Selecting a long term camera for beginner

[ph0toe]

would you recommend I start with a entry level camera and gradually upgrade ?
Or, would it be recommended to go for a full frame dslr from the start? (probably won't need to upgrade since there's so much to learn)

I'm looking into mirrorless or dslr

As far as budget goes, let's leave it at unknown. I want to leave that out and see what my options can be


so what are some models of the camera I can look into? brand isn't important, but I'll assume canon and nikon are the default choices. also with the camera, what are the best lens option, tripod, battery, flash, ring light and such equipments I can also look into?


I plan to use the camera for my current online business (take pic of merchandise I'm selling, social media (particularly instagram), and possibly turn this hobby a freelance project down the road. I also love to travel and shoot all types of photos (wildlife, portraits, nature, etc)


What are the tools I need to know?
I've been told it's all about lenses and lightning so I'm prepared to hear your comments and take notes. Thanks

 

[benhasajeep]

Welcome

You can learn on a full featured as well as a low end camera. If you have the budget to go full frame. And you feel you will eventually go full frame in the future. Buy full frame and the lenses now! In the long run you will save money! For what your doing, online products and social media. Less expensive crop sensor camera would be just fine though.

Right now I think Nikon has the best bang for the money for full frame FX, and crop sensor cameras DX. For a new person that is just starting with moderate budget. But for real advice we need what your budget is. We could recommend you buy $2,500 lenses (each) when you really want $500 lenses. We could recommend a $3,000 camera body when your expecting $750 one. There is a very large range.

But if you really have a good moderate to large budget. A Nikon D610 price has dropped recently. And it's a very very good camera. Much more than you need for merchandise and social media pictures. But it's something you can use in the future even for weddings and more professional related assignments. And you can learn just as well on it, as an entry level camera. It's around $1,500 now (with Nikon warranty).

As for lenses we need a budget as well. We could recommend $2,500 lenses when you really thinking $500. Makes a big difference in what we would suggest.

 

[dennybeall]

Top of the line pro cameras have features needed by pro photographers. Features like super fast series of large pictures and tough physical body that can stand up to getting banged around in a crowd of paparazzi. You can get a nice crop-sensor camera and a bunch of nice lenses for what you'd pay for a top of the line full frame camera body only and if you don't need the power it's a waste. Nice to have and brag about but photo wise there is very little you can do results wise.
OK, That should raise a stink......................

 

[benhasajeep]

Top of the line pro cameras have features needed by pro photographers. Features like super fast series of large pictures and tough physical body that can stand up to getting banged around in a crowd of paparazzi. You can get a nice crop-sensor camera and a bunch of nice lenses for what you'd pay for a top of the line full frame camera body only and if you don't need the power it's a waste. Nice to have and brag about but photo wise there is very little you can do results wise.
OK, That should raise a stink......................

Except for the D610. It's price is down to close to D7500 territory. And it's sensor provides much better low light capabilities. All around probably the best camera for the price out there right now. The D3400 is probably the best for the money since it's so inexpensive. But when you consider how much better the sensor is in the D610. It's hard to beat it.

 

[ph0toe]

Hi, Thanks for the prompt reply, I didn't expect an answer this quick!

As far as budget goes, ideally I'd say $2500-3k for a good long term body and lense(s) with equipments. Since I'll be using it a lot for online products and social media I'll like to know I have a good camera to work with and can buy the basic fundamentals to start taking professional pictures. I know some high end camera may have features and settings I don't necessary need like weather sealing, but I wouldn't mind paying the extras as long as it doesn't compromise any of the other important features. Who knows, I may need it someday.

I'll definitely look into the d610, thank you. fyi, why did the price drop? was there a newer model to take its place? if so, what new feature were announced? and is it worth looking into since my worries is older model cameras can become inconsequential down the line with tech catching on.

 

[benhasajeep]

Hi, Thanks for the prompt reply, I didn't expect an answer this quick!

As far as budget goes, ideally I'd say $2500-3k for a good long term body and lense(s) with equipments. Since I'll be using it a lot for online products and social media I'll like to know I have a good camera to work with and can buy the basic fundamentals to start taking professional pictures. I know some high end camera may have features and settings I don't necessary need like weather sealing, but I wouldn't mind paying the extras as long as it doesn't compromise any of the other important features. Who knows, I may need it someday.

I'll definitely look into the d610, thank you. fyi, why did the price drop? was there a newer model to take its place? if so, what new feature were announced? and is it worth looking into since my worries is older model cameras can become inconsequential down the line with tech catching on.

Nikon did come out with another middle full framed FX camera the D750. Which puts the D610 as the entry level FX camera offered by Nikon. It's replacement has not been announced nor expected in the next year or so. It is still rated as the 9th best overall camera by DXO a testing company.

With your budget though. Unless your willing to start with just 1 lens for now. Probably need to move into a less expensive crop sensor camera body. A D7500 opens up several possibilities. It can use any Nikon AF slr lens made either ones made for DX cameras, or FX cameras. It can also AF older Nikon AF lenses which don't have AF motors built into the lens like new ones do. So, you could save some money and buy used lenses. That way acquire higher quality lenses for less of a budget. The slightly older and still made D7200 would also be a very good choice. And is same as D7500 just older version. But the D7200 is still a very good camera. And would be worth buying now.

Lenses would be decided upon your choice of full frame FX (like the D610). Or crop sensor body DX (like D7200 or D7500). Could save a little more with D5600 series but you lose the ability to use older AF lenses. Prices for lenses designed for the DX series cameras are less expensive than the ones designed for FX cameras.

 

[ph0toe]

Thanks for that. If i extend my budget to say 4-5k, would the 610d still be the optimal choice, or should I just go for a crop sensor camera with several lenses? what would the ideal situation be for grasping photography and gives me the best learning?

 

[Derrel]

I used to sell cameras at retail, years ago. MY own, personal experience with many,many,many satisfied customers was based on selling them a MID-level Canon, Minolta, or Nikon AF SLR camera for the "serious" user, and a high-end Point and Shoot compact, zoom lens camera for the snapshot-set and the grandma-wants-grandkids-pictures set.

This means the "enthusiast camera and lenses" from Canon or Nikon today, or Pentax I guess, or Sony. The $499-$599 enthusiast zoom lenses are quite capable, and always have been!

Nikon D7200 (Crop-sensor), or Nikon D750 full-frame. Or Canon 80D (Crop-sensor) or 6D (full-frame sensor). Nikon or Canon $599 to $899 zoom lenses. Plus the 50mm f/1.8 primes, and the 35/2 or 35/1.8 prime lenses.ANd the 85mm f/1.8 prime for full-frame users, OR for DX users who want a lightm, sharp, affordable telephoto lens of VERY high quality. And the 16-35 f/4 zoom for Full-frame users or a 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom for a DX user.

The "serious enthusiast" equipoment from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony is some NICE stuff! Buy higher-than-beginner level body and lenses, and said gear oughtta' last you a decade or more, and also will provide great value for dollar AND it can be used to create high quality images.

Nikon D610 is okay....the D750 is a better rig I think. D7200 in Nikon woulkd be my crop-sensor Nikon suggestion today, in mid-2017. Canon 80D for crop, Canon 6D on "closeout" right before the 6D Mark II hits the stores.

 

[benhasajeep]

Thanks for that. If i extend my budget to say 4-5k, would the 610d still be the optimal choice, or should I just go for a crop sensor camera with several lenses? what would the ideal situation be for grasping photography and gives me the best learning?

You can learn as well on a D7200 / D7500 as you would a D610 or D750. The difference is the D610 is much better at low light photography. If you have kids playing sports for example. The D610 would be better for indoor sports pictures, or night time football games than the D7200 / D7500 series of cameras.

The money savings part comes in if you buy Nikon or Canon crop sensor camera and lenses now. But say in 5 years you want to get the better full frame cameras. Well if you purchased crop sensor lenses DX in Nikon lingo. They will be limited in use on the full frame FX cameras. And would need to replace those lenses. Now you may find that DX cameras are just fine and never need to move up. That's the decision to make now.

Right now a D610 is about $1,500. A D7500 is about$1,250, and a D7200 is about $1,000 for the camera alone. Stay away from the packages (like they give you a cheap flash, memory car, a tripod, maybe some filters, lens cleaners, etc). Those packages are filled with cheap items to drive the price up. A D750 is about $2,000 and is newest full frame Nikon (not best pro camera, but newest).

Lenses would depend on what body you would go with.

 

[ph0toe]

Thanks for the through answer, benhasajeep.

I guess I wouldn't mind paying the amount now for a full frame camera as I know I'll be using the camera quite frequently as opposed to just picking it up here and there.

In such case, what difference is buying say a canon d mark 3 or a sony a7 mirrorless vs a d610 all with drastically different price points. Because the way I see it now is if I invest in a 610, I'll put the rest of the money on lens and equipment, but I don't want to miss out on a potentially better camera. I'm probably not in the right mentality with this remark, so feel free to educate me. Thanks again.

 

[benhasajeep]

Canon has good top end equipment. I don't think their middle equipment is as good as Nikons. I don't know much about Sony other than looking up statistics and tests. Picture quality wise the D610 tests higher than the Sony A7. The closest Canon in sensor performance to the D610 and A7 is the Canon 5D Mark IV. But it's nearly 2k higher in price. Sony actually makes the highest rated cameras right now. But they are all in the upper price ranges.

Is the D610 the latest and greatest. NO. But for $1,500 it's a really really good camera compared to some others in it's price range. I have a D600 it's older version. And a D800 for my main cameras. My wife tends to grab the D600 when she want's to take pictures. Though she still likes using our last D300 still. Even though it's fairly old for a digital camera.

 

[photo1x1.com]

What kind of merchandise are you going to photograph and how (isolated on white, natural lighting, etc.)? Lighting is pretty important when you want to take great images. You can take awesome images with an entry level camera, decent lenses and good lighting. But you can also take very bad images with the most professional camera, the best lenses and bad lighting. That even with the same composition and framing. So since your main goal for the moment might be your online business, I´d first look at the lighting and then think about the camera.

would you recommend I start with a entry level camera and gradually upgrade ?
Or, would it be recommended to go for a full frame dslr from the start? (probably won't need to upgrade since there's so much to learn)

I'm looking into mirrorless or dslr

As far as budget goes, let's leave it at unknown. I want to leave that out and see what my options can be


so what are some models of the camera I can look into? brand isn't important, but I'll assume canon and nikon are the default choices. also with the camera, what are the best lens option, tripod, battery, flash, ring light and such equipments I can also look into?


I plan to use the camera for my current online business (take pic of merchandise I'm selling, social media (particularly instagram), and possibly turn this hobby a freelance project down the road. I also love to travel and shoot all types of photos (wildlife, portraits, nature, etc)


What are the tools I need to know?
I've been told it's all about lenses and lightning so I'm prepared to hear your comments and take notes. Thanks

 

[Overread]

As Photo says for product work chances are the biggest and most important part of investment isn't in the camera nor the lens, but the lighting. Especially if its only for online display you really don't need a powerful camera. What you do need is good lighting so that you can light each product ideally as needed.

Lighting gear can get as complex as cameras when it comes to choice. You can go own brand or 3rd party; wired cables or wireless etc... Similarly lighting modifers can be as cheap as a bedsheed and some white paper or run into hundreds very quickly.


I'd recommend the book Light Science and Magic latest edition (4th I think currently). That will give you a good overall grounding in lighting and control especially with regard to different surface types and materials.

For gear it really depends how big the products are; smaller ones you can even get away with a simple light-box/tent setup (a box with the sides cut away and white paper put there so that you get an even distribution of light); whilst bigger products might require more of a setup to achieve good results.

 

[ph0toe]

Hi again,

I've been so caught up with work since my last post that I had not been able to respond back, and I still yet to purchase a camera. Okay, so I'm looking to also do some side projects for filming as well, so a camera with 4k cinematic look would be a plus. would the d610 still be the best for my price range factoring all the lenses and equipments i'll be purchasing? Or, will I need a higher end camera for that kinda of niche?

Anyways, as far as photography goes, like I said I, for all intent and purposes I'll mainly use it to shoot stellar instagram/blog photos consisting of nature, portraits, astrophotography, everyday life. Really, the sky is the limit as far as picture goes. I also will use it to take close up pic of merchandise I'm selling online.

I've been pondering if I shall go for a mirrorless camera over a dslr mainly because of the weight, because I'll love to travel light and I would imagine it'll be a nuisance carrying a large body along with lenses, tripod, etc. However, I do not want to lose out on some key components of a dslr that a mirrorless may lack.

I'm not looking for the all in one camera, but I do need a camera that will fit the needs as I have just described. On top of that, I'll prefer if its a camera I could use 5 years down the line without the need to upgrade much (granted, I know tech is changing very fast).

 

[jcdeboever]

I would go with Nikons flagship APC. It's a great wildlife camera and you mentioned you may explore that. IMO, that's what separates it from all other APC cameras. Great low light performance, fast AF, excellent image quality. Good lens to start with.

Check out what I found on B&H Photo Video Nikon D500 DSLR Camera with 16-80mm Lens 1560 B&H Photo Video