Thread: Question on DSLRs

Originally Posted by schmidty

that is what i was told.. "get either a 300 or 400 prime." If I were to go prime, would a 28 and 300 suffice?

I had a year of film photo in school, we were only working with 35mm but I did learn a lot. I understand there is a difference, but I look forward to applying what was learned to my DSLR. Even though that class was taken about 6 years ago

28 and 300 are good.. you might want to add something in the middle....

if you are going all prime (jelous!!!) then also get a 50 or 80...

50mm 1.2.... drool... but more realisting the 1.4 is awesome as well. (my next buy)

A 50mm f1.2 is cool... for $1500. You would have to be careful when shooting at f1.2 because you can miss the focus a lot at that aperture. For example, if you take a picture of someone's face at f1.2, the eyes will be the only thing in sharp focus, everything else falls off. Though, you could dial it down to f2.8 or something to get some tack-sharp imagery.

Anything below f2 can make it hard to get a perfect focus especially with moving objects. However if you have a tripod and a stationary object then you won't have much of a problem.

A prime lens below 50mm such as a 35mm or 28mm will get a nice coverage of the subject and it's surroundings and anything past 50mm such as 85mm or 135mm will get the finer detail and fill the frame of whatever you are shooting. A 50mm is nice because it is close to the focal range of our eyes, but without the peripherals. They also eliminate most distortion of the lens elements. A 300mm would be enough to get the subject's face from a great distance.

Also keep in mind the crop factor of the DSLR that don't have a full frame sensor like those 35mm film cameras. A 50mm would equate to something like 80-85mm on a regular DSLR, key word "regular".

Happy Hunting and hope this helps

^^ indeed it does, as does your signature; thanks for all the input everyone.

I would continue to say what everyone has been saying. You can't really go wrong with anything Nikon/Canon. If you're just looking for a camera to shoot a couple hundred pictures every once in a while then there is no need for a Leica or Hasselblad. Since you are just getting into it and looking for an entry level to amateur camera I would recommend a Nikon D90, D7000 or even a used D300. On the Canon side either a T1i, T2i, 60D, 5D Mark II. You really can't go wrong in my opinion. If you are looking at upgrading down the road by getting more lenses and overall just shooting more then I would recommend getting a more amateur level camera so you can grow into it if and when you shoot with it more.

On the lens side of the discussion I would recommend a 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4. Just received this for my birthday and have hardly taken it off of my camera. If you are looking to get a long prime I would think about maybe getting a 70-300mm just to see how much you will use the 300mm zoom. I would hate to see you drop the money and not use it, if that makes any sense from my point of view.

Cameras:
Nikon:
D90
D7000
D300 (used)

Canon:
T1i
T2i
5D Mark II

Lens:
70-300mm
70-200mm
50mm f/1.8 or 1.4
60mm f/2.8
85mm f1.8
300mm f/4 or f/1.8

Hope this helps, of course they are all just suggestions Keep us informed in your camera search and let us know what you end up with!

Good luck!

I have an Olympus pen that I bought when my daughter was born and it is amazing ! I bought it because it is one of the smallest SLR's and it has high definition video .

Since then ( 6 months ago ) I have really got bit by the photo bug and really play with different lights and exposiers and effects the camera has from the factory . I have gotten quite good at it and its time to upgrade ! I have the Pen avail for sale .. it still even has the cellophane on the screen from the factory and not a single scratch or nick in anyway . If your interested let me know , it is the best SLR for someone who wants point and shoot simplicity without lugging around some huge camera bag . You have probably seen the commercials for it . I will take $ 400 if your are interested .. I Paid 700 with tax and everything , I could really sell it as brand new thats how perfect it is .. I can send you pics if you want . PM me with your email .