Camera Suggestions?

[Dayze]

Ok;

so the wife and I are in the market for a camera. We previously had a Sony digital camera for about 10 years but the wife dropped it and now it won't hold any settings etc.

So, it's time for another one. I'm by no means a professional photographer; but I also don't want some little $100 POS either. I'd like to have one that I could 'grow' into if I wanted to so to speak.

I think My budget is about $400-$600. I was looking at the Nikon D3200 DSLR....though, admittedly, I'm not 100% what "DSLR" is.
I like the design of it; I've held a few like it and they're much easier to hold IMO.

Suggestions?

[kepp]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

I do still use a 20D and I use a SanDisk UltraII 2Gig card. Had it for 5 years and I've never had an issue.

Originally Posted by Dayze

I think that's the same one I have.

Though I need to get a bigger one.

So I just getting around the ordering a 20D and I *think* I've settled on this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...al_camera.html

I'm sure that lens is very run-of-the-mill, but it would be OK for me to start with I think. Does that seem like a decent deal?

Also, I want to buy a second battery pack and they have several used ones. Is that OK, or should I buy a new battery?

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by kepp

So I just getting around the ordering a 20D and I *think* I've settled on this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...al_camera.html

I'm sure that lens is very run-of-the-mill, but it would be OK for me to start with I think. Does that seem like a decent deal?

Also, I want to buy a second battery pack and they have several used ones. Is that OK, or should I buy a new battery?

It's a pretty decent deal. Based on the age of the camera, I think going to B&H makes sense, so you probably aren't getting shafted. The bottom line is it's not new, it's not a cool as these newer models, but I've got over 60K cycles on my shutter, and it works fine to this day. With a LOT of those cycles happening of dusty youth baseball fields, so it's a solid product IMO. Almost as solid at the A-1 I still shoot! Woot!

But adding a BG-E2 grip will be money well spent, and a whole second round of batteries. Much like the motor drives of the past era, they always run out of juice before you do!

I'd also recommend you invest in a sensor cleaning kit. Like I said above I've shot at a lot of dusty baseball games, and you will need to learn the art of sensor AND lens cleaning...

And last the lenses...... Yeah, it's a religion as much as an art! For those of us who have been shooting for over 35 years, we can fill your brain with everything from "circles of confusion" to "real men shoot prime lenses." And in the end, you get what you pay for (that is true), but you need to know what you're looking at too.... So you can pay for "L" glass and everybody will think you're awesome, or you can save money and learn how to use a lens. Nothing wrong with "L" glass, but I've seen too many people (in Lee's Summit at least!!) who have it but don't know what how to use aperture to their advantage, or what f2.8 really means. But that's a story for another day!

[kepp]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

It's a pretty decent deal. Based on the age of the camera, I think going to B&H makes sense, so you probably aren't getting shafted......or what f2.8 really means. But that's a story for another day!

I ordered the unit I mentioned above, and now I'm looking to get a semi-fast zoom lens for my daughter's gymnastics events. Fire Me Boy! said earlier in this thread: "For the indoor sports shooting (without a flash), you'll need a "fast" lens, one that can open to a wider aperture. I'd shoot for f/2.8, f/2.4, or f/1.8". So say I'm anywhere from 20 to 150 feet away from the action at an event (indoors). What kind of zoom do I need? Or do I want a telephoto lens for that? I honestly don't know the difference.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by kepp

I ordered the unit I mentioned above, and now I'm looking to get a semi-fast zoom lens for my daughter's gymnastics events. Fire Me Boy! said earlier in this thread: "For the indoor sports shooting (without a flash), you'll need a "fast" lens, one that can open to a wider aperture. I'd shoot for f/2.8, f/2.4, or f/1.8". So say I'm anywhere from 20 to 150 feet away from the action at an event (indoors). What kind of zoom do I need? Or do I want a telephoto lens for that? I honestly don't know the difference.

This is what you need: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...f_5_6l_is.html


Seriously, if you'll find something that'll get you between 50 and 200 (or so) you'll be fine on zoom. As long as you crank up the ISO to 3200, you'll probably be able to shoot between f/4 and f/5.6. However, you'll add noise if you get your ISO that high. The problem you're going to have in that light is stopping the action with your available light. And unless you can get closer and shoot with a shorter lens, you're going to have to spend a lot to get a zoom with f/2.8.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by kepp

I ordered the unit I mentioned above, and now I'm looking to get a semi-fast zoom lens for my daughter's gymnastics events. Fire Me Boy! said earlier in this thread: "For the indoor sports shooting (without a flash), you'll need a "fast" lens, one that can open to a wider aperture. I'd shoot for f/2.8, f/2.4, or f/1.8". So say I'm anywhere from 20 to 150 feet away from the action at an event (indoors). What kind of zoom do I need? Or do I want a telephoto lens for that? I honestly don't know the difference.

Before I got my own L-glass, I shot a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM II Macro for years, and I love it. You can prolly pick one up for around $1,500 and I don't think you'll be upset. It's not L-glass, but it doesn't cost like it either. It has a digital grind (thats' important), and with 2.8 brightness I've shot a lot of wrestling tournaments and I never needed a flash in a gym (ever), and the focus was/is always spot-on.

But, like any lens in a gym, you'll either need to shoot raw or learn how to set temperature for whatever lights those gyms hold, but learning the joy of white-balance is half the fun...

[kepp]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Before I got my own L-glass, I shot a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM II Macro for years, and I love it. You can prolly pick one up for around $1,500 and I don't think you'll be upset. It's not L-glass, but it doesn't cost like it either. It has a digital grind (thats' important), and with 2.8 brightness I've shot a lot of wrestling tournaments and I never needed a flash in a gym (ever), and the focus was/is always spot-on.

But, like any lens in a gym, you'll either need to shoot raw or learn how to set temperature for whatever lights those gyms hold, but learning the joy of white-balance is half the fun...

What about this?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2_8_II_EX.html

Hmmm...it says "For Olympus & Panasonic Digital SLR"

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by kepp

What about this?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2_8_II_EX.html

Hmmm...it says "For Olympus & Panasonic Digital SLR"

Yeah, that last part is kind of a show stopper... From there, this is what might be better. Ordering both and maybe they'll get you a better deal..

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2_8_EX_DG.html

[kepp]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Yeah, that last part is kind of a show stopper... From there, this is what might be better. Ordering both and maybe they'll get you a better deal..

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2_8_EX_DG.html

So a lens like this - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._8_ex_apo.html - is just telephoto, right? Meaning you can't zoom in/out?

Also, is this used lens the same as the new one you referenced above? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2_8_ii_ex.html

And something like this - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...30980731501410 - would have too slow an apeture (f/4) to give good results for indoor sporting events?

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by kepp

So a lens like this - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._8_ex_apo.html - is just telephoto, right? Meaning you can't zoom in/out? Correct. Fixed lens at 150mm.

Also, is this used lens the same as the new one you referenced above? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...2_8_ii_ex.html Decent lens.

And something like this - http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...30980731501410 - would have too slow an apeture (f/4) to give good results for indoor sporting events? Is that used? That's a fantastic price for that lens if new. The f/4 should be fine (depending on your light), especially if you're shooting at 3200 ISO.

.

[ghak99]

Other than the $275, how big a difference is there between these two lenses? I've never had a prime, is the .4 really that much difference in the fixed 50mm lenses. Is there a huge difference in build quality?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...0mm_f_1_8.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Autofocus.html

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by ghak99

Other than the $275, how big a difference is there between these two lenses? I've never had a prime, is the .4 really that much difference in the fixed 50mm lenses. Is there a huge difference in build quality?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...0mm_f_1_8.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Autofocus.html

It's not just the extra f/. The f/1.4 has the ultra-sonic motor, means faster focusing. It's also got 8 diaphragm blades instead of 5. This is what that means:

The diaphragm usually has two to eight blades, depending on price and quality of the device in which it is used. Straight blades result in polygon shape of the diaphragm opening, while curved blades improve the roundness of the iris opening. In a photograph, the number of blades that the iris diaphragm has can be guessed by counting the number of spikes converging from a light source or bright reflection. For an odd number of blades, there are twice as many spikes as there are blades.

In case of an even number of blades, the two spikes per blade will overlap each other, so the number of spikes visible will be the number of blades in the diaphragm used. This is most apparent in pictures taken in the dark with small bright spots, for example night cityscapes. Some cameras, such as the Olympus XA or lenses such as the MC Zenitar-ME1, however, use a two-bladed diaphragm with right-angle blades creating a square aperture.

Similarly, out-of-focus points of light (circles of confusion) appear as polygons with the same number of sides as the aperture has blades. If the blurred light is circular, then it can be inferred that the aperture is either round or the image was shot "wide-open" (with the blades recessed into the sides of the lens, allowing the interior edge of the lens barrel to effectively become the iris).

I've owned both of these lenses, with my current being the f/1.4. It's notably better built than the cheaper one, but the money may not be worth it to you.

The biggest downside to the cheaper lens is it has a plastic lens mount. This isn't a big deal if you're going to put the prime on your camera and leave it there, but I'd consider the more expensive version if you're going to swap lenses with any regularity. Or, check eBay for a Mark 1 version of that cheaper lens (it has a metal lens mount).

[kepp]

So I'm on a business trip in San Francisco and there's a camera shop just up the street from my hotel. I stopped in and they're trying to sell me on this lens - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._4_5_6_IS.html

They said they can give it to me for $599. Is it a good lens and, if so, is that a good deal? BH Photo has it for $649, but there are some on Ebay for as low as $300 (I don't know that I trust ebay for buying lenses though). They told me the ultrasonic AF motor means super-fast focusing which would be good for what I want to do. Also, it appears to have a metal lens mount which you guys have mentioned is better.

[58-4ever]

Nokia 1020 Camera Phone. 41 Megapixels.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by kepp

So I'm on a business trip in San Francisco and there's a camera shop just up the street from my hotel. I stopped in and they're trying to sell me on this lens - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._4_5_6_IS.html

They said they can give it to me for $599. Is it a good lens and, if so, is that a good deal? BH Photo has it for $649, but there are some on Ebay for as low as $300 (I don't know that I trust ebay for buying lenses though). They told me the ultrasonic AF motor means super-fast focusing which would be good for what I want to do. Also, it appears to have a metal lens mount which you guys have mentioned is better.

It's not a bad deal, and if you're shooting outside most of the time I think you'll be happy, but are you going to have to pay taxes or will he let you go back to the hotel and buy it online and you just have to wait until you get home to play with it?

[kepp]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

It's not a bad deal, and if you're shooting outside most of the time I think you'll be happy, but are you going to have to pay taxes or will he let you go back to the hotel and buy it online and you just have to wait until you get home to play with it?

My main use for it will be shooting inside - gymnastics events where lighting is usually decent, but not always. I was concerned with the f/4-5.6 value in regards to that. He claimed it would be fine because (his words) if you use a f value of 2.8, then usually only part of the person will be in focus and not the entire subject. But if I use 4 or over, the entire person would be in focus. I have no idea if that's true.

Also, its just a local shop and they don't have an online presence AFAIK.