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Complete newbie needing some assistance
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ok il just start by sayin im 20 years old, recently unemployed and still awaiting social welfare, ive become interested in photography and think it would be a great way to keep myself occupied and doing something productive and creative instead of sitting on my ass all day :wink: my only experience with photography is taking photos when im drunk with 1 of those little digital cameras girls carry in their bags :? only problem is i dont have much funds and im completely clueless about technical specs of cameras, apart from the obvious assumption that good cameras arnt cheap and cheap cameras arnt good….ive seen a fuji finepix s1800 and it looks halfway decent 4 a beginner but i guess my question is…is it worth even buyin or is it complete rubbish? thanks for your time :D
Hi giblin99.
I don’t have any experience of this camera, but the reviews seem to be favourable with it. The following link has a review & blog with user comments which may give you an idea of whether this is the camera for you or not. Good luck with whatever you decide.
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/fujifilm_finepix_s1800_review/” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;thanks miki g, il take a look at that :) really hoping to get started soon while theres stil some nice scenery with frost and snow 2 practice on :D
Feel free to completely ignore me :) In my opinion, get a camera with some manual options that don’t require you scrolling through menus. Ideally, you want to be able to control shutter speed, focus and aperture reasonably easily.
Everything “mostly automatic” is a consumer toy and you won’t learn anything other than some composition perhaps. If you do go the digital route (which is for most people the most logical one), look into the camera’s start-up time and shutter delay (unless you’re mostly planning to photograph relatively static subjects), but here is where your budget really bites, as you’re mostly in SLR territory now. Perhaps try to find a s/h (D)SLR with kit lens, e.g. after Christmas. Megapixels, the #1 selling point, are by the way utterly, utterly unimportant. The technical side of photography is about the right light, about focus, composition … and the decisive moment. If you know how control these things, you’re on your way. I’m sorry I’m not recommending a particular camera. I haven’t looked at new cameras for a while. But “better” doesn’t automatically mean more expensive – to a point.that all sounds well and good but unfortunately i dont know what any of it means ha i dont yet understand all the technical side of photography, thats why im considering a more basic camera just to get me started until i have some more cash to spend, iv come across the nikon L110 in my hunt 4 my 1st camera, just wondering if anybody has had any experience with it? thanks :)
My two cents
OK, you want someplace to start. We’re having the same discussion on another thread, but that guy has lots of experience with medium format.
Here’s what you can do. Pick some budget amount, how much isn’t important. Go to a trustworthy large photo shop in one of our cities. If Dublin, then I might suggest Conns. Go to the shop and tell them you want to get started with a used digital slr and state a little less than your budget. They will have a bunch of used stuff. Listen to what they have to say and buy an older DSLR and a simple kit lens. (maybe 18-55mm) You should get a warrantee and some idea of buy back if you decide to move up within the year.
Purchase whatever you can afford and go take photos. Post here on PI and follow the advice and your taste in subject matter and output.
If you decide you really aren’t into photography you haven’t lost much, and if you catch the bug, then you have a basis to grow from. Don’t worry about the equipment. Good images are made by people, not cameras. Just jump in. Make a promise to shoot XX frames a day/week and then do it.
cheers man, some good advice there thanks, would you have any ideas what sort of money a 2nd hand entry level dslr and a kit lense would go 4 in a place like conns? just to hav an idea before i head up to the city, cheers :D
I didn’t see too much used gear at Conns or Bermingham’s tonight.
If you talk to them and wait a bit you should able able to get something for much less than 500.
Put a Wanted add on Photography Ireland. Don’t worry about brand. 4-5 year old kit is thought of being obsolete. But it works just fine. Something like a Canon 300 or Nikon 70 will be better than your skills for quite a while. The standard kit lens, 18-55mm, are great to start with.
Bermingham
http://www.berminghamcameras.ie/store/index.php?target=categories&category_id=159″ onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;Conns
http://www.connscameras.ie/used-equipment-!254-cat.html” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;Here’s something to think about
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734474-REF/Nikon_D5000_Digital_SLR_Camera.html” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;
nice, thanks for that, might be a bit of a bitch getting it from america? i seen this and thought u could give me your opinion, cheers :D
http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-SONY-ALPHA-DSLR-A290-14-2-MP-BLACK-DIGITAL-CAMERA-/140490401412?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item20b5e16684″ onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;
giblin99 wrote:
nice, thanks for that, might be a bit of a bitch getting it from america? i seen this and thought u could give me your opinion, cheers :D
http://cgi.ebay.ie/NEW-SONY-ALPHA-DSLR-A290-14-2-MP-BLACK-DIGITAL-CAMERA-/140490401412?pt=UK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN&hash=item20b5e16684″ onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;
I have a sony a-230 and i am very happy with it, i recently update it to the sony a700 and gonna keep the a230 as a backup should something happen to the new one.
if you want to take a look on my flickr page, almost all of the photos were taken with sony a-230 bear in mind i’m only a beginner too ;)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53682409N02/” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false;
cheers :) some nice shots you have there :) so ive been doing more hunting and found the sony A290, nikon D3000 and canon EOS 1000D…all come with 18-55mm lense and around the same price, could anyone advise which would be the best option to buy? thanks :D
hi giblin99, just bought my first dslr Pentax KX €420 Argos. Came second in What Camera test of entry level dslr cameras. Has kit lens 18-55mm and battery charger, 4 AA lithium and 4 rechargeable batteries. Not a bad deal. Good luck. and good luck trying to understand the buttons :)
thanks katiem :) il be sure to have a look at that :) ha ye the buttons will be fun 4 me as this will be my first real experience with photography :D
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