I've decided the time has come to get myself a real camera. I've always taken pictures with my phones and never really been happy about it. Primary use will be shooting parkour during daylight. I train with a big team several times a week and want to take pictures weekly. This means pictures of fast moving people, sometimes more than one person in focus. I want to be able to take quick, sharp series of flips and jumps. My initial budget was about $350 but after having tried some cameras in some stores I've upped it to $900. The first camera I looked at was the Olympus E-PL1, but the guy in the store told me for my purpose I should try the Sony NEX 5n. It seems like a great camera and overall I like it. My only concern is the price. Why not just buy a "real" DSLR? Why not go for the Canon EOS 500d? Will the sony provide everything I need, or should I get the canon (both cost close to $900)? Or did the guy lie to me and I could've just bought the olympus? I know very little about cameras, but I've read tons of reviews this week and I'm none the wiser. I'm putting in a lot of money (for me) in this camera and don't want to buy extra lenses or a new camera in 2 years. The Canon comes with EF-S 18-55 mm IS and 55-250 mm and the Sony with 18-55 mm OSS and 16 mm.
much like your self , i used to use normal cameras . then i got my canon eos550d , and would never go back . the only downside i think there is the cost of the lenses , they can be costly . when you have masted just how the hell to use all the functions on your new camera you wont have any regrets seeing were the extra cash went . it sounds like your going for the same kit i got except i got the 550 body . best of luck in your selection dude
Buy the camera that fits your needs. Mirrorless is a pretty lightweight system. You get good photos whilst carrying a small amount of kit, which in turn means you're more mobile. You could probably throw a couple of lenses, a flash and the body in a shoulder bag. However a DSLR will give you more options with more lenses and loadouts to chose from. It also gives you an optical viewfinder and I'm pretty sure ladies will find you 11% more attractive. Also, better IQ, performance etc. The biggest difference is going to be weight. Personally I don't have a problem taking a body, lenses, flash units and other stuff on a motorbike or out hiking, but others may disagree.* There's an discussion going on here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=215612 It sounds like you're leaning more towards mirrorless, in which case the NEX (in my opinion) is much better than the Olympus. The only downside is in available lenses for the NEX; there doesn't look to be many. Although, the standard ranges are fairly well catered for; so 18-55, 18-200. I think Rokinon does an 8mm fish-eye for it if you're into ultra wide/ultra close. The best thing to do is find a shop with stock and ask to have a play. *whilst sipping their soy mocha frappu-lattes or whatever.
thats why im here asking for the better choice probably wont need to carry it around anywhere. brb buying a dslr now Weight doesn't matter. Money does. I'd prefer spending only $300 if the pictures for a $900 camera wont be much better. I wanted to buy a mirrorless because the olympus was cheap and had a lens, it sounded like a good idea. But then I was told (in the store) for my purpose the sony was a better choice. But it costs the same as the canon 500d, so why buy the sony?
so now im looking at a 2nd hand eos 500d with a few lenses and other accessories but less than the sony nex.
Fair enough. If you can play with a friend's DSLR first, it might give you an idea on what lenses you'll need to budget for. I don't really know enough about shooting parkour, but I'd be tempted to say; buy at least one fast zoom lens, something like a 17-50mm f2.8 and go from there. If you need to go wider and closer, something like a 10-20mm or 8mm fisheye lens would be a nice addition. Telephoto, it's up to you, but look for a lens with Image Stabilization as the camera doesn't have it in body.
the 2nd hand im looking at comes with these lenses: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS (standard) Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Tamron AF 80-210mm f/4.5-5.6 I can probably save money if I dont get the 50 and 80mm, should i do that and buy a 17-50mm f2.8?
It's hard to say. I'd still recommend getting your hands on one and having a play to get a feel for the camera and different lenses, but it's up to you. The 50mm is probably worth having as a portrait lens, but the 80-210mm suffers with chromatic aberration which is not good. I think if I were starting out again, I'd still go for a 17-50mm f2.8 as my main and work on a lens collection from there. Anyways, there's also the other stuff like a camera bag, a copy of Adobe Lightroom (or GIMP if you really need to save coin) and SD cards that need to be factored in.
thanks for all the help i made a deal with the guy, so im getting the 500d with the 18-55 lens, battery holder, camera bag, 8gb sd class 10, some different accessories, not getting the 2 other lenses so saved a bit there. If I feel like I need something more Ill get a 17-50mm f2.8 for christmas. I already have the entire adobe suitefrom work so thats not an issue.
I just noticed there is a version 2 of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Is there a noticeable difference? I cant find any comparison on google
Isn't the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS newer than the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II? http://www.photozone.de/Reviews/181-canon-ef-s-18-55mm-f35-56-is-test-report--review Still, they're kit lenses. While they do their job, they ain't exactly the best quality in the world.
For the kind of thing you're doing, I'd probably be saying either the Canon 17-40 f4 L and/or the Canon 10-22 wide would be what you really want.
cool thanks man its my first dslr camera so it'll probably be plenty for me for a while ill keep that on my list thanks brah
I'm going to counter your question with a question as you've not said what you want to do with these pictures once you've taken them. Have you thought about a video camera? or maybe a couple GoPros set up? Are you using these images for a purpose or just so your group can review them and improve?
i just want cool pictures to keep forever (lol) on my pc, probably put them up on our facebook group and stuff.
