What kind of camera do you have?
I love pictures. I love the moment in time that they capture. I love the emotions. I love the memories. I would like to think that I'm as close to a professional photographer that you can be without actually being a professional photographer. I take a lot of pictures and inevitably end up sharing way more of them than anyone actually wants to see. Since my friends on FB can't avoid seeing my overwhelming amount of pictures, people often ask me; What kind of camera do you have? It seems like a simple question, but there are so many caveats to my answer I thought I'd write it down for the next person that asks. So, without further ado...
-What kind of camera do you have?
I have a Canon Rebel T3i.
That's the short answer. So if that's all you want to know, you can stop reading. But if you want to know more; here's the rest...
-What kind of camera do you have?
I have a Canon Rebel T3i. Before this camera, I owned a Canon T1i. They are now up to a T5i and this spring will release the T6i. I did a lot of research before buying my first dSLR to choose between Nikon and Canon. I know professionals who swear by both of them. Reading specs will show you Canon does one thing well and Nikon does another well. I don't think you can go wrong with either of them. I ended up choosing Canon because I knew more people with Canons and the lenses go on sale more often than Nikon. I am happy with my choice and when I upgrade again will buy another Canon.
How much do they cost?
The only thing I love more than photography is money, so I don't want you going on Amazon and spending $850 on the camera body and two lenses (we'll talk about lenses later). A little part of me would die if you paid full price for this. So what is a good price? If you wait until the right time of year, you can get the camera, an 18-55mm lens, a 55-250mm lens, a photo printer, and photo printer paper for $550 after rebate.
Don't need the printer? Me either, that's why I sold that bad boy on Craig's list which further offset the cost.
But how will you know when it's on sale? If you know me in real life, ask me and I'll let you know. I get my info from SlickDeals.net. You can watch the site or set an alert and it will let you know when the camera is mentioned.
What lens do you have?
This is the question that doesn't normally get asked, but is always in my reply about my camera. You see, lenses make all of the difference. You can buy the best camera in the world, but it you put a crappy lens on it you'll get crappy pictures.
I started with the kit lens, the standard 18-55mm lens that came with the camera and a 55-250mm telephoto lens for shots that were further away. As I got more comfortable with my camera, I found that the shots taken with my 55-250 were usually more crisp and less blurry. I started to prefer that lens, but it really wasn't practical for inside the house. I did some research and learned waaaay more than you want to know about aperture and f stops and learned why my pictures weren't turning out the way I wanted them to. (I'm not going to get technical here, but if you have time on your hands and want to learn more this is a good resource http://digital-photography-school.com/digital-photography-tips-for-beginners/).
Long story short... my current lens wasn't capable of doing what I wanted it to do. I needed a new lens, but I didn't want to pay $$$ for it. A photographer friend recommended the "nifty fifty" which is what I recommend if you are looking for sharper pictures with your current dSLR without spending a lot of money. It goes on sale for around $100 pretty often. The drawback to this lens is that it is a fixed focal length; meaning you can't zoom in or out with the lens. You will need to physically more forward or backward to change the makeup of the shot. Does that suck? Yes. Will there be times you can't fit everything into the shot you want to? Yes. But the pictures it can produce are much better and for $100 it is totally worth it.
I bought my nifty fifty in 2011 and by 2014 I was frustrated by it's limitations and ready to spend the money on a better lens. I thought about getting a lens that would go over a further range so I didn't have to lug my 55-250 around with me when we went to sporting events, but in the end I decided that the crispness of a photo was most important to me, so I went with a lens that would give me sharper images. I decided on the Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 and I LOVE it. They go on sale for about $420 a couple of times a year. The cost was totally worth it and I wish I would have gotten it sooner. It has become my go to lens, and is the one that is almost always on my camera.
You still with me?
Well this got long really fast. I still have more to tell you about how very important light is, how you need to know your camera well enough to get off the auto setting, and about editing (I edit most all of my photos in Lightroom.) All of which play a role in the quality of my photos. There is much more than just the camera.
But don't let it all overwhelm you. Do you need to buy fancy lenses and spend time editing? No, just get your camera out (even if it's a phone) and shoot. You'll be glad you did.
-What kind of camera do you have?
I have a Canon Rebel T3i.
That's the short answer. So if that's all you want to know, you can stop reading. But if you want to know more; here's the rest...
-What kind of camera do you have?
I have a Canon Rebel T3i. Before this camera, I owned a Canon T1i. They are now up to a T5i and this spring will release the T6i. I did a lot of research before buying my first dSLR to choose between Nikon and Canon. I know professionals who swear by both of them. Reading specs will show you Canon does one thing well and Nikon does another well. I don't think you can go wrong with either of them. I ended up choosing Canon because I knew more people with Canons and the lenses go on sale more often than Nikon. I am happy with my choice and when I upgrade again will buy another Canon.
How much do they cost?
The only thing I love more than photography is money, so I don't want you going on Amazon and spending $850 on the camera body and two lenses (we'll talk about lenses later). A little part of me would die if you paid full price for this. So what is a good price? If you wait until the right time of year, you can get the camera, an 18-55mm lens, a 55-250mm lens, a photo printer, and photo printer paper for $550 after rebate.
Don't need the printer? Me either, that's why I sold that bad boy on Craig's list which further offset the cost.
But how will you know when it's on sale? If you know me in real life, ask me and I'll let you know. I get my info from SlickDeals.net. You can watch the site or set an alert and it will let you know when the camera is mentioned.
What lens do you have?
This is the question that doesn't normally get asked, but is always in my reply about my camera. You see, lenses make all of the difference. You can buy the best camera in the world, but it you put a crappy lens on it you'll get crappy pictures.
I started with the kit lens, the standard 18-55mm lens that came with the camera and a 55-250mm telephoto lens for shots that were further away. As I got more comfortable with my camera, I found that the shots taken with my 55-250 were usually more crisp and less blurry. I started to prefer that lens, but it really wasn't practical for inside the house. I did some research and learned waaaay more than you want to know about aperture and f stops and learned why my pictures weren't turning out the way I wanted them to. (I'm not going to get technical here, but if you have time on your hands and want to learn more this is a good resource http://digital-photography-school.com/digital-photography-tips-for-beginners/).
Long story short... my current lens wasn't capable of doing what I wanted it to do. I needed a new lens, but I didn't want to pay $$$ for it. A photographer friend recommended the "nifty fifty" which is what I recommend if you are looking for sharper pictures with your current dSLR without spending a lot of money. It goes on sale for around $100 pretty often. The drawback to this lens is that it is a fixed focal length; meaning you can't zoom in or out with the lens. You will need to physically more forward or backward to change the makeup of the shot. Does that suck? Yes. Will there be times you can't fit everything into the shot you want to? Yes. But the pictures it can produce are much better and for $100 it is totally worth it.
I bought my nifty fifty in 2011 and by 2014 I was frustrated by it's limitations and ready to spend the money on a better lens. I thought about getting a lens that would go over a further range so I didn't have to lug my 55-250 around with me when we went to sporting events, but in the end I decided that the crispness of a photo was most important to me, so I went with a lens that would give me sharper images. I decided on the Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 and I LOVE it. They go on sale for about $420 a couple of times a year. The cost was totally worth it and I wish I would have gotten it sooner. It has become my go to lens, and is the one that is almost always on my camera.
You still with me?
Well this got long really fast. I still have more to tell you about how very important light is, how you need to know your camera well enough to get off the auto setting, and about editing (I edit most all of my photos in Lightroom.) All of which play a role in the quality of my photos. There is much more than just the camera.
But don't let it all overwhelm you. Do you need to buy fancy lenses and spend time editing? No, just get your camera out (even if it's a phone) and shoot. You'll be glad you did.
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