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The "Post a Picture You Took" thread


Patricio Swayze

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Diablo, those are male house finches. They use to be a strictly western North American bird but got introduced in NY I think about 50 years ago and spread from there. It is amazing how many new birds you will notice once you start looking up, especially in April/May if you're living in Texas.

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so after only ever having a phone with which to take photos, i'm finally going to be able to get myself an actual camera. I love photography, but I really don't know the first thing about cameras/camera equipment, so any and all advice and recommendations would be much appreciated. I mostly like to shoot outdoorsy stuff, but i'd also like to shoot sports as well. hopefully you guys can help me find the right camera to do that. so let me know!

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so after only ever having a phone with which to take photos, i'm finally going to be able to get myself an actual camera. I love photography, but I really don't know the first thing about cameras/camera equipment, so any and all advice and recommendations would be much appreciated. I mostly like to shoot outdoorsy stuff, but i'd also like to shoot sports as well. hopefully you guys can help me find the right camera to do that. so let me know!

What is your budget?
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trying to keep it under $1,000, but definitely happy to spend less if i can get what i'm looking  for. 

So you are looking at a more advanced point and shoot or if you want to get a camera body so that you can use specific lenses for specific purpose, you could go the used route.

Maybe something in Canon’s Powershot Line. Like a SX70 HS.
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1 hour ago, Patricio Swayze said:


So you are looking at a more advanced point and shoot or if you want to get a camera body so that you can use specific lenses for specific purpose, you could go the used route.

Maybe something in Canon’s Powershot Line. Like a SX70 HS.

roger that. is there any camera/camera equipment that you would personally recommend that's in my price range? follow-up question: are most of the cameras out there fairly intuitive, or is there somewhat of a learning curve when it comes to mastering them?

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roger that. is there any camera/camera equipment that you would personally recommend that's in my price range? follow-up question: are most of the cameras out there fairly intuitive, or is there somewhat of a learning curve when it comes to mastering them?

Your budget is a limiting factor for buying a DSLR/mirrorless camera, unless you go used. Maybe find someone that is selling an older DSLR with a couple of lenses as a package deal.

I have not bought a point and shoot in a very long time, so I don’t have many recommendations. But I am a Canon guy and always had good experience with them.

As for your last question, this really depends on what your goals are. If you just want to set a camera to automatic and be done with it, then yeah, don’t spend a lot of money on a camera. If your intention is to learn about exposure land composition and not be limited by the functionality of a point and shoot, try to find a deal like I mentioned.

Don’t get me wrong, you can learn the fundamentals with a point and shoot but at some point you will become frustrated with the interface to shoot manual and its limitations when it comes to lens quality and thus image quality.
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18 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:


Your budget is a limiting factor for buying a DSLR/mirrorless camera, unless you go used. Maybe find someone that is selling an older DSLR with a couple of lenses as a package deal.

I have not bought a point and shoot in a very long time, so I don’t have many recommendations. But I am a Canon guy and always had good experience with them.

As for your last question, this really depends on what your goals are. If you just want to set a camera to automatic and be done with it, then yeah, don’t spend a lot of money on a camera. If your intention is to learn about exposure land composition and not be limited by the functionality of a point and shoot, try to find a deal like I mentioned.

Don’t get me wrong, you can learn the fundamentals with a point and shoot but at some point you will become frustrated with the interface to shoot manual and its limitations when it comes to lens quality and thus image quality.

this is is great stuff, thank you. next question: what am i looking at spending if i go for something better than a point and shoot, something like what you described when talking about learning about exposure, land composition, etc? because even if i can't afford it right now right now, ultimately i'd like to learn as much as I can and then continue to progress towards better and better cameras/equipment. photography is a real passion of mine, i've just never been able to afford a real camera. when i do get one, i don't want to cut any corners or sell myself short. for me the proper equipment will be worth the investment. 

Edited by Goo Punch
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You will need to go the used route. I would suggest something like this:

http:// https://www.adorama.com/us%20%20%201254440.html

And you will need lenses. To start, I would get the 50mm lens that is around $100. Very sharp for the price. Great portrait lens. Then I would get more of a “walk around” lens. This would be a zoom that goes from fairly wide (good for landscape) to maybe 120mm.

Maybe lenses like these:

http:// https://www.adorama.com/us%20%20%201267305.html

http:// https://www.adorama.com/us%20%20%201269459.html

I would also suggest a tripod for lowlight photography. Just look for something around $100 should be fine.

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awesome man, thank you very much. i'm really excited to finally be able to do this, and i definitely have zero clue what i'm doing, so your help is much appreciated.

also, today i learned that we have a Hobbies forum. you don't even want to know how much time i spent searching for this thread over on Daily Texan. 

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awesome man, thank you very much. i'm really excited to finally be able to do this, and i definitely have zero clue what i'm doing, so your help is much appreciated.
also, today i learned that we have a Hobbies forum. you don't even want to know how much time i spent searching for this thread over on Daily Texan. 

No problem. Just do a bit of research. Maybe some others will chime in with different opinions.
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awesome man, thank you very much. i'm really excited to finally be able to do this, and i definitely have zero clue what i'm doing, so your help is much appreciated.
also, today i learned that we have a Hobbies forum. you don't even want to know how much time i spent searching for this thread over on Daily Texan. 

No problem. Just do a bit of research. Maybe some others will chime in with different opinions.
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I'll chime in - do a bit or research. 

But seriously, I'll relay my personal experience over the last year and a half. Background, I am an old. I shot film in high school, had a little black and white darkroom setup for printing stuff. First camera was dad's Yashica twin lens reflex. Look it up. Anyway, as soon as I could I bought a 35mm, a used Pentax, from a buddies brother in law. Lost interest after my mid 20's. Spring of 2019 I decided like you to up my photo game from a phone. @DougO saw a good DSLR "kit" deal on Adorama and so I went with that. A little less than $500 got me a digital camera body and two lenses. Both lenses were zoom lenses, one being a wide angle to "normal" and the other a telephoto. 18-55mm and 70-300 respectively. 

After only a few months I began to realize that unlike my film days when the body was pretty much just a box that held the film, in digital cameras the body can make all the difference. The circuitry, the programming, the auto-focusing - things I never had to contend with previously are all now fairly important in creating quality photos. The little camera had entry level consumer electronics inside and I wanted more. So again, @DougO pointed me to a deal on Adorama for a factory refurbished Nikon. It originally sold for about $1,200 new and I got it for half that. World of difference. It is at the higher end of what is considered "consumer" grade, maybe more "prosumer". The first body was a Nikon D3500 and the better one is a D7500. 

What still holds true from my film days is glass, glass, glass. The two little lenses that came with the original body I bought were aight but nothing to write home about. But for what you are wanting to do to get started they'd make a good combo. I'm sure Canon has similar. The shorter one can be found for less than $100 and the longer runs $150 or so. I've bought other, nicer lenses since then (I prolly have ~$3K tied up in the hobby now) but for under $1K you can definitely get a good start.

I also suggest you do a little research, maybe some others will chime in. :) 

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I think an interchangeable lens camera is good to start with. You can always go more advanced or less advanced from there.

I’m also a Canon guy, but Sony and Nikon are fine too (but Sony is expensive).

If you do have friends who shoot any of those brands, that can be advantageous if you can try some of their lenses.

I would recommend the Canon SL3.

It’s very small and compact, but it has a great little sensor (same as the T7i I believe).

It also has a flippy screen if you would like to have that.

If you can’t find a used one, any of the Ti models are solid. You could also find a used SL2/70D/80D or something like the 7D Patrick posted. My last camera was a 7D before I upgraded. It’s a tank, but it is large and heavy, so it may be a little more than you want to carry around as a beginner. But the rid of course, all up to personal preference.

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I've had good luck with the factory refurbs, as El D pointed out. I don't always go that route, but when you don't want to spend a bunch there's not a lot of risk in getting a pretty much new model for about half price, just losing some warranty time, which is rarely used anyway. If something is really screwed up you're usually going to know in the first 90 days unless it just sits in the closet. With a refurb you can get a higher end model for around the full price of a lower end model.

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And if you buy from a reputable dealer like Adorama or B&H you probably aren't going to get sent some crappy used import model junk they're calling refurb that you might get stuck with on eBay or a sketchy Amazon seller. And they're good about returns if the need arises.

Edited by DougO
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These are all solid deals. There’s a few options on the 80D. One with an 18-55 kit lens, and one with an 18-135 lens. The 80D 18-55 kit is the same as the refurb body alone.

 

These two cameras have a very similar sensor, and as such image quality itself will be about the same. The 80D does however have a much better autofocus system and more prosumer features in general like the top LCD screen, better viewfinder, faster continuous shooting, etc.

 

The SL3 is nearly half (!) the weight of the 80D.

 

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/refurbished-rebel-sl3-efs-18-55m-is-stm-lens-kit-black

 

 

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-80d-ef-s-18-55mm-f-3-5-5-6-is-stm-kit-refurbished

 

 

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-80d-ef-s-18-135mm-f-3-5-5-6-is-usm-kit-refurbished

 

Glass is the most important, of course. Picture quality wise, these cameras will be about the same. The 80D will make it much easier to extract those photos, but the SL3 leaves you more room for buying glass.

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welp, i got me a camera. i decided to go with a local shop so that i can hopefully have a sort of home base to go to for any questions or needs. i reviewed this thread before i went in and talked to someone, but the fact of the matter is that i know nothing about this stuff, so all I could do was a whole bunch of questions, make a decision, and hope i didn't get absolute fleeced. I ended up going with some deal they had for a panasonic camera plus an extra lens, and then got the requisite protection filters, batteries, memory card, insurance, etc. ended up spending $1,080 altogether. so tell me straight surly- did I make a good purchase?

b5aaee793596f68c6f970fe13f2e3d51.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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B&H has the Nikon DX 70-300mm with VR for $139. Nikon USA factory refurbished.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1365789-REG/nikon_20062b_af_p_dx_nikkor_70_300mm.html/?ap=y&qu=gdn&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoJz_lez16QIVhA1PCh3LHQq5EAEYASAEEgJqXfD_BwE

 

Amazon has the same lens for ~ $400.

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-70-300mm-4-5-6-3G-ED-VR/dp/B01KJ8UMKK

It's not going to blow anyone's mind but at that price it's a pretty nifty little lens. 

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Amazing photos, just amazing. Love the school interiors. Love the doors; (I like the group, too), but something about doors that are like an unopened gift.
 


Thank you.

First drone shot Hamilton Pool? Guessing the 2 others are the Perd? 


Not Hamilton Pool. Lots of cenotes out there on private land.

The confluence shot is a creek of the Pedernales, can’t recall the name.

The other is also a creek. Private land. I really want to know how deep that cave is.
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Nice. When they come to our neighborhood in the winter, they sometimes sit on the fence in the backyard. They are rather large and forbidding up close. Startled one in the neighbors live oak once and almost had a heart attack when it swooped over my head. The white wing doves scatter and I don't blame them. They are rather plump and tasty looking to a hungry hawk.

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