Advice please?

challengemaster

Alright.. So.. I've decided that I want to try my hand at photohraphy.. if even as a hobby. So.. I thought that I'd get some advice on what camera to buy, etc.. relativly a noob when it comes to camera's/etc.. so..

I've already been reccomended 2 Camera's (both people are on boards)

The ones reccomended were :

Fujifilm Finepix S9100/S9600


and

Olympus E-500 EVOLT


So.. to be honest I've no clue here.. if you wouldn't mind giving me a bit of help getting a good camera.. opinions on the ones mentioned? on other camera's you think would be good? etc..

Thanks

nilhg

Taking the risk of being called a spanner;)

I have the Olympus and find it great, to get the zoom range of the Fuji you will need the twin lens kit.

I would recommend you head over to dpreview and have a look at the reviews of both, then have a skim through the forums for both brands, plenty of info there.

duffarama

Yeah, too many canon fans around here.
As far as I know the E-500 isn't on general sale here anymore, I did see one going second hand in Conn's recently though. You could always buy the E-400, or one of the 2 new olympus's, olympii? The 410 or 510.

I think the Fuji will be a lot cheaper though.

DPreview and cameralabs.com will help you decide

elven

Have we even considered what the OP's priorities are? That's like suggesting someone buy a 3 door clio when it may turn out they have to tow a caravan...

rymus

I'd go for the Oly, given the choice of the two above. I'd second reading the review sites, including dpreview and fredmiranda. Take the dpreview forum with a pinch of salt though.

nilhg, we're all spanners really... each in our own way

Personally... I wouldn't suggest anyone buy a 3 door clio

challengemaster

duffarama wrote:

As far as I know the E-500 isn't on general sale here anymore, I did see one going second hand in Conn's recently though. You could always buy the E-400, or one of the 2 new olympus's, olympii? The 410 or 510.

well I'm going to be in China (Bejing/HongKong) in about a week... think they're on sale there?

tbh I'm not really that bothered about cost.. but then again, something like 1k camera +2k lenses for a newbie.. y'know.. dont want to go overboard for something that could well stay as just a hobby

Personally... I wouldn't suggest anyone buy a 3 door clio

i lol'd

I'm not restricted to choice of the two listed - they're just two that were reccomended to me - by all means if you feel something else might suit better, then reccomend it.

any questions you have that you feel might help you helping.. ask!

and thanks

deRanged

You've not said what sort of photography you're interested in.

Do you want a camera to have in your bag for snap shots, do you want a
big heavy slr, or something in between.
What sort of shots do you want to take - nature, architecture, portraits, sport ....
Do you want to get into 'advanced' settings or keep it relatively easy.
Do you intend to buy lots of accessories in the future - would you like a second hand market.

I think those are things you'd need to think about and try to answer or at least consider before thinking about the camera itself.

challengemaster

deRanged wrote:

You've not said what sort of photography you're interested in.

Do you want a camera to have in your bag for snap shots, do you want a
big heavy slr, or something in between.
What sort of shots do you want to take - nature, architecture, portraits, sport ....

uhm.. well I'm not really too pushed towards any of them.. and I'm more than likely not going to be exclusive when taking photos.. so.. uhm..

Do you want to get into 'advanced' settings or keep it relatively easy.

I really don't mind doing a little learning or getting my hands dirty to get into the advanced part of it.

Do you intend to buy lots of accessories in the future - would you like a second hand market.

uhm.. not too sure really.. so i suppose leaving the possibilty to add on in the future would be ok

I think those are things you'd need to think about and try to answer or at least consider before thinking about the camera itself.

Well.. like i said, I'm pretty much new to the whole photography scene, so wouldnt have thought about such things before, but will do my best to try answer any questions that will help you help me, to the best i can

deRanged

ok - had you said you were particularly keen on any one thing - such as sport that would have narrowed down the options, or if there was a size criterion.

Can you get to a camera shop to hold some cameras?
I mean that literally - try them out and see how they fit your hands. That fuji in your link is a bit small for me for instance. I recommended its smaller cousin to my sister though, because it fit her hands perfectly.

Next - can you see yourself changing lenses, adding filters and so on? Like if you head on holidays and you're going to be visiting museums and lakes. If you went for an slr setup like the canon 400d you'd need to bring a couple of lenses and be swapping them over. If you take the bridge style one you won't - it'll work just fine in either place.
You'd obviously be bringing a fair bit more kit on the plane too.

Please have some sort of definite answer to one of those

challengemaster

Can you get to a camera shop to hold some cameras?
I mean that literally - try them out and see how they fit your hands. That fuji in your link is a bit small for me for instance. I recommended its smaller cousin to my sister though, because it fit her hands perfectly.

I suppose i could, or atleast try to get hold of a few. friend of mine (but not very near me) has the fuji.. might make a trip someday soon

can you see yourself changing lenses, adding filters and so on? Like if you head on holidays and you're going to be visiting museums and lakes. If you went for an slr setup like the canon 400d you'd need to bring a couple of lenses and be swapping them over. If you take the bridge style one you won't - it'll work just fine in either place.
You'd obviously be bringing a fair bit more kit on the plane too.

well.. because i've no idea how to do it/whats involved - i cant really visualise myself doing it. but if i knew how to, and had a bit of knowledge as to what lens/etc would be needed when/where.. then it wouldnt bother me in the slightest. and extra luggage doesnt bother me either

nilhg

challengemaster wrote:

well.. because i've no idea how to do it/whats involved - i cant really visualise myself doing it. but if i knew how to, and had a bit of knowledge as to what lens/etc would be needed when/where.. then it wouldnt bother me in the slightest. and extra luggage doesnt bother me either

Have a hunt pack through the last week or so here there are threads on books and links to various sites explaining everything.

IMHO if you don't know you need a DSLR, then you probably don't. The learning curve is steep and if you're going on your trip you probably want to relax and not spend loads of time trying to figure out a pretty sophisticated bit of gear.

deRanged

ok - well I've tried to show how I'd recommend a camera to someone - the things I think people need to think about.

Given your criteria I'd say look at bridge cameras like the finepix or the canon powershot.
They'll cover the range of photography you're likely to do, they will let you learn and practise 'advanced' techniques or just stay on automatic, they're not so expensive that if you decide to change to a dslr later that you'll lose tons of cash, they're tidy and (might) run on aa batteries - both good for travel.

challengemaster

nilhg wrote:

Have a hunt pack through the last week or so here there are threads on books and links to various sites explaining everything.

will do, thanks

IMHO if you don't know you need a DSLR, then you probably don't. The learning curve is steep and if you're going on your trip you probably want to relax and not spend loads of time trying to figure out a pretty sophisticated bit of gear.

I steep learning curves

Seriously, I've no problem what so ever doing some learning on matters(I actually quite enjoy it) :eek: besides that, I've a fairly active mind.. and normally do like learning new things/keeping myself occupied with things i dont know about. and being 16, i really couldnt give a toss about relaxing

nilhg

16....China....Hong Kong..... not bothered by the cost........ lucky you:D

Ok off you go, do the research, and if you can't understand anything come back here and ask.

Oh an show us some of the pics from China.

challengemaster

nilhg wrote:

16....China....Hong Kong..... not bothered by the cost........ lucky you:D

*giggle*

Ok off you go, do the research, and if you can't understand anything come back here and ask.

thanks, will do

Oh an show us some of the pics from China.

Certainly... I just hope they arent too bad!!

ps. do you think i should get the camera i choose out there?

nilhg

Will be a lot cheaper out there, but there could be issues with warranty and documentation. Olympus give a 1 year worldwide warranty no matter where you buy (2 years if you buy in EU), Nikon wont cover you when you get home, I don't know about the others, have a look at the buying sticky above.

magicbastarder

was in dixons in the jervis centre a couple of weeks ago, they still had the E400 and E500.

B0rG

I'd personally stay away from any camera that sports proud sign "8 megapixels"... Never mind the picture quality, but people with newer model (sporting proud "10 megapixels") will look at you from above, in just a year or so.

Think about it...

challengemaster

nilhg wrote:

Have a hunt pack through the last week or so here there are threads on books and links to various sites explaining everything.

I went back through the past 15-16 pages.. (damn all the C&C threads ) and only really found 1 heplful thread to me.. the others about lenses etc werent exactly noob friendly.. and gave me a bit of a headache after seeing/trying to comprehend 200 of those!

It does seem like there's been one book thats referenced to a lot for people, "Understanding Exposure" - I certainly would have no problems buying and reading it, to try understand what i want/need and what would benifit me most - however, I'm heading to Bejing next week (17th) and want to atleast know what I should purchase by then..(one of the reasons I asked here )

Irish Wolf

Ok - I'll throw another spanner in the works and mention the Pentax K10D - after reading a few reviews, seems like for someone without a legacy of the major brands then it could be a good buy..

Having said that.. as a first (D)SLR it may have a few too many bells and whistles..

Jesus Wept

I think the first camera would best for nature shots, you know, pictures of shetland ponies and the like.

nilhg

challengemaster wrote:

I went back through the past 15-16 pages.. (damn all the C&C threads ) and only really found 1 heplful thread to me.. the others about lenses etc werent exactly noob friendly.. and gave me a bit of a headache after seeing/trying to comprehend 200 of those!

It does seem like there's been one book thats referenced to a lot for people, "Understanding Exposure" - I certainly would have no problems buying and reading it, to try understand what i want/need and what would benifit me most - however, I'm heading to Bejing next week (17th) and want to atleast know what I should purchase by then..(one of the reasons I asked here )

Some reading

http://www.photozone.de/4Technique/index.html

http://www.morguefile.com/archive/classroom.php

Both of those will give you an idea of the possibilities using a decent camera.

If you do go for the Oly this will give you a idea of how to set it up.

As for which to buy I think that a good bridge camera would be best (read the reviews, try to handle one or two of them and pick which you like best) but if you do buy a DSLR you can always put it on auto and it will make all the decisions for you and avoid any disasters (and we all have had disasters).

challengemaster

nilhg wrote:

if you do buy a DSLR you can always put it on auto and it will make all the decisions for you and avoid any disasters (and we all have had disasters).

well after doing a bit of reading it seems that you can still have problems with auto? under/over-exposed pictures, etc?

nilhg

challengemaster wrote:

well after doing a bit of reading it seems that you can still have problems with auto? under/over-exposed pictures, etc?

I did say it would avoid disasters, not be 100% every time;)

Thats why we read the books, to be able to recognise the situations when that will happen, and what to do when it does. Even then, being absolutely perfect technically the photo might still be crap,thats where skill and talent comes in.

challengemaster

hmm.. so how do you know what settings to use when starting out? I mean obviously you had to do your own learning, but you dont exactly have the time to take X amount of shots to try and find what suits the situation depending on time, etc. So, as a beginner, how exactly would you do it?

Dilbert75

OP - I'm a noob and have the Fuji. While you can use the Auto mode, it does often get the exposure wrong (over exposed usually). I'm in the process of trying to learn the settings and the quality of the pictures is improving greatly. I find it easy to use, handy enough to carry around (purchased in preference to a DSLR, which would be excessive for my purposes) and can take 58mm screw in filters. I'm happy with my choice to buy it.

nilhg

challengemaster wrote:

hmm.. so how do you know what settings to use when starting out? I mean obviously you had to do your own learning, but you dont exactly have the time to take X amount of shots to try and find what suits the situation depending on time, etc. So, as a beginner, how exactly would you do it?

Short answer: chimp

Proper answer: practice, experience, a long time climbing the learning curve I told you about.;)

challengemaster

hehehehe

Dilbert: how are you finding it for ease of changing settings? etc?


and general question: say you've under/over exposure.. whats better to change, the f-stop or shutter speed? or both?

dingdong1234567

Like yourself challengeamster i have recently gotten into photography as a hobby, bought a Nikon D50 and think its dam good to start with myself. Simple, light and easy to use for a novice like myself!! Check out some of the photo's i've taken so far:......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gilbospics/

challengemaster

alright.. hmm.. something's popped into my head. /if/ i go with DSLR, what lenses do i want/need, what other things do i need? tripod? mem card? etc?

dingdong1234567

challengemaster wrote:

alright.. hmm.. something's popped into my head. /if/ i go with DSLR, what lenses do i want/need, what other things do i need? tripod? mem card? etc?

Best thing to do is start with the basic lens and develop your interests from there. Usually the camera will come with a 18-55mm lens or the like. Then its a case (for me anyway), of researching and buying magazines to find out what else is out there. The gear you mention, tripod, it is photo specific. in other words you only need a tripod in certain circumstances. Memory cards with differ from camera make to make. Hope that helps.;)

challengemaster

hi! I'm in china!

need help (asap) as i want to buy a camera tomorrow at 7ish am.. and its now 12:35 here..

I can get a Canon EOS 400D + 18-55mm + 28-135mm for ~900€ | good deal? yay/nay? what kind of zoom will i get from it? what lens would i need to match the zoom from the fuji finepix s9600? any help would be really appreciated!! thanks.

CM

Fionn

thats not a bad price

you can get a body only for around €700 in Europe
Canon EF 28-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM - about €450
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 - €70
total €1220

probably be dearer in Ireland


If i could i'd see if i could get a good deal on a body only and get these below, bit extra money but worth it in the long run.

Canon EF 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM - about €600 but much better
and
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II for about €80/90

good luck with whatever you go with

challengemaster

thanks for the reply.. hmm.. I should be able to get the body on its own for between 500-600€ (in china... so its about 10chinese monies for 1€ lol, you say any price you want, then work up/down to a suitable one.. ahh )

I'll have a look out for those lenses.. like i said, everything is negotiable.. so I might end up getting that lens for 450€ and the other one for 60€.. tot of 1000 - 1200.. to be seen anyway

its nearly 2am, I've to be up at 6:30 to eat and stuff.. I'm off to bed. will check in the morning (for any other suggestions) before I head off. thanks again,

CM

nilhg

If you can get one of the Olympus twin lens kits (14-45 and 40-150) the zoom range will be similar to the fuji and those lens are high quality for kit lens. The E410 and E510 are the newer models but the E400 and E500 might be cheaper and are still good cameras.

Don't forget to get some decent memory cards and maybe a spare battery.

And post up some pics:D

challengemaster

Fionn wrote:

thats not a bad price

you can get a body only for around €700 in Europe
Canon EF 28-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM - about €450
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 - €70
total €1220

probably be dearer in Ireland


If i could i'd see if i could get a good deal on a body only and get these below, bit extra money but worth it in the long run.

Canon EF 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM - about €600 but much better
and
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II for about €80/90

good luck with whatever you go with

ended up getting the camera from the US (turned out cheaper overall) anyway...

new camera is... *drum roll*

Canon EOS XTi Rebel (the us version of the 400D)

Lenses: 18-55mm
75-300mm USM (powerful fking thing - got a perfect shot of a building 1/2 a mile away, able to read the writing on the roof front)
1GB Lexar CF card

had my first day out with it today... set it to manual, had a go at the settings.. got a few good pics (or so I think... )

got about 170 photos or some such (after deletion of over/under exposed from what i could tell on the LCD) only thing is.. the sky in all them is pretty blown out.. not really something I can do anything about though, as the sky here is actually like that

anyway... it'll take some time to upload the shots to flickr or something, but as soon as i get some/all of them up I'll post them here

thanks for the advice

(Woo! Canonites!!)

Spyral

meh pixels smichshels. the person behind the camera is the most important factor. high fps helps too but meh..

challengemaster

well, being in china (and hong kong) I happened to pass quite a few camera stores.. and ended up going into a few.. bought more gear

Wide angle lens + Macro
2x zoom magnifier thingy (i forget the proper name )
second battery
4gb CF card
lens filters..
tripod..



anywho... guess i best post some pics soon?