How to best spend £1500...??

orange_fox

orange_fox

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Hi,

I've been an amature photographer for several years now, and am very familar with Photoshop. I've been using my mum's Nikon D90, but now want to get my own camera. I've been saving for two years, and now that I've just finished my degree, think it's time to take the plunge and get my own!

The problem is, although I'm creatively capable, I'm not very clued up on the technical side of things, and would really appreciate some advice.

I'm planning on spending a few months trialling and learning my camera, and then potentially getting in to wedding photography. I really want to buy equipment that's capable of producing highly professional looking shots ..... and that's where I need your advice please!! :-)

Like I said, I have around £1500 to spend, although there's a chance I may be able to save a bit more if necessary.

Could you please give me advice on what camera to buy? It's going to be for weddings and also sports. I'd also like to know which lenses to get at first (I know I'll prob have to add to these over time).

A good telephoto lens, a macro lens, a wide angle lens, and then a basic lens is what I'm thinking .... but I'm happy to be corrected.

What do I need to look for when looking to achieve very high quality photos? I LOVE the shots that capture moving crisp detail (eg water splashes). Does that require a fast shutter speed, and if so what do I need to look for?

I hope I've given enough info for you to get an idea of what I'm after. Please feel free to ask questions if I haven't made sense!

Thank you in advance! :-)
 
A D200 + nikon 17-55 f/2.8, 70-300 VR and a 35 or 85 prime ?
 
Well, ive got a canon 600d with a 18-55 and a 70-300mm tamrom lens, half a dozen filters for each lens, bag, nice phat memory card, spare battery and thats just under a grand so with the extra £500, Id probably go for a f1.4 lens for about £380 which will give you nice portrait photos (please correct me if im wrong, i havent been doing this long myself!)

Im sure everyone has their own prefernce on cameras, im just giving my 20pence worth :)
 
Wow you've really set yourself a task there.

Photography first....
Go to a reputable camera shop and try out a few different units.

Truth be told it's really hard to buy a duff camera these days, but if you go with either Nikon or Canon you really would struggle to go wrong.

Bear in mind that rather than the camera body, what you decide will lead towards brand loyalty in terms of lenses. The glass is far more important than the body in terms of final image quality, and it's the lens system that you are buying into when you select your camera. Body unit will come and go but good lenses you'll keep forever!

Try a few and buy the on that "fits"...in terms of comfort of grip, bright viewfinder, controls that feel intuitive without having to look.


Next WEDDINGS.....
I've just become a full time tog and have for the last 5 years been increasing my own business along side my old job in the NHS. My best advice before tackilng weddings is spend time on your photography, learn every aspect of what you can do with your camera. Know it like an extension of your hand. Once you know you can nail any shot in front of you, then shadow a few different wedding togs that you respect. Do it for free and watch them and ask MILLIONS of questions (trust me there are NO stupid questions). Practice lots too. Ask lots about the business side of things too, theres a whole lot more than photography skill here to learn.

When you feel ready to take the plunge... Get spare EVERYTHING! If your camera, or lens, or flash, or tripod etc... breaks you'll need a spare. You cant say "sorry that me all done" and leave. You have to be able to keep going regardless.

Also get insurance, indemnity and liability cover as these things really matter.

Finally never ever expect to pay your mortgage!

I hope I've not discouraged you, but above all I hope you enjoy your photography. :)

In terms of gear, before going "full frame" then (again my experience only covers Nikon gear) a D7000 might suit you to a tea!
 
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Wow thank you so much for all the advice!! I really really appreciate it!
 
First of all you need to decide what you are going to be shooting, as this will lead you into what lenses you need, which will lead you into what system you're going to want. I chose Canon, primarily for the range of lenses they make (and 3rd party companies too) and secondly for the featurs the body gave me. I have a 5D MkIII and a 60D, while the wife uses a new 650D, but while the 5D MkIII may be above your budget I can heartily recommend any one of them. If you want to shoot any sports though, you may want to look at a 7D as it has the AF system you need for it. For lenses you'd probably be as well off to get a good medium range zoom and a smallish prime lens to start with and add to that when your budget allows.

As others have said, go into your local camera shop and handle the various models they have to offer, don't discard any brand or type before you try as Sony, Pentax and others do have some nice gear to offer, but think carefully if you do choose one of the rarer brands as lenses may become hard to find and/or expensive.

While there are lots of nice new cameras out there (we've had 3 bodies this year between the wife and myself) it might be worth looking into the second hand market as some excellent bargains can be had off people who've recently upgraded. Make sure you keep in mind that the lens affects IQ more than the body does though, no good getting a great camera and putting a poor quality lens with it because the lens was cheap.

One last thing, whatever you get, make sure you enjoy it and make the best of it while you do, and also , welcome to the forum.
 
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OK, I've just purchased a D700 *gulp* and hopefully it's going to arrive in a couple of days. I can use my mum's lenses in eth short term, but was hoping for some advice on the first lens I should buy.

I shadowed a wedding photographer a couple of years ago and he used just one lens all day. Do such things exist!? Obviously I'd like to spend as little as possible, but am hoping to get between £600-£800 pounds if necessary. Also, should I spend this all on one good lens, or would you recomend getting two or more cheaper ones to suit my needs?

Thank you in advance.

Again, sorry for my lack of knowledge. Hopefully in 12 onths time I'll have had a lot more experience ;-)
 
D700 is a full frame (FX), D90 is crop (DX), its lens is most probably designed for DX only.

how about Nikkor 24-85mm to start with?
 
orange_fox said:
OK, I've just purchased a D700 *gulp* and hopefully it's going to arrive in a couple of days. I can use my mum's lenses in eth short term, but was hoping for some advice on the first lens I should buy.

I shadowed a wedding photographer a couple of years ago and he used just one lens all day. Do such things exist!? Obviously I'd like to spend as little as possible, but am hoping to get between £600-£800 pounds if necessary. Also, should I spend this all on one good lens, or would you recomend getting two or more cheaper ones to suit my needs?

Thank you in advance.

Again, sorry for my lack of knowledge. Hopefully in 12 onths time I'll have had a lot more experience ;-)
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I'm guessing the photographer would have been using a 24-70 2.8. If you had to use just one lens I would imagine it would be what most people would go for. I don't think you'd get a Nikon 24-70 in budget but it would be worth taking a look at the older 28-70 2.8. Every bit as good optically as the 24-70 and built to survive armageddon.

As for whether to buy one or more lenses. Only you can really answer that. I suppose one option would be to blow the budget on a selection of prime lens, maybe a 35mm f2, a 50 f1.8 and an 85mm 1.8, just depends on your style.
 
I'm not sure you've done the right thing spending so much money on a body meaning you have to sacrifice on the lenses now. I thought you would have been better off getting a cheaper body for now with some good lenses - then when you feel you want to do the weding stuff you can get a better body and use your old one as a 2nd body?
 
Get a Pentax k5 with kit lens for 720 from Amazon. That camera beats anything in the market under 1000k. Keep the rest of the money aside. use the camera for a bit and then you will realise yourself what lenses you need. It's tempting to spend all your money at once but in the long run it's not a very good idea. It's better when you realise your photography is limited by the x feature of your current setup and you upgrade based on that ;)
 
iced_jacob said:
Get a Pentax k5 with kit lens for 720 from Amazon. That camera beats anything in the market under 1000k. Keep the rest of the money aside. use the camera for a bit and then you will realise yourself what lenses you need. It's tempting to spend all your money at once but in the long run it's not a very good idea. It's better when you realise your photography is limited by the x feature of your current setup and you upgrade based on that ;)
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OK, thanks. Problem is I've already bought the body. I just need some advice about which lens(es) to buy to get me started. Everyone that I speak to says that I'll 'know' what lenses to get once I've had some experience ... but I can't get any experience without having some equipment :-( I don't want to buy very cheap now and then have to spend more money down the line when I want to upgrade.
 
I reckon the D700 was an excellent choice as if you are planning to weddings at a later date then you'll probably end up going full-frame anyway (not that it's essential).

I've used Tamron, Sigma and Tokina lenses in the past but to be honest I'd stick to Nikon lenses as I've found the quality control for the other brands can be hit and miss. For less than the price of that Sigma you can get a second hand Nikon 80-200 2.8 AF-S (make sure it's the AF-S) which is optically as sharp as they come with very solid build quality. I know several premiere league sports photographers who won't give up their 80-200mm lenses even though they have the newer 70-200mm ones! They aren't always easy to come by, Grays of Westminster usually has one (AF-S remember) but they are a little expensive.
 
If you've been using a D90 you probably wanted an upgrade anyway and a D700 is a great choice. I went from D90 and Tamron 17-50 to D700 and 24-70 a few months ago and love it! I've also started doing weddings - mostly second shooting and a few small ones to start with.

24-70 is a great pairing with the D700 if you could get one s/h.
 
orange_fox said:
Thank you!!

I'm also looing at a Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-50-1-...2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1342628084&sr=1-2)

Based on the little information I have told you (weddings, portraits, and some sports events) do you think that this, along with the recommended Nikon 80-200 2.8 AF-S, may be a good starting place?
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To be honest the D700 is so good at low light that I would go for the 50mm 1.8 G instead and save the money as it's also an excellent lens. Shooting at 1.4 especially during a wedding will take a fair bit of skill, not just from nailing focus in the first place but also with composition so that the right things are in focus due to such a small depth of field.

That would be a good starting point but you really need the 24-70mm 2.8 to do weddings as this would cover you from wide to long with the 50mm as a backup.

Apart from the usual business side of things (insurance, accounts, stationary, web, backup gear etc) there's also flashguns to consider, spare batteries (camera ones as well) and lots and lots of memory cards - you could be looking at at £200 easy just for memory cards. So I'd hold fire on the 24-70mm and just go for the 50mm so that you can get some real good practice in under a variety of conditions before spending loads of money as it's better for the capital to be in your bank until you are ready to invest.

The one good thing about investing in Nikon semi-pro and pro level gear is that it retains a good resale value - so if you change your mind or have to find money fast for whatever reason then you'll have a much higher chance of selling it. :)

I'll get a photo taken of the 80-200mm to show the sharpness and quality in a few minutes.
 
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Here's one taken last week. It's not my dog but witih all that hair it's a nice example to use for sharpness. EXIF is intact :)

Beach_Dog.jpg


and a 100% crop:

Beach_Dog_100_.jpg
 
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