Im A Begginer Needing Advice

[Anna-Lou]

Hello.

Im a 16 Year old student and im VERY interested in photography.
Im thinking of buying a Nikon D40 for my first camera what do you think? As im only 16 and I am at college at the moment I am short on money, I was thinking of buying a bundle of Ebay but many people have told me its all junk. I was wondering if any of you know a good place where i can get a bundle (Camera and lens, Tri pod, Memory card, Bag ect) I found one on ebay for £375 Which is quite expensive if its all junk.

Also im confussed on lighting that i need and reflectors, i know its different for different kinds of thing, For instance if i take pictures of people i am going to need a white background ect and all og the equpitment for inside. Can anyone tell me what i need or advise me on whats best for a lowish sort of price?

I have broght many books and DVDs showing me tutorials which is very helpful now all i need is to know about the equpitment.
I am hopefully going to KCC next year to study photography.

Thanks for listening.

Anna-Lou

 

[pcypert]

Why the bold?

Lay off the bundles. Get the camera and a 50 prime lens. Start shooting and see what YOU like to shoot. Then you'll start adding accessories based on what you need. Case in point, I do almost all event and people work. Rarely use a tripod. Money saved up front was money I put into other equipment.

Paul

 

[compuwar]

Hello.

Im a 16 Year old student and im VERY interested in photography.
Im thinking of buying a Nikon D40 for my first camera what do you think? As im only 16 and I am at college at the moment I am short on money, I was thinking of buying a bundle of Ebay but many people have told me its all junk. I was wondering if any of you know a good place where i can get a bundle (Camera and lens, Tri pod, Memory card, Bag ect) I found one on ebay for £375 Which is quite expensive if its all junk.

The Nikon kits are good, I'd be wary of ebay and get one from a reputable retailer. Some retailers make up their own kits, don't get those.

Also im confussed on lighting that i need and reflectors, i know its different for different kinds of thing, For instance if i take pictures of people i am going to need a white background ect and all og the equpitment for inside. Can anyone tell me what i need or advise me on whats best for a lowish sort of price?

Lighting can be very expensive or relatively expensive depending on what sort of results you're looking to achieve. strobist.blogspot.com is about as cheap as you can get away with, if you're in the US, one of the Alien Bees kits is about as cheap as you can get away with for studio lighting. Backgrounds and stands are easy to get on ebay and fairly interchangable.

I have broght many books and DVDs showing me tutorials which is very helpful now all i need is to know about the equpitment.
I am hopefully going to KCC next year to study photography.

Thanks for listening.

Anna-Lou

Why the bold?

Lay off the bundles. Get the camera and a 50 prime lens. Start shooting and see what YOU like to shoot. Then you'll start adding accessories based on what you need. Case in point, I do almost all event and people work. Rarely use a tripod. Money saved up front was money I put into other equipment.

Paul

Actually- Nikon's 50mm lenses won't autofocus on a D40 and aren't a "normal" field of view anyway. I also don't think you can get a D40 without a kit lens, so the better advice is to get a kit and shoot with it for a while before deciding what else is necessary. Tripods and monopods are the cheapest ways for most photographers to improve the quality of their results.

 

[ChrisA]

Hello.

Im a 16 Year old student and im VERY interested in photography.
Im thinking of buying a Nikon D40 for my first camera what do you think? As im only 16 and I am at college at the moment I am short on money, I was thinking of buying a bundle of Ebay but many people have told me its all junk.

I would stay away from those bundles. Most contain the worst quality no-name junk. You should think about the brand and model of each and every part. The brand of tripod, which head comes with it. What kind of optical coating does the filters have? It is cheaper to buy what you need once then you buy what you don't need, throw it out and then buy what you need.

If money is issue you should be looking at used equipment. Besides, I'd much rather have a used D50 than a new D40. The D50, with it's internal AF mtor will allow you to buy some used non AFS lenses

 

[npederse]

My opinion -- most of the time, the kits and what they include (bag, tripod, memory cards, etc) are both overpriced and of lower quality.

I think the D40 or the D40x are both good cameras. For starting out, and looking to save money, I'd look at the D40. Good quality pictures and unless you're doing large enlargements, etc you'll not notice the difference. Save the money for lenses, once you've figured out what type of shooting you'd like to do. Or, if you want lighting, spend the money on that.

 

[rogersmj]

^ I think you guys need to be a little more careful about what you call junk. Yes, many kit lenses are not very good at all, but the kit lenses the latest Nikons come with are actually quite good, especially for a beginner. DPreview, Rockwell, etc all say the 18-55mm you get with the D40(x)/D60 is a very good lens. I think the D40 is a fine choice in that regard, if you're on a very tight budget.

 

[arogge]

You shouldn't try to buy everything at the same time. Buy a basic camera kit and later add to it what you actually need. If you're a photography student in a school, you probably won't need more than a simple camera and a lens with a focal length between 24 mm and 70 mm.

Have you checked the camera requirements for the classes that you want to take? Which camera body do you like?

 

[147798]

Hi Anna-Lou,

You mentioned you are very interested in photography, but also that you've got a bunch of DVDs and books. So, have you gone out and already taken 1000+ shots? If not, then just stick with the basics. I'd recommend a used DSLR and a basic lens with moderate zoom. Start with that, and then see what you feel you are lacking, and also get a feel for if you like it at all.

I've bought lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of equipment that I have never used more than once, so take a lesson from those of us who have been there before. You don't save anything if you buy cheap products, and especially if you end up not using them.

 

[thinkband]

Welcome Anna-Lou,

Noone has suggested a different camera yet so I'll suggest the Canon brand. I really like the way they feel compared to the Nikon (Personal Preference).

I think you should go to your local electronics store to see how they feel. You might find one brand is too cramped, hard to hold, etc.

The Canon equivalent to your Nikon D40(X) is the XT and XTi. These run you around $400 to $500 respectively. So I do not know what that converts to in Euros. These cameras are quite capable. Instead of a kit lense, I would recommend a 50mm prime which will run you about $80 or $60 used. These prices are all in American dollar.

Best advice that I can give is to never get Ebay kits. The extra stuff is just short of crap. Get either a camera without a lens and get a 50mm prime (does not zoom) or a camera with its respectable kit lens. Later on you can spend more money, as you probably will in this hobby. I just got into photography a little over two months ago and I too am a student. I've spent $700 on my camera, $450 on my lens, $300 on a tripod, $180 on a camera backpack, and $150 on various accessories and cleaning kits.

Some respectable dealers? Try Amazon.com, Bhphoto.com. Look at ResellerRatings.com to see what companies are the best.

Best of luck!

 

[ChrisA]

^ I think you guys need to be a little more careful about what you call junk.

I was trying to be carefull.
Generally the "junk" that comes in those bundles is not the camera. and if the lens is a Nikon brand it's good. But I've seen Nikon bodies bundeled with cheap no-brand lenses and filters and "junk". So my advice was to check the make and model number of EVERY part in the kit.

Yes the Nikon 18-55 is good. Some reviewers do complain about flair in the newer VR version of the 18-55 but a lens shade should help.

 

[rogersmj]

I was trying to be carefull.
Generally the "junk" that comes in those bundles is not the camera. and if the lens is a Nikon brand it's good. But I've seen Nikon bodies bundeled with cheap no-brand lenses and filters and "junk". So my advice was to check the make and model number of EVERY part in the kit.

Yes the Nikon 18-55 is good. Some reviewers do complain about flair in the newer VR version of the 18-55 but a lens shade should help.

Fair point, you're exactly right about that stuff. You'll pretty much never get good filters or tripods in a bundle.