Hi to all... some advise needed
- Thread starter fongi
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You're not investing, you're buying a camera body (and into a lens system). Unless you collect cameras or you're using photography to earn money, it's not investing.
Now, next item. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Pentax.. don't want to get into that. They're all good enough for a hobbyist, else they won't survive in the market. Pros almost always choose Canon or Nikon, because they have the largest market share, the most choices, and the most 3rd party accessories. It's nice to dream, but how realistic is it for hobbyists like us to change $12k camera bodies every few years?
Now, 3rd item - 40D. Compare with, Nikon D300. It's not as sophisticated as the Nikon. It's also quite a lot cheaper. I shoot a 20D, and I would not hesitate to switch to a 40D if I need a replacement right now.
Final, 40D or 450D / 1000D? It's more expensive, larger, and heavier. On the other hand, the controls are easier to access, and it just feels better in my hand. The last point is subjective - go try out the cameras for yourself to find out. Easier access to controls means fewer button pushes to change certain settings.
So my answer to should you buy a 40D is, maybe
What lens to buy, now that's a whole new can of worms...
Edit : if you're serious about picking up photography as a hobby, buy a book first. Like Peterson's Understanding Exposure. And maybe borrow / rent a camera first?
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hi to all.
i'm totally new to photography, but has always wanted to pick it as a hobby. shd i invest in canon 40D?
I'd like to share when I was choosing which dslr to buy 2-3 yrs back...
I know that I wanna continue with photography as a hobby/enthusiast many2 yrs down the road, these were my process thought...
I always have this in my mind... Lens are forever, body come & go every year or few years.
Firstly... Get a few books and read all you need to know about photogaphy & it's gears... It good to be well informed before plunging $$$ to the shops...
Secondly... I looked thru the lens by all the makers/brands. I try to understand why certain lenses are highly regarded, why they are the 'dream' lens, why certain lens are frown upon. Try to understand differences in main brand lens compared to 3rd party lens(though of the same range). I looked at all the available lens from all brands at that time. Read the reviews and all. What type of lens are for what type of photography.
Have a rough idea of what kinda photography that you wanna do or like.
Then I make a wish list of the lenses that I want from every brand(eg. brand A= 10-20, 18-75, 70-200, brand B= 12-24, 20-85, 50-200) based on my type of photography. Then I list down the price of these lenses that I want. I then decide how much I'm actually willing to spend on them, as a hobbyist/enthusiast, after looking at the figures. I then narrow down to the brands that are within my budget.
Thirdly... From those brands, I look at the available bodies. Held & tested them out. See which one feels better... Compare the specs. Decide which specs I'm willing to compromise and which I'm not. Looked at the prices, are they within my budget or not... To buy the body with the kit lens or with the lens in wish list... Checked again my budget...
Then on I bought my first dslr. And the purchasing journey continue till I've gotten the lenses in my wish list... and other accessories... hehe...
I'm just sharing with you and all of another way of choosing our camera & system. I'm sure thare are many other ways to go about it.
Have fun along the way. I sure did!
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hi to all.
i'm totally new to photography, but has always wanted to pick it as a hobby. shd i invest in canon 40D?
If you can afford it, yes.
tks guy for all the valuble advise. i shall start with readin. hope u guys will enlighten me along the way shd i have any stupid noob question. cos i really blur about photography... but really wanna pick it up... cos i like nice pictures
do you have a budget?
hi to all.
i'm totally new to photography, but has always wanted to pick it as a hobby. shd i invest in canon 40D?
what do you want to shoot?
why do you want to shoot?
why do you want a dslr?
why do you want a canon 40d, at that?
if you cannot answer all that, then maybe answering this one also can:
do you have a lot of money to spend?
i find photography is a very interestin hobby... it can teach a person good character. like many noobs, brands come 1st (cos we noob mah), and plus i have always heard good things about Canon, so naturally i wanna choose canon. it's not so much for investment purpose... i wanna utilise it and shoot nice pic, so when my daugthers r old enof, i hope by den i shd be good enof to teach them photography. my budget fall in the range of 40D
btw, can explain in simple terms, wat is ''focal length''? and wat it does? tks
If you're interested in the physics / optics definition, look at this Wikipedia page but I'm guessing you're not too interested
Roughly, it translates into how far (long focal length, big number) or how wide (short focal length, small number) you can see.
For example, for a decent sized moon on a 40D, you should have at least a 200mm lens.
To get good coverage for indoor shots, you should preferably have 17mm, esp. for group shots.
When choosing a lens, you'd also want to pay attention to aperture, which is the maximum size of the opening inside the lens to let light through. Smaller number = bigger opening = more light = you can use faster shutter speed to freeze motion.
I highly recommend reading the stickies in the Newbies Corner.
i find photography is a very interestin hobby... it can teach a person good character. like many noobs, brands come 1st (cos we noob mah), and plus i have always heard good things about Canon, so naturally i wanna choose canon. it's not so much for investment purpose... i wanna utilise it and shoot nice pic, so when my daugthers r old enof, i hope by den i shd be good enof to teach them photography. my budget fall in the range of 40D
Then buy and start shooting. You can only get better with more exposures.
Don't get too hang up over what brand of equipment; like cars, does it really make a huge difference whether you drive a Camry/Accord for your first car if you just passed your driving test?
btw ... the Canon 40D is decently high up on the totem pole .... something like Camry/Accord in terms of cars .....
I advise you to read all other ADVICEs given in the newbie and Canon thread.
Thats the homework not given by any school teacher; but by the School of Wisdom.
Thats the homework not given by any school teacher; but by the School of Wisdom.
i find photography is a very interestin hobby... it can teach a person good character. like many noobs, brands come 1st (cos we noob mah), and plus i have always heard good things about Canon, so naturally i wanna choose canon. it's not so much for investment purpose... i wanna utilise it and shoot nice pic, so when my daugthers r old enof, i hope by den i shd be good enof to teach them photography. my budget fall in the range of 40D
Can you elaborate how photography can teach a person good character? Looking at people chasing celebs, people snapping pics of accidents instead of helping I rather have my doubts. It's a hobby at first, the rest is up to you.
Whatever you heard about Canon you need to verify. Just because some of you friends all have a 40D doesn't mean anything. You should step back from the brands discussion, there are more options nowadays which might not be known to your Canon friends.
"Nice pictures" are not defined by any camera but rather by the skills of the person behind the lens. Sure, technical features do add to the picture but skilled people are even able to overcome technical limitations.
I suggest you read more of those threads about "What camera to choose" (there are plenty of them) and consider also other brands. Keep in mind that SLR is more than a single camera, it's a system of components.
Last but not least: learn to utilize search engines of forums and internet. There are plenty of web pages about photography, some are more technically oriented (equipment tests) and other address more the skills and techniques. Generic questions will give blur answers, specific questions are more likely to result in helpful answers.
If you're interested in the physics / optics definition, look at this Wikipedia page but I'm guessing you're not too interested
Roughly, it translates into how far (long focal length, big number) or how wide (short focal length, small number) you can see.
For example, for a decent sized moon on a 40D, you should have at least a 200mm lens.
To get good coverage for indoor shots, you should preferably have 17mm, esp. for group shots.
When choosing a lens, you'd also want to pay attention to aperture, which is the maximum size of the opening inside the lens to let light through. Smaller number = bigger opening = more light = you can use faster shutter speed to freeze motion.
I highly recommend reading the stickies in the Newbies Corner.
tks for simplifying it for me bro, i have read it up at wikipedia... but very chim
cheersI advise you to read all other ADVICEs given in the newbie and Canon thread.
Thats the homework not given by any school teacher; but by the School of Wisdom.
tks bro, i read liao, and it really taught me alot. now i got a better understanding den b4 liao
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