The Photography Thread!

[Somebody]

Hello photo-buffs -- I was planning on venturing into photography a little nothing to serious just decent enough to get some eyeballs rolling -- I wish to start from scratch -- so here are my questions::

 

-- do I get the gear first or read up first ?

-- what gear to get dslr or normal digicam ? Which lens for dslr ?

-- what material to refer like guide for dummies or a video tutorial ?

 

So basically -- The ABC of photography for wanna be photographers

nunni...

 

- What're you gonna be shooting? Photos or videos? If you're shooting photos, I don't see the point of a digicam. Also, I think most of the current DSLRs are capable of shooting some pretty good videos too.

 

- The gear depends mostly on your budget and what you're gonna be using it on. Depending on what you're shooting, you'll need different lenses. For example, if you're shooting in low-light, you'd need something capable of having a wider aperture.

 

Anyway, Don't go overboard on spending a lot of money when you don't know what gear fits your needs . I'd say, get camera with a kit-lens, and use it for a while. Read about the camera and practice a lot. Once you take a lot of pics, you'll realize what you need, and what you're missing with your current gear. That's when you should buy gear.

 

When I started out, I just went around googling for the best camera deals and gear that might work for me. I found dpreview.com to have some pretty comprehensive reviews on cameras. After that, I just googled things like 'tutorial for good portraits' 'landscape photography tutorial" or somethings like that.

 

Disclaimer: I'm a noob.

 

edit: you don't have to buy the latest camera that fits your budget. Oftentimes, you'll be able to buy the previous year's model for significantly cheaper, without sacrificing too much functionality. Example: The Canon T3i, T4i and T5i are not significantly different, so if you don't really use the new features available in the T4i and T5i, just buy the T3i. It'll save you a ton of money which you can spend on lenses/tripod/flash etc.

Edited April 5, 2013 by Somebody

[kunallkw]

Yo Bra2win dude I'm wary of spending too much initially is because I might not stick with it if i dont see results of improvement, so wanted to test the waters first considering that the T3i looks expensive -- entry level budget here looking at a sub 25k DSLR with kit lens that would be 18-55mm I think

 

Though the purchase would happen only next month so have time till then to evaluate my options -- I see a lot of cams going cheap on techenclave and Erodov do you reckon getting the first one on the cheap and building on it ?

[Somebody]

I'm not aware of the prices there, and the deals on those forums, but the suggestions I got when I was buying the camera was to not worry too much about the camera body itself. Most of the differences I see between the newer models and the older ones, are more focus points, better screens, faster frame rate etc., which you can do without.Find something that you're comfortable with, and within your budget. You can swap the camera sometime later when you have excess money, but the lenses and a thorough understanding of how the camera works are the most important for better pics.

 

I'm using a T2i, and I'm perfectly happy with it. I did buy two other lenses and flash afterwards, but didn't bother upgrading the camera coz I don't see the appeal of any of the newer Rebel cameras.

 

Note: Be aware that the DSLR cameras will be heavy and cumbersome, compared to compact cameras, so you should be willing to carry it around regardless of that.

[LaughingMan777]

I'm not aware of the prices there, and the deals on those forums, but the suggestions I got when I was buying the camera was to not worry too much about the camera body itself. Most of the differences I see between the newer models and the older ones, are more focus points, better screens, faster frame rate etc., which you can do without.Find something that you're comfortable with, and within your budget. You can swap the camera sometime later when you have excess money, but the lenses and a thorough understanding of how the camera works are the most important for better pics.

 

I'm using a T2i, and I'm perfectly happy with it. I did buy two other lenses and flash afterwards, but didn't bother upgrading the camera coz I don't see the appeal of any of the newer Rebel cameras.

 

Note: Be aware that the DSLR cameras will be heavy and cumbersome, compared to compact cameras, so you should be willing to carry it around regardless of that.

 

 

+1

 

In fact, skipping the portion on budgeting, skills required and other stuff, there are two important decisions that will affect you in the long run

 

1. Lens Mount - You would probably want to buy Canon/Nikon/Sony depending on what cameras (interchangeable lens) your friends/colleagues have (or are planning to buy). Sharing lenses goes a long way cos those things are bloody expensive. Eg: I've got 4 Canon friends and between them we have a 50mm f1.4, 50mm f1.8, 18-135mm, 70-300mm L series, 10-15mm Tokina lens. That lens set alone shoots beyond Rs1 L. But individually we could afford it and keep sharing.

 

2. Camera type - You've got 4 choices

• DSLRs - Variety of lenses. Bulky, huge, heavy and usually hopeless for a novice to handle (i.e. your family and friends if you ever want your own shots taken)
• Mirrorless - Variety of lenses. Compact, highly versatile with comparable image quality and usually much easier to operate, yet has full DSLR functionality. Unfortunately purist will scoff at it and the prejudice will always be that its an "amateur" camera when you bring it out
• Micro 4/3s - Some models have variety of lenses. Smaller sensor size means lesser image quality, size, noise (basically terrible in low light conditions). But much cheaper and usually enough for those who don't want to pursue photography beyond a hobby (vis a vis passion, not profession)
• Compact Systems - Fixed lens. worst of the lot. Also cheapest. easiest to operate. No different than a tourist camera. But a skilled photographer can even get beautiful shots from a cellphone camera.

My personal preference has been mirrorless after I sold off my Canon 1000D. Its much more versatile. Read up my review of the Sony NEX 5R on my site http://indianphotographers.in/topic/7033099/1/#new (yes, shameless plugin, i know)

Or check out on Canon and Nikon (unfortunately I'm still waiting for my friends to put up their gear review )

BTW, for beginners, Nikon has an excellant UI which makes it easy to understand how exposure/aperture/shutter speed work. Canon lenses tend to be cheaper and bring out vibrant images. And i recommend DSLRs as your first camera instead of mirrorless to learn the basics.

On the other hand, the trend shows mirrorless cams are gonna come up in a big way and they capture just as good shots. You just need to learn how to handle and operate them slightly differently. And with electronic viewfinders attached, they are just the same as DSLRs.

 

whew

 

EDIT: Canon is also launching a super light (smaller) DSLR which shares the advantages of mirrorless and full size DSLRs. Of course might be way expensive from what I hear.

Edited April 5, 2013 by nukiller83

[Ram Dante]

Yeah, Sony NEX mirrorless series cam's are awesome!
But I would recommend a DSLR, if you really got the time to experiment stuff.

[Kr1pt1k]

Raindrops

 

 

 

 

7 seas Sent from my iPhone using

 

 

Comments/ Suggestions/ Criticism/ Gaalis welcome!

 

Nice pics...are they actually from point and shoot cam??? I mean with that it's amazing...

 

sent from Xperia sl using tapatalk 2

 

 

[Nemo]

Thanks somebody and nukiller

much appreciated !

[Sackboy]

If you want to take videos then also DSLRs are recommended because the proper video cameras which support lenses are wayyy out of our budget.

 

People underestimate the magic of lenses and the settings these DSLRs offer. Get a basic kit and start experimenting with the manual mode, with on one or two days you will have a set hand on your camera.

 

I can operate the settings on my camera without thinking if you ask me which buttons change aperture and which buttons change ISO settings, I won't be able to tell but if you give me the camera in my hand it feels like a breeze.

 

This begs the next question choose your brand carefully, I would suggest choosing between Nikon and Canon only as they have the best lens line up. Once you buy a certain brand, you will have to stick with that for the rest of your life. Not only the expensive lenses you buy but the UI and button placement becomes homely, you will start disliking the others.

 

I bought Nixon after much deliberation because of basically the almost double battery life compared to its canon counterpart but your priorities and model range can differ so both are great options.

 

Remember, no one else can use your camera as good as you can, people will find DSLRs difficult to use so lending them is useless and futile.

 

Enjoy your DSLR life, once you go DSLR, all cameras will feel bad in comparison.

[kunallkw]

Pretty much certain on Canon for the moment -- used my bro's Nikon D3100 and didn't feel very comfortable with its low light image capabilities although there is 99% chance that I was doing it wrong but some pics came out really good while most other ended up blurred -- I hated using the flash because it made the shots too bright and lost the colors added too much noise.

 

This was my first encounter with a DSLR so mistakes were guaranteed.

 

On a different note has anyone checked out http://www.karltaylorphotography.com/ the Internet seems filled with references to his material.

[Sackboy]

If you think that was the cameras shortcoming you are wrong man D3100 is a brilliant starter camera, I am not saying Canon is bad, it's pretty darn good. For that matter after a point the camera doesn't matter, the one using it does.

[Sackboy]

Also as a rule of thumb NEVER USE FLASH! EVER!

 

If you are trying proper photography then get a separate flash and use that, the internal flash sucks for all cams.

[kanbad]

Or one can always put some butter paper on in built flash to diffuse d light and it definitely gets better results..

[kunallkw]

^^ I like this jugaad this is on my list of tryouts

 

But after I buy my camera

 

 

Any comments on that video tutorial posted above ?

[Bird Bird Bird]

@Nunni: No way is Canon better than Nikon ! I know the whole thing is subjective, but after having used both, Canon, specially the beginner models, seem like plastic toys in front of Nikons !

Nikon not only has a better built, but the bigger body combined with a heavier weight gives a huge advantage when it comes to supporting your hand and decreasing shaky photos.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Bird Bird Bird

[Nemo]

 

 

I bought Nixon after much deliberation because of basically the almost double battery life compared to its canon counterpart but your priorities and model range can differ so both are great options.

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

Btw, thanks sacky. Your post makes sense, proper photography is serious business, you gotta pick a side soon, al those attachments dont come cheap. My dad is a hardcore nikon fan.

[Sackboy]

Sorry about the Nixon phone auto correct.

 

 

Just for your information, Nikon lenses are a tad bit more expensive but are generally considered of better quality. Normally they have less flaring and chromatic aberration, this is in budget lenses again, in more expensive lenses it changes from model to model, Nikon has built some terrible lenses too.

 

This is everyone's advice not mine, always invest in glass over a camera, the lens matters more in a photo than the camera, also lenses last decades if handled correctly, cameras become old in 3-4 years.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Sackboy

[Nemo]

I will experiment and find out myself, that is the best way to go about it. Of course after reading and gathering knowledge, but the final decision should be made freely.

and thanks for the lens tip, tbh never thought about it before.

[Ei8t]

+1

 

In fact, skipping the portion on budgeting, skills required and other stuff, there are two important decisions that will affect you in the long run

 

1. Lens Mount - You would probably want to buy Canon/Nikon/Sony depending on what cameras (interchangeable lens) your friends/colleagues have (or are planning to buy). Sharing lenses goes a long way cos those things are bloody expensive. Eg: I've got 4 Canon friends and between them we have a 50mm f1.4, 50mm f1.8, 18-135mm, 70-300mm L series, 10-15mm Tokina lens. That lens set alone shoots beyond Rs1 L. But individually we could afford it and keep sharing.

 

2. Camera type - You've got 4 choices

• DSLRs - Variety of lenses. Bulky, huge, heavy and usually hopeless for a novice to handle (i.e. your family and friends if you ever want your own shots taken)
• Mirrorless - Variety of lenses. Compact, highly versatile with comparable image quality and usually much easier to operate, yet has full DSLR functionality. Unfortunately purist will scoff at it and the prejudice will always be that its an "amateur" camera when you bring it out
• Micro 4/3s - Some models have variety of lenses. Smaller sensor size means lesser image quality, size, noise (basically terrible in low light conditions). But much cheaper and usually enough for those who don't want to pursue photography beyond a hobby (vis a vis passion, not profession)
• Compact Systems - Fixed lens. worst of the lot. Also cheapest. easiest to operate. No different than a tourist camera. But a skilled photographer can even get beautiful shots from a cellphone camera.

My personal preference has been mirrorless after I sold off my Canon 1000D. Its much more versatile. Read up my review of the Sony NEX 5R on my site http://indianphotographers.in/topic/7033099/1/#new (yes, shameless plugin, i know)

Or check out on Canon and Nikon (unfortunately I'm still waiting for my friends to put up their gear review )

BTW, for beginners, Nikon has an excellant UI which makes it easy to understand how exposure/aperture/shutter speed work. Canon lenses tend to be cheaper and bring out vibrant images. And i recommend DSLRs as your first camera instead of mirrorless to learn the basics.

On the other hand, the trend shows mirrorless cams are gonna come up in a big way and they capture just as good shots. You just need to learn how to handle and operate them slightly differently. And with electronic viewfinders attached, they are just the same as DSLRs.

 

whew

 

EDIT: Canon is also launching a super light (smaller) DSLR which shares the advantages of mirrorless and full size DSLRs. Of course might be way expensive from what I hear.

 

Well the Fujifilm X Series says Hi The Fujifilm X100/S cameras are very popular among the purists who love it due to it's 35 mm equivalent lens which is perfect for street photography. And the Dynamic range and low ISO performance is top notch and probably better than any other crop sensor DSLR. And Fujifilm's color rendition gorgeous. But this camera is certainly not for kunallkw.

 

Regarding Compact camera: They have improved a lot like the new Sony RX100 which is pretty impressive camera but @30K+ it's not cheap The Sony RX1 on the other hand will pretty much blow away any other Crop Sensor/certain Full frame cameras

If you want to take videos then also DSLRs are recommended because the proper video cameras which support lenses are wayyy out of our budget.

 

People underestimate the magic of lenses and the settings these DSLRs offer. Get a basic kit and start experimenting with the manual mode, with on one or two days you will have a set hand on your camera.

 

I can operate the settings on my camera without thinking if you ask me which buttons change aperture and which buttons change ISO settings, I won't be able to tell but if you give me the camera in my hand it feels like a breeze.

 

This begs the next question choose your brand carefully, I would suggest choosing between Nikon and Canon only as they have the best lens line up. Once you buy a certain brand, you will have to stick with that for the rest of your life. Not only the expensive lenses you buy but the UI and button placement becomes homely, you will start disliking the others.

 

I bought Nixon after much deliberation because of basically the almost double battery life compared to its canon counterpart but your priorities and model range can differ so both are great options.

 

Remember, no one else can use your camera as good as you can, people will find DSLRs difficult to use so lending them is useless and futile.

 

Enjoy your DSLR life, once you go DSLR, all cameras will feel bad in comparison.

 

I seriously think the Panasonic GH series is way better than Canon (60D/7D etc) for videos. Haven't tested the 5DMII video quality.

[Sackboy]

Again you are talking very high end, I am talking budget cameras here.

[Ei8t]

Again you are talking very high end, I am talking budget cameras here.

 

I agree GH2 is around 40K while GH3 is around 80K. For videos, Canon 600D is the minimum as it has manual exposure. Does Nikon D3100 have manual exposure for videos?