Camera Help!

[canadianhunter]

I'm looking at getting into wildlife photography as well as self-filming and I have ZERO knowledge on cameras. I'd like to keep it around the $500 range. Would love to hear some suggestions on what avenue I should take

 

[deadwolf]

I am in the same boat, and after a bit of research, I just bought a Sony A6000 from cameralandny. Seems to be a good “beginner” camera but it will cost a bit more than the $500 budget. I almost bit the bullet and went for the A6300 but my thought was to start here and then if things go well and I’m liking the camera then I might get an A6500 down the road in a year or two. I’m sure others as well as Joel from Cameraland will chime in here shortly.


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[colonel00]

Wildlife photography might be a bit of a challenge at that budget but it depends on what exactly you want to shoot and how close you can get. Usually you are going to need a long lens for some reach and this is the opposite of what you'd probably want for self filming.

For me, I have a DSLR with several lenses that I use for wildlife/landscape/astrophotography. For a lightweight yet still "good" camera for carrying on hunts I have a Canon G7x II that also functions should I want to do any filming.

 

[bigmoose]

The professional wildlife photographers use some pretty expensive equipment to get the awesome shots they take. Well above your $500 budget. One type of camera you might be interested in is a bridge camera. These cameras have the ability to shot both up close and far away. The image quality may not be as good as the pro camera set up but you can get one much cheaper and most these days do a good job with image quality. The Panasonic FZ300 is one example of this type camera and is in your budget at $449. You can check this one and others out at this site.
Panasonic FZ300 Review

 

[wesfromky]

$500 is pretty low to get into any kind of wildlife photography - even a "cheap" telephoto lens is going to cost 2-3 times that on it's own.

Find a good, 2-3 generation old dslr from canon or nikon, buy a cheap lens or two and start learning how to use it. Then you can make the jump to better and longer lenses. While I owned a couple of the canon big white lenses at one time, I mostly rented them from lensrentals.com when I needed them. Will save you a ton of money just starting out.

Also, might check out the 3-4 part series on Kifaru cast: Photo Series Part 1 - Kifaru International

 

[Matt Cashell]

You can figure out the basics and get some good pics with a bridge super zoom camera like the Nikon P900.

It has some serious reach, and in the right hands can provide some great results like these:

Flickr

 

[MTSabo]

If you have a high quality spotting scope you can get some nice pictures with a $500 camera. I use a sony rx100 III with my scope.

Ebay usually has some deals on used cameras. You just have to watch it for a while.

 

[canadianhunter]

Appreciate all the input! I by no means want to be a professional photographer but would like to be able to share pictures with friends and family that aren't taken with an iphone! I was looking at the sony a5100 does anyone have any info on this camera?

 

[Low_Sky]

Appreciate all the input! I by no means want to be a professional photographer but would like to be able to share pictures with friends and family that aren't taken with an iphone! I was looking at the sony a5100 does anyone have any info on this camera?

The a5100 is a good entry to mirrorless cameras on a budget, but you won’t be doing any “wildlife” photography at your budget. Even the cheapest telephoto lenses that give enough “zoom” for wildlife are 2-3x your budget, just for the lens. I’d look into super zoom bridge cameras (a few examples have been mentioned), or into digiscoping with the a5100. Neither will give you the “wow” quality wildlife photos you’re used to seeing in magazines/instagram/whatever, but should be serviceable enough for sharing memories with friends and family.


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[bigmoose]

I was looking at the sony a5100 does anyone have any info on this camera?

Sony A5100 Review

It is in your budget but now you will need a lens...

 

[Camera Land]

Here I am.
The Sony A6000 is a great choice and a little over your budget but not killer. Another great option is the new Fuji X-A5, again a little over budget but worth it.
The problem with the super zooms in your price range is the VERY small sensor size which limits what you can do with the image. If you get that "great" image you will be limited in size.
Canon and Nikon both have SLR options in your price range, but the mirror less cameras are really the way to go today.
Sony just became the #1 camera sold for full frame in the USA. Say's something about the acceptance of mirror less cameras here.
Feel free to call me at 516-217-1000. I'm out now but will be in tomorrow from 9-6
Feel free to e=mail me at [email protected]. As always we will take great care of you

 

[ljalberta]

My wife just gave me a Canon XSi with a 18-55 and a 55-250 lense, as well as a great camera bag and some accessories. The gear is in perfect condition, although the camera is about 10 years old(it sat in a closet). After talking with a couple photographers, they recommended this route, as I didn't want to spend a lot. There are similar setups on Kijiji for $200-300 Canadian. For a complete photography beginner I am thrilled with the performance for the price. If I take a real fancy to photography I can upgrade to a better setup later with not much invested.