Long time stalker, first time poster, just got my first mac (macbook pro 15) 2 days ago and am very excited about it! Anyways, i am looking into buying my first dslr camera, and have been looking at sony and canon, specifically the a380, a500, and the rebel it1 and it2 i think that is what they are called? I live in Colorado and do alot of scenic shots so was wondering what would be best?? any help would be apreciated....p.s. your guys photos are absolutely amazing!!
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What type of dslr???
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Greetings. Nice to have you here!
Well, I'd recommend the Sonys. Why? Because they have image stabilization in the body, meaning that you don't need specific lenses for IS.
However, some might say that built-in IS is not as good as having it in the lens. Well, I prefer the idea of having it built-in. Mind you I'm a Nikon user who has no interest in IS lenses and I don't mind not having it built-in to the body.
My friend loves his A100 and A700. He uses mostly Minolta lenses on them. Third party lenses are also good (not all of my lenses are Nikons!).
Well, I'd recommend the Sonys. Why? Because they have image stabilization in the body, meaning that you don't need specific lenses for IS.
However, some might say that built-in IS is not as good as having it in the lens. Well, I prefer the idea of having it built-in. Mind you I'm a Nikon user who has no interest in IS lenses and I don't mind not having it built-in to the body.
My friend loves his A100 and A700. He uses mostly Minolta lenses on them. Third party lenses are also good (not all of my lenses are Nikons!).
I can second that notion
I sated of wih a Olympus E-510 and to be pefectly honest, I loved the sensor shift IS: Always on, always there. The camera took nice pictures as well
As a beginners DSLR it was exactly what I had hoped for. The problem comes when you want to move up in the olympus world, which is when I switched to Nikon BUT Sony HAS a lans range and they can use the old Minolta lenses (Minolta's 50mm f1.7 is a spectacular lens IMHO).
Yes Canon this, Canon that its a great cam as well, but the T1i and T2i are not exactly beginners camera's. I can't read out from your post if you have photography experience so they might be a little overwhelming...
either way you go, it will be a learning curve
//F
I sated of wih a Olympus E-510 and to be pefectly honest, I loved the sensor shift IS: Always on, always there. The camera took nice pictures as well
As a beginners DSLR it was exactly what I had hoped for. The problem comes when you want to move up in the olympus world, which is when I switched to Nikon BUT Sony HAS a lans range and they can use the old Minolta lenses (Minolta's 50mm f1.7 is a spectacular lens IMHO).
Yes Canon this, Canon that its a great cam as well, but the T1i and T2i are not exactly beginners camera's. I can't read out from your post if you have photography experience so they might be a little overwhelming...
either way you go, it will be a learning curve
//F
not very much experience, like i said it will be my first dslr, but i am in the mountains all the time camping hiking snowboarding, and im always taking pictures, so im really looking forward to getting into this. IF i do go sony, would the a500 or the a380 be a better choice? I dont know if its better to have mp's or just get a better lense or stuff like that?? thanx for all of the help so far!
Frankly, it really doesn't matter too much which camera body you choose for scenic/landscape shots- spend your money on a good tripod and head (by which I mean hundreds of dollars) and a remote release- they'll do more for your landscapes than anything camera-body-wise. Also, get a good rain cover (I really like the Fotosharp ones) and get up early to catch the good first light of the day- you might also look at photo stitching software like Autopano Pro for doing multiple-exposure panoramic shots (or the freeware PanoTools.) When weather is moving in, you can get some very dramatic shots too, though that depends a lot on where you are and the prevailing wind direction- even with weather sealed bodies and lenses, I always have a rain cover or two in my bag.
Lens-wise you'll be drawn or pointed initially to the ultra-wides- personally, I find that the more I shoot landscapes, the more I tend to go in the 35mm+ range, especially if I'm shooting panos. Ultra-wides just end up with too much sky in the upper parts of the picture, and if I'm shooting specifically for panos, I'm generally shooting vertically where a closer perspective gives me more information to work with. When I first got my 10-20mm (Crop sensor) lens, I shot a lot with it, now it generally only gets hauled out if I need to shoot from the same side of the street as a building and I'll happily shoot landscapes at 80mm+ if I can.
This image is a little unusual for me, as it's a bunch of horizontal frames stitched together instead of verticals, but there's still probably a bit much in the way of sky- the shots were done with a 60mm lens on a full frame camera- which gives about the same angle of view as a 45mm lens on a crop sensor body like the ones you're looking at:
Simply selected because it was the last time I went out and shot some landscape images, but it illustrates that you don't need an ultra-wide to get a landscape shot fairly well.
Paul
Compuwar: You would suggest something like a 50mm on a fullframe body for landscapes? and then stitch them together? I will have to try that approach
does the MP really matter all that much? If im looking at the canon rebel 500d and the sony a500, they differ about 3 MP, but will i notice this that much? I think i have narrowed it down to these two cameras.....
also, is apeture 3 good for stitching photos ?? thanx for all the help guys
also, is apeture 3 good for stitching photos ?? thanx for all the help guys
MP doesn't matter much, even the camera bodies don't matter much. A good lens will boost image quality a lot more than a different camera body. These days any DSLR from the last couple of years will take excellent photos. Just remember, it's not the camera that takes the photo, it's the photographer.
No, Aperture doesn't stitch photos.
No, Aperture doesn't stitch photos.
dang that sucks about apeture! alright, then what lense would you suggest for scenery? i was looking at minolta lenses.....seems you can get some used ones on ebay in good condition for pretty cheap, just not sure which 1 or 2 would be right for me.
Research lenses to figure out which ones will be the best for what you want to do and then buy a body that will work with them. Bodies can and do get updated all the time (and can wear out with use), but a good lens will be a good lens forever.
for a beginner...I wouldn't buy a brand new dslr. To me its a waste of money when you don't know how to use it. I would search ebay or craigslist and get a used nikon d40 or whatever entry level dslr camera you like. And after you learn how to shoot and what not then go for the upgrade.
Compuwar: You would suggest something like a 50mm on a fullframe body for landscapes? and then stitch them together? I will have to try that approach
That would work- I tend to go from 35mm to 80mm for landscapes, depending on how "close" I want to get. My next series when I go somewhere that it will work for is probably going to include using Helicon Focus for focus stacking too, though I have yet to figure out how I'm going to control doing both well.
Generally, I've used my 35-70mm for landscapes recently and the 20-35mm prior to that for full-frame, but I was on a "use the 60mm" kick for a bit, and I really liked the results- so it's going to be a go-to landscape lens for me for a while, a 50mm would be in the same ballpark. If I'd had a lower point of view, I'd have focus stacked and probably tried to start at about 80mm, as I've seen some phenomenal shots with the 135mm Voightlander in hilly country that really stood out perspective-wise.
Paul