New to Photography - What camera should I buy?

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jonathan18

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#2156178 8-Jan-2019 09:46

As good as the Sony A6000 is, I’d not recommend it as a camera for those new to photography, linked to a point made earlier - it is far from being an easy to use device, primarily due to its messy menu system, illogical controls, and lack of touch screen.

I hadn’t used mine much at all for a year or so until these holidays, and it took quite a bit of time to get used to using it again - and I’ve used a wide range of cameras over my life. For someone inexperienced it’ll be a nightmare device.

Suggest the OP goes for something a bit more user-friendly at least initially; I would agree with those recommending staying away from a DSLR. Many seem to buy these because they look the business but don’t really know how to drive them.

timmmay

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#2156180 8-Jan-2019 09:49

shk292:

So why do professional photographers use DLSRs? Simply because they don't understand what you've explained above?

Why would a photographer spend $10k upwards on equipment and lug around all that gear if an iPhone is going to give better results?

An iPhone may give better results by default without any work, but professional equipment gives better results once you process it. It also has better dynamic range, MUCH better focus and low light performance, ability to use off camera flash, and general flexibility. Professionals spend 2-3X more time on processing than the actual photography. When I photographed an event professionally, say it's 8 hours, it tends to take me 2-4 hours to cull then probably days to fully process each image.

Batman

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#2156204 8-Jan-2019 10:27

shk292:
Batman:

I can guarantee you that if you are asking this question, an Iphone XS will take better photos than ANY d-SLR you can buy on the market today.

Why? because a camera has to convert 2xgreen/1xred/1xblue signals into an image that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

A dslr has incredibly basic operations to convert these signals and the photos do not appear pleasing, assuming you shot with all the correct settings. Even auto settings is pretty unsmart.

An iphone XS however, understands all that language. Shoots with the best settings, and using what they call AI, photoshops every single image and every frame of your 4K 60 FPS video to make it look amazing, more often than your dslr will. Unless they now have AI programmed into dslrs but I am not aware of any.

Now, after recommending not to buy a dslr, i have no other recommendations.

My cameras are - wife's iphone, my huawei (poor images), full frame Canon DSLR.

So why do professional photographers use DLSRs? Simply because they don't understand what you've explained above?

Why would a photographer spend $10k upwards on equipment and lug around all that gear if an iPhone is going to give better results?

Because they understand how to convert information from the pixels to make aesthetically pleasing images. I use my dslr a lot. I shoot in raw and manual mode and use lightroom for all photos and photoshop to some. But do you think OP is a professional?

MikeB4

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#2156216 8-Jan-2019 10:49

if someone is wanting to delve deeper into the joys of photography then a Mirrorless (non Smartphone mirrorless) or a DSLR allows for this with much greater satisfaction. Newer DSLRs have very good on camera processing and much greater off camera potential. A good priced camera that offers a remarkable feature set and results is the new Canon 200D. It weighs about the same as a Mirrorless. It's RRP is around $1,000 (single lens kit) but can be found on special for around $890. The Canon D3000 and D1500 have similar internals but are heavier.

If one wants a great point and shoot the Iphone, Samsung Note 8, S9 offer probably the best point and shoot results, however these devices are at the price of an entry level to enthusiast DSLR or Mirrorless.

dejadeadnz

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#2156219 8-Jan-2019 10:57

shk292:

So why do professional photographers use DLSRs? Simply because they don't understand what you've explained above?

Why would a photographer spend $10k upwards on equipment and lug around all that gear if an iPhone is going to give better results?

I can see merit on both sides of the coin. I have an Iphone X and recently went traveling with it whilst carrying my Sony A6500. In terms of absolute gems, I actually got more of those on the Iphone than my A6500 but I had incredible weather during 90% of my holiday, got most of my gems during daytime/golden hour, and those were technically simple shots that relied more on composition and colour. You try shooting the Iphone at night, images just fall apart. The same applies if you try to do large prints of most Iphone photos. But I do consider a phone with a camera to be essential these days for maximising your photography opportunities.

In Batman's defence, you do see a lot of people buying ridiculous amounts of gear that truly have no idea on how to use them. Being a lawyer-doctor couple, we see a lot of our types getting into photography. It's pretty much standard fare to see those people getting A7III, A7RIII, or XT-3s etc as "starter" kits, along with very expensive lenses. These people will then listen to the shop assistants at the camera store and shoot raw (which is great) but have zero idea on how to pp their photos. Then they will declare that they got conned into buying the gear. In my experience, I find that for people who are willing to learn, buying "proper" gear can be a great impetus to take photography much more seriously, which will involve learning the full lifecycle of creativity -- i.e. how to see properly, minimise distractions, how to use the camera, achieve correct exposure/focus, discover the kinds of photography one is into and focus on them (as opposed to just taking snapshots), and post-processing. You don't have to be a professional to do this but it does take a bit of effort -- if someone isn't willing to invest in all that effort, then I agree that in many instances they are better off just shooting with their phone.

If you shoot jpeg only, these days you'd be far better off getting a Fuji and Panasonic. Their colour science just deliver far more pleasant photos SOOC compared to Canons and Sonys especially.

With regards to the very high end gear that pros use, sometimes it also pays to remember that a lot of people (and not just in photography) will pay through the roof for the last bit of minor marginal improvements. They improvements ultimately may or may not really matter. Also, sometimes expensive gear or gear of a particular type is part of the branding of as photographer. There are still lots of pros who insist on never touching mirrorless, for example, because some of their clients perceive that unless you are on a massive DSLR, you just don't know what you are doing.

timmmay

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#2156376 8-Jan-2019 13:11

I mostly use a Sony RX100 v1 these days, for family photos. Good low light performance, much better than a phone, very compact, bit expensive but you'll never need to buy a lens for it.

Unless you're going pro there's no point learning much about photography. Buy something half decent, take photos you like, print or share.

Gurezaemon

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#2156618 8-Jan-2019 18:37

The old maxim of "the best camera is the one you have with you" still remains very valid.

Choosing a camera that does not need a whole bag to carry it means that you will take it with you and use it, unlike an SLR with several lenses.

Practice is the best way to improve, so a compact camera with decent glass in it, and that is used frequently will help you get better much more quickly than spending a fortune on a bigger camera that ends up being left at home because it is too cumbersome.

Even using a camera on a smartphone phone while paying attention to composition, lighting, etc. will provide better results than a camera sitting back at home.

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mudguard

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#2156633 8-Jan-2019 19:10

I should've mentioned I bought my 64 year old mother a Canon G7X MK2 about a month ago for her birthday. It's much easier to use than my Sony RX100 and more pleasant to hold. Still a bit more than the OPs budget but seems to take really nice photos.

Maybe worth a look.

blakamin

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#2156673 8-Jan-2019 19:46

I've got a Pixel 2 XL

Mrs has Pixel 3 XL

Pretty damn good phone cameras (yeah even better than iphones)... for landscapes etc.

Went to a wildlife park and took my old Nikon D3200 yesterday.

Sometimes a bigger lens on a cheap DSLR is better than any phone. /JustSayin.

Edit... Phone photo from the same distance.

edit2: photos were resized with pixresizer to fit GZ sizers. There's a definite quality loss, but not as bad as some.

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