[Repo]

I've been looking to get into a new hobby, and a hobby mentioned from many members on this board is photography. Bonus points because women seem to love guys who love this hobby too.

So, I'm hoping to start a thread where members can, share their tips, favorite cameras, general experiences, or just anything else that comes to mind. Whether you are a hobbiest or professional, doesn' matter.

Throughout my life I've mostly owned cheap cameras, and am looking to spend a bit more for a higher grade beginners camera. I'm readin alot of good reviews for the Nikon D3300, and it doesnt break the bank either. Thoughts?

[TheUsual]

You should start by asking yourself these questions:

How much do you want to spend to get into this hobby? The price of camera bodies and lenses on the used market is a little lower than it was a decade ago but this is still a hobby with a fairly high entry cost.

What do you want to take photos of, is it people, landscapes, animals, macro, astrophotography? This will most definitely have a bearing on how much you spend.

Me, I started with a used Canon 6d 1300$, a refurbished 35mm lens for $400, a used battery grip for $60 in 2014. I've bought quite a bit more in accessories e.g. tripod, intervalometer, extra memory cards, etc. But that should give you an idea of the entry cost. If you do your research and look a little you can probably spend less than that. Hope that helps and let a rip with the questions.

[samsamsam]

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[brick tamland]

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” - quote attributed to legend, Henri Cartier-Bresson.

What this thread needs is a handful of members who are professional photographers to contribute.
I'm slowly getting into digital photography. From the start, it needs to be said that there's a sharp learning curve and so many technical aspects to master before the average person can even start producing decent images. And the right equipment is usually expensive. Due to the many aspects involved, it's taken years for some now-acclaimed photogs to become pros. To see how advanced a skill it can be, Google images of guys who specialise in underwater fashion photography, for example.
To paraphrase one award winning photog, nearly everyone with a camera in their hands, regardless of the brand or price, will only ever take snapshots.

As for a camera to buy, choose carefully. Use Google. visit dpreview(dot)com. Read reviews. There are enough options. Nikon is a great brand and will never ever let you down, but most importantly what are you going to use it for? If you'll need to upgrade within a short time, spend a bit more now. Remember that you'll need to buy about 3 lenses to be fully covered eventually. The very best lenses cost more than the camera.

[ksbms]

Nah, you don't need to splurge. Unless you want huge size print outs, most current cameras are decent enough (definitely that's the case with full frames matched with prime lenses). As long as you can shoot RAW + have good understanding of Adobe camera raw for basic processing, you're sorted. The real challenge is to see the things out there in the world in the interesting way and capture the moment. Too often people believe if they get the good equipment it will do things for them. Not true. What use for a regular driver a F1 car? Skills much more important, then the equipment. An excellent photographer will take interesting pictures, conveying emotions and a story with his mobile phone camera, whereas a beginner will struggle with anything with his superb Nikon D750 (but if you can afford it - get it).

[Repo]

Thanks for responses. I think at this time I would limit myself to about $1k as I see this as just a hobby for now, but who knows I could spend quite a bit more than that in the future. I realize there is alot of skill involved, and that there is a big learning curve. My grandpa actually won several small photo contests in his time as a photographer, he mostly shot nature stuff, though he also had a photo studio as well. This was many years ago, hes pretty up there in age now. I like to think that as I travel, photography will help me appreciate new places and different styles of architecture and nature more, but who knows.

I didn't really want this thread to be about just me, but more a thread where RVFrs could share experiences/stories and stuff about their journey.

[rudebwoy]

A few years ago I went on a trip to Iceland, I had a lousy point n shoot and the pics were horrible. I returned 6 months later with a Canon T1i and took better pics, after that I sold it to a friend who needed a camera.

I was helping out another friend with shooting some video, so I picked up a Canon T5I and I have been hooked ever since. I only have the kit lens but I must say I have been able to take some great shots.

I didn't know girls love photography, I know they love their pics being taken. I think they have respect for a guy that has a passion for something, photography is like a form of art.

Ringo is a guy who knows a lot about photography, hopefully he chimes in.

[Kona]

For my work we make videos of people fishing. We've had a myriad of dslrs. Keep in mind saltwater is bad.

We just got the Sony A7rII and that thing is amazing. We had to buy a lens and a microphone, but when you watch the videos on the super 4k TV, you can see nose hairs. Not a joke.

Its the first camera we've had that is mirrorless. I don't know the science behind mirrorless, but again, its great. Also, I don't know how the stabilization works, but today's waves were at least 15ft. The last camera we had I think was a canon 70d or 7d, and the boat in 33ft. With the canon on similar waves heights, that thing was mega wobbly. This Sony is really still. Its cool.

Aloha!

[testos111]

I'm a professional photography instructor and have been running my photography training business for 3 years now. I can tell you straight away that 90% of the things people spew out (knowledge and products) are complete BS and not needed.

I think someone above mentioned the 10,000 shots to master photography thing which is probably the biggest lie out there.

The truth is that DSLR photography is a very rare hobby because most of the job is done my a machine. It's more of a mental hobby and can actually be improved upon just by reading and gaining more knowledge. It really doesn't involve much practice. That's the reason it's a timeless hobby/skill.

What is more important than hands-on experience with a camera is developing an eye for composition. And the best way to do that is to surround yourself with the best shots in the world. Facebook is a great tool for this. Like as many pages and join as many groups related to photography and STUDY every good shot.

Unless you develop an eye for well composed shots, nothing much is gonna happen. You can buy a Nikon D810 with a 70-200 f2.8 and still end up clicking shots that look like cell phone images if you are not good with composition. I see this all the time and yet people worry more about things like megapixels, sharpness and optics of lens, etc. Yes, all that is important but not as important as your own natural lens.

As far as buying the Nikon D3300 goes, don't even think about it, unless you want to own a camera that is most likely to be dumped by Nikon very soon, just like most of their other low-end cameras. In fact, due to Nikon's poor marketing capabilities and the fact that they declared a notice of extra-ordinary loss just recently, I foresee a major change in their operations very soon.

Having said that, I use both Nikon and Canon extensively (own 4 Nikon and 2 Canon cams) and Nikon wins hands-down. Their functions make shooting very easy as compared to Canon's cameras. The full frame cameras for both the brands are equally good though. Don't get fooled by reports of Canon taking over the DSLR market because that is majorly down to how well they market their products. You only need to see the Instagram pages for Canon and Nikon USA to see the difference. But functionality wise, Nikon is way better and more intelligent.

I would recommend you to go for Nikon D5500. In my opinion, it's the best medium-end camera available in the market and if you have extra dough, then go for Nikon D750 which is the best in the full frame high end cameras.

Also when you are starting out, never ever buy a lens before renting and using it first. In fact I would suggest renting lenses for a good one year or so, so you can figure out which types of photography you'll be doing on a frequent basis and which on a rare basis. For instance, I rarely do landscape photography so when it comes to using a wide angle lens, I usually rent it out as it doesn't make sense buying something that I'm not going to use much. On the other hand, I almost wildlife photography on a daily basis so even though a super telephoto lens costs me a bomb, I was happy buying it but that was also after renting it first and seeing whether everything worked fine.

Also when buying/renting lenses, learn about the principle of background compression and how it is affected by focal length. This one principle will take your photography to another level and make you understand how to choose lenses wisely. It's a huge topic so I can't really explain you here.

The next tip I would give you is to NEVER EVER ignore learning Photoshop and Lightroom editing and post-processing principles. In today's world, if you are a photographer who hates editing and relies on SOOC (straight out of the camera) images, you'll be left behind so fast that you'll start hating photography.

And the last tip I would give you is to not rely too much on the free stuff out there masking as courses. Always invest in a paid photography course because this is one hobby where there are so many variables, it's very easy to get confused unless you are following something structured. One of the best resources for learning (though a bit expensive) is CreativeLive (not affiliated in any way).

Hope these tips helped you. Cheers.

[Laner]

Composition and light are the two biggest things to get nice, compelling images.

A good photographer can take pics with a beat up Canon G10 that look better than someone who snaps with a $5k rig.

I like playing with depth of field so having good long lens at least 110mm is fun. I shoot portraits as I enjoy the social nature of it. Its fun shooting subcultures, I did a lot in Japan where I shot schoolgirls eating icecream, salarymen, harijuku kids, etc.

I also like getting in close to my products so a bit of macro is nice. At a low F stop the background blurs out and I can blow it out to keep the focus on the product.

I love photography. I started out in high school but really got going in it when I lived with a professional for a few years. I have thousands of slides and contact sheets stored in my bunker as well as a scanner that cost me $1k. Now I just shoot RAW, but at times I miss the old style of photography and the anticipation of getting the contact sheets or slides back and going over them for hours with a loop.

[rudebwoy]

@Testos111 - what lens would you recommend with the Nikon D5500?

The prices are pretty good for that camera.

[kaotic]

(03-29-2017 03:26 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  

@Testos111 - what lens would you recommend with the Nikon D5500?

Follow up questions - would you be willing to maybe write up a data sheet for beginners ?

Perhaps links us to some guides ?

I checked out the website your recommended as well.

I'm looking at Sony Mirrorless A6300 or maybe the A7r

[testos111]

(03-29-2017 03:26 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  

@Testos111 - what lens would you recommend with the Nikon D5500?

Depends on what you want to shoot. For starting out, the 18-55 kit lens is fine for landscape and getting to know your camera. The 55-200 that also comes along with the kit nowadays is more useful and can be used for portraits and shooting events. Don't let anyone tell you that you can do wildlife with it. Wildlife just doesn't happen below 400mm.

Then as you go higher up and more confident in your ability, here are the lenses I recommend:

For portraits: the king of all lenses 70-200 f2.8. Same for events/sports in which action is close. Cheaper alternative to portraits is the 85mm f1.8.

For wildlife: Tamron 150-600. I own this lens and it beats both the Canon and Nikon's own telephoto lenses though the 200-500 by Nikon is also very good but that extra 100mm can be very crucial especially when birding.

For landscape: 14-24mm f2.8 is the one to go to if money's not a problem. But as good as that lens is, it doesn't work well with filters that are required to do dramatic landscape photography. I use the Tokina 11-16 and it's a great cheaper alternative. You're likely to get some distortion on the edges when using many wide angle lenses, so it's essential you know how to straighten your shots in Photoshop/Lightroom.

For macro: I own the 40mm f2.8 but the >100mm ones are definitely better since you can easily shoot insects from a distance. >100mm macro lenses also double up as great portrait lenses.

For food: 50mm f1.8 hands down. Just don't buy this lens for portraits like how 99.99% of the world does. 85mm f1.8 should be bought for portraits.50 for food. If you can only spend on one, then it's ok to buy 50mm but your portraits won't look that great as a lot of unnecessary background comes in the shot.

For studio: Kit lenses work just fine in a studio since studio photography is more about lighting than the lens.

For architecture/interior: Same as landscape. Requires wide lenses.

Hope it helps!

[testos111]

(03-29-2017 03:30 PM)kaotic Wrote:  

(03-29-2017 03:26 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  

@Testos111 - what lens would you recommend with the Nikon D5500?

Follow up questions - would you be willing to maybe write up a data sheet for beginners ?

Perhaps links us to some guides ?

I checked out the website your recommended as well.

I'm looking at Sony Mirrorless A6300 or maybe the A7r

Sony mirrorless cameras are good on their own but I wouldn't recommend them because when it comes to buying/renting lenses , there just aren't that many options available for non-Nikon/Canon brands. The additional headache of finding the right adpater comes in, never mind the extra cost. Sony definitely is catching up very fast but it's no where close to Nikon/Canon. Most people who buy the Sony mirrorless cameras are usually travel photographers who need something light and compact, which also means they aren't too serious about photography. A serious travel/landscape photographer, even a serious hobby photographer would never cite weight of a camera as an issue, because no real travel/landscape photography can be done without a huge fucking tripod in the first place so weight is a non-issue.

[kaotic]

Interesting, my friends who have the sony mirrorless ones, swear by them, they did tell me lenses for them lags behind but is growing fast.

I thought it was interesting to be able to see the modifications you make to the shot in real time, versus having to take a picture, adjust, then retake.

I ride my Harley alot (weight isn't an issue)- I'd like to take photos of other riders in our groups, scenery, portraits, and good photos in general.

I'd like to maybe spend around $1K to $2K on body (it might be overkill but I don't want to upgrade later).

Any suggestions on bodies ?

[Seadog]

(03-29-2017 04:11 PM)testos111 Wrote:  

Sony mirrorless cameras are good on their own but I wouldn't recommend them because when it comes to buying/renting lenses , there just aren't that many options available for non-Nikon/Canon brands. The additional headache of finding the right adpater comes in, never mind the extra cost. Sony definitely is catching up very fast but it's no where close to Nikon/Canon. Most people who buy the Sony mirrorless cameras are usually travel photographers who need something light and compact, which also means they aren't too serious about photography. A serious travel/landscape photographer, even a serious hobby photographer would never cite weight of a camera as an issue, because no real travel/landscape photography can be done without a huge fucking tripod in the first place so weight is a non-issue.

I would disagree with you here. I've had the Sony A7 for almost 3 years and absolutely love it. When I first bought it, I think there were 6 lenses available, however now that has since ballooned to over 50, so you can find something that fits what you want, even at most price points. It's not Canon or Nikon, but it gets the job done.

https://www.apotelyt.com/photo-lens/sony-fe-catalog (towards bottom is full list)

You are correct in that I travel a lot and bought it largely for the size factor, and between a few lenses and a small travel tripod, I need at least a small backpack, so savings on the camera aren't as important. At the same time, if you're taking a trip and not feeling overly photographer-y, you can leave the kit or a small zoom lens on there, and doesn't take up much more space than a P&S.

Kaotic, any particular reason why you're leaning towards A7r vs A7 or A7II? The big thing the r offers of course is resolution (42MP vs 24MP), and by and large most people don't need that. Keep in mind that 6MP printed on 8.5x11" is about the limit of what people can discern with with eye. So unless you're in the habit of printing things at poster size or cropping away 90% of the shot, 24 is more than enough.

[kaotic]

(03-29-2017 05:38 PM)Seadog Wrote:  

Kaotic, any particular reason why you're leaning towards A7r vs A7 or A7II? The big thing the r offers of course is resolution (42MP vs 24MP), and by and large most people don't need that. Keep in mind that 6MP printed on 8.5x11" is about the limit of what people can discern with with eye. So unless you're in the habit of printing things at poster size or cropping away 90% of the shot, 24 is more than enough.

A few friends of mine have those models, I played with the A6300 and 2 A7's and they were easy to use, apps were decent as well.

It's true yeah they're full frame cameras for huge images, it just seemed like a solid camera overall and for awhile I was stuck on buying one so I watched a bunch of youtube videos and read a bunch of reviews which seemed pretty positive.

[Kona]

(03-29-2017 05:05 PM)kaotic Wrote:  

Any suggestions on bodies ?

I screwed with a broken camera this morning. Its a cannon 7d II. We've had it for 18 months, and up until the other day its never missed a beat. The book says its weatherproof, and at first I was gonna call someone and bitch, because these little bastards are expensive, but thinking about it this is pretty good.

The metal ring that connects the lenses with the boby is pitting and salty, and the connecion to the battery is fried and I destroyed it trying to clean it.

None the less that's 18 months never leaving saltwater. Its just not made for that. There were a lot of times I had it on a clip tripod and swam around in the open ocean, of course above water but still. It was just kept in the bag it came with, which is also not marine grade, but in perfect shape.

That thing took great pictures and videos. For a boat, and for sure a motorcycle, you need an external microphone with fuzzy stuff over it or you will just record wind noise.

But this Sony deal blows the canon away. The only way I can explain how the stabilization works is that its black magic. Its just great.

You can get the canon mark II 7d for less than a grand if you look around and with all the little accessories and lenses for not much more.

Here it is for $909 but I don't know if this is legit:
http://powersellerdigital.com/details/98...Au9M8P8HAQ

Aloha!

[JamesPaulson]

I just love photography.

[PragueDude]

I've been using a 50mm lens after upgrading from the kit lens with the Canon 1300d. Man, I can't tell you how great this lens is. Captures the lighting, good for portraits and street photography. It saved me from getting a film camera.

[brick tamland]

(03-29-2017 03:26 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  

@Testos111 - what lens would you recommend with the Nikon D5500?

The prices are pretty good for that camera.

Do you already have the 5500? There's a new camera in Nikon's 5000 series, the 5600, which seems to be around the same price from what I can see.

As for lenses, there are a lot of options for Nikon, including third-party lenses from Sigma and Tamron, amongst others.

(03-30-2017 05:29 AM)PragueDude Wrote:  

I've been using a 50mm lens after upgrading from the kit lens with the Canon 1300d. Man, I can't tell you how great this lens is. Captures the lighting, good for portraits and street photography. It saved me from getting a film camera.

I can't speak about Canon but I can vouch for the nikkor 50mm f1.8 lens. It's one of the best 'budget' portrait lenses around. I've taken some nice images with it. The sharpness, light sensitivity, and background blur are up there.

As an aside, this is apparently the current king of portrait lenses, the Sigma 85mm f1.4. I will accept donations lol.

   

The one thing I haven't had time to get into yet is post-processing. I hope one of the experienced guys can drop a datasheet on post-processing if possible?

[rudebwoy]

^I use Canon right now but there lens are expensive and I agree about their marketing.

Nikon growing up was the camera to have, so I would be interested in changing or at least trying it out. I used one before and I didn't really like the functionality of the thing.

Like someone stated, you can still get great shots with standard equipment. I am more than happy with my pics and get a lot of compliments and people asking me questions.

I still need to get the 50mm f1.8 and see what the fuss is about.

[TheUsual]

(03-29-2017 05:50 PM)kaotic Wrote:  

(03-29-2017 05:38 PM)Seadog Wrote:  

Kaotic, any particular reason why you're leaning towards A7r vs A7 or A7II? The big thing the r offers of course is resolution (42MP vs 24MP), and by and large most people don't need that. Keep in mind that 6MP printed on 8.5x11" is about the limit of what people can discern with with eye. So unless you're in the habit of printing things at poster size or cropping away 90% of the shot, 24 is more than enough.

A few friends of mine have those models, I played with the A6300 and 2 A7's and they were easy to use, apps were decent as well.

It's true yeah they're full frame cameras for huge images, it just seemed like a solid camera overall and for awhile I was stuck on buying one so I watched a bunch of youtube videos and read a bunch of reviews which seemed pretty positive.

You could possibly look into the new Fujifilm XT-2 with the 18-55mm kit lens, it runs for $1899 on Amazon and is getting really good reviews. Usually kit lenses tend to be kind of sucky but I guess Fuji's lenses tend to perform really well.

[brick tamland]

^ The Fuji XT2 is getting very good reviews. Anyone with some spare cash should take a look at it. But it's not exactly cheap. I met someone who has it. It definitely looks the part, with all those those dials. The native lenses are excellent. Images are great, and there's a ton of features that have convinced even some pros to switch from good ol' Canon and Nikon. Only downsides apparently are less than stellar battery life, but there's an after-market battery grip which boosts some functions like the frames per second recording speed. If I was upgrading from Nikon I'd really be torn.

[TheUsual]

(03-30-2017 12:35 PM)brick tamland Wrote:  

^ The Fuji XT2 is getting very good reviews. Anyone with some spare cash should take a look at it. But it's not exactly cheap. I met someone who has it. It definitely looks the part, with all those those dials. The native lenses are excellent. Images are great, and there's a ton of features that have convinced even some pros to switch from good ol' Canon and Nikon. Only downsides apparently are less than stellar battery life, but there's an after-market battery grip which boosts some functions like the frames per second recording speed. If I was upgrading from Nikon I'd really be torn.

I've been considering the Fuji for my travels later on this year, but I will wait and see what the new Canon 6d2 and the new Sony mirrorless have in terms of features and performance.

For the guys who were asking about the 50mm lenses if you use the Canon the 50mm 1.8 STM is a super nice, cheap, compact lens that if you can get it used for $50-$75 is a super deal if you're just starting out. I had it a couple of years ago before it was broken and miss using it.