Brand new to this hobby, purchasing first professional camera

smriddler · Mar 3, 2012

So I've decided to save up some money and I'm almost ready to buy a Canon 5D Mark II. I've seen the camera in action and I really like it. I haven't picked out a lens that I want yet though. Any suggestions for a first-timer?

Right now I haven't done much with my current camera besides taking videos of my friends and I goofing around outdoors or eBay photos. I've taken pictures of our animals in the past with my current camera and surprisingly they came out pretty nice, I might post some of them. Other than that, I don't find myself doing much more with my current camera, but only because it's not in any way a professional camera. Once I own something better, I'll look to do more with it.

I've browsed around on YouTube for videos taken with the 5DMII and so far I like the picture of the 16-35 F/2.8. I do plan on shooting in lower light.

What kind of lens would you suggest to a beginner? What are your likes/dislikes of the 16-35 F/2.8? Any other suggestions?

bazooka · Mar 3, 2012

I did some comparing of the 16-35 with the 17-40 (online reading and online chart comparisons) and the only difference I saw was price and the obvious extra stop. They both appeared very similar in IQ. Seeing as the 16-35 is almost twice the price of the 17-40, I couldn't justify it for the kind of shooting I do most... locked down landscape shots.

You might take a look at Sigma and Tamron to see what they have for fast full frame wide angle zooms....

smriddler · Mar 3, 2012

Thanks! Do you have a 17-40? Would you be able to show me any sample pix/videos in low light/night environments?

bazooka · Mar 3, 2012

I do have the 17-40 but I don't use it in low light, or if I do, it's on a tripod. I've only had it a since late last year and haven't used it much as I'd like. If you are going to do walk-around low-light photography on full frame, take a look at the 50mm f/1.4. It is an excellent lens and a very useful focal length for general purpose on FF. Not to mention it's half the price of the 17-40.

smriddler · Mar 3, 2012

funny you should mention the 50MM, I was just looking at that in F/1.8. Very nice lens considering its on eBay for about $150.

ph0enix · Mar 3, 2012

smriddler said:
funny you should mention the 50MM, I was just looking at that in F/1.8. Very nice lens considering its on eBay for about $150.

I don't know much about Canon gear but a lot of posters here have said that the 1.8 is not a good lens. You want the the 1.4.
Also, while IMO everyone should own a 50mm, it probably shouldn't be your only lens.

KmH · Mar 3, 2012

The 5D MK II is just short of being a professional grade camera. It's one level below Canon's pro grade cameras in what is known as the prosumer grade camera category (close, but no cigar).
Nikon's equivelent prosumer grade full frame camera is the Nikon D700.

A 50 mm lens is a good lens to start with, but Canon's EF 50 mm f/1.8 II is not a high quality lens. though it can produce sharply focus photos, it has serious issues in the way it renders elements of an out-of-focus (OOF) background.

Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II Lens Review: 5. Conclusion & samples: Digital Photography Review
Conclusion - Pros

Excellent image quality when stopped down

Essentially no lateral chromatic aberration

Extremely cheap

Conclusion - Cons

Extremely cheaply built

Harsh and distracting bokeh due to pentagonal aperture

Vignetting at wide apertures on full frame (which only disappears at F3.5)

Inconsistent autofocus in low light (most problematic when using large apertures)

cgipson1 · Mar 3, 2012

To add to what Keith said.. the shots from that camera, that you liked? Those were probably less than 10% having to do with the camera... and 90% having to do with the knowledge and skill of the photographer using the camera. It may have taken them ten, twenty or thirty years to develop the skills and knowledge that took the shots you admired! So please don't expect to be able to turn out that kind of work without a lot of learning, time and effort on your part.. just because you bought a "almost professional camera!"

The_Traveler · Mar 3, 2012

smriddler said:
[h=2]Brand new to this hobby, purchasing first professional camera[/h]

So I've decided to save up some money and I'm almost ready to buy a Canon 5D Mark II. I've seen the camera in action and I really like it. I haven't picked out a lens that I want yet though.
Any suggestions for a first-timer?

Right now I haven't done much with my current camera besides taking videos of my friends and I goofing around outdoors or eBay photos. I've taken pictures of our animals in the past with my current camera and surprisingly they came out pretty nice, I might post some of them. Other than that, I don't find myself doing much more with my current camera, but only because it's not in any way a professional camera.
Once I own something better, I'll look to do more with it.

My suggestion for someone who is saving up to buy a camera is that you start with something that doesn't cost you 2500 for the body + 700 for a lens plus require some investment in software to learn how to maximize your shots.

This is the equivalent of getting your driver's license and making your very first car a pretty hot sports car.
The learning curve is steep and may not be what you want.
If you want to shoot videos, buy a video camera.
If you want to be a still photographer, buy an entry level camera body with a decent lens and try shooting pictures.

Shooting good pictures and loving it is not easy to do.

cgipson1 · Mar 3, 2012

^^^ This! A fancy body does not a photographer make!

zcar21 · Mar 3, 2012

The 16-35 lens is too wide for full frame. It may or may not be what you want.
I suggest getting an entry level camera with the kit lens.

If money is not a problem, and it is set you're getting a 5d. You'll probably need a 24-70 or 24-105. However, the 5d + any L lens is a heavy combo.

WhiskeyTango · Mar 3, 2012

The_Traveler said:
smriddler said:

[h=2]Brand new to this hobby, purchasing first professional camera[/h]

Click to expand...

My suggestion for someone who is saving up to buy a camera is that you start with something that doesn't cost you 2500 for the body + 700 for a lens plus require some investment in software to learn how to maximize your shots.

This is the equivalent of getting your driver's license and making your very first car a pretty hot sports car.
The learning curve is steep and may not be what you want.
If you want to shoot videos, buy a video camera.
If you want to be a still photographer, buy an entry level camera body with a decent lens and try shooting pictures.

Shooting good pictures and loving it is not easy to do.

In general, I agree with what you're saying, but there's always a but... If you're the type, like me, who gets obsessive about hobbies and you know this is a hobby you're going to stick with, I say start with the best gear you can afford.

I've been interested in photography since I got my first film SLR in highschool, 20+ years ago. It died on me in college and I couldn't afford to replace it then. It wasn't until last year that I decided to get back into it, but I'd never lost the interest and I know myself. I know I will regret buying less than I can afford and will upgrade quickly, eventually spending more than I would have if I'd have gone big out of the gate.

My entry point, a little over a year ago, was the D7000. Despite being pretty high up in the pro-sumer category, I'm already wishing I'd have gone with the D700.

Know yourself. If you are just "playing around," save some money and go entry-level. If you're likely to get serious, start there.

Having said all that: if you're gonna sink the cash on the 5D, and you don't have a specific interst in subject matter, I'd recommend the 24-70 f/2.8. It'll cover most generalist use admirably until you figure out if there's a more specific aspect of photography that interests you.

fokker · Mar 3, 2012

It sounds almost like you're trying to stimulate your interest in photography by buying a fancy camera. If you're not already obsessed with taking photos on whatever camera you have (which from the sounds of it you aren't) then you don't need to drop $3k on professional equipment.

fokker · Mar 3, 2012

KmH said:
The 5D MK II is just short of being a professional grade camera. It's one level below Canon's pro grade cameras in what is known as the prosumer grade camera category (close, but no cigar).

I don't think this is true - canon's 1, 5, and 7 series cameras are all categorized as professional level models, where the xxD (40d, 50d, 60d etc) are the prosumer line and the rebel series are the consumer line.

cepwin · Mar 3, 2012

If you're new to the hobby I wouldn't recommend dropping a lot of $$$ on a high end body. The Rebel T2i/T3i are fine camera's, cost < $1000. You can get one of those and a nice piece of glass and still have money left over. Most of the people I follow say (and I agree) that glass is the most important thing. Now the T4i might be announced soon so just be aware of that. As what other people are saying, it's your skill that is the biggest part of it....not a fancy camera. (I'm pretty new so I'm still working on the skill part...got a Nikon D3100 which was < $700 w/ a kit lens)