Recommendation for a beginner DSLR

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#555260 7-Dec-2011 23:31

doublehell: Ask plenty of questions here too - don't count on the sales folk at the stores.

This is very good advice if you're buying from a big box retailer, but you may wish to consider paying a little extra for the experience of buying from a camera specialist.

I have personally found Photo & Video in Christchurch and Colin Kirk in Wellington to be very good.

Jonski

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#555323 8-Dec-2011 09:22

alasta:
doublehell: Ask plenty of questions here too - don't count on the sales folk at the stores.

This is very good advice if you're buying from a big box retailer, but you may wish to consider paying a little extra for the experience of buying from a camera specialist.

I have personally found Photo & Video in Christchurch and Colin Kirk in Wellington to be very good.

I have found that Progear in Newmarket, Akl has very competitive prices, sometimes the cheapest I can find things, it would pay to check them out. And they seem to know what they're talking about.

Having said that, I also received some very wrong advice from them once- that a fullframe 18mm lens would vignette badly on a APS-C sensor. I think the salesperson was confused and actually thinking of an S-series lens on a fullframe sensor!

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#555337 8-Dec-2011 09:52

And of course, do some online reading/research

http://www.dpreview.com/

http://kelbytraining.com/

http://www.pixel-peeper.com/

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/

for starters....................

timmmay

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#555356 8-Dec-2011 10:21

alasta: However I've found Nikon's flash metering to be very accurate and if I use a fast lens or push the ISO a bit then it tends to prevent flash blowouts and balance the ambient lighting enough to get satisfactory results to my not-so-fussy eyes.

Nikon flash metering is good. However pushing the ISO increases the chance of blowing out an image, because flashes have a minimum power output. For example, ISO3200, F1.8, 1/100th, with direct flash and a close subject there's a pretty good chance they'll be overexposed.

alasta

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#555433 8-Dec-2011 13:03

timmmay:
alasta: However I've found Nikon's flash metering to be very accurate and if I use a fast lens or push the ISO a bit then it tends to prevent flash blowouts and balance the ambient lighting enough to get satisfactory results to my not-so-fussy eyes.

Nikon flash metering is good. However pushing the ISO increases the chance of blowing out an image, because flashes have a minimum power output. For example, ISO3200, F1.8, 1/100th, with direct flash and a close subject there's a pretty good chance they'll be overexposed.

Thanks - that's useful to know.

throbb

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#555590 8-Dec-2011 18:20

I think i'm leaning towards a Nikon D5100. Just need to figure out if it would be better to go with the twin lens kit 18-55/55-200, or a 18-105 lens.

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#555593 8-Dec-2011 18:24

I don't know those lenses. What are their apertures? eg 18-55 F3.5 - 5.6 (those numbers might not be right).

Read the reviews on fredmiranda.com and similar sites.

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throbb

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#555605 8-Dec-2011 18:44

I think your numbers are right, both lens are f/3.5-5.6.

alasta

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#555615 8-Dec-2011 19:02

timmmay: I don't know those lenses. What are their apertures? eg 18-55 F3.5 - 5.6 (those numbers might not be right).

Read the reviews on fredmiranda.com and similar sites.

It's all pretty standard with consumer zooms - usually f/3.5 - 5.6 for anything starting around 18mm and f/4 - 5.6 for anything ending around 200mm. As you would know you don't get a fast aperture zoom without digging deep into your pockets.

I personally have the 18 - 105mm, 55 - 200mm and fast 35mm. I like having that bit of overlap in the 55 - 105mm range because it means a lot less lens changing. So, if it were me then I would go for the 18 - 105mm with a view to getting the 55 - 200mm (or even the new 55 - 300mm) later unless you don't think you're going to be able to afford to spend any more in the foreseeable future in which case the twin lens kit might be more flexible.

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#555644 8-Dec-2011 20:35

alasta:So, if it were me then I would go for the 18 - 105mm with a view to getting the 55 - 200mm (or even the new 55 - 300mm) later unless you don't think you're going to be able to afford to spend any more in the foreseeable future in which case the twin lens kit might be more flexible.

as a beginner dslr user with the canon + twin lens kit, and being someone who hates changing lenses (especially with kids as subjects), i would have been much happier with a single 18-105 than a 18-55 and 75-300.

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#555667 8-Dec-2011 21:16

Ok I think 18-105 then. Few people really need a 200mm lens, and 300mm on a crop body (ie consumer DSLR) is very very long. The only real uses I can think of are for African safaris and perverts.

I have a 70-200 on a full frame body, which would be about the same field of view as a 135mm lens on a crop body. I use it for wedding receptions when I can't get close and portraits when I want to isolate the background (longer lens = less background = background more blurred out). When i'm taking photos for me (which is rare) I rarely go over 70mm (55mm on a crop).

alasta

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#555676 8-Dec-2011 21:38

timmmay: Ok I think 18-105 then. Few people really need a 200mm lens, and 300mm on a crop body (ie consumer DSLR) is very very long. The only real uses I can think of are for African safaris and perverts.

I have used my 55-200 a lot for action shots of cars, aircraft and boats. I could imagine a lot of typical consumers having an interest in that.