If any questions regarding new cameras or lenses. Just ask :)

A person new to photography is not going to rent a camera likely because they have no idea where or how to do so. They also are not likely to be buying filters because they have no idea what they are for. My advice, watch a lot of You Tube videos and pick a camera/lens combination that seems to suit you and buy it. Buy it used if you can, eBay being a great source. Like the rest of us, you'll learn from your mistakes. There's not much way around that.

I appreciate this common sense talk to put things in the proper perspective. Now I will first look into renting the camera I am thinking of buying as well as the lens. A good investment before committing to something that can become a very expensive hobby. Before your video I saw my purchase as one purchase and now I see the reason for splitting my purchase into three parts - the camera, lenses, accessories. Thanks for your help.

@PaulTakesPhotos

10 ай бұрын

Frank! You just made my day! Happy that the approach proved very useful to it

Extremely great advice! Strongly agree with you. Always rent before buying if possible. Feeling and using the camera is so much more important than specs. For stills, sensor tech has mostly stagnated for a while, so definitely I would advise people to buy used. No need for the latest and greatest right away. I think from a lens ecosystem point of view, Sony is a great system to grow into. A beginner could start with a used A7ii/A6000 or even an A5100. The 28-60mm kit lens for full frame or a cheap f/2.8 zoom from Sigma for APS-C would be great. After having hundreds and thousands of keeper photos, I think it will be time to look at lightroom to filter the focal lengths before choosing a prime. For people who want videos, it get's a little trickier. The most bang for buck would be a Fujifilm X-T3 or XS-10 or XS-20 depending on budget. The Sony a6700 is nice but that's kinda pricey for beginners. Maybe even a used Panasonic GH5 or S5 is good if they're ok with manual focusing. If autofocus in video is highly crucial, the XS-20 or a6700/a7c would be my pick. Lastly write up an excel sheet of the camera/lenses of choice including price and weight. A high end pro camera is useless if it stays at home due to the size/weight. Consider lens equivalent options due to crop factor when noting price/size/weight. So MFT f/2 ~= APS-C f/2.8 ~= FF f/4. E.g I'm personally moving away from Fujifilm as most of the APS-C lenses don't really offer any cost/weight savings compared to a full frame Sony. I've been using my Ricoh GR3 more over my Fuji X-T4 + 18mm f/1.4 because of the size/weight too.

@PaulTakesPhotos

10 ай бұрын

Thansk for your detailed feedback and agree when it comes to photocentric cameras, not much has changed, sure Sony's ZV/ZE line offer tons of AI, which is not really something I aspire to do. When it comes in glass, I'll always prefer spending money on glass. When it comes to AF & Video Fujifilm and Sony provide bang for your buck. I own the XT4 and Sony A7III and both are great for video. A6400 I also feel that it is a great hybrid camera. I love point-and-shoot cameras and I am currently creating a series about them (Leica, Panasonic, Fuji, Ricoh and more) so stay tuned

Absolutely correct. I got my first camera last week n have considered these same facts. Form factor, Jpeg quality, IBIS, n 3rd party lens options to cut down on cost. N certainly you don't need world class latest model to begin with. I choose Fuji X-S10 which is 2 yr old now n got at lucrative price as newer version got launched. Click and enjoy 😊

@PaulTakesPhotos

11 ай бұрын

XS-10 has always been a bargain in terms of specs and capabilities. Wise choice. Fuji cameras seem to be scarce in retail and in the used markets prices have been going up. As always good deals take time to find :)

I can’t decide between Fuji xt2 and xt3 as my first fuji camera. Price difference is roughly 300. any suggestions?

@PaulTakesPhotos

2 ай бұрын

If you are photography centric, go XT2 if you need 4k video with better AF go XT3.

Hello Paul thank you for this. What would you recommend strictly for concert recording? This is outside most of the time, at night, close and far depends on the distance. Also I don’t know if they would allow bigger cameras in these concerts where automatically they let me in. I just want the best quality and possibly zoom Thank you!

@PaulTakesPhotos

10 ай бұрын

Hi Eddie, for concert photography I normally shoot with my Sony A7III and use three lenses: 16-35mm f/4, 70-200mm f/4 and one prime 85mm f/1.4. If needed I'll put on a flash. I shoot smaller concerts, so photography checks arent bad. That said best is to write the organization ask to be accredited, you'll be surprised how many times you'll get a positive response. Ask this youtuber @FlemmingBoJensen who is an excellent concert photographer. Hope this helps and let me know if anything elkse

@EddieChann

10 ай бұрын

@@PaulTakesPhotos Thank you so much!