Camera Newbie

Just wondering about getting a camera. I have 4 small kids that are all starting to tube and ride. We would love to get some of the shots you guys are getting on the threads. Where should I start?

1. I know nothing about camera's or len's
2. I will know nothing about how to get the best shots, so I may be one of those that leaves all the settings to normal.....is that bad

3. Budget isn't huge at all for this, just want some higher quality digital pictures of the kids riding and having fun. Love the fact you see water drops instead of blurs with your threads.

4. Where to start what to buy, how much to spend, will I be able to use the capabilities?

Any help is appreciated although you may have to "dumb" it down for me as I literally have no idea what 70-300 or any of those numbers mean. Hell I barely know what mm stands for.

My original thought was Canon with some long lens...lol....sounds bad I know. Maybe $500?

Your total budget is $500? That would be pretty tough to get killer pics of the kids boarding but not impossible.

If you could up that to maybe around $1,000.00 you could get something pretty decent pictures. We stop the action using a fast shutter speed or AT LEAST 1/640th but usually more like 1/1000th of a second. It would be easy for you to get good shots if you had adequate gear. I'd probably tell you to shoot in TV mode set the ISO to AUTO, WB to AUTO, shutter speed to 1/000th on a sunny day and 1/800th on a cloudy day and have at it. You could figure all of this out pretty quickly I think. You don't need to understand the technical details... just set the camera and start shooting pictures.

Rob, your pictures are sick. I don't need the pics to be pro style just nice for the kids and us. Do I really need to spend 1k? Love some of the still pictures of the lake, kids and animals. Really love the action pictures of guys up in the air crossing the wake and able to see their facial expressions.

Can you give me a place to start even? Camera suggestion to look at? Where to look? Best Buy is where I will end up I would guess. lol I know it's so hard to help guys like me when you know so much and have such amazing equipment.

I just bought my first DSLR camera and am also pretty much a beginner, so I recently had to make the decision on which route to go.

From what I learned surfing the camera websites/threads it comes down to deciding which brand of camera you want to invest in. Each different brand (Canon, Nikon, etc) will use their own lenses. Therefore, you can start out with an entry level DSLR and then begin adding lenses to your collection as you become more experienced. Then down the road should you decide to move up to a more advanced camera you can do so within the same brand and continue to use the lenses that you have already accumulated.

The last SLR camera I owned was a Canon AE-1, so trying to learn my way around my T1i is a little daunting at first, but I'm starting to get a feel for it. I'm still shooting in full auto mode, so I'm getting some very nice shots, especially compared to the point and shoot I was using before. However, I'm quickly wanting to get more control over my shots, so I'm trying to learn as much as I can. I found an app on my iphone for the T1i that is basically giving me a complete tutorial not only for my camera, but for photography in general. This alone has been well worth the $5 it cost as it goes well beyond what the owners manual covered.

I would suggest that you first narrow it down to which brand of camera you want and then start educating yourself on the different cameras within the line-up that brand is offering. Then narrow it down to a couple of models based on the features you need/want. Then watch the weekly ads and websites for a deal. When the camera you want pops up in an ad, snag it! This is exactly what I did and I ended up getting my T1i for under $400. Granted, it was a mistake on the store's part as the camera should have rang up at $499, but even at $499 it would have been a great deal. You just need to keep your eyes open and be ready to pounce on a deal when it presents itself.

Thanks for the compliment on the pics. It is a great hobby/side business. I really enjoy it.

What about something like this...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._XS_a_k_a.html

This will get you enough range to get some pics of the kids on the tube/board. I am not a fan of the kit lens. I'd probably try to dump that , get a credit from B&H and get a 50mm f1.8 for daily use. My wife using a old Rebel XT and a 50mm f1.8 100% of the time and her pics are SICK. She also has a great eye for catching kids in really cute environments and the 50 1.8 works great for her...

Here is one my wife shot with her camera. I edited it using NIK Software Silver EFX Pro.



Let me know if you have any questions. There are a lot of people here that can help you out.

I got a Canon Digital Rebel 6 years ago they have come down a bunch in price and mine is still kicking 10k photos later. While I am no VLX I have take a number of pics Im very proud of. Techbargains is a great site to watch and I have also gotten some great deals from beachcamara as well.

Like Rob said, your not going to get much for $500 (body & lens) My daughter is getting the Rebel T1i, 15 megapixel with a 18-55 kit lens for $700 on sale at Best Buy. I wouldn't let her start any lower then that. Appears to be a desent camera for the money and should get you the shots you are looking for. Once you choose a body, Canon, Nikon etc. you are marriied to it when you start collecting lens, so pick wisely. I'm a Canon shooter but others that post excellent photos here use a verity of bodys. Nikon glass seems to be a little pricer then Canon lenses when you start to up grade to higher quality glass. The best advice I can give is spend the time to learn whatever camera you get, take a class, and shoot like crazy. You will see an improvement pretty quickly.

Good luck and welcome to the money pit

have you thought about getting used gear?

I would get used gear for sure..... Especially if it were someone I knew, or someone that I trusted.

Wow I can't believe how crazy this stuff is. Thought wakeboarding was expensive along with golf. (both of which I love) Now a third expensive hobby. Damn...lol I guess I need to take up something cheaper!!