New to Photography

[DJ123]

Hey guys, my name is Dalton. Really new to the site. I'm 19 and from Colorado. I've been wanting to get into photography more and more as I've gotten older. It's always something that has intrigued me. I don't really know a whole lot about photography and kind of need help with everything, as far as what kind of camera I should get to start with, lenses, price, and things like that. I know I want either a canon or a Nikon but I don't know the differences between the two brands either. I really want to take pictures of a wide array of things so I don't know if certain camera's have advantages over another in that category. Look forward to talking to you guys!

 

[TCampbell]

Welcome Dalton

Let's take some anxiety out of this.... if you buy a modern camera (a design that came onto the market within the last couple of years) then it's actually hard to buy the bad camera. You will have absolutely no trouble finding outstanding examples of photography shot by users of either Nikon or Canon cameras. While I happen to own Canon gear, I am not so stuck on any brand.

Both Canon and Nikon offer similar capabilities but there are a few things I didn't know when I started that would have been helpful to know up front. These things are not brand-specific.

Possibly the most significant thing I did not know (but would have been good to know) up front was the difference in sensor sizes. Both Canon & Nikon make "full frame" cameras. The name refers to the idea that the physical dimensions of the digital sensor is almost identical to the size of a single frame of 35mm film (24x36mm - the "35mm" number in film referred to the width of the film strip -- including the top and bottom which had sprocket holes used to advance the film, but it wasn't part of the image area.)

These "full frame" cameras aren't cheap. For years they were around $3000 and up, although both Canon and Nikon now offer "entry level" full frame cameras that start at just a little under $2000 (for the "body only" - you still have to buy a lens).

If it costs less than $1500 (and there are lots of models under $1000 and even a few at under $500) then it has an "APS-C" size sensor. That name comes from the fact that the digital sensor is roughly the same size as a single frame of "APS-C" film (APS-C = Advanced Photo System Classic size). Instead of 24x36mm it's closer to 15x23mm (though precise size varies slightly between models).

You can use lenses designed for "full frame" DSLRs and use them with APS-C cameras (the lenses are interchangeable ... with some limits) but the image you get is "as if" someone took a photo with a full frame DSLR, but then "cropped" it to a smaller size so you only see the area near the middle of the frame.

These APS-C DSLR cameras are the most popular type ... mostly due to the lower starting price.



Nearly all DSLR cameras (including APS-C cameras) have sensors that perform extremely well and exceed the needs of most users in terms of ISO performance, dynamic range, focus systems, etc. If you were to do a camera to camera comparison, you'd find differences but I find that no camera really "wins" as the "best" (a camera might do better in one area, but not as well in another).

When you pay more money for most of these APS-C cameras, you're not necessarily getting a better digital sensor... usually what you're getting is more desirable features (sometimes performance related features) of the camera body. For example... how quickly can it burst off a series of shots... is it 3 frames per second? 5 frames per second? 8 frames per second? If you were shooting fast-action photography (such as sports) then those factors might be important to you. If you were shooting portraits, landscapes, etc. (things where the subject isn't moving ... or at least not moving very fast) then you probably wouldn't care.



I should also mention that some capabilities that cameras offer as a feature can also be done on a computer afterwards. For example, I would never buy a camera because of how I like it's color rendering... that's something that is easily manipulated on a computer afterwards. Some cameras offer bracketed shooting features and built-in HDR (high-dynamic range) ... but you can easily just shoot 3 shots at different exposures and then combine them using the computer with some HDR software (it isn't like you can't shoot HDR photography without an "HDR camera"... you can do this with any digital camera.) Often times the computer software offers you more control than the camera would offer anyway.



Lenses

Most cameras can be purchased as a "kit", which means you'll get both a camera body and at least one lens -- or as a "body only" configuration (it won't include a lens).

For most of the lowest priced (sub-$1000) models, that kit lens is an 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 variable focal ratio standard zoom lens. A primary consideration in this lens design is that it be designed to keep the price down (they want the camera & lens to be affordable.)

These affordable kit lenses aren't bad lenses... in fact, "optically" they're usually quite good (the newest designs). But they lack desirable features that you find on higher priced lenses. For example... the focus motors on high performance lenses tend to be very fast so the lens can snap to focus rapidly. The focus motors on these entry level lenses are usually not as fast (so if you were trying to shoot a moving subject that is rapidly getting closer to you or erratically changing speed and direction, the focus motors may not keep up with the action.)

One major difference is the focal ratio. That's the number (or range of numbers) that follows the "f/__" on the lens. This is the ratio of the lens diameter divided into it's focal length. If a lens has a clear aperture diameter which is 25mm wide and it's focal length is 100mm then that's an "f/4" lens because 100 / 25 = 4. That's simple enough to understand. Where it becomes important is that the lower the focal ratio, the comparatively larger the clear aperture and that means it collects more light resulting in the ability to shoot in lower light situations. But another big factor is something we call the "depth of field". This is the range of distances at which things will appear to be more-or-less in acceptable focus.

One area that distinguishes "professional" looking images is the ability to create a shallow depth of field. This means having a tack sharp subject... but deliberately having a blurred background. Low focal ratio lenses are very good at this. The variable focal ratio lenses typically only achieve moderate amounts of background blur.

Expensive zoom lenses tend to have the ability to delivery a low focal ratio at every focal length in the zoom range. e.g. a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens means it can offer a focal ratio as low as f/2.8 at all focal lengths in the range. Whereas say, a 55-250mm f/4-5.6 zoom means it can offer "f/4" at the 55mm end, but only f/5.6 at the 250mm end (and usually it's not a linear reduction... usually the f/5.6 limit is hit when you're only half-way through the zoom range.)

A side-effect of the low focal ratio means that in order to provide a "low" focal ratio, the glass must be physically quite large. Large glass means it's heavier because in addition to be wider it is also thicker. This creates another side-effect called "dispersion" in which the glass acts like a prism and splits "white" light into the colors of a rainbow (like a prism). This effect can be countered but requires additional optical elements to counter the effects... and that makes the lens even bigger and heavier still. In other words the low-focal ratio lenses aren't just expensive because consumers are willing to pay more... they actually cost considerably more for the manufacturer to make them. They also usually employ exotic elements to use for the "glass" with low-dispersion properties such as fluorite crystal. Fluorite is a naturally occurring element, but neither pure enough nor large enough to grind a lens out of it. So it has to be "grown" in a kiln. This growing process cannot be sped up or the crystals won't align properly and you'll end up with optical flaws internal to the crystal. It has to be grown slowly (sometimes taking months to grow a single batch). And of course even then there may be some flaws which have to be rejected (scrap rate). When it takes many months to grow the "glass" used to make the lens... you can see why these things are expensive.


Shorter focal length lenses can be offered at low focal ratios for a more affordable price.


Also, there are lenses designed specifically for "crop factor" cameras. Nikon refers to these as "DX" lenses ("FX" = full frame for Nikon and "DX" = crop frame). For Canon, you'll notice the lenses all have an "EF" name for full-frame lenses and crop-frame lenses have an "EF-S" name (note the "-S" suffix).

While the focal length is the focal length (they don't do anything with the math just because it's used on a crop-frame camera), the lenses designed for crop-frame cameras can be physically smaller because the size of the sensor is smaller (the image circle projected into the camera doesn't have to cover such a large area to cover the size of the full-frame sensor from corner to corner.) This reduces the price. You still get impressive optics... it just doesn't cost as much. The downside is that these lenses either cannot or should not be used with full-frame cameras. So if you "upgrade" to a full frame body some day, you wouldn't want to use those crop-frame lenses.




Options:

For Nikon, the entry-level bodies are primarily in two families... the "D3000" series (e.g. D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300, etc.) are the low end of the entry-level category. The "D5000" series (D5000, D5100, D5200, etc.) are the high end of the entry level category. Generally the sensor performance is the same, but you'll get more features on the body.

For Canon, the entry level bodies in the US have the "Rebel" designation. But there's an "i" suffix on the model. For example, a Canon EOS Rebel T5 or Canon EOS Rebel T6 would be the low end of the entry range. Whereas an EOS Rebel T5i or EOS Rebel T6i would be the high end of the entry range. Note that neither company will necessarily build a new model every year... so sometimes they skip a model. Currently there is an EOS Rebel T7i but there is no EOS Rebel T7 (without the "i" - they didn't introduce any new low-end entry range camera in the past year... so the T6 is still the latest one they've offered.)

If you're on a budget, consider checking out a "refurbished" DSLR. Both Canon and Nikon have "refurbished" cameras in their online stores that generally beat even the best sale prices you can find. The cameras come with the same warranty as a "new" camera. But they can't call it "new" if it's been sold to any consumer before. If someone buys a camera, changes their mind and returns it to the store, they can no longer refer to that as "new". These cameras get returned to the manufacturer who checks them out (often there was nothing wrong with them but if there was an issue they are serviced). So far, everyone I personally know who has ever purchased a "refurbished" camera or lens claims that it was indistinguishable from a "new" camera (except the packaging is different.)


"The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it." -Ansel Adams

In other words, just like buying a really expensive piano won't make me a better player... buying a more expensive camera won't make you a better photographer. What you get from a camera is primarily a function of your own skill, not the camera.

Yes, it's technically possibly to have a camera of such poor quality that it's holding you back. But you'd probably have to find a fairly old camera. Most modern cameras are so capability that you are probably holding the camera back. The more you learn, the better your results and the higher your "keeper" ratio will be.

This means that while you're thinking of investing some money into gear, you should ALSO be thinking about investing TIME in learning how to use it. Get some books. Take a class. Do a lot of shooting to practice. Ideally you'll shoot enough where operating the camera controls isn't something you'll think about.

Part of photography is knowing how to operate the equipment (technical). Part of it is understanding how to compose a shot that looks more attractive (that's an artistic skill and has almost nothing to do with the technical skill.)

 

[benhasajeep]

Welcome to the site. I agree with reading on on photography basics. That way you go into your buying equipment, new or used. With some knowledge and understanding of why you need what. You can get a lot of information on here. But none of us can say how something feels or operates for you. We can just help you spend your hard earned money.

 

[darkblue-x]

I'd buy a Nikon D3400 kit and then just go shoot.
Learn exposure and how to make interesting compositions.
If you want you can edit your pictures on a simple app like VSCO (basically a better post-processing tool than Instagram)
...And as you get further along in camera knowledge, move on to Lightroom.

Best of luck, enjoy!

 

[DJ123]

Thank you guys, gives me a good place to start.

 

[rosh4u]

Welcome to the forum. Tim has provided you really good and brief for your question. I would just tell you that analyze first that in which field you want to photograph which is the first and basic requirement. Be the part of the forum and post regularly about your queries through which you will be helped and your doubts will get clear being beginner.