Thoughts on a good (re) starter?

[HarleyQuinn]

Long story short I lost my creative spark for photography when a fellow shooter I was very close with passed away.

It's been almost a decade.

But my recent move to Vermont has been incredibly inspiring, the scenery is breathtaking.



Anyway, there's a local store. I'm probably gonna pop into Saturday or Monday.

I've always been a Nikon girl, and the mirror less one here seems like a good starter.

https://www.gmcamera.com/product/nik...ens-kit-black/


But I'd love input if anyone has any.


Thanks!
-Cassie

[Fubarius]

Never used that particular model, and I'm more of a Canon fanboy, so not sure if I can contribute much here. But one thing I like about the new mirrorless stuff is how adaptable it is. If you happen to have, or find cheap, a pile of older lenses it's easy and inexpensive to find an adapter to fit darn near anything to a mirrorless body. Of course I'm the kind of person who keeps 6 or 7 lenses in the camera bag at all times so the more options I have the happier I am.

One thing I personally might struggle with, the lack of a viewfinder. Aiming with the rear screen might be easier for the "their phone was their first camera" crowd, but aiming without looking through a viewfinder just feels, well, wrong to me. I hardly ever do it with my T7, even in situations when I probably should be using the screen. So I'd personally have to save up a bit more for the Z50 over the Z30 just for the viewfinder, but I hate recommending someone spend more money on anything.

Good luck and get out there and make some art, or at least some memories.

Just be prepared for possibly a bit more human interaction than you might expect. Something about walking around a small scenic town on a warm sunny day with a camera with the big lens on the front that WILL cause every 4th person to ask if you could use their phone to take their picture in front of that waterfall or mountain range.

[HarleyQuinn]

I had a similar thought regarding the z50 viewfinder tbh.
Though I do like the USB c vs micro usb.

Also the zfc looked interesting, almost identical to the z30, but with viewfinder and "retro" look. But lacks weather resistance. Which ... Apparently it rains a lot here.

Brand aside, that's very good input, thank you!

[Painthappy]

Honestly any modern camera will do more than most people need. Find what you like and start using it. I'm partial to Nikon myself and that one works fine. If you want the more retro feel, but modern, the Nikon Zfc has that look

[Daltech]

I have a pretty good camera kit pile that I’ve been collecting for some reason.

Canon t2i and t6i, assortment of lenses, Nikon lenses and adapters, two tripods, misc filters and a halo light.

If I remember correctly, the lens is the most important part, then having a remote shutter for high speed no blur type of work. Shooting stars or anything at night really works best with a shutter remote to not induce any vibrations.

[Blackmagic71]

I’ve got a Nikon Z5 that’s treated me well.

Pretty user friendly for a a newbie and I like that using the Nikon app I can download photos directly to my phone using Bluetooth.

Mine has been almost exclusively used for back country camping trips on the Superior Hiking Trail or the Boundary Waters in Minnesota and It’s proven to be very durable so far. I keep it in a light weight padded case, but it’s been dropped, I’ve slipped and fallen with it, and it has generally been tossed around inside packs without any damage.

[XEMON]

Sorry HarleyQuinnfor kinda hijacking the thread,

Anyone tried the eos M6 and alike?
I have a full canon set of really good lens, but my body is stuck in 2002 😅

The Olympus is also of interest ... 🤔

[Drcemento]

I'll Throw the sony A7iii into the ring - I came back last year after a break myself, and having been a Nikon Guy. just Been soooo friggin impressed with it, esp. the ergonomics compared to Nikon. picture quality is mind blowingly good for being a little older but many people swear by it and I was all to happy to spend a little less. The sony is definitely meant to take photos, so if you need all the other video capability the Z-30 will be the better choice

[HarleyQuinn]

So I did land on the z30, mostly because of the mentioned video options. Also kit price locally, two lenses, body, etc for $800. Seemed a decent deal. I'm really digging it so far.

My one thing I was bummed about was the shop not having a prime lens that suited my wants. However, apparently there's an adapter from z mount to my old (and rather nice) Minolta Rokkor lenses. So that'll be arriving Wednesday. I have a pretty decent collection of Rokkor, and even with manual focus and manual aperture, gives me some rather cool opportunities.


Downside, my computer and laptop aren't set up yet, and I can't figure out how to get my phone to sync with the camera for Bluetooth transfer.


But so far so good ^-^

-Cassie

[Hobbes]

Downside, my computer and laptop aren't set up yet, and I can't figure out how to get my phone to sync with the camera for Bluetooth transfer.

-Cassie

This is something I wouldn't have given much thought to before I picked up a t6i. But on vacation it was nice to be able to transfer images to my phone over the wireless connection. In my case it required downloading an app to make an NFC connection.

[Mud]

Throwing another opinion in, I’ve been through Fuji, Nikon, Sony and Canon for various gigs over the last 20 years, and hands down Canons slap everyone else for full functionality. The only one that’s come close is the Sony (A7rii at the time, compared to 5d iv). The Fuji was my favorite for walk around photography, straight out of camera, good to go. Now a days, the Canon R5 (and subsequently mark ii) is my every day work horse, at literal work, and at home.

[MAr]

Long story short I lost my creative spark for photography when a fellow shooter I was very close with passed away.

It's been almost a decade.

But my recent move to Vermont has been incredibly inspiring, the scenery is breathtaking.



Anyway, there's a local store. I'm probably gonna pop into Saturday or Monday.

I've always been a Nikon girl, and the mirror less one here seems like a good starter.

https://www.gmcamera.com/product/nik...ens-kit-black/


But I'd love input if anyone has any.


Thanks!
-Cassie

Does it have to be a DSLR? I have a handheld little guy with a Leica lens (Panasonic?) and holy shit it shoots well. Don't love it for sports, but for scenery the pocket cam with Leica is very good.

Also HI!

[Painthappy]

So I did land on the z30, mostly because of the mentioned video options. Also kit price locally, two lenses, body, etc for $800. Seemed a decent deal. I'm really digging it so far.

My one thing I was bummed about was the shop not having a prime lens that suited my wants. However, apparently there's an adapter from z mount to my old (and rather nice) Minolta Rokkor lenses. So that'll be arriving Wednesday. I have a pretty decent collection of Rokkor, and even with manual focus and manual aperture, gives me some rather cool opportunities.


Downside, my computer and laptop aren't set up yet, and I can't figure out how to get my phone to sync with the camera for Bluetooth transfer.


But so far so good ^-^

-Cassie

Crap, didn't see this until Mar just posted. Did you get the camera to sync with the phone? I have had trouble with the bluetooth myself so just opt for the wifi transfer, but in the end I usually.just take the card out and slam it into my computer.

[MAr]

I use a USB-C to SD card reader, so I can pop the card effectively into my phone or iPad. Helps with my lack of patience and Cassidy mentioned below!

[HarleyQuinn]

I appreciate the input, I ended up going with a Nikon mirror less. I've loved it so far.

Painthappy- I did! It's not quite as fast as I'd prefer, but patience isn't exactly one of my virtues. :P It is nice to be able to upload to things immediately though, like. At an event or while exploring nature. It's honestly really cool once I had it figured out.

Mar- Hi! :P