Looking at buying a new DSLR or Prosumer camera

P

plainman007

Well-known member
Hi,

Im relatively new to the art of photography, have been more into video actually. But i would like to buy a Digital Camera (was thinking digital rebel) that would help me step into photography. Id like to cover the following but cant afford something super high end gadgetry, So id like to be able to do the following with the camera im looking at picking up.

  • Pack shots or table top photography.
  • Some high speed shots where i can freeze fast moving objects in clear image quality.
  • Something which can give me good depth of field shots with the stock lens on.
  • Interval pics mode. So i can capture some timelapse shots and then use it within my NLE for timelapse video.
  • With 720p or 1080p HD video recording would be a real bonus to make some web videos to use online.
Plz remember i cant afford expensive lenses etc and even lack the experience to change lenses on a DSLR etc, but im a good learner i guess and am begining to like photography a lot and wanted to add it to my work.

Yes im a newbie and probably have idealistic ambitions but plz dont flame me for that :cheesy:. Hope to get some help form you all here. This forum has helped me immensely in the video field and now im here to learn about photography. Im not too knowledgeable except for the basic know how of camera work and lighting. So which camera would be good for a learner yet hold itself as a good investment to use professionally ?

Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
Hi,

I dont know where i made it look like a video camera. But im looking for a still camera. That why i posted this in the Still Photography forum. Im looking for a digital still camera probably entry level DSLR.

What i meant by good depth of field is good DOF control. There are cameras that let me pick the range of the field etc in very accurate mannerisms and with a wide bandwidth of field to choose from.

Any suggestions on a still camera like this. I was looking at the digital rebel series or canons D500 too. Please chime in fellow members and help me pick the right cam.

Thanks
 
Oh, sorry. I look at topics by RSS feed, so I misread the category. The words 'prosumer camera' threw me off.

I say get a DSLR, not just a point and shoot that gets close. You will have complete control over DoF if you know what your lenses do, which you'll learn over time with those individual lenses and focal lengths. Some cameras allow DoF Preview, I don't know if you necessarily need that feature, at least once you get used to it. And changing lenses is easy.

The Rebel series cameras are all excellent builds for the price, I highly recommend those. I've used two in the past, the 300D and 450D. Both performed great, and more importantly did so on a budget. Canon has different ergonomics that bother some people, but I think they do the job admirably and have never had a problem. Some people will say Nikon has better optics, but I don't think there's actually a clear winner in that area. Once you start buying glass you'll probably want to stick with one brand, so you should try out the different designs in a store if possible to see which one works for you. That is very important, more so than what I think works.

Do budget for things other than the camera. Lenses are nice, which ones depends entirely on what you plan on doing. Obviously you'll need a long (and expensive!) lens for wildlife, a fast lens (50mm f1.8 is great to have) if you want to do things when it's dark. And memory cards. I recommend a few 2GB instead of one 4GB, the eggs in one basket thing. Tripod, very helpful in a wide array of situations. With still photography you can skimp a bit on that, since usually the shutter speed will be fast enough to deal with a little looseness. Again, depends what you do. I shoot night shots a lot, so it needs to be pretty stable. I also very much enjoy battery grips. And lighting.

So there are some sort of stream of consciousness opinions. Remember, the camera doesn't make the image, you do. So don't get too worked up on specific numbers. I mentioned the two Rebels I've used before. I've used other camera, and the only way I can tell which camera was used for any particular shot is by file size. My only solid recommendation is to get into a physical store and make sure the camera is comfortable for you.
 
You will be happy with a Nikon, a Canon, a Sony, an olympus ... whatever. Each company makes a range of low priced to high priced cameras. All of them ... not being goofy here ... have aperture and shutter. There are thousands of good books available on what does what in photography ranging from "I know absolutely nothing yet" to very advanced. The local library is a good place to check out (no pun intended) books before buying. As Cassius said, it's you more than the camera that creates the image.

Once you have a camera where you can manually adjust everything, it is just learn, learn, learn ... Of course with digital, you get nearly immediate feedback on how you're doing. Composition, exposure, lighting ... those are the biggies you'll learn regardless which camera you choose.

I use the Sony alpha series cameras because they are compatible with most of my Minolta stuff from yesteryear. You cannot go wrong on a name brand camera these days ... just looke for desired features vs. price/budget.

I'm looking forward to discovering what you end up with and seeing some shots.

Larry, hoping you avoid the silly "this brand is better than that brand" argument ...
 
People in this forum have heard my take on this already. Buy either Nikon or Canon (clean sensors and lots of amazing lenses available). You are buying into a brand so even if u don't need the lenses now..u will slowly collect them so u won't want to be stuck with a brand you don't like and have to sell all your gear. Get the kit lens because even though its not upgradable to full frame sensors, they are good lenses to learn on and cheap. Also pick up an $80 50mm f1.8 lens.
 
yes, somewhere in that range 18-55mm F3.5-5.6. The newer models come with this lens but with the addition of image stabalization.
 
If you decide to go Canon, I suggest the Canon 500d/T1i kit because of the price. You can get this kit for under $800 and should be good to learn from. Here are some video links below of what this camera is capable of but remember it takes practice so don't expect it to look like this straight out of the box.

 
Thanks EG.

Strancali > The 500D was exactly what i was looking at. But im a newbie to photography and have only used a point and shoot camera so far. LOL. Just being honest here. But i sure can learn and am willing to put in effort. I think the video sample which you have included is shot using the 720p feature in the cam ? But if one is looking at video i think a camera like the Sony z1u is a better choice right ? Those cameras will out perform these in terms of pure video right ? Cause im looking at buying a Z1u or similar for just video. The cam im looking for here is only for still photography. Id love seeing still imagery samples taken with the 500D. My goal is to buy one good Video camera HDV and one still camera. Plz advise accordingly.

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