Beginner Looking for Advice

sgarvan

Hi

I am interested in getting started in photography, nothing major. Just looking to have a good decent camera. My main focus of photo taking will be football matches within my club.

I am looking at 3 different cameras at the moment and am not sure which one to go for. Would any of you have any suggestions which one would be the best for a beginner or even if there is another camera that I should look at. Thanks

The three are:
Canon Eos 400D + Ef-S 18-55Mm Lens

Nikon D40 Black + Af-S Dx 18-55 Mm Lens

Sony Alpha Dslr-A200 + 18-70 Mm Lens

I am moving towards the Sony camera due to the reviews that I have read and the price of the camera

SteveDPirate

I wouldn't touch the Sony one, although I am very biased against all things Sony at the moment. But I would suggest you stick to a brand that specializes in cameras.

I only recently got a 400D. The Canon is a safe bet for beginners like you and me. It's the most popular camera for sure. Just check out the user usage on Flickr and you'll see!! There's also loads of info and advice on the web for Canon cameras, and there's a huge selection of lenses available.

I'm not that experienced, but thats my advice!!

sgarvan

SteveDPirate wrote: »

I wouldn't touch the Sony one, although I am very biased against all things Sony at the moment. But I would suggest you stick to a brand that specializes in cameras.

I only recently got a 400D. The Canon is a safe bet for beginners like you and me. It's the most popular camera for sure. Just check out the user usage on Flickr and you'll see!! There's also loads of info and advice on the web for Canon cameras, and there's a huge selection of lenses available.

I'm not that experienced, but thats my advice!!

thanks for the advice, someone in work told me the exact same about sticking to a brand that specializes in cameras.

For an extra €100, the canon would probably be worth it.

leohoju

SteveDPirate wrote: »

I wouldn't touch the Sony one, although I am very biased against all things Sony at the moment. But I would suggest you stick to a brand that specializes in cameras.

Sony using and owning Minolta's technology not good enough? Plus with the Sonys there's a whole back catalogue of Minolta lenses that can be used.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss other brands like that.

sgarvan

thanks leohoju, so you would suggest not to rule out the sony camera?

SteveDPirate

leohoju wrote: »

Sony using and owning Minolta's technology not good enough? Plus with the Sonys there's a whole back catalogue of Minolta lenses that can be used.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss other brands like that.

I wasn't aware of that!! I had a feeling that they would have to use another companies technology. But I still wouldn't rate Minolta over Nikon or Canon.

And the main issue is that I just don't trust or like Sony. Just my opinion.

nilhg

sgarvan wrote: »

Hi

I am interested in getting started in photography, nothing major. Just looking to have a good decent camera. My main focus of photo taking will be football matches within my club.

I am looking at 3 different cameras at the moment and am not sure which one to go for. Would any of you have any suggestions which one would be the best for a beginner or even if there is another camera that I should look at. Thanks

The three are:
Canon Eos 400D + Ef-S 18-55Mm Lens

Nikon D40 Black + Af-S Dx 18-55 Mm Lens

Sony Alpha Dslr-A200 + 18-70 Mm Lens

I am moving towards the Sony camera due to the reviews that I have read and the price of the camera

For football matches you need more reach than any of the above will give you with the kit lenses. If you want to shoot to a high level (check out the sports threads here) then you will need a major increase in budget, if you are happy to stick to a more amateur level I would suggest you have a look at the twin lens kits from Olympus, or add something like the 70-300 sigma lens to whatever you pick.

leohoju

sgarvan wrote: »

thanks leohoju, so you would suggest not to rule out the sony camera?

Exactly.

I'd also consider offerings from Olympus and Pentax/Samsung on top of the three brands you've already mentioned though.

Your best bet is going into a camera shop and asking to handle the lot and seeing which one feels the best in your hand. After that you can make a more informed decision.

jackdaw

sgarvan wrote: »

thanks for the advice, someone in work told me the exact same about sticking to a brand that specializes in cameras.

For an extra €100, the canon would probably be worth it.

+1 .. Defo .. stick to the specialists ... Canon 400D is a great camera ..
and you can get great lenses for it too ...

Saggitarius

A plus vote for Canon: very good picture quality at low light with high ISO setting (low noise) that is necessary at sport photo -high iso and short exposure time-.

Paulw

While I wouldn't rule out the Sony, my personal preference would be for the Canon 400D.

You're not only buying a camera/lens, you're buying a brand. Look at any major sports event and you will see a much larger percentage of people using Canon cameras/lenses.

Once you start, you'll continue to buy the brand, so increasing the number of brand lenses you own.

The Canon 400D is a very good camera to begin with. Nice features, good functions, and should be enough for what you want.

For sport, you will probably need much more reach than the kit lens. Because Canon is more popular, it should be easier to pick up some 2nd hand lenses. The Canon 70-200mm lens is probably best suited for sport, considering it's price and range. After that, you're looking at serious money for larger lenses.

Best advice - go in to a shop and look at/feel all the cameras you are considering. It's one thing reading online, but a whole different thing once you've held one in your hands.

CabanSail

I have not used Canon much having been with Nikon for too many years. I have fiddled with a few Canon's on trips & think they are quite good too. Personally I find the Nikon gear more ergonomomic & intuitive (but that maybe because I am used to their design philosophy) I have heard the D40 is a fine camera too.

If you are on a limited budget the Sony does have some advantages as it has Image Stabalisation built into the body. In Nikon & Canon it is the lens & costs a lot more.

Paulw

CabanSail wrote: »

Sony does have some advantages as it has Image Stabalisation built into the body.

I'm not totally sure how much of an advantage that actually is. From reading some reviews, lens stabilisation is much more accurate, even considering the cost difference.

Also, for sports photography, 99% of the time you'll never use IS anyway, no matter what brand you buy.

DeVore

I dont know about the other two but I am a beginner like you and I loved my Canon 350D as it was extremely forgiving and allowed me to start with almost no knowledge and as I learned things, I could take control of those elements while leaving other elements under the control of the (considerably smarter then me) camera . I'm talking about stuff like ISO and shutter speed. You can stick it on Dumb-Mode and snap away like a pro if you like, or you can control just about everything or only some things, as you choose.

I cant say anything bad about the other two, as I dont know anything about them but the Canon 400D wont disappoint.

DeV.
ps: I had a beginners tips and "what I have learned" thread here before, might be worth a look.

Freddie59

DeVore wrote: »

I dont know about the other two but I am a beginner like you and I loved my Canon 350D as it was extremely forgiving and allowed me to start with almost no knowledge and as I learned things, I could take control of those elements while leaving other elements under the control of the (considerably smarter then me) camera . I'm talking about stuff like ISO and shutter speed. You can stick it on Dumb-Mode and snap away like a pro if you like, or you can control just about everything or only some things, as you choose.

I cant say anything bad about the other two, as I dont know anything about them but the Canon 400D wont disappoint.

DeV.
ps: I had a beginners tips and "what I have learned" thread here before, might be worth a look.

Agreed. If you have a few quid splash out on the 450D. You can buy it online now for around €520 delivered (including kit lens with IS). Sent you a PM.

sgarvan

hey all, thanks for all your advice and thanks for the PM Freddy59. Where can the 450D be bought for €520? I found it for €800

Loads for me to ponder over now and hopefully will be able to make a decision

Overdraft

The Canon 400D looks a beaut, I've heard nothing but good things about it. But here's a vote for the Nikon D40, just based on my own experience starting out with it. It's a gem of a camera, it has the happy knack of making me seem like a decent photographer. I know it has its limitations (eg no auto focus with older lenses) but I think it's beyond perfect for a beginner - OP, when you and me become briliant we can trade up.

Freddie59

sgarvan wrote: »

hey all, thanks for all your advice and thanks for the PM Freddy59. Where can the 450D be bought for €520? I found it for €800

Loads for me to ponder over now and hopefully will be able to make a decision

Sorry about that. Typo. It's actually €616 delivered from here