Camera Recommendations

[noraina]

Assalamu alaykum,

I'd really appreciate any advice or recommendations on a high quality, easy-to-use camera.

I know *nothing* about photography, but as a landscape painter I really need to begin taking my own reference photos - I just don't get that 'feels' from using other people's photograph and finding creative commons-licensed quality images is difficult.

So I'm forced by necessity, lol. I've heard the Sony Cybershot is good for landscape photography.

Any suggestions? It's important that it is a camera I can easily take around with me everywhere, but takes good quality photos.

And you're also free to give me any photography advice, this is unknown territory for me.

[sister herb]

I think you need to here brother @Scimitar

[noraina]

Yes, brother @Scimitar does photography, doesn't he?

And, nothing too steep. Maximum is maybe £400, just a beginner and don't want to alarm my father too much when he discovers my new hobby, lol.

[Scimitar]

Ah, well I do like photography and I have to admit, mobile phones are more or less sony cybershots these days.

They both work the same way. just the sensor and lens size are different.

Thing with those cameras is, they don't have aperture (Depth of Field) controls so you can't get "artistic" shots.

If your budget is £400, you cannot go wrong with a Canon EOS 100D. It comes with an 18-55mm STM which is good to start with, and allows you to pull zoom and focus within those ranges.

But I know you love to paint scenery and things like this, so I would recommend the nifty50 lens (Canon's 50mm f1.8 mkII) which is an absolute bargain for what it is. You will get smooth, creamy photos where the subject is in high focus and the background is in bokeh, whether you shoot portrait or landscape, getting upclose and personal with this camera is great, and it let's a fair amount of light in with its wide aperture.

The nifty50 is a PRIME LENS - this means it sits at 50mm and does not do zoom - for a very good reason - what you shoot at 50mm PRIME will look soooo much better than the standard kit lens - the difference is phenomenal. And you can get great bokeh (depth of field) which is really beautiful when compared to the standard 18-55 kit lens.

The kit lens, though, is good for filming video as it has a silent running motor on it, you won't hear it whirring and zooming - and it's stilla good lens in its own right.

One thing you will realise once you get the basics of photography down, is that - you will get different results with different lenses.

In all honesty, I do not believe any pro photographer needs more than 5 lense in his kit bag.

Myself, I only have three lenses and they are enough for now.

I know all this can seem confusing, but if you have any questions, just ask here and in sha Allah I will reply.

Also, youtube is a great resource for learning pro photography from the professionals

Click Here for Amazon link

I really do recommend getting the 50mm Prime 1.8 Canon lens for this.

Its so much fun going out with a camera to shoot something

Let me know how it goes in sha Allah

Scimi

[Scimitar]

This is a good honest review of the canon 100D



And I found this following video invaluable - I mean, who wants to read camera manuals? Right?



Overall, this is a brilliant entry level DSLR for the beginner to photography. The price is very low, and it's made with beginners in mind yet can hold its own against some of the bigger boys. It's small (rated as the smallest DSLR ever made) and therefore lightweight, reducing hand fatigue which is a major issue for photography pro's.

I'd recommend getting a tripod in time, but for now, the camera with the kit lens and the nifty50mm mk2 or the 5omm STM model are brilliant and you'll have loads of fun doing your own thing.

I once did a shot where I left the shutter open for 15 seconds with the camera overlooking a dual carriageway at sunset... while I stayed perfectly still in the shot.

What resulted was me frozen with just the light beams of cars showing movement (the cars themselves invisible) it was very interesting and gave me ideas lots of ideas of what was possible with a little creative flair. You're an artist - for you, this should be a lot of fun.

Scimi

[noraina]

JazakAllah khayr so much bro Scimi, you're a natural teacher as I actually understood, lol, I'm taking down notes.

That looks like a good choice of camera, and thanks for the explanation about the lenses - photography has always overwhelmed me a little which is why I have put it off for a while. I was actually thinking if I should go for a prime lens or a zoom, which you answered.

So DSLR camera don't really zoom, do they? Do they kind of go 'further' with a longer exposure, or does it depend on the lens size?

And what photo editing software would you recommend?

And yes just want to get a good affordable camera for now. As I'm planning to make a career out of landscapes I might upgrade once I've got the hang of photography basics.

I can't wait - it's going to open up a lot more possibilities if I take my own photographs. So many times I'm walking past something looking just great and yet I can't photograph it for a painting, never again in'sha'Allah.

[Umm♥Layth]

For scenery and ladnscapes you will need something wider than 50mm. That's a portrait lens. You want a wide angle lens which will take in more of the scene. Lenses do the zooming, not the camera and for your line of work, you want something that zooms out, not in.





Cannon is awesome but for what you are wanting though, you can easily get a wide angle "lens" for your phone. It's called an "olloclip".


I suggest doing that instead and if you are truly committed to taking the photos, you can upgrade. Here's some tips on how to get good landscape photos using the olloclip and phone: https://www.olloclip.com/blog/how-im...e-photography/

As far as digital editing, it will take up alot of your time and if you are a painter, then you want that time to go into your painting. In other words, that's where you do your enhancements you and my kiddo are very similar masha Allah. Painting is big in this household! I currently own 3 cameras, 2 DSLR's and an old film camera plus 4 lenses. Two zoom and two prime. I've had 7 different cameras in the last 12 years and believe me, you won't want to lug around any equipment on your daily runs, lol. Not even a point and shoot. I usually pull out my phone with the olloclip, and I feel like such a cheater, but its so convenient!


Good luck sis!

[talibilm]

Sister

@noraina

Landscaping is a good career and halal business with no lies imo. Muslim Ladies can work on their own and mixing with males may be at minimum. May Allah make it easy for you.

[noraina]

For scenery and ladnscapes you will need something wider than 50mm. That's a portrait lens. You want a wide angle lens which will take in more of the scene. Lenses do the zooming, not the camera and for your line of work, you want something that zooms out, not in.









Cannon is awesome but for what you are wanting though, you can easily get a wide angle "lens" for your phone. It's called an "olloclip".


I suggest doing that instead and if you are truly committed to taking the photos, you can upgrade. Here's some tips on how to get good landscape photos using the olloclip and phone: https://www.olloclip.com/blog/how-im...e-photography/

As far as digital editing, it will take up alot of your time and if you are a painter, then you want that time to go into your painting. In other words, that's where you do your enhancements you and my kiddo are very similar masha Allah. Painting is big in this household! I currently own 3 cameras, 2 DSLR's and an old film camera plus 4 lenses. Two zoom and two prime. I've had 7 different cameras in the last 12 years and believe me, you won't want to lug around any equipment on your daily runs, lol. Not even a point and shoot. I usually pull out my phone with the olloclip, and I feel like such a cheater, but its so convenient!


Good luck sis!

JazakAllah khayr for all of that information,

I've never really considered an olloclip to be honest, altho I have seen a local store selling them. As I'm a complete noob when it comes to photography, it might be good stepping stone until I get a Canon. And I suppose if you can't always take your DSLR with you, it takes a conveniently small amount of space.

One thing that has stumped me is the lense I should get, there's such a huge variety.

The nifty fifty one seems to be the go-to camera lense for many types of photography, I've heard the 85mm is quite good for capturing certain effects as well...

With painting, too many sharply-defined features or details aren't necessary. What's important is the way colour and lighting are captured, more than anything else. Are there any lenses specifically for that, or is it something down to the skill of the photographer?

Composition is important as well for the type of photographs I want, would a wide-angle lense be necessary, or can 35, 50, 85 mm lenses on a camera work around this?

A lot of questions I know, they just keep on coming .

And I just love painting, since I was four years old I've know that's my calling lol. Alhamdulillah I've been able to carry it on - and the support of your parents is really important for that.

[noraina]

Sister

@noraina

Landscaping is a good career and halal business with no lies imo. Muslim Ladies can work on their own and mixing with males may be at minimum. May Allah make it easy for you.

Wa alaykum assalam,

Ameen,

As well as being something I'm so passionate about, landscape painting just suits my lifestyle quite well - I'd be able to work from home in'sha'Allah and have a certain amount of flexibility, which is ideal for me.

It's quite an unorthodox choice in my family, it certainly raised eyebrows and many questions amongst my uncles and aunts. But I've since had requests for paintings from them so they seem to have warmed up to the idea.

May Allah swt make it easy for all of us to earn halal rizq. Ameen.

[Umm♥Layth]

JazakAllah khayr for all of that information,

I've never really considered an olloclip to be honest, altho I have seen a local store selling them. As I'm a complete noob when it comes to photography, it might be good stepping stone until I get a Canon. And I suppose if you can't always take your DSLR with you, it takes a conveniently small amount of space.

One thing that has stumped me is the lense I should get, there's such a huge variety.

The nifty fifty one seems to be the go-to camera lense for many types of photography, I've heard the 85mm is quite good for capturing certain effects as well...

With painting, too many sharply-defined features or details aren't necessary. What's important is the way colour and lighting are captured, more than anything else. Are there any lenses specifically for that, or is it something down to the skill of the photographer?

Composition is important as well for the type of photographs I want, would a wide-angle lense be necessary, or can 35, 50, 85 mm lenses on a camera work around this?

A lot of questions I know, they just keep on coming .

And I just love painting, since I was four years old I've know that's my calling lol. Alhamdulillah I've been able to carry it on - and the support of your parents is really important for that.

The 50mm captures LESS than what your phone does now. Mobile phones are already wide angle and that's why you can take selfies. Try taking a selfie with a 50mm and see how far you get LOL. I've managed, but it isn't as easy. An 85mm lens is even closer than a 50mm, so unless you want closeups or portraits, those are definitely NOT what you want for landscapes. Yes the nifty 50 is nice and a good go to lens, everyone should have one imo, but each lens is meant for certain things.

Macro which are magnifying and are for super duper close ups like for capturing bugs, leaf details, rain droplets, diamonds etc.


Then you have telephoto lenses which allow you to capture images from a distance, but it looks up close. That's what sports photographer use and they can also be used for portraits, depending. This is an image of a large telephoto lens, taken with a telephoto lens lol.


Then you have portrait lenses which are self explanatory This is a portrait taken with a 50mm lens with an aperture of 1.2 I believe.


and finally, you have wide angle lenses which capture more scenery. This image here gives you an excellent idea of what scenery images look like with different focal points.

[Umm♥Layth]

See how little you actually get with a 50mm? The wider you go, the more you will get in the pic.

[Scimitar]

For scenery and ladnscapes you will need something wider than 50mm.

Definitely, I use a Tokina 16-28mm F2.8 which I got second hand at £260 lol I know, lenses can be expensive but the optical compensation on this lens is really good - being a wide angle lens, the corners of the image will naturally be blown out of perspective, so the optical compensation on the lens corrects that nicely.

Lenses can get expensive, my advice is to start off with one or two lenses and then, once you've found their limitations, you will know what your next lens should be.

The 50mm Prime is about as close as you can get for landscape photography (EDIT: but with the canon 100D being a crop sensor, I wouldn't use it for langscape), while still having a very usable and amazing lens for portraits - and the price is absolutely great for what this lens is. A bargain.

The 50mm lens is what your natural field of view sees with your eyes - anything 50mm or under is your best bet for landscape.

Just remember, the lower the number count - the further away object will seem to be and the more you can get into the shot.

Tokina 16-28mm lens review with samples.


Scimi

[Scimitar]

NOTE:

The canon 100D is crop sensor, at 1.6X so the image will be even more zoomed in - the 50mm will be more like 80-85mm

Defnitely for portraits you will need something way under 50mm (having said that, I'd still get the nifty50 because it's just so good for getting in close to subjects without being a macro lens, photographing flowers and stuff with this lens is a treat).

Scimi

[talibilm]

Wa alaykum assalam,

Ameen,

As well as being something I'm so passionate about, landscape painting just suits my lifestyle quite well - I'd be able to work from home in'sha'Allah and have a certain amount of flexibility, which is ideal for me.

It's quite an unorthodox choice in my family, it certainly raised eyebrows and many questions amongst my uncles and aunts. But I've since had requests for paintings from them so they seem to have warmed up to the idea.

May Allah swt make it easy for all of us to earn halal rizq. Ameen.

Similarly designing of homes, structures I mean only drafting is also a good job for muslim women to work from home. Its our Pious Sisters who under go most troubles in search of halal rizk particularly when the income of family is not enough. some one should make a thread which could help them inshallah.

[noraina]

The 50mm captures LESS than what your phone does now. Mobile phones are already wide angle and that's why you can take selfies. Try taking a selfie with a 50mm and see how far you get LOL. I've managed, but it isn't as easy. An 85mm lens is even closer than a 50mm, so unless you want closeups or portraits, those are definitely NOT what you want for landscapes. Yes the nifty 50 is nice and a good go to lens, everyone should have one imo, but each lens is meant for certain things.

Macro which are magnifying and are for super duper close ups like for capturing bugs, leaf details, rain droplets, diamonds etc.


Then you have telephoto lenses which allow you to capture images from a distance, but it looks up close. That's what sports photographer use and they can also be used for portraits, depending. This is an image of a large telephoto lens, taken with a telephoto lens lol.


Then you have portrait lenses which are self explanatory This is a portrait taken with a 50mm lens with an aperture of 1.2 I believe.


and finally, you have wide angle lenses which capture more scenery. This image here gives you an excellent idea of what scenery images look like with different focal points.

Definitely, I use a Tokina 16-28mm F2.8 which I got second hand at £260 lol I know, lenses can be expensive but the optical compensation on this lens is really good - being a wide angle lens, the corners of the image will naturally be blown out of perspective, so the optical compensation on the lens corrects that nicely.

Lenses can get expensive, my advice is to start off with one or two lenses and then, once you've found their limitations, you will know what your next lens should be.

The 50mm Prime is about as close as you can get for landscape photography (EDIT: but with the canon 100D being a crop sensor, I wouldn't use it for langscape), while still having a very usable and amazing lens for portraits - and the price is absolutely great for what this lens is. A bargain.

The 50mm lens is what your natural field of view sees with your eyes - anything 50mm or under is your best bet for landscape.

Just remember, the lower the number count - the further away object will seem to be and the more you can get into the shot.

Tokina 16-28mm lens review with samples.






Scimi

Thanks so much....gosh I don't know why but I thought the larger the lens the further away the object would be. See? This is why I needed help, lol.

So a 50 mm as a general go-to lense. But for what I specifically want, a wide-angle lense, maybe somewhere between 24-15mm.

[Scimitar]

I would first just get the camera and the stock lens which comes with it. And play around, get used to DSLR. You'll learn loads in a relatively short time and then your interest will peak onto Lenses.

Once at the point of deciding on which lens to buy as your first, you will be lost in a sea of lenses.

Here are some guidelines.

1) What mount does your camera have? Canon DSLR's have EF and EF-s mounts.

The Canon 100D is EF-s which means it can take both, EF and EF-s Lenses.

You will be restricted to these - but it's really no restriction as Canon lenses are plentiful and 3rd part manufacturers such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina also make for Canon.

2) What do you want the lens for? Is it portrait? Landscape? Will you edit in post (photoshop, lightroom etc) or will you just shoot and print? This is a consideration for you if you wish to photograph landscapes with a wide angle lens because on some lenses, there is no optical compensation - so if you are photographing for Landscapes - Optical Compensation may be a factor.

If you are willing to work on your choice photos in post (photoshop, lightroom etc) then there is software which helps you to correct the optical drift in the photo's. If not, your photos will be fish-eyed, and to avoid this, a lens with optical compensation is the way to go.

3) What is your budget? This is where you narrow down your choice even further. I settled for the Tokina as its great value for money and was over £600 brand new but I mananged to get one for £260 second hand which is a bargain. You don't always have to buy a brand new lens, sometimes you can get some real bargains second hand.

For a better guide on how to choose a lens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUE2HIbotXc

Scimi

[noraina]

In'sha'Allah I probably will just get my hands on a camera for now and just see how it works.

And I was just thinking about the perspective distortion which will undoubtedly come with a wide-angle lens - that's something right up on the list. The only camera I've ever used is the one on an iphone so I think I'll gain more confidence once I actually start using a 'proper' one.

One thing I'm realising the more I read into it that photography really is an artform. There are so many ways to express yourself once you have the right equipment and learn the basic guidelines.

There's this popular phrase which I love: 'To learn how to paint, you need to learn all the rules, then you need to learn how to break the rules.' So essentially your learn the tricks of the trade, and once you've understood that, move on to develop your own style. I'm guessing photography is similar .

[Umm♥Layth]

Yes, pick your camera first, then your lens. I vote canon all the way, but like I said, I'd go with the phone lens first to see how serious you'll take your photo taking.

Personally, I got my cameras without a lens, even when I started for various reasons that I feel are too technical and I don't want to overwhelm you.

I also got most of my cameras used and my big telephoto also used. The problem with used electronics is that people can abuse them and then sell them to you, so only buy from a reputable seller. I got my big lens from a retired school photographer. This saved me alot of money on my equipment and it has lasted me a very long time.

[Umm♥Layth]

In'sha'Allah I probably will just get my hands on a camera for now and just see how it works.

And I was just thinking about the perspective distortion which will undoubtedly come with a wide-angle lens - that's something right up on the list. The only camera I've ever used is the one on an iphone so I think I'll gain more confidence once I actually start using a 'proper' one.

One thing I'm realising the more I read into it that photography really is an artform. There are so many ways to express yourself once you have the right equipment and learn the basic guidelines.

There's this popular phrase which I love: 'To learn how to paint, you need to learn all the rules, then you need to learn how to break the rules.' So essentially your learn the tricks of the trade, and once you've understood that, move on to develop your own style. I'm guessing photography is similar .

You won't get much distortion if you get an entry level camera with a 15mm. The real distortion begins at 14mm with a full frame camera and this is called a fish eye lens Photography is definitely and artform but also a skill. You want to be able to take great photos to sell your artwork or sell almost any business items or services, so I do encourage you to explore. You and my eldest kiddo are so similar and I found myself explaining the same thing to her not long ago! Painting is huge in this house!