Question - Best begginers/budget dslr

[Oxygen Thief]

http://amzn.to/2vx0uC1

If you want to read up about the basics, this is a good start. Covers everything you need to know including editing. Bit pricey but worth it IMO.

I'm sure it'll help some people, but jeez, do you really want to take pictures like the one on the cover? I certainly don't.

Go out with someone who knows what they're doing and learn from them

We used to do this a lot when we first started with DSLRs. Comparing settings and results etc. I still occasionally take people out and help them get to grips with photography, particularly underground.

 

[Lord Oort]

+1 for a CSC camera. Got a Sony a6000 + Samyang 12mm f2.0 wangle and it's fantastic!

Doesn't suffer from slow focusing and is brilliant in low light.

 

[elhomer12]

+1 for a CSC camera. Got a Sony a6000 + Samyang 12mm f2.0 wangle and it's fantastic!

Doesn't suffer from slow focusing and is brilliant in low light.

I wouldn't mind trying something like this out for myself to be fair. I've been skeptical of mirrorless cameras for umbex purposes in the past, but put a fast lens on one like that 12mm f/2 and I can't see why it wouldn't do the job

Still not ditching the DSLRs though, I'm way too invested

 

[Lord Oort]

You can have a play with it when we're in Wilts. In all honestly I'm completely in love with it, its what I used for my shelter report. The full frame ones are a bit pricey though...

 

[Lord Oort]

Double post.

 

[RustyG]

Well boys and girls, thanks for all your replies! After a lot of thought ive decided to go for a bridge camera to start with. I've finally managed to win a fujifim X-pro1 for a decent price. I decided that even though it's not a proper dslr it should be more than enough for me to mess about with, and with it being a fair bit cheaper I can spend more on a lens! Probly gonna get a
Samyang 12mm F/2.0 CS NCS first as they are pretty cheap and then eventually buy one of the super posh fuji ones with the image stabilisation n all that!

 

[Keenamateur]

Arnt' they a CSC camera? Mirrorless? Either way im sure you will enjoy it, Just make sure to get out and use it! I actually miss my old CSC's! It will be the start of a whole new chapter buddy, Enjoy.

 

[RustyG]

@Keenamateur yeah your right mate, it's mirrorless, it arrived yesterday just got to wait and seE if I win my lens!

 

[Grom]

Well boys and girls, thanks for all your replies! After a lot of thought ive decided to go for a bridge camera to start with. I've finally managed to win a fujifim X-pro1 for a decent price. I decided that even though it's not a proper dslr it should be more than enough for me to mess about with, and with it being a fair bit cheaper I can spend more on a lens! Probly gonna get a
Samyang 12mm F/2.0 CS NCS first as they are pretty cheap and then eventually buy one of the super posh fuji ones with the image stabilisation n all that!

You picked a great first camera. Its got DSLR level image quality, so should last you ages. The Samyang 12mm lens is an awesome choice too, set it to F8 and everything is pin sharp. Enjoy!

 

[RustyG]

I was looking at the X-M1 that you suggested mate and the X-pros kept coming up on the eBay searches, I read a few recent reviews and thought well yeah it looks like a decent bit of camera for the money!

 

[RustyG]

Well my camera and lens are here! I've been playing about with it all week and I'm slowly getting the hang of it! Im letting the camera choose the shutter speed and iso while I get used to focusing n that but I'm sure it won't be long before I start fiddling with everything.
May sound like a stupid question, but can I break the sensor n that by having it set up wrong? I'm still in the 'scared I'm gonna break it' phase at the moment

 

[Grom]

Nah you can't break it by having the settings wrong, your just get a bad picture. You can only really physically break the sensor.
Sounds good what your doing so far. Only thing I'd do is set the ISO to 200 so you have the best quality from image from the camera. Means longer shutter times, but worth it!

 

[RustyG]

Nice one mate! That puts my mind at ease! I'm off out now for a lil mooch about now, I'll set the iso to 200 and see how I get on

 

[Andrew32]

canon 700d?

 

[Neo]

Hi all, I've been wanting to get a proper dslr camera for a while now, but I don't have a clue what I'm looking at, not being a photographer most of the reviews I read are all meaningless jargon to me!
Basically I need a camera that is pretty easy to use (I'm not the most technically minded person when it comes to electronics), relatively compact, good in low light for the urbex pics as well as being able to take action shots of my dogs buggering about and then finally (and probably most importantly) it needs to be pretty tough, I know cameras are delicate things but I also know from experience that any kit I own lives a hard life, it will get knocked about and will most likely get wet at some point so anything a bit rugged or that you can get a protective/waterproof case for would be a bonus.
I've been looking at the nikon D3300 and the cannon EOS 100D, from what I've read they both seem to be good entry level cameras but as I said a lot of the reviews are just meaningless to me.
What does everyone think? Any experience with either camera? personal preferences? Is a proper dslr what I need or would I be better off just getting one of the compact dslrs like the Sony cybershot or nikon coolpix?

Thanks in advance
RustyG

If you're able to reasonably insure your kit, do it. I own a very expensive kit and because I accidentally dropped my camera bag a few weeks ago, the focus no longer works properly, and all the images are half out of focus due to internal damage. Fixing it basically costs the same as the lens so I'm best off buying another one. Of course things like this are bound to happen especially if you're always out and about. So it might be something to consider. Just my two cents.