[padi89]

To make a long story short basically what i want to do is move away from the point n shoot market into DSLR.I have been using a Sony DSC 60 for the last 2-3 years and while its been great i do feel its time to move on and up.I do spend a lot of time outdoors and i do see some amazing scenes daily,be it nature,people landscape etc.I also have family who are very heavily involved in sport at national and international level,plus i have my sisters wedding coming up this time next year.I do feel very limited by my point n shoot these days,so much so that i just don't bother bringing it with me much anymore.I would very much like to improve.
So,starting out as an all rounder and newbie ,what are my options available?My budget would be in the 750 euro region give or take.I am looking into some evening classes local to get the basics right and to follow up with time.Do i buy new,second hand?I have a friend going to the states in a couple of weeks ,so do i get him to pick one up??
I had my eye on a Canon 400D a couple of months back but people seemed to have very poor opinion on the kit lens....
Any help and advice is much appreciated.
Thank you for you time.

 

[ilikemonkeys]

Best advice I have to offer.

Buy a case of T-Max and shoot a roll of film a day for 90 days.

 

[patalp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilikemonkeys /img/forum/go_quote.gif Best advice I have to offer. Buy a case of T-Max and shoot a roll of film a day for 90 days.

Best advice I have to offer:

Buy a digital SLR, get a photoshop cs3 and EXPERiMENT!

Also, buy GOOD lenses right away so you don't waste money buying cheap junk then having to upgrade later on!

 

[GTRacer]

Best advice I have to offer:

Get the 400D + kit lens and take pictures. You say you're a beginner, and a 400D is a great learning tool. Don't drop 1k on a lens, and you can use Adobe lightroom for post processing. Maybe you can throw in a 50mm f/1.8 in the mix once you've learned the ropes. Have fun, it isn't the camera, it's the mound of flesh behind it that makes for good pics. Well a dSLR does help a bit

 

[rb67]

Is there a reason you are going for Canon? Nikon makes a great entry level camera too (D40). Both are great, Just wanted to make sure you know about both. My decision would be based on how the camera feels in your hand if you don't already have lenses.

With either, stick with the kit lens for a good while. The bad reviews and such are generally from people who are extremely particular and expecting too much out of a kit lens. I say shoot every day for a year. Take a look at your photos and think back to yourself if you really needed a different lens (notice how I didn't say "better"). There's no point in wasting money on a really nice piece of glass if you discover down the road that you're into something else.

The kit lenses on both cameras have excellent range and should let you do everything you'd want to start off with.

Best of luck to you and let us know how it goes!

 

[ingwe]

Yes, take many, many, many, many pictures. Then take many, many, many, many more pictures. Repeat for the rest of your life.

Just go out and shoot.

The rest will follow.

-m

You're still here? Turn off the computer, and shoot 100 frames.

(yea, I should be following my own advice...

)

 

[rb67]

Haha, so I was curious as to how many pictures I've taken. 14,176 shutter releases on my Nikon and still working on trying make presentable photos

 

[pianomav]

Here's my advice, get the canon rebel without the kit lens. Then opt for the tamron 28-75mm zoom lens. This lens shoud run you about $230 or less and you can probably get them used..

Other starter lens that I would recommend:

50mm ($70 or less)
28-135mm IS (good beginners lens, but imho i like the tamron 28-75mm for sharpness)


You can probably search this forum for used lenses.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/index.php

It's a canon forum with tons of information to help you get started. Again the tamron is a really good lens and is very versatile.

Like audio gears, lenses can get very expensive. Don't get carried away and try to improve your technique rather than your gears.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by patalp /img/forum/go_quote.gif Best advice I have to offer: Buy a digital SLR, get a photoshop cs3 and EXPERiMENT! Also, buy GOOD lenses right away so you don't waste money buying cheap junk then having to upgrade later on!

i would not buy photoshop CS3. unless you're doing professional-level things, that's overkill. also, photoshop does not make one a better photographer. it may make so-so pictures look better, but it can't make bad pictures automatically beautiful.

there are a lot of other image-editing software from free to a hundred bucks that will be all you need.

i would also get a fixed-focal length lens (a prime lens) and ditch the zoom lens. it will help you work on composition and will make you a better photographer. my 2 cents.

 

[ilikemonkeys]

Sigh.....

 

[padi89]

Thanks for all the replys.I was pretty set on just going with the Canon 400d with kit lens to start off but im not to sure now.I went into my local store today to view it but i found the Nikon d40 much more comfortable to hold and use, i really liked the weight and build too compared with the Canon 400d.The price is excellent too so i am heavily leaning towards going the Nikon route.
Beside the pixel and cleaning system is there a big gap between these two?

 

[rb67]

My opinion is the feel of the camera is most important. You'll be spending a lot of time with the camera in your hand. Go with what your hands and eyes say!

Pixels: Are you looking at the D40 or the D40x? The D40x is the more equivalent model to the 400D and has the same pixel count. (sorry if my previous post wasn't accurate on model #) Another thing, pixel count is not important. If its 6 or above pixels, and you aren't trying to shoot anything above 8"x10", then there really isn't a use unless you plan on heavy heavy photo editing (ie cropping). 6 MP is fine, 10 is more than fine.

Cleaning system: There's no doubt the canon system is better with the anti-dust. However, it's more of a convenience in my opinion, and if you only have one lens then that won't be too much of an issue. When you start changing lenses, the dust you get isn't too bad if you follow common sense. The photoshop repair tool is excellent and gets all the dust out of my images in a snap. I've had my camera for 3 years wit 14,125 shots taken while changing the lenses a few times every time I go out shooting. I haven't had it cleaned yet, and I find the dust quite manageable with photoshop. One day, I'll have to send it in for a quick cleaning, or do it myself. Either way it's not a big issue for me.


Another note: According to reviews, the Nikon viewfinder is brighter. This sounds pretty accurate since, generally, Nikon DSLR viewfinders are better than their Canon counterparts. This certainly isn't true for all models, but it is a trend I have seen in the consumer market.


Some random reviews:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40x/ (this has a comparison section)
http://www.dpnotes.com/canon-eos-400...vs-nikon-d40x/

 

[JeffS]

Trying to remain brand neutral, I'd agree with the poster who said go with what feels good in your hand. When I chose the Nikon D80, it was a lot about comfort, where the controls were in relation to how my fingers fell into place on it. I tried out a number of Canons and other Nikons and liked them all, but one finally won out for me.

As far as picture quality goes, you're going to be very happy with pretty much any of the Canon or Nikon SLR bodies. The finer levels of detail will come later if and when you get into post processing with photoshop, or elements, or any other program. None of that is required though.

Spend the bulk of your money on glass! Just like audio, if the headphones or speakers can't reproduce the sound, it doesn't matter how good the source is. If you don't have good lenses, it doesn't matter how good of a camera you're using.

Don't spend too much on glass. I know, it's dead opposite of what I just said, but keep in mind where your skill level currently lies. The kit lenses with some cameras are really good, and will be a good all purpose lens. Nikons 18-135 kit lens is very sharp and produces excelent photos. I've got a friend who had the same lens but from Canon, and turned out beautiful work, some of which he even got published. Some third party lenses will produce great results for less than the cost of the name brands. Read reviews on photo sites to see how well they perform though. Some do very well, and others don't quite measure up. Just remember, it's the photographer takes the picture, not the camera.

Echoing a lot of others posts, shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. You can never take enough pictures. With digital, buy a few extra cards, and shoot like crazy. Don't delete in the camera, instead look at them on your computer at home, and see what works and what didn't. Memory is pretty cheap these days, so you've got nothing to lose. If you're doing film, do the same thing. Shoot a lot, and then review what you did. You'll get a feel for what works, and what doesn't. The more you shoot, the more you'll develop your own style in how you see things, and capture them.

Happy shooting,
-Jeff

 

[jesselussier]

Ditto on shoot as much as you can and don't cheap out on the lenses. The general rule of thumb is that if you get one good shot out of a roll of film (36 exposures) you're doing pretty good. Lenses will make a huge difference. If you're going to shoot black and white get some colored lense covers (red and blue at least).

 

[mercbuggy]

Consider a recently replaced model with a two lens kit & put the saving over the 'latest & greatest - for 6 months' model towards better lenses, using the kit lenses towards the upgrade (selling on ebay or trade-in). I took this approach with an Olympus E500. Now upgraded both kit lenses to semi-pro level and very happy with the results

. You can always update the body at a later date.

Comfort & hand fit is important.
Glass more important than pixels.
Shoot raw.
Shoot every day.
Shoot more.
Experiment while shooting.
Learn how the camera meters light in different situations.