What is your budget: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 11:08, 26 December 2020

Stick to your budget

Let's face it, you do not need to buy much to enjoy photography. There is a wide variety of equipment out there grabbing your attention, but you can stay in your budget and have all you need to take great pictures.

Everyone has a different budget

Fact of life, we all live under different circumstances and do not have the same means to buy what we want. Fortunately the technology has provided us wonderful equipment that are ridiculously good, so even very old equipment will be more than good enough for most purposes.

When you read the reviews about some shiny new lens or camera, it is not hard to see why you would think that it would help you make better pictures. If you are an amateur photographer, trust me this is not the case. If you are a professional, you know what you need, and you earn at least part of your living from photography, so you know what you can afford.

I fell into this trap as well, I can tell you that I love using my used Nikon D90 which is more than 10 years old just as much as my new Nikon D850 that cost me 20x more. Yes, ultimately the Nikon D850 is better than the Nikon D90 in every imaginable criteria (except for weight and cost), but it is not letting me do anything (I really need) I could not have done with the cheaper camera, and for those areas that it is better, it is not better by 20x.

Some tips

For most people a recent cellphone will be good enough.
There are tons of used equipment out there. Especially some of the older equipment has been designed very robustly and will serve you many years without problems. You just need to be careful to make sure that what you buy is compatible with each other.
There is nothing wrong with APS-C cameras and lenses. Yes the sensor is two thirds the size of a full frame sensor, but that is not a big deal. Smaller sensor means also smaller lenses and less weight.
You do not have to buy a combination of lenses that cover every focal length. Very wide (<24mm) and very long (>200mm) lenses are quite specialized.
Fast lenses (f/2.8 and faster) are overrated for modern cameras that work over a very wide ISO range.

If you are well off

I can tell you I have not seen a bad (pricey) camera being manufactured in the last 10 years. Pick the latest camera you will be super pleased. You will end up paying more for your lenses than your cameras so pick what you are interested in. You do not need to accumulate an arsenal of lenses, that will just make your life heard trying to choose.

These pages are for Amateur Photographers and not really for seasoned photographers and professionals. I have no affiliation or commercial interest with any brand/make. I write from my own experience. I ended up using mainly Nikon, so I am more familiar with this brand than others. See price for notes on pricing as well as photography related links.

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+==Stick to your budget==
-If you are well off, I can tell you I have not seen a ''bad'' (pricey) camera being manufactured in the last 10 years. Pick the latest camera you will be super pleased. [[You will end up paying more for your lenses than your cameras]] so pick what you are interested in. You do not need to accumulate an arsenal of lenses, that will just make your life heard trying to choose.
+Let's face it, you do not ''need'' to buy much to enjoy photography. There is a wide variety of equipment out there grabbing your attention, but you can stay in your budget and have all you need to take great pictures.
 </div>
-===Some tips===
-* For most people a recent [[Cellphones are good enough for most of your needs|cellphone]] will be good enough.
-* There are tons of [[New or used|used]] equipment out there. Especially some of the older equipment has been designed very robustly and will serve you many years without problems. You just need to be careful to make sure that what you buy is compatible with each other.
-* There is nothing wrong with [[APS-C]] cameras and lenses. Yes the sensor is two thirds the size of a [[full frame]] sensor, but that is not a big deal.
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-==Stick to your budget==
+===Everyone has a different budget===
-Let's face it, you do not ''need'' to buy much to enjoy photography. There is a wide variety of equipment out there grabbing your attention, but you can stay in your budget and have all you need to take great pictures.
-</div>
 Fact of life, we all live under different circumstances and do not have the same means to buy what we ''want''. Fortunately the technology has provided us wonderful equipment that are ridiculously good, so even very [[New or used|old equipment]] will be [[Most equipment is more than good enough|more than good enough]] for most purposes.
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+<div class="col-xs-12 col-md-6 col-lg-6">
+<div class="alert alert-info">
+===Some tips===
+* For most people a recent [[Cellphones are good enough for most of your needs|cellphone]] will be good enough.
+* There are tons of [[New or used|used]] equipment out there. Especially some of the older equipment has been designed very robustly and will serve you many years without problems. You just need to be careful to make sure that what you buy is compatible with each other.
+* There is nothing wrong with [[APS-C]] cameras and lenses. Yes the sensor is two thirds the size of a [[full frame]] sensor, but that is not a big deal. Smaller sensor means also smaller lenses and less weight.
+* You do not have to buy a combination of lenses that cover every [[focal length]]. Very wide (<24mm) and very long (>200mm) lenses are quite specialized.
+* Fast lenses (<kbd>f/2.8</kbd> and faster) are overrated for modern cameras that work over a very wide [[ISO]] range.
+</div>
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-==== Things to keep in mind====
+===If you are well off===
-* [[How much weight are you willing to carry around with you]]
+I can tell you I have not seen a ''bad'' (pricey) camera being manufactured in the last 10 years. Pick the latest camera you will be super pleased. [[You will end up paying more for your lenses than your cameras]] so pick what you are interested in. You do not need to accumulate an arsenal of lenses, that will just make your life heard trying to choose.
-* [[How much control do you want over your camera]]
-* [[What is your budget]]
-* [[Better equipment does not make you a better photographer]]
-* [[Cellphones are good enough for most of your needs]] and here is [[How come electronics in cellphones are better than professional cameras|why]]
-* [[Most equipment is more than good enough]], even if they look worse than some alternatives in a review
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-</div>
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-===If I were to start again===
-Here are three scenarios that I would suggest considering.
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-<div class="panel-heading">'''Single camera only'''</div>
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-If you like photography and want to explore more but do not want to spend your time/money on collecting new gear. You need something that will serve you well and cover more or less anything thrown at you. A [[Cellphones are good enough for most of your needs|cellphone]] normally would be a better idea but you want a bit more.
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-Pick a camera with a smaller sensor ([[APS-C]]) and a [[Zooms|wide range zoom]] starting from 16-24mm going to 100-200mm [[Zoom ranges|range]]. Many cameras come with a [[kit lens]] just for this purpose. Something like 18-140mm or 18-200mm would be perfect. Consider picking [[New or Used|used equipment]]. However, if you [[What is your budget|have the means]] using a [[Mirror or less|mirrorless]] system is also a great option.
-Using a camera with interchangeable lenses could keep your options open just in case.
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-<div class="panel-heading">'''Single camera that you can expand'''</div>
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-You enjoy photography, and want to experiment but you do not want to invest significantly just yet. You want to start slow, and see how much you like it, before you move to something better.
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-Get a camera with a smaller sensor ([[APS-C]]) and a [[Prime lenses|fixed (prime) lens]] suited for a [[full frame]] sensor. For both I would suggest using older [[New or Used|used equipment]], especially for the [[lenses|lens]]. Anything with 10-20 [[Megapixels]] should be more than enough for the camera, there are excellent bodies like [[Nikon D90]], [[Canon EOS 50D]] from about 2010 that would all work well.
-For the lens, the classical idea would be to pick a camera with a [[kit lens]], but my suggestion would be to pick a [[prime lens]] between 24mm and 50mm compatible with a [[full frame]] sensor. As for the [[aperture]] anything with [[f/2.8]] would do perfectly, no need to go crazy. From lenses I own I would suggest something like [[Nikon 35mm f/2.0]]. If you are interested in macro photography, portraits, wildlife etc, maybe a longer lens up to 100mm would also be an idea, but for these look for ''cheaper'' lenses with larger aperture (i.e. more than f/2.8). Your goal is to pick a simple, light lens, that let's you experiment, but something that will also work on a [[full frame]] lens (just in case).
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-<div class="panel-heading">'''Get two cameras'''</div>
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-You are passionate about photography, and want to do more. You have maybe already started with the ''single camera to grow'' part and want to do more.
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-Basically expand your setup from ''single camera to grow'' by acquiring a [[full frame]] camera. Your [[lenses]] will work slightly differently between your bodies (one [[APS-C]] and one [[Full frame]]), giving you the illusion of having [[Combine APS-C and full frame cameras|twice as many lenses]].
-Of course carrying 2x cameras is a lot of [[How much weight are you willing to carry around with you| weight]]. Using a higher class [[universal zoom]] like the [[Nikon 28-300]] in theory would be all you need with a single camera. [[Prime lens]]es are usually lighter and faster, but most importantly they force you to work with what you have. If the picture does not work, you will have to move, come closer, or go further away. Unlike a [[Zoom]] you can not simply zoom in and out. Many people have commented how that has helped them become better at photography, and I absolutely agree.
-Once you start using [[prime lens]]es, there will be situations where things will not work out. A second camera with a complimentary lens will be your main setup.
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-===Beware===
-* '''[[You will end up paying more for your lenses than your cameras]]'''. When you start, you concentrate on the [[cameras]], but [[lenses]] are actually more important.
-* Reviews from equipment will be [[Most equipment is more than good enough|not always be helpful]]. Of course a 40 [[Megapixel]] camera is better than a 20 [[Megapixel]] camera, there is no question about that. But for 99% of the cases, even a 10 [[Megapixel]] camera is more than you need. And when you are in that 1%, you will no longer be reading those reviews.
-* Even for [[New or used|used]] equipment there are some trends that drive/keep prices up for certain equipment. ''You definitely do not need to pay thousands for a 58mm f/1.2 lens.''
-* Do not spend time arguing about your gear, talk about your photographs instead.
-<br>
 {{Photodisclaimer}}