First Time Buyer

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Mypro-D

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Afternoon Gents / Ladies

I've been reading up on the various cameras now for most of the day now and I still have no clue what to go for.

I usually use my Phone to take pics with ( S2 ) but I do travel quite a a lot and I would like to get a decent Camera.

Now the issue is, I really am a total beginner but on the other hand I don't really want to buy something that I outgrow in a few months time.

I've looked at the 60d and the 7D as well as the D7000.

Is this a little over the top for my skills, like I said, I really am new to this and I would probably take a course as the terminology is also rather foreign to me.

Thanks guys, your input would be appreciated.
 
Personally I'd start off with an entry-level DSLR camera, see how it goes, learn how to use it, after a while buy yourself a nice lens or two and then look at upgrading to a mid or pro- level camera.

Also a course is a great way get to grips with a new camera, will give you a nice starting point.
 
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My advice, go to Makro, Dion Wired, Orms etc, play around with the different camera models and see which fits your hand and budget and then you start off with a prime, 35mm, a zoom or the kit lens 18 - 55mm, then once you mastered your new body add lenses to your gear. Hope this helps.
 
Mypro-D said:
I've looked at the 60d and the 7D as well as the D7000.
Click to expand...
Consider these points to help you decide:
When buying hi tech....

* Pay for RAM, not speed. The speed of the computer chip does not matter; the attention-span or RAM memory does matter.

* Pay for messaging, not minutes. On your phone, your texting is more expensive than your voice time.

* Pay for components, not cables. Buy the best components, and the cheapest cables.

* Pay for speed, not channels. For cable internet, with enough speed you can watch TV channels on the internet for free.

* Pay for Applecare, not Mobileme. For Applefans, the Apple insurance is worth it, but their cloud service is not.

* Pay for screen size, not refresh rate. On TV screens, bigger size makes a difference while refresh rate does not.

* Pay for sensor size, not pixel count. On today's cameras you'll have enough megapixels; better quality comes from larger sensors.

500px-Sensor_sizes_overlaid_inside-1.svg.png


Relative sensor sizes in various camera families form here.

Those seven got me thinking about other tech shopping rules of thumb. Here are a few others that come to mind:

* Pay for reliability, not mileage. On a car, you'll spend more of repairs and maintaince over its lifetime than you will on a difference in gas.

* Pay for comfort, not weight. A bicycle's feather weight is moot once you add water bottle, a bag, any extra clothes you wear, while its comfort never disappears.

* Pay for foam, not down. The biggest difference in the warmth of a sleeping bag is the insulation under you, not the down over you.

* Pay for glass, not shutters. In professional cameras, great lenses endure, while the camera bodies change and go obsolete.
Click to expand...
Submitted verbatim to further illustrate the thinking beyond just cameras.
 
Ive felt the 600D and the 7D
Both are fine, my only concern is that if I go for a 7D body and buy the lenses I wouldnt even know what to buy.
As I said, complete beginner :)

That Makro special looks reasonable though.
 
Only buy a SLR once you know what you want out of it.
1st Camera, buy a smallish high end point and shoot camera.
Easier to use, smaller to carry. max R3k
 
Ive got a point and shoot at the moment but i end up using my phone almost everytime.

As i said i do travel quite alot and i find the phine and the p&s dont quite capture the detail.
 
Imo all of the cameras you listed are fine, sure some of them may be more mid level as opposed to beginner but it all depends on you, how quickly you will get into photography, you also don't want to go spend 20k on a setup and then get bored with lugging the stuff around and go back to using you cell :)

Whichever you choose make sure you are happy with the brand and then stick with it, you don't want to buy expensive lenses and then decide you prefer Cannon over Nikon or vise versa at a later stage.
 
I think id like to stay with Cannon.
Nothing Agaisnt Nikon bit its just a personal choice.
 
Not gonna recommend any specific camera, but will provide you with my 2 cents.

I have had access to SLR's for a very long time (my father was also into photography, though never professionally). If you do decide on spending a fairly significant amount of cash on an SLR (and yes, in my books, even entry level SLR's are still significant), make sure that you take the time to learn it, and also put in the effort to do so. Ensure that you create opportunities to take photos. Until I started doing this my photo's on an SLR were just as bad as my photos from a P&S. Once I began taking photos regularly, and focusing on certain specific aspects of my photography, I noticed a major improvement in my photos.

To improve your photography, and thereby obtain some return on your investment in an SLR, you need to take photos regularly, ensure that you look at thew photos critically, post the photos on forums (such as this one), to get feedback. This is the only way... if you dont do this, it is really a waste of time and money.
 
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