Newbbie camera recommendation
- Thread starter evil4g63
- Start date
The lens is going to be more important than the body. I would go to a local camera shop or Electronics store and handle some bodies made by the manufacturers you are considering, test the controls and see which one feels better to you. Canon and Nikon are the biggest brands but Pentax and Sony make nice gear too.
Buying used equipment can save a lot of money on bodies, good lenses hold their value pretty well but you can still save by buying used. KEH.com and Adorama.com are reputable vendors who usually have a good selection of used equipment for sale that has been rated and tested.
If I was going to start fresh today, was being budget conscious and was primarily interested in macro I would probably look for a used Canon 40D and 100mm f/2.8 macro. If you don't want to buy used and were willing to spend more I would probably up the ante to a Canon 7D and 100mm f/2.8 L IS.
Doug has a nice post here for people getting started as well: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1503490
Buying used equipment can save a lot of money on bodies, good lenses hold their value pretty well but you can still save by buying used. KEH.com and Adorama.com are reputable vendors who usually have a good selection of used equipment for sale that has been rated and tested.
If I was going to start fresh today, was being budget conscious and was primarily interested in macro I would probably look for a used Canon 40D and 100mm f/2.8 macro. If you don't want to buy used and were willing to spend more I would probably up the ante to a Canon 7D and 100mm f/2.8 L IS.
Doug has a nice post here for people getting started as well: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1503490
What's your price range? Are you looking for a better point and shoot, or do you want to invest in an SLR. If the latter, you'll also have to be willing to learn at least the basics of photography, but as long as you're up for that, there are many excellent options depending on your budget.
$500, maximum $600. Anything above that and I'll get in trouble with the wife. I don't know anything about photography just want a camera that's better than the silly point and shoot that I have. I see a lot of pics here that really catch my attention and I want to be able to do that or atleast close enough.
I know there are some point and shoot cameras probably in that price range that can do a decent job, but I can only speak to SLRs, so I'll limit my advice to that. I'd recommend looking for a used body as was previously suggested. I'm a Canon guy, so considering your price range, I'd probably look for a used 20D or 30D. I say used, because you could end up spending pretty much your entire budget on my next recommendation. . .the lens. My bread and butter for macro aquarium photography is the Canon EF 100mm/f2.8 macro. Looking at Adorama, it's selling for about $530 new. The 50mm Canon macro is about half the price, but I really like the extra reach of the 100mm. So, seeing as you're not going to find even a used SLR for $70, what are your options:
1. Sigma sells a 105mm macro for around $480. . .still probably not a viable option if you're trying to keep the package under $600. Between a used lens and a used body, you may be able to do it, though.
2. Look into extension tubes. They're a cheap way to turn a normal lens into a macro lens. I'm afraid I've never used them before, but I'm sure others can give you advice here if that's something you might be interested. Otherwise, look in the macro section here, and you should be able to find plenty of info: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/. The other benefit to this is if you decide to invest in an actual macro lens later, the original lens you bought is still a perfectly good lens for your other photos.
3. Go with a 50mm macro lens. I don't think it's ideal, especially for larger aquariums, but it's still going to be better than probably any point and shoot.
4. Scrap the whole SLR idea and look into a good quality point and shoot camera. Again, not an area where I can help, but it's certainly an option.
And if all that's not enough, factor a tripod into the equation. You can get away with a cheaper tripod, but if you want a quality tripod, you'll have to be prepared to spend at least a couple hundred on it. On the other hand, if you're just looking at using it to snap the occasional aquarium photo, dealing with a $50 tripod is probably worth it.
1. Sigma sells a 105mm macro for around $480. . .still probably not a viable option if you're trying to keep the package under $600. Between a used lens and a used body, you may be able to do it, though.
2. Look into extension tubes. They're a cheap way to turn a normal lens into a macro lens. I'm afraid I've never used them before, but I'm sure others can give you advice here if that's something you might be interested. Otherwise, look in the macro section here, and you should be able to find plenty of info: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/. The other benefit to this is if you decide to invest in an actual macro lens later, the original lens you bought is still a perfectly good lens for your other photos.
3. Go with a 50mm macro lens. I don't think it's ideal, especially for larger aquariums, but it's still going to be better than probably any point and shoot.
4. Scrap the whole SLR idea and look into a good quality point and shoot camera. Again, not an area where I can help, but it's certainly an option.
And if all that's not enough, factor a tripod into the equation. You can get away with a cheaper tripod, but if you want a quality tripod, you'll have to be prepared to spend at least a couple hundred on it. On the other hand, if you're just looking at using it to snap the occasional aquarium photo, dealing with a $50 tripod is probably worth it.
Ok, I know this isn't any of your recommendations but I forgot to include it. Is this good to start with or should I just keep looking around.Lmk
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SONY-Alpha-...al_Cameras?hash=item19bb0133ea#ht_15254wt_948
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SONY-Alpha-...al_Cameras?hash=item19bb0133ea#ht_15254wt_948
