bigfutz
Well-Known Fanatic
Any photographers out there? If so, can you recommend a forum or any other online resources for an amateur? I'm looking to buy a nice(r) camera for shooting birds and wildlife, but I don't know squat about lens selection.
Shooting of another kind
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bigfutz
Well-Known Fanatic
First off, I know nothing about the differences in one system vs the next. Lots of it will be fun, family, etc. My key factors (IOW complaints about consumer grade cameras) are slow draw, slow rate of fire, slow autofocus, and limited zoom. Currently I have a 10x optical zoom Kodak. But wide angle shots are great too. Am I going to end up with a backback full of gadgets and $5k in the hole? Am I asking too much? At this point I guess I just want to weed through some of the information to figur out what I am looking for.C_Carson said:
Well, there's three grades of gear: Consumer (soccer moms) Prosumer (knows more than the soccer mom, wants better gear with more options) and Professional (customarily buys the biggest, latest and baddest)
The only difference between Canon and Nikon, really, is their controls operate a little differently. I compare it to shooting a Glock and a 1911. Both are great, you just may like one more than the other. Getting really into it, some models for each brand will either use a CMOS or CCD chip sensor, but that's more techy nerd info that you don't really need to know or care about unless you really want to get into it.
I'm personally a Nikon fan, but I have heard Canon has higher quality lenses. Again, that's getting into the professional range, and unless you have several grand to drop on EACH lens, then both brands have equally, or similar glass available. My best advice is go to a place you can handle and practice a bit with both brands and see which one you like. Then start researching which lenses you want.
The biggest issue with the complaints you mentioned, are actually NOT the camera. It's generally the operator not knowing how to use their gear. Auto-mode is generally slow with poor focus. Manual mode is best because you can set the ISO, shutter speed and aperture, which provides that satisfying click, as well as giving you control over how you want your shot to look. Moody, grainy, soft and dreamy, creamy bokeh, selective focusing...
Then there's the whole question of, do you want to use zoom lenses or primes? I started out with an 18-55mm and 70-300mm on a D50 years ago, and that worked fine. I upgraded to a D90 with a 35mm prime, and while it's not for everyone or every situation, I love that set up.
Okay...I may be providing a little TOO much information here, lol. Basically, pick the system you like, get a decent body with enough features to comfortably handle, mid-range lens (basic starter lenses are the 18-55, or 55-200, I think. I've been out of the game for a few years.) and then a basic zoom lens. I strongly recommend that you keep your selections basic enough to learn on, and then upgrade after you've learned more and decided how much you'll want to invest in it.
I can't recommend any forums, since I've not been in that loop for about 2 or 3 years, but I'd just google search, lurk on a few forums, and join the ones that seem like they could teach you the most. FredMiranda.com is a pretty big forum, with lots of knowledgeable people on board.
If you have any other questions, I'll try to help without rambling too much
Oh, and you can get a pretty basic review of lenses on KenRockwell.com. He's not exactly the greatest source, but he can provide a basic overview of each lens, what it does, and what it costs. That's good for just starting out. Not everything he says is accurate, but most of the technical information should be spot on.
The only difference between Canon and Nikon, really, is their controls operate a little differently. I compare it to shooting a Glock and a 1911. Both are great, you just may like one more than the other. Getting really into it, some models for each brand will either use a CMOS or CCD chip sensor, but that's more techy nerd info that you don't really need to know or care about unless you really want to get into it.
I'm personally a Nikon fan, but I have heard Canon has higher quality lenses. Again, that's getting into the professional range, and unless you have several grand to drop on EACH lens, then both brands have equally, or similar glass available. My best advice is go to a place you can handle and practice a bit with both brands and see which one you like. Then start researching which lenses you want.
The biggest issue with the complaints you mentioned, are actually NOT the camera. It's generally the operator not knowing how to use their gear. Auto-mode is generally slow with poor focus. Manual mode is best because you can set the ISO, shutter speed and aperture, which provides that satisfying click, as well as giving you control over how you want your shot to look. Moody, grainy, soft and dreamy, creamy bokeh, selective focusing...
Then there's the whole question of, do you want to use zoom lenses or primes? I started out with an 18-55mm and 70-300mm on a D50 years ago, and that worked fine. I upgraded to a D90 with a 35mm prime, and while it's not for everyone or every situation, I love that set up.
Okay...I may be providing a little TOO much information here, lol. Basically, pick the system you like, get a decent body with enough features to comfortably handle, mid-range lens (basic starter lenses are the 18-55, or 55-200, I think. I've been out of the game for a few years.) and then a basic zoom lens. I strongly recommend that you keep your selections basic enough to learn on, and then upgrade after you've learned more and decided how much you'll want to invest in it.
I can't recommend any forums, since I've not been in that loop for about 2 or 3 years, but I'd just google search, lurk on a few forums, and join the ones that seem like they could teach you the most. FredMiranda.com is a pretty big forum, with lots of knowledgeable people on board.
If you have any other questions, I'll try to help without rambling too much
Oh, and you can get a pretty basic review of lenses on KenRockwell.com. He's not exactly the greatest source, but he can provide a basic overview of each lens, what it does, and what it costs. That's good for just starting out. Not everything he says is accurate, but most of the technical information should be spot on.
bigfutz
Well-Known Fanatic
For $119 I couldn't resist this one. 30x zoom and super macro! Read the comments section:
http://tech.woot.com/offers/kodak-easyshare-z990-1
http://tech.woot.com/offers/kodak-easyshare-z990-1
