Getting in to photography

mossie

Hi.

I will be retiring in the next year or so and will be looking at ways of filling my time with new hobbies. I have always been in to photography but have only ever had a pretty standard camera (Panasonic Lumix DE-994) which is 20 years old now and I am looking at upgrading to a DSLR with a couple of lenses. I wonder if this would be a good place to start. I have no experience with DSLR and my budget is approx €1k.

Canon EOS R50 camera | O' Leary's Camera World | Cork Camera Shop

endacl

R50 is a nice bit of kit. Although my pedantic head is compelled to point out its mirrorless, not a dslr! MBP would also be a great place to start. Your 1k would go a lot further. Also, join a club. You’ll meet people who can show you in person and advise. Especially after you figure out what type of shots you want to take.

https://www.mpb.com/en-ie

mossie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123461107#Comment_123461107

Thanks. I'm pretty much a beginner so the difference between camera types is a bit lost on me. I will check out that link, thanks.

endacl

If you’re an absolute beginner, do seriously consider a club. You’ll meet sound people who’ll give you really practical advice. You’ll don’t want to be in the situation of ‘oh bollix. I should have bought…’ in a years time when you find out you could have bought a camera with really good auto focus tracking for birds, or one with really good low light performance for Astro. There’s nothing wrong with what you have to get you started. And there’s no harm in waiting for the ‘upgrade’. Where are you based?

mossie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123461142#Comment_123461142

Thanks. Astro would be a subject I'm interested in as well as wildlife. I'm in Cork

CelticRambler

My advice to anyone wanting to expand their photography skills and equipment is always to start by looking at the photos you've already taken. With the help of someone (or several someones) who has the relevant experience, figure out what it is that'd make those pictures better. There's no point investing in a 1000€ 4K camera or lens to take pictures of birds or rabbits or beetles if you haven't mastered the basics of being in the right place at the right time. And the "right place" can sometimes mean a certain amount of physical discomfort!

I see that the the R50 describes itself as an "all-in-one dedicated device" … well, that's complete nonsense. Beware such claims : there's no such thing - equipment needs to be either dedicated, or all-in-one; it can't be both!

A "good all rounder" is fine as a choice for taking a step fowards and exploring the different fields of the hobby, but beyond a certain point you'll want a camera or lens that has been built or modified for a specific purpose, e.g. a 600 or 1000mmm lens for wildlife, or a camera that's had its infra-red filter removed for astrophotography.

As endacl says, don't be in any rush to upgrade just for the sake of upgrading. Your Panasonic is probably still capable of taking better photos than you know, so push it to the limit and then decide which of those limits are really holding you back.