Starter camera

[DALExSNAIL]

So here's a stupid general thread for you guys.

I want to have good pics for projects coming up, as well as showing off in the photography topics. What's some el cheapo stuff to get me going?

Need an upgrade over my galaxy s7.

Kinda hoping to spend under 500

Seems to be a lot of knowledgeable people on here in regards to photography.

[tp4tissue]

LIES,, you're just trying to snipe fotos of chix from a distance.. /stalker...

[DALExSNAIL]

LIES,, you're just trying to snipe fotos of chix from a distance.. /stalker...

Shhhhhhhhhhhh ( )

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[Spopepro]

I'm assuming you want digital, so I'll stuff my film rant back in the box.

$500 is right around a breakpoint currently for cameras. Less than that and you have consumer gear that cuts corners. Just a little bit over and you have enthusiast stuff that has some smart compromises. When I was looking recently for a family member with the same question I liked the Sony a6000 and the Olympus OM-d em10. Ideally you could handle a couple of cameras and see which one feels best to use. I nearly bought my first digital in years recently until I went to the shop and handled it and it wasn't at all what I wanted. The ergonomics while shooting were awful. Things like finding the settings you want in menus, how many and what options are on physical controls and such have to be seen in person.

[DALExSNAIL]

I'm assuming you want digital, so I'll stuff my film rant back in the box.

$500 is right around a breakpoint currently for cameras. Less than that and you have consumer gear that cuts corners. Just a little bit over and you have enthusiast stuff that has some smart compromises. When I was looking recently for a family member with the same question I liked the Sony a6000 and the Olympus OM-d em10. Ideally you could handle a couple of cameras and see which one feels best to use. I nearly bought my first digital in years recently until I went to the shop and handled it and it wasn't at all what I wanted. The ergonomics while shooting were awful. Things like finding the settings you want in menus, how many and what options are on physical controls and such have to be seen in person.

Well I don't need brand new. Something that sells for a good price used on ebay to leave room for a lens budget later would be ok.

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[Spopepro]

I'm assuming you want digital, so I'll stuff my film rant back in the box.

$500 is right around a breakpoint currently for cameras. Less than that and you have consumer gear that cuts corners. Just a little bit over and you have enthusiast stuff that has some smart compromises. When I was looking recently for a family member with the same question I liked the Sony a6000 and the Olympus OM-d em10. Ideally you could handle a couple of cameras and see which one feels best to use. I nearly bought my first digital in years recently until I went to the shop and handled it and it wasn't at all what I wanted. The ergonomics while shooting were awful. Things like finding the settings you want in menus, how many and what options are on physical controls and such have to be seen in person.

Well I don't need brand new. Something that sells for a good price used on ebay to leave room for a lens budget later would be ok.

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I really like the Olympus OM-d then. They have a huge lens selection, the sensor is good, and they are weather resistant. The styling and ergonomics aren't for everyone. They've been sold for a while so used deals will probably not be hard to find. Be aware that there are many versions of the OM-d with different features, so cross check before pulling the trigger on one.

[DALExSNAIL]

I'm assuming you want digital, so I'll stuff my film rant back in the box.

$500 is right around a breakpoint currently for cameras. Less than that and you have consumer gear that cuts corners. Just a little bit over and you have enthusiast stuff that has some smart compromises. When I was looking recently for a family member with the same question I liked the Sony a6000 and the Olympus OM-d em10. Ideally you could handle a couple of cameras and see which one feels best to use. I nearly bought my first digital in years recently until I went to the shop and handled it and it wasn't at all what I wanted. The ergonomics while shooting were awful. Things like finding the settings you want in menus, how many and what options are on physical controls and such have to be seen in person.

Well I don't need brand new. Something that sells for a good price used on ebay to leave room for a lens budget later would be ok.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

I really like the Olympus OM-d then. They have a huge lens selection, the sensor is good, and they are weather resistant. The styling and ergonomics aren't for everyone. They've been sold for a while so used deals will probably not be hard to find. Be aware that there are many versions of the OM-d with different features, so cross check before pulling the trigger on one.

To be fair, feature wise I have no clue what to look for haha.

I do love the look of it though

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[jerue]

For a camera, a new body. I have been using a Nikon D3300 and love it. It takes great photos, and although it's a half-frame camera it's great for just about anything. The 18-55mm kit lens that comes with it is also pretty good. Without knowing what types of stuff you'd like to shoot, I won't recommend any lenses, but a 35mm prime would be awesome for shooting the streets of downtown Charleston 

You'll also want to learn a bit about some photography elements such as white balance, aperture, shutter speed, etc. Here's a good infograph on that. The important thing is to learn from your photos, otherwise you may not enjoy photography as much

[DALExSNAIL]

For a camera, a new body. I have been using a Nikon D3300 and love it. It takes great photos, and although it's a half-frame camera it's great for just about anything. The 18-55mm kit lens that comes with it is also pretty good. Without knowing what types of stuff you'd like to shoot, I won't recommend any lenses, but a 35mm prime would be awesome for shooting the streets of downtown Charleston 

You'll also want to learn a bit about some photography elements such as white balance, aperture, shutter speed, etc. Here's a good infograph on that. The important thing is to learn from your photos, otherwise you may not enjoy photography as much

mostly keyboard photography haha (some product shots too some time soon). Maybe a bit of vacationing and family stuff here and there. Mostly macro shots for keyboards, unless I latch onto it yet another hobby. So sggest away for lenses!

Also, do you stay in Charleston too? In Myrtle Beach currently as I was offered a decent job in the past few months.

[tjcaustin]

A6k boyeeee

Or, since you're used to your cellphone interface - http://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-qx1-body-kit  plus a nice prime/macro lens and a inexpensive tripod.

[DALExSNAIL]

A6k boyeeee

Or, since you're used to your cellphone interface - http://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-qx1-body-kit  plus a nice prime/macro lens and a inexpensive tripod.

Is that thing literally just a lense lol?

[tjcaustin]

A6k boyeeee

Or, since you're used to your cellphone interface - http://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-qx1-body-kit  plus a nice prime/macro lens and a inexpensive tripod.

Is that thing literally just a lense lol?

No, it's just the sensor, flash and wifi/bluetooth to communicate with your cell phone.  You buy the same lenses you would for any e-mount sony camera, like the a6000.

See:

[DALExSNAIL]

A6k boyeeee

Or, since you're used to your cellphone interface - http://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-qx1-body-kit  plus a nice prime/macro lens and a inexpensive tripod.

Is that thing literally just a lense lol?

No, it's just the sensor, flash and wifi/bluetooth to communicate with your cell phone.  You buy the same lenses you would for any e-mount sony camera, like the a6000.

See:

Show Image

Oh wow that's cool. I might have to check some reviews on that!

I'm leaning towards the Olympus and a6k for sure.The olympus looks cooler to me though, but the 6k has killer reviews. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[kolec94]

I'm just gonna post this here I know its no great but it still a good camera

Rebel t3i

[tjcaustin]

I'm just gonna post this here I know its no great but it still a good camera

Rebel t3i

It's solid, but I upgraded from that to the a6k.

[eksuen]

If you want a DSLR, you could consider the Pentax K50. It's weather sealed and you can get the body plus two weather resistant kit lenses (18-55mm and 50-200mm) for under $500 currently on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Pentax-K-50-Digital-Camera-3-Inch/dp/B00DBPKBQO

I own the K30, for which the K50 is a successor. The weather sealing is a fantastic value at this price point, if it's something that's important to you. I never thought I'd take advantage of it, but I find that it opens up more shooting opportunities. I've taken my camera rafting and had people shoot water right at it and I didn't bat an eye. Zero issues. The rest of the camera's specs aren't bad by any stretch either. The biggest downside is a much smaller lens selection compared to the likes of Canon and Nikon if you ever see yourself expanding significantly in the photography space.

[Spopepro]

The Pentax is a nice piece of kit, and is good value, but it is a commitment to a lens mount that isn't very popular. If you end up wanting just a couple, and are unlikely to go deep into photography in the future, then it's not an issue and the Pentax is a good choice. If you're going to get into it a bit, then the Olympus (which takes oly or Panasonic u4/3 lenses) or Sony (who makes a ton of glass) will give you more options down the road. If you think you're really, really going to make a hobby out of it then you should get a Nikon or Canon dslr and only spend money on good glass that will last nearly a lifetime. If you want to make it a pathological obsession, buy a film Leica or hasseblad and become an insufferable person who no one likes because you talk only about how you shoot film and how awesome it is and how much of an artist you are.

But really, the OM-d or a6000 is about as good as it gets, and between them it's more about ergonomics and object satisfaction. The a6000 is probably a slightly better camera objectively. The OM-d is what I'd buy for myself because I like dials, and I'm an insufferable film user and the retro styling tugs at my heart.

[DALExSNAIL]

The Pentax is a nice piece of kit, and is good value, but it is a commitment to a lens mount that isn't very popular. If you end up wanting just a couple, and are unlikely to go deep into photography in the future, then it's not an issue and the Pentax is a good choice. If you're going to get into it a bit, then the Olympus (which takes oly or Panasonic u4/3 lenses) or Sony (who makes a ton of glass) will give you more options down the road. If you think you're really, really going to make a hobby out of it then you should get a Nikon or Canon dslr and only spend money on good glass that will last nearly a lifetime. If you want to make it a pathological obsession, buy a film Leica or hasseblad and become an insufferable person who no one likes because you talk only about how you shoot film and how awesome it is and how much of an artist you are.

But really, the OM-d or a6000 is about as good as it gets, and between them it's more about ergonomics and object satisfaction. The a6000 is probably a slightly better camera objectively. The OM-d is what I'd buy for myself because I like dials, and I'm an insufferable film user and the retro styling tugs at my heart.

I've all but decided I'm getting the Olympus. As bad as it seems, I'm mostly getting it for the aesthetic haha. It looks great, and it's more than enough for the little bit of stuff I'll be doing. Looked up some macro lenses for it and they seem relatively inexpensive, and the test shots look even better than I initially wanted out of a camera.

[eksuen]

The Pentax is a nice piece of kit, and is good value, but it is a commitment to a lens mount that isn't very popular. If you end up wanting just a couple, and are unlikely to go deep into photography in the future, then it's not an issue and the Pentax is a good choice. If you're going to get into it a bit, then the Olympus (which takes oly or Panasonic u4/3 lenses) or Sony (who makes a ton of glass) will give you more options down the road. If you think you're really, really going to make a hobby out of it then you should get a Nikon or Canon dslr and only spend money on good glass that will last nearly a lifetime. If you want to make it a pathological obsession, buy a film Leica or hasseblad and become an insufferable person who no one likes because you talk only about how you shoot film and how awesome it is and how much of an artist you are.

But really, the OM-d or a6000 is about as good as it gets, and between them it's more about ergonomics and object satisfaction. The a6000 is probably a slightly better camera objectively. The OM-d is what I'd buy for myself because I like dials, and I'm an insufferable film user and the retro styling tugs at my heart.

I've all but decided I'm getting the Olympus. As bad as it seems, I'm mostly getting it for the aesthetic haha. It looks great, and it's more than enough for the little bit of stuff I'll be doing. Looked up some macro lenses for it and they seem relatively inexpensive, and the test shots look even better than I initially wanted out of a camera.

No judgement here. What's the point of getting equipment you don't enjoy using, even if that enjoyment is derived mostly from its aesthetics? I'm sure you'll love it. Happy shooting!