|
jarlywarly posted:Is your budget just for the camera body or do you need lenses as well?
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 10:11
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 12:09 |
|
|
With a view to shooting birds later on I would look at a second-hand Canon aps-c mirrorless like an Canon R10 or if you can stretch an R7. The issue is your subjects are bit mixed, for low light city shots I would recommend a older second hand full frame DSLR like a 6D and a wide angle fast zoom (like 18-35) but if you want birds later on then you need to keep in mind that subject wants good autofocus and fast shooting. You can start with a basic RF kit zoom to work out if you want to go longer/wider/faster etc. Could also pick-up a 50 f/1.8 for low light but that's quite narrow on crop. If you get the R10 etc later on if you want to do birds you'll have the eye tracking autofocus and fast shooting and the option to add a cheaper (than some telephotos) RF 100-400 for reach. Take birds out of the picture completely and you have a few more options.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 10:23
|
|
|
a7m2 posted:I did Google it but I never know if those sites are reliable or just trying to make a quick buck with affiliate Amazon links. Unfortunately, in 2024, it is invariably the latter. In addition to the above, if you really can’t stretch for it, the R50 is a fairly capable “beginner” camera. You miss out on a few physical features, but it still has the fancy auto-detect focus modes. Unfortunately the default kit lens for the R50 isn’t great at much beyond its staggering compactness. As I have learned the hard way, photography is a buy-once-cry-once kind of hobby though, so it’s often worth spending the extra up front.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 11:17
|
|
|
Birding is easily the most expensive subject you could pick in photography. That doesn't mean you can't do it cheap.. but you're going to have to compromise somewhere.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 11:29
|
|
|
Thanks guys! Happy to compromise, and also happy not to start with bird photography. There's a lot of cool poo poo to shoot near me if that's a more affordable path into the hobby.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 12:01
|
|
|
I think I can swing an R7. What lens would you guys recommend? Ignoring the bird photography for now, I will be traveling to Japan in a few months and mostly interested in photographing temples and such and my parents (I'm treating them to this trip for their anniversary)
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 13:06
|
|
|
A 35mm would be a decent place to start for city shots as it’s 52mm on a crop sensor. If you want to do street photography, you need something wider in the 15-25mm range. Unfortunately I’m a dinosaur who shoots EF lenses so I don’t know what RF lenses are on offer in this range
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 13:37
|
|
|
If you’re just starting out, the 18-150mm kit lens is pretty good and extremely versatile. The RF 28mm pancake is also excellent on the R7 for a more compact solution though the frame is slightly too tight for wider landscapes.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 13:44
|
|
|
a7m2 posted:I'm looking to buy a good "beginner" DSLR for under $1000 (preferably quite a bit under, but that's the absolute maximum I'm willing to spend) and was hoping for some goon recommendations. I did Google it but I never know if those sites are reliable or just trying to make a quick buck with affiliate Amazon links. I'd take a long look at Micro Four-Thirds with a used Panasonic G9, or Olympus EM-1 Mark 2. MFT has an extensive collection of lenses, and they're small and inexpensive, making experimentation easier.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 14:23
|
|
|
a7m2 posted:I think I can swing an R7. What lens would you guys recommend? Ignoring the bird photography for now, I will be traveling to Japan in a few months and mostly interested in photographing temples and such and my parents (I'm treating them to this trip for their anniversary) The 18-150 kit lens is impossibly sharp, has built in image stabilization that mates with the R7's built-in stabilization allowing you to pull off night photography in a city and such really well. This will be amazing for your Japan trip. For birding, the RF 100-400 is fantastic. It's a bargain for the price and you'll use it for a long long time. I use both lenses and love them both on my R7. It's a good "budget" path for doing it all. If you end up going down the rabbit hole and find you want even better nighttime shooting capabilities, look for the Sigma 18-50 2.8 that is coming out in July. With Canon opening up the RFS mount to 3rd parties, the R7 is up on a throne right now. (imo) Philthy fucked around with this message at 18:30 on May 12, 2024 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 18:18
|
|
|
Thank you all so much. I can't express how much I appreciate the highly detailed responses. Last question: Buying used/refurbished - yay or nay? I'm guessing it's probably fine but what should I be on the lookout for? The used camera market is pretty big near me but I'm not super familiar with shopping for one. I know I should be looking at shutter count. I am open to buying new as well if it's not worth the risk/hassle.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 18:30
|
|
|
Used will be a place that accepts returns. Look local first, then places like Adorama, MPB, KEH, B&H, etc. Shutter count isn't as important for newer mirrorless cameras, but for older ones, yes, the lower the better. What you're looking for is just solid, crisp images. I have bought several used cameras and lenses in the past, and returned quite a few. I had a camera that no matter what photos it took, everything came out soft, slightly blurred. Someone who isn't familiar with cameras might not even notice. But everything should be sharp in a perfect testing environment (plenty of light, non-moving subject). I sent it back, chose a different camera and that is working great even today. For lenses, just do research on how good they are. They might look perfect on paper, but when you get it, it might disappoint. I bought an 18-400 lens thinking I'd be able to do it all. But at the 400 range, it was LESS magnification than my 55-250 at 250. It's hard as a new shooter to understand stuff like that if you don't have gear to compare to. The 18-400 just wasn't very sharp and vibrant, either. I sent it back. Adorama was pretty quick and easy for me sending and returning, MPB was quick to deliver, but the refund took a month, KEH I think was good both ways as well.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 18:38
|
|
|
Used equipment is fine. If you're buying it from an actual camera store that's been around a while they're probably not scamming you. "No returns" is a red flag, don't buy from there. Since you're going to Tokyo take a peep at this place: https://www.fujiya-camera.co.jp/shop/default.aspx There are lots of used camera stores in the city, this one's fairly big and has a lot of secondhand stuff. And since it's Japan it tends to be in pretty pristine condition. I dunno if the exchange rate is as favorable for you at the moment as it is in USD->JPY but I got a whole bunch of lenses last time I was in Japan for not much money. I got a 50-230 lens I've used for birds for like $100. E: If you're up for manual focus, that's also a way to get lenses for cheap. You can get excellent lenses from before autofocus for $50 or less, and they can all be stuck on an adapter for use on a mirrorless camera. Probably not going to be chasing birds around with manual focus but for stuff like street photography, you don't really need an autofocus lens. Grand Fromage fucked around with this message at 18:43 on May 12, 2024 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 18:38
|
|
|
I'll probably buy the camera and first lens in Shenzhen or Guangzhou, maybe Hong Kong (though I prefer not to as crossing the border is a bit tedious) so I can't check out the recommended shops, but the other advice is very helpful! When going to Japan I probably won't go to Tokyo but I'll keep an eye out for a nice lens while I'm in the country. I'm sure other big cities also have good shops and by then I should have some idea of what the same products would cost back in the greater bay area. I'm a little worried about detecting issues with the cameras because I have nothing to compare it with or experience. I don't really know anybody in person that could help either.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 19:01
|
|
|
 I'm seeing this dust or whatever it is across multiple lenses which leads me to believe it's on the sensor. However, when I look at the sensor, it looks perfectly clean. Like, whatever that giant bit is, which looks like hair or thread, I'd expect that to be super obvious on the sensor but I see nothing. What am I missing here?
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 21:29
|
|
|
You probably just can't see it, use a blower on it see if it goes away. If not get a sensor cleaning kit.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 21:40
|
|
|
Yeah, just clean the sensor. I used a kit off Amazon on my 5d classic and it took care of some very similar looking junk in my images
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 22:41
|
|
|
Philthy posted:look for the Sigma 18-50 2.8 that is coming out in July. With Canon opening up the RFS mount to 3rd parties, the R7 is up on a throne right now. (imo) This will be the way, It's quite rare for the Tamron 17-55 2.8 to come off my body. If I could only have one lens a wide-normal 2.8 zoom would be the one.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 23:17
|
|
|
Sigma 18-35 1.8 is my favorite apsc lens for general use. You lose top end reach but the aperture makes up for it in most cases.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 23:41
|
|
|
Look at these nerds that use apertures other than f/8.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2024 23:52
|
|
|
Bottom Liner posted:Sigma 18-35 1.8 is my favorite apsc lens for general use. You lose top end reach but the aperture makes up for it in most cases. Can confirm - loving this lens.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2024 16:24
|
|
|
Bottom Liner posted:Sigma 18-35 1.8 is my favorite apsc lens for general use. You lose top end reach but the aperture makes up for it in most cases. the one lens I really regret not having after switching from canon to fuji (yes i know you can get an adapter but it didn't seem worth it just for one lens)
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2024 17:30
|
|
|
Can Nikon F lenses be adapted to Canon EF cameras and still retain infinity focus?
Beve Stuscemi fucked around with this message at 22:40 on May 13, 2024 |
|
#
?
May 13, 2024 22:35
|
|
|
Beve Stuscemi posted:Can Nikon F lenses be adapted to Canon EF cameras and still retain infinity focus? Yes.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2024 22:53
|
|
|
Perfect. My local goodwill had a Nikon D300 with a Tamron 28-300 macro on it. I ordered a battery for the camera but I figure worst case scenario if the body is dead I can use the lens on my canon gear. If the body works I plan to use it for film scanning
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2024 00:49
|
|
|
Beve Stuscemi posted:Perfect. My local goodwill had a Nikon D300 with a Tamron 28-300 macro on it. I ordered a battery for the camera but I figure worst case scenario if the body is dead I can use the lens on my canon gear. As a follow-on to this. The D300 works great, as does the Tamron lens, I actually really like this camera, and it may see more work than just film scanning. Anyway, I took a couple test shots of some film, and I really like the results, but I have one problem. The minimum focal length of the lens means that a frame of 35mm film fills half of the frame, or maybe even less. So by the time I crop a 12mp image down to the frame of film, its more like 5 or 6mp. Is the proper solution to this problem extension tubes? My understanding is that they will blow up the image on the sensor, so if I can double the sensor image size of the film, I'll be using more of the frame.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2024 20:26
|
|
|
Beve Stuscemi posted:As a follow-on to this. The D300 works great, as does the Tamron lens, I actually really like this camera, and it may see more work than just film scanning. Extension tubes or get a macro lens.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2024 20:50
|
|
|
an APO macro lens will give you best reproduction quality.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2024 20:58
|
|
|
VoodooXT posted:Extension tubes or get a macro lens. The Tamron is a macro lens, just not a super close focusing one apparently
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2024 21:30
|
|
|
Beve Stuscemi posted:The Tamron is a macro lens, just not a super close focusing one apparently Lens manufacturers' definition of macro is generously loose. 1x is where it starts for me. 1x is not needed to project 35mm slides on to a crop lens, but it would be for a full frame lens.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2024 22:06
|
|
|
I ordered some extension tubes off amazon, so we'll see if those help to sort things
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2024 22:33
|
|
|
What are folks favorite Apple Watch apps for assisting with photography?
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2024 04:10
|
|
|
huhu posted:What are folks favorite Apple Watch apps for assisting with photography? None. I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I even want to develop an Apple Watch version of my own photography app. It seems needless.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2024 07:04
|
|
|
I use my regular watch for timing long exposures. A Casio F91W is the most watch a photographer needs.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2024 12:52
|
|
|
I use my phone as a light meter, but there is no camera on the Apple Watch and the fiddlyness of setting iso, ev, aperture and all that would be a bit much on the watch screen, imo As mentioned, the stopwatch feature is probably the most useful thing for photography on the Apple Watch, but even then, it’s easier on your phone because the phone can be controlled one-handed
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2024 13:11
|
|
|
The problem with watch (and phone) apps and digital cameras is the wireless connection on every camera ever is complete dogshit so even if having a remote shutter on your wrist sounds convenient you'll get pissed off and give up every time you try to use it. Leaving WiFi on decimates camera batteries too. Bluetooth is better but drops constantly.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2024 13:52
|
|
|
I just throw a Rolex Daytona at the shutter button for remote triggering.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2024 13:58
|
|
|
jarlywarly posted:I just throw a Rolex Daytona at the shutter button for remote triggering. Wow, whats it like to be so poor? 
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2024 14:20
|
|
|
xzzy posted:The problem with watch (and phone) apps and digital cameras is the wireless connection on every camera ever is complete dogshit so even if having a remote shutter on your wrist sounds convenient you'll get pissed off and give up every time you try to use it. I've never once got the Canon app to connect to my R7 via wifi without deleting the connection in the camera, removing the camera from the app, and deleting the Bluetooth and wifi connections in the phone every single time lol
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2024 14:29
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 12:09 |
|
|
xzzy posted:Leaving WiFi on decimates camera batteries too. Bluetooth is better but drops constantly. I’ve found a happy spot using the Fuji Cam Remote app to send select photos to my phone (and then eventually backing up on the real computer), the WiFi connection works well most of the time and responds alright most of the time.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2024 15:12
|
|
