Reddit mentions: The best camera & photo accessories

No problem dude.

So first off I just want to go against your thought on only using an iPhone until you can get a professional camera. I really do think that you need the DSLR step in between the iPhone and the professional camera for many factors. Even though the app that you are using is very impressive, it still cannot match a DSLR. You even said it yourself, the camera sensor is way too small to use in anything but exceptional light. Secondly being able to tell the story not just the angle you have the camera, but in the lens choice is something that is awesome to do. With a single change in a lens you can make someone who is in an ally look like they are claustrophobic and trapped, to someone being alone in a large amount of space. So using lenses are a huge help in telling the story you want and being able to know that before using a professional camera is huge. I also want to point out one of the big and main differences why someone would want a professional cinematic camera. One of the main reasons is to have the capability to shoot in RAW which allows for awesome post production. I've used RAW many times before and it is awesome to adjust almost every aspect of the shot. Here is the thing though, you almost really don't need that unless you are really going to push the camera in post, or if you are doing a movie. Even without RAW a DSLR or mirrorless camera can achieve professional looking video without breaking the bank. Here a great video on professionals comparing 8bit vs 10bit which is essentially the difference between cinema cameras and mirrorless ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AekKwgvS5K0 ). This is a very interesting video and really shows how good mirrorless cameras are, and the small gap between the two. I know it's fun to say that you filmed a whole film on an iPhone. I've also used an iPhone and android phones to film really good looking video, but I knew what it can and can't do because I had used dslr and professional cameras. Without the knowledge I had there would've been wild problems that I couldn't fix in post, and even with all of my knowledge I had to change how I did things to get everything right. It was a great experience, but there is a time and place for everything.

Okay not that is out of the way I'll tackle the audio questions you had. So when I said that you can eliminate background noise while recording it wasn't necessarily in a software, rather in what you are doing while filming. The number one thing that you need to do is get the mic as close to the actor as possible. By doing this it eliminates most factors so you can have more flexibility in post. Secondly it is a good idea to have someone dedicated to being the audio engineer. Having to do both is exhausting and results in lukewarm audio and video. Third you need to get an app or some external device that allows for adjusting the gain. There should be multiple apps that can do this, however I would recommend a pre-amp. Here is a link to a great pre-amp https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LBS52YI/ref=psdc_11974581_t3_B007534LFK . It is a great deal for what it is, but it is still pretty pricey if you don't have much money or much income at all. This is a great tool because it will allow for any audio recorder, phone, or camera to accept xlr, quater inch, and normal aux connections and even providing two. You can also adjust the volume it is putting out so you can more easily adjust on the fly. Getting the right levels is essential for getting good audio in post. The next thing you can do is have some portable sound proofing. There are audio blankets that do a great job, but they are $60 for one. Not to say it isn't worth it, but it's a bit much if it's between getting that and a new mic. So instead I recommend getting a moving blanket. It isn't perfect, but you can get a huge amount of them for cheap and they do almost as good as the audio blanket. The way can use this is to cover up whatever is making the noise if you can. If you can't you can make a wall out of the blankets with light stands, or pretty much whatever you can attach them to. This will not only reduce echos from the actor, but it will also greatly reduce the amount of ambient noise that the mic is picking up. Seriously pick up some moving blankets, they are a great tool not just for audio, but you can use them to block out light, and actually move stuff. They are a really awesome tool. So by doing all of this it should reduce the amount of ambient noise that the mic picks up. Also for good shotgun mics, I am not a great resource for this but I do know a few good mics. Here are two that I know are good and that others say good things about. https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Advanced-Broadcast-Microphone-accessories/dp/B00N39J0LU/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1503160247&sr=1-4&keywords=shotgun+mic https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-6550-Condenser-Shotgun-Microphone/dp/B002GYPS3M/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1503160247&sr=1-5&keywords=shotgun+mic . If you want to know more there are a large amount of articles on good mics for cheap.

Next I just want to quickly mention that you should invest in some lights. No matter what it is a good idea to have them. Here is a link to a great budget light, https://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic-Samsung/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503160499&sr=8-1&keywords=neewer+light . It isn't the most exiting thing to buy, but it is well worth your money.

For the acting questions, it is hard to put to words what I experience. It's more of an instinct, and is different in every situation . However I know I would not be happy with that answer, so here is a link to an article that I think has some really good points. http://www.masteringfilm.com/tips-for-directing-actors/ . This isn't the guide lines for what you can do, but this is just a starting point for what you can do to direct actors better. There are many articles out there so pick and choose what you want. My only piece of advice that I could find words for is this, make your actors not act. You want them to be the character. So a good way to get this to happen is to have them write a back story for the character, it won't be incorporated in the film, but it will help them shape their decisions on how they act. It is really a great way to have the actor connect with the character. Also just tell the actor what they are doing. Don't be a dick about it, but let them know so they can change it. Don't be vague by saying "do that but happier" because no one really gets that. Instead say something like "Jim while you are saying that line could you have a bit of a smile and have a bit more hop in your step" something like that. That might've not been the best example, but you hopefully get the idea.

Okay I hope that answered all of your questions. Let me know if you have more.

Hey!

I totally know where you’re coming from. we brought home our toy poodle 2 weeks ago (he’s 11 weeks today) and I am home with him during 9-5 hours while my boyfriend helps out evenings and weekends. The first week I genuinely considered returning him because I felt so overwhelmed despite doing an absurd amount of research and having had 2 other family dogs where I wasn’t the primary caretaker lol. The breeder had him potty trained and crate trained and said he was the first of his litter to run to the food bowl but the first week he came home with us he whined in his crate + playpen, pooped on the floor and became a finicky eater lol

I can say even though I’m still struggling with a few things (he’s a pretty shy pup who's not food motivated, hates his playpen, and doesn't understand kongs lol ) I’m feeling better and seeing sooo much progress in our little man since he first came home.

Here are some things that work for us:

Crate training: This will take time and will also require some patience and understanding on your end - there will likely be whining and the best thing you can do is IGNORE IT - this is of course as long as your puppies needs are met - before ever putting him into the crate make sure he’s peed and isn’t hungry/thirsty. The #1 thing you need to be aware of is that if you let him out while he’s whining he will associate whining = attention/freedom.

• Crate games Personally, we didn’t use crate games because when I tried I felt the same frustration lol. We have a T-shirts that smell like us in his crate + his favourite (safe) toy that he can only cuddle/play with while he’s in there to make it attractive place. Our dog isn’t food motivated either but we’ve discovered dehydrated raw treats are like crack to him lol. We use a high value treat (dehydrated raw beef liver) to lure him into the crate while saying “bedtime” and then we close the door. He’ll whine during the day sometimes when he’s overtired but never at night and actually goes in willingly on his own to relax.
  
• Nighttime: set alarms before he starts whining. In our case we sleep at 11pm and have alarms for 2am, 5am and 7:45am - you’ll need to monitor when he starts to whine and set your alarms for ~10-15 mins beforehand to avoid reinforcing whining. I also recommend sticking to night time crating rather than playpen to work off a dogs need for consistency.
  
• Enforced naps: these are a god send. Pups need to sleep roughly 18-20 hours a day. For every 45-1 hour that your puppy is awake lure him into his crate for a 1-2 hour nap. I use a wyze camera (https://www.amazon.ca/Wyze-Wireless-Camera-Android-Version/dp/B076H3SRXG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3J0J18TA1JUKO&keywords=wyze&qid=1565737568&s=gateway&sprefix=wyze%2Caps%2C246&sr=8-3) to monitor any sounds/movements in his crate and make sure I get to him to let him out to pee before he has a chance to start whining on his own. (Currently typing this as he’s napping away lol). You will get some free time to do as you please + puppy will wake up refreshed and happy (note: less nipping, more attentive!)
  
• Note: even if you successfully lure him into the crate he will likely still whine at times - I G N O R E. I can’t stress this enough. The sooner he learns whining = no reaction, the sooner he’ll learn to settle and nap. First week our puppy whined ~5 minutes each time, now it’s ~30 seconds max and MUCH less frequent. Consistency is key.
  
  Routine: Like I said our pup is awake for ~1 hour intervals throughout the day. Because pups do better with set schedules, I follow the same routine every hour and he seems to be doing better with this routine. Essentially what we do is : Wake up, pee, Train (5-10 mins max with his kibble or toys - like your ours isn’t food motivated but enjoys WORKING for his food, other times he’s more willing to work for toys so that could also be worth a try), fetch (physical exercise indoors), Train (5-10 mins max), play, leash train (indoors), play, pee, nap.
  
  
• Physical exercise: A tired pup is a happy pup - but keep in mind there’s a fine line between proper exercise for a puppy and overstimulation - we’ve been doing 5-10 minutes of indoor fetch every hour awake and it looks like the perfect balance for us - you’ll have to play with this figure a little to see what works best but I promise the whining is bound to decrease if he’s already sleepy before crate time
  
• Mental stimulation: poodles (and poodle crosses) are prone to getting bored without enough mental stimulation = excess whining. Mental stimulation includes feeder toys, puzzle games AND training. Our guy doesn’t really appreciate his kong lol but we have this (https://www.amazon.ca/Smart-Treat-Dispensing-Exercise-Ottosson/dp/B0711Y9Y8W/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1ZZNTTRIW62SD&keywords=nina+ottosson&qid=1565738495&s=gateway&sprefix=nina+ott%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-5) and we bring it out once or twice a day - sometimes he won’t even eat the food in the holes but he likes figuring out the puzzle lol
  
• Instilling independence: Okay so this is an area where I’ve noticed a BIG change since taking it seriously. The more you work on training commands, the more independence you’re installing in your pup. The more independent he feels, the more he can handle being alone, the outside world, scary interactions, etc. I’m not sure if you’ve done any puppy socialization classes or are looking into puppy training but I’d recommend finding a reputable one in your area and giving it a try. For training at home, we've had a lot of success with: https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup
  
  Other tips:
  
  
• Bully Sticks: these things can be a god send if you need some time to yourself. The first time we gave our puppy one he went wild for it and left us alone for an hour. The second time, he held it in his mouth and whined his face off lol. We realized our mistake was making it available to him too frequently in a short period of time. Keep high-value items like this a special occasion treat to maintain it’s value.
  
• Toys: rotate toys. Have 2-3 toys out for a few days at a time, and learn which ones he gravitates to. You’ll discover which toys are high value + by rotating them he’ll get excited when his fav one from a certain batch is back in his turf. Take the high-value ones and make them crate only toys if they are safe to be played with unsupervised!
  
• Kong: I wish I could give you advice here because the Kong was a god send for our other dogs. The advice that’s been given to me is teach him how to use it. Youtube is good for this but at the end of the day, some dogs just don’t like the kong. If you do want to use this or other puzzle feeders/treat toys DON’T increase the value of the treat if he’s disinterested. He’ll learn that he can ignore his kibble/low-value treats and hold out for the better stuff and you’ll end up with a finicky eater.
  
• Daycare: Find a reputable one in your area bc it sounds like you need a little break and some socialization will be good for the little guy if you’re not looking into puppy classes or socialization classes.
  
  Hope this helps in some way shape or form, feel free to message me if you need to vent, compare puppy problems or ask any questions :)

Hi!

I own a 600D, and I love it, so the camera is great. The kit that comes with it? Meh, it's ok. You've got the standard kit lens, so that's nothing special, and a bunch of lens cleaning bits which isn't anything special.

I doubt the wrist strap will get a lot of use. The desktop mini tripod thing? Handy if you're going to make a load of Youtube vlogs, but probably not if you want to make films seriously, like you say. You'd be better off going for a proper tripod with a nice pseudo-fluid head designed for video, not stills, so you can do smooth camera pans.

As far as the monopod goes, I've never used one, but they're more suited to stills photography, I feel. I don't think they'd be a lot more stable than just being hand-held.

The car charger is a nice idea, if you're going to be out a lot, but I bought an aftermarket battery grip from Amazon that came with 4 batteries, and lasts for ever!

The 32GB card is a great size, but is it going to be an unknown make of card that isn't fast enough to record a long video recording? I've not shot a lot of video on mine, but I've got 16GB Class 4 Sandisk cards, and I sometimes get the graphic on my monitor of the camera's internal buffer filling up, and have occasionally have recording stop on me, so you've got to have good, fast cards.

You do want a nice backpack, but it needs to be roomy enough to allow for some other lenses, and it's impossible to tell if that bag is big enough. I got one, again from Amazon, that is pretty good, and accommodates all my spare batteries, my 3 lenses (kit, 50mm & 70-300mm), my filters, mics, cleaning kit and cables and is well padded and pretty sturdy.

The filters pack might be nice, depending on what's included. It looks like a clear UV which is really only a lens front element protector, a fluorescent filter, and a neutral density filter, which is good if you're filming in bright conditions but want your iris wide open. Also, they'll only fit your kit lens. If WHEN you expand your lens collection, those won't fit it. Your best bet is a kit like this that allows you to put the same set of filters on to a range of different lenses..

What else? Oh, the telephoto lenses...Hmmm... I'd question how useful they are. It looks like those screw on to the front of your existing lens. It's my experience that those things give you a pretty soft picture. You might like that, but you'd be better off getting a proper telephoto lens.

I think that's it. Wow... I've not be very kind about that package, have I? If the price of that kit is the same as buying the camera on it's own, then you're not losing anything. You DO need a bag, a cleaning kit and spare batteries, so that's all fine.

But lenses & filters are things that you should only acquire when you realise you need them. The kit lens will be a nice start for you, if you're new to photography/filming. I VERY quickly found that I needed a zoom lens, so bought a cheapy Tamron 70-300mm for under a hundred quid that I like very much, as well as the famous Nifty Fifty mm f1.8 prime that gives me a great shallow depth of field, and is my favourite lens!

I hope this has been helpful!

Hey, I'll try and answer as best I can, but others may have better or more accurate descriptions than me.

1. Many people will argue about this one, and I don't think there is really a right and wrong answer. You can make a great looking movie on an Iphone if you know what you are doing.
   
   But as for what makes a camera better? I would say control. The more functions you can control on a camera, the better. This is why DSLR filmmaking is so popular currently, because they have access to functions that many cameras don't have. Focus, Aperture, White Balance, Lens choices, etc. Being able to access all of these gives you more options as a filmmaker, which is what we all want, creative freedom, we all hate when we are limited by technology.
   
   Now many people talk about shooting Film vs Digital, or whether or not you are recording in RAW format for digital. A lot of this has to do with preference vs quality of camera.
   
   So I would say that a camera that is easy to control is the best. Hopefully I mostly answered that, if you want a more specific answer, just let me know and I'll try my best, otherwise hopefully someone else jumps back in here and describes it better.
   
   
2. This one is again up for debate. Here is what I think would be best. Get a camera first. Like many independent filmmakers, a DSLR might be the best option, I found a camera from Panasonic called the AG AF-100 that to me has been an amazing camera, and a few steps above the DSLR without costing that much more. But Canon and it's DSLR lineup is great! Grab a couple decent lenses with that too.
   
   I would recommend a small light kit, you can spend as much as you want on film lights, but don't feel ashamed to buy a few lights from Lowes or Home Depot. Lighting is a very important piece to making movies. I would also look into getting some reflectors, there are some really cheap ones on Amazon. I have found these to be helpful when shooting outdoors, since lower end lights are almost unnoticeable in the sun.
   
   Here is the one that many early filmmakers ignore, Audio. Grab a nice microphone and get some good sound with your video. The Rode NTG 2 is a pretty good mike. It's cheaper while still getting good sound. The ME 66 is a bit more expensive, but it's a hotter mike and gets better sound. Both are really good options. To go with your mike, if you have a little extra spending money, I would completely advise getting a Blimp. This Rode Blimp is great! If you want to shoot outdoors in the wind at all, this is the best option, otherwise you may have to re-record all the voice over in post.
   
   ~
   
   This post is getting a little long here, so I'll throw a summary at the end with a couple more items.
   
   Camera: Get a Camera, Lenses, Case, Tripod.
   
   Lighting: Get a couple Lamps, Reflectors, Filters, Light Stands.
   
   Audio: Get a Microphone, Boom, Blimp, XLR Cable, Recording Device, Headphones.
   
   There is always more, but these would be a good starting point. Not everything I recommended is needed to get started though.

> Price Range: UK, up to £50 - the only batteries I have and have experience with are disposables like AA and AAA but I am willing to learn about new types. I have charging cables like USB-C
>
> Battery Type & Quantity: Recommend me whatever you like battery wise

I recommend you get these ones (make sure your battery specifications match the packaging in this photo):

• New battery day! 24 AA Eneloop NiMH batteries in 16 and 8 cell packs. : r/AAMasterRace
  
  Get this package first to get the highest quality charger on the market:
  
  
• AmazonSmile: Panasonic K-KJ17MCA4BA Advanced Individual Cell Battery Charger Pack with 4 AA eneloop 2100 Cycle Rechargeable Batteries: PANASONIC: Electronics
  
• HKJ Review of Charger Panasonic BQ-CC17 - lygte-info.dk
  
  > A nice -dv/dt termination with only a small temperature increase and no trickle charge, this looks very good. [...] The charger is very good at filling the batteries.
  
  You need that charger to get the full life out of Eneloops. If you take care of them, Eneloops will last at least a decade, maybe longer. They achieve maximum longevity when you charge any time before they reach 60% depth of discharge (40% remaining capacity). So, if you charge them when they're half discharged or sooner, that's easy to remember.
  
  > Purpose: Main purpose - used to find correct door numbers when I am delivering in evenings
  >
  > Other uses would be as an emergency lighting source in my flat in case of a powercut and to take along with me when I'm on a motorbike again for emergency usage. If I could use it randomly in countryside settings where there is not much light pollution that would be great as well
  >
  > Size: Something easily held in one hand, not to head heavy and not too heavy, needs to fit in a backpack easily
  >
  > Type: Handheld
  >
  > Main Use: Whilst in residential areas shining light to find the right door numbers - IMPORTANT must not disturb residents with too much excess light
  
  You said you want handheld, but if you're using it from a motorbike while delivering, then it really sounds like what you need is a hands-free headlamp, but one that can also be used handheld. I did a search for you:
  
  
• http://flashlights.parametrek.com/index.html?type=headlamp&battery=1xAA+2xAA+3xAA+4xAA+5xAA+6%2BAA&runtime=_+_+dec&features=regulation&price=_+62
  
  I'm not sure how to use the search features to minimize the amount of spill light, but maybe u/parametrek can explain how to do that. I see beam angle, intensity, and throw that might be useful in filtering for that kind of feature, but I'm not sure if it's actually possible to filter that way.
  
  In any case, the Zebralight headlamps can be used handheld without the headlamp holder, and they include a pocket clip for that purpose too. I recommend the Zebralight H53c because it uses AA batteries:
  
  
• AmazonSmile: Zebralight H53c AA Headlamp Neutral White High CRI: Sports & Outdoors
  
• H53c AA Headlamp Neutral White High CRI - Zebralight
  
  The Armytek Tiara lights are similar, and imitate many of the features of Zebralights, so although I haven't used one myself, they get recommended often and they might be equally versatile as a handheld light - I just don't know if they come with a pocket clip. The quality of Armytek is good, but is praised less often than Zebralight. They might have some features that are different from Zebralight, in addition to a lower price, so they're worth considering.
  
  I almost always use my Zebralights without the headlamp strap, although I do use the silicone holder because it makes it easy to swivel and point the light. I put some zip ties on it for a lanyard so I can attach it to the exterior of my EDC bag, without risk of losing it. It's tiny, so it's convenient to always have it ready. I don't need to fish around in my bag or pocket to find it. I just tap the on-button, and go. I don't need to fumble with it or even bother to put it away when I'm done using it. I think in your job, that would be ideal for you too, because it will save you a ton of time, which adds up every time you use it.
  
  They do have some spill light, but you have fine control over the brightness, so you can dial it down to only the amount of light you need, and you can make the light on time very brief, even though the button isn't quite a momentary on switch, which would be ideal. The way you select brightness by clicking the button might be even more useful than a momentary on switch anyway, so you can minimize the amount of light you use to the point no one will notice you, even if they're nearby while you're shining your light.
  
  EDIT: Formatting.

First of all I'm going to start by saying that these cameras have different sensor sizes, namely APS-C, Micro Four Thirds and 1inch sizes. There are advantages and disadvantages to either ones but In general these are the main characteristics:

APS-C sensors - medium to large-sized lenses, slightly long minimal focusing distance (around 0.5m with a normal focal range lens), shallower depth-of-field (more blurred backgrounds in pictures)

Micro Four Thirds sensors - small sized lenses, very short minimal focusing distances (20/30cm with normal focal range lenses), more depth-of-field than ASP-C (less blurred backgrounds in pictures)

(I'll talk about the 1inch sensor further below)

There are other differences that vary on a camera by camera basis but those are the most important things for you to keep in mind. I will mention for each of the examples you gave the sensor size and some of the characteristics of each camera system as briefly as I can.

> Canon 750DKIS 24MP Digital SLR Camera (with 18-55mm IS STM Lens $764

.

> Canon EOS 700D 18MP Digital SLR Camera (Twin IS Lens Kit) 18-55mm STM & 55-250mm STM Twin Lens K $849

APS-C sensor cameras - both of them will offer relatively similar performance. The 700D deal with two lenses is a nice one, but it's only useful if you like to shoot telephoto pictures (pictures of things that are very far away from you). I would prefer to get the 750 because the sensor is slightly better and it has wireless, so it is a bit more future-proof and better performing. For the price difference between the 750D and the 700D you could buy one of the many budget lenses for the system that offer surprisingly good results. I recommend the Canon 50mm f1.8 which will give you very beautiful results with shallow depth of field: https://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-8-STM-Lens/dp/B00X8MRBCW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469622115&sr=8-1&keywords=canon+50mm+f1.8

Olympus OM-D E-M10 MKII Compact System Camera with 14-42mm EZ Lens 764

Micro Four Thirds - a very small but well-performing camera that is just an all-round good package. It has better image stabilization than the Canon built into the body. What that means is that for most situations you practically don't need a tripod. If you want a camera that is capable of giving you very good image quality but still be small and compact enough to carry around without much hassle, this is a good option. Most of the lens options aren't as cheap as the ones for the Canon systems, however Sigma makes a few lenses that are very affordable and high quality so I recommend checking those out if you are on a tight budget.

> CameraPro FUJIFILM X-T10 Mirrorless Compact System Camera Silver Body Only $597 ($797, Cashback $200) - Do I need to buy a lens still?

APS-C sensor camera - Yes you will need to buy a lens for it. Fuji cameras tend to be slightly more expensive than other cameras that compete with theirs but in terms of "raw" specifications they fall behind in some aspects. Video recording on most Fuji cameras is very poor. Even so, people that shoot phtoos with Fuji cameras love it because they usually have great ways to operate the camera that make them very enjoyable to use and most importantly, I'd argue that they offer the best images out of all APS-C cameras without tweaking them. In the long-run I think Fuji would be the most expensive choice but it would also deliver the most pleasant results. If you want a lens recommendation to start off with I suggest the Fuji 35mm f2.0 https://www.amazon.com/Fujinon-XF35mmF2-R-WR-Black/dp/B016S28I4S/ref=sr_1_33?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1469622522&sr=1-33&keywords=fujifilm+x+lenses . Although Fuji is expensive, it is the camera system I mostly appreciate at the moment, and the one I'd like to own in the future due to its lens selection which offers a lot of very high quality glass and the absolutely gorgeous image quality. Another note is that Fuji's lenses tend to be some of the smallest ones in APS-C lens systems.


Sony Cybershop RX100 or RX100 II? (599 vs 795) -

1inch sensor (the smallest, meaning more depth of field) - these cameras are very compact and actually small enough to be pocketable but they are also the most limited in terms of performance, particularly low light. When I compared an RX100 to my Olympus which has the same sensor as the E-M10 camera you linked, it didn't perform as well in low light both in terms of focusing speed and image quality but in outdoors with decent lighting you can get really excellent results. In my opinion the RX100 is the perfect "secondary camera" if you own an APS-C camera but don't always want to carry around with you, but if you end up going with a Micro Four Thirds camera you don't have as big of a need for a secondary smaller camera.

I hope this is helpful to you, I know it's a long post but I tried to make it as short as I could without entering into small minutia. Let me know if you have any further questions.

They're both pretty great cameras. I am someone who is in a fuji camp that's thinking about moving over to Sony, but that doesn't mean that I would discourage you from taking a serious look at fuji. They're great cameras with fantastic ergonomics and form factors. In many ways they seem to be better sorted than the Sonys - and firmware support from Fuji is nothing short of phenomenal. My own fuji is far more capable now than it was when it was originally released in 2012 (I haven't owned it that long because I always buy used, but the firmware improvements really make older fujis a bargain, and should be a plus for any potential new buyer too). The lens lineup is great, if pricey, and performance is perfectly acceptable - you can take great photos on a fuji. The ergonomics are far superior to Sonys, as far as I understand - everyone bitches about Sony's menu systems.

But as someone who uses a lot of adapted vintage lenses, that full frame sensor (allows use of "dumb" cheap adapters), and in-body image stabilization (just a nice luxury altogether) are pretty amazing. Fuji raw support isn't all that great too, it feels like I'm always struggling in Lightroom a bit - and don't feel like jumping over to Capture One, etc.

Honestly, if I were to dip my feet into photography, and wanted something rugged with a good battery life, I'd get an older prosumer DSLR from Canon or Nikon. That's how I started out, and have zero regrets. They're fucking fantastically sorted, and imo, are better to learn on than mirrorless or entry level DSLRs - and you can get started for very cheap. Then a ways down the road, you'll have a better idea of what you want out of a camera.

My dirt cheap starting kit suggestion - get a used Canon 40D. It was my first real camera, and it's still pretty great. It's bottomed out in price and can be had for less than $150. Or its successors - 50D is like $180, 7D is in the $300s, etc. It's fantastically made, very rugged (magnesium body), weather sealed, can take a thousand shots on a single battery charge (no joke) - awesome for hiking, etc - especially as its big weakness compared to modern cameras is low light performance. Get the pancake lens for it. You now have a great walkaround/hiking/street photography/shooting people indoors kit for under $300. Also, in a year, that A7ii will be a great deal, because the iii is coming out soon.

Here's my little bits of advice:


Games with Gold: If you have an XBL gold membership, please 'buy' (xbox.com) the free games on both systems, even if you don't currently have one of them. If you don't have an XB1 yet, you're essentially just building a bigger potential library if you get the console in the future. If you're on XB1, you're creating a larger backwards compatible library.


Accessories: Add storage via nearly any USB 3.0 external hd (there's millions of suggestions for specific models via a search of this subreddit). I suggest Eneloops over the play-n-charge kit. XBL gold membership is roughly $35/year frequently, never pay full price and keep in mind it's "stack-able". Install SmartGlass on your mobile devices. Install the Xbox app on your Windows 10 devices.


Games/Values: If you're interested in any EA game, give EA Access a look ($30/year). Bing Rewards is a nice way to pad your digital wallet. Value-based subreddits I'd suggest: /r/GameDeals, /r/GreatXboxDeals and /r/ConsoleDeals. Weekly sales threads tend to pop up on /r/XboxOne before they're published, and if you want to see all current discounts check out storeparser.


Game Recommendations:
SMITE is a free-to-play moba that's become a go-to game for me a few times each week. It's easy to learn, but there's depth to keep you learning new strategies/skills even months after you've started. I really can't believe how much I like this game. I think everyone should at least try it.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is gorgeous, and it improves upon nearly everything the original reboot (already a good game) attempted. I love the game.
Sunset Overdrive is fun from start-to-finish, and it's one of the most unique games I've played. The art style is infectious, and I loved the game more each time I played it. However, I didn't particularly appreciate much of the multiplayer.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is a step above the other LEGO games, and it's an absolute hit for co-op sessions. Similarly, Diablo 3 excels at co-op, even if it's something that doesn't seem like a typical title for your group.
There's many others I'd recommend, but I'm sticking to the top-most I'd recommend to any new Xbox One owners. There's a ton of opinions you can find on this subreddit if you're interested in any game. Also, if you're not sure about something: look for Twitch streams or YouTube videos before you take the plunge.


Leftovers:
Always check out Friend Request Friday to find people you can play with. I love podcasts, here are my recommended podcasts. I use Feedrabbit to get e-mailed updates from Major Nelson.


Finally, I recommend helping out when you can by visiting the Mentor Monday threads. It's a very easy way to help, and (in my opinion) it's one of the best threads each week in this subreddit.

I would purchase things that are relatively affordable (this tascam lav works great with auto levels and is totally worth the money) and rent things like lenses (and camera if you don't have something that's decent) that you'll definitely need but are a large upfront cost.

My essential gear would include:

• Camera (needs to be HD, but you don't need a $3k camera if you're just starting out.)
  
  
• Lenses- at least a wide and a decent zoom. For us, we just run a Canon 24-105 for most of the day (it's a beast of a lens and you can almost get away with only that) but it's also good to have something like a 70-200 so you can get closer shots if/when you're at the back of the ceremony. You can definitely rent these, and they're probably the best thing to rent starting out.
  
  
• Tripod and monopod. I would have a tripod just to be able to be locked down for the ceremony (sometimes it's exhausting trying to keep a monopod stable for a 30+ min ceremony) and run the monopod the rest of the day. Benro make a decently affordable monopod or you can go with this Manfrotto monopod. We have two of the Manfrottos and they are the best. I can't speak for the quality of the Benro because I haven't used their monopod, but they have a great warranty and great customer service on their stuff.
  
  
• A video light. You will absolutely need a light on your camera. I've been in ceremonies and receptions that seemed like they were barely candle lit. You will probably never run a light during a ceremony but you'll definitely need it during receptions. Luckily LED lights are cheap these days. Something like this light or even this little light will be fine starting out. I run that cheap little light with the included orange filter on it almost every wedding and it works great.
  
  
• Microphones. You should have one on camera mic (for ambient noise for the whole day) and one lav mic (for the groom during the ceremony).
  
  
• Audio recorder. I would definitely have this along with some different cables. You can buy cheap cables for now from Monoprice or something. A recorder like this tascam will probably be fine for now.
  
  I also want to add- DO NOT BE AFRAID TO BUY USED GEAR especially from Adorama or B&H as long as it's listed in good condition. Everything I've bought used from those companies (when listed in good condition) has felt brand new.
  
  As far as advertising- the only thing I've seen really work for people is showing up to those Bridal shows and handing out cards and just talking to people. Besides that it's just word of mouth. But you'll need work to show potential brides. If you have never shot a wedding, I would reach out to wedding coordinators on WeddingWire/The knot/ anywhere you can and offer your services for free for one wedding. We did this and it was how we got started. Now I probably messaged 30+ coordinators and only one responded, but we built a great relationship with her and got our first 5+ weddings that way. The way I worded it was basically "we'd like to film a wedding for someone who did not intend to have a videographer (i.e wasn't in their budget at all). We want them to be aware that this is our first wedding and we do know how it will turn out."
  
  Anyway, I'm really rambling here. Hope this info was helpful. We've been shooting weddings for the last 3 years- so long enough to know what we're talking about but short enough to remember how we started and what we did wrong.

I recently went on a once in a lifetime trip to France for two weeks, so hopefully I can provide some helpful advice/insight.

First, and I cannot stress this enough, have enough memory! I'd recommend bringing at least 16GB, if not more.
I brought two 8GB cards to France and transfered them to my computer each night. I never used the second card, however, if I wouldn't have had the luxury of transferring to a laptop each night, I would have quickly exceeded this.
If you are able to bring a computer or other means by which to back up your photos, I'd STRONGLY recommend it. It's great peace of mind to not have to worry about losing pictures or running out of room.

Second, DO NOT use the Auto mode, that just makes your DSLR a big point and shoot. A lot of people recommend using M(anual), but it can be a little overwhelming if you're not used to your camera. The Av (Aperture Priority) mode is great because it allows you to select the aperture value you want (which will effect what's in focus and Depth of Field) while automatically determining the rest. Constipated_Help gave you some very sound advice on exposure, so follow that if you're able.

Third, make sure you have the right accessories. A tripod would be great for landscape shots. The Dolica Proline is a great value at 40$. At least one extra battery would be good to have, especially if you will not be able to recharge during the trip. An Opteka t2i battery can be had for 12$, and works with your Canon charger.

If you can swing it, a new lens would be good to have since the lens is the determining factor of image quality. If you like to "zoom" and isolate subjects, you'll want a telephoto. The Canon 55-250 IS is a great deal at 240$. If you like wide angle, you'll need an ultra wide. These will typically run above 400$. I have a Tokina 11-16 and I am very pleased. As others have recommended, the Canon 50 1.8 is an incredible deal at 100$ and provides creative options with it's wide aperture.
A nice bag is also a good thing to have. You can buy either a messenger style, a holster or a backpack. Filters would also be nice, but they're not a necessity.

I hope this can help. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'd be glad to (try to) help! :)

> To be frank, I don't fully understand all the differences yet. Any type of battery should be fine as long as it can be recharged or replaced fairly easily (i.e. via Amazon or regular hardware stores).

There's pretty much 1xAA, 2xAA, 1xCR123, 2xCR123, and 18650 (not all 18650 flashlights take CR123s!). CR123 is, IMO, a nicer form factor, for handling, but rechargeable energy density is crap, TBH. AA gives you the most versatility. But, avoid alkalines whenever possible, for flashlights. For AA size, depending on flashlight, either go with 14500, or Japan-made Eneloops (Duracell and Amazonbasics both have rebranded versions of these at good prices).

AA NIMH have a nominal voltage range of 1.0-1.25V. 14500 fit in the same space, with 3.6-4.2V, should a single AA flashlight allow greater voltage. Often, that will give you greater max output. OTOH, you'll have to be really careful if lending the light to anyone else. Today, though, most get pretty good output on AA NIMH. Japanese Eneloops are the best rechargeables out there, and can be found under Panasonic's name, Amazonbasics', and Duracell (if buying at a B&M store, look for made in Japan on the back). I've had those, and knock-offs (like Rayovac's), and over time, with real world use, the difference is not subtle. I have not used Chinese Eneloops, myself, but largely because reports by users, and tests on them, indicated similar behavior to the knock-offs I'd had. The Japanese ones just keep on going.

18650 is a little bigger than 2xCR123, and has a nominal voltage range of 3.6-4.2V. 2xCR123 have a nominal range of around 2.5-6V. 18650 has the most R&D going into it, being the most popular size (it's what is in laptops and power tools, among other things), so you get the most energy storage for the size, weight, and money. But, it does not have a comparable primary cell to swap it with, so make sure the flashlight in question can take 2xCR123 as backup (if not stated that way, make sure it can take at least 6V input).

You can get good chargers and batteries for $15-20 total, for about any handheld sizes (make sure to get a charger that has independent bays, if going AA NIMH - example), so your $75 budget is pretty realistic, and honestly, gives you tons of options.

Also, if you keep up with your rechargeable cells, costs of Lithium primary batteries (including AAA and AA) will not be much, in the long run. A leaky alkaline AA can do a lot of damage, so I would advise against using them if there is any other option; and the actual costs over time are fairly small, when you're usually just partially discharging the rechargeable cell(s) in between top offs, 90% of the time.

Panasonic-made CR123s are the quality ones to buy, if going that route for primaries. They can be had online for around $1.50/ea., so comparable with, or slightly cheaper than, AA Lithiums. You can also buy them at not-exorbitant prices at hardware stores and outdoors stores, and probably gun shops. Surefire, Streamlight, and Duracell, are all made at the same plant, and are all good quality. Some cheaper ones, like the popular Tenergy, are known for aging poorly, and getting unbalanced quickly. If mainly using rechargeable cells for day to day use, I don't think saving money that way provides good value.

> A good mix of throw and flood seems best. I don't want something too far toward either end of the spectrum.

While I'm not a big fan of their UIs (though the Pro does seem nicer than non-Pro, IMO), I think Armytek's TIR lights have the best balanced beams for EDCs, in the $40-60 range, with a wide spot, and plenty of flood.

I fell in love with photography the exact same way! Started with my first iPhone which was a 5s and I was in love hah! Eventually decided to buy a canon rebel T3i. A few photographer friends of mine all suggested this camera and it was a GOOD buy! I had it for at least a year before I upgraded to a canon 7D. To this day I still use the T3i alongside my 7D.
Though the T3i is a discontinued camera you can sill buy it on amazon or eBay for pretty cheap along with a kit lens that will be enough to get you started.

I STRONGLY recommend buying something used! Especially for your first camera. Cameras and lenses hold their value and quality for YEARS so there is usually no worry when buying a body used in good quality. Both my T3i and 7D, along with almost all my lenses including my L series lens I got all used! No problems whatsoever.
This is a Canon Rebel T5i it’s an upgraded version from the T3i, which is discontinued and pretty old at this point. The T5i will be a GREAT starter camera! It’s a little out of your budget brand new but scroll down and click USED to see many other used options all within your budget. Select one that’s “very good” or “like new” and you’ll have no problem! Along with the 18-55mm kit lens that comes with you’ll want to purchase one more lens.. the Canon 50mm f1.8 aka ‘nifty fifty’. This is the suggested first lens purchase by thousands. Literally ask a thousand photographers what’s the first lens you should buy and that’s what they’ll tell you the nifty fifty! And it’s only $125 brand new! (The only lens I’ve bought new), though you can get it cheaper for used.

This is a phenomenal professional grade starter DSLR that will last you years! And I promise oh won’t be disappointed with it.

Finally you’ll want to invest in an Adobe Lightroom subscription. For $10/Mo you can get both Lightroom and Photoshop. Lightroom will be your hub for organizing photos as well as editing them. The program is super powerful and can be a bit tedious to learn, but follow some YouTube videos and tutorials like some from Anthony Morganti and you will learn quick! I’ve watched almost all of his videos (there’s hundreds) and every video I learn something new!

Best of luck to you and I’m excited for you to get started in such a great hobby!


edit: oh BTW! Once you get a DSLR you will have total control over all settings in your camera, which you probably didn’t have before on your phone. So the first step with a DSLR is learning how Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO interact with each other. This is how you can get those awesome short depth of field shots you mentioned with the background blurry and bokeh’d. this is a great video to help understand the “focus triangle” and learn how those 3 settings interact with each other! That’s also another great tutorial YouTube channel so I suggest subscribing to them and watching some other of their videos as well.

another edit: btw the 750D you mentioned is a newer version of the T5i. 750D is called the T6i in America, also another great option! I didn’t suggest it because it’s a bit out of tour budget but again I’m sure you can find it used in your budget! If the T6i fits your budget then definitely opt for that option as it’s newer and has a few more features upgraded features, but the T5i is great as well!

Edit at the top for the OP - Don't buy a telescope until you're committed to the hobby. If you live in the US go to a local star party whenever you have the chance. People will be more than happy to let you take a quick peek through their scopes and explain what you're looking at. Before you buy a scope, get acquainted with the hobby by getting a simple star chart, you can pick those up for $10 online. And then buy these binoculars Those are the gold standard for people just starting out. They're only $50 and they're great. On the off chance that they are mis-collimated just call their customer service line and they'll walk you through how to fix it. It's not the big deal some people make it out to be. They have a nice wide field and they're great for learning the sky. The seven sisters are amazing through them as is the moon, and they're just powerful enough to see Albireo clearly. On a dark night you can also see the Orion Nebula (although small) and see the full disc of Andromeda as well as all the Galilean moons around Jupiter.

Books:

The Backyard Astronomers guide

Turn Left at Orion

Websites:

• Astronomy Cast - Start at episode one and just work your way up. Probably the best astronomy podcast in existence.
  
  
• Universe Today Run by Fraser Cain of Astronomy cast
  
  
• Star Stryder - Dr. Pamela Gay's blog
  
  
• APOD Gorgeous photos and explanations to go with them.
  
  
• Centauri Dreams - For when you want to dream big... but not necessarily realistic.
  
  
• EarthSky - Science news with an Astronomy slant
  
  
• SpaceWeather - Shit about the sun
  
  
• Zooniverse - Participate in real science
  
  
• Space.com - All space all the time.
  
  
• Planetary Society - More awesome space stuff
  
  
• Citizen Sky - Little more advanced but another way to contribute.
  
  
• AAVSO - Learn about variable stars and contribute to the cause.
  
  Phone apps: (If you have an android phone)
  
  
• Google Sky - Augmented reality app that shows you exactly what you're looking at.
  
• Satellite AR - Will show all satellite passes above you in real time. Also augmented reality.
  
• SkEye - Similar to google sky but with much more detail
  
• Heavens Above - Find satellite passes, Iridium flares, ISS passes, all sortable by date, time, location, and luminosity.
  
• Where is IO - A great Jupiter map for figuring out which moons you're looking at when observing Jupiter
  
• Star Odyssey - A great tool to find data on stars. Like a mini encyclopedia about star targets.
  
• Telescope Calculator Lite - When you get a scope, you can input all variables and get specs for your scope and eyepieces. Great tool for the field.
  
  Must have programs for your computer:
  
  
• Celestia - Can do anything but the learning curve can be discouraging. Amazing program once you learn the basics.
  
  
• Stellarium - The most essential amazing amateur program ever created. Look up any star, constellation, asterism, messier object, etc etc etc, then see what it will look like through your exact telescope at any time of night. INCREDIBLE and essential program.
  
  
• Virtual Moon Atlas - Unreal program for lunar observing. Love it. Love it. Love it.
  
  That should keep you busy for awhile.
  
  Edit: Can't believe I forgot Cloudy Nights Pretty much the most comprehensive Astronomy forum on the web.
  

>Googled it and it looks like a pretty great camera, I've got a Canon 650D but I've yet to take many photos around that part of London with it.

Yes, I love it, recently upgraded from a Pentax K-x starter model and it's been a blast taking pics with the K-5 IIs. I recommend you head on out to downtown and take some pics!

>Just noticed your lens is also pretty fancy, do you think it's worth investing in lenses like these? Still somewhat new to photography so just curious as you seem advanced

Absolutely. I had this lens before I had the K-5 IIs and truly the lens matters much more than the actual camera.

You can take a top line camera and slap on a starter lens, and you will take pictures that are barely better than the starter camera would with the same lens. If you take a starter camera and compare a top quality lens to a start lens, you'll notice a big difference is easy to achieve.

It's definitely $300 well spent for this lens. Its main advantage over the starter lens is its wide f/1.8 aperture which allows you to take much better night shots without being forced to prolong your exposure (shutter speed), because it lets in much more light in a short time. It's also lovely for depth of field.

If I can recommend a lens for you, I would say get a 50mm f/1.8 first of all. They're cheap and very useful for portraits and street photos, and there's a reason they're nicknamed 'nifty fifty'. On a cropped sensor like your 650D's, you might prefer a wider angle lens if you want to do landscape photos or city skyline shots like mine. In that case, look at lenses with focal length of 30mm and less. Conversely, if you're interested in doing sports photos, wild animal photos and bird spotting, or airshows and the like, look at lenses of 200mm and more, since those will let you zoom in real close.

I wrote a huge thread about buying Nikon as I am studying photography and am one of the biggest Nikon fanboys on the planet. I'll paste it all here. The D3100 and the D5100 are EXCELLENT cameras, and will blow your mind as an entry level DSLR. Do not fall into the D7000 trap, it's not worth it due to it's AF problems. I own a D300, D80, and GF1. Here's everything I had to say... It's lengthy. All about which lenses you should go for with your D3100/D5100
--------------------------------------------------------------

The 35mm f1.8: The lens is fixed at 35mm, so no zooming. However, the fact that it is f1.8 means it has AWESOME low light capabilities. I always recommend wide angles to new DSLR owners because it really introduces you to what the camera is capable of. You'll get a grip of aperture values and creative bokeh use; it is wonderful. Plus it seems like everyone loves that 'large sensor' look with beautiful background blur (bokeh) and very sharp foreground details, and wide angle lenses at very low apertures will definitely give you that. Just mind you that 35mm is kind of a short length, but you can live with it. (My GF1 only has a 20mm lens attached to it, and it is still one of my favorite lenses to date from Panasonic.) The price is to DIE FOR.

55-300mm f4.5-f5.6: While I don't exactly like variable aperture zooms, they are are fantastically priced. Don't expect ridiculous zoom levels though, but it'll still zoom pretty well; 300mm is a fairly good zoom. The reason why I don't really like variable apertures is that sometimes you completely forget about them, and if you are shooting in manual that will absolutely kill your shot if you weren't shooting in RAW.

So I'll be zoomed at 100mm, probably at f4.9, and then zoom to 280mm. Suddenly, I'm at f5.5 without changing it myself because the lens doesn't support f4.9 at that zoom. Kind of a downside, but you just have to keep it in mind and shoot in RAW.

There is another option if you don't want variable apertures however.

Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR II: This is the beast lens. If you want to save up money for a lens, I promise this is the one you want to do that for.

My 70-200mm VR is a lens I refuse to leave at home when going on a trip, it is simply my favorite lens EVER. This is the next version of it, but it is cheaper because of demand.

But now you see the downside to low aperture telephoto: price. $2,400 isn't exactly the most affordable lens on the planet, but that's why it is worth it to buy this a while after you have had your DSLR and have saved up some money for that killer lens. This, paired with the 35mm f1.8 I put above there, would be a killer kit. It would be fantastic for low light conditions, even with the telephoto.


I'm a loyal Nikon shooter for a reason: They are quality. While I'm a bit disappointed with how long it took them to jump into DSLR video, the quality of their cameras have always pleasantly surprised me ( Not counting the D7000 of course ;) ). The D3100 was one of those cameras that I just loved, the price is fantastic and the quality of the camera itself is mind blowing for the price.

My first camera was a D80, and I fell in love with it. That was a while ago though, and once I picked up my D300... Magic. I had never used such a powerful camera before, and it blew my mind what the D300 was capable of. While it is getting a bit old (Older Sensor, still an old 12MP with lesser low light capabilities than the newer cameras), the auto-focus points are fantastic and the overall speed and RAW processing power of the camera have never failed to make me smile.

I have a nice little savings account for a D3x or the D4 line once it is released. ;D

The D3100 is a camera that you'll probably keep for a long time. It is a quality camera, like all Nikons. It is powerful, and is considered to be one of the 'new age' DSLRs: lower price, greater power. Hopefully this camera will turn you into a life long Nikon fan. ;) Have fun with it, that's the one major rule. Don't pay attention to any of the shooting rules if you feel like you have a better idea; follow your eyes, not some other person's laws (Rule of thirds, etc.).
Good Luck! And Have Fun! :D

yeah, i'd do that with any camera tbh and keep the in-camera audio as a back up, just because the pre-amps on consumer cameras tend to generate a lot of hiss.


if that's the case-- if you want sharper video and 60p for slow mo/a better camera for whenever you want to shoot stills, either the a6000 or its cheaper sibling the a5100 are great options. the a6000 is a little easier to use ergonomically because of its hotshoe and viewfinder, and only about $100 more. The a6000 doesnt have a mic jack, but there's a pretty decent shotgun stereo mic that sony makes that plugs directly into the hotshoe to work for about $100.

i'd also definitely recommend going for the native 50mm 1.8 or 35mm 1.8 with OSS in them-- they're not too pricey, especially used, and the stabilization and video AF in both are surprisingly decent.

Panasonic also has some really good options, namely, you can get a used GH2 or G6 for under $300, both of which do great video.



But I'm not going to recommend either of those. Instead, I'm going to recommend the EOS M. You can get one with the pancake 22mm f/2 kit lens for under $300, easily. Yes, it's soft 1080p, but:

>1: it has a mic jack and hotshoe, and with magic lantern, you get pre-amp control, audio levels, and focus peaking to fix its ergonomic failings


>2: its image quality in stills mode is excellent


>3: that leaves you with as much as $250 (even less!!!) for other lenses and or lights + mics + etc


>4: it's mirrorless, so you can adapt basically any mount for it


>5: its the canon menu system, so you're used to it, and if you're shooting for web, soft 1080p is ok-- basically all video on the web is upscaled 720 at best with Youtube's garbage compression & Vimeo's very wise move to default at 720p for streaming. More importantly, canon has great out-of-the-box skin tones, decent 3rd party options for flat profiles, and does skin tones better than anyone (though samsung comes close).

>6: with the amazing 22mm pancake lens, you can literally fit it in your pocket, with a sharp, fast, wide lens. don't underestimate that. I'll never, ever be getting rid of my EOS M for that very reason.

if you're willing to chance it with a no-return ebay listing, this is an insane deal for it at $200: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-EOS-M-18-0-MP-Digital-Camera-Black-Kit-w-EF-M-STM-22mm-Lens-Extras-/301852333911?hash=item4647cd1757:g:xmcAAOSwUV9WntSq


edit: here's a listing that does offer returns and isnt expiring in 25 minutes: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-EOS-M-18-0-MP-Digital-Camera-w-EF-M-STM-22mm-Lens-SN401090-Near-Mint/252261698510?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20150604093004%26meid%3D9cc556ced6ae4eb2988415606b2afa1e%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D321987815557&rt=nc


Edit 2:

If you go with the eos M + 22mm at $250, that leaves you with:


-$125 for a solid ravelli video tripod (less if you search CL or ebay)


-this Takstar mic for $30-- it's 90% as good as a Rode/AT, and its actually easier to work with in post (which you'll need to do with in-camera audio) http://www.amazon.com/Takstar-SGC-598-Recording-Microphone-Camcorder/dp/B00E1D2LTA

-this 50mm f/1.8 manual focus lens for approx. $30 http://www.ebay.com/itm/CANON-LENS-EX-50-MM-1-1-8-/262261014275?hash=item3d0ff97f03:g:oHMAAOSwNSxVdKLd (requires a cheap adapter for an additional $16: http://www.amazon.com/Fotasy-AEMFD-Mirror-Camera-Adapter/dp/B00ACYTWFI/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1453854045&sr=8-2&keywords=ef-m+fd)

this LED camera light for $30: http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1453854327&sr=8-3&keywords=led+camera+light

This hotshoe extender for $12: http://www.amazon.com/Movo-HVA20-Heavy-Duty-Accessory-Microphones/dp/B00HTWF7MS/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1453854366&sr=8-11-spons&keywords=hotshoe+extender&psc=1

and finally, this cold-shoe grip + extender, for using this tiny camera on the go with a mic for $30:
http://www.amazon.com/Movo-SVH6-Stabilizing-Extender-Olympus/dp/B00YQD94RW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453854193&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=cold+shoe&psc=1

This is a little over $500, so you could drop 1 or 2 of the accessories, but this will do way more for you for your money.

Yeah, the amazon kits, for the most part, are just junk, and the stuff you do really want is bad quality. It's substantially better to get stuff as you get more experience.

For a camera, I definitely think that you are good with a t6i or t7i. I agree with the other poster to make sure that you get an "i" because they have the swivel screen that makes life so much easier. After a quick check, you could get this referbed t6i for about $500 which is not bad. Don't worry about it coming with a kit lens, sometimes those lenses can be useful, and for the most part, since it is an "amateur" camera, they are hard to find body only. So you should be good there.

I'm not entirely sure what the "tutorial" mode is, but really do read up on the exposure triangle. It's not super difficult (there are TONS of great graphics that help explain it), and it will make your photos/videos SO much better because you will be in control, and more aware of the capabilities and limitations of your camera than if you shoot in a mode that's not manual.

Also a few quick notes about filming with DSLRs that you aren't going to see if you just look at photography sources. One, try your darnest to always shoot ISO 100 when filming. Bumping the ISO in pictures is fine because the grain is either not recognizable or is easy to remove in photos, but it is SUPER noticeable and hard to remove in video. This is because the grain changes every frame, effectively animating it. The other thing is that if you shoot higher than 60 fps, you might end up wanting to add motion blur or something because the video might look a little odd. On the contrary, for photos you'll probably want to shoot more like 200 so that handshake doesn't introduce motion blur.

The other thing that is SUPER IMPORTANT for video and just like "nice to have" for photos is a good memory card that has a high write speed. This is the one that I personally use. If the memory card doesn't have a high write speed, then your camera will just stop recording because the write speed of the memory card can't keep up with the data coming from the camera.

Also, side note, there are tons of articles that will say that canons can't shoot more than 12 minutes of video at a time because it exceeds the 4gb file size (which it can't go past due to stupid copyright laws. I don't get it either). This isn't entirely true. All the canons that I have dealt with (everything from a t3i to 70D) record fine past the 12 minute mark, just when they get done recording it will split it into 4gb files. Only one canon have I ever seen ALWAYS shut done at the 12 minute mark no matter what, so I suspect it was just broken. However, even with my own trusted camera that I have never had problems recording more than 12 minutes has recently stopped at about 30mins (my guess had to do write speeds), so just always be aware.

As far as lighting kits go, this one is pretty good for a beginer. Most people do a basic 3 point lighting which is probably fine enough for what you want to do. So with that in mind, and since you want to do green screen, you might want to get 2 of those kits. The key to doing green screen is to have a really well- and evenly- lit screen. TBH you really don't need to get a green screen kit unless you just want to. All it really is, is just a large piece of fabric anchored in such a way so that there are no wrinkles. Of course, the kits are nicer, but you may want to see if you can DIY that part.

As for a tripod, this one is probably fine for what you want to do. Just keep in mind that if you continue to do more in video/photography you will probably need to get a better one later on. I personally have one like this that I use like as a back-up, so they aren't a complete waste of money.

Hopefully this helps! If you have any more questions feel free to ask!

I have an 80D, same sort of deal. The current 24mm pancake lens from Canon does decently wide angles and has decent specs for the price (f2.8). It's like just over $100, like the nifty fifty. It's also great because of the low profile. A drawback for video is lack of image stabilization but I find it manageable at such wide angles.

Why do you want full frame? Just for the wider angles? I was considering this too not too long ago, and honestly, it's a whole boatload more money for something that composition and lenses can really help bridge the gap with and would be important for consideration no matter what gear you're using. Full frame is one of those things that I'd love to have down the line, but absolutely cannot justify given how amateur I am and expensive they get. Plus, pros use APS-C all the time. And M4/3 cameras are getting more and more popular and those are super cropped down compared to full frame and APS-C. I think there's a ton you can accomplish with something like a 70D... two people that I know who are actually making careers on this still swear by their 60D and use it all the time.

Another thing to consider for video is older manual lenses. I don't know how much you use autofocus, but older Canon, Nikon, Tamron/Vivitar, and other lenses can really be great buys on eBay, and I have to say that manual focus for video is a pretty useful thing to get down with and looks really great/artsy/whatever. These lenses can be really high spec for what they are and can be like $20, plus the cost of a converter for the EOS mount (like $9 I think).

I love this Veep clip, it perfectly summarizes how I feel when people with high end photo gear are condescending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paJqHPHLExo

Obviously go for what you want, but really consider the practicality of it first. I definitely considered full frame at first because of the exact notion that people who use crop are amateurish, and then I realized (a) I am amateurish lol and that's fine and (b) no they're not and they can capture great photo and video.

If you are looking at wide angle stuff for crop, here's two more I know are good:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K899B9Y/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002Y5WXE/

Just not super fast.

/u/HopefulUtopian helped me get some footing with video production basics so idk maybe he'll have more to add (he's one of those pro people, but not who I was referencing earlier about the 60D).

As far as specs go, the only difference is in price and in variable aperture. Variable aperture is something I work with on a daily basis but would be a great thing to not have to deal with. IMO, just an annoyance. Light will likely not come into play because you already can just switch to your 55 f/1.8 for low-light. Other than that, I think it comes down to focal length. Do you want to have the 18-30 range or will you not miss it because you already usually shoot at 55?

I would not consider it "easy" to get good slider shots but also not hard. It largely depends on your slider and experience with the slider. Gentle hand + smooth slider = great shots. I think that it would be better to invest in good lenses, a good tripod, good mics, and good lights before getting a slider as you can make an equally good video without a slider.

Yes, here are some cheaper options. However, I should note that the mic I recommended has a "+20dB" setting that can allow you to turn down the pre-amps in your camera or recorder and get better, cleaner audio. Most other mics do not have the feature. The mic I recommended has a bunch of younger brothers. The rode videomic that I have. Great mic, no boost setting, a bit bigger than I would like. The rode videomic go, no battery required mic, pretty cheap. Some people say it is no better than just for scratch audio and barely better than on-board mics, I can't speak to the claims. I'm not trying to scare you away from it, just letting you know what is out there. The rode videomic micro, a super small mic, more intended for small cameras or smartphones, I don't know how good the audio quality is. Outside of the Rode brand family, there is also the Shure LensHopper that is often said to rival the videomic pro. It comes in two different versions, one with a built-in audio recorder, and one without.

Let me know what else I can help with!

Photography is sort of a secret passion of mine. I don't really talk about it with my friends very often, but it feels really awesome to take pictures. I really like landscape and nature photography- it's so cool to be able to capture the awesomeness that is the earth! But I think I would really like to start getting into portrait photography. I'd really like to take portraits IN nature- how cool would that be?!?!

I feel really comfortable and at ease when I'm working on my photography. I'll be honest, I'm not that good yet, but I definitely have composition down! That's what got me into taking photos in the first place! I just have to keep improving at working with my camera and learning how to use it.

These reflectors would be so amazing to receive! They would be the PERFECT tool to help me start my progress on nature portraits! I love how you can change the mood and tone of your photos slightly with these. This would be such an amazing tool to have!

Thank you so, soooo much for hosting this contest! You're definitely doing it right! ;D

From what you're planning on using it for I think the t6i is probably going to be your best option. Some people seem to just be anti-Rebel, but honestly they boast a lot of features as long as you don't need a top lcd or lots of external controls. I still have my old t3i that is honestly one of my favorite cameras, especially for video. It's not the most advanced and is missing a lot of features that higher up canon dslr's have, but it's still a great camera.

I would definitely recommend putting more into your lenses than your body, and if you're considering upgrading to a FF sometime in the next couple years, it might be worth it to look for EF lenses rather than EF-S, since EF lenses are compatible with both crop sensors and full frame sensor bodies.

A favorite lens of many photographers is the 24-70mm f/2.8 L II because it has a nice range of focal lengths and is part of the canon 'L' series. However, it's priced accordingly and if it's not in your price range, that's completely understandable.

A very inexpensive lens that will give you much better results than the kit lens is the 50mm f/1.8 STM EF, which, at $120, is quite the deal. It's also featured on Ken Rockwell's Best Canon Lenses. It is a prime, meaning you can't zoom in or out, but I find 50mm to be a nice general focal length, especially for portraits and street photography. You might also consider the 24mm f/2.8 STM EF-S($150) for slightly wider angle, which can be nice on a crop sensor body. It's not compatible with FF cameras, but at $150, it's probably worth getting just for your t6i, especially if you aren't sure if you'll go FF anytime soon.

Check out Ken Rockwell's guide and maybe compare it to other guides online, there's a lot of people that have posted their favorite lenses or what they find to be the "best" lenses

Good luck!

As far as lenses go, I'm not sure what you'll be shooting (portraits? movies? landscape?) but on my student budget I amassed the following as add-on to my T1i:

Canon 50mm f/1.8 (nifty fifty)
which is the cheap go-to lens for portraits / low light photography. ~$100. Here's a great lens review

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6
for landscape. I just got this, and is great fun! Sigma's is much cheaper than canon's 10-22mm but similar (ish?) in quality. It's a pretty slow lens, but ok since it's so wide. ~$350

Canon 70-200mm f/4L
for wildlife / portraits. It's the cheapest L lens, and it really makes it more fun to take pictures. Worth it! ~$400. Note that of the 70-200mm lens can have f/4 or f/2.8, and IS or non-IS. "upgrading" a feature will make it cost 2x more (f/2.8 non IS ~ $1k, f/2.8 IS ~ $2k) but unless you do concert photography / low light stuff with this lens, you'll be ok with f/4 non-IS.

Canon 18-55mm (kit lens)
all around good lens to carry around. IS helps, and pretty straight forward.

Be sure to check out a hot-shoe flash, which is probably the best investment for indoor (bounced flash) pics. I have the 430EX II ~$200.

Tripod I have this which has been great.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!

This stuff is pretty nice, but she is limited by the equipment. Get her a decent dslr body, but invest in a good lens. My girlfriend started shooting with phones and point and shoots. We saved up and bought a Canon T2i at a great price. We were then able to save up and add to our lens collection. Here is a very good lens for a great price. Remember though it's not the camera that makes the photo, but the director who shoots it. With these cameras you have so much more potential, but you have to set it up. It's a great learning experience. It's like playing games on a pc. An entry level computer will still let you play great games, but a gaming computer will let you play great games at a much higher quality. You just have to know how to build it and set it up. Best of luck to you and your mom.

I recently picked up almost everything on this list so I can give you an honest opinion and I'm a vfx artist trying to get out there and shoot my own content.

The fisheye....we never use it. We shot a prom and that was the only time we used it, and that was for b-roll because the kids loved it.

Definitely pick up the Sigma 30mm f/1.4. It's such a great lens! I almost use if for everything I do, but it's also good to have a wide angle lens. I currently use one of my buddy's which is a Canon 17mm-85mm.

Nodal Ninja I haven't seen before, but looks great.

Video tripod is good, I use a Manfrotto 502 but it's way more expensive, so this looks like a decent alternative. Also, the quick release plates are awesome. You'll eventually want to pick up tonnes of these. I used 2 yesterday to put on both the bottom of my new slider, as well as the top. I have one on my cage as well.

You can probably do without the Shoulder Rig for now. You may consider using the Kamerar Tank 2 cage with rail system to hook up the Kamerar Follow Focus. I found that once I got my Tank, I just disassembled the shoulder rig and never used it since. The Glidecam is something that I've been considering as my next purchase. Check out my thread asking about the glidecam.

Definitely grab the NTG-2 and possibly a Zoom H4N. The sound quality is fantastic. You need an XLR cable, windshield, boompole, and a shock mount.

Kamerar's Follow Focus is solid. It gets a little cramped using a smaller lens, the follow focus, and a matte box though. You have to tinker with teeth to learn how you need to set it up properly so that the teeth don't slip.

The Matte Box, while nice to look at, hasn't proven it's worth to me. I shoot with the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and because the lens is so short, the matte box does very little to block out light. I just got the new "donut" in the mail yesterday so maybe that will help, but I wouldn't advise getting it when you can spend that money on something else.

And the backpack is pretty awesome, definitely worth picking up. If you travel to shoots I would recommend the Pelican 1510 to store all your stuff in.

I would also recommend grabbing a couple LED lights and the batteries and charger. These things are a life saver. I'll be picking up a third this week.

I hope this helped you out a bit. Like I said I was in a similar situation to you a couple months ago, but everything's coming together now. If you have any more specific questions about any of this, let me know. Take care.

You've gotten some good advice here, but there are some basics you may be missing.

> I used a Canon DSLR for one sketch and the quality was cool and all but the audio was awful...

That's because these camera generally have noisy preamplifiers and automatic gain control (and because you probably used the camera's internal microphone). Those are the three worst things that can happen to your soundtrack. You can fix them by buying a camera with better preamps, and/or using manual gain control and/or by getting an external mic and putting it on a boom closer to your subject/talent.

> ...it did a cool thing where something was in focus and things in the background were sort of blurry but I don't know if that's something all cameras do or a special feature...

That was because DSLRs have relatively large sensors (much larger than your cell phone). There is a complex optical explanation for this, but, suffice it to say, the larger the sensor, the easier it is to get the "blurry background" effect - also called "shallow depth of field" or "shallow DOF".

All of that said, you can put a nice little studio together with a $1000 budget:

Camera and Support

• [Panasonic G7 - $597.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0106BG35S/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0106BG35S&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  
• [Amazon Basics Video Tripod w Fluid Head - $74.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEH7VG8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00CEH7VG8&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20) - I own the Ravelli AVTP Professional - which has the same fluid head as this tripod - and it pans and tilts very smoothly
  
  Sound
  
  
• [Rode VideoMic Studio Boom Kit - $199] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ISKJJ5Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00ISKJJ5Q&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20) ([Here] (http://wistia.com/library/choosing-a-microphone) is why you need a boom)
  
  Studio Lighting and Backdrop:
  
  
• [LimoStudio 3 light continuous lighting kit - $49.50] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FHZ2SI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005FHZ2SI&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  For background, you might want to consider green photographic paper instead of stands, crossbars and unwieldy sheets of muslin, as seen in [this video from Wistia] (http://wistia.com/learning/diy-office-video-studio):
  
  
• [Savage 9' x 36' background paper for chromakey - $66.80] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B782NO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000B782NO&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  
• [Duck Tape - chromakey green - $4.99] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TOL43M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002TOL43M&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  For less than $1000, you'll be able to produce well-lit 4K content with decent sound and a stable image with smooth pans and tilts.
  
  You will also have a basic chromakey studio with which to add special effects.
  
  Here are some examples of what this camera can do:
  
  Narrative
  
  
• [Stars] (https://vimeo.com/137538379)
  
  Documentary
  
  
• [Fotograf Anna Ejemo] (https://vimeo.com/141640603)
  
  
• [Indianapolis 500 in 4K] (http://vimeo.com/130565657)
  
  Travel/Nature
  
  
• [Bahamas] (https://vimeo.com/136657243)
  
  
• [Away From The City ~ Panasonic G7 [4K] 42.5mm F1.7] (http://vimeo.com/132028570)
  
  Timelapse
  
  
• [Clouds Time-lapse] (https://vimeo.com/139023972)
  
  Timelapse and Slow Motion
  
  
• [Oostende Koerse 2015] (https://vimeo.com/138394549) (shot with its big brother, the Panasonic GH4)
  
  And here are a few examples from YouTube (please watch at 2160p and your monitor's highest resolution):
  
  
• [Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm F0.95 Lens - Examples on a Panasonic G7 [4K]] (https://youtu.be/zLIc0n9K8Pk)
  
  
• [LUMIX DMC-G7 Sample Video in 4K by Colin Witherill] (https://youtu.be/fZllpp_y8Is)
  
  
• [Panasonic Lumix G7 / G70 Launch - 4K - 4KPhoto Modes] (http://vimeo.com/128536456) (shot in photo/video mode - each frame is an 8MP still photo)
  
  It's a pretty good still camera too: https://www.flickr.com/groups/panasonic-lumix-g7/pool/
  
  In my view, this is the best still/video, large sensor interchangeable lens camera you can buy below $1000 and a very good value for your money.
  
  Hope this is helpful, good luck with your skits and best of the holidays!
  
  

That was an excellent and thoughtful gift, kudos to you. Aside from the lenses, there are a few other things that help a lot when starting out in photography (I'm just figuring this out as I'm pretty new):

• A tripod can help if he wants to take low-light pictures and set up really long shutter times (it basically makes it so that no shaking messes up his pictures) and it can help to take pictures of you guys. I'm planning on bringing one for a trip with my girlfriend and I so we can take cool pictures where there may not be other people to help out.
  
  
• A good bag or backpack would be great, increasingly so as the amount of gear that he has goes up. It's tough to carry around all that crap, and these bags make it pretty easy to fit.
  
  
• a strap, pretty self explanatory. carrying around a DSLR in one hand sucks.
  
  
• Extra memory cards and possibly an external hard drive are nice because RAW camera files take up a toooon of storage and having backups is always nice in the case that a really important picture gets corrupted.
  
  As for lenses:
  
  Nikon 35mm prime (basically allows him to take pretty nice, wide open landscape pictures at great quality)
  
  50mm prime widely regarded as the best starting lens (another no zoom lens that is an all-around all-star that is pretty versatile. good for portraits, landscapes, etc)

I don't know much about the tunnels, but I'm sure others do. Check out other local parks, big and small, to find places you like [Winton Woods, Sharon Woods, Mt. Storm, Ault Park, etc).

Take The Cake [Cafe+Bakery] in Northside has a chalkboard menu, so every day the food is different, but awesome. (I'm biased towards this place. Others will say MELT, etc)

If you like music, be sure to keep track of all the local venues, big and small.

• 20th Century Theater, Madison Theater, etc
  
• Memorial Hall, Music Hall
  
• Northside Tavern, Mayday, MOTR, Drinkery, Neon's, Mockbee, (is BunkSpot still open?)
  
• US Bank Arena, Riverbend, Bogarts, etc
  
• Contemporary Art Center also has the occasional concert
  
  Arcade Legacy is popular amongst redditors, they moved to Cincinnati Mills Mall, haven't checked out the new location yet, but they have $10 all you can play, plus a large selection of music and games that are very reasonably priced.
  
  MPMF Indie Summer Series is going on now. Every Friday on Fountain Square there's live music, 3 bands each night, and sometimes they have really good tunes. My highlights from last year were Pomegranates and These United States.
  
  If you like stargazing, or just want to be able to see stars, I recommend Stone Lick State Park. It's about 50 minutes East of Cincy, and the park is a dark sky site, so there's not much light pollution and you can see the sky much better than you can in the burbs or the city. I've got a pair of these Celestron binoculars, you can see some incredible stuff on a clear night.
  
  That's all I've got off the top of my head. Cheers!
  
  
  *Edit: Final Friday's in OTR/Cincy, most of the galleries have stuff going on [wine & cheese], same thing with a lot of the bars. Second Saturday in Northside is the same deal. Going to gallery openings is fun because you can feel fancy, see some good art (sometimes), and drink free booze.

Well, If filmmaking and video is your goal with these cameras I wouldn't recommend either.

If you're just starting and serious about video production here's a pretty effective starter kit that's just a tad over your $400 budget.

[Camera: Canon Vixia HF R400] (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-VIXIA-R400-Advanced-Camcorder/dp/B00AWZFJ22/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395594961&sr=8-1&keywords=canon+vixia+hf+r400)
This is a decent starter camera. It's got a decent range of focal lengths, optical stabilization, microphone input, progressive frame-rates and most of all designed with video in mind. You'll need a SD Card

I noticed the cameras you picked resembles DSLRs but keep in mind that these in particular are not and with fixed lenses which defeats the purpose of having DSLR for video. Trust me, learn how to be effective with a camcorder first! Then, when your skill requires more artistic control you can upgrade.

Audio:
[Microphone:] (http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-6550-Condenser-Shotgun-Microphone/dp/B002GYPS3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395595673&sr=8-1&keywords=shotgun+microphone)
Having clean audio is probably the most important part filmmaking! The key is to get the mic as close to your subject as possible and away from your camera. You'll need a cable. If you need to mount it to your camera use this [bracket.] (http://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Photography-Bracket-Standard-Mounts/dp/B005Z4ROIW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395595189&sr=8-1&keywords=flash+bracket) This bracket will also help keep the camera stabilized when you go handheld.

Keep in mind this won't deliver perfect audio but it will be a MASSIVE improvement to the on board microphone and learning how to record with decent audio in mind is your first step into becoming a pro.

[Lighting:] (http://www.amazon.com/Bayco-SL-300-Clamp-Aluminum-Reflector/dp/B007RKKEHA/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1395595354&sr=8-17&keywords=can+lights)
Lighting is EXTREMELY important. A couple of these can lights will not only help with your image quality but put in you in the right direction for learning how to properly light your scene. You could start with daylight equivalent CFL bulbs.

[Tripod:] (http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-60-Inch-Lightweight-Tripod-Bag/dp/B005KP473Q/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395595413&sr=8-3&keywords=tripod)
You NEED a tripod. This one is cheap and cheerful. Looping the ends of a couple rubber brands around the pan handle and the other end around your finger will help deliver some smoother pans!

Total: $425/£258

Some things to keep in mind:

• These are far from pro tools but if all used in conjuncture you can deliver a much more effective production than just merely using a camera on a tripod.
  
  
• Build a crew of friends. Although you can "one man band" it I don't recommend it because one of coolest things about film is that it's almost always a group effort towards an artistic goal!
  
  
• Most importantly, the equipment are just tools. They don't tell the story; you do! Your film/video is only as powerful as the story you want to tell!
  
  Best of luck to you!
  
  edit: formatting
  

Do you only have the kit lens for the ep3? If you have any sort of decent lens selection I'd personally stay on m43, at least for now. The lens selection for the M50 is poor, and canon just released a brand new lens mount that's completely incompatible with it. Some people are worried about the future of the system. It probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon, but it is a weird time to be buying into EF-M.

If you don't have any other lenses, you might want to think about whether or not you should be on an ILC system at all. A good compact camera with a fast lens like the LX10, RX100, LX100 or Canon G series will probably take better pictures than an m50 with kit lens or an em3 with the oly 12-40. If you decide to stay with an ILC, do you find yourself limited by your current camera? 24mp is great, but if you're not doing big crops or giant prints you might not even notice the difference. Generally speaking, investing in better lenses tend to have a bigger payoff than getting a new body, but if there's something specific about your current camera that's holding you back it might be time to upgrade.

I personally think the best inexpensive camera right now is the Panasonic GX85. It's a great camera, an amazing value, and will work with your existing lenses. I think the best first lens for m43 is the Panasonic 25mm f1.7. It's $150, optically excellent, and great in low light. It isn't a zoom, but it's a useful focal length for lots of different applications.

First, let me preface this by saying that I'm fairly new to the video arena myself (coming from event photography), so take my comments with a grain of salt:

1. As has already been mentioned, the footage is definitely very shaky. Buy or make yourself a shoulder rig - this can be done for as little as $40-50 and an afternoon of building. If you want to buy something that looks über professional, I would seriously recommend GiniRigs. (More on that below.) If you can't afford one or it isn't a big financial priority right now, google "DIY DSLR shoulder rig" or go take a look at DIYPhotography.net, which is a great resource even if you aren't particularly handy.
   
2. Your focus isn't locking in very well. Racking focus from out to in looks great, but racking it slightly too far and then having to come back looks amateurish. Also, there are a number of shots that just aren't in focus at all. Given how sharp some of the focus is, it looks out of place.
   
3. I agree that with AssMolasses (and now I'm sure THAT comment is going to bite me in the ass in search results later) in that your brightly-lit kitchen looks great... with one exception: the flame of your stove. I want to see those flames! Unfortunately, they're being washed out by the white stove surface. Plan exposure to enhance whatever your subject is. It doesn't have to match 100% - just make sure it doesn't look mismatched, either.
   
4. Keep an eye on subject movement. A number of the objects with which you're interacting shake and jitter during shots. (For example, turning on the sink water, grabbing the kettle, etc.) It clearly isn't the camera - that's nice and stable (tripod) when this occurs. But you're jolting the objects a little, which makes the entire thing look less smooth. Slow down just a little. Take a look at coffee commercials that involve people actually making the coffee - movement is often slowed down a bit. Think about how you would be moving if you were just waking up and it was lazy Sunday morning. Don't think about being rushed to get out of the house, or about how you'd feel once you drank the coffee - imagine that you have set aside your entire day just for the process of making and enjoying the coffee, and move accordingly.
   
   Shoulder rigs
   
   Ignore the rest of this post if you aren't interested in buying a shoulder rig - the remainder is commentary on which rig I bought, why I bought it, what's on it, and how I put it together.
   
   I would recommend GiniRigs. The following will sound a bit like a plug, but I really do think they're a great value for the money. As far as I can tell, they're basically copying some of the more popular designs out there at a fraction of the cost, but better quality than I'd expect from, for example, a cheaper Chinese knockoff.
   
   I recently bought a shoulder rig and slider package from GiniRigs for just over $500 that looks like something from Zacuto, but for a quarter of the price. The package included their Advanced Extreme 17 rig and their G8 Slider for $499 (the slider was essentially free), and I also added an extra 1.6g kg counterweight for 60% off. Shipping was $30, which is kind of insane considering I ordered the kit on a Friday and got it on Monday - from Korea. It's worth noting that the kit also came with a follow focus that GiniRigs normally sells for around $300. This follow focus appears to be modeled very closely after Cinevate's "Durus" follow focus (which goes for $1,400), and it is really similar to it. My total, out-the-door cost including shipping was $668.40 for all of the above.
   
   Build quality was generally very good, though one particular thumb knob was a little sticky. (Note: your thumbs will be sore for days after you first build, teardown, and re-build your rig. Don't worry - it gets better, kind of like learning to play the guitar.) The really cool thing about their rigs is that they aren't really "rigs" per se - they're a collection of parts that, once assembled, make a rig - kind of like Legos or an Erector Set. The Advanced Extreme 17 rig has enough parts to make around a half-dozen different rigs, ranging from a simple single-handle shoulder-rig to a full-blown, double-handled, counterweighted rig with a cage around 7/8 the diameter of the camera. (Buy an extra body arm if you want 100% coverage.)
   
   About which rig to build: I built something roughly akin to what you see in the photo, with a couple of modifications due to counter-weighting a particularly heavy camera kit: a Nikon D800 with either the 14-24 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8, or 70-200 f/2.8, plus a Sennheiser ME 66/K6 in a Rode Blimp (sometimes in the housing, sometimes using a Rycote Softie) connected to a Tascam DR-100 (which is about to be replaced by a Zoom H6, and a Neewer 160-LED video light. However, with all of that gear, even a 1.2 kg + 1.6 kg counterweight on an extra-long pair of 15mm shoulder bars isn't sufficient to counterbalance it. I don't find myself using the cage for much more than the top handle, so I'll probably be removing it to conserve weight and be (slightly) less prominent.
   
   Here is a decent video review that helped me make my buying decision. This is very close to the rig I purchased - GiniRigs seems to regularly revise the specific parts that come with their rigs. Speaking of prominence, listen to the reviewer's commentary at 4:23 on the rig grabbing attention when he was shooting an event - this can be a factor.
   
   One note about making sure you're actually buying GiniRigs from the right folks: apparently GiniRigs has an impostor who is buying and reselling their gear and pretending to be them. They told me that they were mid-lawsuit about a month ago, and that the Facebook Profile as well as http://ginirigs.com/ (which seems to have gone down - maybe they won the lawsuit?) was by the impostor. For "real" products with an actual warranty, buy from GiniRigs-USA.com or, if you're in the UK, GiniRigs.co.uk.

Make it up to the Domain. I believe the Microsoft Store has a demo, free of course.

p.s. I have a Vive and it's amazing!

...But keep in mind it's a first generation product with a technical support and customer service group that's new to VR tech and all the nuances that come about with supporting said equipment.

1. You need a beefy computer (CPU/GPU) to maintain the recommended 90 frames per second, per eye. Get Steam if you don't have it already and download the free Steam VR Performance Test to get a basic idea of how well prepared your computer is for VR.
   
   The pixel density isn't there yet compared to your traditional iPhone Retina display or other high PPI phone displays (pixels per inch) - so you'll see individual pixels. FOV (Field of View) isn't wide enough to fill your entire peripheral view, think of it more like a pair of goggles (and the circular rectangle view you'd see as a result) into another world.
   
   A decent sized play area clear of obstacles for roomscale is definitely preferred to be able to support the majority of
   games out there. Minimum size for roomscale is 1.5m x 2m, maximum is 15' (5m) diagonal. You'll also want to securely mount your lighthouse beacons that enable the 2mm or less accuracy of your head mounted display (HMD) and controllers.
   
   Those that can wallmount, should, as it'll provide the most securely fashioned physical mounting (and thus non-wobbly) tracking. Otherwise tripods or some things like these http://www.amazon.com/FastCap-Support-System-144-Inches-3HAND5/dp/B000067S12 with two of these http://www.amazon.com/Grifiti-Threaded-Microphone-Diameter-Motorcycles/dp/B00E5M39AW/ref=pd_bxgy_469_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0XZ7ESQEJ8AFBYREADCZ will work!
   
   However, despite me listing all of these caveats (for your benefit, informed decisions are something I always promote and recommend) - it's still amazing technology that gets you absolutely immersed in the video game (and creative, and 3D video and... and...) world that's at YOUR scale and size.
   
   If you do take up Codeninja's offer, have him get Waltz of the Wizard, too, and try it out. It's awesome and free!

Under $350, you really can't do much in the way of upgrading to a better telephoto lens, so I'd stick with the 70-300.

The 18-55 is good for landscapes. What you really need is a tripod for it. You can get a great one for about $150 these days, and the monopod part would help with sports, probably. But the real trick to landscape photography is actually not about the camera or the lens, since you're usually stopping down the lens to f/8 or f/11 and so even a mediocre lens will give you good images. The trick is that it takes a lot of discipline, mainly in getting up early or staying out late, because the few hours after sunrise and the few hours before sunset give you the best light, that is, the "golden hours". There are also the "blue hours" immediately before sunrise and after sunset. The second part of the discipline, besides the timing, is the repetition. You may have an awesome shot, but then it's cloudy, or the light isn't right, or whatever. Some of the great landscape photographers visit a spot dozens of times before they get "the shot". A lens, a camera, and a tripod, and lots of discipline.

The 35/1.8 AF-S DX is a good lens to start with and you can pick one up used for around $120. You can also get a 50/1.8 AF-S for about $150 used, or $220 new, which is a great portrait lens on your camera. These lenses let in much more light (about 8x as much as your 18-55 does at 35 and 50mm) and also allow you to create more blurred backgrounds. I like the 50 much better than the 35 for portraits; for me the 35 is too wide to be flattering unless you're doing an environmental portrait and including a good deal of the room/environment around the person (and if that's the case, just use your 18-55, since you'll want more depth of field (less background blur) to include the details of the environment.)

So yeah, if it were me, I'd get a good tripod/monopod like the link above for landscapes, and the 50/1.8 AF-S for portraits. That's about $300 right there if you get the lens used; there's tons of them on eBay or if eBay scares you, KEH has them in EX+ condition for $150 too. Buying lenses new is one of the biggest wastes of money you can do in photography (and it was a lesson I didn't really learn until I'd spent thousands!)

I've traveled to quite a few places with my kit lens. It's pretty damn good.

You still have time to fill out the rest of your stuff, if needed:

Filters:

Singh-Ray Filters makes a "ColorCombo LB" filter. Works like wearing a pair of polarized GOOD quality sunglasses outdoors. I never took it off. Excellent quality and helped when the sky was overexposed and when I generally wanted to get a more intense color.

Lens:

Your kit lens will be more than fine for anything during the day. But at night is different. The kit is meh at night. You definitely want something to capture night time. Maybe some star time lapses? Those are always cool.

Leica 15mm F1.7 My wallet hurt when I bought this, but to be honest, it's on my camera more than it's not. It makes the night look amazing. The quality is awesome too.

Panasonic 25mm f1.7 - compared to the "nifty fifty" on a full frame (25mm*2=50mm). This is our "go-to" as a second lens (for day and/or night), but to get an idea of how 'zoomed in' it is, take your kit lens and rotate it to "25mm". That's how this lens is. Too much for me, but it's still worth mentioning.

Panasonic 45-150mm f4.0-5.6 - I just bought this lens from Amazon Warehouse for $100. It's very well built and serves it's purpose (when I want to zoom in on something far away).

Microphones:

If you want a better microphone get the Videomic Pro+. The difference between this and the others are that the mic turns on/off automatically when the camera turns on/off and it has a USB rechargeable battery.

Batteries:

Speaking of extra batteries, you're going to want more. There are three types: cheap non-decoded, cheap decoded, and OEM (which are decoded).

Non-decoded means you won't know how much battery you have left in the camera. Obviously that's dumb. Spend a little more and get decoded. I really like these OAproda 2 pack + charger. No battery lasts as long as the OEM, but it's close enough. Plus, the OAproda charger is much thinner than the others and charges via USB.

SD Cards:

I love these SanDisk Extreme Pro. I purchased the 128gb because I NEVER want to be in a position that I can ever possibly run out of space.

You'll want a way to copy the files to your pc. This Transcend USB 3.0 works amazingly, and it's $9 for a two pack.

External Drive:

You WILL run out of space on your laptop. You can either purchase 3-4 SD cards, or you can get an external HDD. Each has it's pros and cons.

Battery Pack / cables:

Whether it's your phone / headphones / batteries / tablet / whatever, I suggest the Anker PowerCore. These things are beasts. One of these made sure I was able to fly from here to Australia without worrying about battery levels.

You'll also want to carry extra wires. Whether MicroUSB, USB-C, or Lightening, I would never use anything else but Anker PowerLine


International Charger:
I used the BESTEK Travel Adapter and loved it. Plenty of ports to charge stuff on. It has a small fan (to keep it cool) that some people say bothers them, but I'm the lightest sleeper and it didn't bother me. Barely heard it.

m43 shooter here.

Fuji makes great stills cameras. They have notoriously bad video. It's ok for personal use, but not usable in a professional context. Here is a short sample.

Even old fuji models get feature upgrades via firmware updates - the X-E2 is nearly identical to the X-E2S due to a firmware update. Fuji glass is all good. "Fuji’s 18-55mm is regularly viewed as the non-kit lens kit lens. People rave about it’s sharpness, the quality of its bokeh."

Sony makes computers that can take pictures and video. They probably take the best pictures for a given intro price, but I personally dislike their usability. I prefer physical controls to ones on a screen.

----------------------------------

I know you didn't ask, but if you want the most compact option, m43 is the way to go. Yes, the sensor is smaller, but that means the lenses require less glass.

Olympus makes stills-oriented cameras that have ok video. Their newest camera is a rangefinder style as well, but it's $1200 without a lens.

Panasonic and Sony are competitors for the best video. The GX85 might be of interest. It is the first camera with in-body stabilized 4k video, which you might like.

----------------------------------

• X-E2S - $1000 with lens
  
• A6000 - $700 with lens
  
• GX85 - $800 with lens
  
  Size comparison
  
  With both the Panasonic and the Sony, you will need another lens to get the best iq. The Fuji's kit lens doesn't have that problem.
  
  If you want stills, go with the Fuji. If you want a smaller camera, Panasonic. Between these options I wouldn't get the Sony.
  
  Good luck :)

Get an intro-level DSLR from Nikon (D3200) or Canon (T3) and you'll be fine. The 18-55mm kit lenses are good; you can spend more money to get a longer zoom range, but 1) most people don't need it all and 2) they're bigger and heavier. The 18-55 is perfect for general use. Seriously, these intro cameras are fantastic and you'll love them for family shooting.

I'd also recommend you get one prime (fixed focal length, i.e. not a zoom) lens for low light. For Nikon, get the 35mm f/1.8, or Canon 35mm f/2. These are small, light lenses with a focal length that's perfect for general use. Best of all, they have much faster maximum apertures (they let more light in) for use in low-light conditions. You'll really appreciate this for indoor shooting. In fact, you could use these and completely forgo the kit zoom lens if you like, though most people like the zoom.

Most importantly, you'll need to know a little about how to use them. Just google "how to use dslr" and you'll see loads of articles on that. Modern cameras are great for 'set it and forget it' exposure, so you really don't even need to know how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO work (though it really helps if you do for some shooting). Just set the camera to "P" and go to town. It's probably more important to learn how to use the autofocus system. Namely, learn how to half-depress the shutter so the camera focuses, and then fully depress it to take the shot. If you do this, there will be no 'shutter lag' and you'll have great control over your shots. Most people know this from using a point-and-shoot, but not everyone.

Of course! It depends on your budget and what you want to photograph, but I highly recommend the 35mm f/1.8 prime lens. You can find it used for even less than the price listed ($200) as well. The lens is really sharp and decent for landscape and portraits. You can set your 18-55mm to the 35mm focal length to see what it looks like.

If you want a higher focal length than your 18-55mm, look at the 55-200mm lens. It is a kit lens sometimes bundled with the 18-55mm. There's also a 70-300mm if you want the extra 100mm range. These are usually best for something you need to zoom in on, like sports and wildlife.

If you want something super wide, I recommend either a Tokina 11-20mm or the Tokina 11-16mm. The 11-20mm is the sharpest and fastest autofocus of the two, but it is slightly more expensive. They are both good lenses. These are great for astrophotography, landscapes, and indoor architecture shots.

Here is an example picture of what different focal lengths look like. I hope this was helpful! If you have any more questions or want me to clarify something, let me know.

This is a scary situation. I would recommend involving law enforcement to the extent that you can, if you can do any more than you already have.

Besides that, first priority is perimeter hardening. Cameras may provide some deterrent but won’t protect you if someone comes for you. I know it’s a rental but maybe you could convince the landlord that these are upgrades done at your own expense. Or just don’t tell. Reinforced door jamb

Door Armor MAX - Complete Door Reinforcement Set For Jamb, Frame, Strike Plate - DIY Home Door Security - Aged Bronze https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9ZGWH2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9J2FDbK66084S

Upgrade to steel door or similar if your door is not strong.

Add security film to the windows

BDF S4MC Window Film Security and Safety Clear 4 Mil (24in X 13ft) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FRLI2PC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_192FDbNYNR641

Next, I would also add a security system with door/window sensors that sets off a siren when triggered. There are many, Ring is a popular DIY currently

Ring Alarm 5 Piece Kit - Home Security System with optional 24/7 Professional Monitoring - No long-term contracts - Works with Alexa https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D7Q6CHB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rg3FDbYQSMX46

I would recommend paying for professional monitoring at least for a couple months so that it calls law enforcement for you

Next sleep with a pepper spray of your choice beside your bed. I like this one

SABRE Red Pepper Gel - Police Strength - Family, Home & Property Defense Gel with Wall Mount Bracket https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002368VJ6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Rp3FDbPZRWD5X

AFTER you have done these things, yes add a camera or two. Might provide some deterrent, might help you go after them if they do property damage. Wyze cams are cheap and decent. Will need an outdoor housing if installing outdoors.

Wyze Cam 1080p HD Indoor Wireless Smart Home Camera with Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, Person Detection, Works with Alexa & the Google Assistant https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076H3SRXG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3l3FDb2MGD3RM

Good luck, be safe

Hey,

Sadly, around the 150 mark, you won't find much for widefield.

However, at this price point, your best bet is a prime 50mm f1.8 lens, the f1.8 means it will collect a lot of light, but the 50mm means you'll have a much tighter field of view. It is not a bad thing though, as you can start to capture some details on some DSOs like M42 pretty easily if you are in an okay light pollution area. You can also make panoramas, some of the best milky way shots I've seen are actually exactly that. Huge panoramas!

This is a great article about just that.

Let me know if you need more informations about that, and good luck!

EDIT : Be aware though, that at 50mm, your maximum exposure should not exceed 10s. This is not very much, especially if you go to f2.8 for better image quality. The amazing panorama stitches you see out of 50mm lenses are done with tracked mounts such as a Orion SkyAdventurer mount!

There are a couple of differences. The Sony A5000 is a mirrorless camera whereas the Canon 100D is a DSLR. Therefore the Canon 100D will have a larger form factor. Here's a nice resource for comparison.

In terms of differences between a mirrorless and DSLR, without getting technical, the main one is that generally you are paying a premium for a smaller form factor. DSLRs are generally more rugged, do the same job as a mirrorless, but they are larger and so are their lenses.

Also, the 100D is actually slightly smaller than other DSLRs. A 1200D is slightly larger, has the same features, and is slightly newer (2014 vs 2013) and also a bit cheaper as it's larger. My recommendation for you at your budget of ~$450 is to go the used/refurb route.

For the camera I'd get the Canon 1200D - about $250 used, you can probably find it cheaper in the Black Friday sales. For the lens I might go for something general purpose like the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8. The reason for choosing the Tamron is that it is a zoom lense - covers multiple focal lengths. At the wide end, it's the equivalent of 27mm or 66° horizontal viewing angle. This is pretty standard for the wide end of a zoom lense and will be ok for taking landscapes. If you want a better wide angle lense, consider the 10-18mm Canon f4.5 lense. This lense is slower a f4.5 (i.e. has a smaller aperture - lets in less light), however it has a horizontal viewing angle of 95° - a lot better than 66° before. Take into consideration though that while the Tamorn won't be as wide angled, it will be capable of letting in more light (better at taking the northern lights/night time photography), and will be better at taking portrait photos (you want a larger aperture to get a better blurred background.) Ideally you would get a combination of lenses - such as the Canon 10-18mm and a dedicated portrait lense for awesome background blurs - however this would fall out of your budget. Good luck on finding a camera!

In my opinion, the most important thing to understand first is the exposure triangle - that’s the relation between ISO, shutter speed and aperture and it’s what determines how light or dark your photo will be (each setting of course changes other things about the photo, but this concept is crucial to understand).

I’d recommend learning how to use aperture priority mode and shutter priority mode. The former will let you take control of the aperture portion of the exposure triangle while the camera takes control of the shutter and the ISO. The latter will let you control the shutter speed while the camera takes control of the aperture and ISO. This lets you focus on the composition and will guarantee that you get proper exposure. This is perfect for any “in the moment” shots and of course for landscape photos as well.

If you have the time, though, and the moment isn’t fleeting, get your tripod and put it into manual mode. Experiment with the 3 parts of the exposure triangle and see how each affects the result. You will have so much more control than any phone will give you.

However, if it’s something important or you’re going to miss the shot if you’re not quick, don’t be afraid of auto mode! It’s fine to use that and it usually does a pretty good job. Perhaps use the auto “no flash” mode, though.. on-board flashes suck in most situations.

Yes your camera is good enough! As I’ve found from upgrading, the camera body is more about durability and ease of access to controls. Lenses are much more important. As you learn more about the exposure triangle you’ll start to understand why a wide aperture (low f-stop number) is so important.. and maybe you will even want to buy one of these.

Hope this helps! I’m not an expert or anything, just self taught, but I’m happy to help if you have any questions!

Around $400 brand new you can probably get like a T5 with a kit lens, 18-55mm. Pretty good camera, not the best, but for a starter camera its good, way better than any point and shoot.

I know its a gift so keeping it new is probably best, but you could get like a refurbished one from cannon site.

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-rebel-t5-ef-s-18-55mm-is-ii-lens-kit-refurbished


http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/rebel-sl1-ef-s-18-55mm-is-stm-ef-75-300mm-stm-kit-refurbished

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-rebel-t5-ef-s-18-55mm-is-ii-ef-50mm-1-8-ii-kit-refurbished

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-rebel-t3i-ef-s-18-55mm-is-ii-lens-kit-refurbished

Those all would be pretty sweet for a beginner. She can buy some better lenses later on.

Or you could go the Sony mirror less route with a a6000. I know she wanted a cannon, but the sony a6000 is a way better camera from the get go for the money. Better processor better sensor, the ability to use tons of cheap legacy lenses of all types, wi-fi capability to sync with her phone and download pictures, even control her camera with her phone.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I8BICB2/ref=s9_simh_gw_g421_i2_r?ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0GV0B9C4XN0ZPMEE6F0B&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

You could probably snag a used one of these or refurbished for about $450-$500.

If you're just getting into it, I would consider a camera body that costs $500 USD or less. My own personal recommendation is the Sony A6000. The body and kit lens is small and compact compared to a traditional DSLR like the Canon T6i and performs just as well. It also has the option of being able to mount vintage lenses on it due to it's smaller form factor and the lens mount being closer to the sensor. This means you can get good but cheap manual lenses from back in the day for often times $100 USD or less plus a $18 USD converter mount.

If you have any questions about this camera system (i own the A6000) or in general, please feel free to ask either through comments or pm me. Shameless plug (https://instagram.com/snappedbyandy for example photos)

Also. It sounds like you want to take a lot of landscapes, and for that you want a lens with a low focal length. Now, the kit lens that comes with cameras is nice and all, but if you want some real stunning pictures, you'll get a better quality prime wide-angle lens. "Prime" meaning the lens can't zoom and "wide-angle" meaning you have a wider field of view. Since it doesn't need to move, there's less glass needed, and the quality of the picture is better. Something that's 12mm to 20mm should do the trick. I'll link a personal recommendation below should you choose to go with the A6000.

Again, i want to emphasize to buy used if possible. Especially on lenses. You'll get severe discounts compared to buying something brand new. Typically people take good care of their lenses, and if you can meet the person before buying, a little legwork can save you a bundle of money.

Camera with kit lens (i recommend buying used/refurb locally if possible)

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Mirrorless-Digitial-3-0-Inch-16-50mm/dp/B00I8BICB2/ref=sr_1_5?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1539180473&sr=1-5&keywords=a6000&dpID=41AEqhgdLtL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Recommended wide angle lens for landscape with the A6000:

https://www.amazon.com/Rokinon-Ultra-Angle-Mount-RK12M/dp/B00JD4TAWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539180938&sr=8-1&keywords=rokinon+12+e+mount

an example of a good vintage lens:

https://www.amazon.com/Minolta-MD-50mm-Japan-Mount/dp/B008QFXYYU/ref=sr_1_16?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1539180558&sr=1-16&keywords=minolta+rokkor

an example of a converter to convert the mount of a vintage lens to the Sony E-mount

https://www.amazon.com/Fotasy-NEX-VG30-NEX-VG900-NEX-FS100-NEX-FS700/dp/B00E5T5BJW/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1539180630&sr=1-3&keywords=md+to+e+mount&dpID=41RFJ6J3P1L&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch


Guy with a dedicated blog to attaching vintage lenses to the Sony E mount system (he uses a Sony A7, which is more expensive, but the A6000 uses the same mount system, so it still all applies):

https://phillipreeve.net/blog/affordable-manual-lenses-for-the-sony-alpha-77r7ii7rii-and-7s/

I can definitely say I'm jealous! I wish I could do what you're doing.

The quality of the footage is definitely nice and high, which is always important in vlogs, especially in travel vlogs. I definitely recommend picking up some kind of microphone to improve the talking quality, but it's honestly not bad. It's just the easiest nitpick to make. One cost effective mic that I've had repeatedly recommended to me is this one.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015R0IQGW/?coliid=I27W1PR76WPIHS&colid=1T8AH88FFX71&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

The music felt fitting, and had that 'pop' music feel that is very appropriate for this type of video. I can agree with noodltube in that you should focus more on having the commentary match the clips (if at all possible), but I think the shots you did provide were really nice for the most part.

I would also suggest lowering the background audio as well.

Finding a format for videos, I find, is one of the biggest difficulties in creating content. I would suggest you heavily focus on determining what your format should be for future videos. This was just a trailer of sorts, so I'm not really criticizing this video as much as just giving you hopefully helpful hints for the future.

Keep giving it your all and I wish you luck on your journey! Sorry if my criticisms sound too harsh, I think you're off to a fine start.

I was in a similar position about 3 years ago. But then it was either the D3100 or the D5100. I chose the D5100. I chose it due to the higher ISO capability. I loved my decision. It was a much better camera than the 3100. I tried my buddy's 3100 and my 5100 side by side and mine outperformed 3100 significantly. The location was a dinner party at a restaurant. I was able to easily pull of images in low light he was not able to get. Also, the additional features helped me learn photography better. To me the 3100 seems like an advanced point and shoot camera with SLR capability. The 5100 gave me very good pictures, kept me interested, and kept me growing in photography for the last 3 years where the 3100 would have bored and disappointed me with photography in couple of months. Honestly, today, I am disappointed I just didn't go for a D7000. If I would have gotten the D7000, I believe I would have been satisfied for another year or two before upgrading. But it was my first DSLR and I wanted to learn how to shoot manual. I wanted to tip my toes in the water first before spending lots of $$$.

Yesterday, I just upgraded my 5100 to a D750. I was between the D7100, D610 and the D750. I figured why the heck not... I wanted something that can keep me satisfied for the next 5 years. Rather than constantly have my body go out of date then wanting to upgrade again.


To see what kind of pictures the D5100 can take, look here. http://imgur.com/a/kZxC2. http://imgur.com/a/1eOv5#9.
I am sure the D5300 will perform much better.

I highly recommend getting the Tamron 2.8 28-75 lens and skipping the kit lense. The Tamron 2.8 was my first lens purchase. All pictures you see above was taken with it. It will be the lense you may need for a while, unless you need a super zoom.
You can get it new for $500 http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-28-75mm-Aspherical-Canon-Digital/dp/B0000A1G05
or used < $400. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/used/284402?gclid=CjwKEAiAtNujBRDMmoCN46aB8noSJAC7SYv7mf2IsbdzMWfDQ6PQ7TP8v3RtWwojn7S83gSJnLjSkhoCGhfw_wcB

It is an FX lens and you can still use if if you decide to make the jump to FX later like I did. Even if you buy DX now, I suggest you still by FX lenses. I have only purchased 2 lenses over the last 3 years, but they have been very good lenses. They will serve me much longer than the bodies. If you do not want to spent that much on new lenses right now and want to get the kit lense (which I highly don't recommend), wait few months and get the 50mm prime lense. http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-50mm-NIKKOR-Digital-Cameras/dp/B004Y1AYAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417144124&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+50+mm. Its an excellent lense and you can use it on FX camera's as well. I am planning on this to be my next purchase after I get over the D750 sticker shock.

Edit: I also jumped from a Canon Powershot to Nikon DSLR. I have really enjoyed Nikon as they just felt better in my hands. Also D7000+ bodies has a built in motor so you can buy older lenses much cheaper.

Edit 2: Best Buy has a great deal going on now for a D7000 and a zoom lens for $800 bucks. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/nikon-d7000-dslr-camera-with-18-140mm-vr-lens-black/2071002.p?id=1219068635598&skuId=2071002.

Edit 3: Scratch that. You may want to take a look at this... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00POQ8B74/ref=twister_B005MX9OSE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I'm getting ready to go on vacation, and I'm considering buying a new lens to celebrate and have fun with. Currently, I'm shooting with a D60, and I have the 18-55mm kit lens + the 55-200 telephoto lens.

The pictures I'll be taking on the trip will probably be a mix of shots of scenery/landscapes and my friends.

I would love to get an 18-200mm lens, but the Nikon one is simply out of my price range at $600. Is the Sigma 18-200 an acceptable substitute? I like the 18-200mm coverage, because it would be very nice to just take the one lens, and not worry about changing it.


I'm also considering getting a prime lens instead, because in the future I'd like to do some better indoor shooting. Possibly the 35mm Nikon or the 50mm. My sense is that the 35mm would be great for landscapes on my trip, but that the 50mm might be better for taking pics of friends. Am I wrong?


I'd welcome any advice/opinion on which lens to get, and which lens(es) to carry with my traveling. Thanks in advance.

• I'm probably posting a cliche photography gift here but I absolutely love mine: Lens Mug
  
  
  
• Can't go wrong with a BlackRapid Strap
  
  
  
• If your brother takes a lot of landscapes and doesn't already have this must have tool in his gear which he should: Camera Remote Timer
  
  
  
• If he's always on the go and seems struggle w/ carrying his tripod everywhere, I recommend getting him a Gorilla Pod
  
  
• If he doesn't already have a great backpack for travelling while he is shooting his landscapes, I recommend Amazons Backpack for holding his gear. It's essentially a generic version of Canon's basic backpack.
  
  
  You can also find some fairly cheap "like new" film cameras on Craigslist along with some film.
  Film cameras are the best and it will probably be very nostalgic to the person you are gifting it to.
  
  
  I'm making the assumption that he has a Canon DSLR but you can find most of this gear if he has something like a Nikon, Sony, etc... One thing I love to receive to as a photography gift is more batteries! I use to shoot a lot of landscapes and I could never have enough of these.
  
  Anyways, hopefully you find something for your brother! Good luck!

The Amazon Basics Video tripod (make sure it's the video one with the pan handle) is a good starting point, $23.49. You'll need some sort of iphone to tripod adapter too - they're available at price points from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. No need to overspend if you're just starting out.

I'd recommend you keep that iphone on a tripod at all times - it's so small and light that hand-held footage will be shakey and offputting.

For lighting, assuming you're in a bedroom-sized space then a 3-point photography CFL lighting kit like this will be great. Nice, soft light which will make whatever you're reviewing look good. Cheap too - $46.99

Although I may be biased, I think sound is probably where most of those funds should go. People will happily watch 240p, grainy, blocky, blurry video on youtube but if they can't hear what you're saying then they're gonna switch off.

For piece-to-camera shooting I'd recommend getting a Rode Smartlav for $71.90. You can plug that straight into your iPhone for sync sound recording.

I'd also suggest getting a large-diaphragm microphone for voiceover work - i.e. whenever you're not filming yourself while talking at the same time. The Behringer C1-U is a great budget option that plugs directly into your computer's USB port for recording for $59.99. You'll need something to put it on such as a Suspension Boom ($17.99) and to make sure your audio is clean you'll need a pop filter. ($8.99)

So that's the very basics covered for $157.45 give or take though you can probably get that cheaper if you shop around. That leaves you $242.55 for some more specialist gear...

Depending on what you're reviewing, I'd recommend looking at lightboxes (5-walled cubes that you put the product in to give yourself a white background and even, soft lighting), and a motorized lazy susan (turntable) to give you some interesting options for b-roll.

If you're filming bigger stuff, then a white backdrop would work as well. You could go for something in optical green for chroma keying but keying is a pretty precise art and chances are if you're a total beginner it won't look that great until you really get the hang of it - so go for plain white first.

Chances are you'll still have some money left over after that too... iPhone footage is pretty damn good but you should start putting together a kitty for upgrading to a proper interchanagable lens camera.

Oh no, not at all... $800 is fairly high for a 'nifty fifty'. The price is because the Sigma Art 50 is pretty much the sharpest lens on earth (which makes it a bargain when you compare to, say, a Zeiss Otus

Actually, on the subject of those Sigma's... I got the 50mm first, but I found 50mm on a crop sensor camera is kind of an awkward focal length. You can't go wide enough to capture, say... a building across the street, or the head+shoulders of a friend sitting across from you at a small table. But you can't zoom in either.

Later I got the 18-35, and now the 50mm basically gathers dust. The zoom range of the 18-35 is limited, but it's just 100% more useful than 50mm. It's kind of my default lens now. It's a great lens.

But anyway, if you don't wanna spend a ton and you want a 50ish mm, and below f/2, there's a bunch of options.

The basic Canon 50mm 1.4 is $300 and is pretty sharp.

The Canon pancake lens is really well loved, surprisingly sharp and so small that it weighs nothing. A sigma art is quadruple the weight lol.

This Sigma Art 30mm seems to be on sale right now. $130 off. That's an outstanding deal, and you might find 30mm more useful than 50. https://www.amazon.com/Sigma-30mm-F1-4-Lens-Canon/dp/B00BQXL8BU/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=50mm+1.4+lens&qid=1568732777&refinements=p_n_feature_three_browse-bin%3A3130996011%2Cp_89%3ASigma&rnid=2528832011&s=photo&sr=1-1

I just picked up a [Rode NT-USB] (https://www.amazon.com/Rode-NT-USB-USB-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00KQPGRRE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1526506838&sr=8-2&keywords=nt+rode+usb&linkCode=ll1&tag=thesysadminch-20&linkId=36cb209ceaf0e58a89cad9db949bf23f) and I love the quality. It has a great tone and has a good depth to it. It is a little pricey at $169 on Amazon but if you're going to be doing videos for the long haul I definitely think its worth the money.

While I was doing my research i also noticed a lot of people mention that they had a Blue Yeti from Blue Microphones and they liked it as well. This is also a USB mic and the sound quality is really similar (and the mic is about 50-60 bucks cheaper) but I just really liked how the Rode Mic sounded.. That's just personal preference. You can find this mic at around $100 so its still a little pricey but again, if you're going to be doing videos its still worth it.

If you're looking for something to use with a DSLR camera, I like the way the [Rode VMGO Shotgun Mic] (https://www.amazon.com/Rode-VMGO-Lightweight-Microphone-Super-Cardioid/dp/B00GQDORA4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1526507932&sr=1-1&keywords=rode+shotgun+mic&linkCode=ll1&tag=thesysadminch-20&linkId=35f8c1b5488c41dba8cf0a011e6d6db4) sounds. It has that full sound and this one comes in around a little under $80.

Finally if you're looking for something under $20 I would probably go with the [Boya By M1] (https://www.amazon.com/BOYA-Electret-Condenser-Microphone-Smartphones/dp/B00MP566OM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1526507786&sr=1-1&keywords=boys+by-m1&linkCode=ll1&tag=thesysadminch-20&linkId=c8648c47cac36d32bf6e84c547b8fdfa) mic. This is a lapel mic so its easily portable and for like $16 its a great starter mic.

I did my research for about 2 months because I was so indecisive on which type i wanted i get for my use case. Since I do Voice-overs I wanted to get something that's easily compatible with my laptop so thats why i chose the USB route. Keep in mind that audio quality is just as if not more important than the video quality.. If you're audio sucks, you won't keep long retention rates which means your videos won't rank as high which means less views and ultimately less subscribers.

Hope that helps!!

I have a canon t3i, budget is $400 and am upgrading my tech for beauty videos. I need new lights, focus remote control, new battery, sd card, 2 lenses. Zoom and wide.

I know this is a photo thread but hear me out and share input.

UPDATE:
I never specified that I'm focusing on video. I guess I assumed it was self explanatory with the info I went on to ask about pertaining to video.

Q's:

How much film time will this sd give me? Google says 2 hours, but maybe someone here knows better.
https://www.amazon.com/SCT-Digital-Ultimate-Extreme-S-F32-RT/dp/B007XVPI4C/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1518712664&sr=1-4&keywords=canon+t3i+sd+card

Are these lights worth it?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O9RH4HM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3VAHM8ODBLF0H&psc=1

I currently have these https://www.amazon.com/Photography-Portrait-Umbrella-Continuous-LimoStudio/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1518712989&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=limo+studip+lights

They heat up and take up too much space in my little square room and dont light enough or evenly even with my ring light in front of me.

What zoom and wide lens can I use, to zoom into face sitting 4+ feet away from tripod. I currently have the canon 50mm lens.

What wide lens can I buy? My kit lens is still too close to me even zoomed out.

Budget friendly lenses for my crop sensor.

What my videos look like now, I need to update, get a nice bokeh when zoomed into face, even lighting, and nice wide shot to use for intro and outro of videos.

https://youtu.be/TlbrPApdIyE

Any other tips on saving money, improving my videos, etc, I'm open to learning. Thank you.

I would really like to have a nice blurry background like here for intros and outros

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dd_MQf6-dY&list=PLv8BKE_eGqqosNUuj2eDCh4Ynsh6M1HwD&index=2

Unreal Developer's Kit. It's Epic's game engine, free to download, but if you sell any games made with it, you either have to purchase a license or give epic a percentage of all profits.

As far as telescopes go, if you can look to go to some sort of star party first to get an idea of what does what. A lot of people opt to start off with a good set of binoculars until they get their celestial body finding chops to a point that they can get the full enjoyment of the more expensive stuff.

This was my first star gazing purchase

The club I'm a part of has an observatory in a park with a 16 inch telescope. Those will run you about 10,000 USD. Portability is also a big issue, especially if you live in a city. A lot of people opt to buy an 8inch scope after the binoculars, as its a good improvement, and is still manageable size wise. Those will cost closer to the USD $500 range not including the costs of different eye pieces you'll need. I really recommend looking into a local club if interested, they can really help out, and you can test the equipment so you won't have to go into it blindly. Also there are other directions you can go into - some members are into solar astronomy, others radio astronomy and some are more interested in astrophysics than star gazing.

Get yourself a box resizer and a good razor knife. Sometimes a half an ounce or less can make the difference between $5 shipping and $7+, and you will also save packaging material by not having to stuff half of a box with packing paper or bubble wrap.

Box Resizer tool On Amazon $16.99 - Free Shipping

DONT BUY BUBBLE WRAP LOCALLY AT THE STORE. GET IT ON AMAZON.

I almost never pay more than $27 for 700ft of bubblewrap. I used to spend more than that on 250ft when I was buying it at Lowe's or Staples.

Bubblewrap on Amazon for $25.88 with free shipping

Keep an eye out for something like this at thrift stores, you can find them ALL THE TIME, usually for around $5 - $7, and they are GREAT for mounting your rolls of bubble wrap on to save space and make dispensing it easy.

Clothes rack with bar

For taking photos, I use something like this setup. I place the backdrop stand behind a dresser and drape the fabric backdrop over the top of it and tuck it into my top drawer for a seamless background that I can also lean items against since it's tucked in.

Backdrop + Stand Kit $36.90 on Amazon. Free Shipping

Photography Lighting Kit $52.10 On Amazon - Free Shipping

I suggest the D7000 - I really like mine. The ergonomics (aside from the ISO button placement) are fantastic, and it feels very well made. I had some lenses already, but if you nave no lenses, I would go with the kit w/18-105mm lens and add the excellent 35mm 1.8. Also keep a sharp eye out for used lenses on Craigslist - The D7000 can use pretty much any old Nikon lens.

I was given an old Quantaray Vivitar 70-210mm 3.5 that would not meter on a friend's D50 but works great on the D7000. It isn't the best lens, but it is very fun to play with and has a macro mode.

Regarding lenses, some people will tell you to skip the kit lens and just go with primes. I disagree. Primes are great, but for someone who is just starting out and getting a feel for a 'real' camera, a decent zoom is great. 18-105mm is a huge range, so it should give you an idea of what focal lengths you like after using it a bit.

Edit: Fixed lens manufacturer mentioned above.

Definitely talk to your fiance about what she wants to do. A lot of people want to get into photography cause they see the image quality and the pretty bokeh and/or blurry backgrounds but the reality of it is, not everyone wants to lug around a hefty piece of equipment everywhere.

Does she just want some better quality pictures to put on social media sites (FB, instagram, etc..)? Or does she really want to go around and look for nice angles and composition?

If you can borrow someone's camera for a week that'll be a great way to start. If not, and she just wants better quality pictures, maybe start off with Canon S series or the G series. Very solid cameras and small form factor make them ideal to carry around.

For a beginner dslr, as others have stated, thats a good bundle to start. Or go up to the t5i.

Or for a little more, you can get her Sony a6000. Very solid camera with good image quality and small as well so its easier to carry around.

i hear you, friend. i think the library is a great idea. even if you don't check anything out, it would be fun just simply browsing the stacks.

i'm really glad you mentioned you're into space. i'm a bit of a space geek myself (highly recommend /r/astrophotography). easily one of the best purchases i made last year was sky watching binoculars. i don't know anything about your budget, but they are relatively cheap for what you can see with them (described towards the end of this paragraph). these are 15x70, meaning they have 70mm lenses so they can gather a lot of light, and objects are magnified 15 times, so they appear 15 times larger in the binos. the downside to 15x magnitude is holding them by hand means the image will shake a bit - it's doable by hand, but it helps to hold them but rest the lens-end on something like a chair to hold them steady (a tripod would be best if you have one or can buy one, but i have simply laid on the ground outside and basically used my face to keep them steady while looking straight up). anyway, i can reliably see 3 to 4 of jupiter's moons with these. now, they are pinpoints of light in the image, but you can definitely see them and see how they are all in similar planes. saturn becomes oblong because of the rings, you can almost see the gap between the body and the rings. shadows in the craters at the moon's terminator are visible. depending on where you are, you can see the general shape of the gases of the orion nebula (m42, or messier number 42).

anyway, i kind of rambled here but if you're into space, 15x70 binos are an excellent place to start before diving into the telescope world. happy to provide more info if needed.

I don't know why everyone puts cleaning gear in such high priority, my gear is still perfectly clean after 3 years of use. A good bag will hold loads of dust away from your gear.
Together with my first Dsrl (I'm a Canon user but I got to work with Nikon cameras quite often) I got the essential stuff:

• Adobe Lightroom - heads up the best software to edit and store your RAWs in my opinion
  
• Tripod - my first tripod was quite cheap because I was a on a low budget, but it did it's job till I moved to Manfrotto
  
• Remote shutter release - Should do it's job, if you want to shoot timelapse you'll have to buy an intervalometer remote
  
• SD cards - I suggest to always go with class 10 cards if you mainly shoot RAW and videos (high data rates)
  
  
  After all that stuff I got my first prime lens. The 50mm f/1.8 (Canon).
  
  The good old so called nifty fifty helped me to learn so much about composition and framing because you have to think about how to frame your subject rather than to just use zoom etc. It also has such a great sharpness and beautiful bokeh. It's a really great lens for portraits! Of course this also applies to the Nikon 50mm.
  
  The Nikon equivalent to Canons 50mm f/1.8 lens runs around $190 which will give you great optical performance, a lens pouch, plus if you ever feel like upgrading from your D3200 the flexibility of being able to use this lens with all of Nikon's Dsrl (internal autofocus motor).

1. It all really depends on your budget, but for Macro: EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro, or the EF 100mm F/2.8 Macro. For portrait, I'd say to start of with the EF 50mm 1.8
   
   
2. Your T5 is compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses.
   
   
3. Buying used is a great way to save some money on quality lenses. Like most things, it depends on the reputation of the person selling. Private sellers, make sure you do your research on them if buying on Ebay or Amazon or something. KEH.com, B&H Used and Adorama Used are great places to buy used and inspected equipment with a decent warranty. Also the Canon USA Refurbished store is an excellent place to buy. They have stuff that Canon has officially looked over and comes with the same 1 year warranty as their new stuff. I've bought a lot from them and have been very happy with it.
   
   Hope this helps!

This lens or this lens are great all-round and good in lowlight. Half of my album is with an equivalent lens like this.

If you're into ultra-wides (the other half of the album is an ultra-wide), then this lens is great, and this lens is even better but more expensive.

Those two focal lengths have carried me for the past 4 years without me ever feeling the need to get anything else. That being said, this lens I think is a must have for all Canon users. At just over $100, it will deliver great results in lowlight. Honestly it might be the best bang for buck lens in all of photography. And because it's so cheap, plus you're getting the camera free, I might even recommend getting all three, if that's in the budget.

If you want to be a little more conservative, here's what I would do: Get one of the first two I linked, shoot and play around with that for a while, and see what you find you need next. Do you want something a little more zoomed in for shallow depth of field and delicious bokeh? Get the 50mm. Do you crave getting some sweet wide shots? Get one of the ultra-wides. Let your needs decide what your second lens is, because it's a very personal choice and no one can know what you want to shoot until you try it out for yourself.

Software: Adobe Lightroom is all I use really, and it's all you need. It's designed as an all-in-one management, editing, and publishing platform.

Good luck!

Doesn't matter much. Personally, I'd take the t2i because it's a level "above" the Nikon D3x00 series (the D5x00 series is Nikon's equivalent), but see also below.

I wrote this for some other threads:

The T2i and 18 - 55mm are fine places to start; so are their Nikon and Sony equivalents. If you have any friends who are interested in photography, ask them and buy whatever they use, because they'll be able to help you better than a bunch of people on the Internet. The differences among cameras at this level are really small—think f/11 small—and you're better off learning how to use your camera and how to think photographically than agonizing over which to buy.

If you're like most people, you'll eventually want to explore fixed-length primes. Canon sells a $100 50mm prime, and so does Nikon. Once you have some experience with the kits lens and the "nifty 50," you'll be ready for something else—but what that "something else" is depends on what you shoot.

See the Digital Photography Review Canon t2i guide, the Digital Photography Review learning guide, and How to make the jump from automatic to manual. If you have questions after reading them closely, come back and ask.

The important thing is learning your camera and training your eye. For the former, a knowledgeable user can help; so can a book. I got David Busch's t2i guide and like it fine. I'm sure there are others; get whichever you see as most useful.

The kit lens is good because it can zoom across a wide range of perspectives but bad because it's "slow" in light gathering terms. This means that you'll be less able to get non-blurry shots as the lights get dimmer (sun set, indoors, dinner time lighting, etc).

So my suggestion would be to, assuming you want to take photos at dusk/night, get a fixed focal length prime lens. These lenses are bad because they can't zoom at all and so you have to use your feet to zoom but good because they can shoot in significantly dimmer light.

But which prime lens to get? You can get them at a reasonable price in the zoom levels of: 15mm, 17mm, 20mm, 25mm, and 42.5mm. I'd say the way to go would be to buy the G85 with the kit lens, use it, and see which focal length you take the most photos at or your favorite photos at. Some people suggest taping the zoom lens to be fixed at a focal length of whatever prime lens you might buy and shooting with that for a week or so to see if you can handle being stuck at that range.

• 15mm https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-LUMIX-LEICA-SUMMILUX-H-X015/dp/B00J8H7H48/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=15mm+f%2F1.7&qid=1564608134&s=gateway&sr=8-2
  
• 17mm https://www.amazon.com/Olympus-M-Zuiko-Digital-Thirds-Cameras/dp/B00CI3R4VU/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=17mm+f%2F1.8&qid=1564608233&s=gateway&sr=8-1
  
• 20mm https://www.amazon.com/PANASONIC-LUMIX-MIRRORLESS-Thirds-H-H020AK/dp/B00DJS830Y/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=20mm+f%2F1.7&qid=1564608313&s=gateway&sr=8-3
  
• 25mm Lumix https://www.amazon.com/PANASONIC-LUMIX-MIRRORLESS-THIRDS-H-H025K/dp/B014RD6RC0/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=25mm+f%2F1.7&qid=1564608151&s=gateway&sr=8-2
  
• 25mm Olympus https://www.amazon.com/Olympus-M-Zuiko-Digital-Thirds-Cameras/dp/B00HWMP0XG/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=25mm+f%2F1.8&qid=1564608237&s=gateway&sr=8-4
  
• 42.5mm Lumix https://www.amazon.com/PANASONIC-42-5MM-MIRRORLESS-OPTICAL-H-HS43K/dp/B00H36U69Y/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=42.5mm+f%2F1.7&qid=1564608146&s=gateway&sr=8-2
  
• 45mm Olympus https://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Zuiko-Digital-Silver-Cameras/dp/B0058G40O8/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=45mm+f%2F1.8&qid=1564608241&s=gateway&sr=8-3
  
  A lot of people are also of the opinion that using a prime lens as a beginning photographer will help you get better quicker by limiting the range of things you can do (no more zooming) and forcing you to think more outside the box.
  
  Personally, I like the 15mm range for all around shooting (it's similar to the perspective a phone camera would give you). And I like the 42.5mm for specifically taking portraits, which I do a lot of when hanging out with friends. The Olympus lenses are worth considering if you can save some money by going with them. Theoretically they won't autofocus as quickly, but the difference should be negligible (we're talking milliseconds here).
  
  I'd also suggest looking at used lenses (ebay or Amazon's used marketplace give me the best results). Anything in good to excellent condition that says there's no mold or scratches on the glass will perform fine. You can usually expect to save about 20% of the new price by going used, sometimes more. The majority of my lenses are used and I've never had a single issue.

Thank you, I am glad that it's useful. I am the first to admit to people, although I learned and grew up using Nikon, my experience with their glass is limited since I no longer use their system. That's my longwinded way of saying take what I say with a grain of salt.

Having said that I find the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G to be one beautiful piece of glass. As good as the famed nifty fifty that Canon users love. Yes, you will get some light fall off with this lens, but stopped down that disappears. However who really cares, since you are most likely using it to focus in the center and not around the edges. And on a crop sensor I am guessing you are mostly using this for portraits, or similar centre focused shots.

The 35mm is just as good, if not better, seeing as how it's $50 less (MSRP), and on a crop sensor like in the D7000 it works beautifully as an all purpose lens. If you have the [cash for it])http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-35mm-1-8G-Digital-Cameras/dp/B001S2PPT0) I would say keep both in your bag, and use the 35mm for those times when you need a lens to do anything on the fly, and 50mm for more specific situations.

Another contender worth tossing into the mix, and this is what I use, is the Leica Summicron-R 50mm. It's the most used lens in my kit, and whether I am shooting film or digital I never leave the house without it. If you decide to pick one up look for the newer 3 cam version, and if you want to save some money do not buy the ROM version. Simply buy the cheapest good condition non-rom version you can, and send it to Leica to be upgraded to ROM for $325 if you really need that extra data.

If it's helpful here are links to the flickr groups for the three lenses I just talked about:

Nikkor 35mm f/1.8g

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8g

Leica Summicron-R 50mm f/2

You're biggest problem will not be the microphone, but what you're recording your audio onto. I found out really quick that the audio recording of a DSLR, regardless of microphone, is terrible in quality and with plenty of static noise. I use a Tascam DR-05 to record audio, in combination with either a RODE VideoMic or a lavalier (there are some really cheap ones that do an ok job for low budget productions). The Tascam DR-05 also has a pretty good mic built in , so you could probably start with just that. Remember to record the audio with your Tascam (or recorder) AND with your camera, so that you can easily sync them in post. Always remember to record a minute of silence in the room BEFORE filming so that you can have a room tone (or world tone, if outdoors) sample that can be for adding a more natural ambient sound for portions you may silence in the video.

I would also recommend you pick up:

a three point lighting kit for indoor shooting (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-Lighting-Hairlight-Softbox-9004SB2/dp/B0047FHOWG/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1450430338&sr=1-4&keywords=three+point+lighting+kit),

a variable ND filter for outdoor shooting (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/58mm-Variable-NDX-Fader-Filter/dp/B00QVOQWM4/ref=sr_1_7?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1450430377&sr=1-7&keywords=variable+ND+filter)

a reflector, for bouncing off light outdoors... (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1450430475&sr=1-1&keywords=reflector)

Extra batteries of course.

You'll find these tools useful for getting higher quality audio and picture, there are lots and lots of tutorials on YouTube that will help you learn very quickly how to use your equipment. On a final note, I don't think the Rebel SL1 was a good choice of camera. If I had to pick a Rebel camera for video, and was limited in buget, I would have gone for a Rebel T4i or T5i, in combination with magic lantern. Another important thing to remember, is make sure your SD is AT LEAST class 10 (I recommend Sandisk Extreme pro 95/mbps 32 or 64gb), and NEVER use a mini sd card with an adapter (I've had bad experiences with this).

Best of luck to you, and happy filming!

That's pretty limited space for a green screen, but two simple umbrella lamps (at about 45-60' angles L & R) would probably suffice. If you have the space and can put one on either side of your computer table, that would probably work. You can get them fairly cheaply on Amazon.

Something like this (just an example): http://www.amazon.com/Photography-Portrait-Continuous-LimoStudio-LMS103/dp/B005FHZ2SI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462284480&sr=8-1&keywords=umbrella+studio+light

A top light can be very helpful, but it's more difficult to pull off in the average home environment. A ceiling lamp should suffice. A small back-light is nice too, and some studio lighting kits come with them. Might not be realistic with 1-2' behind you though.

There are lots of professional lighting tip videos on youtube, etc. I only have one lamp (umbrella-type) in use on my streaming setup at the moment, but I learned a lot about professional studio lighting just from watching videos. Good luck!

Edit: If you would like to see what one lamp looks like in a typical home environment, go ahead and spend 30 seconds on one of my VODs. What you'll see is:

1 x run of the mill umbrella studio light with a somewhat expensive 1950 lumen 6000K daylight bulb (LED) - placement is about a meter to my front-right, at about 45'.

1 x normal ceiling lamp w/ 2 x 13w soft-white bulbs (LED) - located about 4 feet rear-right at about 45'.

My lighting solution is acceptable IMO, but is in no way "professional" (my space restrictions make a full lighting solution impossible). However, you can see what even a single light diffusing umbrella with a very good bulb can do to help.

Yes!!! I'm in this thread early so i'm just gonna dump my questions. For reference I'm shooting with a D7100 (I blame DatAperture for owning that instead of a D7000)

1. Do you all know exactly what combo of shutter speed / aperture / ISO you need to get a picture exposed correctly or are you just doing guess-and-check? I know the general relation between all 3 and how it determines exposure but I rarely get it right on the first or second try. Do you all have warm up shots or do you just nail exposure the first time?
   
   
2. Debating a yongnuo flash for my indoor events. How important is TTL?
   
   
3. Shooting a friends rehearsal dinner (she doesn't want anything crazy she just wants pictures to remember the night by). I'm not too nervous because I've had tons of practice and can turn out pretty good photos (thank you lightroom!) but i'm wondergin if a Sigma 18-35/1.8 will be all I need for the night. Should i get a nifty fifty to go with? Should I look into renting a 24-70 for the night or will I be ok just having the other two?
   
   
4. I have a D7100, Can I save $100 and get the 50mm 1.8D or is the 50mm 1.8G that much better? Would I be missing out on that much?
   
   
5. As a hobbyist would I be missing out if i bought a zoom a f2.8 or is f/4 enough? Is that extra stop really worth it if i'm mostly using it for friends/family/vacation? I know it really depends on the lighting and how many shots i'm ok with missing but i'd like to hear if there's anyone that regrets getting a lens at f/4 instead of f/2.8
   
   Thank you for your help. Here's a picture I took of my dog as thanks for your comments. Taken at 1/25, f/2.5, ISO 3200.

Hey man, I meant to reply to you earlier, but I was going to work.
The issue you described is similar to an issue I had just over a year ago, except it was an el cheapo Walkman FX-28 but nonetheless, it could help. Read my post and listen to my sample audio. Skip around to near the end for more distortion. I eventually figured out that every battery I was putting in there was drained. I know it sounds stupid and insults your intelligence a bit, but try fresh alkaline batteries. None of that cheap Sunbeam or dollar store blue Panasonic bullshit. I'm talking straight Duracell and Energizer. Even better though, Panasonic Eneloops Best rechargeable batteries on Planet Earth period. Plus IIRC, your Walkman uses 4 batteries and this pack comes with 4 precharged batteries as well as a simple, yet effective charger.

Now, I also happened to disassemble my Walkman at the same time as when I changed my batteries to fresh ones. It may have been that I freed something, possibly the belt, that may have been previously stuck or grinding somewhere causing my issue. I know your issue isn't speed, but I had distortion as well.

Your issue might also be most likely due to your dirty volume potentiometer. Get some DeoxIT and spray that bitch and rock it back and forth. I forget the right kind to use, but luckily, I made a post on TapeHeads.net asking exactly that question. Read the long reply and you'll know what to use.

90%, this is your solution right here, provided your batteries are fresh and nothing else is horribly wrong with your Walkman. I read that the D6 and D6C have problems with grease turning to glue and it's pretty common. That can cause at best, some wow and flutter and at worst, tape eating or refusing to work at all. You should look at getting it fixed by the guy in Slovakia who goes by Dr. Walkman, mihokm, or Marian. He does excellent work on restoring these things.

Hope this helps.

Not paid by Panasonic, just my honest opinion.

(Not the original commenter, but I thought I could help out a bit)

1. Audio clipping is when the audio is recorded too loud for the microphone to process it correctly. (Like if you were to yell into a mic as loud as you can, it would sound really distorted.) To fix this, you can turn down the gain on your mics a bit until it peaks (the loudest point your audio reaches) at around -7dB.
   
   
2. A reflector is a great, cheap tool you can use to fill out the lighting in your shot. I'd suggest looking up videos about three-point lighting to learn about good lighting practices.
   
   
3. Your shots could definitely have been framed better (where the subject is in the shot). The "headroom" principle is especially noteworthy here. The idea is your subject's head should have enough room in front of it, so he doesn't look like he's staring at a wall. It also could have been raised up higher in the frame. You can also work on the different kinds of shots you incorporate, whether they be establishing shots, closeups, etc. In this case, it seems you only used side shots of each character, making the film as a whole a little boring.
   
   
4. The thing about comedy is it's all about timing. The biggest thing that I noticed was the reeeeallly long shot of the character going "Uhhhhhhhhhh..." It didn't really add anything in the first place and it being drawn out just made it worse. So yes, snappier dialogue and just better pacing (another key word to look up) in general.
   
   
   I'm sorry if I come off as mean or anything. I'm really just trying to help you become as good a filmmaker as you can be. Don't be discouraged and I urge you to just keep making films (practice practice practice).
   
   Let me know if you have any questions.

I agree about the background, but it was my only option since my house is so dark! It's funny because just this morning I ordered this kit:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FHZ2SI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm pretty excited about it. I feel like I can't get much detail from my pics, and figured getting a solid background would improve things tons, as well as less distracting. Plus i can't for the life of me get a good pic of a solid black or white garment outside.

I use my galaxy s4. I know other sellers use their cell phones as well, and I personally don't intend to change that. I don't feel like getting a nice expensive camera isn't in the cards for me at the moment. Plus it's super convenient for me to use my phone.

Hi /u/griel1o1 - it's taken me several years and a lot of trial and error - but I have put together a little studio that works. Using what I've learned, you can put together a complete production studio for less than $1000. Here is what I recommend [Referral Links]:

CAMERA:

• [Panasonic DMC-G6 camera with kit lens - $710] (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575034783&toolid=10001&campid=5337235943&customid=&icep_item=201073493366&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg). This is the best value for money large sensor, interchangeable lens camera with a video-capable viewfinder, hours of continuous recording and a mic jack below $1000. Links below the equipment list show what this camera can do. DSLRs such as the Canon T2i/T3i/T4i/T5i have viewfinders that go blank when you switch to video mode (blocked by the mirror, which is useless for filmmaking). This forces you to use the LCD for composition and focus - which can be a chalenge outdoors, where the LCD can be washed out by bright sunlight. Many Canon shooters buy expensive LCD viewfinders or Electronic Viewfinders (EVFs) to shoot outdoors. The G6, on the other hand, has a built-in EVF - so outdoor shooting is not a problem.
  
  DSLRs are also limited to 12-30 minutes of continuous recording before they have to be restarted. The G6 can record for hours continuously, without interruption. This can be very helpful for long interviews and speeches.
  
  This camera is also compatible with power zoom lenses, when you can afford them. There are no affordable power zoom lenses for low-end Canon DSLRs.
  
  SUPPORT:
  
  
• [Ravelli AVTP Professional Tripod - $130] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00139W0XM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00139W0XM&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20). I own this tripod, and it is professional quality, with a 75mm bowl - which allows you to level the camera without adjusting the legs. A huge time saver.
  
  AUDIO:
  
  
• [2 Rode Smart Lavs to plug into iPhones - $120] (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5575034783&toolid=10001&campid=5337235943&customid=&icep_item=181244511796&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg) With the [free Rode Rec LE App] (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/r-de-rec-le/id590021166?mt=8), you can plug these mics into iPhones, sync the audio tracks in the editing suite, and have a pro quality recording solution without buying an external recorder.
  
  
• [SmartLav to camera adapter - $17] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L6C8PNU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00L6C8PNU&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20). For shots where you need to plug one of the lavs directly into the camera.
  
  LIGHTING:
  
  
• [LimoStudio 3 point Umbrella Lighting Kit - $50] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FHZ2SI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FHZ2SI&linkCode=as2&tag=battleforthew-20)
  
  TOTAL STUDIO COST:
  
  $1027
  
  Here is the image quality this camera can produce:
  
  Documentary:
  
  http://vimeo.com/97274302
  
  http://vimeo.com/73561266
  
  http://vimeo.com/87978429
  
  http://vimeo.com/78507820
  
  Narrative:
  
  http://vimeo.com/78037118
  
  http://vimeo.com/81339712
  
  Music Video:
  
  http://vimeo.com/88584840
  
  http://vimeo.com/84436275
  
  Slow Motion/Sport:
  
  http://vimeo.com/76503135
  
  Travel Video:
  
  http://vimeo.com/88543042
  
  http://vimeo.com/86145944 (shot with a power zoom lens)
  
  Compared to the $3000 Canon 5D Mark III: http://vimeo.com/82318903
  
  There are many more examples on the Panasonic G6 channel I moderate over on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/groups/dmcg6
  
  It's a pretty good still camera too:
  
  https://www.flickr.com/groups/lumix-g6/pool/
  
  https://www.flickr.com/groups/2217639@N20/
  
  Hope this is helpful and saves you some time and money!
  
  Bill
  

Trying to set up to take photographs of my watercolor paintings to produce digital copies that I can make prints from. I am open to buying stuff if I need to, but if possible would like to use what I already have. My main concerns are accurate colors, even lighting and of course a sharp image without distortion. Will be editing in Adobe Photoshop. I am by no means a good photographer, but I am a bit familiar with manual settings. Both my brother and dad were into photography at some point, so I have access to some gear.

I have:

Nikon D7100

50mm f/1.8 and a 50mm f/1.4 G

35mm f/1.8 G

85mm f/3.5 G ED macro

4 tripods

3500K light bulbs

A wall to attach paintings to


My current plan is to use the 50mm f/1.4 lens on a tripod about 3ft away from the wall - or at a distance where the painting fills most of the viewfinder. I put two 3500k lights on tripods and will have one on both sides ideally at a 45 degree angle (or less?). Will be shooting raw and at iso 100 - that's about the extent of my plan but I am trying to do more research for the best set up.

My questions are: Would some sort of color balance or grey card help? I am not exactly familiar with how something like this works but I've seen them mentioned in a few places online - it seems expensive but accurate colors is important to me.

Should I get something to diffuse the lights? I am almost just considering getting something like this if that would be sufficient.

Any critique of my plan or other tips on photographing artwork would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Also, if you don't want the kit lens and only want to get the 55-200 you should give them a call. They might knock off an extra $75 or so.

To be honest though, if I were buying new again, (I own a d40x and am in the process of getting a d300) I would start with a D80 and here's why. The d40/d40x/d60 is a great camera, really, it's awesome for an entry level rig. It does have one major drawback, which is also why they are so cheap in price not quality. They don't have an internal lens motor. Not having a lens motor limits the lenses you can put on the camera. You pretty much need to get lenses with motors in them if you want to auto focus.

Why this is a problem. I was recently looking to buy a 50mm f1.4. There are several Nikon options. The older 50mm lenses cost between $100-200 used and have great image quality but I couldn't use them on my camera unless I gave up auto focus. The only lenses that would work are the sigma and the new Nikon that was literally just released. They cost $450, clearly much more expensive.

So, the d40 line are cheaper now and if you just want to take nicer vacation pictures will work absolutely great but if you want to move into any other sort of photography they'll quickly become more expensive because you'll be forced to buy more expensive lenses. Something like this might work. It's a little more than what you want to spend but it's a great camera and the 18-135 lens will give you much greater flexibility than the standard 18-55 kit lens.

Or this and this

I'm far from an expert, but I have a 7D, and I can tell you a few things to consider.

• A 7D has a crop (APS-C) sensor, whereas the 5D has a Full Frame Sensor. The difference being that any lens you put on a 7D is going to be zoomed in by 1.6x compared to the 5D. See here. In other words, a 50mm lens on a 7D is going to act like an 80mm lens would on the 5D. Full frame sensors have a more shallow depth of field, too, which may or may no be desirable with video. Shallow DoF looks nice, but you really have to be precise when focusing.
  
  
• Both the 7D and 5D have fixed LCD view screens. The 60D, which is like a cheaper version of the 7D, has a flip out screen, so you can see what you are filming when you are in front of the camera. An alternative would be using a laptop or tablet to as an eternal monitor. Honestly, if video was my focus, I would go with the 60D. 7D is better for still photography, though. Just my opinion.
  
  
• The 7D, 5D and 60D do not have continuous focus for video, like what you are probably used to on a regular video camera. That means you have to manual focus with the focus rings on the lens, as you are filming. It gets easier with a lot of practice. The only Canon dSLR that I know of that has continuous focus on video is the Rebel T4i, which is quite a down grade from either of the previous. Also, the only lens that I know of that is compatible with continuous focus (so far) is the 40mm Pancake lens. That's a good, cheap lens to have in your arsenal, though.
  
  
  
• The 5D does not have a built in flash, but that probably doesn't matter to you, if you are only doing video. Either way, I would get a speedlight if you need a flash. I have used my pop up in a pinch, though. All the other models I mentioned do have a flash.
  
  
• Other people are likely to have different opinions, but some cheap starter lenses I would consider are; Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8 (Nifty Fifty), Canon 40mm ƒ/2.8 (Pancake Lens), and Tamron 17-50mm ƒ/2.8 (great, fast lens for video for the price IMO).
  
  Again, I cannot stress enough, that I am not as experienced as many of the photographers in this subReddit, so if they have differing opinions, you may want to consider theirs over mine. I hope I could help a little, at least.
  
  EDIT: Changed the order of my comments.

A question before I start; will you be using an editor to sync things up in post or would you rather take things together(audio and video) and have them all sorted out at one time?

Here's a list of things that I think would be beneficial, but not an encompassing list. If you're trying to go for a cheap list that could still get the job done, I find that these items have decent reviews on Amazon and websites and they do offer a good starting point for a budget.

1. The Camera: Canon EOS M2 ($250)
   
   I feel like the Canon EOS M2 would be a strong contender. It is actually a mirrorless camera that has the same sensor as that of the more expensive T3i. Due to it's lack of popularity with photographers due to the slower autofocus, it has seen multiple price reductions. Although it contains autofocusing issues in the photography modes, it's video modes are what really helps this camera out. You have a good starting lens with an 18-55mm lens, which may be wide enough for that room at 18, but it could even be close enough for a closer image. You can even be more technical and add in other features. Also this camera has a direct mic-in line for use of an external mic, like the shotgun mic below.
   
   
2. The Audio: Zoom H1 Portable Audio Recorder $99 OR TAKSTAR SGC-598 $29.99
   
   Audio is key here. You want to be able to hear the pastor as he gives sermons, so you have two general models. You can place the portable recorder closer to him, giving you crisp audio at a very minimal distance, or you can attach a shotgun microphone to the camera and pick it up from a distance further away. The only thing is, would you rather have the camera do it all for you or would you rather have to sync up the audio in editing? The Zoom mic is nice because you can purchase one of these ($21.38) and mic the pastor up before service to give a very crisp lapel audio.
   
   
3. The SD Cards: Sandisk 64GB 80mb/s ($22.49)
   
   This should be a given.
   
   
4. Power and Adapters: AC Adapter ($15.50) OR 2-Pack Spare Batteries($28.99)
   
   You can choose to have it either plugged in the whole time during recording, or you can have it run off of batteries. Your personal preference.
   
   
5. Tripod: AmazonBasics 60" tripod ($23.49)
   
   You requested a tripod for the ease of use.
   
   Given that you live in the US, after taxes, you're essentially looking at a $500 setup for all of that equipment. That may not be the best equipment for people or even be suggested by anyone else here, but that is just my $0.02.
   
   
   Source: Use the EOS M1 and most of the gear listed.

If I were you I'd go out and try to shoot some landscape photography with your 18-55mm lens and take a look at the shots afterwards to determine if the wide-angle is necessary. 18mm is pretty wide and would work well for a lot of landscape shots but you go shooting with it and if you think you need a bit wider then go for it!

Getting a telephoto lens would, like you said, give you a wider range of shots and would be great for wildlife photography when you're out shooting landscapes and spot a deer, or other animal.

Another lens you might want to consider is the Canon 50mm f/1.8 which is great for portraits and it's only $110.

There's this bundle here for $350 it includes the 10-18mm lens you mentioned as well as the 50mm lens I mentioned.

Some other options:

Canon 24mm f/2.8 which is a lot of people on this sub recommend as a good general purpose lens. ($150)

Samyang 14mm f/2.8 is another highly recommend wide-angle lens mentioned on this sub, manual focus only but it's cheap! ($300)

Edit:

Also, check out this thread from yesterday! It was basically asking people from this sub what their favorite relatively cheap lens were and I found it extremely helpful.

Hi /u/nerdress -

The Rode Videomic Pro is a pretty good mic but the t3i is really, really bad for audio no matter how good the microphone. I'd strongly suggest getting an external recorder like the H4N or, at the very minimum, a H1N. You may want to pair it with a XLR shotgun mic like this if you can find the $$$.

A tripod is something that can last for many years, but the one you linked to is really bottom of the barrel. This is something I'd suggest investing a little more money into, you are going to want a universal fluid head specifically if you plan on doing video work semi-regularly. I'd get a semi-compact Manfrotto tripod like that one, you won't regret it.

Lastly, do you plan on using the kit lens? I'd suggest grabbing the famous nifty fifty. It's a legend for many reasons (super sharp, great lowlight, durable as can be).

Also you are going to want to get this battery grip for the t3i if you don't have one already. I remember when I shot on a t3i I purchased that out of whim, and I'm pretty sure I never took it off for 3+ years. It not only extends your battery, but it makes the camera much more comfortable to hold.

Hope some of this helps, sounds like you'll be in good shape! Remember, audio is just as important as video, so it's smart to invest in that type of gear.

So ill focus on three things: Audio, lighting and general video stability ect.

First off Audio.
Audio makes up alot of the video and if it sucks its bad. The built in mics on phones are pretty good but the rode video mic me will add value
I dont think this is the first and most important thing and you should look at some alternatives wich are cheaper. Just buy something because if youre going to be further away from the phone the sound will often suck. Heres a good video on this topic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5M3Zn8h27c

next up lighting, think about your current setup, will you be able to film at night, wdo you have enough light? If you have alot of space id recommend a softbox kit from amazon. You get 2 sopftboxes for usually around 50bucks wich will give you soft even light.If you dont have enough space/budet look for led video lights on amazon. neewer has something called like 160 or whatever.Its just a big thing with lots of leds and it gets super bright(https://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic-Samsung/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487198195&sr=8-1&keywords=neewer+led)
You might need something to hold up the light but books will also do the job.

As for general I think theres 2 things. One either a gorilla pod or tripod, think about your situation. Will a gorilla pod get high enough?Again books will do the job fine but it can be annoying. A regular tripod will be comfortable to use but might not work for you. And last is some app that lets you change settings, I think theres one called filmicpro just look up some video shoting apps. Mainly you want it to turn off auto focus exposure ect so theres no weird jumping around focus/exposure.

Good luck with your channel, I think an app that lets you turn off autofocus and exposure is very important and depending on your situation you should invest in lights or audio. Or maybe even both.

Have fun with your eating!

Sorry, I didn't provide much background - Here is something I posted in an earlier thread
>
> My current equipment :
>
> 1. Camera : Canon T3i
> 2. Lenses : Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, Canon 50mm f/1.8, Canon 55-250mm f/4.0-f/5.6
> 3. Tripod : Proline Dolica
> 4. Software : Photoshop CS3 and Lightroom 6
>
> Using these, I manage to get these : Album
>
> I want to further my astrophotography, but realize I would need better equipment to better these.
>
>
>
> Which of these would be best bang for my buck for a step forward with astrophotography?
>
> 1. A tracker : Ioptron SkyTracker OR Vixen Polarie
> 2. A good solid tripod and ball head
> 3. PixInsight software (Is there a cheap or free alternative to a $250 software? I tried DSS, but found it to be inconsistent with results)
>
> I know a good answer to this would be 'everything', but I can't get myself to spend a lot of $$ at this moment. I could spend a few hundred on one of these, and then at a later point re-evaluate.
>
> Thanks for hooking me into this awesome hobby!

Basically, I have already tried my hand at the milky way and the moon. Without a telescope or a longer zoom lens, I doubt I could do planetary photography. Once I convince myself to buy an Ioptron Skytracker, it could open me up to getting shots of the Pleiades cluster, Andromeda galaxy, Orion nebula. Hence my question.

So it just coincidence then, that all three of them are around the same part of the sky?

Just to compare, here is a selection from the Canon side of things with Amazon used prices:
Canon 7d - $990
Tamron 17-50 2.8 - $340
These two are a great basis to work off off and get you to $1330.

If you want to spend some more you could add the following:
Canon 50mm f/1.8 - 100
Canon Speedlite 430EX - 235

But to be honest, if your wife is just starting out and money is a bit tight, don't go out spending $900 or more on a body. As most people will tell you, picture quality is mostly due to lenses. Canon t3i, Canon t4i or 60D as well as Nikon 3200 and 5100 are all excellent bodies and have more than enough features to keep her happy. If you get either of those bodies and a decent 17-50mm lens as well as a 50mm prime she will have great tools to learn on with space to grow.

Just like daegon I would recommend to buy used. Most Photographers look out for their things quite well and most of these lenses and bodies are made at quite good quality levels. I hope this helps.

I haven't personally ever bought a camera used but I know there are a lot of good places to get a solid deal on an a6000 as it has been out for a while and one of the more popular mirrorless cameras. Sounds like you have a good eye on eBay.

I would check out /r/photomarket as you can get an a6000 for $300-400 depending on amount of shutter count, overall condition, and if it comes with the kit lens. You also might search your local Craigslist and Facebook marketplace for an a6000, might not have any luck but it is worth a shot. You also might check Adorama or B&H as they occasionally have them as well. Your best bet would probably be /r/photomarket thought.

If you want new Amazon usually has it on sale every few months around $400 for the body only. You can check the camelcamelcamel here. If you want the kit lens with it they usually go for $500, again you can check here regarding the historic prices on Amazon. Usually if it goes on sale through Amazon it will be on sale on other sites like Adorama, B&H, etc. If you can hold off I would personally go for a new one via Amazon the next time it goes down to $400.

> I am a leather maker and take horrible pictures of my stuff (maybe it's my skill)

It may be your skill but you're also most likely not using a good lens for it. You need a macro lens that can do 1:1 or 1:2 magnification. Here's a nice video that gives a cool introduction to macro photography and the most common gotchas.

Product photography is not hard once you got a decent lens, you can do it at home and you mostly need a white sheet of paper as background and some natural light coming in through the window. You can of course add artificial lights and all kinds of tricks as well as post-processing, but those are the basics for getting some decent shots straight out of camera.

Now the Tamron SP 90mm mentioned in the above video is a very nice macro lens but a manual focus version is about $200 and an autofocus version is more so it's not a good fit for your budget. Perhaps something to keep in mind for later on. Manual focus is fine for your needs, the leather I presume is not going anywhere so no need for autofocus. The focal length (90mm) is also not a versatile length for travel.

So for now focus on your travel needs. The Sony A6000 with a 16-50mm zoom is about $400-425 used.

The A6000 is a mirrorless camera and can easily adapt macro lenses from most other camera mounts, so it would not be a problem later to get a macro lens plus a $20 adapter and it will work fine. I recommend looking for older manual focus macro lenses because like I said you don't need autofocus, and older lenses are cheaper but just as good as long as the glass is in good condition.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I09WHLW x 2 - Speedlights - $56

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Wireless-Speedlite-Receiver-Universal/dp/B00A47U22U - Wireless Trigger - $19

https://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Photography-Light-Stands-Cases/dp/B001WB02Z4 - Light Stands - $29

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Professional-Universal-Speedlite-Umbrella/dp/B00JJJR7PY - x2 - Cold Shoe - $22

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0132I34K4 - Octobox - $23

https://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Premium-Shoot-Through-Translucent-Umbrella/dp/B005ODKMOC - Shoot though umbrella - $14

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW - 5 in 1 reflector - $20

That brings you for a full starting light setup that can be used for headshots and starting boudoir for $183. And you even have flexablity in there to use a 1 light setup with reflector or use 2 lights. You would want a few sandbags to keep the gear stable, but I am not including those in the price.

Now for a background setup

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=psdc_3444601_t1_B00MTF6ZVC

Is a good basic stand but hard to fit under your budget with the above lighting gear.

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Studio-Collapsible-Backdrop-1-8x2-8m/dp/B00UWL02PU is also an okay starting backdrop, Grey can be turned into white or black. I will warn you that you will need a fabric steamer to get the lines out, but that is pretty much the same however you go with cloth. Another more expensive choice is to go with seamless paper, I love working with paper, but it is an ongoing expense to use it.

Now if you are going to make this her studio all the time, they make http://www.homedepot.com/p/EUCATILE-32-sq-ft-96-in-x-48-in-Hardboard-Thrifty-White-Tile-Board-HDDPTW48/205995949 that you can use to make a great background. Or to me the better option if you are going to use a room as a full time studio, paint the walls, put down hardwood or laminate, and you have a great studio setup.

No problem!

You perfectly described AF-D vs AF-S. The AF-D are significantly cheaper (they are the older generation) coming with the drawback of louder focusing mechanisms and most likely with the added benefit of manual focus rings. Just to be clear, you can operate AF S lenses on both cameras with or without focus motors. It's only AF-D that have the restriction.

Honestly the deal from your friend is nice camera wise, but those lenses are nowhere near the quality you'd get from a good AF-D and maybe a slightly older camera. This is for a few reasons: although the D3300 sensor is newer and may have better high iso performance, those two lenses are f/4 and f/3.5 as opposed to a 1.8 or 2.8 you could easily get for AF-D. Furthermore, those lenses are zoom lenses. While you can get great quality from zoom lenses, take the holy grail 14-24 or 24-70 or 70-200 f/2.8 lenses for example, they have nowhere near the quality : price ratio you can get from a fixed lens.

Here's what I would recommend given your most recent response:

Nikon D7000 for ~$500.
Nikkor 50mm AF f/1.8D lens for ~$125 and I would save up for the Nikkor 35mm AF-S f/1.8G and the Nikkor 85mm AF f/1.8D for a longer lens to add to your bag.

Make sure to shop around because Amazon isn't always the best option. Just to demonstrate, if you went with the 85mm AF-S you would spend an extra $150 and if you go for the 50mm AF-S you would spend an extra $100. That $250 in savings gives you enough to get the 35mm 1.8G and a couple of SD cards, an extra D7000 battery, or maybe a tripod or some other accessory you will undoubtedly pick up after your main purchase!

I have a Rebel T3i. I got my lens kit with it and was soon looking for more lenses, too. For cheap next lenses, two that I would highly recommend are the Nifty Fifty or the EF-S 24mm f/2.8.

The nifty fifty is a great lens and one that many pros even recommend. It's a good focal length to have to portraits and such and will work on even full frame cameras if she gets one in the future. The 24mm lens only works on crop sensor cameras (like the T5 your girlfriend has). But it's still a great cheap addition to her kit. I just used mine recently for a photoshoot with a model and the shots came out great. The focal length is good for portraits on a crop sensor. With the 50mm, I sometimes have to back away further than I'd like to frame the shot right. But the 24mm in the same situation doesn't limit me.

The 50mm also has the advantage of having a f/1.8. This allows some great shallow depth of field in the images she can take (blurry backgrounds) if she so chooses. It makes the subject pop more. Both are lenses I'm very happy to have in my bag. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Thank you! This photo was taken in natural light, but I also have these umbrella lamps , which honestly changed my world since I don’t have to stress about daylight anymore. For food, you generally want to light from one side to best highlight texture and to keep things from going flat. I position one lamp to the side of my food, and the second lamp on the same side but angled slightly behind the food. Then I position a reflector opposite the lamps to help brighten shadows. You’ll need to play a bit to see what works best for different foods and set-ups (I find white-on-white desserts the most challenging), but that’s the gist of it.

I’m a former art director so also adore post-processing. My favorite program is a Photoshop plugin called Topaz Labs. If you use their filters with a very light touch, they can really bring a ton of life back into photos.

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Description|Why you should buy a futon// futons on amazon: US: https://amzn.to/2IpbnQR UK: https://amzn.to/2Xjlfiu CA: https://amzn.to/2Io0pLs⤶You should buy a japanese futon for many reasons and in this video I cover benefits ranging from the construction / composition of a futon as well as the practical benefits one gets from having a futon. As well as some pointers to look out for when in the market for a futon mattress.⤶⤶You can find futons on amazon:⤶US: https://amzn.to/2IpbnQR⤶UK: https://amzn.to/2Xjlfiu⤶CA: https://amzn.to/2Io0pLs⤶⤶This video was recorded using a Canon EOS M50: US: https://amzn.to/2Kxbw6J ⤶UK: https://amzn.to/2P5VKhA CA: https://amzn.to/2UzLeFi⤶Microphone - RODE VideoMicro: US: https://amzn.to/2DbOig1 UK: https://amzn.to/2Zaez87 CA: https://amzn.to/2X8V3Xw⤶⤶Looking to start a YouTube channel I recommend using the analytics tools⤶VidIQ: https://vidiq.com/#_l_yv⤶TubeBuddy: https://www.tubebuddy.com/AlexTheAnder⤶⤶DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.⤶⤶In this video Alexander talks about why people should buy a futon, what the benefits are of owning a japanese futon as it relates to it's material composition, it's benefits for the body as well as some tips for how to best take care of it and what to look out for when in the market for buying a japanese futon bed.

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I know it's been stereotypical to jerk off to the Panasonic G7, but after using it for two years as both a dedicated video and photo camera I've became extremely comfortable using it and can vouch for its superiority. This is the first camera I recommend to family and friends, and at $500 nothing can compare to it.

I'd recommend with the spare cash picking up the 25mm f1.7, its fabulous for the price and produces some amazing results.

Heres my website if you want to check out what I've done with the camera.

Here's the thing about optics for astronomy. The reason that we can't see stuff isn't because it's very far or small, but because it's very dim. To see the most interesting things in the sky, you don't really need to zoom, but just collect more light (effectively make your pupil larger). It's also comparatively much less expensive to make a larger light collector than it is to make something with a lot of zoom. Zoom is good for looking at the moon or Jupiter. Light buckets are better for everything else, like galaxies or nebulae.

So my advice to you is to look at 2 options. 1st is a "dobsonian telescope" which is basically a big tube with a concave mirror at the bottom to direct something like 12" of light into your 1/4" pupil. $3000 is more than you need, and many people actually just build them, because the mirror to eyepiece alignment is the important part and the rest is just for making it easy to aim, adjust and transport. The 2nd thing which I recommend you can do inexpensively right now is to buy some astronomy binoculars and a basic camera tri-pod to mount them on. With these you'll be able to find tons of stuff. Most of the stuff you'll look for with 12" dob scope, but just with less definition. These are the ones that I have and they're great!

>I just order a i1display pro and the Spears & Munsil UHD benchmarks.

>I don't know why, I thought it would cost alot for the calibration tools.

Unfortunately that's not all you'll need. That disc is a physical media pattern generator not a calibration tool. You'll need software between the actual meter and the pattern generator to view and tweak the results(gamma,greyscale, color manegement).

HCFR is free to download and use but doesn't have a preset workflow that basically just makes the user a button pusher like some of the paid software like Calman does. HCFR also has a built in pattern generator that makes the Spears and Munsil disc more of a double check my results option. Also a good idea to invest in an Amazon basics camera tripod as well to mount the colorimeter to. Also get an extended female to male USB cord as the one attached to the display Pro isn't very long and you'll want it to reach your laptop's USB input from its mounted point a foot or so in front of the screen. Best to do the 2 point grayscale first without gamma and then move on to the 20 point with gamma correction considered to fine tune everything. This is to dial in the white point's luminance. Then if the TV offers access to a color mgmt system you move on to that as well. In my Sony there was no CMS so I stopped at grayscale and gamma. If you're going to pay for software Chromapure offers free point updates and lifetime support as well. No maintenance fees or the like. Actual upgrades to new redesigned software will be offered at a discounted price.

I would ask for gift cards, i.e. Amazon and B&H, or money. You can save these up and get nicer equipment or build your own rigs. But a nice Tripod can make a huge difference. But honestly, it all depends on what you film. Such as me, I often shoot on locations so lenses with a faster aperture do more than a set of studio lights. Here are my recommendations for basic stuff to ask for Christmas:

CN-160 LEDs - about $30 (http://www.amazon.com/NEEWER%C2%AE-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/) and of course some NP-F970 Batteries go along well for about another $22 (http://www.amazon.com/Halcyon-Replacement-NEX-EA50UH-DCR-VX2100-HDR-FX1000/dp/B008X9L6ZS/)

Extra batteries - The off-brand batteries work well. I have two and they are great

Extra Memory Cards - I highly reccommend Lexar as my SanDisks don't work insanely well anymore.

Stabilizer Rigs - The Mantis Rig Is A Great Rig for everything (especially starting) and is only $33 (http://www.amazon.com/Mantis-Folding-Rig-Fotodiox-Transformable/dp/B00AUKBV7G) Or if you want to get a glidecam-style I suggest the Laing P-4S stabilizer which is like $275 and includes a bag and weights (http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Release-Plate-Laing-Stabilizer/dp/B00G3TCYQK/)

And My Best Piece of Lighting Equipment - A Reflector which you can get for like $20. (http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-43-Inch-Collapsible-Multi-Disc-Reflector/dp/B002ZIMEMW/) There's plenty of different sizes, too.

Alright, thats not too difficult.

I'd recommend a mid level Nikon body. They have the better landscape camera and also the better landscape stuff high up in the range. Much better dynamic range which makes raw files more pliable. Pulling shadows etc. if you enjoy pushing files on the computer thats definitely a benefit.

​

For the camera, I'd go for aD5500 or so. 5400 etc would all be good too. If you want a larger higher end body the Nikon D7000 or D7100 are good choices. Or the D90 if you are willing to put up with body that old. Generally I reckon the D5500 is a good middle ground. It also has a tiltable screen which helps with odd compositions.

Reason I'd recommend this over a mirrorless is that mirrorless cameras are newer and often more expensive. They can definitely do the same job but the DSLR is more rugged and has better batterylife than the cheaper mirrorless cameras. I do second the other people here in saying that you should go to a store and try some out. In general for a first camera a classic DSLR is a solid choice though. End of the day with no specific demands it's a VERY broad choice, there is 100's of cameras that fit into your criteria and it's virtually impossible to weigh them all equally. Hence the idea to just get started, have fun and then after a while you'll have a much better idea of what specifics you want, and that could mean different lenses, different body or perhaps even a different system, no way to know.

​

For lenses

I'd buy the Nikon 18-140. It's a very large zoom, not the best lens but it will allow you to shoot landscape to birds. You'll be able to figure out what you want from the camera and invest in glass for that in the future.

That should leave you some money for memory cards and a tripod. For those I'd just recommend a Sandisk 32gb card or so. For the tripod investing in a good tripod isn't a bad idea. But for your first the cheap Amazon Basics one will get you up to speed. Its not the best but then again it's dirt cheap and it does it's job decently .Alternatievly a Manfrotto or Benro, there are many tripods and that is an entire topic by itself.

Hi ! My first camera was a canon 70D too ! A great all around camera especially if you are into videography. About what lenses you should get, you should definitely buy the nifty fifty, it is just a fantastic lens for its price !
If you are a video enthusiast, you should consider buying the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 which has a great IQ, a nice optical stabilizer and a constant f2.8, video I made with the sigma+70d here.

Or if you can afford a canon lens, the equivalent that is this one.

Anyway, the 70D is probably one of the best camera out there to start. Make sure to read a lot of books about photography, exposure, etc.. And even consider joining /r/photoclass2017/ !

Have a great day !

If it were up to me, I would get a Rode Video Micro, which is around $40 cheaper than the Video Mic Go, (I'm going USD because that's where I am, not sure if you are GBP or what, but the price ratio should be around the same) and from most of the reviews out there seems to be a bit better all around, and it comes with a dead-cat wind breaker, which you would have to pay extra for if you got the Go. If you are shooting in a forest you'll want that to help break any wind noise coming in through the trees.

Here is a review comparing the Video Micro with the Video Mic Go and the Video Mic Pro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSfDWCpRUk8

So case 1 is get a Video Mic Go for around $100 (https://www.amazon.com/Rode-VMGO-Lightweight-Microphone-Super-Cardio/dp/B00GQDORA4) and get a dead cat wind screen for around $30 (https://www.amazon.com/Rode-DDCGO-DeadCat-Artificial-Shield/dp/B00JG8IBW6/ref=pd_bxgy_267_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X6C0TJQWT1W5RK1TW680) because you will absolutely need it if there is any kind of wind. That would be around $130-140 depending on shipping/tax/etc.

Case 2 is get a Rode Video Micro, which I personally own and really really like, and that is $60 AND comes with a wind screen, so for the money you have saved you could get a Zoom H1 as well and come out pretty close to the same price!
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1183909-REG/rode_videomicro_compact_on_camera.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1260111-REG/zoom_h1b_h1_ultra_portable_digital_audio.html
$60 for the mic + ~$80 for the recorder puts you at $140, so like $10 more. Not bad in my opinion. And it gets you the peace of mind of being able to monitor your audio, make sure that you don't have any weird interference or background noise since it has a headphone jack. Yes, you have to sync audio in post, but it is totally worth it in the huge jump in audio quality. This is basically the setup that I used for quite a while (H1+ Nikon ME-1 mic for me, so this setup is probably even better) and it is a really cheap option compared to what is out there (now I am using a Zoom H4n Pro + Sennheiser Lavalier Mics + Rode Video Mic Pro and some other gear as well,) and there probably isn't a massive difference between the two setups.

Just my opinion, but I think that you would end up with better audio the second way, and the audio really makes the movie. Bad audio and a good video image/story still generally is a bad video.

I'd say do it, but you're going to have to spend the money on a lens that has the autofocus motor built into it. A great lens would be this 35mm. It's a great lens. I'm also a fan of this 50mm but it will not auto-focus on your D50.

That 35mm though, I promise you will fall in love with it, and it will still work perfectly when you upgrade cameras.

Container: Rubbermaid 20 gal Brute Bin

Lights: Kingbrite 60 W Quantum Board (if you want dimmable, ask for a dimmable driver like the HLG-60H-36B and a potentiometer)

Screws: You'll need lots of nuts, long screws, washers, and spacers to mount the board and PSU. First put the board on the lid and mark where to drill, then drill holes. Then put the power supply on the outside in the middle, mark and drill those hoses. Mount power supply and then flip lid over and mount the light, using long screws and nuts to hold it in place (the light should NOT touch the lid but be 1-2 inches from it, held in place by nuts). Drill small hole for power line, then connect. Finally, drill 3 inch hole for exhaust beside the light. You'll also need long screws with nuts to keep the fan and shrouds together. Be sure to use spaces anywhere the screw heads or nuts are touching the lid or the lights. For light spacers, I used rubber spaces between the nuts.

Cooling shrouds: 120mm Fan Duct Cooling Shroud to 4 Inch Vent Hose

90 degree 4 inch elbow for exhaust: 4 in. 90° Round Adjustable Elbow

4" to 3" reducer for exhaust: 4 in. to 3 in. Round Reducer

2x regular JB Weld to mount the reducer and 3 inch "trunk"

Fan: Delta AFB1212SHE-PWM 120mm x 38mm 4pin PWM+Tac Sensor Extreme Hi-speed 3700 RPM 151 CFM

Fan controller: Noctua NA-FC1 4-pin PWM Fan Controller

Fan power supply: LE Power Adapter, UL Listed, 3A, 120V AC to 12V DC Transformer, 36W Power Supply

Fan power supply adapter: CRJ Female DC Power Supply Plug to 12V Molex Power Adapter Cable

Fan molex adapter: Coolerguys Mini 3-4 pin Fan Adapter (Single)

2x ABS fan elbow (for "snout" intake): 3 in. ABS DWV 90-Degree Hub x Hub Long-Turn Elbow

Air filter for intake: 16.25 in. x 12.5 in. x 0.19 in. - 16.3 in. x .2 in. x 12.5 in. - CF300 Carbon Filter

Air filter (not pictured): VIVOSUN 4 Inch Air Carbon Filter Odor Control with Australia Virgin Charcoal for Inline Fan

Fan hose (not pictured): iPower GLDUCT4X8C 4 inch 8 feet Non-Insulated Flex Air Aluminum Foil

Watering device (not pictured): Janolia Automatic Irrigation Kit, Self Watering System, with Electronic Water Timer

Camera (not pictured): Wyze Cam 1080p HD Indoor Wireless Smart Home Camera with Night Vision (glue steel piece for magnetic base onto the upper side of the bin)

Notes: This design is very safe because it keeps all electronic components high in the bin. At the same time, using a battery powered watering system keeps you from requiring to ever open it. The lamp runs very cool. The PWM fan controller works well and keeping the air moving without using a lot of power (do NOT buy a cheap voltage modulator, I did first and it doesn't work nearly as well as the PWM controller). The Wyze cam is super cheap and lets you keep an eye on everything or make timelapses. Have fun growing your tomatoes!

Yep, you have a solid starter lens kit:

1. 18-55 non-VR
   
   
2. 18-55 VR; the difference between these two is that the VR one has Vibration Reduction. This is a form of optical stablilization, allowing you to shoot in situations that might require a slower shutter speed and the lens will do its best to negate small movements while taking the shot. This is a great feature! The focal range and apertures (how much light the lens lets in as well as the depth of field, blurriness, the lens will allow you to have) are the same with both of these lenses. It is a normal focal range from a little bit wide (18mm) to a little bit tele (55mm). The VR one is the better one to keep, you don't need them both, you could sell the first one for 60 bucks, maybe?
   
   
3. 55-200, this will start at the 55mm focal length from the above lenses and stretch all the way out to 200mm, which is a pretty decent zoom range. No stabilization
   
   
4. 70-300, this lens starts at the 70mm range, so a modest tele (good for portraits as it is a flattering focal range for faces) to 300mm, which is the start of a decent telephoto range for sports and wildlife that won't scurry away if you get too close. Also has stabilization
   
   3 and 4 have a lot of overlap. They both have similar aperture capabilities and focal ranges. One starts a little wider, at 55 vs 70, but the other stretches longer at 300 vs 200. The 70-300 has optical stabilization, so this would be the one I would pick if the optical quality is good. As far as optical quality, you might want to ask the Nikon folks (I'm a Canon guy) on which of the two lenses are better. I personally think having both is a little overkill and would keep the one with the better optical quality, then sell the non-VR 18-55 and the worse of the two long range zooms and take that money and get a 50mm 1.8 prime (meaning a fixed focal length) to allow you to play with really cool narrow depth of field photos and nice blurry backgrounds. This is always fun for people just starting to shoot. Plus a f/1.8 lens will allow you to shoot in really dark scenarios where as the other lenes, at f3.5 and f/4.5 maximums, won't. Lower the f-stop, the more light the lens lets in. They can be found for relatively cheap
   
   If you did this, you would have the following:
   
   

• Nikon D40x
  
• 50mm f/1.8 for a nice, normal view similar to what our eyes can see and can shoot in low light, but is a fixed focal range of 50mm
  
• 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 with VR for a nice mix of wide-ish angle and some normal angle shots all in one lens, but will be limited by the smaller apertures in low light, but has vibration control
  
• 55-200mm/70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 (I would choose the 70-300 VR most likely) that lens you have a lot of reach for far away objects like sports or non-skitish wildlife.

www.kenrockwell.com is a good resource for info. There are literally tons of online resources, blogs, videos, etc scattered across the web.

Definitely read the manual as the D7100 is an intense camera for someone unfamiliar with DSLRs (good choice though, I love mine).

Try to use manual settings as often as possible. You'll definitely want to understand the shutter and aperture relationship...they're like peas and carrots.

As for baby pics, check out out the nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D lens. It's very affordable and you'll love the shallow depth of field at f/1.8. The lenses you have will be great. Here is some info on aperture and depth of field: http://www.exposureguide.com/focusing-basics.htm

Here's a link for the nikkor 50mm lens on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00005LEN4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1407380138&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40

Here is a bit on prime lenses vs zoom lenses: http://digital-photography-school.com/prime-vs-zoom-lenses-which-are-best/

Eventually you'll want a tripod.

Shoot lots of pictures.

Do you have photoshop or Lightroom? RAW files are extremely awesome: http://photographyconcentrate.com/10-reasons-why-you-should-be-shooting-raw/

Pretend you're the paparazzi with friends, not strangers.

Have fun and be creative.

So I don't know anything apart from what I just looked up, so take everything with a grain of salt

https://m.dpreview.com/articles/9076353662/canoneos450d

It was announced in 2008, somewhat old, 12MP is plenty of resolution so I'm sure you could take great images with it still.



Does it have a lens? Something like a 18-55 kit lens?

If you need a lens something like
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00894YP00/ref=psdcmw_173565_t3_B00NI3BZ5K
Or
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NI3BZ5K/ref=pd_aw_sim_421_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=F3A4QFZXYJBJKCK19SXV&dpPl=1&dpID=61-egfIh2BL

Would be solid, inexpensive options that would produce great image quality, plus you could use them with newer Canon APS-C cameras if you upgraded to something like a 7D in the future.

You should be able to mount any EF/EF-S lenses on it, and in general the glass is more important than the camera. But I'd probably buy a more modern version before dropping big $$ on like an 70-200 2.8 L lens or something, if only just for the improvements in usability that come with 9 years of software changes.

But you can start making great images on basically anything.

Hope that helps

>Basically I'm looking for one that runs on AA batteries, is relatively easy to pocket or doesn't take up too much space on my duty belt; something decently bright to cut through foliage and search for objects/people.

>I've been looking at the Nitecore EA41/21 and MT2A.

"Cut through foliage". So you're looking for something with good throw/tight hotspot? Just remember, the larger the reflector, the more throw. The EA21/MT2A isn't going to have the throw that the EA41 has due to the smaller reflector on them. There's really no good throwers in those smaller sizes but for the EA41 size, I'd suggest getting the Thrunite TN41 XP-L HI instead which puts the EA41 to shame. This guy is 5mm shorter but 5mm wider but the thing that excels in this guy is the XP-L HI emitter which is designed for even more improved throw over other emitters on the market.

As many suggest, rechargeable are the way to go which I'll show you. I've actually borrowed the EA41 from my buddy to test which here is the runtime on High output. As you can see the NiMH rechargeable Eneloop batteries put both Energizer and Rayovac to shame. Yes Eneloop may be more expensive up front but they can be recharged up to 2000 times. So even though we know in the graph that 4 Eneloop batteries out-perform 4 Alkaline batteries, lets just pretend that they were equal. So you can get a 4 pack with a charger for $18 which would replace at least 8000 Alkaline batteries (4 rechargeable AA x 2000 recharge cycles). Can you get that many Alkalines for that price? Buy a backup 4 pack and you just replace another 8000 batteries along with having a backup of your own set so you'll always have a fresh set of batteries waiting on the charger.

One note, if you ever do think you'll get into Lithium-Ion batteries, I'd suggest getting a different charger like the Nitecore D4. I have this guy which can charge both Li-ion & NiMH batteries of many many sizes.

As for Lithium-Ion flashlight suggestions (just to throw them out there), the Armytek Predator XP-L HI is nearly best in class which it should have the same throw as the Thrunite mentioned above. It has a 5mm smaller head, obviously the body is thinner, but it's 40mm longer due to the tail-switch. Also check out the Nitecore MH27 which is nearly similar but has a little better user interface. An added note for the Predator that uses an 18650 Li-ion battery, a single high capacity 18650 battery out-performs over 6 AA Alkaline batteries, even though it's not much bigger than one. This means you can get more power and runtime in smaller applications. Plus these can be recharged as well for 500 cycles so they replace over 2500 AA batteries.

Separation anxiety is really tough. A big part of this is because some dogs are triggered by some stuff, but not others. Some can be managed and even fixed with a chew or a long-lasting puzzle toy, some will not take food.

My two suggestions to figuring out what flavor of sep-anx your dog has and what triggers it:

1. Get a cheap camera. My favorite one is the Wyze cam with an SD card so you can see record motion or sound at your leisure.
   
2. Take note of the "leaving routines" you and your partner do. My boyfriend and I are habit oriented (I'm ADHD so like, I have to do everything in the same order so I don't forget stuff, lol) and my dog totally picked up on our patterns. He started realizing we were leaving when my boyfriend got out of the shower and started dressing, and he started really internally panicking when he saw my boyfriend put his socks on. We tried feeding him in the morning, but because of our observations, we realized our dog would refuse to eat the moment he realized we were leaving and he saw the food as part of the "leaving routine" which made his picky eating a lot worse!
   
   A lot of the super-effective counterconditioning programs out there for effective behavior change will be slow - leaving your dog two minutes at a time. Sometimes dogs do better crated when they are left, some don't. Both my dogs, my Sammy and my terrier mix, have separation anxiety but completely different styles. My terrier as a puppy was much better when she was in a crate covered with a heavy blanket that made the crate into a warm cave. When she got older, we left her loose in the bedroom and she would literally make blanket caves for herself out of our comforters. My Sammy was completely inconsolable in the crate, and if his needs are met he's non-destructive, so he's much easier to keep loose in our house. He is also one of the rare dogs that benefit from having another dog with him when he's home alone (they are still separated in different rooms for completely hilarious and sad reasons), whereas my terrier doesn't. Through observing him and tweaking our setup and our leaving routines, he normally is either completely quiet or our videos show he barks for about 2 minutes and then goes to sleep and is totally ok. He's also a dog who likes to watch TV, so when his SA was at its worst we actually would put fast moving dogs on YouTube for him and noticed on our camera that it helped a bit.
   
   So to figure out what will fix, or at least help the issue, it's good to have some observations of your dog alone and also how he behaves around you and work to create better associations to you leaving or giving your dog some coping skills. It's always rough when you start out working on it and any fix that is effective (and puts your dog in a good place mentally and emotionally) usually takes a bit of time and some iterations to implement.

This is highly dependent on your price range, but if you're going to be in it for $500 prizes, I'm going to assume you'd like to spend less than $1000.

In that case, you can't really go wrong with a Canon dSLR, especially the t series, their entry level camera. I think the newest version is the Canon t5i, but the t4i and t3i also shoot high quality 1080p video and you'll be able to find them for cheaper.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is increasingly popular in that price range, but I wouldn't recommend it to an amateur. It has a fantastic image but a high learning curve.

Nikon dSLR's are great too, but if you invest in Nikon lenses as a videographer, you're going to have a bad time. The majority of video camera bodies are manufactured for Canon mount lenses, so if you ever want to leave Nikon, you're kind of stuck or forced to use lens mount convertors.

With all of these cameras, lenses are arguably more important than the camera itself. With the Canon, the best bang for your buck is going to be a Canon 50mm 1.8. It's a cheap lens, but it has a great image for the price and is great in low light. If you can afford a good 2.8 zoom lens like the 17-55 2.8, go for it, but it's often near $1000.

After wanting a DSLR for several years, I recently decided to bite the bullet and finally buy one. I picked up the D7000, and a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. While this lens is perfect for me so far and does everything that I want while I continue to learn, eventually I'll be looking to acquire more lenses. Heres where I'm confused on what would actually be the best lenses to purchase down the road. I'm not constantly shooting portraits, or fast paced sports games; I usually just shoot whatever I want, whenever.
 

I'm looking to grab either a 35mm, 50mm, or a wide angle. These are what I've found so far that have my interest: 35mm f/1.8G, 50mm f/1.8G. I'm not exactly sure which would be better since I have a 28-75. I've read a ton of articles of 35mm vs 50mm, and even wide angle but I'm still confused on which to buy. I would like to take city landscape, food, and possibly portraits with whatever lens I get. Any wide angle recommendations would be appreciated.
 

Secondly, I want to purchase a telephoto but I'm not sure which one would suit my lifestyle more. Right now I wouldn't mind spending $5-700 for this. I was looking at this model: 70-200mm f/2.8 I would eventually upgrade to a better telephoto, but for the time being I don't necessarily want to spend $1,000+. Any suggestions on what would be a better lens to buy instead of the one I linked, and what would be a good lens to upgrade to in a few years?
 

I've taken a few longer exposure night time shots that have turned out very nice, but I wasn't sure about how to do daytime bright light exposures until recently learning about neutral density filters. I've heard multiple pros and cons about adjustable ND filters, so I'm unsure if I should be buying an adjustable or regular filters.

most important for gh2 is lens adaptors / lenses. anything so you don't have to shoot with the extremely limited m4/3 lens selections. I'd go with old school nikon primes. thats the cheapest way to cinema look. I have since invested in more expensive canon zoom lenses, but that is for long term investment, because honestly I don't see m4/3 as having much shelf life in terms of video. I really think panasonic made a mistake with the format. they just got lucky that hackers made the gh2 so awesome. so yea, for more expensive glass, I'd say its smarter to invest in s35 or full frame.

Audio. I use a zoom H4n for my dslr recording. I have an me-66 for shotgun stuff, and sennheiser g2 kits for wireless (with the me-2 mic). i usually just do wireless for most things. does the job great.

Shoulder rig, anything really will do. I recommend you don't be seduced by the zacuto stuff, if only because equally functional rigs can be had for 1/10th the cost. I got a $200 indie systems rig on ebay, then DIY'ed a counter balance for it. works great.

other. may want an on camera light, depending on what you're shooting. there's a light on amazon thats only 34 dollars. its cheap, but again, does the job, for 1/10th the litepanels equivalent. (I have the litepanels micro, purchased for $300, equally cheaply constructed and not nearly as bright.) I would definitely have bought this cheap one if it existed at the time.

As someone who has scratched their lenses with their glasses, PLEASE buy some sort of lens protectors! I bought these in black https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3653631

And while not needed I also purchased the 3D printed brackets for the DAS mod. I bought the first design, but I think they have improved a bit since then.

I would also highly recommend the AMVR facial interface, it has a cut out specifically for glasses and it is super comfortable. https://www.amazon.com/AMVR-Interface-Bracket-Leather-Replacement/dp/B07VT3BM7P

I also bought the VR cover DAS padding because the DAS started to hurt the back of my head. the VR cover padding is AMAZING! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0749JN5G7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Finally, I picked these up rechargeable batteries and they hold a charge for a really long time. I would highly recommend them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JHKSMJU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hope this list helps!

I would suggest that you try it yourself if you have a DSLR (maybe even try it with your smartphone camera if you don't have a DSLR). It takes time, but it can save a lot of money. Unless you go to somewhere like Fiverr, even the cheapest photographers you will find IRL will charge hundreds. Seriously professional ones like to charge thousands. Here's an outline if you're interested:

1. Firstly, get a white backdrop of some kind. When you white out the background in post, you want your reflections on the product to match.
   
2. It's important to use manual settings with product photography; otherwise, you will get unnecessarily noisy images (your auto mode on your DSLR expects you to be shooting handheld, not on a tripod, so it uses a relatively fast shutter speed and thus high ISO and low f/stop). Set your aperture to something like f11 to f18, ISO 100, and adjust shutter speed to expose slightly brighter than your metering tells you to.
   
3. Then white out your photos in Photoshop or, if you don't want to invest in Photoshop, something like Affinity Photo works just as well. Remember to up the contrast by using levels after you're done.
   
4. If you want to take it up a notch, then you're going to need to focus more on getting the lighting right. I recommend getting at least three light stands with color-balanced light bulbs, around 5500 K. There are combos on Amazon that could give you everything you need. (not an affiliate link)
   
   If you're not interesting in going DIY for this because you don't have a camera or the time, DM me; I've been doing product photography for about 4 years and Photoshop for 8. I have a Fiverr listing you may be interested in, but I won't link to here since I know the subreddit rules. If you're not interested, no worries.
   
   Product Photography is a huge category on Fiverr, I suggest you look around. If it's not an extremely valuable one-of-a-kind item for Etsy or something, then it makes sense to bet about $10 + the price of your item, instead of immediately going to a full-fledged product photographer and spending hundreds.

I do! That's what I wound up getting. I'm having a blast with mine--this is my favorite picture so far. It's a great camera. It's not the most sophisticated camera Nikon offers, but it's got everything you'll need for quite a while. It's also nice and light, so you can ease into lugging around SLR-sized cameras.

I started out with a D40 because Rockwell made such a stink about it, but I exchanged it for the D60. The D60 is a nice upgrade in a few ways. First off, the kit lens has image stabilization, which comes in pretty handy in low light. Second, the extra megapixels, despite what Rockwell says, do come in handy. It's nice to have room to crop. There are a few other little extras, too, like a sensor cleaner and a few interface improvements.

The only caveat has to do with lenses. Nikon is in the middle of transitioning from putting the autofocus motor in the body to putting it in the lens. The D40 and D60 don't have an in-body motor, so you lose autofocus on some older lenses. This is mostly a non-issue for newbies like us who don't have lens collections, except when it comes to the legendary 50mm 1.8. It's one of the few "fast" cheap lenses, meaning that you can open the aperture to blur backgrounds and shoot in low light. You can still use the lens, but you'll have to focus manually.

Good luck!

I'm a complete moron when it comes to Canon since I grew up using Nikon, but I'd say whatever you do start with a lower-end digital SLR (probably used unless you have a lot of money to spend) and a 50mm lens.

Some of the best shots that I've ever gotten with my camera have been shot through a 50mm 1.8 lens that I bought for $100 back when I first picked up an SLR.

The reason I feel that the 50mm lens is so important is because it sort of hits a trifecta of stuff that I find incredibly important in photography - especially when beginning.

A) It can produce tack sharp images with a very small initial investment. The photos that this lens can produce often looks better than some of the stuff that I crank out using lenses 10x its price.

B) The 1.8 aperture allows the photographer to shoot in very low light, which is great if you're shooting on a cheaper SLR since many of them can't handle bumping up the ISO much (and even on more expensive SLRs it's much better to stay low).

C) The fact that you can't zoom in and out with the lens really gets you thinking about composition when you shoot. Instead of twisting a ring, you're literally walking back and forth to get the composition you like. It's very rewarding.

Here's the lens I'm talking about: http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-50mm-Nikkor-Digital-Cameras/dp/B00005LEN4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1260070433&sr=8-2


Second tip is don't fall into fads. Experimentation is great with photography, but the most important thing as a photographer to do (in my opinion) is to capture reality in an interesting way BEFORE bringing it into your computer and without relying on gimmicks. Overdone HDR, toy cameras, grunge filters - they can all be fun when done in moderation, but when you start forgetting about composition, light, and everything else because you know you can just rely on a plastic camera or Photomatix to fix up your photo, you're getting lost.

Ok, crazy tangent done, third tip - bring your camera everywhere. Shoot everything. The weirdest thing that I've noticed is that some people who have taken years of photography school still can't do crap without any real world experience. As you shoot, you'll start getting better. Seek out honest critiques online and hone your skills accordingly.

Fourth - learn the basics. Don't shoot in programmed or automatic - shoot in manual, aperture, or shutter mode - finding out how changing the aperture and shutter speed changes the final photo that you get is literally the most important thing that you can learn.

There is just so much I can say to a beginning photographer. It's really hard to stop at three. I'll try to add more if I can think of a way to do it without babbling forever.

TL/DR:

1. Cheap camera, 50mm lens.
   
2. Skip HDR, Lomo, crazy photoshop until you know the basics
   
3. Take your camera everywhere
   
4. Learn aperture, shutter speed

From the little I know about photos and models, I'll try to sound like I know what I'm talking about (but I don't):

Some of your images aren't very sharp. 1/60, 1/100 shutter speed shows. Perhaps try going for bigger apertures so you can bump that shutter speed. Whatever your lens allows. (Suggesting cheap lens that's kinda nice for starters)

All I know about modeling is: don't look stiff, don't look awkward. And well, she kinda does look stiff or awkward in some of these.

Hard to take her seriously holding that thing like a cigarette because it's not a cigarette and it's a little weird.

Watch your values and lighting. It can get weird like this when her legs blend in with the chair. It's kinda cool here how it turns into a silhouette on the bottom half, but then what about this silhouette? Try covering the top of that photo and see what you can get only from the silhouette. Does it look as good as intended?

Framing looks good.

You both look amateurish because, well, it takes years and years to be a pro. I'm sure you are doing better than I would. These seem like they were a good exercise though. Keep it up. Keep trying stuff. Keep shooting, photos.

I would start with 2 prime lens:

1. Panasonic 25mm F/1.7. I'm sure you're heard of the legendary 50mm lens. This is the equivalent for micro 4/3 camera.
   
   
2. Panasonic 14mm F/2.5. A wider angle lens is a good addition depending on what scene you're shooting.
   
   
   Then you need to be able to record high quality audio. Typically cameras don't have the best microphones.
   
   

• The Rode VideoMic Pro is a good quality option to improve your sound.
  
  
• Another option is the Tascam DR-40. This is a standalone audio recorder with its own microphones. Tascam's a good brand for these, and you can use them with other microphones, or lavalier microphones if you choose to use those.
  
  
  Finally, one big factor that separates professional-looking video from amateur is smooth motion. I would get a Glidecam. These have a bit of a learning curve to them, but once you get used to it you'll get some amazing shots.
  
  
  Good luck with everything. You've got a good camera so there should be nothing keeping you from getting great shots!
  
  Edit: formatting
  
  
  

The D3300 can absolutely take great depth of field (DOF) photographs, but it does help to have the right lens.

Here's something I happened to shoot on a hike. This was shot with a d5300, which has the same sensor and crop factor as your D3300. I used the Nikkor 35mm F1.8 prime lens, which is excellent for DOF work.

Here are some hints:

• Use Aperture Priority mode (A). The wider your aperture, the shorter your depth of field.
  
• Use the widest aperture possible^1. With the kit lenses this usually means f3.5-f5.5, depending on focal length.
  
• Move closer to your subject (closer subject means shorter DOF)
  
• Put more distance between your subject and the background (background will be more out of focus.)
  
• If you want to shoot portraits at 55mm, use the 55-200 lens not the 18-55. The 55-200 is faster than the 18-55 at 55mm^2.
  
  A longer focal length will tend to reduce DOF, but with the kit lens zoom will reduce aperture. Longer focal length also means that you'll need to stand further away from the subject to get the framing correct. Distance increases DOF.
  
  Try using the kit 18-55mm lens at about 35mm and open the aperture wide. Move the subject away from the background. Chose a background with some texture that contrasts against your subject. Make sure the background is far behind the subject.
  
  If you want to take DOF shots, a faster lens helps immensely. For landscape and group photography, the Nikkor DX 35mm f1.8 lens is a great bet. For shooting portraits, consider the Nikkor FX 50mm f1.8 prime. Both cost $200, and are absolutely worth the price.
  
  I recommend the 50mm for portrait photos because the zoom helps move you away from your subject. A face/shoulder shot with the 35mm will tend to distort the subjects features. 80-100mm is generally considered a good distance for portrait photography, but the fast 100mm lenses are much more expensive than the 50mm prime.
  
  One other hint... Consider enabling Auto-ISO on your camera. Getting Auto-ISO right takes patience, but it makes shooting much easier once it's set correctly. Mine is tuned so that ISO stays at 100 normally, but increases to keep the shutter speed at a minimum of 1/50.
  
  ^1 This doesn't always apply to extremely fast lenses. The 35mm f1.8 has a razor thin depth of field wide open. I have taken many shots where there isn't enough DOF to capture the entire subject at that aperture.
  
  ^2 This advise has a major caveat: While the 55-200 is wider at 55, the minimum focus distance is much longer. You'll get a shorter depth of field and better bokah using the 18-55 at 1' and f5.6 than you will using the 55-200 at 3' and f4.

It kind of depends on how deep your going to get into it. If your just sniffing about astronomy for the first time, then go for it. It's 42 bucks and you can sell it at a yard sale if you don't like it, you might actually turn someone on to astronomy with it

If you think you actually might want to get into astronomy as something of a hobby, go with binoculars first, good ones are a bit pricey but you can do some excellent viewing with them, I started with and still use these

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-SkyMaster-Binoculars-Tripod-Adapter/dp/B00008Y0VN

These are excellent and not to heavy so your shaking all the time, but give great views, in dark skies I've gotten all four gallelian moons and a couple of Jupiters equatorial bands

And of astronomy ends up not being for you, you have a great set of binoculars for the upcoming zombie apocalypse

Edit-hey I just promoted a celestron product, can I get a hook up ???

I know canon equipment, not so much Nikon. Two lenses fit your requirements, inexpensive, very good, Manual focus.

One is the 28 f/2.8 AIS

The other is the 50mm f/1.8D

If you are going to be on stage, the first one is good. The second one is great for close ups from the front row, but no group shots except from further back. With small venue, wide angle may make sense. I have found the good, and unusual images are close ups. I use wide angle to fill in the gaps, but depend on the telephoto to make my work 'special', better than the average person. Honestly, either one is good, because I do not know how close you will be.

In post production, multiple images can be combined for a montage. I find that more effective than a plain group shot. I could make only the 50mm work, better than I could make only the 28mm. You will have to use your legs, shoot some from the back of the audience area.

Others with more knowledge of Nikon equipment could be helpful, but autofocus is not a requirement. Neither are zooms, that are expensive, over your budget.