I need advice in buying my first camera and lenses!

[omkh7]

Hey guys,

So, I'm really into photography lately and decided to buy my first camera. I don't want to be a professional photographer as an occupation and earn money with it, I will take it as a hobby and picture vlogging.

So I decided to buy canon m50, as I heard it's great in 1080p videos and quite good in pics. And the price is good for me.

Also I want to buy lenses for it, but still don't know what to get. In addition to the kit lens (15-45 mm) what lenses should I buy ? My maximum budget for the lenses alone would be 340 dollars.

I will mainly take pictures for landscapes, portrait for people (I want the blurry background so much)
Astro photography (if it requires expensive kits I will leave it for later, not important)
Selfies, food (dish size) and some little videos.

Umm so what do you recommend ? And what about my choice for the camera as my first camera ?

Thanks

 

[bentcountershaft]

I would wait a bit on buying a different lens. At least a few weeks of shooting time with the kit lens to see what it will and won't do for you. After you figure out what you need most you'll have a better idea of which direction to go in. Then we can help narrow down some choices for you.

 

[Derrel]

I would agree-- start with just the kit lens. But after you have used that lens for a while, then you'll be in a much better position to decide what you need. Perhaps you will want to get a single focal length lens. Or maybe an extremely wide angle lens, or perhaps a lens that is optimized for close-ups.

 

[RVT1K]

I agree with both prior posts.

Play...take lots and lots of pictures before buying anything else. This will allow you to find out what you really like and what will suit your needs best. Especially if you encounter a situation where you just can't get the shot you want.

Essentially any camera you buy today can take good shots when used correctly. So your choice was fine.

If and when you decide to get another lens, consider buying used. This can allow you to afford better equipment even if it is not the latest and greatest.

 

[Strodav]

Canon is the largest seller of cameras and the m50 is a solid choice, but if you are near a camera shop stop in, find a knowledgeable sales rep who is willing to listen and share your needs and thinking. They may find a special offer just to keep you from buying online or offer an alternative that is more attractive to you. I agree, hold off on another lens until you know the limits of the kit lens. The other thing to think about is your workflow. How are you going to get images off your camera into your computer and what post processing software are you going to use?

I am not trying to change your mind, but Sony is the industry leader in mirrorless technology and are worth a look like at the a5100 or a6000 E-mount. I am invested in Nikon gear with 4 bodies and over a dozen lenses, but if I were going to start over, I'd probably go Sony .

 

[Designer]

..portrait for people (I want the blurry background so much)

The amount out of focus blur (OOF) behind and in front of your subject is the result of a combination of factors: lens focal length, lens aperture, distance to subject, distance to background (or foreground), and the size of the sensor. The quality of the blur is inherent to the lens, and will vary. Some lenses have nice blur, some not so nice.

Since you've decided on the camera, the size of the sensor is what it is, so you work with it. You'll want a long lens with a fairly wide aperture (say; 105mm or longer, and f/2.8 or wider). Anything longer and wider will make it easier. Then learn how to figure the depth of field (DOF). There are simple online calculators you can use to figure it.

Good luck!

 

[ac12]

Hey guys,

So, I'm really into photography lately and decided to buy my first camera. I don't want to be a professional photographer as an occupation and earn money with it, I will take it as a hobby and picture vlogging.

So I decided to buy canon m50, as I heard it's great in 1080p videos and quite good in pics. And the price is good for me.

Also I want to buy lenses for it, but still don't know what to get. In addition to the kit lens (15-45 mm) what lenses should I buy ? My maximum budget for the lenses alone would be 340 dollars.

I will mainly take pictures for landscapes, portrait for people (I want the blurry background so much)
Astro photography (if it requires expensive kits I will leave it for later, not important)
Selfies, food (dish size) and some little videos.

Umm so what do you recommend ? And what about my choice for the camera as my first camera ?

Thanks

The types of pics you list is not a one lens list.

• Landscape. Specifically what do you mean.
  • "Landscape" can mean everything from ultra wide panorama type shots to LONG shots of mountain peaks or similar distant objects, and everything in between.
    
  • What that means is the lens selection also varies from ultra-wide to super-telephoto.
• Portrait.
  • Define specifically what you mean by "portrait." Like landscape, portrait can range from multi-person family portraits, to tight face shots, and everything in between. And the lens selected will also vary.
    
  • The other variable is the available distance between you and the subject. The less distance you have, like the average room in a small home (maybe 8x10ft) so your working distance is maybe 5 ft., the shorter the lens has to be vs. a studio where you can easily put 10+ feet between you and the subject.
    
  • Since you are talking blurry background, I presume you are planning to shoot outdoors. But just like in a home, you may not have the freedom to get as far from the subject as you may want to. It all depends on the site.
  • The only M series lens with a large aperture is the 32mm f/1.4. ($480 at B&H)

From the Canon web site these are the only M series lenses

Canon U.S.A., Inc. | From Zoom to Macro | EF-M Lenses | Canon USA​

However Canon makes an EF to M adapter so you can use (I think) any Canon EF and EF-S lens on the M50.
I've seen the adapter discounted, but ONLY when bought with the M50. I do not know if they still have that discounted package.

You need to research what 3rd party lenses are made for the M50. That is usually a cost saving way to get lenses at a better price than OEM. I have no idea if Sigma or Tamron makes an EOS-M series lens.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

It has been my experience that you buy a new camera, when your old camera cannot do what you need; not, because the new camera has even more options you will never use.

For example, I have jacked my ISO up to 3200 to shoot the northern lights. Given the choice of another camera with and even higher ISO or a higher quality, faster lens, I would opt for the lens.

If astrophotography was my prime concern, maybe not.

 

[Derrel]

Used lenses are the way to go

 

[omkh7]

Thanks guys. I will buy the camera with the kit lens and try it for a while before buying lenses. And will try used lenses.

And for the mention above that I should get the sony a6400, I really liked the camera with its impressive autofocus. But my main use is taking photos and little videos in 1080p so I though the m50 would be better cause its much cheaper! Do you advise to get the a6400 instead ? Is it worth the extra bucks ?

 

[Solarflare]

Couple pointers:

- Rule of thumb: NEVER EVER rely on merchants as a source of information. Sure, there are some who actually try to give best information, but in general they all want to sell you something. Oh, and dont believe in advertisement either, for pretty much the same reason, except its worse, there really is no advertisement ever that ever tried to give you objective information; thats not the point of advertisement in the first place.

- Canon EOS-M might be discontinued after Canon released the R system. Companies never openly admit if they discontinue a system (Samsung for example acted for ages as if NX would continue, so does Nikon with the One), Canon is known to terminate camera systems whenever it fancies them (check out the case of the predecessor of EOS, the FD system, which was quite abruptly terminated in 1987 when Canon introduced EOS and autofocus), and removing the EOS-M system makes a lot of sense if one can just offer a crop R instead which would offer many synergies.

- The most important part of any camera system is the lenses. Canon doesnt do much for EOS-M. They release like one lens per year, and there are mostly only dark zooms, not fixed maximum aperture ones, and it look them about two years to even offer a zoom trinity. The three prime lenses are not even 1.5x apart in focal length, and only one is actually really bright, so they cannot even be used as a prime trinity. Sony btw is even worse, they havent released any new lens for their crop system for how many years now ? Neither for their SLT system, for that matter. They keep these systems on life support.

- If you are fine with the two points above, then EOS-M could be your pick. Its still a very compact and lightweight system that produces decent image quality, and even if Canon discontinues it, it wont immediately stop working and you can support it from the used market for many years. The alternative I would suggest would be Fujifilm X. Fujifilm X is the main system of that company, has great lenses (I would argue the average quality of Fujifilm X lenses is above that of Nikon F and Canon EF lenses) and is highly competitive in performance in all areas (image quality, performance, reliability, ergonomics, build quality) to any other camera system.

- For video I usually pick 360p if at all possible, unless theres a good reason to get higher resolution, especially for videos only containing information. Anything more is a useless waste of space. Sure, if you want to record memories of your partner/spouse or kid, those will still be watched in 20, 30, 40 years and even possibly after your death, when people probably have some really high resolution monitors with 12k (iMax cinema resolution) or even more. So even 4k (regular cinema resolution) would be perfectly justified for that. But if you want to do informational movies like a diary, I would argue that even 720p is already massive, and YouTube doesnt even allow to easily download higher resolutions than 720p at the moment anyway.

 

[ac12]

- The most important part of any camera system is the lenses. Canon doesnt do much for EOS-M. They release like one lens per year, and there are mostly only dark zooms, not fixed maximum aperture ones, and it look them about two years to even offer a zoom trinity. The three prime lenses are not even 1.5x apart in focal length, and only one is actually really bright, so they cannot even be used as a prime trinity. Sony btw is even worse, they havent released any new lens for their crop system for how many years now ? Neither for their SLT system, for that matter. They keep these systems on life support.

Neither Canon nor Nikon has adequately supported their APS-C dSLR line either.
Both companies treat APS-C as a beginner/casual amateur market.
Few if any GOOD lenses, I think Nikon has ONE f/2.8 constant aperture zoom, NO ONE has a long f/2.8 constant aperture zoom, few primes.

I had to get the FX 70-200/4 because NO ONE makes an equivalent DX/APS-C lens, which would be around 45-135. The closest is the discontinued Sigma 50-150/2.8, which never made it to a version-2.

Look at the lack of primes. Canon does not even make an EF-S 35mm, normal lens. Of all the lenses to not make???? The only option is the Yongnuo 35/2.

 

[beagle100]

Hey guys,

So, I'm really into photography lately and decided to buy my first camera. I don't want to be a professional photographer as an occupation and earn money with it, I will take it as a hobby and picture vlogging.

So I decided to buy canon m50, as I heard it's great in 1080p videos and quite good in pics. And the price is good for me.

Also I want to buy lenses for it, but still don't know what to get. In addition to the kit lens (15-45 mm) what lenses should I buy ? My maximum budget for the lenses alone would be 340 dollars.

I will mainly take pictures for landscapes, portrait for people (I want the blurry background so much)
Astro photography (if it requires expensive kits I will leave it for later, not important)
Selfies, food (dish size) and some little videos.

Umm so what do you recommend ? And what about my choice for the camera as my first camera ?

Thanks

The Canon 15-45 is good but for "blurry background" portraits a large aperture prime is better
(or long telephotos ... mirrorless can easily use DSLR lens)

www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless
Untitled by c w, on Flickr

 

[Strodav]

- The most important part of any camera system is the lenses. Canon doesnt do much for EOS-M. They release like one lens per year, and there are mostly only dark zooms, not fixed maximum aperture ones, and it look them about two years to even offer a zoom trinity. The three prime lenses are not even 1.5x apart in focal length, and only one is actually really bright, so they cannot even be used as a prime trinity. Sony btw is even worse, they havent released any new lens for their crop system for how many years now ? Neither for their SLT system, for that matter. They keep these systems on life support.

Neither Canon nor Nikon has adequately supported their APS-C dSLR line either.
Both companies treat APS-C as a beginner/casual amateur market.
Few if any GOOD lenses, I think Nikon has ONE f/2.8 constant aperture zoom, NO ONE has a long f/2.8 constant aperture zoom, few primes.

I had to get the FX 70-200/4 because NO ONE makes an equivalent DX/APS-C lens, which would be around 45-135. The closest is the discontinued Sigma 50-150/2.8, which never made it to a version-2.

Look at the lack of primes. Canon does not even make an EF-S 35mm, normal lens. Of all the lenses to not make???? The only option is the Yongnuo 35/2.

Can't agree. I have the Nikon D500 APS-C 21mp body that I use for wildlife and birding. The AF system on this camera is the same as on my D850 45 mp FF (considered professional camera) and leads the industry. It runs at 10fps with a large buffer feeding an XQD card with an SDXC card in the 2nd slot, great for low light situations at ISO 100-51200, and has all the bells and whistles of the D850. Before that I bought a D7200, which is a great camera for portraits, events, macro, city shots, even landscapes and astro-photography.

I would like Nikon to produce more high quality DX lenses. Until then I use my pro level FX lenses on my DX bodies, but there are some DX lenses, like the Tamron 18-400mm where there are no FX equivalents.

At the end of the day, pick the gear that matches what you shoot and how you show your images.

 

[Derrel]

Have you seen how GOOD the sensors in the newer Nikons are? DxoMark.com has sensor ratings based on their in-house testing...the D5600 is amazingly capable.

The new AF-P lenses offer light weight, and pretty low cost, along with amazing autofocus.

VR (Vibration Reduction) is really worth it in the 70-300 lens.

I would add a Kenko (or lower-cost) 3-ring extension set, for amazing close-up capability.

Here is a low-cost, made-in-China set:

https://www.amazon.com/Mcoplus-Extn...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=HE2NF1CERJQ1EXAKQJBXhttps://www.amazon.com/Mcoplus-Extn...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=HE2NF1CERJQ1EXAKQJBX

BE aware: you WANT an "autofocus" set or tubes, to maintain light and flash metering, and to allow automated exposure modes with the D5600. Yes, there are $10-$20 three ring extension tube sets, which lack electrical contacts, and ALL metering and ALL flash metering and all flash output control will be in fully manual mode.