Hi all

so my 21st is coming up and my parents were asking what i wanted.. Had a think about it and i think i'd like a nice camera!

So decision made...

Heres where you guys come in... I HAVE N IDEA WHAT SORA OF CAMERA OR WHAT TO LOOK FOR!

i'm interested in photography but relaly havent had the toys to get me interested in the past. so i'm thinking a nice one as a 21st present would be a good motivator!

anyways i'm predicting questions that might be asked of me to be along the lines of "what are you going to be taking photos of?" so i'll try provide as much information as I can here


for starters budget -

Probably looking at something under $1500.. more likely under $1000 (Australian)

What i want to take photos of -

I'm an industrial designer (in training) so for work/ university purposes i'd be taking photos of physical models.. so things in a completely controllable environment
Outside of this i'd like to be able to take a variety of different sorta shots i guess.. nature animals and sport.


anyways i've really got no idea about what i'd need lol so please help
is it that i can sorta get a good all round camera and then different lenses for different purposes? if so which ones and why?

thanks in advance for any help
Greg

I would go for Canon or Nikon.
The budget includes also the lenses, right?
I would personally take something like Canon 550 with Kit lens or a Nikon 3100 again in some kit package.
Those can be good camaras with general purpose lenses to start with.

if you want a good starter setup I´d consider the Canon EOS 50D ( around 900 bucks ) along with a Canon 70-200mm f4 ( non IS ) telephoto lens. You can do people / portraits, sports and animals with it.

If you're going to be taking photos of models, you'll need a tripod and possibly some lighting. For nature/sports, you'll want a longer lens. Here's what you could look at:

Canon 50D or 60D if you want video. The 60D is a slight upgrade in every way except for size (it's a bit smaller which some don't like) and build quality (it's plastic instead of metal). The 60D has the camcorder-like swiveling screen which is great for video. The 50D is about $900 or so while the 60D is around $1000.

You could also consider a rebel...either T1i or T2i. The t1i kit is a great deal - in the states you can get the T1i, 18-55 IS lens, 55-250 IS lens, + bag and some other stuff for $800.

Read some reviews and decide which is right for you. As far as lenses go, decide how much you want to spend:

18-55 IS - kit lens that comes with the T1i and T2i. It's a $100 lens, but it's good for the price. It's a pretty sharp lens stopped down, which wouldn't be a problem with you shooting in controlled environments and off a tripod.

17-55 IS - this is the upgrade from the 18-55. It's the best lens out there in that focal length range, but it's $1000.

55-250 IS - this is easily the best value out there in the long telephoto range. Very sharp for the price. You can get this lens for around $200.

70-200 f/4 L - this lens is the cheapest L lens you can buy. It has good image quality, but no IS. Around $600.

70-200 f/4 IS L - this is not the same as the 70-200 non IS. This lens has better optics than the non-is (it's sharper) as well as image stabilization. If you can afford it, this is a better choice. It's around $1100.

Just a question..

What's a industrial designer. Do you take pics of human models? or like architectural design models?

If's it's the latter, i recommend a tilt/shift lens.

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This post was edited by waterbanyan on Dec 1 2010 02:46am

inb4onepage.

Nikon ftw!

I'm with Eek on the latter recommendation. Those can be quite pricey though can't they? Anyway because I'm not a Canon guy (thankfully) I wouldn't know what body to suggest to you. With that budget I wouldn't get a D3100. If you get way into photography you would just want a body upgrade not long after anyway. I bought a lower body model (D80) and regret that decision. If I were smarter I would have spent the $150-200 more to get a bit nicer of a body (D90).

So with that budget for the Nikon side... I'd go for either a D90 or a D7000. D7000 is a higher price but much worth it. However that would lower your budget for glass. I am semi positive, without looking that is, that you can get a d7000 with a 18-105 kit lens for around that 1500 dollar budget. Look around at prices see what you can dig up. I am pretty sure with the holidays coming up, there will be sale prices everywhere so keep that in mind.

Also... I highly recommend going to a camera store and playing/ getting your hands on all the different brands' bodies around that budget. You will have to decide which one you think feels nicer and seems easier to use.

Thanks guys for all the replies. I've just had a chance to come back online and read through them all
As i said i've got no idea about anything to do with cameras really so i'm still a bit lost with some of the comments but i'm picking up some trends in the suggestions.

Seems to be some confusion on what an industrial designer is though. when i said "models" i meant like wood/ plastic or foam form models and presentation models.

Industrial design can be a very broad proffesion but basically it's product design. So your toothbrush, your kettle and your mobile phone would have all had some influence of an industrial designer (hopefully)


I'm sensing theres possibly a bit of a mac vs pc sort of war between cannon and nikon... so i'm sticking neutral on that.


Some further questions:

- Will the base of the camera be the part I keep using the longest?


Please keep the comments coming!

thanks

Mac wins obv. And yes there is a war. Its all in good humor though.

A good lens will outlive the body of a camera. So to answer your question, the body of a camera will not last you longer than a lens.