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equipment

  • roryjmcgrath
    Member

    hi guys.
    im interested in taking up photography as a hobby and getting a decent camera. i really dont have a clue about any of the technical terms or whats the best equipment to get. also whats the price range of fairly decent cameras? any advice is appreciated!

    cathald
    Participant

    Hi Rory and welcome along to the site

    There are lots of threads on here about different cameras and stuff so get a flick through the threads
    Your local camera shop (where ever you are)will give you advice also,Hold and feel a camera to see what
    one suits you hand and are comfortable with
    What type of photography are you into,landscapes,sports,wildlife etc so when we know what appeals to you
    we can give advise on what other equipment you will need,filters,tripod etc
    On the price front the sky is the limit but you can get some decent gear 2nd hand at a fraction of the price

    Cathal

    roryjmcgrath
    Member

    im into sports photography, mostly pictures of the fans and inside the stadiums, also wildlife and just average day to day life.
    what would be the best gear for those types of photography?
    im in dublin and would like to know the best camera shops. anywhere in dublin is fine.
    thanks am looking forward to your advice

    jongles
    Participant

    Hi Rory and welcome on board.
    I’ve just gone through the process of buying my first Dslr and there is certainly no shortage of reviews and advice out there.
    ephotozine dcresource and digital-slr-guide are all good places to look on line the last one gives some good general advice. The rule of thumb been buy the camera which suits your style of photography. Now thats a tough question for us beginners!

    i’d second what cathald says about checking out your local camera shop or shops if possible, i’d be leaning more towards a specialist camera shop as opposed to the large chains currys harvey norman etc usually you get more time and unbiased advice.

    cathald
    Participant

    this sort of set up will get you started
    http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/765754/art/nikon/d60-af-s-dx-vr-nikkor-18.html
    This is just a quick reference and you could price around
    Ideally you would want a fast lens f2.8 for sports and low light
    Get a look around the for sale section a few bargins can be had there
    Some of the Dublin guys can advise you on a decent shop

    Cathal

    roryjmcgrath
    Member

    to jongles

    what camera did you get? what types of photography are you into?
    my uncle is big into photography and has been doing it for years il go to him for advice aswell

    grif04
    Participant

    make sure to get you’re self some UV filters for you’re lenses. They come in different diameters for the different diameters of lenses so be sure to get ones that fit.

    they cost about 20euro there abouts. they are useful to protect you’re lens for scrathes and general dirt really. Think of it this way, scratch the lens and it will cost you hundreds, scratch the filter and it costs u 20quid.

    my film camera was knocked off my shoulder at a protest couple weeks ago and the UV filter saved the lens.

    thats of course after you’ve picked the right camera ;)

    jongles
    Participant

    rory i’m no expert and as of yet don’t have one type of photography i’m into , wildlife and landscape normally but still finding my feet. In the end i went for the samsung gx10 which is essentially the same as the pentax k10 (samsung and pentax are collaberating and the gx10 is just a rebadged k10 some aesthetic differences but same spec). If its any help the five cameras i had in mind where the canon 450d, nikon d60,olympus 520,sony alpha 350 and finally the pentax/samsung. the prices range from around 450 – 650. I got mine with a 2 lens kit for 450 and to be honest price was a factor. Camera exchange has a few shops in town georges street is one, found them very helpful.
    Of the 5 i’ve listed there are no dogs their all fine cameras, I narrowed it down to those 5 because they represented the max i could afford in each brand maybe not the best rational but I needed to set a benchmark. There are of course cheaper models in each brand.
    For me the samsung represented best value for money hopefully i won’t regret that descision, pentax was one of the major manafacturers for a long time and samsung are just getting into the slr market will the collaberation end in disaster? hopefully not. The features i liked on the camera are its sturdiness/weatherproofing, 11 point autofocus backwards compatibility with pentax lenses and of course most importantly its feel in the hand, however if memory serves me it is one of the slower of the 5 and one consistent criticism is that its jpeg mode is below par and reviewers recommend to shoot in raw mode which is excellent but this will slow you down even more. that wasn’t a major concern for me but if your planning on a lot of high speed sports shots it may well be an issue for yourself. perhaps some of the more seasoned members could advise on this or indeed your local shop.
    I found surfing the net great for getting ideas and spec and so on but there is no substitute for actually handling the camera, you may well have made a decision through research and then pick it up and it just feels wrong.
    enjoy the hunt

    roryjmcgrath
    Member

    i went to a couple of camera shops today. and the guys in the shops recommended the canon 1000 eos and the nikon d60. i liked the feel of the canon best.
    what do you think is best for sports photography?

    jb7
    Participant

    A Nikon D3?

    Sorry, I’ll get my coat…

    Bricker
    Participant

    Hi,

    Chances are, this wont be your last camera purchase… in time you will “upgrade”….. You might (if you havent already) consider browsing the “for sale” section here?

    Best of luck with it, Im sure whatever you settle on you will be a happy camper.

    joes64
    Participant

    Any SLR will give excellent results , but dont invest a fortune in any particular SLR camera body as they are replaced /upgraded all to frequently.

    Daky
    Participant

    joes64 wrote:

    Any SLR will give excellent results , but dont invest a fortune in any particular SLR camera body as the are replaced /upgraded all to frequently.

    But do spend the money on decent lenses as you can use them again when you do upgrade.

    joes64
    Participant

    yes , good optical quality lenses are the first priority in my opinion.

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