Choosing a DSLR and lenses for portrait and landscapes

[Pohled]

Hello,

I'm going to buy my first DSLR camera next month.
I intend to spend about from 1500 to 2000USD. One suggestion a friend gave me for the body was a Canon 60D.
So I was thinking if I get it with a kit lenses 18-135mm and perhaps another 50mm I could get a nice equipment for landscapes and portraits photographs.
Any suggestions?

Thank you in advance.

[inkista]

The 60D is a good choice, and right now is a value sweet spot in the US, since the 70D's come out. You can find one used for less than the price of a new dRebel and save quite a bit of cash.

But one thing I'd recommend doing is asking yourself whether a mirrorless system could be a better fit for you. dSLRs are best at being super versatile for a large number of subjects and for fast-action photography. But if you know you're going to concentrate only on landscapes and portraits, and if you'd prefer smaller/lighter gear, then mirrorless cameras can offer the same image quality as dSLRs, at roughly the same prices, in a much smaller package, and with a user interface that will, in some ways, be much closer to the SX20IS's.

You may still decide that a dSLR is the right choice for you. But these days, if you want a more advanced camera with a larger sensor and the ability to take multiple lenses, dSLRs are not the only game in town. And, in fact, some long-time dSLR users are moving away from dSLRs towards mirrorless systems instead. So, Sony NEX, Fuji X, and micro four-thirds (Panasonic/Olympus) might also be worth a little bit of research time before heading to Canon/Nikon.

[Colin Southern]

Just remember that for landscape you're also going to need a reasonable tripod and remote release (and eventually probably filters), and for portraiture you're probably going to need a flash or two before very long, along with other items. Unfortunately, it's not just about the camera and lenses

[IzzieK]

A camera with two kit lens is just the start...but a good start than nothing. And good for practice. Once you got wet, you'd want to expand your gear...and this is when the fun start and the frustration of not getting what you want, both in the right gear and in your shots. Think hard before your dive in...and once you do decide to splurge, make sure you enjoy every moment of it.

[AB26]

I will second Colin’s suggestion and take it one step further. When buying a flash go for something like the Canon 600EX, a flash that can swivel in all directions (180 Degrees). If you are going to shoot portraits you will want to bounce the flash in all different directions.

The 18-135mm lens will take you a long way towards doing most of what you want to do. For those exceptional landscapes I would suggest a very wide angle zoom like the 10-22mm.

Consider a used 7D body. In SA a very good used 7D body goes for around $1000 US. A very good used 17-85mm Canon lens will set you back around $380 US. Leaving you with enough for a good tripod and/or flash.
There is a lot of very good used gear out there that you can buy from reputable shops like B&H and Adorama.

[Manfred M]

With the 18-135mm, you already cover the 50mm focal length, so do you have a good reason on spending money on a focal length you already have? Or would the money best be saved and spent on some other accessory?

The 18-135mm will certainly cover most landscape and portraiture needs. My suggestion would be that you stop there and get additional gear as you get into your "groove" in shooting, and that will help dictate your next steps.

I will second Colin's comments, especially with regard to the tripod; which I consider essential many different types of photography, especially when you are first learning. It really lets you concentrate on your composition. The downside is just about everyone tends to go for a cheap tripod and the wrong type of head.

[ajohnw]

I suspect your friend suggested the 18-135mm. An excellent choice. It can be used for all sorts of things including landscapes and portraits. The only things it doesn't cover is ultra wide work which is rather specialised in some ways and higher magnification telephoto work. Some people call this sort of lens a body cap as it spends most of it's time on the camera.

You mention a 50mm for portraiture but personally I would suggest you wait until you have more experience. It's easy for people to get aperture hungry for that sort of work. To be honest if I wanted a lens for that and possible lower light work in night clubs etc I would probably buy an EF L F2.8 24-70mm USM. Actually an awful lot of work can be done with a lens like that too. On a crop camera it covers 36-105mm and some people find that they use less than 36mm rather infrequently. Another alternative is the EF F4 L 24-105mm. Actually that is my body cap on a Canon crop camera. I always intended to get something like an EF-S 10-22mm to go with it but never have. I might just have done that apart from photography diminishing due to a busy lifestyle elsewhere. Now I have moved onto something else. You might say that this paragraph is an alternative root to your desires. Some people may agree some might not. It might also prove too costly.

As to 2nd lenses I suspect most people who buy a camera feel the need for a telephoto fairly quickly. This where 70-300mm lenses come in. I am not sure what Canon have done with there EF-S 70-300mm recently but it did have a rotating front element where as the L version didn't. Both lenses are pretty good. The rotating front element means that a polarising or gradation filter can't be used or are more difficult to use.

Some one mentioned mirrorless. This is what I am using currently. Personally I would reverse Kathy's order and put Olympus in front of Panasonic. This isn't because I own one it's because I put rather a lot of effort into making a choice before actually buying. Really a lot depends on what you want. Take one option an OMD EM-1 with the 14-42mm pro lens and the 75-300mm. It's very easy to carry those around in a small shoulder bag all day long. A 45mm F1.8 can be added also a 9-18mm in the same bag but I usually use a larger one if I carry the lot including a 40-150mm as they can be hard to find. One reason for not picking Panasonic was functionality and also I expected some not very good lenses to appear. I think few would disagree that has happened with a few. No idea what they are like now. It's just that they are that sort of company. Anyway back to kit. Carrying that range of lenses about full frame would be a joke and rather a struggle even on APS. In fact I posted the weight of what I usually carry on here - one comment - my camera and a single lens ways that much. I didn't mention that a significant portion of the weight was the bag I use. Truly heavy waterproof canvas. This covers the advantages. I don't feel that for most things the crop factor of 2 as against 1.5 is significant providing the lenses are up to it. They are. They gain as they are specifically designed for the format an in Olympus's case even have negligible vignetting. The main disadvantage comes down to manual focusing which does have some knock on effects. It is possible to do this on DSLR's via the viewfinder. An electronic view has it's implications. As a for instance adapters can be bought ot use any lens you might care to use with them. Take a 100mm macro lens which the range lacks. Manual focusing involves using a highly magnified view at least 7x in my experience. That makes life difficult. Now focus peaking is available. No comment from me. I only found that this is available on the E-M5 over winter and no insects to try it on yet. I have tried it on a 500mm lens and so far haven't gained the knack. The E-M1 is probably better - I don't know. There is no doubt that it would work out with a Zeiss 50mm T lens on though but it would also be easy to focus that lens manually through any DSLR if some one is used to doing that sort of thing. One slight draw back of the Olympus range is the IS. It's very capable when the shot is actually taken but wont hold the image so stable for focusing as there is a more limited range of compensation. On the other hand it works in all directions unlike lens based IS which is probably a marginal advantage. All I can say is that I haven't yet had a problem with shake right up to 300mm hand held in the usual lighting condition. It would be extremely unusual for me to carry a tripod or mono pod about. The other problem with Olympus is the menu's. They come set up point and shoot with the advanced menu's turned off. They can be a bit daunting for a beginner but are actually rather useful once there use is understood.

All in all I am not sure I would totally recommend mirrorless for a total beginner but many do start out that way and know nothing else. I feel it's better to consider the merits. Needs vary. I for instance might take camera gear on a 10 mile plus hike or walk around carrying it all day long in the summer months so weight is important. Other people go out some where to take a specific photo. I can do that too. It wouldn't surprise me if I drop APS all together at some point. Then I will wonder if there is any need to have a full frame about.

Off topic in some ways but due to the viewfinder aspects I just bought a used Olympus E-620 partly out of curiosity.. It's similar in many ways to a camera like the Canon 100D - described by them as being suitable for people who want to do serious photography and need a small light camera. Both for single thumb wheel cameras are extremely well thought out. The main aspects - aperture,speed,iso and focus can be easily controlled. Anyway the E-620 has taken 221 exposures - probably because the original owner just had to go out and buy a "better" camera almost as soon as they bought it. Don't fall into that trap. Even my old 6mp 300D will take great photo's in the right hands. Not always mine.

Also don't forget to budget for post processing software. There are some decent free ones about though. These are capable but may be a bit more difficult to get to grips with.

John
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[Colin Southern]

When buying a flash go for something like the Canon 600EX

Hopefully you're meaning the 600EX-RT, and not the 600EX (different products). The 600EX doesn't have any radio communication and thus would make like more difficult than it needed to be for off-camera portraiture (ie most of it).

[Colin Southern]

You mention a 50mm for portraiture but personally I would suggest you wait until you have more experience.

Agreed. Even on a crop-factor camera it's shorter than I'd use for most portraiture.

[chauncey]

It's just about on a daily basis I ask myself..."why, in the name of gawd, did you adopt this hobby"?
There is nothing associated with it that is not insane.

Putting the cost of amassing of wanted/needed gear aside for the moment (read obscene)...consider the learning curve associated with learning to use that gear under a variety of scenarios, then...ponder the learning curve necessary to use that post-processing software...can you say years.

Amassing wealth is certainly not part of the end-game equation. It could be said that the answer to my question is sheer ego gratification. Perhaps one would be better served assuaging that fractured ego in therapy rather than this insane hobby.

What does this do to answer the OP's quandary...merely for him to ponder his query and perhaps develop an interest in another hobby or...therapy to cure his obvious insanity.
Playing with a full deck of cards is certainly lacking in this household.

[Manfred M]

It's just about on a daily basis I ask myself..."why, in the name of gawd, did you adopt this hobby"?

Sounds like an apt description of just about any hobby, not just photography.

[RustBeltRaw]

It's just about on a daily basis I ask myself..."why, in the name of gawd, did you adopt this hobby"?
There is nothing associated with it that is not insane.

I feel this is an opportune time to point out the fine line between passion and madness.

Andre's flash suggestion is a good one for portraiture. However, I would recommend adding gear slowly. Pick up pieces gradually, one at a time (unless you shoot stuff that has very specific technical requirements). The only reason I might not recommend a compact system like Fuji X series or Olympus's OM-D series is the weaker used market and fewer available zoom lenses. A used 60D with an 18-135mm is an extremely versatile, cost-effective place to start. Once you find your happy places in that zoom range, you can look at more application-specific, higher-quality lenses.

Landscape work will take a good tripod. I'm quite pleased with my 3-Legged Thing. Excellent value. Be suspicious of the quality of any tripod below $250, and I recommend getting a head with an Arca-Swiss release plate. That's the closest thing to a standard in tripod mounts. To kill vibrations, use mirror lock-up with a delayed shutter, or a cable/wireless release. And you may want to make HDR your friend.

For portraits, I'd check out what the Strobist has to say. David Hobby does a really good job of teaching the essentials, and keeping his setups within the reach of all but the tightest budgets. Flash is a whole new world.

Play the long game. Be prepared to practice a lot, and this stuff will take you places.

[AB26]

Hopefully you're meaning the 600EX-RT, and not the 600EX (different products). The 600EX doesn't have any radio communication and thus would make like more difficult than it needed to be for off-camera portraiture (ie most of it).

If the head can turn 360 degrees and it can shoot TTL it can be any flash.

[Pohled]

Hi,

Thank you all for the suggestions.

Well, the camera is going to be used by me and my father.
I intend to improve my skills on portrait and landscapes, but I also like photographing other subjects such as flowers and birds. My father likes portraits too - he likes to shot my mom's face =D - and takes a lot of pictures when he travels.
We have two tripods already, two manfrottos, one 095XPROB with a RCR2 Head and another lighter one.
As for post-processing software, we have Lightroom, but I haven't used it very much so far.

As for the portrait lenses, I see that for now a 50mm wouldn't be a good idea.
I liked the idea of buying a flash, I'll try to find one that might fits our budget.
And I'll read more about mirrorless cameras. Thank you a lot you all =)

[Glenn NK]

I feel this is an opportune time to point out the fine line between passion and madness.

Actually I didn't know there was any difference. (straight face).

Glenn

[Colin Southern]

As for the portrait lenses, I see that for now a 50mm wouldn't be a good idea.

But the long end of the 18-135mm will be fine.

I liked the idea of buying a flash, I'll try to find one that might fits our budget.

Or better still, find one that does the job - not just fits the budget

[AB26]

Jonathan,

Let me try to explain about a flash:
I am using a Nikon SB80 on my camera, at the moment. After discovering how to use flash I realized why the people who know their game say you need the best flash you can buy. I am now looking for a used SB900 after considering Sigma, Nissin and Yongnu, call it flash snobbism if you wish, the OEM flash is simply superior to any third party product. I can no longer do what I want to do with an SB80, I now need the SB900.

The only Photographer not using flash is the one not knowing how to use it! That was me, until two weeks ago.

No matter if it is a used flash, try and get a flash that can do the job, as Colin says. Shooting portraits, weddings, groups, children in motion and landscapes, you will soon find out why you need a flash that can do the job. Flash for landscapes? Yes you will soon find out what the value is of using flash for landscape photography.
Skimp on a tripod but not on flash if you are serious about portraits and landscapes (wildlife and even BIF).

[ajohnw]

Hi,

Thank you all for the suggestions.

Well, the camera is going to be used by me and my father.
I intend to improve my skills on portrait and landscapes, but I also like photographing other subjects such as flowers and birds. My father likes portraits too - he likes to shot my mom's face =D - and takes a lot of pictures when he travels.
We have two tripods already, two manfrottos, one 095XPROB with a RCR2 Head and another lighter one.
As for post-processing software, we have Lightroom, but I haven't used it very much so far.

As for the portrait lenses, I see that for now a 50mm wouldn't be a good idea.
I liked the idea of buying a flash, I'll try to find one that might fits our budget.
And I'll read more about mirrorless cameras. Thank you a lot you all =)

Not sure if the camera you will be buying has built in flash but you can do a lot with that. A pieces of tissue paper can be used as a diffuser or small plastic ones can be bought.

This lot on this site would have you spending your entire piggy bank and taking out a 2nd mortgage on the house. Go slowly and buy when you can afford and know what you need.

John
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[Colin Southern]

Not sure if the camera you will be buying has built in flash but you can do a lot with that.

Sorry, but I couldn't agree less; they're sometime good for a little on-axis fill light, but that's about it.

A pieces of tissue paper can be used as a diffuser or small plastic ones can be bought.

Again, next to useless as they don't change the effective size of the light source significantly and thus don't reduce the hardness significantly. Quality portraiture requires quality directional light; tissues and puffers offer neither.

This lot on this site would have you spending your entire piggy bank and taking out a 2nd mortgage on the house.

Folks need to enter into any significant investment well prepared; many have the unrealistic expectation of being able to shoot professional quality portraiture with inadequate equipment. Often the most expensive pieces of equipment are the ones that cost 1/4 of what was needed, but don't do the job they were bought for.

[ajohnw]

Hi,

Thank you all for the suggestions.

Well, the camera is going to be used by me and my father.
I intend to improve my skills on portrait and landscapes, but I also like photographing other subjects such as flowers and birds. My father likes portraits too - he likes to shot my mom's face =D - and takes a lot of pictures when he travels.
We have two tripods already, two manfrottos, one 095XPROB with a RCR2 Head and another lighter one.
As for post-processing software, we have Lightroom, but I haven't used it very much so far.

As for the portrait lenses, I see that for now a 50mm wouldn't be a good idea.
I liked the idea of buying a flash, I'll try to find one that might fits our budget.
And I'll read more about mirrorless cameras. Thank you a lot you all =)

Birds are a problem. Very long focal lengths are needed or have to get close. Something like a 70-300mm sounds long but for small birds it isn't.

Your 18-135mm will fill the camera frame with an object 70mm across so in real terms ok for flowers even butterflies 35mm across or even smaller. As the working distance at that is 0.45m a simple close up lens will improve things further. For this sort of thing a cameras built in flash can be very useful. There is a tutorial on macro work on CinC off the home page. The magnification of this lens is 0.21 and the calculator will give you some idea what the close up filters can do. The short dimension of your sensor is 14.8mm so the size of an item that will fill the frame is (1/magnification) x 14.8. When it comes down to small spiders etc with 6mm bodies even the usual macro lens wont fill the frame. Things can be done to help with that - eventually. Don't understand - better to hold off buying until you do. Close up lenses don't cost much though so no harm in having a play. Achromatic ones do. Best find out which one with the cheaper variety first but you might find a macro lens is a better option.

Portraiture is another subject that has it's odd aspect. As a for instance I would say an 18-135mm is just about ideal to find out about the effects of focal length on peoples faces. That and camera height can have a significant effect on how people look in photographs. The other aspect is lighting. Go to town on that and one flash isn't enough. Natural light has a lot to commend it as getting artificial lighting right is a subject in it's own right.

In a nutshell you and your father will have your hands full for some time with just the camera and that single lens and post processing - but if that sort of thing interests you a set of close up lenses will give you a taste for macro work but do take the time to work out what they can do. The biggest problem with photography as a hobby is buying the wrong things. That can be down to budget, knowledge or even advice.

John
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