Kit for Starting Out

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srothman

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Hey all,

I need some advice. The wife wants to get into photography as a hobby. I want to get her a camera to start off with, but I have no clue about any of these things.

What will be a good entry-level camera that will serve her well?
What accessories (lenses, etc.) will I need to look, at to make it worth the while?
...and then the big one... what sort of $$$ am I looking at spending to get her started. I know this isn't the cheapest hobby, but contrary to what she believes, I'm not made of money :-)

Thanks
 
There are plenty of threads on this topic but in a nutshell:
Pick an entry level Canon or Nikon DSLR kit.
This will set you back about R5000 to R8000 depending on what entry level kit you chose.

Then once she's figured out what she wants to focus on (excuse the pun) start buying addons.
If she's into portraits then you're going to need to look at portable or studio flash units for better lighting.
If she wants to do macro photography then add a decent macro lens.

Just pray that she does not take a keen interest in bird photography because decent telephoto lenses are lots of $$$.
 
Last edited:
srothman said:
Hey all,

I need some advice. The wife wants to get into photography as a hobby. I want to get her a camera to start off with, but I have no clue about any of these things.

What will be a good entry-level camera that will serve her well?
What accessories (lenses, etc.) will I need to look, at to make it worth the while?
...and then the big one... what sort of $$$ am I looking at spending to get her started. I know this isn't the cheapest hobby, but contrary to what she believes, I'm not made of money :-)

Thanks
Click to expand...
Could u give us a -+ what u would like to spend :) will make life easier
 
I would go for a Triple lens kit and you have to get Lightroom.
 
Paul_S said:
Just pray that she does not take a keen interest in bird photography because decent telephoto lenses are lots of $$$.
Click to expand...
Or, even worse, sports. :o

But yeah, most of those two/three lens kits are brilliant for beginners - even up to an intermediate level.
 
mmmig said:
Well with the money you save with getting a 600d could be invested towards getting good glass
Click to expand...
It could be but what glass? It's going to take time to discover what genres of photography interest them and then select glass accordingly. Besides, while you can always buy better glass you tend to be stuck with what the camera itself offers, in this case a better/newer processor and higher ISO capabilities ring loudest to me.

DTBA said:
Uhm bit off topic

My 600D has the same WB as the 650D, etc cloudy, shady etc sunlight .

But that's not what the table is saying 600D on the left 650 on the right.
View attachment 52681
Click to expand...
What? People actually use those? :p
 
bwana said:
It could be but what glass? It's going to take time to discover what genres of photography interest them and then select glass accordingly. Besides, while you can always buy better glass you tend to be stuck with what the camera itself offers, in this case a better/newer processor and higher ISO capabilities ring loudest to me.

What? People actually use those? :p
Click to expand...
hahaha.... no comment
 
Sabs. Wassup :)

I've been into photography for a while now, and yes, I may pi$$ the purists right off, but the one single best purchase I ever made was to get a 18-250mm lens (I'd obviously love a 50-500mm but that's a bit big for sightseeing).

You've got the wide angle option for landscapes and the punch of mid-range telephoto for those zoom shots, without having to constantly change lenses and wonder which one would actually be the right one for the shot.

Oh, and did I mention less kit to cart around meaning a lighter backpack/slingbag, and less lenses you might accidentally drop and break?
 
srothman said:
Hey all,

I need some advice. The wife wants to get into photography as a hobby. I want to get her a camera to start off with, but I have no clue about any of these things.

What will be a good entry-level camera that will serve her well?
What accessories (lenses, etc.) will I need to look, at to make it worth the while?
...and then the big one... what sort of $$$ am I looking at spending to get her started. I know this isn't the cheapest hobby, but contrary to what she believes, I'm not made of money :-)

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hey Sroth

I would like others have said, go for an entry level bundle option from either Canon or Nikon. You really need to go into the store with your wife and let her feel the camera. There will always be a debate on what brand is better but at the end of the day it is just a tool in the creative process. If your going to be buying second hand glass (like I do). You would find it easier to pick up 2nd hand canon lenses as they have more market share.

If it knew what I know now back when I started out 3 years ago, the first thing I would of got was a 50mm F1.8 prime lens. It really is bang for buck and can be bought for around R1000 - R1500 brand new Canon lens (Nikon are more pricey). The other advantage of having a prime lens is I find it makes me less of a lazy photographer because I have to really search for my composition as it is a fixed focal length.

I think start out simple, get a body and a prime lens/kit bundle and just shoot every day, your wife will then figure out what accessories she needs in time.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for all the responses. I am leaning towards the 650 triple- or double-lens bundle and will likely settle for one of those. At the moment I'm sopping around for the best price. I for one am very content with my little Sony CyberShot point-and-shoot number, but wifey, being the creative one, I think will enjoy the better equipment, and who knows, I might get into it too. I've already started looking around for introductory photography workshops for her too.
 
LouisJeezy said:
If it knew what I know now back when I started out 3 years ago, the first thing I would of got was a 50mm F1.8 prime lens. It really is bang for buck and can be bought for around R1000 - R1500 brand new Canon lens (Nikon are more pricey).
Click to expand...

The build quality is really cheap but it does very well with regards to IQ considering the low price tag.
I decided to skip over the usual kit lenses when I bought my 650D last year and used the money to purchase a single 50mm f1.8 and a Speedlite 430EX II flash unit.
I showed a friend what a difference fill flash (direct and bounced) can make in sunlight or brightly lit backgrounds (like windows) and it's now on the top of her need-to-have list. An external flash is essential for general portrait/family photo type work in my opinion. The popup flashes are pretty much useless.
 
The 50mm f/1.8 is a great lens and every photographer should have something like it in their bag but you're really quite limited when it comes to composition. Back in the film days it was fine but on modern dSLRs, which are typically still APS-C sensor bodies that 50mm equates to 80mm which falls smack in the portrait lens range.
 
bwana said:
The 50mm f/1.8 is a great lens and every photographer should have something like it in their bag but you're really quite limited when it comes to composition. Back in the film days it was fine but on modern dSLRs, which are typically still APS-C sensor bodies that 50mm equates to 80mm which falls smack in the portrait lens range.
Click to expand...

Part of me wants to agree with that and part doesn't. Having a portrait lens or 80mm equivalent is by no means "limiting". It really comes down to what you want to shoot. I agree partly tho because as a general use/walkabout lens for a beginner your not going to be getting in a hell of a lot in your photographs which is generally what you want to do, but that is not a bad thing or limiting. It just means you will start shooting more detailed shots and develop a different style to most beginning with photography. Composition is something you learn and is subjective to each artist or photographer.
 
LouisJeezy said:
Part of me wants to agree with that and part doesn't. Having a portrait lens or 80mm equivalent is by no means "limiting". It really comes down to what you want to shoot. I agree partly tho because as a general use/walkabout lens for a beginner your not going to be getting in a hell of a lot in your photographs which is generally what you want to do, but that is not a bad thing or limiting. It just means you will start shooting more detailed shots and develop a different style to most beginning with photography. Composition is something you learn and is subjective to each artist or photographer.
Click to expand...
It's limiting in so far as you're shooting everything with what is essentially a telephoto lens. Personally if I was going to limit myself to one prime lens for general use I would want something more "normal" such as a 28mm or 35mm.

Anyway, if the OP buys any of the kits already mentioned there's a 50mm f/1.8 included in the package.

Keep in mind back in the film days a 50mm was the kit lens because it was cheap to produce and zooms were expensive - everyone had one. The 18-55 kit lenses today really aren't bad lenses. They might be a little "slow" compared to the 50mm f/1.8 but they're plenty sharp.
 
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