Would like to take up photography as a hobby

[jones24]

This is the very first time i am even coming into this forum.


Personally i have almost 0 experience in taking pictures. All i know is point and click at something. If the place is dark enable flash.


I own a couple of cell phones with cameras in them the max is at 2mega pixel. When night vision is enable click at a picture and wait for 1 or 2 seconds.

I own a 2 megapixel digital cam which is probably ancient. Other than that i have played around with friends or relatives 6 megapixel cameras.



Firstly i would need to buy a new camera. I am thinking of buying a DSLR cam. Not too high end or high tech since i am still a noob. Budget would be around 800-1k sing dollars.


Any reccomendations?


I thank the admins and mods for welcoming me into your community and hopefully we can meet up 1 day for pointers and advice on photo taking.

Cheers.

 

[mayhemics]

on the basis of your budget per se, you can consider the nikon d60 dslr that comes with a 18-55 kit lens. should be going for about $800 now. compact and a good way to step into the dslr realm.

 

[sherchoo]

If I were to advise, I would say go for it. If there is a genuine interest I would strongly suggest to take up the hobby.

Since you're go in at zero level, I would suggest getting a 2nd DSLR where you can get it at a low price here and slowly build on that. Importent note to you is that it requires patience and lots of homework before you can get reletively good shots. More importantly you just got to get out there and shoot shoot shoot and have fun with it.

 

[jones24]

on the basis of your budget per se, you can consider the nikon d60 dslr that comes with a 18-55 kit lens. should be going for about $800 now. compact and a good way to step into the dslr realm.

Thanks for the suggestion. What sort of shops should i visit? I do not wish to visit shops at lucky plaza for eg as i feel they have a bad rep.

If I were to advise, I would say go for it. If there is a genuine interest I would strongly suggest to take up the hobby.

Since you're go in at zero level, I would suggest getting a 2nd DSLR where you can get it at a low price here and slowly build on that. Importent note to you is that it requires patience and lots of homework before you can get reletively good shots. More importantly you just got to get out there and shoot shoot shoot and have fun with it.

Thanks for your advice. May i know where these 2nd dslrs are sold at a low price here?

 

[eedwinn]

I do not know of any shops that sell second hand DSLRs, but I'll say this forum has a pretty active "market place". You can try searching them here for a start. Cheers!

 

[zac08]

Hi Jones,

welcome to CS.

Look around in the buy and sell sub-forums... there are plenty of choices there

 

[jones24]

I do not know of any shops that sell second hand DSLRs, but I'll say this forum has a pretty active "market place". You can try searching them here for a start. Cheers!

OKay i'll check out that place.


Btw does this forum review and give a price list on various cameras on sale in sg?

Sorry if this sounds a bit riddiculous.

 

[sherchoo]

for reviews, you can go www.dpreview.com or best do a search. The function works pretty well.

 

[jones24]

for reviews, you can go www.dpreview.com or best do a search. The function works pretty well.

Thanks for the link.


IS there information on which shops that sell what here like u know for vr zone is to pc hardware.

 

[Titan10k]

Thanks for the link.


IS there information on which shops that sell what here like u know for vr zone is to pc hardware.

Yes, check this out.

 

[Galdor]

This is the very first time i am even coming into this forum.


Personally i have almost 0 experience in taking pictures. All i know is point and click at something. If the place is dark enable flash.


I own a couple of cell phones with cameras in them the max is at 2mega pixel. When night vision is enable click at a picture and wait for 1 or 2 seconds.

I own a 2 megapixel digital cam which is probably ancient. Other than that i have played around with friends or relatives 6 megapixel cameras.



Firstly i would need to buy a new camera. I am thinking of buying a DSLR cam. Not too high end or high tech since i am still a noob. Budget would be around 800-1k sing dollars.


Any reccomendations?


I thank the admins and mods for welcoming me into your community and hopefully we can meet up 1 day for pointers and advice on photo taking.

Cheers.

Firstly a warm welcome to you.

Now, you said that yo have 0 experience in photography, so why do you want a DSLR? Do you think that owning a DSLR will give you 100% good pictures? How much do you understand about photography & a DSLR? What category of photographs are you taking with the cam?

Do you know what are the things involved in getting a DSLR? Lenses, Filters, Dry cabinet, have you factor in the costs of these?

 

[jgjonathangoh]

yes like that Galdor said, u have to get a dry cabinet (prolong the lifespan of your camera and lenses), filters, lenses, maybe flash later, tripod, camera bag etc
you might consider a nikon d60 kit (about 800 ), sony A200 or A230, canon 450D slightly over 1k unless u get a 400D if u can find a brand new one, olympus E-420 about $900. these prices come with kit lens. As for which one is better? dont want to start a war, go read the reviews yourself, then go to shops and test it out. Equip yourself with knowledge of the cameras before u go and test, so as not to be "persuade" by salesman whose motivation is profit.

 

[wildsoyabean]

i started out like u did with nikon d80 and 18-55mm lens. for about 800-900 (2nd handed).
didnt worry too much abt dry cabinate until later when i got more lens.

and camera bag too - cost abt 100 for a decent 1.

go get a 2nd hand camera/lens in the price range of below 800.

check out dpreivew.com
and kenrockwell.com (take his comments with a pinch of salt though).

visit the bns thread , be patient and wait for the best deal to come. and when i comes be fast to deal.
good deals can disappear in a couple of minutes. - lots of lurkers (i was one of them) lurking in bns when they need something.

worry abt flash/tripod/other lens later. u will know what u need as you proceed on

 

[Rashkae]

Are you sure you really need a DSLR? With 0 real photography experience, a DSLR could be a bit too much for you.

But if you do decide on a DSLR, I suggest the Sony A230 or A330. VERY newbie-friendly, and far more feature-packed than the Nikon D60.

 

[satch]

I'ld suggest taking up a beginner DSLR course or even borrowing a few books from the library to start off with

 

[horizon_grazer]

Welcome to CS !

If ur final budget is only $1k, try not to step into DSLR realm

'coz u will not stop at $1k as there is simply too much parts/accessories to buy

 

[nightingle]

Hi jones24, suggest you do not invest in a DSLR for now. U're starting your journey in photography & there's a possibility that u might not be staying in this. Suggest you get a PnS cam for now... and learn/understand more about photography.. if u have any friends who are currently into it, maybe borrow their cams and perhaps go with them for photography sessions. You might be able to find some answers whether u need the DSLR or not. U must consider carefully about the cost involved yah... =)

 

[parampita]

Welcome to CS and welcome to the world of photography

Just curious.. why dSLR? With 0 experience and a limited $800-$1000 budget, I will suggest a prosumer to start with. There is no worries about dry cab and no worries about lenses. Virtually no maintenance.

From there you can:

1.) Learn the basics of shooting (surely you aren't lugging a heavy dSLR around in A mode right?)

2.) Figure out what you'd like to shoot with the flexibility of prosumer zooms. 18-55mm is a decent lens, but what if later you realize your interest is in macro or birding or something else that the 18-55mm can't reach?

 

[ronaldlee007]

Firstly welcome u to DSLR world soon.
DSLR is good tool in photography world. You can play around with shutterspeed, aperture, ISO, Focus area, Focusing mode and many more lens to suit ur needs.

Some are suggesting 2nd hand body, but to me, as newbie, it's still good to buy new set. As, you know 0 about it and, might end up with some problematic DSLR to start with and end up spoilt ur potential hobby. With ur budget, try Nikon D60 or maybe wait for D3000 (Replacement of D60). OR if u can increase ur budget by 100+, u can get Nikon D5000 + 18-55mm kitlen (S$1100++).

 

[TheChef]

Get a pre-owned Nikon D50 with kit lens at about $450. Spend $150 on a dry cabinet and the rest on the Nikkor 50mm f1.8 lens.