Getting into new hobby

[nando2323]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum but not to the whole group. Anyhow I have been frequenting these forums here for a bit over a week now. I always liked photography and nice pictures I own a Sony DSC-N2 10mp with the touch screen point and shoot. The pics on it come out nice, but nothing compared to the stuff that I see on here. I was thinking about purchasing a DSLR camera I am really leaning towards a Nikon D40 I like the way it looks and I think thats a great beginner camera. So the real question is should I trust the package deals they have on Ebay for these that include 2 lenses and carrying cases and all for like $600-$700 like this one here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D40-Digit...yZ150130QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Or is something like this just way too much for me to deal with? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Lovesong]

DO NOT BUY FROM J AND K!!!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/296910/

Pretty much there are a number of of places that you should get your gear from and avoid everything else like the plague. B&H are excellent, Adorama are great, and I've had decent experiences with Calumet.

If you want to read about scams, go here:

http://thomashawk.com/2005/11/priceritephoto-abusive-bait-and-switch.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,107855-page,1/article.html

And to check if a store is decent enough, go here:

http://www.resellerratings.com/rlist-s1-n2.html

Edit: oh, and here is the rating for j and k: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Best_Price_Cameras_6
A whooping 0.48/10 rating

 

[baby duck monge]

Allow me to be the first to welcome you to an expensive hobby, and the second to implore you to avoid J&K.

The D40 is a great beginner camera, but I don't think I would get one of those big packages from eBay. I would start with something basic (with or without the kit lens) and get your own accessories. I also wouldn't be too worried about picking up a long lens right off the bat.

If you start with a basic kit, you will soon learn what sorts of pictures you're missing out on, and what you want from your camera (longer range? macro? wide-angle?). If you buy too much to start, you may not have the money for what you will soon want.

Once you have your camera, just go out and shoot. A lot. It doesn't cost anything when you shoot digital. With a bit of practice, you will soon have pictures that you never thought possible (especially if you invest in Photoshop or the like).

Enjoy it!

 

[nando2323]

Allow me to be the first to welcome you to an expensive hobby, and the second to implore you to avoid J&K.

The D40 is a great beginner camera, but I don't think I would get one of those big packages from eBay. I would start with something basic (with or without the kit lens) and get your own accessories. I also wouldn't be too worried about picking up a long lens right off the bat.

If you start with a basic kit, you will soon learn what sorts of pictures you're missing out on, and what you want from your camera (longer range? macro? wide-angle?). If you buy too much to start, you may not have the money for what you will soon want.

Once you have your camera, just go out and shoot. A lot. It doesn't cost anything when you shoot digital. With a bit of practice, you will soon have pictures that you never thought possible (especially if you invest in Photoshop or the like).

Enjoy it!

So are there any online merchants that you can recommend? I just can't stand paying retail for anything nowadays and tax too. I have never had a bad experience on Ebay before and bought from many different sellers. The scams that were mentioned before were for them not including crucial components like the battery or charger but all those kits that are on ebay clearly states that those things are included. Anyhow if you guys could point me in the right direction that would be great.

 

[baby duck monge]

So are there any online merchants that you can recommend? I just can't stand paying retail for anything nowadays and tax too. I have never had a bad experience on Ebay before and bought from many different sellers. The scams that were mentioned before were for them not including crucial components like the battery or charger but all those kits that are on ebay clearly states that those things are included. Anyhow if you guys could point me in the right direction that would be great.

I know they mention that the materials are included, but I don't know that it's something you can count on. And when they have that poor of a history, why would you want to risk it?

If you really want to use eBay, I can recommend Cameta Camera, but your choices are going to be a bit more limited. And again, I would still recommend buying your pieces separately. Just beware that some of their products are NOT NEW. You just have to pay attention.

If you can move away from eBay, I would check out B&H, Adorama, and 17th Street Photo for your bodies and lenses, and DealRAM.com for your memory cards.

 

[buffalomike]

So are there any online merchants that you can recommend? I just can't stand paying retail for anything nowadays and tax too. I have never had a bad experience on Ebay before and bought from many different sellers. The scams that were mentioned before were for them not including crucial components like the battery or charger but all those kits that are on ebay clearly states that those things are included. Anyhow if you guys could point me in the right direction that would be great.

if you see a price much below B&h and adorama's your alarm bells should go off. Other good vendors are cametta (they have stuff on ebay) and beach camera.

As a beginner to the dslr world you might consider paying a bit more at the local shop and have the opportunity to touch and feel the camera/lens combos. A camera that does not fit your hands well will not get used as much.

Mike

 

[ChrisA]

should I trust the package deals they have on Ebay for these that include 2 lenses and carrying cases and all for like $600-$700

In short "no". The long answer is "hell no".

Buy from a reputable dealer. and don't expect a steep discount. If the discount is more then a few percent it's a scam.

Next, Please do some homework. While the D40 can do good work be sure you understand it's limitations. It's #1 limitation is that it lacks an in-body focus motor and therefor can not use some of Nikon's best lenses. Be certain yo don't want any of these lenses. After you know which will work and which will not then decide if that's OK.

Also wait to buy a second lens. Just get the 18-55 and then shoot 1,000 frames then decide which second lens to buy. All beginners always think they will want a very long telephoto lens and then buy the cheapest one they can find. I'd say wait a while, keep track of the photos you could not get with the 18-55 then buy the lenses that would have gotten yu those missed images. Who knows it could be a 10-20mm or a 50mm f/1.4. A slow f/5.6 tele-zoom is not as usfull as you might think But wait you will know more after shooting the first 1,000 frames

Make a goal to shoot 100 images a week minimum. So many people buy cameras and they just sit in a closet and only come out for vacations and such.

 

[nando2323]

if you see a price much below B&h and adorama's your alarm bells should go off. Other good vendors are cametta (they have stuff on ebay) and beach camera.

As a beginner to the dslr world you might consider paying a bit more at the local shop and have the opportunity to touch and feel the camera/lens combos. A camera that does not fit your hands well will not get used as much.

Mike

Well I was just looking on Amazon and they have it for $498 with free shipping. I think thats a pretty good deal and I know I can trust Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=250314001&pf_rd_i=B000NOEDGK

 

[baby duck monge]

Well I was just looking on Amazon and they have it for $498 with free shipping. I think thats a pretty good deal and I know I can trust Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=250314001&pf_rd_i=B000NOEDGK

This is more or less true. Just make sure you pay attention to whether it's coming from Amazon or through a 3rd party. If it's a 3rd party, be sure to research them. In this case, it seems to be coming straight from Amazon.

 

[serpent]

if you want to save some money and don't mind using ebay, look up Cameta Camera. They're legit and prices of packages are quite competative. I would not buy a D40. For the same price you should be able to find a nice D70s w/pkg 18-70 lens and prob an xtra battery. The D40 is lacking in sensors and IMO sucks when shooting verticle and not all F mount lenses will be compatable.

 

[Poncho]

Three months ago I bought a Sony T-7 or my girlfriend. I'd never owned a digital camera before. Had a go of hers. Realised that with digital you can have loads of fun because it doesn't cost anything to develop pictures. Never even owned a camera before. So, after reading here, I ended up buying a Nikon D40. I just use it on Auto setting at the moment and I get some stunning pictures. Especially in good light. It feels good in your hand, got a great LCD and I bought it with just the standard kit lense. Now I have gone and bought a 55-200mm lense on e-Bay. It arrived from Hong Kong in four days, though I was pretty nervous about it never turning up and my losing my money.

Basically, go for it. But I would just get the D40 with one lense. Also, on E-bay I bought the remote for £8 instead of £17 and a 2Gb extremeIII Sandisk SD card for £15 when the camera shop wanted £40.