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Through the Gadling Lens: buying your first SLR camera
So. It's the beginning of the summer, and maybe you have a fabulous trip planned. And maybe up until now, every time you've traveled, you've taken your trusty point-and-shoot camera. It's served you well: you've figured out all the presets, you've captured some amazing shots, and you know your machine inside and out. But now, you're ready for a challenge -- you want to have a bit more control over your images. You want to learn how to truly manipulate light, how to manage depth of field. You want to see what happens with different lenses, and what they can do to your resulting images. You want to really begin study the art of photography.You're ready to purchase your first single-lens reflex camera, but frankly, you don't know where to begin.
Never fear, my friends -- with a little luck, the following tips will get you on your way.
1. What brand should I buy?
I use Nikon cameras, and have since I started photography 15 years ago. It's for this reason that many people are always shocked when my immediate answer to the question "what brand should I buy?" is usually, "it depends." Don't get me wrong -- I love Nikon cameras, and will likely never shoot with anything else. But the truth is that most professional photographers I know, when it comes to SLR cameras, shoot with either Nikon or Canon. There are a couple of reasons for this:
a) both brands have been around for a long time, and
b) each brand has a wide variety of lenses and other accessories that have also been around for a long time.
This isn't to say that there aren't other brands out there that make great cameras, so by all means, explore all options. But here's the thing: when you buy your first SLR, you will probably be purchasing at least two items -- a camera body, and at least one camera lens. And over time, if you really get into the photography thing, you may likely upgrade your camera body over the years; however, you'll probably end up using any lens you buy for, literally, decades. For this reason, it's always a good idea to buy a brand that you know has a strong reputation for backward compatibility with its lenses and other accessories. In addition, consider the following:
- Are you inheriting any lenses or other equipment? -- Good lenses can be very expensive, and if you happen to be inheriting a bunch of old manual lenses from Great Uncle Hank, who used to be an avid shutterbug, it might be worth strongly considering buying your new SLR body in the same brand as the lenses. Yes, manual lenses can be a lot more work than the new, auto-focus lenses of nowadays, but there's really something to the phrase "they don't make them like they used to" -- one of my favourite lenses to shoot with is a 25-year-old manual lens. Trust me: never dismiss a good hand-me-down lens out-of-hand.
- Digital Photography Review -- The website dpreview.com is an invaluable resource for reviews on just about every different type of digital SLR camera out there. The site includes discussion forums and galleries showing the different types of images each camera produces, and reviews are from all very neutral and objective sources. If you're at the beginning of your search for a camera, after you've asked around at what your friends and family are using and how they like their cameras, as well as doing a little research on the internet, I would definitely test your hypotheses at this website. Be sure to do all of this before going to Number 3, below.
2. What kind of lens?
As we've discussed before, different lenses have their different uses -- some are great for portraits, others for landscapes. Much of the decision on which lens you should buy can rest on the type of photography that you think you'd like to do.
However, if you're not entirely sure which type of photography you're going to be interested in, allow me to pitch a 50mm fixed focal length. This is called a "normal" lens -- which basically means that what you see is what you get: there's no zooming, and the resulting image is exactly what you would see if you weren't looking through the camera. The reason I love these lenses are as follows:
1. It's a great way to learn how to compose a shot, and learn about the lens without the possible crutch of a zoom lens;
2. The lens will offer less distortion than a wide-angle lens might, but still allow you to get pretty decent landscape shots. And while distortion can be fun (consider the results of a great fish-eye lens), when you're just learning the camera, a normal lens is a great way to start.
Now, if you do go with a 50mm lens, try to buy one with the smallest aperture number associated with it. If you remember, your aperture will help you control the depth of field in the shot (or, in other words, control how blurry your background is going to be). Fixed focal length lenses can often come with very low aperture numbers, allowing you to really play with your depth of field. My very first lens was a fully manual 50mm lens at f1.4, and even though I'm required to manually focus the lens, it remains my favourite lens to shoot with today.
To show the kinds of depth of field I'm able to get with this lens, here are a couple of examples:
Notice in the image above, there's just a very tiny portion of the photograph that is in sharp focus, the portion with the smallest of the four stones -- both the foreground and the background fade to a soft blur, adding depth to the photograph. Similarly, in this portrait of my daughter's good friend, below ...
... only the water droplets on her face and the very front of her face is in focus -- even her hairline blurs away into the background. And the best part is that this lens is also capable of fairly decent landscapes shots as well.
A note about fixed focal length vs. zoom -- eventually, the temptation to purchase a zoom lens will be too much to bear, and I certainly admit to owning several zoom lenses myself. One thing to keep in mind when you do purchase one is that you are often required to sacrifice that low aperture number when you buy a zoom (or else shell out some serious cash). This isn't often a bad thing, but something just to keep in the back of your mind while you browse.
3. Where should I buy it?
Once you've done the research and figured out which camera and lens you want to buy, you can either buy it online or at a camera store -- but before you do (and if you take none of my other advice, please take this bit):
Before you buy, actually visit a specialty camera store (one that only deals in cameras, not an electronics store), ask to see both your first and second choice cameras, and play with them a bit.
I cannot stress this enough. You're about to lay down some serious cash for a camera, so you need to be absolutely sure you're going to like the camera you buy. Also, chances are, once the cameras are in your hands, it will become almost magically clear which camera you should buy -- either your first or second choice.
I've had some friends get frustrated with me for not telling them outright whether they should buy a Nikon or a Canon, when I tell them, "Just go to the store and play with them, you'll know." The thing is, when they do follow this advice, the decision always becomes immediately apparent -- they prefer how one camera meters over the other, they like the placement of the dials or buttons on one camera better, whatever. One camera just ends up feeling "more right" than the other. Besides, the employees of a really good camera store tend to be very knowledgeable about the cameras they carry, and can teach you tricks with each machine.
Once you've made your camera store visit and you know exactly what you want, then and only then should you consider buying online. But as with any major purchase, if you're buying online, be sure that you use a reputable online merchant (of course, you generally can't go wrong with Amazon or B&H Photo).
4. What am I forgetting?
My last piece of advice is to remember that you can always buy second-hand. We photographers are a fickle bunch, often upgrading to the next latest-and-greatest machine, and leaving a perfectly good one behind. My first camera body and lens were both 10 years old at the time of purchase, and while I don't use the camera body anymore (since I shoot digitally, rather than film), I still use the lenses I purchased, 15 years later -- they work beautifully. Buying second hand can be a great way to get a camera with more bells and whistles than you might otherwise be able to afford.
HOWEVER.
If you go the second-hand route, I must insist that you purchase the camera from your favourite specialty camera store, and forgo the internet altogether. Specialty camera stores can ensure that the camera is functioning properly before it goes out the door, and they're far more likely to give you at least a limited warranty on your purchase. Which, you know, is always a good thing.
As always, I'd love to hear your ideas on purchasing a digital SLR in the comments below. And of course, if you have any questions, you can always contact me directly at karenDOTwalrondATweblogsincDOTcom - and I'm happy to address them in upcoming Through the Gadling Lens posts.
Karen is a writer and photographer in Houston, Texas. You can see more of her work at her site, Chookooloonks.
Through the Gadling Lens can be found every Thursday right here, at 11 a.m. To read more Through the Gadling Lens, click here.
Filed under: Gear, Photos, Through the Gadling Lens
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick Hawkins May 28th 2009 11:53AM
I would take a different approach: You first have to know their budget, and go from there. Any SLR purchase will probably include at least $100 in accessories (memory cards, bags, filter, etc.) The first question I ask is "What are you going to be shooting?" and go from there.
Things I've learned:
1) Once you pick a camera vendor, you're pretty much stuck within their system. Whether it's Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc - you're stuck within that ecosystem.
2) Light > Lenses > Body. If you want to invest good money, it's better to invest it in lenses than a body. Like with all tech, it's almost instantly outdated the moment it hits the shelves.
3) Be prepared to sink time and money into this. Getting a SLR probably means you'll take 2-3x the amount of photos, which means more memory cards, hard drives, etc. Time will be spent in front of the computer doing post-processing work, and a lot of analysis of "what did I just do?" to learn from your mistakes.
4) Get what you can afford. Don't get caught up with buying expensive gear if it doesn't solve your issues.
5) Write down a few quick bullet points of what you like about your point/shoot camera and what you don't like about it. It'll help you better articulate what it is that you're looking for in a camera.
6) Budget for future purchases. It'll happen. Even if you bought a cheap SLR, you're going to come to realize that you'll be sinking money into it. Maybe you want a zoom lens to take care of kids' sporting events, or you want to be able to take good photos in dimly lit room without a tripod.
You and I both know that getting stuff for the camera can get out of control really quickly, and we can easily throw down $1000+ on a lens. But if you're getting started into a SLR, it's easier to work within someone's budget and work backwards sometimes.
I'm a Canon guy, and to be honest, it comes down to personal preference. We can debate the merits of each company but they do 98% of the same things, so it's a preference.
And most importantly, don't forget to have fun shooting.
Chris May 28th 2009 12:14PM
Just FYI, you got the depth of field definition backwards... an image in which only a small "slice" of the field is in focus is considered to have less depth of field, whereas an image in which a large portion of the field is in focus is considered to have more depth of field.
There are really two numbers, then, to consider in relation to aperture, the maximum and the minimum, and there are more reasons to consider aperture than merely depth of field.
Aperture materially impacts two things when shooting, depth of field, as has already been discussed, and, equally importantly, the amount of light let into the camera through the lens!
A camera, even digital, requires a certain amount of light to properly expose a picture. Too much light and the picture appears washed out, too little and it appears dark. Three factors come into play when determining the impact of light on the shot:
1. Film speed or "ISO" setting on digital cameras (how fast the film/sensor can pick up the light)
2. Aperture (how big of an opening the light travels through)
3. Shutter speed (how long the film/sensor is exposed to light)
This gives you several shooting combinations based on whether you want to shoot action photos, landscape photos, portraits, studies, etc. The trick is to understand what impact each setting will have on the picture. Higher ISO settings will result in grainier images but require less light to expose properly. Lower ISO settings result in cleaner/smoother images, but require more light to expose properly. A wide aperture results in a shallow depth of field for portraits, whereas a tight aperture results in much greater depth of field for landscape shots. A fast shutter speed stops motion and is great for action shots, whereas a slow shutter speed accentuates motion and is great for shooting things like waterfalls.
Sorry for the novel, but it is important to remember that you don't just use the aperture (or f/stop setting) to impact depth of field, but also to offset other settings like shutter speed and ISO setting, and depth of field goes both ways!
Wanda May 28th 2009 1:59PM
I am soaking this all in as I prepare myself for the big purchase. I appreciate your comment about "inheriting lenses." My mother has a Pentax 35mm with bayonet mount and I have considered going that direction because I have permission to use those lenses.
If anyone has experience with--or opinions about--Pentax, I'd love to hear.
Leah G Jun 1st 2009 10:46AM
If you decide to go the second hand route, but don't have a local specialty store, B&H Photo sells used equipment, and ranks them so that the buyer has some idea of what may be/go wrong with them.
Also, if you are leaning towards something on the mid- to high-end of the spectrum, you may want to rent what you think would be you preferred camera and shoot with it for a few days before making a decision. There are a few internet companies that rent some of the higher-end cameras.