Question - Camera recomendation

[The Young One]

What camera/cameras do you use and what one do you recommend as I'm in the market for a fairly decent one but is on the cheap side of things.
Also lenses what ones do you use and your recomendations.

 

[dansgas1000]

I know this isn't everyone's opinion. But I have always bought things like this second-hand. If on a budget, I would always get a mid-range second-hand model as opposed to a new budget model for similar money. I do the same with things like cars and computer products. So for example, if you're just looking at a basic entry Canon DSLR brand new you'd be looking at a 2000D (£409 on Currys). I would rather get a mid-range model from a few years ago, something like a Canon 70D, 77D or 80D for similar money. If you are on a real budget even something like a Nikon D3200 or Canon 60D just to get things started. The new one will have better software and a warranty (which is important for some), but the older one will have lots more features and usually better quality because the brand new price was a lot more.

In terms of brand Nikon, Canon & some Sony models are the 'safest' choices. Fuji's are funky, everyone I know who has one swears by them, and I love the design. I've never had experience with other brands really. Also, would you be wanting DSLR or Mirrorless? MIrrorless would probably be out of budget if buying new but you could pick up something like a Sony A5000/A6000 series. Lenses are a bit more expensive for Sony's and Fujis than what they are for Canon/NIkons though so that's something to bare in mind.

 

[The Young One]

I haven't got a clue what mirrorless or DSLR means but yeah I've been browsing ebay for a while and found some decent looking ones and was wondering what one to get

 

[The_Raw]

I started off with a Nikon D3100 in 2013, followed by the D3200. They were the cheapest Nikon SLRs at the time. Upgraded to the D7200 at some point and the difference in quality was mindblowing. That cost me £600 new back then but you can pick one up for less than £300 second hand on mpb or wex now. Lenses are pretty cheap on there as well.

 

[dansgas1000]

I haven't got a clue what mirrorless or DSLR means but yeah I've been browsing ebay for a while and found some decent looking ones and was wondering what one to get

Basically Mirrorless has a digital viewfinder and the preview for the photo will always be on the screen, with a DSLR it has a traditional viewfinder but you have to click the Live View button whenever you want to see the preview on screen. Mirrorless is a newer technology and I don't think many (if any) mainstream camera manufacturers are making DSLRs anymore. Mirrorless tends to be more expensive but there are benefits. But for a beginner, lenses tend to be a lot cheaper for DSLR's as there is more selection because they've been around longer. Pretty sure Mirrorless is better in a lot ways, I think the only main downside of mirrorless other than the cheap lense availability is the battery life, it tends to be a bit shorter with a lot of mirrorless cameras, but they are more compact.

 

[The Young One]

Is there like a power bank for cameras or have I got to make one?

 

[dansgas1000]

Is there like a power bank for cameras or have I got to make one?

You can get those battery Grip attachments where you can have 2 or 3 batteries. But you don't really need a power bank like you do a phone as pretty much all cameras have interchangeable batteries. You'd just have 2 or 3 on you and swap them when they die.

 

[The Young One]

Ah alright mate

 

[The Young One]

What lenses are good for close ups and far away

 

[dansgas1000]

What lenses are good for close ups and far away

On my Canon 77D I use a 10-18mm for wide angle shots. To explain it simply this is equivalent to 0.5x-1x zoom on a modern phone. I also have a zoom lens 15-85mm which is about 0.8x-6x equivalent. Then I have a 50mm prime lens which I use for detail shots. You can't zoom in or out the benefit of prime lenses is that they can let more light in and you get that nice blurry background.

 

[The Young One]

Ah cool

 

[Mikeymutt]

I use a Fuji XT3 which is the Fuji flagship camera. But I bought it last year second hand , like most of my gear, and it's already got a few new generations on it. Most companies have stopped producing DSLRs now in favour of mirrorless APSC, Micro Four Thirds and Full Frame. Everything in the camera world works around the old 35mm film format size. So full frame is the equivalent of a 35mm. Then the sensors gets smaller as you go down. So a 10mm lens on an APSC is the equivalent of a 14mm on a full frame and micro four thirds is even smaller. Mirrorless is definatley more expensive than DSLR though and the full frame lenses in mirrorless can be pricey. You then have zooms and primes. Zooms will give you a wide range of focal length. So I use a 10-24 (about 14-35 full frame) which is the most popular range in exploring. Then you get primes which are normally smaller than zooms but give you a better, sharper photo. I usually have an 8mm and 23mm prime with me as well. That is my main exploring pack up. I do have a few other lenses as well for other stuff. It can get very confusing with cameras and very expensive. But it does not have too get like that and so many seconds hand DSLRs out there that produce just as good results if not better than newer cameras. Some of the old Nikon's are great cameras. A lot just use phones now as it's less hassle and less to carry about and they produce great shots. They always say it's the camera you have on you. I ain't the greatest at taking a photo but I enjoy using cameras and doing the settings and such. And I still think a camera on the whole gets you a better picture. Depends it's choice and what you want out of it. And never get hung up on getting the newest tech thinking it makes you a better photographer.

 

[403forbiddenexploration]

Bought myself a Canon EOS 100D not too long ago. Got it for a decent price on eBay. Runs magic lantern (firmware mod for some Canon cameras, which adds a metric fuck tonne of features) too, which is really nice. Though that's more useful if you want to shoot videos.

Atm I just have the kit lens, but I am looking to get a wider lens as well. EF/EF-S (Canon's mount system for older DSLRs) lenses are everywhere and cheap enough.

Shoot raw and learn to edit in adobe/darkroom/whatever. You can make any camera look decent enough.

Is there like a power bank for cameras or have I got to make one?

Some can charge via USB, or have an adapter which plugs into the normal battery slot, but allows you to run it off USB. I honestly wouldn't bother though. Knockoff batteries exist very cheaply for all the main brands. Just keep a couple spares with you.

 

[The Young One]

is there any brands you would recomend?

 

[403forbiddenexploration]

As @dansgas1000 said, Canon or Sony will do you just fine. Nikon too maybe. All three are easy enough to find lenses for. That's gonna be the main difference, is lens mount systems.

Look at around 10 year old DSLRs. They're probably best in terms of price/performance. Canon may be slightly cheaper here than Sony, but there's decent deals to be had any which way you decide to go. Nikon I can't talk for.