Hi there, complete newbie to photography here. Wondered if anyone could offer me some advise please on recommendations of make and models of DSLR cameras which would be suitable for a Yr 12 photography student. We have simply been given the brief that the camera must be at least 6MP and have the ability to control shutter speed and aperture and have a zoom lens. Happy to pay up to $1000 max but would preferably like it to be suitable for future use if she continues with photography in Yr 13 and onwards (if that's a reasonable request for that budget?). Have been told Canon, Nikon and Sony are good brands? Feeling a little lost on where to start and would appreciate any advice and guidance. Many thanks.
If they are insisting on a DSLR then you will you probably need to stick with Nikon and Canon - as far as I'm aware all to he other manufacturers have gone mirrorless.
For $1000 you will easily get a good entry level DSLR with an 18-55mm zoom lens. If she wants to progress further then she may want to add a telephoto zoom lens and/or a macro or fast aperture, but your original purchase will still keep her going for many years.
If you think they will want to do video too, check the limitations on those features. Recording time, limited frame rates and no audio input for a decent mic are the 3 biggest issues with DSLR for video. Auto focus sucking is another but can be manually focused so is able to be worked around.
For photography classes, it is nice to have something that matches most of what the rest of the class are going to be using.
Canon DSLR's are most popular, So I would go that route.
Canons dslr naming convention is:
Super basic entry level: xxxxD (1500D is better than 3000D)
Entry level: xxxD, Higher numbers are better
Semi Pro: xxD, Higher numbers are better
Pro: xD, lower numbers are better
In short, the xxxxD camera's are seriously gimped (No stabilization on kit lens, no dipoler adjustment on view finder, 3000D has lower quality sensor etc). So I would only recomend this if your budget can't get to xxxD range.
At the xxxD level, The 200D and 800D are quite similar (same sensor), but the 800d has a lot more buttions for changing functions fast, the 200D's selling point is being the smallest / lightest DSLR.
200D kit is $885 from photo warehouse, and the 800D kit is just shy of $1000 from Photo warehouse, Noel Lemming, Pbtech, Jb hifi. (currently with black friday sale prices).
I have the 800D, and it has done very well for me, so would recommend that.
Be aware that photography is a bit of a slippery slope in terms of gear.
The wish-list to go with that camera & kit lens would be:
Trypod for night shots ($100)
Spare battery ($80 genuine) - actually the main battery lasts quite well, so may not be requited
Fast prime for portrates ($250 for 50mm stm f/1.8)
Telephoto zoom ($340 for 55-250mm STM)
Ultrawide zoom ($540 for 10-18mm stm)
External flash ($420 for 430 EXIII) - aftermarket flashes are way cheaper
Enaloop pro batteries and charger for flash ($50)
Polarizing filters for a few lens ring sizes ($50 each)
Bag ($100+)
Fast zoom lens ($1,300 17-55mm USM F/2.8)
I'm guessing the kind of photography class that insists on a zoom lens (rather than a prime lens) won't need anything on that list (except maybe a trypod).
Technically Sony cameras do a bit better than canon at the moment, but they have focused on mirror-less camera's rather than DSLR's. Cannon has a great reputation for reproducing natural skin tones relative to other brands.
I got a Canon 550D with second zoom (telephoto) lens, bags, etc for under $400 on Trademe a few months back. The model was new about ten years ago. It's great.
Buy UV filters to protect the lenses if the previous owner hasn't. If you can wait for shipping they're a few dollars on ebay.
Other than maybe a tripod, I'd leave it at that. I had parents buy me photography gear that I didn't get much use from when I was a teenager. What I did use was my dad's hand me down cameras and my grandfather's old tripod.
Polarized filters should only be used when the situation requires them (making clouds pop, taking glare off non-metallic surfaces such as glass, and the paint finish of cars). They cut the light into the lens down by about half, so are going to make low light photos suck if they are left on.
Not to try sell my things everywhere on GZ, but I have a Canon 600D listed in the buy/sell section here including lens, bag, tripod, filters, few other bits and pieces, everything needed to get started if you were open to 2nd hand.
Thanks so much everyone for your advice, has been very helpful! Am definitely open to going down second hand route, so will also look into this option.
At present am waiting for the school to send through more detailed info on what they recommend (apparantly emails to be sent out later this week), so then will look into what's available more indepth.
Can anyone tell me how to access the buy/sell pages on Geekzone? (Sorry if its obvious...maybe im just not looking properly?)
Thanks again for all your replies... i'm sure I'll be back with more questions in the near future.
I'd definitely recommend going 2nd hand! There are hundreds of Canon D-SLRs on TradeMe right now. You can get a Canon 70D with 18-135 lens for $800 - that's a really good camera for the price! Buying 2nd hand allows you to get better gear for the money and you would lose less if you sold it later on.
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