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Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

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Re: Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

#11

Post by ValentineC »

PaulHoule wrote: post #3

I was a fan of Canon SLRs for a long time. I lost my camera and my best lens a while ago and spent some time looking at the latest offerings by Cannon and Nikon. In particular I was interested in getting a "full frame" camera because of its greater light collecting capacity. When I looked at reviews of the lower-end full frame cameras from Canon and Nikon I found countless complaints. Then I took a look at this camer…

> When I looked at reviews of the lower-end full frame cameras from Canon and Nikon I found countless complaints.

I've had a Nikon D700 for 11 years and I'm still pretty happy with its usability (at peak usage, I'd often considered it an extension of my body) and the quality of the photos it produces, even though my tolerance for how much weight I'd like to carry has gone down as I grew older.

Re: Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

#12

Post by ValentineC »

theandrewbailey wrote: post #10

I was shopping around for a camera about 4 years ago. I realized that normal digital cameras are essentially smartphones. So I bought a Nikon D3300 (DSLR, ~$500). I haven't bought any extra things for it (used what was in the box), and an acquaintance gave me a tripod he wasn't using. I've considered getting a long focus lens, but the stock lens is sufficient for me (cue horror from "pro photographers"). I've never u…

> I've considered getting a long focus lens, but the stock lens is sufficient for me (cue horror from "pro photographers").

Two reasons you'd want to get special lenses would be:

1) to reach a certain zoom length for sports, animals, or architecture; or

2) to get nicer bokeh for portraits.

Re: Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

#13

Post by forgottenpass »

Get a used camera at a pricepoint that doesn't matter if you choose wrong. Experience isn't just going to teach you how to understand the on-paper specs of the camera, you're going to learn what you find important in a camera.

If you fall down the photography rabbit hole, you'll very quickly end up spending way more on lenses than camera bodies, so don't sweat it. Picking which lens ecosystem(s) you want to get locked into is a more important question. And even then, you have multiple good choices and hardware with resale value.

2-3 year old articles are fine for shopping advice, you should buy something at least that old. If you needed more-advanced camera tech, you would already know exactly how to choose the right camera for you.

Re: Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

#14

Post by bigredhdl »

pbalau wrote: post #8

The biggest difference between a DSLR and a mirrorless is the wayfinder: on mirrorless you get digital vs analog on dslr (via the mirror system). In terms of controls, both have more or less the same, with some naming differences. I would go for second hand set, either canon or nikon, whatever model!, with the stock zoom lens (18-55) and get a fixie (not zoom lens, 50mm works great for lots of conditions and most of…

I agree with a lot of this. I took a photography class in college and learned more on a borrowed old 35mm taking and developing black and whites than anything I have used since. People (myself included) tend to focus way too much on the gear, but when you are starting out go way cheap so you can get a feel for what you like to shoot and where your gear might be limiting you. Then after you go through that process make a more informed decision about what system you want to invest in. Definitely get you a zoom and a prime lens though as stated above.

I highly recommend taking a class in person. It really is the best bang for your buck. After that I think the best way to learn is just getting out there and taking shots. Get away from the gear reviews and spend that time practicing . Find out what you like and what you don't. Really its about you enjoying your own shots not trying to meet someone else's arbitrary standard of what makes a shot good enough.

Personally, I now shoot mirrorless. My first DSLR was an Olympus E-520 which served me very well. I reached a point where I was going to have to invest in more lenses, but Olympus had switched to micro 4/3 mirrorless and I was hesitant to invest in a system without a clear upgrade path. I then upgraded to a Pentax k-70 which was a decent camera, but I had so many focus issues with it I quickly sold it and now I've made the plunge into the Sony mirrorless system and plan on staying there and investing in it. Its a joy to shoot.

Finally, remember most of the greatest photographers in history had less capable cameras than the one you will have in your hand.

Re: Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

#15

Post by runjake »

Careful. Learning photography can be like learning the new productivity method du jour.

That said, the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson was recommended to me a long time ago and provided me with immediate and stunning results. Buy it though, don't download one of the numerous copies online.

Re: Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

#16

Post by cromiium »

runjake wrote: post #15

Careful. Learning photography can be like learning the new productivity method du jour. That said, the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson was recommended to me a long time ago and provided me with immediate and stunning results. Buy it though, don't download one of the numerous copies online.

Any reason to not download it? Do you mean to support Peterson or for some other reason?

Re: Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

#17

Post by bluedino »

IMO you are putting the cart before the horse. It's kind of like asking, "I want to learn programming, should I buy a Dell or Mac?" Buy a cheap, used DSLR. Hopefully one with a bunch of accesories. Whether that is a Nikon or Canon is another post entirely. But don't worry about that now. Take lots of pictures! That old camera takes just as good of shots as it did 10 years ago when it was new. Local community classes have photography classes. Keep shooting, make friends, edit the photso onyour PC. After some time passes, you'll handle other cameras and find out what YOU need. At this point, buy. Worst case, you tire of the hobby in a few months, you're only out $300 instead of $1500.

Re: Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

#19

Post by jsjohnst »

pbalau wrote: post #8

The biggest difference between a DSLR and a mirrorless is the wayfinder: on mirrorless you get digital vs analog on dslr (via the mirror system). In terms of controls, both have more or less the same, with some naming differences. I would go for second hand set, either canon or nikon, whatever model!, with the stock zoom lens (18-55) and get a fixie (not zoom lens, 50mm works great for lots of conditions and most of…

> on mirrorless you get digital vs analog on dslr

There’s plenty of dSLRs with digital viewfinders at all price points in virtually all brands.

Re: Ask HN: DSLR vs. MirrorLess cameras. Best resources for learning photography?

#20

Post by PeterBarrett »

There is quite a few great comments in this thread but I just want to add that getting a quality lens has a much bigger impact on your image quality than the camera body. A quality body with a bad lens is a waste of time.

Different eco systems have a varied number of lenses at each price point, for example you will be able to pick up an old but great canon lens cheap enough but if you go with Sony you will be spending much more to get a quality lens as their eco system is much younger. (I'm a Sony user btw)

Regards resources there is hundreds of Youtube videos for learning but be careful about getting caught up in the gear hype. I like Thomas Heaton [1]

Think about how you will be displaying the images, if you are just sharing to Instagram then you don't need a >16mp sensor.

No one can really tell you what exactly to do, it's bit of a journey to find out how you enjoy taking photos but it's a great hobby!

[1] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfhW84xfA6gEc4hDK90rR1Q

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