Beginner with £800 budget - Advice Please

AndrewSt

AndrewSt

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Hello

Great site, loads of useful info and helpful posters.

Currently using a Sony hx20v compact for nothing other than general snaps, travel etc but really enjoy photography and want to get a bit more serious and take much better pictures.

I mainly prefer landscape shots however I am going to South Africa on safari and to see Cape Town, so will also want wildlife photos.

Absolute max of £800 to spend for the body and some decent starter lens, something for general, landscape and wildlife photography would be great.

Any suggestions on my best bet? I had originally thought DSLR was the way to go, something like the Canon 700D, but also reading good reviews on the more compact cameras such as sony NEX6.

Advise much appreciated.
 
welcome :)
New or are you open to second hand?
From a new Sony pov an A57 body+18-55 kit + 55-300 or Tamron SP 70-300 USD would come in ~£700 allowing cash for memory card, bag & cleaning kit.
 
Welcome to TP. If you're going on safari you will probably want a minimum of £500 for a half decent second hand telephoto lens. Either something like a canon 100-400 or sigma 150-500 etc. Either that or rent one? A zoom will probably be better than a prime if you only have the one body and can't control the distance from the subject (I.e you're stuck in a land rover). A good wildlife camera would be the Canon 7D, used price around £600, high street price around £1000.

If you went for the lens above, then a cheaper body like a 40D or 50D would be fine.

Or if you went with the 7D, a cheaper lens like the 70-300 and a 'kit lens.'

Both of the above options should just about be within your budget.
 
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AndrewSt said:
I had originally thought DSLR was the way to go, something like the Canon 700D, but also reading good reviews on the more compact cameras such as sony NEX6. Advise much appreciated.
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If you go canon DSLR avoid the xxxD range and go for a xxD or above.

The three digit canon cameras are very basic and you will grow out of it fairly quickly if the photography bug catches.
 
ACW said:
Welcome to TP. If you're going on safari you will probably want a minimum of £500 for a half decent second hand telephoto lens. Either something like a canon 100-400 or sigma 150-500 etc. Either that or rent one? A zoom will probably be better than a prime if you only have the one body and can't control the distance from the subject (I.e you're stuck in a land rover). A good wildlife camera would be the Canon 7D, used price around £600, high street price around £1000.

If you went for the lens above, then a cheaper body like a 40D or 50D would be fine.

Or if you went with the 7D, a cheaper lens like the 70-300 and a 'kit lens.'

Both of the above options should just about be within your budget.
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You won't get a 100-400 for £500. But the rest is spot on in my limited knowledge.

If I were you I'd try hard to get a 150-500 and a canon 7d. You have weatherproofing, a really tough camera (look up on youtube digitrev and them testing it), and a really good fps.

The 150-500 will get close enough to the action. You might have to stretch the budget a bit, but you can sell the lens and or camera when you get back. Why spoil a once in a lifetime opportunity? Just borrow the money and sell it when you get back!
 
I'd agree with the need for a long length lens for safari.

I'm going to go against the grain and suggest something like a Panasonic G5 with 14-42 kit lens plus a Panny 100-300. Because the sensor is smaller than the APS-C sized sensor, you get more lens for your money. The 14-42 gives the same field of view as a 17-52 lens on a Canon xxD and the 100-300 is equivalent to a 125-375 on an xxD camera.

The difference is that they are a lot smaller than the bigger lenses/cameras so easier to carry AND you can get them both new for less than £800.... Besides that, the image quality is pretty good too ;)

Don't believe people who tell you that you must buy a DSLR from Canon or Nikon - mirrorless have a lot to offer - trust me, I swapped a LOT of top end Canon for my current cameras (all Panasonic).
 
Considering locations and the fact you are just starting I would go with cheap used kit. 1D mark II is under £300 and built well enough to tackle an attacker, deserts and rain. Or on the cheapest end you have the likes of 30D. No point getting 5D III or 1DX now, unless you have the know how. Make it your next camera if you like.
Lenses are more important. Depending on your style look for primes or faster zooms. But in general avoid most f/3.5-5.6 or f/4-5.6 zooms (there are a couple very expensive exceptions).

Perhaps the most important thing is to get a decent book or at least watch a load of "seminars" on youtube.
 
Thanks everyone. Good advise so far.

Always bought new thing in the past but not against a well cared for used model if it makes more sense. Ebay the best place or anywhere else recommended?

i was swinging towards the NEX6 before posting but need to seriously consider options again now.
 
Do you already have your preferred brand that you want to stick to (Sony)?

If not, I'd be tempted by the following Nikon kit:

Nikon D7000 body only - can be had second hand for £400, say £450 more likely.
Nikon 18-55 DX VR (kit) Lens which you can again easily snag second hand for £50-£60 to cover the wide to normal end.
Nikon 55-300 DX Zoom Lens which can be found for around £190 second hand and will nicely cover you on the tele side.

On paper that leaves £100+ still in your back pocket too.

Don't be put off buying second hand. It can be an amazing way to save money on fantastic kit. I have spent nearly £4.5k in second hand equipment in the last 12 months and have been left extremely pleased I didn't pay extra for new.
 
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Thanks.

Will have a look through Ebay and see what comes up.

Really confused now the more research I do. Really need to decide for certain if I want to go down the DSLR or the smaller NEX or 4/3 route.
 
AndrewSt said:
Really confused now the more research I do. Really need to decide for certain if I want to go down the DSLR or the smaller NEX or 4/3 route.
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If you can get to a camera store, hold the cameras in your hand with the lens (or similar) you are thinking of buying. How the camera feels in your hand is as important as anything else IMHO.
 
Going to try and get to John Lewis and Jessops if I can this weekend and have a good look.
 
AndrewSt said:
I mainly prefer landscape shots however I am going to South Africa on safari and to see Cape Town, so will also want wildlife photos.
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If you are only looking for wildlife for the holiday, then rather than spend most of your budget on a long zoom. My suggestion would be to hire the best lens possible instead. Alternately depending on available funds, buy second hand and sell as soon as you get back, if you go for canon 100-400 you shouldn't lose much, if any.
 
At least you have a decent budget, makes a change from the amount of people that come on with £300 max
 
I know, I don't expect to be winning awards with the kit I can afford but I think the budget should be reasonable enough to get a good kit that I can build on.

Going to play with the Nikon 7000/7100 and the Canon 700D/60D/70D from the DSLR ranges along with a Sony NEX6 and an Olympus OM-D and then make a decision.

With regards to the Safari lens, i am reluctant to pay too much as unlikely to use very often, renting is expensive considering I am away for 3 weeks. i think I will have to go 2nd hand and sell on afterwards or compromise with a lens that is fairly long but but one I will use more something like a 50/200
 
AndrewSt said:
I know, I don't expect to be winning awards with the kit I can afford but I think the budget should be reasonable enough to get a good kit that I can build on. Going to play with the Nikon 7000/7100 and the Canon 700D/60D/70D from the DSLR ranges along with a Sony NEX6 and an Olympus OM-D and then make a decision. With regards to the Safari lens, i am reluctant to pay too much as unlikely to use very often, renting is expensive considering I am away for 3 weeks. i think I will have to go 2nd hand and sell on afterwards or compromise with a lens that is fairly long but but one I will use more something like a 50/200
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. Personally I'd look for something a bit longer than 200mm for on Safari. If you are thinking of buyer and selling, then stick with manufacturers own lenses rather than third party (sigma/tamron) they tend to hold they're value better. I nearly bought a canon 100-400 second hand a couple of months ago for about £800, they're still about that if not a little more now.
 
This thread seems to have been buried with DSLR but be sure and check out the other cameras like the fuji x line as they are in the same PP as the nex. The EX-1 and X100 threads have quite a few sample shots in them. Of course you would be over budget if you wanted a long lens to go with the fuji unless you got a good deal on a body.
 
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AndrewSt said:
Going to play with the Nikon 7000/7100 and the Canon 700D/60D/70D from the DSLR ranges along with a Sony NEX6 and an Olympus OM-D and then make a decision.
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Have a play with an Alpha too. There aren't the native long lens yet for any CSC (m4/3, NEX etc.) for wildlife nor is their AF yet matching let alone beating DSLR/SLT standards.
 
I recently sold a Nikon D5100 with a 18-105mm on here for £350 was a bargain same sensor as the D7000 a great first DLSR

Add a 70-300 vr for around £250 sh Job done for around £600-700 and easy to resell


Edit, up to yesterday there was a D7000 with 18-105vr +70-300 vr for sale on here for £650. so you can find something to match you budget
Maybe worth looking on some of the FB second-hand sale groups
 
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consider Fuji x's as well. better color than Sony (personal opinion of course)
 
Buy a second hand body and spend the rest on Good Glass
 
Looks like everyone here is basically recommending the camera/s they own so I will go against the grain a bit: :)

I own a Nex 5 and unless AF is drastically improved on the newer model, Nex 6 AF is probably too slow for wildlife and also there are no native nex lenses longer than 210mm.

G5 and 100-300 could work - not used either myself but I do own a G3 - would probably not be my first choice for a safari though.

You can pick up a used Nikon D300 or D7000 body for around £400, not sure what the Canon equivalents would be but I assume they have something similar for that price - a used EOS 60D maybe?

That's what I would probably do if I were you - I own a Sony A57 as well but Nikon and Canon have a more plentiful supply of used lenses and it's easier to find a recent model used body too.

Buying a long lens and reselling to recoup most of the cost makes more sense than renting, although you may get a taste for photographing wildlife and want to keep it. :)

Maybe buy a beanbag for the safari especially if you get a dslr and long lens.

Mirrorless (Nex and micro four thirds) and Sony SLT means you will have an electronic viewfinder, so if you do go that route, try before you buy to see how you get on with them.

Almost all current cameras can take great pictures - but some are more suitable than others for specific tasks. Also quite often the 'best' option for landscapes is different to the 'best' option for wildlife - so safari aside a good all rounder may make more sense?

Oh and whatever you get - practice using it as much as possible (and read the manual) before you go on holiday - you don't want to miss a great safari shot because you were fiddling with the camera trying to work out how to do something. ;) Maybe keep a pdf copy of the manual on your smartphone/ipod/kindle to take with you too.
 
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One thing to think about could be lens changes and sensor contamination while out in the wild. This is one area in which a DSLR could lose out with it's floppy mirror and sensors (arguably) more prone to contamination.

Having shifted to mostly using MFT I think I'd be much happier in the wild with one than something like my 5D which needs regular cleaning.
 
Sadly the Fuji x range would be no good for safari

Try out the bodies you mentioned and get one you like, buy only the body and I would suggest a wide angle zoom or something like a 35mm F2 to start with, that will cover your main interest of landscapes, then hire a long telephoto for the safari.
 
I was in kenya on safari last year with a Nikon D5100, the kit 18-55, a sigma 10-20 and a Nikon 55-300. Some of the shots are right near the start of my flickr stream and can give you an idea of what to expect from that focal length.. That kind of kit would be well within your budget though I really would advise getting something longer than 300mm. If I had the chance to go back I would definitely be buying of renting something up to 500mm.
 
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