Hi there…I recently started a pixelfed.social account and got a little excited about photography…I don’t have alot of money and sometimes I get excited about new hobbies, and then they fade. I am looking for advice on buying a “sorta” decent digital camera, but not something that will break my bank if I ultimately lose interest. I guess, I’m looking for “starter gear” suggestions. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance for any advice.
best starter gear is used gear!
I recommend to get an used mirrorless crop sensor camera as those are the cheapest options available. Then start with a lens or two depending which type of photography you’re into and you’re good to go.
Personally I recommendd the Sony a5100 or a6000 as starters as they run great in full auto mode and settings can be adjusted manually all the way until fully manual mode.
Depending on where you live, E mount lenses can be plentiful in the second hand market, thus being cheaper than other options
Thank you for that detailed reply. I’ll start searching for next pay period.
I second a6000, I started on that and it’s a pretty decent entry level camera. I think Sony replaced it with a6600 now, but they’re priced similarly.
Was gonna suggest the same. Even the early Sony NEX (eg nex5) are still pretty capable cameras to get started with.
In addition, cameras with lens mounts close to the focal plane (sensor), such as E mount, allow you to buy cheap adapters for old manual-focus SLR lenses - so you can use whatever interesting old low-f-stop lenses turn up in your local thrift store etc.
I have a CY adapter for this very reason, last month I picked up a 50mm/1.4f Yashica lens for under €50
Looks like i need to start searching for the a6000…refreshing to see so many confirmations…makes things simpler for me to get started.
Check out /r/photomarket on reddit and you may be able to snag a used a6000 for a very good price. Just be sure to make sure the seller is legit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/photomarket/comments/u6qe73/s_usafl_sony_a6000_with_sigma_30mm_f_14_lens/
^Recent listing in which an a6000 was sold with accessories for $400.
I’ve been looking as well it seems i will need $400 at the very least. Which is fine, it will just take a few pay periods to do.
Pick a used camera. You’ll need a standard zoom so as to be flexibel. And tthen start with 1 extra lens. Either a fast prime lens (no zoom) for portrait 50mm f1.8 or a wide angle (less than 20mm) for landscape. Learn to shoot in black and white, it will help you provide some nicer shots later on. Follow the composition rules at first. Most of the time they “just work”.
Learn about light. It’s what makes or brakes a picture.
Learn not to take pictures. If it just doesn’t work, there’s no point to take a picture except as a souvenir.
What’s your budget?
As @lenathaw@lemmy.ml said, the best starter gear is used gear. My first and only camera is a Canon 5D Classic that I bought used (3rd hand) when it was 11 years old. The camera is now 17 years old and I still use it to this day. It has been with me on all kinds of trips and still produces extremely high quality images. I keep things simple with a (used) Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens, some spare batteries, a card reader, a tripod (Amazon Basics, I hate the brand but I can’t deny that this thing does a decent job and high quality tripods are too expensive) and… a mini tripod.
But the main thing first is figuring out what your budget is. I’m excited for you-- photography is one of the most liberating things I’ve ever gotten into and the best part is that after you spend money on the initial purchases, taking photos doesn’t cost a thing! I haven’t bought photography gear in years and yet I can still take photos without any recurring costs.
As i mentioned, I often get excited about things and then flake, so…i could probably spare about $100 or so next pay period, but would have to wait longer for much more than that.
I definitely don’t need tripod right now.
