what camera do you suggest?

[roygbiv]

Hi Sapphire, let me point out that a Canon 7d is a crop frame camera. That's not as good as a full frame camera if you want your landscapes images to be wide. Landscape images usually are wide. A Canon 6d and a Nikon D610 are full frame cameras. If you buy a wide angle lens for one of those cameras you will get the capability to take wide shots.

Personally I think buying something "beginner" is a waste of money if you are sure you want to spend your time in photography. When I bought my lens for my 6d I bought an expensive one. It's my only lens this year, but I'm very happy with it. I skipped buying the 'beginner' stuff. I consider that a savings.

As for the Canon 6d, it's a camera that produces excellent image quality. I have not even bought a flash unit. I don't need one, because the light gathering ability is that good, but I wish the autofocus system was better. The 7d has a much better autofocus system, but it's a crop frame camera.

You really should start with the lens you want to use. Choose your camera after that. Wide angle lenses bend straight lines, but if you want to do landscape you need a good wide angle lens. I find that sometimes the distortion really doesn't matter. Only objects that people recognize as having a particular shape reveal distortion. I think you can get away with a fair amount of distortion when doing landscapes. I'm not a pro, just a hobbyist. Good luck to you.

[DanK]

That's not as good as a full frame camera if you want your landscapes images to be wide. Landscape images usually are wide. A Canon 6d and a Nikon D610 are full frame cameras. If you buy a wide angle lens for one of those cameras you will get the capability to take wide shots.

That's not quite right. Assuming Canon, hence a 1.6 crop factor, a crop sensor camera with a lens of focal length X will get exactly the same field of view as a full-frame camera with a lens of focal length 1.6X. My old EF-S 10-22 provided a trivially wider perspective on my crop 50D than my current EF 17-40 provides on my FF 5DIII. I know a number of well-published professional landscape photographers who did a good bit of their work with crop sensor cameras.These days, many people have shifted to FF for landscape work, and it does have advantages for that purpose, but it is certainly not necessary.

It's also not the case that all landscape work is done wide. For example, Carl Heilmann II wrote that when he was shooting with a crop-sensor camera, his usual lenses ranged from 10mm to 200mm.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Sapphire, let me point out that a Canon 7d is a crop frame camera. That's not as good as a full frame camera if you want your landscapes images to be wide. Landscape images usually are wide. A Canon 6d and a Nikon D610 are full frame cameras. If you buy a wide angle lens for one of those cameras you will get the capability to take wide shots.

A common misconception is that "the wider the lens, the better-looking the landscape image will be", but misconception it is, unfortunately.

Generally, a wide-angle shot of a general scene will end up being a very BORING shot because beyond a few meters everything gets tiny. The optimal way to use a wide angle lens is to use it to push in close to a foreground point of interest, whilst still retaining the desired background field of view -- and (with the correct lens) that's usually no problem at all even on a crop-factor camera (eg a EF16-35mm F2.8L USM II on a crop-factor camera).

In my experience, about the only time a crop-factor camera bites you in the bum with a WA lens attached is doing interior house photography.

[sapphyrblud]

thanks a lot guys. a friend recommended a canon EOS 70D but im not very sure.. can anyone advice me?

[Colin Southern]

thanks a lot guys. a friend recommended a canon EOS 70D but im not very sure.. can anyone advice me?

Good choice. The crop-factor will be a plus for your macro and portraiture work.

Now it just comes down to lens choice(s).

[sapphyrblud]

What do you use now?

this is my first camera

[Digital]

thanks a lot guys. a friend recommended a canon EOS 70D but im not very sure.. can anyone advice me?

Sapphire, purchasing a camera is such a personal choice. If at all possible I would attempt to find the nearest camera store to where you live, and look at various makes, and see how the camera feels in your hands as well as ask about the various features that each camera has to offer.
Also, do you know that the area you live in has a local camera club?


Bruce

[inkista]

+1 on Bruce's suggestion of trying cameras out in a store to see what might be the best fit. Yes, it's overwhelming that there are so many choices, but blindly taking a friend's recommendation without actually finding out what's out there, and what might work best for you could lead to some regrets. Consider renting gear if a few minutes in a store isn't enough for you to make up your mind.

I shoot Canon. I loved my Canon dSLRs until I developed carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica, and suddenly my 50D and 5DMkII were too heavy to shoot with without pain, and lugging about a 20-lb. bag of gear became an ordeal. Today, I'm in much better shape, and I can lug about my Canon gear again, but my main shooting system is now a much smaller, lighter, and cheaper mirrorless system (micro four-thirds gear from Panasonic and Olympus). And while it may not have all the bells'n'whistles of my Canon gear, it's a lot more fun to shoot with. I get images with the mirrorless gear I never would have thought to get with my SLRs.

One system isn't necessarily better than the other overall--but they are different. The handling is a big part of the personal equation as to what you want. And right now, if you want to advance in photography or have more control over your images, you have a much wider range of choices than just Canon or Nikon dSLRs. Take the time to do your homework, and understand that anybody on a messageboard who's advising you for free is going to tell you what appeals to and works for THEM; not necessarily what's going to work for you.

Landscape, macro, and portrait are the type of shooting that can be done well with nearly any system camera, and quite a few of the large-sensored compacts. I'd say take the time to look not only at dSLRs, but also the mirrorless systems (micro four-thirds, Sony NEX, and Fuji X), and some of the large-sensored compacts (e.g., Sony RX-100 or RX-1, Fuji X100S or X20, Canon G1-X, Nikon Coolpix A, etc. etc). Today, there are compact fixed-lens cameras that have the same sized sensors in them that dSLRs do. And every dSLR sensor size can also be found in a mirrorless system camera.

Understand that a system camera means carrying a camera bag with you. You will probably buy multiple lenses. And you will probably end up spending 2-3x the amount you did on the initial camera+lens kit on the rest of the system. Maybe more. Are you sure this is what you want to do?

More expensive cameras typically don't mean you keep the camera for longer, btw. It just means you have more features to play with while you own them. These are digital electronics. Most of us (not all, granted, but most) tend to go through camera bodies the way we go through cellphones and computers. 6 years is not impossible, but could be unlikely, no matter how much you spend, simply because technology moves forward, and you start wanting the new features on the newer cameras.

[Colin Southern]

To the above I'd add ...

- camera stores may or may not have your best interests at heart. Sadly, in tough times, many seem to recommend what's in THEIR best interest instead.

- I don't put too much weight in "see how it feels in your hands". Often it's like a rental car that feels awkward for the first 2 days and then completely normal after that.

- with cameras there is a HUGE overlap in features and functions between models and as such, there isn't often a "wrong" model.

70D is a fine camera - just buy the darned thing and start taking photos!

[harlod]

It must be canon?

[harlod]

there's not a camera store very close to where i live, and the highest amount i can spend is 5000 USD.

http://thedigitalcamera.net/nikon-d4...the-different/

[jcuknz]

I would suggest that you spend perhaps two or three hundred on a 'bridge' camera such as Panasonic FZ range and learn about photography and what that camera can do for you ... after which you will be in much better position to know what you really want. We all I expect have arrived at our current equipment by trial and error ... it is a rite of passage as is said.

EDIT ... you should also get an editing programme such as Paint Shop Pro and learn to use it as you learn to use the camera and you will find out that you do not need either a wide-angle lens or full frame camera for landscapes when you know how to stitch multiple frames together and 99.99% of the macro I have taken in the past decade have been with a moderate close-up lens on a bridge camera using its zoom to achieve tight framing without going in unduely close.

[inkista]

- camera stores may or may not have your best interests at heart. Sadly, in tough times, many seem to recommend what's in THEIR best interest instead.

+1. If you find a salesperson pushing you hard to a specific model, could be they've got a pile of 'em in the back they want to clear. Bring along your friend who told you to get a Canon to fact-check what the sales staff may tell you.

- I don't put too much weight in "see how it feels in your hands". Often it's like a rental car that feels awkward for the first 2 days and then completely normal after that.

This one is easier for an experienced shooter than a newb, though. You know what you can get accustomed to and what you can't. For a newb, it's all unaccustomed and awkward. And if you have nothing else by which to judge, then which one has better ergo/haptics and sussable menus for you is good data to have. I agree this should not be the sole point of decision, but if you need a feather to tip the scale, it can come in useful.

And for a newb to simply get an idea of the size/weight of a camera/lens combo is something that typically can only be done "in hand" and not from reading. I have tiny little girl hands and repetitive stress injuries. Quite a few combos out there are too damn heavy for me to use. Since most gear reviews are male-written, I've learned not to rely on them for my personal "fit" on the issue of weight of a camera or the size of its grip. Ditto on backpack fit.

... 70D is a fine camera - just buy the darned thing and start taking photos!

Yeah, that works, too. Definitely would say get a 70D over a used 7D, given that any used 7D could be over 5 years old and seen heavy usage in that time. And the 70D pretty much has inherited the 7D's autofocus system hardware (if not all the software)--which was the 7D's claim to fame--as well as doing its own nifty hybrid AF trick for video with the main image sensor. If you really really want someone else to decide for you, and you have to have a new Canon body, this is a good choice.

[Manfred M]

I don't put too much weight in "see how it feels in your hands". Often it's like a rental car that feels awkward for the first 2 days and then completely normal after that.

I on the other hand do feel that this should be a primary consideration. But that is because I get to deal with ergonomic issues frequently in my 'day job" and find that this is something many people underestimate.

I think Colin's example of a rental car is not a bad comparison; as a frequent business traveller, there are specific rental cars that I avoid getting, if at all possible. Certain cars models (actually related to the manufacturer) are never comfortable for me to drive (and I'm of average height and build). I don't want to have a seat that does not fit my body or a seat belt that sits somewhere I don't like it bothering me and potentially distracting me while I'm driving.

In my case, I ended up buying a Leica rather than a Contax for ergonomic reasons. More recently, the same thing happened and this is why I went with a Nikon over a Canon. If you are a pro and shoot with the camera day in and day out, I might be more incline to agree with Colin, but if you don't, that lack of comfort in your hands can make some degree of difference in how you shoot.

[sapphyrblud]

It must be canon?

yes, because a friend who would be "teaching" me to take good photographs is only familiar with canon and can only help me if i use a canon.

[Ken MT]

Taking good photos is more about techniques than the hardware used to take it. Your good friend should be able adapt to different cameras.

[Manfred M]

yes, because a friend who would be "teaching" me to take good photographs is only familiar with canon and can only help me if i use a canon.

I would be tempted to find someone else to teach me if that is the case.

Good pictures have NOTHING to do with camera brands or specific camera models. If your friend can only handle Canon, I suspect he / she is a relatively inexperenced photographer and would perhaps not be the best mentor...

[sapphyrblud]

is it advisable to begin with a 18-135mm lens?

[sapphyrblud]

is it advisable to begin with a 18-135mm lens?

or 18-200mm?

[Colin Southern]

I on the other hand do feel that this should be a primary consideration. But that is because I get to deal with ergonomic issues frequently in my 'day job" and find that this is something many people underestimate.

I think Colin's example of a rental car is not a bad comparison; as a frequent business traveller, there are specific rental cars that I avoid getting, if at all possible. Certain cars models (actually related to the manufacturer) are never comfortable for me to drive (and I'm of average height and build). I don't want to have a seat that does not fit my body or a seat belt that sits somewhere I don't like it bothering me and potentially distracting me while I'm driving.

In my case, I ended up buying a Leica rather than a Contax for ergonomic reasons. More recently, the same thing happened and this is why I went with a Nikon over a Canon. If you are a pro and shoot with the camera day in and day out, I might be more incline to agree with Colin, but if you don't, that lack of comfort in your hands can make some degree of difference in how you shoot.

We have this discussion every time

All I'll say in response is:

(a) Since the OP want the camera for landscape, macro, and portraiture, it'll be spending most of it's time on a tripod anyway, and

(b) Within the genre of cameras that we're discussing (Pro-sumer DSLR), ergonomic differences aren't significant; what you're describing is more relevant to the genre of camera in the first place.