Photography

[NTP66]

Noice. I see like new D810s on Amazon going for around $900.

B&H has an 8+ quality one for $799.

[meow]

I need some recommendations for a camera. mrs meow wants to start taking photos of mini meow's hockey games. so it needs to be able to capture movement well and the lighting at rinks is wildly different. Maybe a lower-end rec and a higher-end rec would help us get started.

[LITT]

We have one of the smaller Sony alpha models and it’s great. Very portable. Easy to use. Don’t need to make a million settings. I also have a more advanced canon camera I almost never use any more because the Sony takes pretty similar photos with a significantly less amnt of effort

[meow]

size is a good point. she doesn’t want to lug around or hold-use something huge. Especially when there are multiple games per day a lot of the time

[nocera]

For the body you’ll just need something with a decently high frame rate. 120fps would make your life very easy but that’s not really necessary if you can ‘git good.’ Really any mid-high end DLSR from the big brands would suit you fine. The lens would probably make the biggest difference. Look into a good 75-200mm (or 300mm) lens. I can get more specific later if you’d like. Really this is a question for @AuthorTony though.

[Beveridge]

size is a good point. she doesn’t want to lug around or hold-use something huge. Especially when there are multiple games per day a lot of the time

Wait for it...

[Ad@m]

size is a good point. she doesn’t want to lug around or hold-use something huge. Especially when there are multiple games per day a lot of the time

Wait for it...

[NTP66]

I’m still very much a DSLR guy, but my buddy swears by his Sony Alpha. You’ll pay up for it, though. I don’t believe there is a P&S that will be good enough to consider over something with a removable lense.

[AuthorTony]

A DSLR or mirrorless camera with a 70-200 lens is going to blow away any point and shoot. But, as the saying goes, the best camera is the one in your hand. If she's going to be more apt to carry around and use a P&S then go that route. Sorry, but I have no experience with P&Ss and can't recommend any specific model. Look for something with a good zoom though, as she probably won't be very close to the action. I think some of the Nikon's have a crazy 28-300 range.

[AuthorTony]

Some friends guilted me into photographing their daughter's wedding in May. I didn't feel comfortable with my D7000 as a second camera (never liked it) so I picked up a D800e with under 30K clicks, along with a battery grip. Less than $600 for both.

[NTP66]

That's a great price just for the body alone.

[AuthorTony]

I thought so too. I bought both from MPB.com. They have some great deals.

[NTP66]

@AuthorTony: You taking shots of this eclipse? I don't have a "solar" filter, but was going to look into using my ND8 to capture it. Doesn't sound like that will be enough, though.

[AuthorTony]

I have a 300mm prime so I was considering it, but I don't have a solar filter either. I think the highest I have is only ND2. Don't really want to fry my sensor. Maybe I should look for that D50 that's been hanging out somewhere in a closet for the last 10+ years, ha.

[NTP66]

Yeah, I don't want to destroy my D750's sensor, either. Oh well, we should have planned better, haha.

[tifosi77]

The........... totality path? crosses over Cleveland (which is appropriate), so western to central PA should get a good bit of sun-out, even into Jersey. Yonder west here I think we're supposed to have like 55%+ block. Yahoo.

[NTP66]

It's going to be 89.3% for my area.

[nocera]

Pittsburgh is is 97.2%. It's also insanely cloudy so I'm just expecting it to be a bit dark.

[AuthorTony]

Very cloudy here today, so I didn't miss much by now having the proper filter. It was neat being outside and feeling the temp drop several degrees though.

[Joegap]

I have always wanted to get into photography. Got a gift card from work - would this be something good for a noob to start out with?

https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-EF18-55mm- ... atf_m&th=1

[nocera]

Rebel is Canon's "entry level" camera line and really great for beginners. That T7 was fairly recently replaced with a T8 but I don't know the differences between the two models. I'd recommend looking into that first. It might make more sense to go with the more recent T8 version. But yeah, it's fairly no-thrills since it's a low cost entry option, but you can get some nice images from it. I don't think it's 4k video, though. Actually, the T8 may have added 4k video... Not sure if that matters to you. It's definitely one of the more user-friendly DLSR options. Tony can probably go into way more detail but I think it's a solid starter option.

[AuthorTony]

I have never so much as touched a Canon camera, so I can't speak to the specifics of that model. That said, any modern dslr is going to take perfectly fine photographs. It's also going to be heads and shoulders better than the cameras I used when starting my business. Technological advances n'at.

Two things to consider. Those lenses kit are pretty "slow." They'll be fine for taking outdoor pictures on a sunny day, but you're going to be hard pressed to get anything usable indoors with glass that slow. I'd pick up a "nifty 50" (50mm 1.8) lens too. You can usually get one for about $100. Doesn't need to be the latest and greatest. It'll give you a lot more flexibility in regards to low light situations.

Second, dslrs are now old tech, if that kind of thing matters to you. Mirrorless is the future of cameras. I don't get the hype for them, but every camera manufacturer is going in that direction, and there likely won't be much new glass made for dslrs. But, decades worth of great used glass will always remains available.

[NTP66]

IMO, go to a camera shop and check them out in person. For me, Nikon DSLRs just 'felt' better in my hands, and the menu is superior; Canon's is a mess.