Photography Suggestions

[Wishfulthinker580]

Seeking advice on sources, supplies, cameras, forums etc..

My wife is interested in getting into photography as a hobby to start with so we’re looking at general use, multi-purpose equipment. It could turn into a business of sorts at some point.

Interested in quality equipment that won’t break the bank. Let’s say sub $1000 cameras, new or used from reputable sources. Something decent for a beginner to learn on.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Dewald]

Buy the best lenses you can afford. You can get much further with an average, even entry level DSLR body, and a faster lens, than with the best body, biggest sensor etc and iffy lenses.

I’m familiar with Nikon, as I learnt on Nikon F1 film cameras, but other than that I think it is purely personal preference whether you use. Canon or Nikon. Both have so many good bodies and lenses available to start with it really doesn’t matter.

 

[wesheltonj]

I have a ton on Nikon camera equipment. All on their F mount which did not change from the original SLR camera to today’s cameras. However, Nikon is moving to mirrorless camera and those don’t use F mounts, but they do thankfully have an adapter. I would suggest to look at getting the best mirrorless camera you can afford. Personally, like Nikon. Of course, if money is not a problem Leica also makes a great camera and they have a mirrorless along with their M models.

 

[Phil Giordano]

I'm not a photographer my any means, but I'm trying to learn how to do with traditional film, camera roll. I know, I know... it's not as easy and you can't see the picture immediately. A roll contains just few shots. But a nice, printed pic...don't know : it seems deeper, more authentic, more natural, and you can even try a black&white roll. My advice is to try "the traditional way"!

 

[375er]

For a source: B&H photo online is reputable.

 

[BryceM]

I'm not a wildlife photographer by any means, but I do a bit of specialized macro photography. In general, spending $500 on a photography class and $500 on equipment would net you 10X more than spending $1000 on equipment.

It's basically the same issue as a novice buying a new bespoke H&H double rifle vs an experienced hunter with an ancient, beat-up bolt action .375.

If you do drop money on equipment, prioritize the lenses, as others have said.

 

[Goat416]

I would agree with all that was already said above.

One additional suggestion would be to go to a local camera shop and take an introductory course on photography. You will learn a lot about how use the camera settings to get your desired results and usually they will let you try a few different cameras and lenses so you can understand what will best fit your needs.

+1 lenses are most important
+1 look at the mirrorless options

 

[MontanaPat]

I've been a semi-pro wildlife photographer for 30+ years and was a die hard Nikon user for most of that time, still am to a lesser degree. It took me a while to make the switch to digital as I waited for the equipment to catch up to the quality of older film cameras. A couple of years ago I was convinced to try the newer Olympus mirrorless cameras and lenses, and I'm convinced they are the way to go for the future. I know several professionals that sold off all of their Canon and Nikon equipment and switched to Olympus. I sold off tens of thousands of dollars of my Nikon gear.

The Olympus cameras use what is called a micro 4/3rds image processor which magnifies your traditional lens lengths so a 300mm camera on a Nikon now becomes a 450mm lens on the Olympus. The other advantage is that they are smaller in overall size so especially good for fitting a woman's smaller hands and they are lighter in weight. The cameras and most lenses have built in image stabilization so I can now shoot even longer telephoto lenses handheld without image shake and fuzzy images which was never possible using my full size Nikons and big lenses which always required a tripod. You will rarely see a professional wildlife photographer photographing anything without using a tripod but these newer cameras are staring to change that approach.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Don't know if Best But stores are in your area. If you can check out one of their stores you can compare several brands but don't expect a tremendous amount of knowledge from the sales people.

A long, long time ago way back in high school I learned a bit about photography in photography glass. That was back when 35mm film was in its hay day.

Back in 2016 I bought a Nikon 5300 DSLR kit, a second bigger lens, case, and several 32 G and 64 G cards, 2 spare batteries, 2 card cases, some othe small items for around $1200.00 to $1300.00 on sale.

Now the new computer and accessories for it and the do all photo copier to custom print b&w and color photos a bit more expensive. The only bad choice I made was not getting the bigger printer with the larger refillable ink cartridges.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Thank you for all the advice gentlemen!

 

[baxterb]

The average stuff today is all pretty damn good.


These were taken with an amateur Nikon 7500. They look OK to me. Most gear exceeds the user's ability to outpace it on almost all cases - I think this is very true with photography.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I bought a Sony camera in 2015, off of Amazon. The photos are noticeably better that iPhone photos.

Sony Alpha a5000 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm OSS Lens (Black) $349
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 Lens for Sony E-Mount Cameras (Black) $298

@sgt_zim was in the market for a camera and I believe he got this same camera. He can add his two cents on the topic.

 

[Red Leg]

I have a closet full of very high end Nikon gear, Nothing travels with me any longer but my iPhone. My current one is the 14 Pro. The picture quality is not merely excellent, it is miraculous. I build Shutterfly photo journals after everyone of our adventures. The enlargement capability on these photos is extraordinary. The phone also enables an impressive amount of editing.

If you want to get her a camera, or if she wants one, by all means do so. But a current iPhone is rather remakable.

 

[thi9elsp]

My wife took a photography class from a local community college. The instructor was a professional photographer. All of the students were required to use an old school 35 mm to start. The point being - learning framing, lighting, etc. Then she could maximize the use of the DSLR which we ended up buying her to bring along on our trips. That was back in 2011. She also had the idea of making a semi-profession out of it. For the past five years she has only used her iPhone and disregarded the DSLR, tripod, etc. The pasted photo I inserted was using her Nikon DSLR back in 2011. One of my favorite images as it evokes a feeling of Owain and I as the only ones in a vast wilderness.