Should I jump in and where?

[zokudu]

Hello Digital and Video Camera section!

I used to work for BestBuy selling digital cameras a little over a year ago. I know a decent amount about DSLR cameras having sold them for about 2 years there. I went in with little knowledge and walked out with "enough" I would say.

One thing this experience did do for me however is it piqued my interest in photography as a hobby. I bought an SD780 as my first digital camera during my tenure there with no real intent to get big into photography. Now looking back the DSLR world really interests me.

I like to describe myself as outdoorsy and love hiking and traveling and my little SD780 just isn't getting the job done. The photos aren't bad but I feel like I could do much better. So I guess heres my real question.

If I was looking to jump to a DSLR in the near future how high up the line should I purchase? I prefer Canon though would be open to other brand options. The rebel series felt a little flimsy to me back when I held them all the time. The 50D we used to have on display felt much better in my hands and I believe the stock lens is better quality than the 18-55mm lens on the Rebels. Should I just make the jump to the 7D at that point or go all the way for a Full Frame camera off the bat.

I just cant decide where to buy. If I look up a line the next lines "only" a few hundred more for XXX. What price range do you think is well worth it for a beginner looking for a quality camera? Maybe I should look into a used XXD line camera for cheap and then upgrade to something higher end in the future if I begin to take this hobby more seriously?

Also what lens selections would you suggest for my needs off the bat? Perhaps I should look for a wide angle lens? What lenses do you find invaluable in your everyday shooting?

 

[bobdole369]

Find a film Canon Rebel. You can pick them up for under $100 and will give you a good idea of whether you want to continue working on photography. The limitation of film costing about a quarter each frame will make you think about composition that much more.

Oh and "Understanding Exposure" - Bryan Patterson.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I disagree, you don't want a film camera, period. Too much lag time between exposure and viewing.

You can pick up a used Rebel (original) or Rebel XT on eBay, Craigslist, or on various forums for under $300 easily, with kit lens. That's where I would recommend you start. Either one will still hold up with photo quality, you will probably want to move up in lenses fairly soon, but you will be able to find out your limitations and desires by messing around with something cheap to begin with. If you want another lens to begin with, the Canon 50mm f/1.8 is around $100 and a great first step into prime lenses.

That will be all you need to start learning and figuring out how photography works. You really need a good grasp of exposure (ISO, shutter speed, and aperture) before you can start taking photography seriously. DSLR's give you instant feedback so you can see immediately how one exposure choice varies from another.

 

[alkemyst]

Ken Rockwell (www.kenrockwell.com) swears most buy way too much camera and I agree.

He used to use his Nikon D40 most of the time and he has uber gear.

A D40 is a nice compact dSLR for a good price. The Pentax K-X is also compact and can be bought new still.

The SD780 is a pretty recent Canon though. How long have you been using it?

Also you describe yourself as outdoorsy and taking vacations, but what are you really doing day to day with the camera? What are most of your shots of?

 

[Madwand1]

The rebel series felt a little flimsy to me back when I held them all the time. The 50D we used to have on display felt much better in my hands and I believe the stock lens is better quality than the 18-55mm lens on the Rebels. Should I just make the jump to the 7D at that point or go all the way for a Full Frame camera off the bat.

I just cant decide where to buy. If I look up a line the next lines "only" a few hundred more for XXX. What price range do you think is well worth it for a beginner looking for a quality camera? Maybe I should look into a used XXD line camera for cheap and then upgrade to something higher end in the future if I begin to take this hobby more seriously?

Also what lens selections would you suggest for my needs off the bat? Perhaps I should look for a wide angle lens? What lenses do you find invaluable in your everyday shooting?

Here's how I suggest you order your decisions:

1. Full frame or not. Only consider it if you're really willing to pay the much higher cost. If you're not really over the cost hurdle, then it's academic -- go crop because it's much cheaper if you stick with that. However, strongly consider not investing significantly in EF-S lenses if you're really inclined towards full-frame, can't afford to take the hit up-front, and are considering a switch in the medium term.

2. Lens. This must be done only after (1) is finalized, as the choice of format will make a big difference. For crop, you must have an ultra-wide lens as your main lens, which probably means an EF-S lens. For full-frame, any of the many lenses starting at 24 or 28 will fit the job, as they were originally designed for this purpose. One of the few portable lenses in this category is the 17-40 f/4 L, which is very useful though limited in reach on a crop, and still useful on a full-frame, but not as critically important/useful on full-frame because the 24+ lenses will work most of the time.

The EF-S 18-55 IS is cheap mechanically, but decent optically considering the price. It is the only way to save a lot of money on the starting lens and to get a filler for the ultra-wide need. You can consider augmenting this lens with practically any other lens for greater reach. The new EF-S 15-85 would be one significant step up which I'd suggest if you're considering sticking with crop.

3. Body. After (1) and (2) have determined your focal length needs and remaining budget. A Rebel is a fine starting body, as it has plenty of quality potential, features to use and learn, and is reasonably priced. Consider skipping this step if you have a big psychological need/want for something more distinguished, or if the small form factor doesn't work for you. Consider here that a Rebel body can cost less than many lenses -- it would be a disposable / upgradable component for the longer run. The 60D is a reasonably affordable step up in form factor with current electronics. You can also consider some dated bodies at deep discounts, but beware that the latest and greatest convenience features (e.g. live view, movie mode, dust reduction, etc.) are going to missing in some of them. These however are not critical photographically, otherwise the older bodies would not have been viable in the first place.