Anyone into Photography?

[Guest walkingdeadman]

Hey there everybody. I have seen some pics from other members on here so I know some of you like to take pictures. My wife and I are thinking about investing in some classes and photography equipment. We are just both tired of dealing with professional studios. I do understand that what they do has been taught to them and they do know what they are doing. I just want to learn how to do it myself.

So my question is what kind of equipment does everyone have? Thanks all! Roy

[Photoguy67]

I have a Nikon n-90s, Canon rebel, Mamiya RB67, and a calumet 4x5 view camera as well as a LOT of accessories and shelf hangers. Gosh I could go on all day just on accessories.

[krunchnik]

I take my pistol pictures mostly with a Canon S5IS,and a Wideangle Canon Adapter lens.It takes pretty good pics if you can figure out what a person is doing.Its one of the few that can take a Canon Speedlite flash,it has the hotshoe on top like a DSLR.I also have a couple of other lenses that helps with long and macro shots.

[2.ooohhh]

faster than listing it all here's my bag ready for a smaller shoot a few months back.

Me in action at a local charity event for the Alzheimer's Association.

Here are a few shots taken with the gear shown

I've upgraded bodies since then, but the glass generally stays the same unless I'm going to a much bigger venue in which case I usually drag out the longer(and heavier) lenses.

Erik

[Kegger]

I run a Nikon D300, Nikkormat FT 2n, and a Nikon FM2.

Along with a bag of big and expensive lenses.

Don't ever cheap out on glass, bodies change but good glass lasts forever. The non-AI 105 2.5 I use for portraiture was born in the 60's. And it works flawlessly on my newer digital body as well as my film cameras.

[Raoul]

Canon 40D, Rebel xti. I've shot for years so I've collected a bunch of glass.

You can't go wrong with either a Canon or Nikon DSLR.

[Guest bkelm18]

I use a Canon Digital Rebel XT. It's only 8MP but it suits my purposes. I'll echo everyone else and say DO NOT skimp on glass. A camera is only as good as the lens you're shooting with.

[saintsfanbrian]

I just recently started. I got a Nikon D60 with an 18-55 and 55-200 lens from Best Buy at a reasonable price. I have yet to purchase my first "good" lens as the kit lenses are working for my purposes (for now) but soon - all too soon I plan on getting a 50mm prime lens that will be a lot faster f1.8 I think.

I will echo the sentiments - get good lenses that will grow with you as you grow.

A tripod is a must if you are shooting in low light conditions such as fireworks or night shots.

Have fun.

[Mark A]

Another in the Canon camp here. Current bodies are 20d, 5d, and MkIIn (2). Haven't gotten to use them much since I relocated to Nashville but hopefully this spring I will be back out in action again.

My suggestions are buy what feels good in your hand but also if you have any friends or family invested in one particular system give that a lot of thought as glass can get really expensive so if you have friends or family shooting you can borrow things that they have.

Also, there are lot's of good brands out there (I shot Pentax for 20 years) but if you stick with Canon or Nikon there are tons of places that rent high end lenses. That can be really nice when you want to take a nice lens or 2 on vacation but normally you don't need them. Or, if you are going to a once in a lifetime event you can rent good glass for that.

Finally, don't hesitate to look at 3rd party lenses. I have several of the newer sigma lenses that I wouldn't trade for anything. My wife shoots sigma almost exclusively as she likes the colors she gets.

Mark

[Guest no_masters]

Another Canon guy here. I also shoot alot with 120mm Holga cameras as well.

I got a 50D with grip, canon 100-400L, 28-135 kits lens, 580exII flash and other misc goodies. Still working on the glass.

Like they said dont skimp on glass, get a good quality tripod, and as far as learning what they know try taking a few classes. Photo I, Digital Photo or a Photoshop intense class would help you get a base for learning some of the things they know.

[SpartaTN]

Canon 5D w/ 24-70MM F2.8l and 50mm f1.4, with a 580ex flash.

[S&WForty]

I'm a Canon shooter, strictly for hobby, though I have helped a friend on two pro gigs shooting sports. I have a 20D I got back in 2005 new, and a 1DMKIIn I got used in 2008. It was a killer deal from a friend that had owned it for only ~6 months and had put only about 6K shots on it. I have the 580EXII flash, 70-200 f/2.8IS, 28-135IS, 10-22 EF-S, and Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. I had a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 for a few years, but I sold it to a friend when I got Canon's IS version. For shooting on a budget, that Sigma served me well, and the Tamron 28-75 is great, too. Oh, I have a 1.4x teleconverter for the 70-200, too.

Talk about a money pit. I sometimes think I shoulda gotten a top of the line Point & Shoot model than get into all of this. LOL

[Mark A]

Lot's of Nashville shooters here (Camera's I mean). We should have a photo outing sometime.

Mark

[JPS]

I have a Pentax K10 that I bought so I could go digital and still use my 30+ year collection of lenses. I think too many people overlook Pentax equipment for some of the bigger name brands - I've owned several Pentax cameras over the years, and had great results from all of them.

[Mark A]

JPS, I wore out a couple of K1000's before moving to MX's. I really liked my Pentax cameras but when I was ready to move to digital Pentax wasn't a player. I just gave away the last of my old Pentax lenses a few months ago.

Mark

[Guest stovepipe]

If you (or anyone) are interested, and ever get to the Nashville area, I have a Nikon N6006 film camera set-up (zoom lenses [1 Nikor, 1 Sigma], flash, bounce, filters, etc - all 1 owner) that I'm getting ready to post on Craigs list... Would be a terrific student set-up. Love photography, but don't get out as much as I used to. PM me if you are interested in details.

[redfsr]

I did a lot of research around Christmas time and ended up buying a Nikon D90. It came with an 18-105mm lens and I purchased a 50mm f1.4 prime lens. Go to KenRockwell.com Chances are, he has reviewed in depth anything you are looking at.

[Guest Broomhead]

I am another Canon guy here. I used to own a Rebel XT but have since moved up to a Rebel XSi. I have the standard 18-55mm lens and a 55-250mm, both are Image Stabilized. I love the camera and both lenses, I get great pictures. My wife and I are always taking pics of the kiddos rather than paying someone to do it for us. We haven't paid for professional pictures in about 4 years now.

I would love to get in on a Nashville photo outing. Keep me in mind if someone starts to plan one.