equipment for a beginner...???

[marcal]

Hi all,

(first post in this forum)

for years I've been interested in photography but I never get into it because of $$$... I think I now can finally afford this hobby and I'm looking for some decent DSLR

I've been researching a bit and it seems to be that the Canon EOS 400D could be a decent start. I've no idea what about the lenses since I don't really know what will I be doing most :confused:

well, I guess the easiest way would be to go to a speziallized store and ask, but I've bad experiences (they want you to buy the most expensive thing even if I won't be needing it) and I think I better ask here... I've found this pack in Amazon (http://www.amazon.de/Canon-SLR-Digitalkamera-Megapixel-18-55-55-200/dp/B000K15TY6/ref=sr_1_6/302-9520209-7756860?ie=UTF8&s=ce-de&qid=1180460084&sr=1-6). Is it ok for a beginner?? too much?? too less??

any opinion will be welcome (as I have no idea), thanks in advance.

[NaturesPixel]

ok.. that seams like a good kit to have... i cant say how good those lenses are as i am a Nikon user not canon...I cant read German so i am presuming that are canon lenses and not a third party lens (made by another company for canon cameras)

ok here is a question for you..
what type of photography do you like to look at ?? wild life like birds /bears??
or macro shots like flowers bugs/butterflies?

or landscapes of mountains and rolling hills??or just cityscapes or people portraits??

or all of the above..

this will help narrow down maybe what kind of lenses you will be thinking of getting ..

[marcal]

wow, that was fast !


let's say that from the list you wrote, macro photography is not my very first objective to learn, although I'd love to try it in the future... all the other things are really attractive, especially cities and portraits... Sincerelly everything looks amaizing...


untill I get the budget, I have to content myself playing with PS CS3... :)

[Saralonde]

NaturesPixel asks some good question Marcal. It really helps to know what you like to shoot before you put too much money into lenses. That being said, here is some information on the lenses that come with the camera kit you are looking at.
The 18-55 is known as the kit lens. It is a good, decent if not impressive lens for a beginner. There is a lot you can learn with this lens at very little cost and is really not a bad choice if you are not sure what you like to photograph.
Here is a review of the 55-200 http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-55-200mm-f-4.5-5.6-II-USM-Review.aspx. It is also not a great lens, but if you are a beginner, it might be alright. You might prefer to just go with the 18-55 until you know what you like to shoot and save your money for a better lens. If you are on a budget, there may be better ones to chose from that will actually cost less.

[NaturesPixel]

hmmm ok think about this... everything on that amazon site is.. in EUR.. so my conversion is out the window as far as how expensive it all is there...
but maybe .. for starters... the canon body with the kit lens 18-55mm

http://www.amazon.de/Canon-400D-SLR-Digitalkamera-Megapixel-EF-S18-55/dp/B000I4CE0M/ref=sr_1_3/303-9962093-3601806?ie=UTF8&s=ce-de&qid=1180468780&sr=1-3

and maybe think about a sigma 70-300mm APO lens.. it will be great zoom lens reaching further than the 55-200mm (in my opinion ya not miss the between the 55mm and 70mm anyways) the Sigma has a 1:2 ratio for macro so it can give you a nice taste for it also with out breaking the bank
http://www.amazon.de/Sigma-70-300-4-5-MACRO-CANON/dp/B000AM7CJ0/ref=sr_1_8/303-9962093-3601806?ie=UTF8&s=ce-de&qid=1180468950&sr=1-8

some food for thought ^.^

[marcal]

As said, I don't really know what I'll be doing, maybe cityscapes is what seems more attractive to me now... If the 18-55 would be enough, then is allright.:cool:

[NaturesPixel]

As said, I don't really know what I'll be doing, maybe cityscapes is what seems more attractive to me now... If the 18-55 would be enough, then is allright.:cool:

yep.. 18-55mm will be more than enough for cityscapes and people shots :)

[inkista]

My vote would be get the XTi "kit" with the 18-55, but don't worry about a telephoto zoom for now. Portraits and city scapes don't need telephoto. I would, however, recommend adding the 50mm f/1.8 II. It's small, light, sharp, cheap (~US$80), and great for portraits and available light shooting. It will also teach you whether or not you'll like prime (i.e., non-zooming) lenses.

[Saralonde]

Marcal, NaturesPixel recommended the Sigma 70-300mm and Inkista the 50mm 1.8. Read more about them here http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1400.

[wulf]

If you haven't done photography before, you might be better off getting a cheaper "point and shoot" camera (some of which are very good and give you a lot of control but much cheaper than the DSLR level) before stepping up to DSLR cameras. If you don't find yourself taking many pictures or having lots of situations where you wish your equipment could let yourself go a little bit further, you will have saved a lot of money.

I've been the happy owner of a Nikon D40 (which gets thumbs ups from me as a great entry level DSLR) but I'm glad I laid the groundwork for thinking about photography with a much less capable Fujifilm Finepix 1400 Zoom for several years before investing in serious kit.

Even if you do have the funds to jump straight to a DSLR, it might be worth holding off investing in extra lenses for a while. Again, it is your finances, but being a good photographer is about learning to use the tools you have, not buying "toys" and leaving them on the shelf.

Wulf

[marcal]

If you haven't done photography before, you might be better off getting a cheaper "point and shoot" camera (some of which are very good and give you a lot of control but much cheaper than the DSLR level) before stepping up to DSLR cameras. If you don't find yourself taking many pictures or having lots of situations where you wish your equipment could let yourself go a little bit further, you will have saved a lot of money.

I've been the happy owner of a Nikon D40 (which gets thumbs ups from me as a great entry level DSLR) but I'm glad I laid the groundwork for thinking about photography with a much less capable Fujifilm Finepix 1400 Zoom for several years before investing in serious kit.

Even if you do have the funds to jump straight to a DSLR, it might be worth holding off investing in extra lenses for a while. Again, it is your finances, but being a good photographer is about learning to use the tools you have, not buying "toys" and leaving them on the shelf.

Wulf


thanks for your opinion !

I already have a compact digital camera. I have been using itfor 6 years already. I have it always with me all the time and I'm always looking for nice shot... it is not unusual that when I look the pics in the computer I think: "wow, that would have been great if you knew how to take good shots and you had a decent equipment" Therefore I want to step further and learn how to shot. I'd like also to join some photography course when I found one...

as for the lenses... you get to my point: I've no idea and therefore I'm asking :) for what you all say, I believe I will get only the 18-55 lens and learn what can it do. I guess I'll see for myself when I need something else.

thanks

[wulf]

In that case, you are in a very similar position to where I was a few months ago - I had about 5.5 years of using my point and shoot camera and was increasingly hungry for more control over the process of taking a photo.

As mentioned, I went for the D40, which I consider to be an excellent entry level DSLR with a very capable kit lens. One of the main factors that led me into the Nikon camp was having a friend with a D50 and a willingness to share lenses :)

Anyway, it sounds like you are well-prepared for taking another step up in your available tools.

Wulf