Photography hobby

[Safdar]

I want to start a photography hobby and I was thinking I could use my air miles to buy a quality camera. Can I get any recommendations from the experts from the ones available at air miles.

https://www.airmiles.ca/arrow/RewardsProductList?a=true&selectedCategoryId=cat680132

 

[enyaw]

Might help to know how many air miles you have at your disposal and if you have a brand preference. Is the sky the limit? What will you be using the camera for ie sports, family? And what level of photographer are you begin/med/ or advanced? You don't want a camera that is over kill for you, on the other hand you could get one that you can grow into as well

good luck,

 

[Safdar]

I have enough points for all the available choices close to 12,000 pts. I will be a beginner but I want to learn and maybe even take class or two. I want to use it mostly to take cool artistic pictures. I want to be able to experiment with different exposures and time lapse shots.

Canon EOS 60D with EF-S 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens looks like the top choice available and an intermediate user choice so I would have one I could grow into. I was also think I could get one of the other Canon cameras and get the telephoto lens.

 

[danibbler]

It looks like it's the top of the line from Air Miles so you may as well get that.

 

[ctv250]

The Nikon D3100 is probably the best entry level DSLR you can buy. You can add lenses to it when they go on sale from Best Buy or Henry's (my choice and they will match anyone's sale price). Keep in mind, that whatever you buy, you will be spending hundreds more right away on SD Card, filters, bag, tripod, etc..., so be prepared for that. I would make a point of buying those extras from a camera store and tell them that you got the camera with your air miles, but plan on buying all your accessories there and expect to become a regular customer. Talk to the older experienced looking guys, not the cute high school girl. Bring your camera in when you buy your accessories and if it's not busy, you might get a free lesson!

 

[Safdar]

Thanks for the tips ctv250. What do you think of the Canon EOS 60D? Would that be overkill?

 

[larry]

It'll be fine. It's above entry level (pro-sumer) so when it comes time to get a new lens, buy quality. when you change the body, the lenses will be ok with a newer model. it also has the articulating lcd which, as an amateur, you might love. Photo mags place it between the nikon d90 and d7000. both very good cameras.

 

[Dave - WebGuy]

It'll be fine. It's above entry level (pro-sumer) so when it comes time to get a new lens, buy quality. when you change the body, the lenses will be ok with a newer model. it also has the articulating lcd which, as an amateur, you might love. Photo mags place it between the nikon d90 and d7000. both very good cameras.

Very good point. Invest in your lenses, if you get more serious about photography and upgrade a camera the lenses usually get used on the new camera.

Figure out what you'll generally be shooting, and I'd reccomend buying a lens suited to the task rather than the generic 70-300 etc. The lens makes a bigger difference to your photos than you think.

 

[zarbe]

60d is fine, also get the 50 mm f/1.8 II. its an amazing lens for its price, go to blacks and price match with best buy. its a prime lens for $129 play around with it, it helps you compose your shots better, and great for low light and portraits

a good telephoto lens is the 70-200 f/4 for $800, but spend a bit more and get the f/2.8 version for around $1400 amazing for low light and portraits and image quality is great get it cheap at aden camera

another great lens for value is 17-40 wide angle for around $860 amazing landscapes, or artitecture

the 17-40 and 70-200 are on my wish list hoping to get both by december

 

[KBear]

Some suggestions: Read the camera’s manual and get an understanding of the all the functions, and experiment with them. There are some forums, like dpreview, where you can enter contests and have your pictures critiqued.

What lens you buy will depend much on the type of photography that interests you. As mentioned the 55mm f/1.8 lens is a good buy. I also have lens.

I had the Nikon D90 with a 28-70 f/2.8 lens which was quite good. I now have the Nikon D7000 with a 17-55 f/2.8 lens. The new camera is a noticeable upgrade from the D90, newer technology, and the wider lens is nice. I was thinking of upgrade to a new camera and wider lens, but the decision to upgrade was sort of made for me a few months ago when I knocked the camera off a bed and the camera’s LCD cracked.

 

[HG Hunter]

I have an old predecessor to the 60D and I've been happy with it since day 1.
The Rebels all have similar functions, but the 60D allows you to grow into it more.
Don't be afraid of all the functions, they all have auto modes to help less experienced users.
It also has the rotating screen, a relatively new feature on the DSLRs.
The Canon line offers a huge choice of lenses, again that you can grow into.
Here's a site that should help you narrow down your choices.
http://www.dpreview.com/

For what it's worth, I'm considering upgrading my 20D to a 60D. And the lenses I have will transfer seamlessly.

 

[Rockslinger]

To-day's P&S are so good that they are almost idiot proof.

I tried the Nikon D5000 and Canon T1i and they are crap compared to my P&S. The damn Canon could only go to f3.5 (my P&S can go to f2.8). Then the store sold me a f1.8 wide angle lense. The problem was that to get a full body head to toe pic of my friend, I had to back up 100 feet (try that in a downtown condo).

 

[splooge]

yeah, P&S is where I aim for also. Why get into all that old photography technology that is slowly eroding away piece by piece?? I have quite a bit of old DSLR gear, both Canon and Nikon and I just find my Panasonic P&S shoots better in a smaller unit. For me, the more lenses, filters you have the more dust and scratches you have.

I have a Canon EF 600mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens that costs 6x's as much as my Panny P&S... and it's garbage, because I scratched the lens wiping it with proper paper- but the dirt was pine tree sap... didn't know that shit is abrasive!!

 

[larry]

To-day's P&S are so good that they are almost idiot proof.

I tried the Nikon D5000 and Canon T1i and they are crap compared to my P&S. The damn Canon could only go to f3.5 (my P&S can go to f2.8). Then the store sold me a f1.8 wide angle lense. The problem was that to get a full body head to toe pic of my friend, I had to back up 100 feet (try that in a downtown condo).

i'm finding it difficult to picture. "a wide angle lens" and "100 feet" and "f1.8" . maybe you mean a prime 50mm. Just to summarize, any dslr can produce better quality pictures than any p&s (not including leica), with the appropriate lenses. You had a pretty good camera with lenses that apparently didn't suit your needs.

the OP will be thrilled to death with the 60d. the kit lens is fine to start with. once he learns how to use it and what he uses it for, he can look into adding to the lenses. buying only what will satisfy his needs. generally, a 50mm f1.8 is for photo geeks. most people will be far happier with a high quality zoom. but he will find this out by taking pictures and seeing where he wishes he had a different lens. maybe ultra-wide, maybe normal, maybe tele.

on the other hand, p&s's are very good. if all you want to do is take pics in daylight, or in small rooms with flash, that may be the way to go.

 

[Rockslinger]

i'm finding it difficult to picture. "a wide angle lens" and "100 feet" and "f1.8" . maybe you mean a prime 50mm.

Yes, I think it was a f1.8, 50mm lense. To get a full body shot, I had to keep backing up. Hard to do when one is in a small downtown condo with limited space. The kit lense could only go to f3.5.

Another problem is that liveview did not work in all modes on a DSLR. Had to use the tiny eyeviewer.

BTW: The store said it is possible to get a f1.8 25mm lense bit it cost $1,000 or something like that.

 

[larry]

Yes, I think it was a f1.8, 50mm lense. To get a full body shot, I had to keep backing up. Hard to do when one is in a small downtown condo with limited space. The kit lense could only go to f3.5.

Another problem is that liveview did not work in all modes on a DSLR. Had to use the tiny eyeviewer.

BTW: The store said it is possible to get a f1.8 25mm lense bit it cost $1,000 or something like that.

Using
http://www.tawbaware.com/maxlyons/calc.htm
you can see what length lens is required for what you want to do. a 25mm on a canon will get 6 feet vertical at 10 feet distance. you really shouldn't need f1.8 anyway as the dof would be very shallow. if that's what you want, then it costs. but it's always about getting the right tool for the job. if your p&s makes you happy, fine. i have one too. but for more difficult shooting situations, the dslr is necessary.

 

[Safdar]

Thanks for the advice. I went with the Canon EOS 60D and I guess I'll be spending some money on lenses as I need them. I just now have to wait the 3-4 weeks for airmiles to ship the camera.

 

[danibbler]

Larry is right, you purchased the wrong lens for what you need. For that sort of shot, the best choice would be a 105mm prime lens but a zoom in that area would have been fine too.

"Wide-angle" typically refers to lenses from 24mm to 35mm. It seems that you're more concerned with the speed of a lens which is only one factor in choosing one.

Yes, I think it was a f1.8, 50mm lense. To get a full body shot, I had to keep backing up. Hard to do when one is in a small downtown condo with limited space. The kit lense could only go to f3.5.

Another problem is that liveview did not work in all modes on a DSLR. Had to use the tiny eyeviewer.

BTW: The store said it is possible to get a f1.8 25mm lense bit it cost $1,000 or something like that.

 

[danibbler]

One of the reasons for having a filter on your lens is to avoid the issue that you encountered, which is, throw away the filter! Even using the proper paper will not help you. In this case, it's all about user-error.

yeah, P&S is where I aim for also. Why get into all that old photography technology that is slowly eroding away piece by piece?? I have quite a bit of old DSLR gear, both Canon and Nikon and I just find my Panasonic P&S shoots better in a smaller unit. For me, the more lenses, filters you have the more dust and scratches you have.

I have a Canon EF 600mm f/4.0 L IS USM Lens that costs 6x's as much as my Panny P&S... and it's garbage, because I scratched the lens wiping it with proper paper- but the dirt was pine tree sap... didn't know that shit is abrasive!!

 

[ctv250]

Thanks for the advice. I went with the Canon EOS 60D and I guess I'll be spending some money on lenses as I need them. I just now have to wait the 3-4 weeks for airmiles to ship the camera.

Have fun with your new hobby. I'm sure you will really enjoy it. Do keep in mind to hook up with a reputable camera store - try to avoid walmart, best buy, etc... The service and advice are worth it (and as I said earlier, I have always found a good camera store will price match anyway).