First DSLR Purchase, A Bit Overwhelming

[Bitter Jeweler]

For under $5K you could easily get yourself into a (new or used) 5DmkII, and two nice pieces of glass.
Since the 5DmkIII came out, people are dumping their 5DmkII's. (including me)
The 5DmkII is a good camera for portraiture, macro, and landscapes. The auto focus is slow, so it's not great for sports.
I started with the Rebel XSi, and within a year, bought the 5DmkII.
If you are serious, and your budget is there, why not go higher up the scale?

 

[pgriz]

Then, go and have a feel for which system feels "right". Perhaps one way to find this out is to join a local photography group and chances are excellent that almost all the camera systems will be represented. If you let people know you're looking for advice and even hands-on pointers, you may be surprised at how much help you'll get. The problem won't be getting good information, more likely trying to figure out how to stop the deluge! In my club, we've got passionate defenders of the D7000, and equally passionate proponents of the 7D. Neither camera is considered "professional-grade", but both are very capable.

 

[jaomul]

If you have 5k to spend the 5d mark ii and some lenses would be great. Alternatively if your not concerned about video the Nikon d700 is a fantastic camera. Your lenses could possibly include a 50 and 85mm fast lens (circa f1.8) and a wider angle zoom 17-40 or similar. You would still have plenty change for a tripod and some accessories. 5k is a good starting budget

 

[matthewo]

5k will get you a used d700 @ around $1900 + 24-70 @ around $1800 = $3700 then have $1300 left over for a telephoto or tripod, flashest etc.

A good base of high end glass is good to start with. If you get really into it your just going to sell whatever you bought before to get it. Also a used d700 and 24-70 or any f2.8 nikon glass is going to hold its value well and if bough used, you can sell for the same if not more if you decide photography isnt for you

 

[DMPurdy]

It's really easy to spend money. It's somewhat harder to do it intelligently. Intelligent buying implies you know exactly what it is you need and how you will use it. So all the advice above is good and useful IF you have a clear idea of what you want to do. The problem with most beginners is separating what you actually know, from what you think you know, from all kinds of mythology and wantology. And when you do that separation, the pile with what you actually know is usually pretty small. Yet that is what you need to make a good buying decision. So I will advise buying a cheap body and kit lens with enough controls (ISO, set of modes (manual, aperture priority, shutter priority), in-camera meter that can do average/spot, and AF control (so that you learn that you and the camera don't always have the same point in focus). If the body is able to save its images in RAW, so much the better. The kit lens should probably be in the 24-135 range or thereabouts so that you can experience moderate wide through moderate telephoto.

Shoot everything and anything.

Learn the basics (exposure triangle, use of aperture to control depth-of-field, use of shutter to control apprearance of movement, use of focus to direct the viewer's attention appropriately, and the use of light to highlight shape, texture, volume and mood). There are also various compositional guidelines to learn that will help in your image-making.

After a while, take stock. If you are continually stepping back because the lens is not wide enough... that's already useful info. Are you cropping your shots just to get your subject larger in the final image? Then perhaps you will want to consider a longer telephoto in your "real" system. What about low-light noise - is that something you are constantly battling with? then a camera body capable of good low-level light plus some "bright" lenses may be worth considering.

Your basic system will show you in use what you need to consider. Once you've got that under your belt, either Nikon or Canon will have systems that are excellent. But now, you will need to increase your budget, and buy into a system. That's OK, since now you have a much better idea of what you need and you'll have a better handle on the ergonomics - what feels "right".

This is really some good sound advice. Just because you have the money and buy what you think you might need or use a lot doesn't mean in the end that you won't change it. Sorry but I've learned from this method enough times by overspending first, then losing money on reselling. I hope you find one you are happy with. I've tried a Canon rebel, Nikon D500 among other things and in the end Im happiest with my Lumix G2!

 

[chuasam]

For your first DSLR, that lens may be a bit overkill/overwhelming. It's manual focus, which will mean that you have to focus it yourself. Not a problem, but when you're having to learn everything else on a DSLR (I'm assuming you will be using manual, and that you have no previous experience with camera settings) it may be a bit much at one time. It also is a fixed lens. So you won't be able to zoom at all. I'd recommend something like a t2i with a kit lens, or something along those lines.

When I was a student, I used a Nikon FE. Totally manual focus and the only thing automated was the Aperture mode.

 

[sovietdoc]

Even if you have the money I wouldn't recommend getting a 5D2 as your first DSLR. I've used multiple "rebels" for years before getting 5D3 and although I am not "new" to photography, the camera was way over my head at first. And when the camera is smarter than you, you're not using its potential, so then, what's the point. What I would suggest however is picking up a decent body like 7D or D7000 and a few good lens. Lens is actually more important than a body because a cheap Canon T3 can take better quality shots with high-end L glass than the "flagship" 1D X with crap cheap lens.

You probably don't want to go completely overboard with a camera like 5D2 because it will take longer to learn and perfect in comparison to 7D or such. But good lens is definitely a priority.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

From experience, the 5DmkII is MUCH easier to use than any Rebel.
Sure, it has more options when you start digging deeper. But you start using them as the situations to use them present themselves.


When I try to go back to using my XSi, I quickly get frustrated because the controls are not intuitive.
Going from the XSi to the 5DmkII was a breeze. A welcome breeze at that.

 

[Plank]

Thank you all for your helpful feedback! I think i'll go with the 5DmkII with a Sigma 70-300mm lens for portrait, macro, and landscapes 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS - Telephoto Zoom Lenses - SigmaPhoto.com
Also, could i get a "sports" lens as well to bring to airshows and auto races?

 

[DiskoJoe]

Thank you all for your helpful feedback! I think i'll go with the 5DmkII with a Sigma 70-300mm lens for portrait, macro, and landscapes 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS - Telephoto Zoom Lenses - SigmaPhoto.com
Also, could i get a "sports" lens as well to bring to airshows and auto races?

No, no, no!!!!!

Seriously you cannot buy a junky piece of glass like this for a 5d mark ii. Spring for the Sigma 70-200 f2.8. You might be able to find a used one cheap. Trust me you will not regret it. You need quality glass for a quality motor like the 5d.

 

[Plank]

Thank you all for your helpful feedback! I think i'll go with the 5DmkII with a Sigma 70-300mm lens for portrait, macro, and landscapes 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS - Telephoto Zoom Lenses - SigmaPhoto.com
Also, could i get a "sports" lens as well to bring to airshows and auto races?

No, no, no!!!!!

Seriously you cannot buy a junky piece of glass like this for a 5d mark ii. Spring for the Sigma 70-200 f2.8. You might be able to find a used one cheap. Trust me you will not regret it. You need quality glass for a quality motor like the 5d.

Is the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 good for portrait, macro, landscape and possibly sport shots?

 

[DiskoJoe]

Thank you all for your helpful feedback! I think i'll go with the 5DmkII with a Sigma 70-300mm lens for portrait, macro, and landscapes 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS - Telephoto Zoom Lenses - SigmaPhoto.com
Also, could i get a "sports" lens as well to bring to airshows and auto races?

No, no, no!!!!!

Seriously you cannot buy a junky piece of glass like this for a 5d mark ii. Spring for the Sigma 70-200 f2.8. You might be able to find a used one cheap. Trust me you will not regret it. You need quality glass for a quality motor like the 5d.

Is the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 good for portrait, macro, landscape and possibly sport shots?

portraits, yes. macro, no. Landscape, It can be if you are good at stitching panos. Sports shots, IDEAL!


Kayla/Buster - 100 strangers: 08/100 by DiskoJoe, on Flickr

Mine is an older version but the glass is still the same. New versions have better and quieter action.

9 blade aperture give you the really smooth bokeh. Nice colors too. Especially around sunset.

Trophy wife by DiskoJoe, on Flickr

 

[Derrel]

I think for regular people, the value of the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is over-stated. It's big, it is heavy, and it draws a lot of attention in social photography situations, and it lacks much reach at the long end, AND it's really only a good choice on a full-frame camera; on an APS-C body, a 24-70/2.8 zoom is NOT all that great a lens; a 17-50mm f/2.8 is a much better choice, and is usually smaller and lighter and much less-costly than a camera maker's 24-70mm f/2.8; the camera makers (canon and Nikon) offer 17-55mm f/2.8 lenses; Tamron and Sigma offer 17-50 and 18-50mm models that cost around 1/3 of what a Canon or Nikon 17-55 costs, and maybe 1/4 of the price of a camera-maker 24-70/2.8. To simplify: the 24-70mm f/2.8 is a lens designed for a full-frame camera!!!

pgriz's original post about the beginner's dilemma in selecting his first d-slr is true. If a guy is going to spend $5,000, that can be a complete camera, 3-lens kit, and a flash, and some accessories. The best advice usually comes when a budget is presented right in the fist post, and when at least "some" potential products have been listed for discussion. I think one critical aspect is NOT to become hung up on one or two small specific "wants" or "needs"; that is the area where the beginning d-slr buyer often goes astray--by becoming convinced that "feature X" is a deal-breaker, or "feature Z" is super-critical, when in actuality, the first-time d-slr buyer really has no HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE to base such "wants" or "needs" on.

 

[Plank]

Great! I'm not going to be stitching panoramas as far as i'm concerned. As far as macro, I might wait it out before I buy a separate lens just for that. Thanks for your help DiskoJoe!