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I would look at something used and oaynas littlenas you can. When you buy a body you are also investing in a system and that includes lenses. Later down the road you might realize that what you bought new (a rebel and some cheap zooms for example) are not doing it for you and then the money spent on brand new beginner equipment is basically lost. Don't worry about that too much because getting started is the priority and who knows where that will lead - I am a big mirrorless fan so I always recommend Fuji because their lenses are great and what you end up buying might be stuff you actually still use as you get better and the external controls help teach you about the fundamentals of photography easier than dealing with those settings through dials and seeing them on the screen. You could get a Fuji X-T1 used for what you would spend on that rebel new.
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Mar 4, 2017 00:48
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Hi thread, I recently got a Nikon D3400 for my first foray into DSLR photography and absolutely love it, I'm learning a ton and having fun! A quick hopefully easy and likely stupid question, but what's the best way to keep my camera and lens clean? This model is apparently lacking an "ultrasonic sensor cleaner" so is that something I need to be aware of? Compressed air the best bet? I only have the 18-55mm lens it came with but I do plan on getting the 70-300mm one so I'll definitely be switching stuff around at one point. Thanks!
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Mar 6, 2017 08:48
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Don't get too OCD about cleaning your gear, often you'll do more harm through over-cleaning than you'll benefit from having a dust-free camera. You'll be amazed at how much poo poo you can have on the front element before it becomes visible on photos. Don't leave the camera with the lens off for longer than it takes to reasonably switch a lens. If you need to demount all your lenses for some reason then put the lens mount cover on the camera. Likewise with the lenses, while they are demounted or not in use, have the caps on them. Use the lens hood while you are shooting with the camera to protect the end of the lens from damage, rain and fingerprints. You can leave the lenscap off while you are walking about with the camera so long as you have the hood on it and are taking reasonable care not to get poo poo all over it. Buy a few lenspens (they are cheap), a blower brush and some microfibre cloths. Spread them around so that you have a couple in your bag or in your pockets no matter where you are. If it does need cleaning then use the brush or cloths and lenspens carefully and sparingly. I don't recommend compressed air cans as they can be too rough and can spray liquid into the inside of your camera, which is bad. Never use a circular motion to clean a lens, never apply too much pressure and be super loving careful about using any kind of cleaning fluid. You're quite likely to take the coating off or create permanent cleaning marks if you get too happy with the cleaning stuff. Wash your microfibre cloths from time to time and especially if you've been anywhere that got your camera particularly dirty like the beach or a powder run. The last thing you want is to be grinding grit particles into your lens when you clean it. Like I said, poo poo on the front of the lens will barely be visible most of the time. poo poo on the rear of the lens however shows up instantly, especially at narrow apertures. Keep the back end of the lens protected as much as you can. If you get crap on your sensor (can happen, even if you always have a lens mounted as the camera isn't completely airtight), then there's probably an option in the camera menu that lifts the mirror and opens the shutter for cleaning (I don't have a Nikon but my Canon has this setting and I imagine it's standard). DO NOT loving TOUCH THE SENSOR WITH ANYTHING. Use the blower brush carefully to blow whatever is on there loose. Repeat if necessary but don't let anything except gentle puffs of air come into contact with your sensor. Blow around inside the camera while the lens is off to clear out any other poo poo that's landed in there too.
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Mar 6, 2017 10:24
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I don't have much to add because the post above was so informative, but it bears repeating that you should not use an aerosol duster on your camera equipment, especially not on your sensor. Don't risk having the coolant stuff discharge onto anything sensitive. Manual air blowers are a much better option. (An actual tank of compressed air is awesome as long as it has a good valve that lets you control airflow, but that's something you see more in repair shops than in the property of individual camera owners.) I have a Giottos Rocket manual air blower. Very effective, plus it looks swanky with its bulbous black base and 'dog dick red' application tip.
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Mar 6, 2017 14:54
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Seconding the Rocket Blower. I use mine for other stuff besides my camera, like blowing the crumbs out of my keyboard, and freaking out the cat. They're cheap and useful, just get one even if you only ever use your camera in Mr. Despair's crazy clean-room / abandoned mine.CLAM DOWN posted:Hi thread, I recently got a Nikon D3400 for my first foray into DSLR photography and absolutely love it, I'm learning a ton and having fun!
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Mar 6, 2017 15:45
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What do you use to protect the back of the camera lense? Mine came with a lense, but no caps other than the one that goes over the front part.
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Mar 6, 2017 15:58
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Thank you for all this, great info, and thanks everyone else too. I'm going to pick up one of those manual air blowers and some microfibre cloths, and try not to be too OCD! ExecuDork posted:Also, this is excellent and you should post your pictures here in the Dorkroom somewhere. I will eventually! I have a lot of learning to do for now, but it's still awesome fun. I feel like I've gotten pretty good with framing and perspective by taking smartphone pictures seriously for a while, but this is a totally other league in terms of capability and hardware.
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Mar 6, 2017 17:22
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RedMagus posted:What do you use to protect the back of the camera lense? Mine came with a lense, but no caps other than the one that goes over the front part. SMERSH Mouth posted:I don't have much to add because the post above was so informative, but it bears repeating that you should not use an aerosol duster on your camera equipment, especially not on your sensor. Don't risk having the coolant stuff discharge onto anything sensitive. Manual air blowers are a much better option. (An actual tank of compressed air is awesome as long as it has a good valve that lets you control airflow, but that's something you see more in repair shops than in the property of individual camera owners.)
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Mar 6, 2017 17:58
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evil_bunnY posted:A back cap. You'll get one with every lens you buy. If you already have a compressor and regularly blow out other electronics you could use it but you'll want to add a pressure regulator, dryer and particulate filter or you will be worse off than not cleaning. But a rocket blower is only $10 my turn in the barrel fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Mar 6, 2017 |
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Mar 6, 2017 18:20
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a rocket blower is seriously the most versatile camera gear purchase i've ever made
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Mar 6, 2017 18:25
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RedMagus posted:What do you use to protect the back of the camera lense? Mine came with a lense, but no caps other than the one that goes over the front part. If your lens didn't come with a rear cap, you can buy them for a couple of dollars each. They'll be universal for any lens that fits the mount on your camera, so, if you buy a second lens that comes with a rear cap, you can swap it to whichever lens isn't currently mounted.
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Mar 6, 2017 18:55
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Helen Highwater posted:If your lens didn't come with a rear cap, you can buy them for a couple of dollars each. They'll be universal for any lens that fits the mount on your camera, so, if you buy a second lens that comes with a rear cap, you can swap it to whichever lens isn't currently mounted. Yup. Buy a pack of several on eBay or Amazon, don't go for the cheapest available. If they cost $1 each, they probably don't *quite* fit right and you'll get frustrated with back caps either falling off or being way to difficult to take off. I bought a bunch a couple of years ago for like $2/each, they're fine.
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Mar 6, 2017 19:05
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ExecuDork posted:Seconding the Rocket Blower. I use mine for other stuff besides my camera, like blowing the crumbs out of my keyboard, and freaking out the cat. "Hey, does this smell weird to you?" "Wha... AAAUGH!" Yes, I'm going to die alone. Also, about microfibre cloths, anything labelled for photographers instantly attracts a 50x markup over regular stuff. It's like musical equipment, even if it's the exact same poo poo that you can buy for non photo/music applications. Go to your local cheap sunglasses shop and buy a pile of them for like 50c each instead of getting the ones with some photogear brand name at ten bucks a pop in the camera store.
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Mar 6, 2017 19:41
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I also just got started with a new Nikon. The kit lens does not come with a real back cap (just some white plastic thing) but my 55-300mm did include one. Amazon has official Nikon back caps for like $4 if you add them onto another purchase. Plus mine had free same day delivery (got a new SD card with it). Question regarding cleaning: No circular motion? Why not and what motion is best then?
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Mar 6, 2017 20:46
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Zero One posted:Question regarding cleaning: No circular motion? Why not and what motion is best then?
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Mar 6, 2017 20:54
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I got a free bag thrown in with mine but it's too small, room for just the camera and whatever lens is attached to it, no spare lens room. What's a good hopefully cheap bag recommendation? I'm in Canada so a lot of amazon.com doesn't ship here, hoping there are .ca equivalents.
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Mar 6, 2017 21:41
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Don't go for a bag just because it's cheap, you'll end up hating it and go back out to buy something you actually like. Not saying you should spend $300 on a boutique bag either. But one you find comfortable to carry and use is pretty important.
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Mar 6, 2017 22:58
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xzzy posted:Don't go for a bag just because it's cheap, you'll end up hating it and go back out to buy something you actually like. That's fair, I'm just not interested in spending hundreds on a bag tbh.
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Mar 6, 2017 23:26
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Most thrift stores have camera bags for a few bucks. I got a new tamrac holster style for $4 (Employees thought it was an insulated lunch cooler)  A larger tamrac bag with a rebel 2000, flash and 2 zoom lenses that work with my T6i for $12.   Etc.. Also look at the camcorders, usually they are cheap and most are in decent heavy duty bags. Also look at the tripods and 35mm p&s cameras. I've found several new tripods for $5 or less and I found a mint stylus epic infinity camera for $15. 
my turn in the barrel fucked around with this message at 00:02 on Mar 7, 2017 |
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Mar 6, 2017 23:39
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You have two options really when it comes to bags. Look at camera bags and find something that fits what you want to use it for. It's best to do this in person as it can be pretty hard to eyeball the size and bulk of a bag from pictures on a website. There are loads and loads of really great bags at all sizes but only you will know what size, form factor and other features you really need. The other option is to use a bag that you already have and like that isn't a camera bag and fit padded inserts into it to make it a part-time bag. This is fine if you only carry a spare lens or two and a few small accessories. If you're hauling multiple bodies and lots of gear then you'll need a dedicated bag.
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Mar 6, 2017 23:49
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Thanks for all the help and tips all, seriously super useful. I was looking at this one here but I'm not sure how Amazon Basics are for quality https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00CDS9EKE This is a really fun new hobby to get into tbh!
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Mar 7, 2017 00:04
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I'm sure that's a bag that's good at being a bag, but I personally hate that format. I like a proper backpack with two shoulder straps.
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Mar 7, 2017 00:30
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Another option is to use a normal backpack, and just wrap your gear in t-shirts. I tend to do that with camera bodies that don't have a popup flash since they can take a little more abuse.
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Mar 7, 2017 00:38
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CLAM DOWN posted:I was looking at this one here but I'm not sure how Amazon Basics are for quality https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00CDS9EKE
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Mar 7, 2017 00:43
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I personally prefer messenger style bags over backpacks but thank you for the tip regardless!
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Mar 7, 2017 00:47
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I bought a $40 bag at Best Buy because I needed something temporarily before my $20 Amazon bag arrived but I think I like it better. Its smaller but feels like it has more room inside plus the build quality is better. But I also might switch to a backpack. I carried the best buy bag around on Saturday and it wasn't bad but I felt a little awkward with it.
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Mar 7, 2017 02:04
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CLAM DOWN posted:I personally prefer messenger style bags over backpacks but thank you for the tip regardless!
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Mar 7, 2017 02:21
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nmfree posted:Sure, I was more pointing out that the Amazon Basics stuff is decent enough quality. Gotcha  I ordered the medium one, thanks!
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Mar 7, 2017 02:27
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Picked up a refurbished T5i and took this in manual. Let me know how much I suck at 
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Mar 8, 2017 18:58
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I'm scared I'm asking a really stupid question here (in my defense I'm tired as poo poo), but how do I determine what size of filter to get? ie. https://www.amazon.ca/Polaroid-Optics-Circular-Polarizer-Filter/dp/B003USTMN0/
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Mar 9, 2017 01:25
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CLAM DOWN posted:I'm scared I'm asking a really stupid question here (in my defense I'm tired as poo poo), but how do I determine what size of filter to get? ie. https://www.amazon.ca/Polaroid-Optics-Circular-Polarizer-Filter/dp/B003USTMN0/ It's not stupid.
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Mar 9, 2017 02:24
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Ok, I've got a question since we're talking about microfiber cloths. I had a Fuji GA645Zi that came with an instruction manual. The manual said something to the effect of, "do not use cleaning cloths made with silicone fibers when cleaning the lens. Use only disposable optical lens wipes. This is very important." The camera is from the early 90's. Do most soft microfiber cloths contain silicone? Or maybe it's something that used to be more common in the 80s & 90s? Or maybe the front element on that Fuji lens had some kind of special coating? Regardless, I've stuck to PEC pads ever since. Edit: And good to know about the air compressors. I've just seen them in photo repair places and they seemed to work like magic. Now I know to never try cleaning camera gear by running a hose off of my friend's SCUBA tank. SMERSH Mouth fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Mar 9, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 02:50
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Butch Cassidy posted:Picked up a refurbished T5i and took this in manual. Let me know how much I suck at Do you like it? What would you change? Initially just figuring out what you want to do is daunting and taking shitloads of pictures will help realize what you like. I was in the same place a few months back and have started to get a feel for what I like. Read a good primer like understanding exposure if you haven't. I find manual is usually a bit tedious for most shots and shoot aperture or shutter speed priority all the time. I'm just starting to get into photoshop and now it's a whole new learning curve. Initially i think it's about just taking pictures and playing with all the settings so you can figure out what you need rather than worrying about perfection.
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Mar 9, 2017 03:00
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Krakkles posted:Look at the markings on your lens: There should be something that looks like ø52 (the digits will change, the leading character, an o with a line through it, will not) which indicates the size (in mm) filter which is required. (In the example I posted, 52mm.) Oh that's awesome, I had no idea what the o with a line through it meant  55mm it is, thank you!!
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Mar 9, 2017 07:20
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CLAM DOWN posted:no idea what the o with a line through it meant
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Mar 9, 2017 11:25
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SMERSH Mouth posted:Ok, I've got a question since we're talking about microfiber cloths. I don't think there's such a thing as a microfiber cloth with silicone fibers in it, they are made from polyester or polyamide fabrics. silicone fiber is like a fiberglass, and would be very abrasive. unless they are talking about silicone gun cleaning cloth, which are cotton soaked in silicone lubricant. or it could be a lovely translation.
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Mar 9, 2017 14:58
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Can you guys help me decide between Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 IS USM Tamron 70-300 f4-5.6 VC USD Canon 55-250 f4-5.6 IS STM On a crop body, no plan of going full frame. I've been googling forever and the more I look, the more conflicting reviews I find. Let's pretend price doesn't matter in the comparison. lament.cfg fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Mar 9, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 19:44
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my summer at fat camp posted:Can you guys help me decide between If you have a canon APS-C , the 55-250 STM is an awesome lens, and absolutely destroys anything else in the same price category (since you can get it refurb from canon usa for less than 200$ very often) edit: it also weighs next to nothing timrenzi574 fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Mar 9, 2017 |
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Mar 9, 2017 19:52
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my summer at fat camp posted:Can you guys help me decide between What do you tend to shoot, and what body is this for? I think the STM might be better for video with a newer crop body like the 70D etc. Also, I don't know about sharpness at that particular focal length, but if you tend to shoot at the wide end, the 55-250 would be decently wider. For wildlife, probably you'd want one of the 70-300 for the extra reach. I had the Canon 70-300 and liked it, although I ended up jumping to the L version when I upgraded my camera body (the L version is super-fun). The IS is "ok" iirc people (at least those not snobby against 3rd party lenses) tend to see the Tamron as a better value, but I'm not sure about performance, especially if you bring in the mark 2 of the canon. If you aren't into wildlife, have you thought about the 70-200 L?
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Mar 9, 2017 20:04
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It's for wildlife, primarily. Long end more important than wide, I can switch lenses for wide. Crop body. Handheld, too, hence the IS/VC.
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Mar 9, 2017 20:12
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