Looking for opinions on what to buy as a first camera

[dukeis84]

Looking to get a camera and I'm looking for opinions on what would be best for me. The best camera I've ever owned is on my cellphone, so that's not saying much. There are a few main instances when I will be using it:

1) Interior/exterior house photos. I'm a real estate agent and need to produce professional, quality photos when marketing clients home. I'm tired of hiring this out to other companies.
2) Wildlife and nature. I love to hunt and fish and have never been able to produce great photos of a successful day in the field. Would also like to get action photos of wildlife.
3) Food. Yep, I'm one of those amateur food photographers. Long term I would like to have a vast collection of photos to use in a cookbook.

I'd also like the camera to be able to take video.
Under $500

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[matthewo]

Ehhhhh, budget $500 ouch.

Just to tell you im sure a lot of the pro photographers for photos have at least $5000 in equipment, and years experience with it.

With a $500 budget you might get a low level dslr with a kit lens, its hard for a dx body to get wide enough shots for interior with an 18-55mm

My best idea would be some type of bridge camera and a tripod. Just make sure it will take wide photos

 

[goodguy]

Lets start with the camera
In your price range you have two cameras you can get
Nikon D3200 and Nikon D5100, both very good cameras that can give you very good results, you will get them with the most basic kit lens the 18-55mm which is a nice lens and might be ok for the begining.

Now getting pro results is a whole different thing.
Pro's have very different cameras, they go for full frame cameras and high quality lenses and dont forget good flashes and tripod.
Just a camera like that is minimum 2000$ (Nikon D610 which actually sint a pro body) plus few lenses each is around 2000$ each.

The hardest part is not buying the equipment but to know how to use it.
You literally need years and years of experience to know how to use your equipment to get pro results.

The Nikon D3200 or D5100 will be more then enough to give you the results I think you are looking for but understanding how the camera works and then using it correctly will take time, love and passion to photography.
Don't expect to buy a good camera and think it will produce good pictures, you need to commit yourself to learn and patience.

Good luck!

 

[MK11_user]

Here are some options within your budget and spec:
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Digital Camera 6352B001 B&H Photo Video
Panasonic DMC-FZ70 Digital Camera DMC-FZ70K B&H Photo
Sony HX50V Cyber-Shot Digital Camera DSCHX50V/B B&H Photo Video

 

[robbins.photo]

Here are some options within your budget and spec:
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS Digital Camera 6352B001 B&H Photo Video
Panasonic DMC-FZ70 Digital Camera DMC-FZ70K B&H Photo
Sony HX50V Cyber-Shot Digital Camera DSCHX50V/B B&H Photo Video

Well I doubt a bridge camera is really going to give you the kind of photos you want, particularly for real estate, and your not going to be able to do everything you want with your current budget. So what I'd recommend would be a used or possibly refurbished D5100, the standard 18-55 mm kit lens, and a halfway decent external flash - either a used Nikon SB of some sort or possibly one of the Yongnuo brand. That should keep you in budget and will give you the ability to take most of the kinds of pictures you want, then you can always save up for a good telephoto lens and purchase it later. That will probably give you the best value for your dollar overall.

 

[brunerww]

Hi duke - you've gotten some great advice for stills, but since you're also interested in video, you might want to consider a used Panasonic G6 for around $500.

With a DSLR, the viewfinder goes blank and you have to use the LCD to shoot video. This can be a challenge in bright sunlight. Low-end DSLRs also have a problem with a phenomenon called "moire" which produces shot-ruining "shimmering" colors on patterned objects such as shingled roofs, chain link fences and some fabrics. Search YouTube for "Nikon D5100 + Samyang 14mm f/2.8 - moire effect" to see an example from the Nikon D5100 (please watch full-screen at 1080p). Canon cameras are just as bad or worse.

The Panasonic G6, on the other hand, has a viewfinder you can actually use while you're shooting video. It also has wi-fi and NFC (for wireless file sharing and remote control of the camera from your phone or tablet), a built-in intervalometer for timelapse photography, it records at 1080/60p for smooth action video and in-camera slow motion - and it is highly resistant to moire.

You would have to pay a lot more for these features with a DSLR.

As a hunter, you may enjoy this example of what it can do in the field with long lenses:

[video=vimeo;79562320]http://vimeo.com/79562320[/video]​

I moderate the Panasonic G6 group over on Vimeo - please check it out for more examples of the high quality video this camera can produce.

And here are some examples of the still image quality it can produce: Flickr: The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G6 Pool

If you want stills only, you can certainly pick up a brand new Nikon D3200 or Canon T3i with kit lens for less than $500 and take great photos - but you can expect to have some challenges when you try to shoot video with these cameras.

If you want high quality stills and video, I recommend a used Panasonic G6 from Amazon Warehouse Deals or, if you can stretch your budget by $80, there are 6 new ones left for $579.99 on eBay as of this post.

Hope this is helpful, and good luck with your real estate business!

Bill

 

[hirejn]

It's not the equipment. It's the photographer. There's a reason people hire professionals. This article should give you some insight.

 

[JerryLove]

It's not the equipment. It's the photographer. There's a reason people hire professionals. This article should give you some insight.

Which is why professionals use cheap 2MP point-and-shoot cameras?

Certainly: They would never spend thousands on equipment when the equipment is irrelevant?

Eddie VanHalen is a great guitarist on any equipment. Handing me the best and him nigh-junk, and he'll still sound far better than I; but he still tends to use high-end guitars because he can make a better sound with them.

And where that analogy fails is that the worst and best guitars are more similar than the worst and best camera. Want to do astro-photography (or sports photography) without control of shutter-speed? Macro-photography with a lens incapable of it? At least any two guitars have the same capabilities.

 

[Designer]

Welcome, dukeis84. Try not to be discouraged by some of the comments. Some of us, including me, think of photography as our hobby, and as such, also consider it to be fun to try to learn. Having spent years, in most cases, trying to learn the art and craft of photography, we can visualize a newcomer being somewhat disillusioned as to what is required and the amount of time one should spend getting this experience.

As for me, I would say just jump right in, get yourself either a Nikon D3200 or D5100 and whatever lens is packaged with it. Then, start learning the camera and everything else that goes with it. Eventually, you will want some other equipment, starting with lenses, lights, etc., but just take it one step at a time.

Some questions:

1) In the house pictures you are getting now, are they really good, or just somewhat better than you could do? IOW: If the photographer is not spending at least 3 hours per house, and using multiple flash units, and providing you with fully corrected images, then you could do as well, and even better with a little practice.

2) Wildlife action shots are extremely difficult, even by someone who is accustomed to it. The issue is that of timing, mostly, and getting good exposures at the one point of time in which the action is at the peak.

3) Now there have been quite a few attempts at food photography here, so I suggest that you begin by conducting a search for threads with food in the title. Food photography is going to be best with some very specific lighting and posing in order to be excellent.

Most DSLRs can take video, some better than others.

The $500 budget is only the beginning.

Good luck!

 

[skieur]

Your real estate photography would be very LOW end in my area. The agent who has the house next door uses medium format full frame Hasselblad and virtual tour software. Others use high end Canon, Nikon or Sony with elaborate lighting systems and shoot panoramas and HDRs along with tilt/shift lenses for distortion control.

 

[ronlane]

Well I doubt a bridge camera is really going to give you the kind of photos you want, particularly for real estate,...

You must not live in the central part of the US. I've seen plenty of realtor's that you p&s cameras to take photos of houses they are listing.

 

[skieur]

Well I doubt a bridge camera is really going to give you the kind of photos you want, particularly for real estate,...

You must not live in the central part of the US. I've seen plenty of realtor's that you p&s cameras to take photos of houses they are listing.

It depends on the price range. I do know that the agent using the Hasselblad medium format camera and virtual tour software is extremely successful selling $500,000 plus homes and some cottages at over 1 million.

 

[ronlane]

Well I doubt a bridge camera is really going to give you the kind of photos you want, particularly for real estate,...

You must not live in the central part of the US. I've seen plenty of realtor's that you p&s cameras to take photos of houses they are listing.

It depends on the price range. I do know that the agent using the Hasselblad medium format camera and virtual tour software is extremely successful selling $500,000 plus homes and some cottages at over 1 million.

Commission on a $500,000 home or two and I'd have a Hasselblad too

 

[MK11_user]

Well I doubt a bridge camera is really going to give you the kind of photos you want, particularly for real estate, and your not going to be able to do everything you want with your current budget. So what I'd recommend would be a used or possibly refurbished D5100, the standard 18-55 mm kit lens, and a halfway decent external flash - either a used Nikon SB of some sort or possibly one of the Yongnuo brand. That should keep you in budget and will give you the ability to take most of the kinds of pictures you want, then you can always save up for a good telephoto lens and purchase it later. That will probably give you the best value for your dollar overall.

DUKEIS84 original post SAYS;

1) Interior/exterior house photos. I'm a real estate agent and need to produce professional, quality photos when marketing clients home. I'm tired of hiring this out to other companies.
2) Wildlife and nature. I love to hunt and fish and have never been able to produce great photos of a successful day in the field. Would also like to get action photos of wildlife.
3) Food. Yep, I'm one of those amateur food photographers. Long term I would like to have a vast collection of photos to use in a cookbook.

I'd also like the camera to be able to take video.
Under $500

Let me get this straight here, did dukeis84 not state his budget was $500?
Is he really going to carry a DLSR on his shooting/fishing trips along with the rest of his sporting kit? :lmao: (I use a Canon G12 for this which is just the right size for my map pocket)
There are excellent bridge cameras that have a hot-shoe mount in which to attach a flash trigger for studio shots so he might pursue his 'food' shots.
Most bridge cameras have a fantastic zoom range, take the Canon SX50-HS for example: Key Features: 12.1MP back-illuminated sensor; 50x optical zoom, 24-1200mm; ISO 80 - 6400; 1920 x 1080 HD video capture @ 24; 2.8-inch; 461k-dot vari-angle LCDp and a hot-shoe.

Bill has suggested another excellent choice in the Panasonic G6 (see this review, Panasonic LUMIX G6 Review | Compact System Camera Reviews | What Digital Camera)

The only addition you will need with a bridge camera is a good quality tripod.

Don't be a DLSR snob, help the guy along his way.

 

[ranuy]

search the Sony Nex-5R