Photography HELP!! DSLR

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  • dgapilot

    Active Member
    May 13, 2013
    704
    Frederick County
    The body is the cheap part. The glass is what costs money.

    What he said! Look at both Nikon and Cannon (or what ever other brand you may be interested in. Decide on the features you want or need, then select that brand body. The glass is the hard part. You could easily spend 3 times the cost of the body on just one lens in the future.

    While we would all like to make the magic in the camera, you will find that only works a small percentage of the time. The real magic happens in the post processing, so look at the software available for that. Most of the software has a pretty steep learning curve, but once mastered it is surprising the difference between as shot, and as printed! And that brings up the next problem, printing. Using a simple ink jet works OK, but if you really get interested in photo work you will be looking at printers better than what you can buy at Best Buy or Costco with prices that match.

    Just like any hobby, you can start small and build, but it is not hard to spend $$$$ on photo equipment.
     

    Bart_man

    Clinging to gun&religion
    Jan 8, 2011
    2,310
    Hazzard County
    Hello,
    My daughter really wants to get a digital slr for Christmas and I really don't know where to start (I still have a K1000) Trying to stay under $300 for a decent camera. Is my budget appropriate for a decent base camera that can be expanded? Thanks for the help!
    Dan

    If she is REALLY going to learn photography you cannot get a better teaching tool than that Pentax K1000

    buy her some film and some good photo books and start that way.

    Barring that LOOK HERE for a good used DSLR.
     

    r3t1awr3yd

    Meh.
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 14, 2010
    4,721
    Bowie, MD
    Also, all this talk about lenses reminds me to say that for a beginner the most valuable lens you can get them is the nifty 50. I hear hit and miss stories with Canon but Nikon's 50mm f/1.8 ($100) is THE most versatile lens you can get anywhere near that price point. It's fast, sharp, and something she'll use for a long time.
     

    zombiehunter

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 8, 2008
    6,505
    I actually just addressed this on my Facebook because people were having the same questions. I like Nikon because my friend has Nikon and it's what I learned on:

    I have seen a bunch of Black Friday ads and they all have DSLRs on sale. I know a lot of people "have always wanted a real camera" and I love that! I encourage it! However, I want you to do it intelligently.

    "Real" photography isn't about megapixels. It's about being able to control your camera so you can actually get the shot. That being said for the $400-$700 you can spend on a brand new entry level Nikon or Canon I make the following recommendations:

    Buy used from a reputable website. I like KEH Camera and have spent literally thousands of dollars there.

    I like the Nikon D40 ($125-175) with an 18-200 Nikon/Nikkor lens (~$250-350). You get the same focal range without having to change lenses and you get a solid and proven camera body. Yes, it's a 6 megapixel camera and yes it's the same money you could spend for a new 24.2 D3200 or whatever the big box stores are selling. But you're getting a lens that's much better and much more convenient.

    If you're wanting to spend a bit more, then I like the D90 with an 18-200 (~$600 total). For that extra money you get increased accessibility to controls like focus, metering and ISO, more resolution and many more focal points. Not to mention the great lens and no issues shooting something far away and something close, which translates to fewer missed shots.

    For the majority of what you'll shoot, that 18-200 will get it done and get it done right. It's a very good lens that will handle anything general. When you start getting into specific case use then you start buying more lenses.

    The other good thing about this stuff is that the majority of it holds its value pretty well. The 18-200 was replaced by a VRII (used it's $100-150 more) the only addition is a toggle that keeps the lens from creeping in or out if you have it at your side.

    Another thing I'm seeing with the BF ads is that the kits are shipping with lens that don't have vibration reduction (Nikon) or image stabilization (Canon). That makes a big difference at 200mm.

    If you're still "omg the megapixelz!" allow me this:
    Nikon's newest, most expensive, full frame super amazing, end all be all of camera bodies is "only" 16 megapixels. That's equal to about 10 megapixels in the bodies you'll buy at any consumer store.

    At your $300 price point start cruising Craigslist. I got my D90, 18-105mm and 50mm prime for $400. Deal of the century lol.
     

    zombiehunter

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 8, 2008
    6,505
    Also, all this talk about lenses reminds me to say that for a beginner the most valuable lens you can get them is the nifty 50. I hear hit and miss stories with Canon but Nikon's 50mm f/1.8 ($100) is THE most versatile lens you can get anywhere near that price point. It's fast, sharp, and something she'll use for a long time.

    Just make sure you get the AF-S with the built in focus motor unless the camera body has a motor built in. (D40 = no built in motor = she's manually focusing every shot, D90 = Built in motor) But yeah, I love my 50mm f/1.8. If I'm just shooting snapshots at a party or out on the town or something fun and light that's what I take.
     

    r3t1awr3yd

    Meh.
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 14, 2010
    4,721
    Bowie, MD
    Just make sure you get the AF-S with the built in focus motor unless the camera body has a motor built in. (D40 = no built in motor = she's manually focusing every shot, D90 = Built in motor) But yeah, I love my 50mm f/1.8. If I'm just shooting snapshots at a party or out on the town or something fun and light that's what I take.

    I take the 24-70 for a night out (or 50 f/1.4 lol). I just wanted to talk about cheap and versatile though :innocent0
     

    Hawkeye

    The Leatherstocking
    Jan 29, 2009
    3,971
    If she is REALLY going to learn photography you cannot get a better teaching tool than that Pentax K1000

    I would argue with that, actually. The best way to learn is to practice practice practice. You can shoot a bazillion shots with a DSLR and it won't cost you more than the SD (or CF, or whatever) card you bought to put in the camera. Shooting film is EXPENSIVE these days and isn't conducive to learning by doing. It's analogous to learning to shoot a pistol where all the ammo you want is free vs. paying $15 a box for it.

    With a DSLR you can go out and shoot 200 frames in an afternoon and be looking at them an hour later, learning what you did right and wrong. It costs nothing other than the initial investment in the camera, and you get the results which you can learn from right away.

    With film, you shoot your 30-whatever frames, and then pay $10 or $20 or whatever to get them developed.

    The digital camera is going to be a MUCH better learning tool for a beginner, and I say that as someone who learned to shoot on film 25 or 30 years ago and who used to work in a darkroom.

    buy her some good photo books and start that way.

    This I absolutely get behind, and it's why I linked that book in my first post. It's designed around teaching how to understand and control the major elements that make up a photograph, and each chapter has some "hands on" lessons where he explains something and then tells you what to go try out to do it yourself. It's a GREAT way to develop the basic skillset to be a photographer rather than someone who just "takes pictures."


    Also, all this talk about lenses reminds me to say that for a beginner the most valuable lens you can get them is the nifty 50. I hear hit and miss stories with Canon but Nikon's 50mm f/1.8 ($100) is THE most versatile lens you can get anywhere near that price point. It's fast, sharp, and something she'll use for a long time.

    Yeah, the 50mm would be the first lens I'd buy for general photography after the kit lens that comes with the camera. Both Canon and Nikon have one that's about $100.


    And finally I wouldn't worry too much about post processing and printing and all of that for a raw beginner. Get her a camera and a good book and turn her loose. iPhoto (free on all Macs) or similar software on a PC will work just fine for letting her look at the photos, and I'd take someone who really knows how to run a camera over someone who is really good at post every single time.
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    I actually just addressed this on my Facebook because people were having the same questions. I like Nikon because my friend has Nikon and it's what I learned on:

    I have seen a bunch of Black Friday ads and they all have DSLRs on sale. I know a lot of people "have always wanted a real camera" and I love that! I encourage it! However, I want you to do it intelligently.

    "Real" photography isn't about megapixels. It's about being able to control your camera so you can actually get the shot. That being said for the $400-$700 you can spend on a brand new entry level Nikon or Canon I make the following recommendations:

    Buy used from a reputable website. I like KEH Camera and have spent literally thousands of dollars there.

    I like the Nikon D40 ($125-175) with an 18-200 Nikon/Nikkor lens (~$250-350). You get the same focal range without having to change lenses and you get a solid and proven camera body. Yes, it's a 6 megapixel camera and yes it's the same money you could spend for a new 24.2 D3200 or whatever the big box stores are selling. But you're getting a lens that's much better and much more convenient.

    If you're wanting to spend a bit more, then I like the D90 with an 18-200 (~$600 total). For that extra money you get increased accessibility to controls like focus, metering and ISO, more resolution and many more focal points. Not to mention the great lens and no issues shooting something far away and something close, which translates to fewer missed shots.

    For the majority of what you'll shoot, that 18-200 will get it done and get it done right. It's a very good lens that will handle anything general. When you start getting into specific case use then you start buying more lenses.

    The other good thing about this stuff is that the majority of it holds its value pretty well. The 18-200 was replaced by a VRII (used it's $100-150 more) the only addition is a toggle that keeps the lens from creeping in or out if you have it at your side.

    Another thing I'm seeing with the BF ads is that the kits are shipping with lens that don't have vibration reduction (Nikon) or image stabilization (Canon). That makes a big difference at 200mm.

    If you're still "omg the megapixelz!" allow me this:
    Nikon's newest, most expensive, full frame super amazing, end all be all of camera bodies is "only" 16 megapixels. That's equal to about 10 megapixels in the bodies you'll buy at any consumer store.

    At your $300 price point start cruising Craigslist. I got my D90, 18-105mm and 50mm prime for $400. Deal of the century lol.

    Terrific post. :thumbsup: I started with the D90/18-200 set up (VRI). The D90 is great to learn on, and that lens offers great flexibility in shooting options. I've added some nifty fixed focal length lenses over time. I also do like the D3300 that my wife got. Not surprisingly, the video filming is light years ahead of the D90. A general comparison between the older D90 and newer D3300 is here. Your used package D90 deal is amazing.

    I take the 24-70 for a night out (or 50 f/1.4 lol). I just wanted to talk about cheap and versatile though :innocent0

    Love the 50 f/1.4G lens. Has dropped about $150 in price over the last few years. The price on the 1.2 has dropped further (and I would be tempted if the 1.4 weren't so darn good :)).
     

    zombiehunter

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 8, 2008
    6,505
    I take the 24-70 for a night out (or 50 f/1.4 lol). I just wanted to talk about cheap and versatile though :innocent0

    Depends if I feel like lugging that honker around. Depth of field is off but not the worst picture ever.

    Took that with the 50mm we've been talking about. Should have stopped down a wee bit.

    I never thought about maybe just the D90/50mm combo as a beginner set up though.
     

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    Rickman

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 31, 2012
    10,497
    Port Deposit, MD
    The only thing I would add is to get her somewhere she can hold some different bodies. She might love the feel of one and hate the other. That is why I have Nikon. I did not like the feel of the Canon in my hand. For some reason it just didn't feel comfortable. The Nikon fit like a glove.
     

    shaddydan

    ADHD chicken fighter
    Oct 22, 2010
    4,676
    Hydes
    Just ordered the D90 with 18-200 lens plus a filter from KEH. He's gonna hold order til friday and then I get $40 off! Thanks again everyone.
     

    shaddydan

    ADHD chicken fighter
    Oct 22, 2010
    4,676
    Hydes
    Well, my girl is really in love with the camera. Already mastering a lot of the settings. Here's a great shot of an ornament she took. This camera was a home run! Thanks again everyone!
     

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    bkuether

    Judge not this race .....
    Jan 18, 2012
    6,212
    Marriottsville, MD
    If you can move up in price, for $550 you can get a package for the Nikon D3300 and an 18-55mm lens. We recently got one as my wife wanted a lighter bodied and somewhat smaller DSLR to carry. We have a few pricey Nikkor/Nikon lenses previously obtained for a Nikon D90 (a great, relatively rugged DSLR that's now discontinued), so I was a bit skeptical of the package lens with the D3300, but it's been a performer, and we've taken some really nice pics with it. I think the high ISO range and noise handling of the camera gives it more flexibility even with a basic lens.

    Be careful about camera deals from online vendors that are substantially cheaper than prices at Amazon, B&H, Foxes, etc (e.g. avoid Abe's of Maine - which is really in NJ). Many will sell grey market goods whose warranties are no good in the US, and they will delay shipping orders, call buyers, and try to talk them up to buying more expensive goods.

    Know someone who has one of these. EXCEPTIONALLY nice camera!!!!
     

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