DSLR & Lens advice required for a beginner

[ROA44]

What you decide to purchase in the end is up to you but how much you can afford to spend will determine what you can buy. But a good all rounder like a 24-70mm eg Tamron a bit dearer could be a good start along or a 35mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 and builds on what your daughter already has . These are good lenses but are lower in value but always handy to have. When you have considered a particular area of interest then you can start to be more specific with a particular lens and save the $'s to afford it in the mean time

[Doc63]

What you decide to purchase in the end is up to you but how much you can afford to spend will determine what you can buy. But a good all rounder like a 24-70mm eg Tamron a bit dearer could be a good start along or a 35mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 and builds on what your daughter already has . These are good lenses but are lower in value but always handy to have. When you have considered a particular area of interest then you can start to be more specific with a particular lens and save the $'s to afford it in the mean time

Budget constraints are certainly a factor at the moment.

As a beginner, I thought those two lenses would allow me to lean haw to use the camera, and decide what I'm really interested in photographing, while I save for better/more specific lenses.

[Mary Anne]

What Genre are you interested in shooting..
I knew what I wanted to shoot by time I got my first DSLR that's the reason I bought it as the P&S camera I had did not do what I wanted.

PS. Just looked at your first post seems its landscapes street and Birds you are interested in, those lenses are no good for Birds except in your backyard.
Wide angle lenses there are good third party ones around..

[Doc63]

What Genre are you interested in shooting..
I knew what I wanted to shoot by time I got my first DSLR that's the reason I bought it as the P&S camera I had did not do what I wanted.

PS. Just looked at your first post seems its landscapes street and Birds you are interested in, those lenses are no good for Birds except in your backyard.
Wide angle lenses there are good third party ones around..

Yeah, pretty much a bit of everything, Landscapes, Birds, Aeroplanes, Wildlife & Travel.

I thought the 55-250 would be enough for birds, but anything suitable would blow the budget at the moment.

I thought I could save up while learning.

[Mary Anne]

Yeah, pretty much a bit of everything, Landscapes, Birds, Aeroplanes, Wildlife & Travel.

I thought the 55-250 would be enough for birds, but anything suitable would blow the budget at the moment.

I thought I could save up while learning.

I can understand if you are on a budget and want to learn.. So all you want is a wide angle lens and a long angle lens for now so the twin lens kit should suit you fine.
It ok to say you can share lenses with your daughter, though best to have your own walk around lens 18-55mm as she may want to use hers at the same time.
Serious Birding you will want a longer lens than the 250mm. Whatever you choose you will have lots of fun learning..

[Doc63]

I can understand if you are on a budget and want to learn.. So all you want is a wide angle lens and a long angle lens for now so the twin lens kit should suit you fine.
It ok to say you can share lenses with your daughter, though best to have your own walk around lens 18-55mm as she may want to use hers at the same time.
Serious Birding you will want a longer lens than the 250mm. Whatever you choose you will have lots of fun learning..

Yes, the Daughter will definitely want to use her own lens if we are both using at the same time (even though Dad made a significant contribution to the purchase!!).

I was thinking of saving up for something likethe Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO DG OS HSM or Sigma 150-500mm f/5.6-6.3 APO DG OS HSM for birding & wildlife. They are not to dear to save up for. Would either of those be suitable?

[Mary Anne]

The longer the better for Birding, they should be fine, we do have Members here that shoot with those two lenses and take great photos.

[Mark L]

So you've got 18-135 covered, so why worry with the 18-55, unless you both want to take the same photo at the same time. Get the 55-250 so you can swap and save, save for the Sigma lens.

[Doc63]

So you've got 18-135 covered, so why worry with the 18-55, unless you both want to take the same photo at the same time. Get the 55-250 so you can swap and save, save for the Sigma lens.

Yeah, I thought that would be doubling up a bit, but the kits are either the 18-55 on its own, or 18-55 + 55-250. There is no kit just with the 55-250, as for as I know.

As Mary Anne said, Daughter will want to use her own lens if we are out together.

Those two lenses arent all that expensive anyway. I think the twin kit is about $150 more than the single.

[ROA44]

Also check out some reputable camera shops that sell secondhand gear you may find something that fits your budget there.

[Doc63]

Well, the trigger was finally pulled on Friday night.

I got the Canon 70D with the 18-55 & 55-250 Kit lenses.

Now I just have to take some photographs to put on here for some CC.

Thanks to everyone of all of your advice. It certainly can be a bit daunting when your starting out - there is just so many choices.

Neil

[EverlastingMoments21]

I'm kinda in the same position as Doc63 but I've found a Nikon d5200 fairly cheap with 2 lenses for any beginner or intermediate to start out with know the Nikon D5300 has been released at $1,049.00 all Nikon DSLR'S under d5200 will come down in price so the Nikon D5200 with the 2 lenses @ $769.00 free postage is great start .
My question i want to adventually be able to do newborn,maternity and family and single portraits along with landscape and travel destinations do i invest in a 35mm and 50mm or just buy the 18-105mm as well to do macro with adventually .

EverlastingMoments21 (Tam)

[ricktas]

I'm kinda in the same position as Doc63 but I've found a Nikon d5200 fairly cheap with 2 lenses for any beginner or intermediate to start out with know the Nikon D5300 has been released at $1,049.00 all Nikon DSLR'S under d5200 will come down in price so the Nikon D5200 with the 2 lenses @ $769.00 free postage is great start .
My question i want to adventually be able to do newborn,maternity and family and single portraits along with landscape and travel destinations do i invest in a 35mm and 50mm or just buy the 18-105mm as well to do macro with adventually .

EverlastingMoments21 (Tam)

Portraits, landscapes and even travel often require different lenses. Just focus on learning how to take great photos for now. This hobby will get mighty expensive anyway. Learn how to use your camera and kit lenses, then once you understand how it all works, by then you will start to understand what constitutes a good portrait lens or a good landscape lens, and in the meantime start saving. The two lenses I use for portraiture cost nearly $2500 combined. My landscape lenses cost about the same.

[EverlastingMoments21]

Portraits, landscapes and even travel often require different lenses. Just focus on learning how to take great photos for now. This hobby will get mighty expensive anyway. Learn how to use your camera and kit lenses, then once you understand how it all works, by then you will start to understand what constitutes a good portrait lens or a good landscape lens, and in the meantime start saving. The two lenses I use for portraiture cost nearly $2500 combined. My landscape lenses cost about the same.

Ok thanks for that handy info im not spending a whole great deal on camera gear just enough to get me started and learning. Already have a tripod which helps

[MadMax1412]

To break it down as a generalisation for your needs...

Portrait? 50mm-105mm

If you were planning to take some family shots whilst out and about say on a picnic, would you take a zoom lens eg Nikkor 18-105mm or would you prefer to use a prime lens? If a prime lens, which would be better - 35mm or 50mm?

The only reason I ask is that I was speaking to a professional at a baby shooting stand at the shopping centre and they said they should portraits at 50mm, so I guess I'm wondering if having a dedicated prime lens would be worth it.

Thanks in advance.

[ricktas]

If you were planning to take some family shots whilst out and about say on a picnic, would you take a zoom lens eg Nikkor 18-105mm or would you prefer to use a prime lens? If a prime lens, which would be better - 35mm or 50mm?

The only reason I ask is that I was speaking to a professional at a baby shooting stand at the shopping centre and they said they should portraits at 50mm, so I guess I'm wondering if having a dedicated prime lens would be worth it.

Thanks in advance.

Shooting at a stand is easy. The baby is going to be exactly the same distance from the camera each time. Take a look at the Santa photos at stores. Often it is a young kid taking the photos. It is all setup and the camera is set to specific settings and on a tripod, framed up, ready to go. Probably the easiest portrait sessions ever...except for the screaming kids and the parents...hehe

But get away from that 'setup' and 50mm will not always be the best choice.

[arthurking83]

If you were planning to take some family shots whilst out and about say on a picnic, would you take a zoom lens eg Nikkor 18-105mm or would you prefer to use a prime lens? If a prime lens, which would be better - 35mm or 50mm?.....

Prime lenses can be fun to play with at such events, but I dare say you'd probably find it more limiting, than useful.

Take the zoom(a good lens too!)

If you had a prime lens as well, and could justify taking it along too, then by all means take that too, and use it where you feel it's appropriate to try something else.

[robmj65]

Tamron 17-50mm is a good choice for general landscapes

[ameerat42]

Tamron 17-50mm is a good choice for general landscapes

Though you may be right, or may have found it useful, some sort of qualification would help the OP, who is a Beginner,
rather than just the statement.

[arthurking83]

OK, I'll chime in with some then
Tammy 17-50/2.8 is ok for a general purpose all rounder lens.

Bokeh is at the acceptable level. Not overly fantastic, but not dreadful either. If you look hard enough you can see ugly bits tho.

As this lens is an equivalent 28mm FOV on an APS-C sensor, I think in many instances for landscapes can be considered narrow(or too long). The only reason for that is that wide is always fun.
That's a side issue tho.

The lens is sharp. My version was the original screw driven type and Tamron have made changes over the years. First to a motor drive type(for Nikon and maybe Pentax, as Canon have always had built in motors .. but someone may need to confirm this tho!)
I don't think they changed the optical formula from the earliest to the second generation, but they did for the VC version tho.
No experience with that VC model at all. Some say better, some reckon about the same.