Camera Recommendations

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I was reading that the type of lenses you use, maybe more than the camera itself, can really impact your photography.

Finding a good-quality second-hand camera or lens would be great, but I don't mind spending a lot more on a good lens, but I suppose I'm going to have to find out what for me a 'good lens' is.

But yes I'm going to get that olloclip you recommended ASAP, there's literally a shop down the road which sells them. Probably play around with that a little and just find my feet a little.
 
Umm♥Layth said:
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!
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Ma'sha'Allah, art squad. :)

What does your daughter paint btw?
 
Masha'Allah :) She started off painting people, scenery and animals, I don't want her doing that so I've asked that she do silhouettes instead, but.I'm trying to nudge her towards arabic calligraphy since she is memorizing Quran. I've showed her how you can mix and match different artforms so she doesn't get stuck on one thing. Her favorite thing about painting is making new shades of color.

As far as the lens having the most affect on your photography, I would agree to an extent. They both matter. A crop frame takes different photos from a full frame. A full frame camera gives a luxurious and professional touch to a photo and allows your lens to shine in all its glory :D

The great thing is, if you do get an entry level cameras, which you should, it will be a crop frame, but you can use the same lenses on an upgraded camera in the future. That's if you go with canon of course ;D I should get paid by them you know.
 
Umm♥Layth said:
Masha'Allah :) She started off painting people, scenery and animals, I don't want her doing that so I've asked that she do silhouettes instead, but.I'm trying to nudge her towards arabic calligraphy since she is memorizing Quran. I've showed her how you can mix and match different artforms so she doesn't get stuck on one thing. Her favorite thing about painting is making new shades of color.

As far as the lens having the most affect on your photography, I would agree to an extent. They both matter. A crop frame takes different photos from a full frame. A full frame camera gives a luxurious and professional touch to a photo and allows your lens to shine in all its glory :D

The great thing is, if you do get an entry level cameras, which you should, it will be a crop frame, but you can use the same lenses on an upgraded camera in the future. That's if you go with canon of course ;D I should get paid by them you know.
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Ma'sha'Allah, like me. :D I started off with almost exclusively painting people and animals. I felt unsure about doing that so I shifted from there to landscapes and Arabic calligraphy. I've been doing calligraphy for three years now and I rarely use the reed pens. Just with some thinned-out acrylic paints and a flat brush you can create professional-looking calligraphy.

And a lot of the time I do a nice sunset or seascape piece with calligraphy over the top - you can create stunning pieces.

And I love creating new shades of colour! I brought 50 airtight plastic containers on eBay and whenever I make a colour I like I carefully preserve it in the container and write down the 'colour recipe'.
 
Scimitar said:
HOW BIG?

(curbs jealous feelings) :D

I'm still dreaming of the 800mm f5.6L IS USM :D so amazing. (it's like £12,000)

Scimi
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Browsing through the lenses some of their prices are way up there.

Again, drawing a parallel to painting - professional acrylics aren't cheap, but they're just so nice. And the nicest pigments are the most expensive, as it always is.

But creative folk must tread carefully - don't want to end up as that bankrupt artist who doesn't have a penny to their name. Like Johannes Vermeer, there was a time the ultramarine blue paint was more expensive than gold, but he loved the colour so much he splashed it all over his paintings. He died with a mountain of debts.
 
You know you can hire lenses for the day?

(that's the smart way to play with toys one cannot afford)

:nervous:;D

Scimi
 
Asalaamualaykum
I never read all the posts but please remember that if your taking photos of mobile objects or moving objects then Shutter speed is a major factor.
 
Scimitar said:
HOW BIG?

(curbs jealous feelings) :D

I'm still dreaming of the 800mm f5.6L IS USM :D so amazing. (it's like £12,000)

Scimi
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Not that big. Mine is 200mm, but I'd like something bigger in the future insha'Allah.

Scimitar said:
You know you can hire lenses for the day?

(that's the smart way to play with toys one cannot afford)

:nervous:;D

Scimi
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Yes, agreed. This is how I settle on what lens to buy if I'm debating.

It is an investment, sister noraina so just be sure you use it before you invest in it :)
 
:salam:

This whole 80000mm or 12mm lens confuse me. Lol. What is the difference? Say a 1mm lens compared to a 1200mm lens?

Allahu alam
 
the smaller the number of mm - the more you get into the frame. Basically bro serenity.

Until you get to 50mm - that is as near perfect as the field of vision your eyes see.

Then the higher you go in number, the more you zoom in,

Scimi
 
You know hiring lenses to try them out isn't a bad idea.

If you're going to spend several grand on a lens, you really can't go wrong with testing the product first.

It's actually a great idea :D It'll be easier to find the 'right lens' which will suit me in that way.

In the meantime, I'm going to get that olloclip and attempt to take some awe-inspiring pictures of the canal and rose gardens. :D
 
noraina said:
You know hiring lenses to try them out isn't a bad idea.

If you're going to spend several grand on a lens, you really can't go wrong with testing the product first.

It's actually a great idea :D It'll be easier to find the 'right lens' which will suit me in that way.

In the meantime, I'm going to get that olloclip and attempt to take some awe-inspiring pictures of the canal and rose gardens. :D
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As-salaamu aleykum

Whilst its going to be a lot of fun playing with lenses (if you have the money to buy a decent one), honestly u'll be better off getting a feel for your camera.

If you're still new to DSLR tech, the best place to start is with the iso/f-stop/shutter speed triangle to determine what kind of images will come out. Once you have this down pat you'll be much better placed to determine what kind of lens you need.

Aside from kit lens, as already pointed out, the nifty 50 (50mm) lens is a fantastic place to start. Aim for f1.2 or 1.4 for best results.

Looking forward to seeing some great photos
 
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'abd al-hakeem said:
As-salaamu aleykum

Whilst its going to be a lot of fun playing with lenses (if you have the money to buy a decent one), honestly u'll be better off getting a feel for your camera.

If you're still new to DSLR tech, the best place to start is with the iso/f-stop/shutter speed triangle to determine what kind of images will come out. Once you have this down pat you'll be much better placed to determine what kind of lens you need.

Aside from kit lens, as already pointed out, the nifty 50 (50mm) lens is a fantastic place to start. Aim for f1.2 or 1.4 for best results.

Looking forward to seeing some great photos
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I am very new to DSLR technology. And one thing I can truly appreciate about photographers now, is that it is no way as simple as I had thought.

It's been quite humbling, lol, I admit I thought photography was more show than anything with the fancy cameras and flowery jargon.

In'sha'Allah, looking forward to learning this new skill.
 
noraina said:
I am very new to DSLR technology. And one thing I can truly appreciate about photographers now, is that it is no way as simple as I had thought.

It's been quite humbling, lol, I admit I thought photography was more show than anything with the fancy cameras and flowery jargon.

In'sha'Allah, looking forward to learning this new skill.
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Iso determines available brightness small number for bright scene, big number for darker.
F-stop is focal plane (smaller number yields narrow focus depth like my leaf photo, bigger number yields deeper focus like my waterfall photo)
Shutter speed is self explanatory but will help give you effects like blurred water like in my waterfall photo depending on how long the shutter is open.

An incorrect balance of these three items will give either total white or some blurry version or even over/under exposed version of the image you were hoping for.

E.g. to get an entry level photo of stars at night try setting the camera (on a tripod) to 600-800 ISO F5 and leaving the shutter open for about 30 seconds. Most DSLR'should have 30 second exposure time without needing an external timer.

If you can nail photos with a kit lens, you'll have so much more appreciation for images you'll capture with top end lenses.
 
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'abd al-hakeem said:
Iso determines available brightness small number for bright scene, big number for darker.
F-stop is focal plane (smaller number yields narrow focus depth like my leaf photo, bigger number yields deeper focus like my waterfall photo)
Shutter speed is self explanatory but will help give you effects like blurred water like in my waterfall photo depending on how long the shutter is open.

An incorrect balance of these three items will give either total white or some blurry version or even over/under exposed version of the image you were hoping for.

E.g. to get an entry level photo of stars at night try setting the camera (on a tripod) to 600-800 ISO F5 and leaving the shutter open for about 30 seconds. Most DSLR'should have 30 second exposure time without needing an external timer.

If you can nail photos with a kit lens, you'll have so much more appreciation for images you'll capture with top end lenses.
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JazakAllah khayr for those explanations, the more you learn the less confusing it is.

And yes, I should get the basics of photography down first before moving on to anything more complex or specific.

And it's funny you should mention the stars at night. I've really loved astronomy and aside from for my landscape paintings, I would love to attach my DSLR camera to my telescope (it has a magnification with one lense of x180 and 130mm primary mirror) and take some deep-space photographs via loooooong exposures. I did that with my phone's camera and got some amazing close-up shots of the Moon.

Of course, that's more advanced, but I'm looking forward to that in'sha'Allah. A lot of possibilities.
 
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