Newbie ... Here, and to photography in general.
Aug 9, 2016 17:06:44 #
Hi all ... Larry Prince here. Wannabe hobbyist. 70 yrs. old, retired. When I was a youngster my Mom got me an Olympus OM-10. Took a couple of college electives in photography. Loved it, but life took me elsewhere and I never pursued it. Want to pursue it now, but must remain budget conscious too. Don't even have a camera yet, but would like some pointers on a recommended entry-level (with room for growth!) DSLR ... and sensible accessories. Probably looking at stills only for now, but again, "room for growth" is the name of the game ... Motion shooting is not out of the question. Thanks for "listening" LOL!
Aug 9, 2016 17:08:31 #
Aug 9, 2016 17:13:23 #
Welcome to UHH, Larry. I'm sure you'll enjoy all that goes on here.
--Bob
--Bob
princedugan wrote:
Hi all ... Larry Prince here. Wannabe hobbyist. 70... (show quote)
Aug 9, 2016 17:27:22 #
Welcome to the Hog.
Prepare to have the walls of your castle assaulted by armies of true believers of the religion of ________ (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Mirrorless, Full Frame etc.)
They all make good cameras and lenses. I use Canon, well I still have my Sigma SD10 and three lenses, but Nikon etc are good also. If getting Nikon I would recommend you get the d7100/d7200 or better because they have an internal Auto Focus Motor and can use all the Nikon lenses, those with or those without focus motor. With Canon it doesn't matter since all Canon EF and EF-S lenses since the late 80's have their own focus motor and none of their bodies have a focus motor.
Prepare to have the walls of your castle assaulted by armies of true believers of the religion of ________ (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Mirrorless, Full Frame etc.)
They all make good cameras and lenses. I use Canon, well I still have my Sigma SD10 and three lenses, but Nikon etc are good also. If getting Nikon I would recommend you get the d7100/d7200 or better because they have an internal Auto Focus Motor and can use all the Nikon lenses, those with or those without focus motor. With Canon it doesn't matter since all Canon EF and EF-S lenses since the late 80's have their own focus motor and none of their bodies have a focus motor.
Aug 9, 2016 17:34:59 #
Welcome aboard.
I've been into photography for a very long time, since high school back in the 70's. Digital photography is a whole lot of fun and it's a great hobby. It can be done on a budget or it can get real expensive. I suggest you pick up a good book or two on digital photography for beginners. There's a whole universe of cameras to pick from. I own mostly Canon digital cameras but also have Nikon and Sony. They're all good cameras and with a little training, capable of producing really nice images. You will have to decide first, how much to spend. If you live near a large city, I don't know where Fairfax is in CA, check out some big camera stores. You will want to find out what feels best in your hands. Ergonomically, Canon's nnD series, the current model being the 80D are very well designed and easy to learn and use. When it's time to buy, if your budget is tight, don't be afraid to buy factory refurbished gear. Canon factory refurbished cameras and lenses come with the same warranty as brand new and in many cases, they really are brand new but for whatever reason, can't be sold as new.
Anyway, welcome, have fun with your new hobby and remember, the only dumb question is the one that didn't get asked.
I've been into photography for a very long time, since high school back in the 70's. Digital photography is a whole lot of fun and it's a great hobby. It can be done on a budget or it can get real expensive. I suggest you pick up a good book or two on digital photography for beginners. There's a whole universe of cameras to pick from. I own mostly Canon digital cameras but also have Nikon and Sony. They're all good cameras and with a little training, capable of producing really nice images. You will have to decide first, how much to spend. If you live near a large city, I don't know where Fairfax is in CA, check out some big camera stores. You will want to find out what feels best in your hands. Ergonomically, Canon's nnD series, the current model being the 80D are very well designed and easy to learn and use. When it's time to buy, if your budget is tight, don't be afraid to buy factory refurbished gear. Canon factory refurbished cameras and lenses come with the same warranty as brand new and in many cases, they really are brand new but for whatever reason, can't be sold as new.
Anyway, welcome, have fun with your new hobby and remember, the only dumb question is the one that didn't get asked.
Aug 9, 2016 17:36:39 #
Welcome to the forum, it's a fun place.
The Nikon d3300 is an excellent camera. The 30xx for Nikon is a beginners series cameras. But the d3300 is in no way an lesser of a camera then some in the next tier. I have a niece that does portraiture in a studio in her home. You need an appointment to have her do the work for you. She uses this camera and is not interested in upgrading.
There is a professional reviewer, photographer, all knowing, named Ken Rockwell. He says that if you own this camera and a good lens, you need nothing more. This guy is either loved or hated on the forum; some think he knows what he is talking about others think he is a blow hard.
Just mho. Good luck in your search and post some shots when you start.
The Nikon d3300 is an excellent camera. The 30xx for Nikon is a beginners series cameras. But the d3300 is in no way an lesser of a camera then some in the next tier. I have a niece that does portraiture in a studio in her home. You need an appointment to have her do the work for you. She uses this camera and is not interested in upgrading.
There is a professional reviewer, photographer, all knowing, named Ken Rockwell. He says that if you own this camera and a good lens, you need nothing more. This guy is either loved or hated on the forum; some think he knows what he is talking about others think he is a blow hard.
Just mho. Good luck in your search and post some shots when you start.
Aug 9, 2016 18:45:47 #
Welcome to the Hog.
Glad you're back into the hobby, it's a great one. (I've been doing it for over 40 years.)
There's lots of great info and images here.
Glad you're back into the hobby, it's a great one. (I've been doing it for over 40 years.)
There's lots of great info and images here.
Aug 9, 2016 19:09:03 #
Thanks for your reply! And to all others for your replies. When I have the time, I will read them all carefully, but I just want to redpond to this one first ...
Did I say I lived in Fairfax CA? If I did, my apologies, it was an accident -- I'm in Fortuna, CA. (I did go to high school at Fairfax High in Los Angeles a few centuries ago, so I might have said anything! LOL)
I seem to be getting the sense of confirmation from the bits and pieces I'm picking up here (and various sites on the web) that my "gut feeling" that I want to set my sights (pun intended!) on a Canon EOS 80D is a good idea, but there are several types/models of that, right?
Fortuna is in Humboldt county, and we do have, in neighboring Eureka, a sore that gets good local reviews about Cust. Svc., and I may stop in there to see what they say too. If their prices are too high, I will probably limit my shopping to SOME stuff there (show appreciation, support local, etc.), but make major purchases in accordance with price options online, etc. (I'm a long-time fan of Amazon, for example.)
I definitely appreciate your suggestion to look into refurbished lenses. Well, I'm kinda excited about this, but of course I have to take my time and learn patience (at age 70? Now that's funny! But sadly true ...) I'll be around. Talk to you all later. Any suggestions about where to get reliable refurbished equipment with good guarantees welcome. I already have some instruction books for beginners I've been collecting, but the time to dig into them has had to wait. (I'm also studying Biblical Hebrew online, and I'm trying as usual to force 2 pounds of ... stuff ... into a one pound bag.) Sigh ... Such is life.
"Retirement ain't for sissies."
Cheers ... Talk to you all later!
Did I say I lived in Fairfax CA? If I did, my apologies, it was an accident -- I'm in Fortuna, CA. (I did go to high school at Fairfax High in Los Angeles a few centuries ago, so I might have said anything! LOL)
I seem to be getting the sense of confirmation from the bits and pieces I'm picking up here (and various sites on the web) that my "gut feeling" that I want to set my sights (pun intended!) on a Canon EOS 80D is a good idea, but there are several types/models of that, right?
Fortuna is in Humboldt county, and we do have, in neighboring Eureka, a sore that gets good local reviews about Cust. Svc., and I may stop in there to see what they say too. If their prices are too high, I will probably limit my shopping to SOME stuff there (show appreciation, support local, etc.), but make major purchases in accordance with price options online, etc. (I'm a long-time fan of Amazon, for example.)
I definitely appreciate your suggestion to look into refurbished lenses. Well, I'm kinda excited about this, but of course I have to take my time and learn patience (at age 70? Now that's funny! But sadly true ...) I'll be around. Talk to you all later. Any suggestions about where to get reliable refurbished equipment with good guarantees welcome. I already have some instruction books for beginners I've been collecting, but the time to dig into them has had to wait. (I'm also studying Biblical Hebrew online, and I'm trying as usual to force 2 pounds of ... stuff ... into a one pound bag.) Sigh ... Such is life.
"Retirement ain't for sissies."
Cheers ... Talk to you all later!
Aug 9, 2016 19:11:15 #
Haha... I saod we had a "sore," I meant a store"! You probably figured that out. My keeburd don't spel tew gud.
Aug 9, 2016 20:28:59 #
Welcome to the Hog, princedugan. You'll find a lot of friends & plenty of good advice here. My 2 cents worth on this discussion is to handle as many bodies as you can in your price range. It's good you have a store where you can get some hands on time & hopefully some folks who know what they're talking about. You might also look at your local Costco or Sam's Club. They'll have Canon & Nikon kits at very reasonable prices. A lot of folks here on the Hog buy from B&H Photo, Adorma, Cameta, & KEH. They are some of the most respected online sellers of camera gear, especially used/refurbished pieces. I tend to favor Sony's A mount bodies because my last film camera was a Minolta Maxxum 7000i. Find what fits your budget & feels comfortable and natural in your hands.
Aug 9, 2016 21:04:38 #
Aug 9, 2016 21:29:49 #
The Canon 80D is a very good camera, it has a newer sensor and updated auto focus system that in some ways is better than Canon's top of the line 7DII (I am talking the APS-C size sensor cameras, not the full frames of the 6D, 5DIII and 1DxII).
There is only one model of the 80D body but more than one "kit" of body and lens combination.
Once you get a camera body the next thing is the lens(es) and there Canon is generally the top of the heap with more lenses and specialty lenses than anyone. Plus you have Sigma, Tamron, Tokina and other third party lens companies which all make their products available with Canon mounts. I have lens by Canon, Tamron and Bower (actually Samyang - they brand their lenses with several names for different distributors).
What lenses you get depend largely on what kind of photography you plan to get into. Landscapes are usually done with wide angle lenses, portraits with normal to midrange telephotos, wildlife and birds with long and extreme telephotos and of course macro photography with macro lens (most of which make good portrait lenses also), astrophotography usually with fast wide angles and low light photography with the fast lens of Aperture F/2.8 or faster. An excellent combo to start with is the 80D and the 18-135 zoom or the 24-105L zoom if you want lenses that will work if you ever move up to full frame sensors.
My personal Canon gear: 6D body a full frame that is very good in low light, 7DII an APS-C sensor (smaller than the full frame sensor which is the size of a 35 mm negative) and the camera is maxed out for action, sports, wildlife and birds in flight in a built like a tank body for rough use and foul weather.
Lenses: Tamron 10-24 ultra wide zoom for APS-C bodies though it is usable at about 18-24 mm on the 6D (Tamron only builds lenses with the EF full frame mount ring so this APS-C lens will mount on the 6D)
Bower 14 mm f/2.8 manual ultrawide lens (EF mount), Canon EF 24-105L, Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8, Tamron 180 mm macro (EF mount), Canon EF 100-400L and Tamron 150-600 mm (EF mount). I also have 2 1.4X extenders and a 2X extender - they multiply the lens = a 1.4X makes a 100 mm lens into a 140 mm and a 2X makes it a 200 mm.
In Canon lenses you will see two types EF and EF-S made for their DSLR bodies. The EF's are for full frame but will work on both FF or APS-C bodies, the EF-S's have an extra tab that keeps them from mounting on the FF bodies, they are made to be used on the APS-C bodies only. Third party lenses for Canon bodies are almost all made with EF mounts, even the ones made for APS-C bodies.
Many people buy only EF mount lenses so they can use them on both types of Canon bodies. The EF lenses are larger, heavier and more expensive. The EF-S lenses are usually smaller, lighter and less expensive. Canon lenses with "L" in their name are the high end pro-grade lenses and as of now they are all the EF mount types.
There is only one model of the 80D body but more than one "kit" of body and lens combination.
Once you get a camera body the next thing is the lens(es) and there Canon is generally the top of the heap with more lenses and specialty lenses than anyone. Plus you have Sigma, Tamron, Tokina and other third party lens companies which all make their products available with Canon mounts. I have lens by Canon, Tamron and Bower (actually Samyang - they brand their lenses with several names for different distributors).
What lenses you get depend largely on what kind of photography you plan to get into. Landscapes are usually done with wide angle lenses, portraits with normal to midrange telephotos, wildlife and birds with long and extreme telephotos and of course macro photography with macro lens (most of which make good portrait lenses also), astrophotography usually with fast wide angles and low light photography with the fast lens of Aperture F/2.8 or faster. An excellent combo to start with is the 80D and the 18-135 zoom or the 24-105L zoom if you want lenses that will work if you ever move up to full frame sensors.
My personal Canon gear: 6D body a full frame that is very good in low light, 7DII an APS-C sensor (smaller than the full frame sensor which is the size of a 35 mm negative) and the camera is maxed out for action, sports, wildlife and birds in flight in a built like a tank body for rough use and foul weather.
Lenses: Tamron 10-24 ultra wide zoom for APS-C bodies though it is usable at about 18-24 mm on the 6D (Tamron only builds lenses with the EF full frame mount ring so this APS-C lens will mount on the 6D)
Bower 14 mm f/2.8 manual ultrawide lens (EF mount), Canon EF 24-105L, Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8, Tamron 180 mm macro (EF mount), Canon EF 100-400L and Tamron 150-600 mm (EF mount). I also have 2 1.4X extenders and a 2X extender - they multiply the lens = a 1.4X makes a 100 mm lens into a 140 mm and a 2X makes it a 200 mm.
In Canon lenses you will see two types EF and EF-S made for their DSLR bodies. The EF's are for full frame but will work on both FF or APS-C bodies, the EF-S's have an extra tab that keeps them from mounting on the FF bodies, they are made to be used on the APS-C bodies only. Third party lenses for Canon bodies are almost all made with EF mounts, even the ones made for APS-C bodies.
Many people buy only EF mount lenses so they can use them on both types of Canon bodies. The EF lenses are larger, heavier and more expensive. The EF-S lenses are usually smaller, lighter and less expensive. Canon lenses with "L" in their name are the high end pro-grade lenses and as of now they are all the EF mount types.
Aug 10, 2016 01:15:21 #
Much Thanks, RobertJerl!
I'm probably a couple of months away from a camera, but I'm sure I'll get an 80D.
I'll have plenty of time to think (and read) about lenses, a bag, (filters?), (stand?), (hood?), (dare I say photo retouching software?) etc., and things I probably haven't considered or been introduced to yet, between now and then (and afterwards). And I'll most likely be asking and sharing with you (singular and plural) again! Thanks again.
I'm probably a couple of months away from a camera, but I'm sure I'll get an 80D.
I'll have plenty of time to think (and read) about lenses, a bag, (filters?), (stand?), (hood?), (dare I say photo retouching software?) etc., and things I probably haven't considered or been introduced to yet, between now and then (and afterwards). And I'll most likely be asking and sharing with you (singular and plural) again! Thanks again.
Aug 10, 2016 06:06:33 #
princedugan wrote:
Much Thanks, RobertJerl!
I'm probably a couple of months away from a camera, but I'm sure I'll get an 80D.
I'll have plenty of time to think (and read) about lenses, a bag, (filters?), (stand?), (hood?), (dare I say photo retouching software?) etc., and things I probably haven't considered or been introduced to yet, between now and then (and afterwards). And I'll most likely be asking and sharing with you (singular and plural) again! Thanks again.
I'm probably a couple of months away from a camera, but I'm sure I'll get an 80D.
I'll have plenty of time to think (and read) about lenses, a bag, (filters?), (stand?), (hood?), (dare I say photo retouching software?) etc., and things I probably haven't considered or been introduced to yet, between now and then (and afterwards). And I'll most likely be asking and sharing with you (singular and plural) again! Thanks again.
princedugan, just a couple of comments. I use a Canon 80D and it is a fantastic Canon camera. As Robert stated it can do amazing things since it is one of the latest Canon to be marketed. I started with a Rebel kit built around the Rebel T5. It was a money thing and since all of my 35mm shooting was done with Canon I stayed with that brand. I started to build a lens set to work on the APS-C crop body and bought for the most part used lenses from a local camera store. They give a good warranty on the equipment and also a lot of free advice. I moved up to the T6s which is Canon's top of the line for the Rebel series. It offers a lot of the 80D function and a couple of hundred dollars less. Most all of the lenses I have bought are EF mount just in case I ever get a FF camera body. After getting your Camera and any lenses you need a good bag and tripod should be next on your list. Have fun with this hobby and since I am close to your age be careful.
Greg
Aug 10, 2016 06:11:05 #
One thing to look at when purchasing the new camera is what type of viewfinder it has, Entry level cameras generally have a pentamirror viewfinder. If you go up to a mid level or higher camera you get a pentaprism viewfinder. The glass prism inside gives a larger, slightly brighter view when looking through the viewfinder.
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