Starting out, Please help a Student!!!

OLC37

TPF Noob!
Joined
Feb 22, 2010
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
First of, my apologies for what I am sure is a redundant question. However with a little advice I can get shooting straight away and hopefully become part of this photography community.
I am a student who is going to begin courses in Photography with in this year. A digital SLR is required I have began to seriously think of photography as a career. I will be trying out many different styles and disciplines, photojournalism, fine art, portrait, commercial and weddings. With my main focus being in Photojournalism specifically Sports, Football and Mixed Martial Arts. I will be looking for a camera which would fit into a students budget with the quality of pictures that I could
a) Submit to the local Newspapers and magazines
b) Photograph some local high school football games and sell prints from my website
c) Be able to handle private modeling..etc
d) Not be too totally confusing me as it will be a learn as I go type of venture and I would like to have started on my portfolio before I start school.
I am a student so I don't have the megabucks but I have thought about this seriously enough to empty out my wallet for.
I have been looking at these various models
Sony Alpha DSLR A230[/URL]
Canon EOS Rebel T1i[/URL]
Canon EOS 40D (w/ 28mm-135mm lens)[/URL]
However I am quite lost, please help! Any of your expertise and advice will be greatly appreciated,
I apologize once again for a question that I am sure is asked and answered every day, please see it inside of you to help out this eager student!
Thanks,
- OL
 
if you are going to be shooting sports id suggest one of the more important factors will be frames per second, the more the better. for example i have a d40 which i have taken some decent sport shots with but its not ideal. also if u r indoors with sports something with a wide aperture as often the light might look bright but isnt
 
I would go with either the T1i or the 40D. I personally shoot a 40D and I love it. It was my first DSLR, and it was very easy to learn. It was what I made my transition from film with. Canon's menu system is quick and simple (for me at least) and the image quality is good. It also shoots up to 6fps, so it would be good for sports.
 
I went browsing today and found this deal

Canon 50d with 28 - 235mm Lens also with 70 - 300mm IS telephoto lens plus backpack for 1859.97

Would this suit my two main areas of concentration, Photojournalism/Sports and portrait modeling pictures?
 
Go for the Rebel.....nice camera for the money and well ahead of you...so don't worry about too many super advanced functions...this camera will do anything you need it to do...have fun! and post some photos
 
Go for the Rebel.....nice camera for the money and well ahead of you...so don't worry about too many super advanced functions...this camera will do anything you need it to do...have fun! and post some photos
Does it produce enough quality for me to submit pictures to magazines/news papers. I have connections at my local newspaper and the SportingNews who will accept any good pictures I send them as long as the quality is right.
 
The 50d is a good camera and will take you a long way on your venture. The price you found for the package is pretty much a standard deal and is available most of the time. So, it isn't a bad deal but certainly not a deep discounted price either.

Almost everyone,including me, will advise you to get a decent camera and then spend your extra $ on glass. To shoot indoor sports seriously, or almost anything indoors you are going to need wide aperture lenses at least f2.8.

A good beginner entry level lense for the Canon is the 50mm f1.8 that you can pick up for around $100.

Good luck, can't wait to see some pics.
 
I went browsing today and found this deal

Canon 50d with 28 - 235mm Lens also with 70 - 300mm IS telephoto lens plus backpack for 1859.97

Would this suit my two main areas of concentration, Photojournalism/Sports and portrait modeling pictures?
user_online.gif
progress.gif
I went browsing today and found this deal

Canon 50d with 28 - 235mm Lens also with 70 - 300mm IS telephoto lens plus backpack for 1859.97

Would this suit my two main areas of concentration, Photojournalism/Sports and portrait modeling pictures?
user_online.gif
progress.gif

I went browsing today and found this deal

Canon 50d with 28 - 235mm Lens also with 70 - 300mm IS telephoto lens plus backpack for 1859.97

Would this suit my two main areas of concentration, Photojournalism/Sports and portrait modeling pictures?
 
Personally I wouldn't go that route, those lenses aren't really that good of a build. I'm a Nikon guy so this is what I would reccomend for around that price and if you have your mind set on Canon do some research on the comparable equipment.

Nikon D90 (4.5fps) - Approx $750 new
Nikon 50mm f1.8 - $130 new, $100 lightly used
Nikon 80-200 f2.8 AF-D $1000 new, used around $700


I know I didn't post any wide glass but seriously if you're looking into shooting sports do it right the first time and DON'T settle for mediocre gear, I did when I bought my first SLR and I regretted it.
 
Ok I just talked to someone at the school and they said a 40D might be a little much right now for someone starting out and lower models offer enough quality to put together a good portfolio and have submissions accepted in newspapers. With that said I think I am going to go for

Canon EOS Rebel XSi Digital SLR Camera (Body only)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

and...

This is where I ask of your assistance again, someone please suggest the final lens I need for shooting sports mainly Football/Mixed Martial Arts events. Please help me find the last piece of this puzzle as I am eager to get snapping away!
 
Go for the Rebel.....nice camera for the money and well ahead of you...so don't worry about too many super advanced functions...this camera will do anything you need it to do...have fun! and post some photos

Ok I just talked to someone at the school and they said a 40D might be a little much right now for someone starting out and lower models offer enough quality to put together a good portfolio and have submissions accepted in newspapers. With that said I think I am going to go for
Canon EOS Rebel XSi Digital SLR Camera (Body only)
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens

and...

This is where I ask of your assistance again, someone please suggest the final lens I need for shooting sports mainly Football/Mixed Martial Arts events. Please help me find the last piece of this puzzle as I am eager to get snapping away!
 
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens

On B&H this goes for $549.00

While this is steep and you are just starting out, you mention you will be shooting Sports. I think the 50mm will serve you well for Martial Arts if your environment is the same as our facilities (assuming you can stand right at the edge of the mats with about 10feet between you and the individuals).

For Football even if you're lucky enough to be sitting next to the team benches you'll need this 70-300mm. My only zoom is a 18-270mm and there are times I take photos at 270mm (I try not to, due to flaws with my Tamron Lens at that focal length) that I find short, and I'm not shooting people on a football field. Second main reason. You're starting out and haven't been in a manual focus environment which takes time/experience to be able to successfully pull off for something like this (I know sports photographers who challenge themselves to do this) so you'll need your autofocus as fast as possible, hence my suggestion of this IS USM.

Since you're talking about using these two lenses to make money via freelance sports photojournalism then you should seriously consider this an investment. I'm not sure if this is the lens you were talking about when you said 70-300mm in earlier posts, but I did not see "USM" listed so I wanted to suggest you invest in this.

Here's a link showing the multiple 70-300mm that Canon sells.

As you can see there are two 70-300mm under the 550$ IS USM model so you may be inclined to go for that 199$ model that I don't think will serve your faster focusing needs.

Something to consider.
 
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens

On B&H this goes for $549.00

While this is steep and you are just starting out, you mention you will be shooting Sports. I think the 50mm will serve you well for Martial Arts if your environment is the same as our facilities (assuming you can stand right at the edge of the mats with about 10feet between you and the individuals).

For Football even if you're lucky enough to be sitting next to the team benches you'll need this 70-300mm. My only zoom is a 18-270mm and there are times I take photos at 270mm (I try not to, due to flaws with my Tamron Lens at that focal length) that I find short, and I'm not shooting people on a football field. Second main reason. You're starting out and haven't been in a manual focus environment which takes time/experience to be able to successfully pull off for something like this (I know sports photographers who challenge themselves to do this) so you'll need your autofocus as fast as possible, hence my suggestion of this IS USM.

Since you're talking about using these two lenses to make money via freelance sports photojournalism then you should seriously consider this an investment. I'm not sure if this is the lens you were talking about when you said 70-300mm in earlier posts, but I did not see "USM" listed so I wanted to suggest you invest in this.

Here's a link showing the multiple 70-300mm that Canon sells.

As you can see there are two 70-300mm under the 550$ IS USM model so you may be inclined to go for that 199$ model that I don't think will serve your faster focusing needs.

Something to consider.


I found a good deal on EF
Canon 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM


This would suit my needs?
 
The 75-300 is not a good lens. But if you're on a budget, you can get a used one for around $150.

If you find a lens you're interested in, google it, find out what the new and used price is and read some reviews.
 
Seems like you are leaning towards Canon, here is what I would suggest:

1. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Canon-T1i-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B001XURPQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267039859&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens: Electronics[/ame]

Brand new T1i with the 18-55mm EF-S f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
Also has a very good burst rate for the sports end of things
-should take care of most photo jurnalism stints

2. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-70-200mm-Aperture-Digital-Cameras/dp/B000F8PYJ4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top]Amazon.com: Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO HSM Large Aperture Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo[/ame]
new Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO HSM lens
-although there is no image stabilization, I believe for sports you should do well enough using a monopod

The above package is approximately $1800.00, not too bad for your new endeavor.

Whatever you choose, good luck!
 

Most reactions

Back
Top