Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

Photography and visual creation is a passion. Brushes and oil paint are very expensive. The Triathlon I shoot has people with
$5000 bikes is a passion for them. Motorcycles are expensive.
I have mid level luxury car which is 8 years old runs with no repairs just maintenance plan on keeping it.
If a starter photographer wants to start with a D800 then
that person will have to push to learn what he can get out of it.
That push (even if not completely fulfilled) is an amazing phenom. Read an article the other day about Razza famous National Geo shooter for years. He uses a small cheap video
light with battery to illuminate faces in the field. And is a master of camera settings for a dynamic look.
I have been around artists and creators my whole life.
This is the way they work they buy the oil paint they want.
And eat leftovers if that works for them.
Good luck. Tom

skidooman Loc: Minnesota

If you spend all your money on a high end camera you may have no money left for a quality lens. Could be you have an endless supply of money and it's no object, that would be nice. But if you don't, somewhere in the middle with good glass so you can build a system that grows with your photography skills might be a good option.

A camera upgrade in the future that will still utilize the lenses you are buying now may be the way to go.

Just my 2 cents :)

tomw

If I had it to do over I would buy a used or refurbished low end DSLR. As you use it and bump up against its limitations, the outline of your "real" camera will begin to take shape in your mind based on how you use the camera and what you want from it. That is different for everyone, and the camera you then buy won't be the one you would have chosen as a newbie.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Correct.


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wrogers Loc: Kew Gardens, NY

The reason for caution is that people here shouldn't want to advise someone to spend one, two or three thousand dollars on an outfit that might go unused after the novelty wears off. In any case unless you are a well-established expert you might give bad advice on what to buy. If the person wastes their money without your advice, so be it. Yes, there is a great deal wrong with wasting money.

Let me also opine that there are already too many photographers in the world. America has become a nation of "photographers" if you count all those who feel they can take photos good enough to show others. I also believe the photography equipment industries are at least partly thriving on older males with good retirement funds who like the idea of "hunting" for images.

And be careful of using the word "newbie" if it inflates your own ego.

Moles Loc: South Carolina

Nothing wrong with a newbie having a high-end camera. The real question is not whether one is new to the hobby/profession, but is s/he is interested in photography, or just wants to take pictures. In the latter category, a D5200, for example, would be more fun and easier to learn than a D4 or D800, IMHO.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

It is good to tell new photographers to try a budget system
DSLR and then see what glass and upgrade
they want to graduate to. I do think that their is an attitude
that people starting are stupid. And some of the folks work
on this site is really beautiful. Shooting ducks is a skill.

But try shooting a car dealership in an US southern state
with Xmas decorations to strip out for a double page ad
in a magazine. And do it in one morning so they could sell cars
in the afternoon. And yes putting back the Xmas decor.
This was for a huge US corporation. I was the art director and
the shooter worked some quick skills to get the shot right.
Lensing and how much distortion a real issue.

We all have levels of skill and knowledge rookies can be
really talented. Give them a break. It is not the machine.
You could put my Nikon D800 on my back table and it
will never take a picture.

pecohen Loc: Central Maine

Something I appreciate with the Hedgehog site is that I can sample a lot of opinions. These opinions usually seem honestly held and offered with the best of intentions, but really, no one should feel bound by those opinions. Still, opinions, particularly when backed with explanations are well worth considering.

Money is something we all feel differently about. Some people think nothing of spending thousands of dollars on a new camera outfit while others think long and hard about spending only a couple hundred. If you are not sure whether you will really put in the effort to learn photography and make it part of your life then to me it seems prudent to start with something less than top quality professional equipment. On the other hand if you have more money than you know how to spend or it is something you feel you really need then by all means go ahead and get the very best.

RKL349 Loc: Connecticut

:thumbup: :-) :thumbup: :-)

ole sarg Loc: south florida

I would urge every newbie or seasoned vet to get a Leica M240 with a good 35 or 50 mm lens and actually do some photography.

Shooting 1-2000 frames in a weekend isn't photography it is filming.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Oh, can I identify with that analogy!! But sometimes less is more. The sewing machine I use now has fewer fancy stitches but sure is a workhorse.

The camera I use now, has no "everything automatic" mode, but it sure is a workhorse.

For both the sewing machine and the camera I had to invest time to learn to use the thing well.

When I hear someone talking about a new/more expensive camera, I always ask WHY they want to move up, and invariably the answer then becomes 'because it's better than the old one.' So I ask WHY it is better, and there the conversation stops.
My thought: If you cannot explain why you want to upgrade, except by saying 'because it's better' - don't do it.
Learn to use what you have, and learn it well - by that time you may also know WHY you want to upgrade.

Luis Maturana Loc: Cape Coral, Fl

Buy the best camera you can afford and start shooting but don't try to memorize the manual. Practice with the Auto Mode first and familiarized yourself with the different buttons, then do the same which each one of the
"Modes", one week for each or as much time as you need. You'll be an expert in no time.

pecohen Loc: Central Maine

Your comments bring back memories to me. My mother always refused to allow an automatic washing machine in her house. She liked the old wringer style washer because she knew what it was doing and she wanted nothing to do with one of those new machines that did whatever it wanted to do.

Although I had one of the old, completely manual, 35 mm SLR's back in the 1970's and I learned a lot using it. Since the advent of digital cameras I've had a number of them but until recently they all were of the point-and-shoot variety. The last couple of these have taken remarkably good pictures but I felt I was ready for more of a challenge; I wanted more control over my camera.

Late last year, without a lot of research, I bought a Nikon J1 that I saw on sale and I've been having a lot of fun with it. I'm grateful I didn't spend much money on it because I'm quickly learning what I want in a camera. I now know three things that the J1 doesn't have that I want but I'm not ready to make the move to another camera yet - maybe when I find a couple more things I'm not happy with on the J1 I'll be ready to try something on the higher end but then I'll know what to look for.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

I would like to leave this subject with a quote I saw
in a magazine from a very talented young female photographer.
She said about photography.
"Just shoot!!"

Straightshooter Loc: Edmonton AB

I completely agree

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