What’s Your Preference?

DarkAeon91 · #1 (**permalink**) 02-13-2011, 02:38 AM

My budget is around 800 max including camera, lens, tripod, and a remote shutter release. Literature and memory cards will be purchased via B&N gift certificates. I know I will want to shoot nature scenes and low light scenes and possibly portraits and various suburban, rural and urban scenes. I plan to take this camera to Durango, CO for my spring break and to Europe when I study in Prague this fall. My previous photo experience is a black and white film slr photography class I took in high school so I am not totally new to photography.

So far I am considering the Nikon D3100 and the Canon t1i and can't decide between the two, is there a better option for my budget?

How well will the Nikon and Canon kit lens do with and without a tripod for existing low light photography? I'm not sure if I can fit an f/1.8 prime lens in my budget. How do the bodies handle high ISO performance?

Do I need a lens hood and/or UV filter? My father owns two old flashes for his old film SLR cameras, if they have a hot shoe mount will they work with modern era dSLRs?

What tripod should I purchase?

What is a good bag for traveling with a dSLR? Will the factory strap work fine?

What are the best books for learning how to properly use lightroom, photoshop and/or gimp for artistic post processing and photo enhancement purposes? Is there also a good companion book that I can use in addition to the manual in order to become a better photographer?

RichardTaylor · #2 (**permalink**) 02-13-2011, 04:36 AM

(1) Re the Canon & Nikon.
Go into a camera store and have a play with them.
How do they feel in your hands and how do they look through the viewfinder to you?

(2) Compared to film high ISO (1600) performance is good. If you have an image stabilised lens (IS for Canon & VR for Nikon) they will be adequate for shooting in static subjects at night in cites etc, especially if you are prepared to use noise reduction when post processing.

Here is an example.

Canon 350D (Rebel XT)
ISO 1600 1/13 @ F5.6 Hand held with image stabisation on.

(3)
Lens hood. Always as it may help reduce flare and makes it a bit harder to touch the lens surface.
UV/Skylight filter - only when shooting in inhospitable (like raining or dusty) environments.

Re old flashes. Be very careful about using old flash guns. You may fry new camera electronics. I havn't used any old flash guns on my new cameras. Check first re specific models.

(4) Tripod. The best you can afford - If you purchase a good one it will be a one off lifetime purchase.
Do not be taken back by the price you have to pay for one.
Be sure to budget for a good ball head. Stay away from the cheap aluminium ones.
My main tripod Manfrotto 190 with a Manfrotto head and I am happy with it. I also sometimes use a Linhof studio tripod which I purchase over 40 years ago however it is big and heavy (Ok if you have a car to cart it around)

(4)
The factory strap will be fine.
Re a bag.
For just a camera and spare battery a small holster style bag will be fine. I used a Tamrac Digital Zoom (5684) for a couple of years. Lots of these small bags around.

If you want to carry extra stuff as well, like rain gear lunch a book etc you may find a shoulder bag or small backpack may meet your needs. Lots of choices. Drop into a good camera store and have a look.

(5)
Re Photoshop/Lightroom books etc - Have a look at some of the Scott Kelby publications. I havn't used Gimp.

Have a look in your local bookstore to see what meets your needs as for progressing your photography as it sounds like you are past the real basics. This web site (DPS) is also a great source of help.

inkista · #3 (**permalink**) 02-13-2011, 04:43 AM

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Originally Posted by DarkAeon91

My budget is around 800 max including camera, lens, tripod, and a remote shutter release. Literature and memory cards will be purchased via B&N gift certificates. I know I will want to shoot nature scenes and low light scenes and possibly portraits and various suburban, rural and urban scenes.

Problem. Your budget isn't quite high enough for all that if you're talking a new camera. Either a) buy a used camera, b) get more money, or c) remove low light from the list for now.

A good tripod will cost you more in the neighborhood of $200-$300. And that's at the low end of the spectrum, really. Going below $100, and you're unlikely to get a good sturdy one that's capable of very long exposures, which is typically what you want a tripod for.

Remotes can be had in the $20-$50 range.

If you limit yourself to the kit lens, you'll be ok, but if you want low-light capability as well, you'll need to add at least $100 for a 50/1.8. Possibly $200 for a 35/1.8 if you go with the Nikon and want autofocus in your fast prime.

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How well will the Nikon and Canon kit lens do with and without a tripod for existing low light photography?

Relatively well if your subject isn't moving. Both of the current 18-55 kit lenses are stabilized lenses, so you can, with proper technique, handhold down to the 1/10s neighborhood.

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I'm not sure if I can fit an f/1.8 prime lens in my budget. How do the bodies handle high ISO performance?

Better than a P&S, better than a film camera. But don't expect miracles. You're still going to get more noise with higher iso settings. Software can give you a huge boost, but you haven't mentioned budgeting for that, either. Your low light capability for moving subject matter, or to thin the depth of field, though, is pretty limited by the kit lens's maximum aperture. But as I mentioned above, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II and Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D AF are in the $100 price range. The only issue with the Nikkor is that on a D3100, it won't autofocus.

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Do I need a lens hood and/or UV filter?

Up to you. For a $100 kit lens, most folks wouldn't think a $40 filter or hood for physical protection to be particularly cost-effective. When it's a more expensive lens, then it becomes a more reasonable proposition. Getting a hood for shading the lens and eliminating flare also becomes more problematic the wider the lens gets.

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My father owns two old flashes for his old film SLR cameras, if they have a hot shoe mount will they work with modern era dSLRs?

Depends on the vintage and model of the flash. You want to be sure that the flash does NOT exceed the max. sync voltage of the camera body. Typically these days, that would be 250V. Certain known flashes, like the old Vivitar 285V and 283V are known to be capable of frying your camera.

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What tripod should I purchase?

Depends on your needs and how you plan to use it. But essentially, you can only have two of the following three things in a tripod: low cost, sturdiness, lightness. If it's sturdy and light (carbon fiber), it'll cost a bomb. If it's cheap and light, it's gonna be tippy. If it's cheap and sturdy, you'll be carting a bunch of weight around.

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What is a good bag for traveling with a dSLR? Will the factory strap work fine?

Most of us eventually replace the strap, simply from a comfort/convenience perspective. Most folks swear by the blackrapid straps. I use low-cost neoprene ones because they lessen the perceived weight of the camera.

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What are the best books for learning how to properly use lightroom, photoshop and/or gimp for artistic post processing and photo enhancement purposes?

Most folks would point you to Scott Kelby. I personally like Julieanne Kost's website.

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Is there also a good companion book that I can use in addition to the manual in order to become a better photographer?

For exposure basics, the most-recommended book on the 'net these days is Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure. For basic composition, his Learning to See Creatively is pretty good. For more advanced composition, try Michael Freeman's The Photographer's Eye.