My first DSLR…

Lots of people often ask me what should they get as their first DSLR. I heard Canon is the best, I heard Nikon is more expensive but more professional etc… Yes I hear that too but honestly, it’s fanboy talking.

You really want to know what your first DSLR should be? I honestly don’t think the brand matter that much. They are all very good. These days, I believe that in the consumer market we’re in, people will very often change their body more often then it’s really required anyway. So in order to make the best decision, you first need to know what kind of pictures you want to take. If you have absolutely  no idea what kind of pictures you want to make, well then you might wanna stick around with a P&S a bit longer. Just kidding But still, if you really don’t know the kind of pics you want to make, then it definitively won’t matter that much which brand or type you choose.

You have to be a bit more careful when you really know what you want. If you are a pixel freak and nothing else matter to you, then you have to read all the review at www.dpreview.com and stop reading this post because it’s not going to answering your questions.

ok so plain simple: you want to shoot a bit of landscape, a bit of portrait, a bit of everything and once in a while, you might be tempted to try a few sports photography, then I gotta say any DSLR will do the trick. Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Olympus all make great amateur/semi-pro DSLR. Pick the one that fits better in your hands. Pick the one that will be easy for you to use. Pick the one where the controls fits better for you in manual mode. Why Manual mode? Because to me, it’s the only way to learn about photography.

SPORTS:
What’s important? The HIGH ISO performance. You may shoot almost all your pictures at ISO 1000 and above so you definitively need a good sensor. You will also need a lot of speed so Canon and Nikon are very good in that.
Canon 7D, their newest body is probably the best choice with Nikon D300s as your first DSLR. They are not the PRO Model but still beyong your expectation for sure. They are semi-pro body an the performance will just stun you for sure!

STUDIO:
What’s important? Megapixels, lens and at least one very good flash. You will shoot almost all your pictures at very low ISO with flash. If you use natural light, then a very good lens is required. (Sharpness is important)
Canon Xsi, Canon X1i will do more than enough. Remember, save a bit on the body and spend more on Flashes and Radio remote. Softbox and Umbrella are a must with studio session.
Nikon D90 will be more than enough. There again, Flashs and Radio Trigger are very useful, Softbox and Umbrella are a must.

LANDSCAPE
What’s important? Megapixel and good lens and a Tripod. You will shoot almost all your pictures at very low ISO to get as much details as you can.
Any Canon, Sony, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus will do the trick, just make sure you get a good bag, a good tripod and you’re good to go. Lens is important but maybe a bit less, oh I hear lots of people are going to yell at me, but all the lens are pretty good at f8 anyway. And again, lots of landscape pictures can be taken at a different aperture but still, work on your eye before investing too much here.

WEDDINGS
What’s important? Good ISO performance and very good LENS. You don’t want to mess up a wedding and you will always be in a difficult light somehow during the shoot so you will need very good lens to compensate. You do not need a body with a lot of speed but you will need some flash and good memory cards. So make sure you purchase good batteries and lots of memory cards. Always have 2 body and several lens because you don’t want to be stuck without a backup for a wedding. So invest less in the body quality and get more instead. Again, most of any brand will do the trick. You will have all your equipment for several hours so think practical, weight is important, backups, a very good bag to transport all your stuff. 2 Canon Xsi or X1i or 2 Nikon D90 would do the trick.

Invest more in a body or in lens?
I think that most of the people I know changes their body every 3-4 years MAX. I’ve seen some of them investing on cheap lens and then realize that they need something better than what they have. Honestly, I think you should invest LESS in your BODY than on your LENS. You may change your body a few times before changing one lens. If your budget is limited and I am sure that it is, remember this, you can print a pictures on a 6MP camera 20×24 and maybe a bit more if you have a very good lens, but a pictures taken with a D3x with a crappy lens will/may not even look good on a 8×10

Best lens are either MACRO lens or f/2.8 zoom lens all the way. f/2.8 LENS can be very expensive, especially with zoom type. Ex: 24-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor is around 2200$ and Canon around 1600$ with tx. So if you cannot afford this, try a PRIME Lens at f/1.8 (Prime means a FIX LENS Ex=>35mm or 50mm)

FX or DX.
FX will always have a better ISO performance. Unfortunately, the crop factor is gone with FX which means a 300mm is a 300mm not a 400mm If you like to shoot birds or wildlife, it’s something to consider.
FX are way more expensive than DX
You won’t really be able to process larger with FX then DX, (A bit maybe but not by much)
DX LENS are less expensive.

Am I saying that DX is the way to go? Well not really, it all depends of your needs… But a First DSLR, I think you will be happy with a DX. If you think you will upgrade to a FX in 5 years, then always purchases lens that are FX. They will/should work on any DX body.

To ME, what would be the BEST COMBO TO START WITH?
I shoot a lot of studio pictures and portrait. I currently have a D300 and I am more than happy with it but if I had to start over? Well right now I am only thinking about upgrading to FX with the next generation of Nikon. I will sell all my lens or almost and will upgrade to PRO GEAR next year BUT if I was to start all over again what would I do?

1- I would not invest that much on a body. I would buy a D90 but I would invest more on my LENS. I would have purchased the lens I really need which area 24-70mm f/2.8, a 50mm f/1.4

AMATEUR or PRO?

If you are an amateur, buy what ever you want to have fun with your camera but if you want to become a PRO, meaning taking pictures is your income, then only purchase what you need!! Don’t buy everythink by thinking you need everything, YOU DON’T!

ALSO Remember, INVEST IN YOU, not just in your GEAR. Less gear is ok, training is better! Taking lots and lots of pictures is even better! Enjoy your camera! Don’t regret it because a new model just came our 2 months after your purchase, there will always be a new model, a better one etc…

Cheers

Ghislain

Tags: canon, My first DSLR, Nikon or Canon?, olympus, Pentax, sony