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Taking up Photography

 Post subject: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 11 Jun 2014, 15:11 
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Hello guys! This past weekend I had the pleasure of being an assistant photographer at a local summer camp where I volunteered as a Junior Staff member. Interestingly enough, the camp chose to not pay for a professional, but rather decided to use their assets wisely and picked two from this pool of volunteers which included myself, since I was the only one that actually brought a decent camera, and a preassigned companion.  Although I was a noob and the girl that was the actual photographer knew what she was doing, I took away a lot from this experience. I had a blast there and I was able to find something which I really enjoyed doing. Photography was a hobby which I always had an intrigue in, but never the time to actually experience it since I never had the proper equipment or time itself! Seeing your photos become part of a portfolio that everyone there gets to take home, about 200 or so individuals, is just absolutely mind-blowing. Now that summer is coming around and I've got some cash saved up for whatever I need, I feel that the best time to actually invest in a hobby, would probably be now.

So I come here to you guys, who I know have outside lives and such, to ask for some suggestions for an entry-level/mid-range DSLR camera. I've got my budget around $300-400 ( 220-295 euros) and I don't mind taking a few steps back in time for a camera that came out say in 2008. I've done some research and what not (specifically in the Sony Alpha series), but I'd also like some personal opinions and  feedback from anyone that shares the same interest as I do.

Thats, that and I look forward to see you gentlemen on the battlefield this summer!

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 Post subject: Re: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 11 Jun 2014, 15:26 
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Joined: 22 Oct 2011, 22:23
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Country: Germany (de)
Hey Obiwan,
Im quite the photographer myself, but nothing fancy, I do some shoot at weddings, etc. to get some money at the side.
I dont know the prices in the US, but here in Germany you wont find a DSLR, which will please you, for 300€.
If you want to get started I can tell you, that the Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 is an awesome cam, if so its 'just' a digicam.
You have lots of possibilities to change the outcome of your pic and even the auto mode is brilliant for the price.
But I can understand if you want an DSLR, but Im afraid you have to pay more (or I hope that your prices are way cheaper).
You can give me some reference like what you would pay for a Canon Eos 600D and we will take it from there.

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 Post subject: Re: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 11 Jun 2014, 15:34 
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Thanks for your feedback DoRn! I've got my budget fixed around those prices since I'm most likely going to purchase a used one off of Amazon or eBay rather than a brand new model. Here it seems like the cost is generally lower rather than in Europe so it's understandable.

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 Post subject: Re: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 11 Jun 2014, 17:01 
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Noob photographer here (need to know some as a graphic designer). Learn the basics and remember that lenses are more important than the camera house. Used to think it was the other way around.

Just take loads of photos. Read up on how to light subjects properly. Get a 5-in-1 reflector/diffuser combo (16 bucks on Amazon I think). Wouldn't trust myself with recommending a camera though. Seriously though, a 5-in-1 is a great thing in my opinion, but unless you want to shoot portraits and specific static things you might not need it. A tripod is nice depending on what you want to shoot too.

Fuck it. Slightly drunk and rambling. I am pretty decent in my own opinion (posted some photos around here?) so send me a PM if you have questions.

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 Post subject: Re: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 11 Jun 2014, 17:58 
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I will write some lines when I get back home. But Age said the important stuff already. Play around with camera settings and just keep shooting.

Curry.

P.S. Age we still have to finish Rhodoors :P

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 Post subject: Re: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 11 Jun 2014, 18:09 
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i do some photography as well.

just get a 50mm prime lens. biggest bang for your buck.

it's also the best lens to learn photography on.

you will learn A LOT more with just a 50 than w/ a 18-55 kit lens.

good luck, have fun

EDIT: check this out. pretty entertaining way of learning photography: https://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalRevCom

in terms of brand, i recommend nikon or canon simply because of the amount of quality lenses available. once you start investing in glass you can always upgrade your equipment in the future and not have to worry about compatibility.

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 Post subject: Re: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 11 Jun 2014, 18:42 
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Yeah, the Canon static 50mm 1.8 is a great lens. It's not called the nifty-fifty for nothing. I personally love it.

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 Post subject: Re: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 11 Jun 2014, 23:37 
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My Nikon D60 is 4 years old now and still works like a charm with little less quality than current cameras. Was really worth it back then, also ~ 300 Euros, including the typical 18 - 55 lens. Why is it better to have a 50-only thing, Age & Brooklyn?

I thought about buying an 18 - 200 once (I know the quality is reduced with such a range, but I really did not want to run around with 2 lenses) but that stuff was just too expensive, like 700€ for a proper one.

I think you do fine with any DSLR, I think Nikon and Canon are the most renown ones. 
In my opinion, it's about having an eye for the right positioning, motive and detail that makes a good photo, the camera comes after that. 

How about you share some of your work, all?

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 Post subject: Re: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 12 Jun 2014, 07:21 
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It mostly comes down to build quality. The kit lenses use less quality parts than most other lenses and therefore has less clarity, depth of field, contrast, they seem flat, bad bokeh, and even not as good performance with autofocus and holding up to the weather.

The nifty-fifty is superior in all those aspects. The fact that it is also a fixed lens, not being able to focus, is something I'd say is positive in the beginning. It teaches you to move into position for a good shot instead of just perhaps zooming. It makes you think and move your feet. So overall it would teach you positioning better.

A lot of my stuff is mostly product photography or for fake marketing purposes (my education). So I find them pretty boring in terms of photography. But I'll share some.

Some of these are shot with a 17-70 Sigma, and some with the nifty-fifty. Can't remember which is which really. The camera is a Canon 60D.

http://imgur.com/a/LCK7D
http://lindmarker.se/wp-content/uploads ... G_1492.jpg

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 Post subject: Re: Taking up Photography
PostPosted: 12 Jun 2014, 10:26 
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Yes that does make sense, cheers!

Upload fucked mid-way, but oh well. 3 pictures: http://imgur.com/a/5HGSv

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