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Any amateur/professional photographers on here???


Dr_Fu_Manchu
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I am looking to get a nice camera (~1000.00), but haven't the faintest clue where to start or what to start looking for.  Can anyone provide me with any recommendations to sites or cameras?

The main purpose of the camera would be to capture photos of the family and I would like to start getting into photography outside of the family (nature scenes, sports, etc). Plus, it wouldn't hurt if it could also record my golf swing as I would like to spend more time working on that next year as well.

Thanks

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dpreview.com

Best site going for camera reviews. The expensive part is not the camera but the lens obsession that develops after you learn the limitation of the lenses that come with the camera.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Michael

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Yeah, for a thousand bucks you might want to get the cheapest body (Canon or Nikon) and then start investing in glass. Don't buy EF-S lenses if you ever want to consider going full-frame, etc. Be wise.

For a thousand bucks the pickings are slim. The Canon 7D body only is just under $1500, for example.

I'm a bit between amateur and professional. I've got about $15k in camera equipment, so my wife would kill me if I called myself an amateur. ;-) I've taken some of the photos for the site, and other things that were paid, so that's enough to call myself a "pro." :-)

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

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Thanks for the suggestions. I think I've narrowed it down to these to cameras: Nikon d7000 or the Canon EOS 60 D

Like I said, I am very new at this.  Would it be possible to invest in a good lens for all round photos or do I have to have multiple lenses.  If it's the former, can you suggest any?

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Originally Posted by Dr_Fu_Manchu

Like I said, I am very new at this.  Would it be possible to invest in a good lens for all round photos or do I have to have multiple lenses.  If it's the former, can you suggest any?


Yes, your first lens can go one of two ways.

You should be able to pick up a 50mm f/1.4 lens pretty inexpensively ($300 or so). You can get the "thrifty fifty" a 50mm f/1.8 for $80 or so, but it's cheap and plastic and so on. I really like the 50/1.4.

Then learn to frame things by manually zooming - move your feet.

Or you can get, say, a 28-135. That's a common range  that gets you about 40-200 in a crop factor 1.6 camera. That's typically called a "walkabout" lens. Buy one of those at DECENT ENOUGH quality and you can get by with it for a long time. Make sure the lens is fast enough if you want to get your kids playing sports, particularly indoors.

The latter is a great option if you immediately need to get into shooting your family or your kids on the playground or a soccer field or whatever. The former is the best way, I think, to build up your artistic eye as it forces you to get into position and not just lazily zoom in and out.

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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I have used both the digital and conventional types of cameras.  I did my own darkroom work and sold a lot of my work especially big enlargements.

Digital is all the rage now.  A much simpler set up.

From the description of the type of photos you want to take and are just starting out, if I was you I would just get a reasonably priced digital camera to start out with and one that has a zoom lens.

Then start taking photos and see what the results are. Then you can graduate to a camera that would suit your needs.

Expensive lenses are great but they are not needed except for large enlargements where the detail is important.

It's hard to tell the difference with a 4" x 6" print.

The most important part of a good photo?  Content.

Too bad we don't have a photo section on this forum where we could post some of our good photos.

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I agree with what Erik said, I have the Canon 5D Mark II and use it for both video and still photography.  I started with the Digital Rebel DSLR, and moved up to the 50D before going with the 5D.  Nikon and Canon battle for the top honors in the mid-priced DSLR market, both provide decent bodies, where they vary is in lenses.  Canon offers a number of lower priced options to their expensive L lenses.  Non L leneses aren't as fast and use plastic or cheaper glass, but you can get lenses like the "nifty fifty" for $80 versus $300, they also have a number or lower priced zoom lenses that you can find at a fraction of the L version price.

I have quite a bit invested in glass, but if I was starting from scratch I'd seriously consider the Sony Alpha A77.  It's the only DSLR that I'm aware of that can support the autofocus technology while shooting video.  It also allows framing with the CCD or viewfinder because of it's "translucent mirror technology".  At 12 fps and a 19 point auto-focus it's 24.3 MP CCD makes it a good option for sports and still photography.  It's a bit more expensive than you're looking to spend, but if you'll find out that the money you spend on glass will far exceed the cost of the body.

Joe Paradiso

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Originally Posted by camper6

The most important part of a good photo?  Content.

Too bad we don't have a photo section on this forum where we could post some of our good photos.

Agreed with the bold.

As to the second part, camper6, join this group.

http://thesandtrap.com/groups/show/41/photographers-shutterbugs

Then post here:

http://thesandtrap.com/t/54402/share-your-photos

Erik J. Barzeski —  I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • AuthorLowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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Originally Posted by iacas

Yes, your first lens can go one of two ways.

You should be able to pick up a 50mm f/1.4 lens pretty inexpensively ($300 or so). You can get the "thrifty fifty" a 50mm f/1.8 for $80 or so, but it's cheap and plastic and so on. I really like the 50/1.4.

Then learn to frame things by manually zooming - move your feet.

Or you can get, say, a 28-135. That's a common range  that gets you about 40-200 in a crop factor 1.6 camera. That's typically called a "walkabout" lens. Buy one of those at DECENT ENOUGH quality and you can get by with it for a long time. Make sure the lens is fast enough if you want to get your kids playing sports, particularly indoors.

The latter is a great option if you immediately need to get into shooting your family or your kids on the playground or a soccer field or whatever. The former is the best way, I think, to build up your artistic eye as it forces you to get into position and not just lazily zoom in and out.


Great info, thanks Erik.



Originally Posted by newtogolf

I have quite a bit invested in glass, but if I was starting from scratch I'd seriously consider the Sony Alpha A77.  It's the only DSLR that I'm aware of that can support the autofocus technology while shooting video.  It also allows framing with the CCD or viewfinder because of it's "translucent mirror technology".  At 12 fps and a 19 point auto-focus it's 24.3 MP CCD makes it a good option for sports and still photography.  It's a bit more expensive than you're looking to spend, but if you'll find out that the money you spend on glass will far exceed the cost of the body.


Newtogolf, would you select the Sony Alpha A77 over my selections?  Is it worth a grand more?

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It depends on what you're ultimately going to want from a DSLR.   You have to evaluate the entire "system" as a DSLR body is just the start of your investment.  You will want to look at the available lenses from each manufacturer and determine which best suits your needs as a photographer and budget.

I went with Canon initially because Nikon didn't offer as many lower cost lenses and I wasn't sure how much I wanted to spend on a new lens.  Canon offers three types of lenses, their EF-S which don't work with full size sensor bodies, standard EF which can be used on both crop and full size sensor bodies, and EF "L" which work on both but are professional grade and fairly expensive.  Today, almost every lens I own is an L lens, as there is a significant quality and speed difference between them and the standard EF version.  On a positive note I've found the L lens holds its value much better than the others so you won't lose much if you do buy one and decide to replace it.  You will likely replace your camera bodies every 2 - 3 years as the technology improves but a well cared for lens will last much longer which is why I feel the entire "system" is more important than just the camera body.

I haven't tested the Sony A77, but have read numerous reviews and it appears to offer the best technology in the price range.  Video with DLSR's offers superior quality but requires you manually focus which makes it less useful for fast moving sports use, the A77 fixes that by offering autofocus during video capture as well.

Since you don't have an investment in lenses I suggested you include it as an option but am not sure it's worth a paying twice what you budgeted.  Of the two you you mentioned, I like the Nikon D7000 as your top Nikon pick but would suggest you consider the 7D over the 60D from Canon.   The 7D is better made - magnesium alloy body that's environmentally sealed versus the plastic 60D, 19 configurable autofocus points in 7D versus the 9 in 60D and a higher fps rate as well.   The only downside to the 7D is it's two years old and due for upgrade soon though it's still technically a great camera I expect Canon will likely upgrade it in 2012 which might give you some buyers remorse unless you decide to wait and can pick up the 7D at a lower price.

A site that I spend time on is dpreview.com.  They offer pretty detailed unbiased reviews of all cameras.  Their forums are a good way to get user feedback on a particular manufacturer and model but keep in mind the Nikon and Canon specific forums are filled with fanboys.  The discussions get pretty heated from individuals who own one brand and bash the other, much like you see here with fanboys or particular clubs or balls.

Quote:

Newtogolf, would you select the Sony Alpha A77 over my selections?  Is it worth a grand more?



Joe Paradiso

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