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Recommend a camera for a budding hobbyist photographer?

LosOjos

By LosOjos
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Busybub

Busybub

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@Busybub I didn't realize there was a site around like MPB Photographic. Been thinking about photography as a hobby and that website seems to make it affordable enough even for me. Have you purchased from them before?

 

Not personally (I'm a Sony user), but a friend of mine has bought a 5D, 1DII, 1DSII, 70-200/2.8 and a few other bits. Has also sold through them as well.

 

Other places to look would be apertureuk and ffordes, though the latter tend to be on the pricier side.

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LosOjos

LosOjos

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Well I've taken the plunge! And in the end, all the reading up I did and chatting to people on the subject had led me toward wanting the Panasonic Lumix G2, however I wanted to go and have a play with some myself first so popped to Currys. After playing with a couple, I picked up the Samsung NX10 and loved it! Went online and with Currys sale having them at £350, and using a voucher code I found online I got it for £335, well chuffed with that price!

 

So now it's just a case of waiting for it to arrive so I can seriously start playing with it!

 

Thanks for all your advice guys, I'm going to pick up a couple of magazines to flick through tonight and look for any decent websites I can find (any suggestions?)

webman

webman

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Pleased you've found one :) It's not a bad little camera. DPReview have (as usual) an in-depth review on it. It seems very good quality and great value for money. The sample JPEGs straight out of the camera look a bit soft, but it seems to have good RAW capability with bundled software to match.

 

Are you on Flickr? I joined Flickr a while ago and found a local group who meet up regularly - visit different places and take photos (in between coffee shops and pubs :)) It's good to be amongst others to share tips, ideas and just talk with people with (another) similar interest.

LosOjos

LosOjos

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For the price I thought the features were great, I'm really looking forward to playing with it and getting in to photography properly, with the view to buy an SLR in a few years when I've outgrown this camera.

 

I'm not on flickr (I don't think I am anyway, although I vaguely remember signing up on my mobile I think...) but I'll definitely have a look. I don't really know how flickr works, will I just be able to do a search for groups in my local area or is it a case of getting over to photography forums to meet people? I definitely like the idea of meeting up with a few people :)

 

EDIT: turns out I am on flickr (although it's a blank page at the minute!) looks like I signed up via Yahoo

webman

webman

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Yes it's part of Yahoo :) Not all groups are ones that go out and about, so you'll have to read the description of them. But just go to the Groups search, put in your local town/city and have a browse.

 

There are also groups centred around ventures to try and get you out and taking photos, such as 365 (photo every day for a year), 52 Week (one every week for a year), or street photography challenges for example.

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K.C.Leblanc

K.C.Leblanc

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Hope you enjoy the camera.

 

Here are a few resources;

 

Forums.

 

Talk Photography™

Photography & Video - Overclockers UK Forums

 

You tube channel.

 

YouTube - Kanal von ppsop2009 Bryan Peterson's channel, so good basic tutorials.

YouTube - Kanal von adoramaTV Have a look at the ask Mark videos

YouTube - Kanal von prophotolife This guy only does lighting/studio stuff, but it's quite interesting

D-Town TV

 

Also get yourself a copy of Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson, you should be a able to tell your apeture from your @$*" in no time.

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SteveBentley

SteveBentley

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If you're up for a 365 day challenge, I can recommend (although I'm not exactly neutral) Welcome to Project365! which a friend and I built last new year time as a platform for 365 day projects. It's a bit more structured than doing it in Flickr but flexible enough that you can upload them any time you want, not just on the day you took it which is a restriction some sites make.
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LosOjos

LosOjos

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If you're up for a 365 day challenge, I can recommend (although I'm not exactly neutral) Welcome to Project365! which a friend and I built last new year time as a platform for 365 day projects. It's a bit more structured than doing it in Flickr but flexible enough that you can upload them any time you want, not just on the day you took it which is a restriction some sites make.

 

I'll definitely have a go at that, just give me a month to figure out the basics of my camera and I'll start :)

36Degrees

36Degrees

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@Busybub I've thanked your post but it was begrudgingly - I'd convinced myself I couldn't afford a camera until you posted links to those sites selling second-hand cameras and lenses!

 

Seriously though, thanks a lot. Apart from my interest I know the Art teacher is considering teaching Photography from September and that could help her stretch her budget a lot further.

LosOjos

LosOjos

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Interesting, I've only watched the intro slideshow but it's definitely something I'd be interested in :) I presume this type of photography is focused around portrait shots?
LosOjos

LosOjos

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It certainly looks interesting, the example at the end of the video on that page you linked to is really good for a complete noob like me :) daft question, but I won't pretend I know something I don't! As my camera has a hot shoe connector, I presume that any flash with a hot shoe connection will fit, right?
mattx

mattx

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Don't forget some cheap gels if using off camera flash for some even more snazzy shots.....

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/5192628222_3f3565cb2e_m.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/5192629398_d6814d0d36_m.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5192011441_ee5e7b2e85_m.jpg

Edited by mattx
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mattx

mattx

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All hot shoes will fire a basic flash (just by making a circuit with the main stud on the hotshoe). However, manufacturers have their own proprietary connections to send a whole heap of data to and from the flash. You'll see these connectors as smaller studs (usually 4 studs) behind the main stud. These protocols change, for instance old Canon EOS flashes won't work with newer EOS cameras after they changed the protocol. I had to buy a new flashgun when I got my 20D.

 

If you want fully automatic flash, you must buy a 'dedicated' flash for your camera. This way, the camera sends a quench signal to the flash when it senses that it's output enough light for the scene. It also controls such things as flash zoom to channel the flash in sync with your lens zoom. Clever stuff.

 

You can use an automatic, non-dedicated flash (I sometimes use a powerful Sunpak 555) whereby you put the camera into manual mode and use the auto-settings on the flash. In this case, the flash, not the camera, is determining the light output. This isn't recommended for beginners, though.

 

Won't your old flash gun work even in manual mode ? Or is it ETTL you have lost ?

LosOjos

LosOjos

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Ok then, just out of curiosity/research:

 

if each of you had to pick one accessory and one accessory only to keep for your camera, what would it be?

Also, if you had to pick just one lens, which would that be?

 

I'm thinking in terms of overall usefulness as opposed to monetary value!

webman

webman

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Accessory: I don't have any. But a friend has a lenspen for cleaning dust/smudges from lenses and swears by it.

Lens: 50mm f/1.8d (or equivalent)

 

Another tip I got from a photo friend: If you have a camera bag with 1+ lenses in, keep some sachets of silica gel tucked away in there. Helps to stop condensation building up on the glass surfaces.

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localzuk

localzuk

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Sturdy tripod! Make sure you test some out. If you ever do anything where any form of wind or uneven surface is involved, a solid sturdy tripod is a must. Cheap ones just won't cut it as they wobble all over the place.
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webman

webman

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Sturdy tripod! Make sure you test some out. If you ever do anything where any form of wind or uneven surface is involved, a solid sturdy tripod is a must. Cheap ones just won't cut it as they wobble all over the place.

 

A lot of tripods have hooks under the main stem, so you can hang your bag or other weight from it to make it [more] sturdy.

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