Camera Advice please

[gum-nuts]

I'm looking at getting a decent camera and know a few of you have got a fair bit of experience and knowledge - think I have about $350 to spend. Should I go for a second hand DSLR...

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/leeming/digital-slr/nikon-d3100-18-55-vr-kit-with-accessories/1105954107

or or something newer? 

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/cameras-printers-stationary/cameras/digital-cameras/canon-powershot-sx420-is-digital-camera-black.html

or something else?

 

[jhn.holgate]

I have a preference for DSLR's.  I like being able to look though a viewfinder and press the button and it takes the photo NOW.  Looking at a lcd display on a compact digital and pressing the button and the camera   takes......the........photo.......n.o.w. just infuriates me - particularly for action shots, kiting etc.  However, a compact camera (mine's a panasonic lumix with leica lens) is easy to throw in a pocket and takes excellent pictures.  It also has a decent zoom lens.

Obviously, the DSLR is bulkier and you will possibly end up with a whole bunch of lenses.  I find mine invaluable (Pentax K50) for long exposure night stuff as well as being able to put a decent telephoto lens on it or ultra wide angle and have full manual control of the shots.

If you want a compact camera that will travel with you and you're not wanting to get involved with speed v aperture v depth of field etc etc then the sx420 looks pretty good.  Batteries are another consideration - I went with the K50 so I could use AA eneloops and always have a few sets on hand.  Batteries for  my Lumix are moderately expensive and not easy to find so I have to make sure they're charged when I want them. 

You probably only need a DSLR if you have specific stuff in mind that a compact won't do.  Check out internet reviews - particularly test photos (same with lenses if you go a DSLR)  Load up some of the test pics and check 'em out - see if they're as good as you'd like.

I'd be hesitant about the s/h Nikon - it says the Autofocus doesn't work - could be a big deal if it's a problem with the camera and not the lens.  If you go with a DSLR, I would be inclined to stay with Nikon or Canon simply because there are so many lenses available for them.  I only went for a Pentax as I already had a lot of stuff that fitted the Pentax K mount and lenses for the Pentax are a much more limited choice.  Great camera though.

[jaysmith]

hi gumnuts.

I have a cannon 450d with an 18-55 is lens (this is the base lens the camera comes with). You could pay around 400$ for this setup in good condition.

I also  have the 50 and 24 mm prime lenses for quality portraiture & semi wide respectively and a 75 - 300 telephoto (which I used for the Kingston shots, but this is not a very high quality lens)

I think as a base setup it really suits me and didn't cost all that much.

have fun.

Jay

[jhn.holgate]

If you do go a DLSR, I can highly recommend the Sigma 70-300 APO DG.   (while I don't think it's a true apochromatic lens, there is very little false color) and it's as sharp as.  I think I paid a little over $200 for mine new which I think makes it one of the best value for money lenses you can buy.   This shot was taken at 300mm....

[gum-nuts]

Thanks for the feedback and the photo (again!) @jhn.holgate got my feelers out for some 2nd hand DSLR's on gumtree. Also have a birthday coming up soon - but apparently I've already had my pressie!

[jaysmith]

Here is a shot I did with the nifty fifty (Canon EF 50mm f1.8)

It is a great quality lens and only cost $150 I think it would be the most used lens in my setup.

 

[.Joel]

Nikon D3XXX or D5XXX with a Nikon 18-140mm lens awsome setup.  It's pretty much the swiss army knife of lenses, I love my Sigma 10mm-20mm especially for product photography.  However I'd say 90% of the time despite also having the larger zoom lens and the ultra wide lens, I tend to leave the 18-140mm on it.

You can't go wrong with Canon either, for me I found better value in the Nikon series at my budget than the Canon.  You tend to find they outclass each other ever-so-slightly at different price points.  

 

[nigel]

What do you want from a camera??

 

Many choices today, and there are no bad cameras on the market.

 

Are you happy to carry the extra size and weight of a DSLR?

Would you be happy with a high end point and shoot?

 

What are going to be your main subjects?

 

The second hand Nikon: the cheaper Nikon's use a motor in the body to focus the lens, so the focus unit in it is, pretty much, stuffed, if the motors in the body.

That's a possible lemon.   

 

One option you might be happy with is what's called a bridge camera.

It's a compact on roids.

They tend to have a huge zoom range, and some have a nice fast lens (more $$), yet the trade off is that they use a compact size sensor.

Which will be noticible (against a larger sensored camera) if you shoot in low light, but if you use it in good day light the images will be fine.

Basicly what the Canon SX420 is.

Digital camera warehouse have it for $287  : http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/category8_1.htm

Panasonic have a good reputation in this style of camera (but all manufacturers offer models in this style), so have a look at their offerings.

Do look for superceded models on clear out.

 

And above all, go and touch the cameras at a store!!

Stats on a screen are of no use if the camera doesn't feel right.

Try as many cameras as you can, and consider the weight and size of them.

And get a second battery for which ever one you choose!! 

[jhn.holgate]

10 hours ago, .Joel said:

with a Nikon 18-140mm lens awsome setup.  It's pretty much the swiss army knife of lenses, I love my Sigma 10mm-20mm

Ditto on the first lens.  I have a Sigma 18 - 125mm and it covers most jobs I want it to do and it's a good lens to boot.  Just a shame it's not a wider aperture  - it's f3.5 / f4.5 depending on the zoom.  And as Nigel says, stats on a screen do not tell the whole story.  I found this site an invaluable tool for lens tests: Photozone  It saved me some money as the lens I thought I wanted (A Sigma 28mm f1.8) takes absolutely horrid photos at f1.8 and from memory it was an $800 lens.  You can download full res photos of all the common lenses on the market.

 

[nigel]

14 hours ago, jhn.holgate said:

 I thought I wanted (A Sigma 28mm f1.8) takes absolutely horrid photos at f1.8 and from memory it was an $800 lens. 

You have a very fast wide angle, not very common, so the optics are going to be hard pressed to work well.

Any lens with a fast aperture has drawbacks.

Often it's size (they are bigger and heavier), they are more expensive, and most of all they can be hard to use due to the extreme narrow depth of field they have.

Focus must be prefect if shooting fully open.

The advantage of the lens is in the fact that it can be used in very low light, so the trade off is a drop in optical performance, for "the" image that you can't get with any other lens. 

[SoutherlyBuster]

For those of you that scratched their heads on apochromatic lens

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apochromat

 

Yes make sure you can try out and hold the cam and even then be cautious. A tad off topic, but we bought a handy cam some years ago for videos, only had an LCD screen that flips out for viewing -- virtually totally useless in bright sun light out doors as you can not see the picture. For the handy mug shots and hey I'm here let's take shot, the compacts will suffice as will a smart phone, but for anything technical or involving action shots a digital SLR is a must, ie no time lag between press the shutter button and when it takes the picture. What's you eye sight like? If you need glasses, then ensure the cam has a diopter adjustment. How well does the autofocus work in those difficult cases in action photography? I have a Canon DSLR and am happy with it, still have a film Canon SLR.

 

[jhn.holgate]

9 hours ago, nigel said:

The advantage of the lens is in the fact that it can be used in very low light, so the trade off is a drop in optical performance,

At the time, I was not aware of lens imperfections becoming evident at wide open apetures - in some cases, so bad I thought there was something wrong with the camera (my 35mm film camera at the time).  So I figured for $800, it would be sharp as when wide open.....more fool me.   Hence now, if I am contemplating buying a lens, I want to see as many full res lens pics as possible.  

[gum-nuts]

I didn't realise my Dad still had a dSLR but he has kindly "lent" me his Canon EOS 1000D with a Sigma 18-200(?) lens...

now just got to learn how to use it properly!

[.Joel]

Link: https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/tony-northrups-dslr-book-how/id511736897?mt=11 

Good on the iPad as well, some interactivity and step by steps.

[KiteStyle]

I have a D3100 and got a 50mm f1.8 lens with it. Great for everything that doesn't need zoom. 

I tend to shoot manual where possible, although the wife gets angry because it takes longer or misses the moment, it seems to capture colours / light in a way that auto just won't.

 

 

 

 

[jhn.holgate]

And then there's all the fun stuff you can do in photoshop....underexposed,crap on sensor, wrong heads on bodies......No Problem!!

[gum-nuts]

5 hours ago, jhn.holgate said:

And then there's all the fun stuff you can do in photoshop....underexposed,crap on sensor, wrong heads on bodies......No Problem!!

PMSL!

[BigE]

I have a Nikon D80, which I've had for around ten years now, it's been a great camera and only now am I thinking of up-grading.  Whilst it does everything really well, I think I need a bit more now, higher resolution and a faster autofocus.

Still miss the clarity and colours of 35mm slide film   For those who don't know, there was a time we didn't know what the picture was like until two weeks later the pictures came back from being developed.  Progress eh  

[nigel]

5 hours ago, BigE said:

Still miss the clarity and colours of 35mm slide film   

Wait till you see a 6x6 medium format slide projected on the wall in all it's glory!!

A new pair of pants experience!! 

5 hours ago, BigE said:

For those who don't know, there was a time we didn't know what the picture was like until two weeks later the pictures came back from being developed.  Progress eh  

Never used a Polaroid then?

Only 90 seconds then peel it apart.

But Fuji are going to stop making the peel apart stuff in the next 6 months, will have to stock up for the day lab and EE100. 

[gum-nuts]

Been using my dads camera and taking loads of photographs, now thinking I should buy something a bit newer (but still second hand), could you give me your opinions on this..

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/meadow-springs/digital-slr/canon-550d-camera/1109991975

what is the lens adaptor for? 

 

[SoutherlyBuster]

Looks very much like the 450D that I have except you get video as well as stills. Noticed the computer CDs are not on the list, you will need those or down load them so you can transfer the pics to your computer and make use of the raw image processing ( yes you will need that and they are fussy about the camera model ). I am happy with my 450D, it came with the standard Cannon lenses that do exhibit some chromatic abberation if you look close enough, but you can buy extra lens.

[igeighty]

The 550d is a nice little camera. you should expect to pay around $300 for that twin lens kit. (eBay sold listing average)

the 50mm is about $70 second hand.

the lens adapter i am assuming is to allow mounting different branded lenses to the canon mount.

the kit you see was the default twin lens kit, (the mount on the lens is plastic not metal)

i have owned a 550d and it was a good camera. pretty lightweight, and shoots good photos.

it is a 2010 model, (could be newer as they had stock for a while) here is a good writeup of it.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos550d/

if you can get it for $300 you wouldn't go wrong. later on, you could buy some better lenses. and after that a bigger camera body. BUT if its anything like me, i just use the iPhone anyway these days

I have a Canon 7D with some really nice lenses, yet the iPhone gets more use.

[nigel]

14 hours ago, gum-nuts said:

Been using my dads camera and taking loads of photographs, now thinking I should buy something a bit newer (but still second hand),

The only reason to upgrade is if the camera can't do what you want it to do.

Otherwise your just spending money because you have it.

Put the cash into a photography course, you'll get more out of that than a new camera.

Once you understand how to "drive" the camera you will start to find the limitations of the camera or lenses, and it's then, when you want to start considering what you need to meet your current photography objectives. 

[igeighty]

@gum-nuts,

this is just around the corner if you would like me to go suss it out..

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/croydon/non-digital-cameras/canon-eos-slr-camera-body-only-and-bag/1107962429

she says she has sold the lens, i would be able to take my lenses around and see if it works as it should...

[nigel]

On 4/24/2016 at 10:02 PM, igeighty said:

@gum-nuts,

this is just around the corner if you would like me to go suss it out..

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/croydon/non-digital-cameras/canon-eos-slr-camera-body-only-and-bag/1107962429

she says she has sold the lens, i would be able to take my lenses around and see if it works as it should...

I don't think Gummy wants a non-digital (film) camera.