Buying my first 'pro' camera...

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Fresh Politics

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Well essentially, I'm a complete noob. Looking to spend as little as possible - so say under £500 but preferably less.

Main use will be for nature and, when I can, news.
 
andrewc said:
When you say pro, what do you actually mean?

I would suggest something like a Canon 450D with 18-55 IS kit lens. £ 450
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Something that will at least get me seen as more reputable amongst 'togs. So I'm guessing SLR?
 
To be seen as reputable amongst togs it's the results not the kit :D
 
Fresh Politics said:
Something that will at least get me seen as more reputable amongst 'togs. So I'm guessing SLR?
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if you're hoping to be magically accepted by professional press photographers, you're not going to get anything for this range, plus it's a matter of attitude rather than equipment - that and it is SO obvious what equipment is owned and used every day, and that which is owned by a hobbyist.

If you want to take good photos, for your price range, a second hand Nikon D90 is a good buy, so's the D5000...tamron 17-50 is damn good and cheap lens to put on the front of either.
 
TheNissanMan said:
To be seen as reputable amongst togs it's the results not the kit :D
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Yeah, well I don't even have decent kit yet so I need to get to a stage where I can take decent photos. I'm thinking of going to Durham to go in the speciailist camera shop there, I'm guessing they'll be able to help too.
 
Keep in mind the lens that will also be (potentially) pricey.

I only know Canon and I'd go second hand 20d approx £200.

Nature, well you could get a Macro lens for small bugs eg 60mm which you would also use for portraits. General Wildlife you need longer focal length generally, you could try for a second hand 70-300mm (not the 75-300) if you can find one in budget.

There may also be Sigma \ Tamron \ Tokina etc lenses in the focal lengh and budget you are looking for eg sigma 70-300 just under £300 however I've not used that lens.

good luck!

Al
 
Take a look through the TP classifieds - you'll get a lot more bang for your buck with something secondhand :thumbs:
 
Fresh Politics said:
Yeah, well I don't even have decent kit yet so I need to get to a stage where I can take decent photos. I'm thinking of going to Durham to go in the speciailist camera shop there, I'm guessing they'll be able to help too.
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There's a thread on here with awesome results purely from iphones. It's not the kit...
 
Your attitude seems a little off here..

However, for just under £500 you should be able to get a second hand 40D and a kit lens. But if you want to go for a lot less then have a look at the XXXD series, either 400D/450D.

I don't know about Nikon/Olympus/Sony, but there will be some excellent choices with one of those brands too.

At the end of the day, it's how comfortable you feel with the camera, it's not about having the best equipment and bigging it up against other photographers.
 
Fresh Politics said:
Something that will at least get me seen as more reputable amongst 'togs. So I'm guessing SLR?
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Please dont let us get into a debate about being pro. :lol:

Right, I like spending other peoples money, so let me have a go.

You can either go, low end slr cameras which are new or mid range/high end second hand cameras. I would go second hand all the way so ill give you advice on that.

Canon 30D - 8.2 MP CMOS sensor - 5fps - Spot metering & 9-point AF - Magnesium alloy body - 2.5" LCD - £270 second hand.

Nissin Di622 Flashgun - £55

Canon 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS - £100

Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS - £60

CF Memory Card 2GB - £15

Thats a setup quite a lot of people get as there first camera. :)
 
Yes I agree, secondhand is your best option considering your budget. Good luck with it.
 
If buying new then the Nikon D5000 is a brilliant camera... but it's nowhere near being a Pro camera...
If you want to be accepted as a 'serious' member of the Press scrum, you'll need 2x pro bodies and the glass and flash-units to go with it, so an outlay of about £10,000-plus if buying new...
I watched a Pro boxing-match the other day on TV and spent more time watching the photographers working the ring-side...there was one girl using a Canon something with a pop-up flash that kept getting elbowed-out as the others with higher-spec kit were using fast optics and the high iso capabilities of thier newer, more expensive kit to get the shots they needed. Obviously they had no time for politeness there either...the action is so fast, blink and you'd miss it...
So second-hand is the only option for you...

However, you're going at this all wrong - as others have mentioned (and from reading your other posts) it's obvious you're not really interested in the photography - yet. Buy a decent camera and maybe you'll get hooked...

However - a lot of writers are now sent out on jobs with point and shoot or 'bridge' cameras... Most journalists coming out to Afghanistan carried 'starter' DSLRs when I was there...
Tell them you're a writer and the camera is for the website images - even the BBC and ITN journalists had to do this...no one will bat an eyelid at you then...

If I were you, I'd concentrate on the writing. Unless you're already an instinctive photographer, there's no way you'll be a serious contender (or be considered one) just by turning up with 'proper' kit, even if you could afford it...
 
"All the gear, no idea"
That's not what you want at all. Get something you can learn with, then upgrade as necessary. A s/h 20d or 30d and a standard zoom will be perfectly adequate for now.
 
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