless you have a requirement to stick with film then I would go for a digital point & shoot.
With digital you can shoot away tying different composition, lighting, exposure etc and see the results straight away. This will speed up your learning :)

Camera recommendations – The Canon G6 is a pretty good start.
 
Blackvault said:
How much would i be looking to break into the DSLR range?
Click to expand...

Cheapest New : Nikon D50 & 18-55mm Kit lens = £360 + Memory card and P&P
Second Hand : Canon 300D & 18-55mm Kit lens = £330 + Memory Card and P&P
 
Blackvault said:
What type of lens would u recommend ?
Click to expand...
hehe, you've already got the SLR bug :)

Only the Nikon 18-55mm kit lens fits into your budget. It's excellent for the price and you certainly won't find a better wider lens for under £300.
The Sigma 70-300mm APO has quite a few fans but that will cost over £120
I think you'll have to spend upwards of £300 to get something with a longer focal length (than the 18-55mm) that is pretty decent.
 
Use the kit lens and get used to the camera, then upgrade when you find you've reached it's limitations. No point in having all the kit and not knowing what to do with it.
 
SDK^ said:
hehe, you've already got the SLR bug :)

Only the Nikon 18-55mm kit lens fits into your budget. It's excellent for the price and you certainly won't find a better wider lens for under £300.
The Sigma 70-300mm APO has quite a few fans but that will cost over £120
I think you'll have to spend upwards of £300 to get something with a longer focal length (than the 18-55mm) that is pretty decent.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks. This might sound again newbie but what would be the differences between the 18-55mm and 70-300mm lens. Would I notice and difference in my photos and what would be limitations of these lens?

Thanks

Blackvault
 
Blackvault said:
Ok thanks. This might sound again newbie but what would be the differences between the 18-55mm and 70-300mm lens. Would I notice and difference in my photos and what would be limitations of these lens?
Click to expand...

The numbers : 18-55 and 70-300 refer to the focal length, i.e. the distance the lens can 'zoom'

A 70-300 is a longer telephoto lens, suited to wildlife, motorsports etc and the 18-55 is a wide angle lens more suited to landscapes and indoor photography
 
SDK^ said:
The numbers : 18-55 and 70-300 refer to the focal length, i.e. the distance the lens can 'zoom'

A 70-300 is a longer telephoto lens, suited to Wildlife, Motorsport etc and the 18-55 is a wide angle lens more suited to Landscapes and indoor photography
Click to expand...


thanks for the fast reply. I'd prefer to take photos of buildings, cars, (motorsports) people.

There that would mean the longer 7-300mm lens. The D50 can't fit that. Therefore what camera would?

Thanks

Blackvault
 
Blackvault said:
There that would mean the longer 7-300mm lens. The D50 can't fit that. Therefore what camera would?
Click to expand...

The Sigma 70-300 does fit the Nikon D50 - it costs £160.

Nikon D50 : £300
Sigma 70-300mm APO DG : £160
1GB SD Memory Card : £40

£500
 
glitch said:
Oooh, at least £500. And then probably another £250 - £500 in your first year.
Click to expand...

Sickening but true. Got my body only version last year for £550 plus a Tamron 24-135 zoom for £300 (decent range at a decent price for non L glass) Since then I've bought a manfrotto tripod & Head for £165 a cheap monopod for £20, a 50mm prime for £70, a 100-300USM 2nd hand for £150, a Crumpler bag for £45, a spare battery for £20, a spare 1G memory card for £75. Add on to that printing costs for competitions at my camera club (£25 to join + esitmate of £25 in ink/mount board + paper) I'm already looking somewhere near £1500 :eek: didn't realise it was that much!

At £300 budget it doesn't look like DSLR is the way forward for you. Once you start you'll find yourself thinking 'ooh, that's only £25 for that filter', or 'ooh that 50mm prime's only £70' and before you know it you're up to your overdraft limit and thinkning 'hmm, that remote release cable isn't expensive but I sooooo need it for night shots'.

Stop. Stop now, before you're hooked and have a wife to answer to. In fact buy a mobile phone with an adequate camera and spend the rest of your life accepting the quality won't be great rather than questioning the quaity of every shot you take. You'll be better off and won't feel bitter about the cost. Maybe I should have bought a box of pencils and spent some time learning to draw instead. :(
 
I'd echo what other have said about a dSLR perhaps being unsuitable. If you don't know the difference between a 70-300mm lens and a 18-55mm lens, I seriously suggest that you do some reading up on what dSLR's are and how they work etc. before you even look at prices & models. dSLR's aren't simply an upgrade from a compact. They're a whole new ball game.

For example, most people who are used to compacts hate the fact that you have to look through the view finder. There is no LCD preview when you take photos. Something that us lot are used too, and probably prefer, but something that people who don't do their research get annoyed with. It actually puts people off buying a dSLR. Also, there are no fancy movie modes. It's a camera which takes pictures. That's it.

It is not unusual for photos taken with a dSLR to need more post-processing than photos taken with a compact. This is purely down to the in-camera processing on compacts, compared to the bare RAW image.

You might also find the bulk annoying, especially as you start to acumulate new lenses.

Just a few things worth considering anyway. I must stress though, you really should read up on dSLR's before you start looking at them. The last thing you want is to order one and find out that it's not he all singing all dancing camera you thought it was.

:)
 
Just another comment:

If you really want to get into SLR's, but don't have the cash to spend £500 immediately, there are thousands of extremely cheap 35mm film SLR's on auction sites. These are an excellent way to start, because they're more dependent on you knowing how to use your camera, rather than relying on Photoshop to correct your mistakes.
 
thanks for all the advice. I'm gonna talk to my parents about this and hopefully they will chip in a bit :) Thanks for the advice Lostkat. I do intend to spend the money now while I have it and not to be spending lots of money upgrading when I could afford enough for a high initial outlay.

SDK I have added to you my msn if you won't mind I'd like to chat about more about this topic.

Thanks again

Blackvault
 
There are quite a few people on this forum (I myself included) who spent a good while on compact digital camera's before even looking or hearing about Digital SLR's.

I myself had a small Sony DSC-P32 for a good couple of years, the thing never left auto mode and did me proud on a couple of holidays. Then I got the Fuji S5500, starting encountering 'Aperture' 'Shutter Speed' 'ISO' and the like...and thats when the world really started opening up.

Come a year on from owning the Fuji and 4 months ago now, I buy a 350d, I already know how each part of a basic camera work, and I can get shooting with something that is a joy to own and use. However had I bought this camera before the previous 2 I guarantee it wouldn't be used half as much as what it is being used...the hobby would have quickly become a chore.

These are just my thoughts from my experience, I would seriously wait on the buying expensive equipment until you have some idea on how to get to grips with it.

My advice...buy a Fuji S5600 (the latest Fuji ultra zooming compact) and you will be able to take wonderful photo's. I had some great fun at Motorsport last year and all the images currently shown at www.meangasoline.co.uk were taken with this camera.

Just my thoughts.

Tom
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom