Recommendations

[ncstewart]

So I'm wanting to get started in photography and I know nothing. I know what my wife feels like now when I get with my military buddies when it comes to not understanding any of this lingo! Lucky for me I like to learn and seems like I have a lot of reading to do.
I have a start budget of say$1000-$1500. I would prefer to buy used and better quality so can someone that knows what the heck they talking about recommend a setup I could be looking for that will allow me to learn and get started. I don't need the latest and greatest just something to start.
Also I don't care about taking wildlife photos or video. Doesn't look like I could afford that anyway. My main goal is landscape and just being able to document the trip in general while learning how the heck to actually take a picture. As always thanks for the help guys.


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[bcopley1116]

I have a sony a6000 that I picked up from best buy as a open box special. I got the camera and two kit lenses for under $750. I also have purchased a sony 50mm 1.8 prime lens and a sony 28mm 2.0 prime lens. My entire kit including filters and bag is under $1500 and I am really happy with it. I primarily use mine for landscape and general photos (camp, family, etc.) I also paired my kit up with a Benro TSL08CN00 tripod and it is a great cheap combination.

 

[ncstewart]

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[Clinch]

I waited to reply because I thought maybe someone with more experience than I might chime in. I have a Pentax K5ii. I went with Pentax because of the weather sealing and there are bushels of k-mount lenses on eBay for cheap. Pentax seems to have more bang for the buck as far as features than other brands except for their autofocus is a little slower. That makes no difference to me, and if you are into landscape then it won't to you either.

The down side is DSLRs are heavy and bulky. The camera, 3 lenses, batteries, filters, etc. takes up a lot of room in the pack and is pretty heavy. I haven't found a good way to carry it all yet.

I bought my wife a Sony a6000. It seems to take great picks and is small and light. I wouldn't take it hunting because it feels a little fragile, but maybe that's just because I'm used to my Pentax.

I have a feeling that things will be tipping in favor of mirrorless cameras hear soon so a guy might be better off investing in that area. I've read a little about the Olympus mirrorless cameras and they may be worth looking into.


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[Boreal]

From your description, wanting to document a trip and focus on landscape photography, I would start by saying that you don't need to go the DSLR route. DSLRs are great for the photographer who wants to change out lenses and move from extreme wide angle to extreme telephoto for birds, etc. If that's not your game, and you want to capture good images of landscapes, people, and general travel photography, then look at one of the mirrorless options with a micro 4/3 sensor. The size of the sensor matters greatly in image quality. Small point and shoot cameras generally use a 1" sensor to capture the image, larger sensors allow for greater image quality. Check out Demystifying digital camera sensors once and for all | TechHive for a good tutorial.

The beauty of the mirrorless bodies is the ability to change lenses from wide angle landscape to medium length telephoto, including zoom. So you could get one lens to "do it all" from landscape to people pictures. You'll probably eventually want to step up to lenses specifically for wide-angle landscapes and one for "general picture taking", since the do-it-all lenses don't do any of it particularly well. You can spend as much or as little as you want on lenses.

I gave up my DSLR and multiple lenses to simplify my EDC setup. I found I was skipping taking the camera because I didn't want to deal with the bulk of the body and multiple lenses. This is where a quality point and shoot will fit in. I got a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100. Comes with the larger 4/3 sensor, a Leica designed lens that zooms to the equivalent of 24-75mm (good for landscape to people shots), and has image stabilization built in. It's "only" 12.8 MP, but with the larger sensor it's easily good enough for prints and could produce magazine quality photos. It's small enough that I carry it everywhere, and unobtrusive enough that it doesn't scream "PHOTOGRAPHER" when you take it out in public. You can use full-auto settings, or manually set everything from ISO to aperture and shutter speed. Even override the auto focus if you want to. I got it for easy carry and can't be happier with it. Also got it for a good deal from Joel at CameralandNY who posts electronic and optics deals on this forum. Look for his posts in the Optics forum and send him an email.

Have fun!

 

[outdoor_matt]

I had a bunch of DSLR equipment then sold it because I hated lugging it around everywhere. But I loved photography so much that I got back into it and ended up going with an Olympus micro 4/3 camera with a 25 mm walk around lens and a 12mm landscape lens. This is a fantastic combo for everyday shooting/travelling. The small size makes it extremely simple to take everywhere so I actually shoot more photos now then I did before. And the quality of photo is much better than my old dslr equipment simply because the technology has gotten that much better in the last 10 years.


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[LaHunter]

I've been researching this also. I just ordered a Sony a6300 with the kit lens. By most all reviews, this camera takes excellent photos, is very small, and has a magnesium body, so it seems to be well built. It is 'weather proof', but I don't think this means much in reality. It does not have image stabilization built into the body, but many of the available lenses that are compatible with it have image stabilization.
I think the auto focus on the a6300 is supposed to be upgraded / quicker than the a6000.
Check out both the a6000 or the a6300.

 

[Finch]

I've been on again off again researching cameras for the past couple years. I have a Canon 60D w/ 50mm lens and the Tamron 18-270. Mainly bought for an Alaskan cruise back in 2012 but it now lives in the closet. Too big for me to want to lug around. I need to sell it and get something else. I like what I read of that Lumix LX100 (big lumix fan) but haven't researched enough to pull the trigger on that one. Would mainly take family pics, landscapes, and hunting/wildlife photos.

For the sake of not completely high-jacking NCStewart's thread, what do you guys think about the superzooms like the Panasonic lumix FZ1000? (This might help him too). I have the old FZ35 model.

 

[ncstewart]

High jack away!!! Any info is useful when you are as dumb as me
I think I have decided to go with the a6000 and rokinon 12mm to start out anyway.


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[Low_Sky]

High jack away!!! Any info is useful when you are as dumb as me
I think I have decided to go with the a6000 and rokinon 12mm to start out anyway.


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I think you'll find the 12mm Rokinon lens useful for landscapes, but might not be too happy with it for people/thing pictures. It's too wide, and is manual focus and aperture. If your subjects are human, they might be annoyed with how close you have to shoot from and how long it takes you to futz with the manual focus.

I'd add the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 Art lens or Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS, or their 60 and 50mm cousins. For the money, the Sony lens gets you image stabilization and a wider (faster) aperture, but the Sigma lens is supposed to be pretty good. I plan on getting a Sigma 30mm for my new a6500 when I get back to the states.


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