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Getting started?

Anonymous Sun 09 Feb 2020 23:58:09 No.3613544 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>3613641 >>3613983 >>3614131 >>3614132

I only have my phone camera and I want to get better. But I don't know where to start or what a good cheap beginner camera would be. Pic attached is probably the best photo I've taken but I'm sure it's laughable to you guys here because it's from a phone camera.

I'm asking because the sticky doesn't point to any sort of beginners gear guide or anything like that. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 10 Feb 2020 00:16:04 No.3613550 Report

Quoted By: >>3613551

Budget 1000 to 1500 dollars, buy and older used body
Spend the rest on a nice 24-85mm f2.8 zoom lens, and a 35mm f2.8 or 50mm f1.8 prime lens
Old Canon/Nikon apsc body from 2010-2014
Used Sony a6000
Old Fuji xt1/xpro1
Maybe a few old MFT body's since they're pretty cheap too
If you save a little more, an old a7, or Canon 5d/6d or Nikon equivalent
You can also start on film if you wanna learn how to compose a picture, but idfk
Then go out and shoot!

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 10 Feb 2020 00:17:18 No.3613551 Report

Quoted By:

>>3613550
24-75mm*
My bad

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 10 Feb 2020 07:08:42 No.3613641 Report

Quoted By:

>>3613544
Any dslr or mirrorless kit of any brand from last 10 years will do the job. Pick whatever you feel comfortable to handle and can afford. If poor get a refurb or 2nd hand.

I'd suggest a step above entriest of the entry Canon Rebel kit because affordable good lenses in case you actually want to keep on it. Kit lens will do for a start.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 11 Feb 2020 02:59:45 No.3613983 Report

Quoted By:

>>3613544
Sony a6000 is perfect for beginners. It was my choice. A nikon D3200 is also a good alternative. Kit lenses are good for starters. Zoom lenses like a 50-200 can help you improve too.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 11 Feb 2020 14:19:34 No.3614101 Report

Quoted By: >>3614133

If buying an ASP-C body, don't bother buying the "nifty fifty" f/1.8 50mm everyone is singing about, because due to the crop, it will be too much of a zoom lens. For your first prime I would recommend something in the 20-30mm range with f/2.8. I started as a beginner and i bought the Rebel T5i/700D, and it still performs well, even on a semi-professional level. If you have a big budget, a new ASP-C body or a used full frame body (something like Canon 6d mkII) paired with a 28-70mm f/2.8 is a beast. If you have any other questions, I am happy to help!

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 11 Feb 2020 16:32:07 No.3614131 Report

Quoted By:

>>3613544
It's not laughable because it's from a phone camera, it's laughable because it's boring. It may have been exciting for you to shoot but imagine if you weren't the one to shoot it and you saw some anon post that shot. You'd never give it a second thought. Read up on composition and lighting techniques and practice those before spending money.
I was in your position about 5 years ago and I ended up buying a used D3300 with a kit lens. The lens was utter garbage and almost made me give up photography but then I decided to buy a 50mm prime from the 80s for like $80 and was amazed by how much better it looked and how I had an easier time managing light since I wasn't limited by f/5.6. To this day I do 90% of my shooting on that lens. Nowadays you could get a D3300 and that lens for less than $300.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO F. Evans - Sea of Steps.jpg, 100KiB, 655x813

Anonymous Tue 11 Feb 2020 16:50:14 No.3614132 Report

Quoted By:

>>3613544
I urge you to save up more money, don't buy anything for another year, and instead learn about how to compose your photographs. For a year, take photos based on paying attention to composition. Then decide on what camera you want. You should have a lot of experience and money saved up by then.
https://graphics.stanford.edu/courses/cs178-09/lectures/composition-07may09.pdf

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 11 Feb 2020 16:55:34 No.3614133 Report

Quoted By: >>3614138

>>3614101
>don't bother buying the "nifty fifty" f/1.8 50mm everyone is singing about, because due to the crop, it will be too much of a zoom lens

idk what your on about the nifty 50 is still great on canon APS-C

Buying the nifty 50 and the EF-S 24mm gives you a pretty good low budget 24~70 with more than enough sharpness for an entry level APS-C that works way better than any of the kit lenses

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 11 Feb 2020 17:20:49 No.3614138 Report

Quoted By:

>>3614133
>idk what your on about the nifty 50 is still great on canon APS-C
This, I have a f/1.4 and it is amazing.

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 11 Feb 2020 19:05:57 No.3614170 Report

Quoted By: >>3614189 >>3614536 >>3614554

How to start if I want to shoot mostly at nights? Are the requirements different for cameras then?

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 0211201355b-01.jpg, 2MiB, 3492x4656

Anonymous Tue 11 Feb 2020 19:57:56 No.3614177 Report

Quoted By:

45mm f1.8 > 50mm f1.8

Anonymous

Anonymous Tue 11 Feb 2020 20:13:28 No.3614189 Report

Quoted By:

>>3614170
if you want to shoot at night you want full frame and large aperture lenses f/2.8 or f/1.8 or better
IBIS or image stabilization will help a lot

Unless you want to use flash on close subjects that is

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 12 Feb 2020 15:31:46 No.3614536 Report

Quoted By:

>>3614170
Assuming you don't intend to use flash or other lighting, get a good sturdy tripod (less than $100 if aluminum). You also might want a f2.8 or wider lens to complement or replace kit lens.

You can not just throw gear into pitch black and expect getting good photos. Some light is always needed.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 41000031.jpg, 716KiB, 1200x796

Anonymous Wed 12 Feb 2020 16:23:55 No.3614554 Report

Quoted By:

>>3614170
Kind of depends if you mean full dark, or dusk. Most digital cameras now can handle up to ISO 3200 before your image quality goes totally to shit, so if you have a reasonably fast lens (2.8 or better), you can get away with shooting handheld in a well-lit area. With a fast enough lens, you can even shoot film at night handheld (pic related).

That being said, get a decent tripod. You'll find it makes you more conscientious of your framing, lets you shoot at smaller apertures and lower ISOs. Focusing can be tricky in the dark, so the more depth of field you can get, the better.

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