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Archive 2014 · Purchasing advice for Noob

SKumar25
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Purchasing advice for Noob

Hi,

have a friend that has asked me to help her buy a camera + lenses.

She's keen to get into photography, her primary subjects will be her 2 sons, and the budget is $2000, but could stretch a little. She has no prior gear.

I was thinking along the lines of 60D or 70D + 18-55IS + 70-200L f/4 IS.

Thought she shouldn't buy too expensive a camera, and get a quality lens for the main area of interest.

What do you suggest.

Thanks in advance.

Jul 16, 2014 at 11:07 PM

EB-1
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Purchasing advice for Noob

Someone coming from no prior gear to an SLR often does not work out.
Have her rent a nice little Nikon setup, e.g. D5300 + 16-85, and try that first.

EBH

Jul 16, 2014 at 11:17 PM

SKumar25
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Purchasing advice for Noob

EB-1 wrote:
Someone coming from no prior gear to an SLR often does not work out.
Have her rent a nice little Nikon setup, e.g. D5300 + 16-85, and try that first.

EBH

Thanks, what would be a Canon equivalent?

Jul 16, 2014 at 11:25 PM

jasonpatrick
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Purchasing advice for Noob

The 60D and 15-85 would be comparable.

She will most likely be very happy not spending all 2k too. The 18-55 and 55-250stm are really decent lenses. Unless she's shooting fast moving sports these will be fine. If she is shooting fast moving sports, she'll need the 70D for the excellent AF in addition to USM or equivelant lenses.

Jul 16, 2014 at 11:51 PM

jasonpatrick
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Purchasing advice for Noob

Double post.

Jul 16, 2014 at 11:51 PM

josiahkim
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Purchasing advice for Noob

I'd recommend taking a look at the sigma 18-35mm 1.8.

Jul 17, 2014 at 12:06 AM

SKumar25
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Purchasing advice for Noob

My friend has procrastinated on buying photo gear for a while now. She had asked me to take a few shots of her elder son a while back, and at that time I advised her to buy a camera to capture the moments of her boy growing up. A couple of years and a baby later and still no camera (Apart from the phone)! Now she's really desperate to get into photography... and asked me if a 6D might be suitable!!

Jul 17, 2014 at 12:09 AM

StillFingerz
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Purchasing advice for Noob

Go refurb...both body lenses, save a bit for a bag, a few memory cards, extra batteries, etc. As for what to buy JP's suggestion seems spot on 60D or 70D...video might be important and that might weight the 70D a bit more. AF systems are quite different tho, you might school her on the old vs newer AF points look-n-feel.

Jul 17, 2014 at 12:27 AM

johnctharp
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Purchasing advice for Noob

My rule of thumb- if buying crop, get Nikon. If actually wanting to learn photography, get a used/refurb D7000 and a 50/1.8G, and whatever zoom is in range (the 18-140G is the best, and better than the best Canon).

Jul 17, 2014 at 12:43 AM

Scott T
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Purchasing advice for Noob

Is there a reason for her to use Canon over another brand? I've shot Canon for a long time and happy with it, but there's so many good options now, it's a bit overwhelming if you have a clean sheet to start with.

Canon does have a robust used market in the US, and reasonable prices, not sure if it's the same in Oz.

Great suggestions above, 70D 18-55 and 55-250 is a great kit. The tamron 17-50/2.8 is a great little lens and relatively cheap. 2.8 is a nice bonus.

The Olympus em-10 looks great and OMD looks like a nice system, especially for a beginner, though the cost advantage over canon is minimal, the size and weight savings is attractive. Don't go look at the alt gear forum...you may end up buying something.

Jul 17, 2014 at 01:06 AM

gdanmitchell
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Purchasing advice for Noob

SKumar25 wrote:
Hi,

have a friend that has asked me to help her buy a camera + lenses.

She's keen to get into photography, her primary subjects will be her 2 sons, and the budget is $2000, but could stretch a little. She has no prior gear.

I was thinking along the lines of 60D or 70D + 18-55IS + 70-200L f/4 IS.

Thought she shouldn't buy too expensive a camera, and get a quality lens for the main area of interest.

What do you suggest.

Thanks in advance.

Why assume that a DSLR is the right camera for a newbie with these needs?

Jul 17, 2014 at 01:23 AM

johnctharp
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Purchasing advice for Noob

gdanmitchell wrote:
Why assume that a DSLR is the right camera for a newbie with these needs?

I'd just suggest anything with AF, twin dials, and cheap availability of a decent zoom and a fast normal or short telephoto prime; a great sensor is an obvious plus too.

Jul 17, 2014 at 01:32 AM

kezeka
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Purchasing advice for Noob

For someone just getting into photography I don't see a reason to buy anything more than a rebel as far as bodies go. If she decides to stick with it and commits to learning how to actually use the camera (eg: not using auto mode, editing raw files) then she can pick up a body higher up on the food chain.

As for starting lenses, I personally recommend that new photographers get the nifty fifty (50mm f/1.8) for $100-ish. It will let them take photos with less depth of field and gobs of blur, which I have found to be one of the reasons many people want dSLRs in the first place. Past that, just recommend some cheapo zoom like an 18-135. Someone just jumping into photography doesn't need a $1000+ L lens to learn on. In fact, big heavy lenses seem to push people away from using their new cameras and further towards just picking up their phone for the photo.

Jul 17, 2014 at 01:34 AM

surf monkey
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Purchasing advice for Noob

Not sure why all the recommendations for going cheap.
If someone has a budget, and wants the best possible fit for their immediate needs, then go for a kit that you can grow into.
Why buy a bargain DSLR and find out that you immediately want something more.

One thing to consider is video. The only DSLR I would recommend for both photos and video is the Canon 70D. It's currently the best Canon crop DSLR for photography and the AF video is far better than other DSLRs. Add a STM lens and you have a very competent combo that you will not want to upgrade any time soon.

I would suggest a kit with the 70D + 18-135stm and add a 40mm f2.8 STM for low light.

Jul 17, 2014 at 01:48 AM

justruss
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Purchasing advice for Noob

One more vote FOR going cheap. The world of amateur photographer-- notably "I want to take photos of my kids or flowers"-- is littered with DSLRs purchased, used for a couple months, then promptly put on the shelf for an iPhone camera...

Honestly, she's probably just as well getting a Sony NEX w/ 16-50 zoom. Or a cheap Rebel/Nikon equiv. Something with decent AF, a decent kit zoom, that doesn't break the bank. Go from there.

But going from no DSLR whatsoever to 6D + big expensive glass... is risky to say the least.

Jul 17, 2014 at 02:19 AM

kezeka
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Purchasing advice for Noob

justruss wrote:
One more vote FOR going cheap. The world of amateur photographer-- notably "I want to take photos of my kids or flowers"-- is littered with DSLRs purchased, used for a couple months, then promptly put on the shelf for an iPhone camera...

Honestly, she's probably just as well getting a Sony NEX w/ 16-50 zoom. Or a cheap Rebel/Nikon equiv. Something with decent AF, a decent kit zoom, that doesn't break the bank. Go from there.

But going from no DSLR whatsoever to 6D + big expensive glass... is risky to say the least.

Yes.

I have started recommending the nex 3 to my friends who really want something small and don't mind the extra price. Turns out that the nifty fifty is a lot cheaper than any of the E mount lenses by a huge margin.

Jul 17, 2014 at 02:31 AM

SKumar25
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Purchasing advice for Noob

gdanmitchell wrote:
Why assume that a DSLR is the right camera for a newbie with these needs?

Hi Dan,

I took a few shots of her kid a while back, I guess she wants similar looking shots. I'll clarify this with her however. She was thinking about the 6D initially... so carried on along the DSLR line.

What would you suggest?

Jul 17, 2014 at 02:42 AM

SKumar25
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Purchasing advice for Noob

Scott T wrote:
Is there a reason for her to use Canon over another brand?

Thanks Scott, I'm familiar with Canon that's all. For DSLR, can't go wrong with Canikon.

Jul 17, 2014 at 02:46 AM

SKumar25
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Purchasing advice for Noob

Mirrorless might be a good option. I have experience with Sony, but only with mf lenses.
A bit reluctant to suggest mirrorless due to responsiveness / af ability, and smaller/incomplete systems.

Jul 17, 2014 at 03:09 AM

surf monkey
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Purchasing advice for Noob

SKumar25 wrote:
Hi Dan,

I took a few shots of her kid a while back, I guess she wants similar looking shots. I'll clarify this with her however. She was thinking about the 6D initially... so carried on along the DSLR line.

What would you suggest?

Let her know that the 6D is great, but if she wants flash, she'll need to buy an external flash. For most beginners this is a deal breaker - most never consider an external flash.

Also, she should factor in a couple memory cards, a bag, a computer, and learning post-processing.
If she plans on using only in-camera JPEGs and printing photos at Costco, then a high-end setup isn't necessary. If she only plans on posting photos on Facebook, then she should just get a point n shoot or stick to a newer smartphone.

Jul 17, 2014 at 03:20 AM

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