Canon 50D
Pretty much sold on one of these for surfing and sailing photography, mainly due to the 6fps but also the other canon dslr’s i’ve used have been tops, can anyone recommend something better around the same price range? Otherwise this one will be on the credit card VERY soon!
havent decided on lenses yet
on another note, got to a point where i’m not getting any better with my photography, any suggestions? read up? classes? what’s the way to keep moving ahead when one comes to a stand still
I recently bought a Canon 40D (off a mate who upgraded to a 7D), and I’ve been very happy with it. I’ve still got a lot to learn but it’s really been good for us. The 50D is basically a newer version of the 40D with upgraded features (almost bought it too).
There’s so many good resources out there. Read up for sure. We bought the book dedicated to the 40D, which has been helpful. That said, I’ve learnt more reading the replies in the Photo Feedback and Critique thread than anywhere else. It’s good to be able to get feedback and learn from other photographers. There’s also some really good photography forums out there.
Are you using a DSLR now? If not this will be a great unit to start with. If you are doing mostly sports and action style photos you may want to think about saving up a little more and splurging on the 7d. But thats going to be your call and take away money for new glass. Surf photos mean your going to need a good long lens. Start saving now because they get super pricey to.
As for pushing your limits. Get out there and shoot. Take the camera off Auto, find some photos that you think are amazing and try to duplicate them with your own little touch. Main thing though is shoot shoot shoot. You cant get better if your not pushing your own limits.
We have a 50D & 7D, save a few more bucks and get the 7D for sure. The 7D is awesome. little faster for action shots, you can run two flashes + the built in (if you wish) without cables, all wireless. Then there is the HD movie capabilities !!!!!!!
We use a 15mm fisheye on it most of the time. We are certainly not brilliant photographers, but learning more all the time.
Sweet thanks for the feedback. 50D sounds like the way to go
the 50D doesnt do movie mode ay
If your photography isn’t improving don’t think buying better equipment will make your photos better.
Darb’s advice about not using auto is the best - the only mode you should shoot on is ‘M’ for manual. Get to know ISO, Aperture, Shutter and use them to capture the image you want.
Learn about light, that is your tool and the means you use to catch it.
You can also try the one focal length game… Next time you go out to shoot you randomly pick a focal length and shoot with that the whole session. It will make you have to move more and you can start to see the situations where you want a different length.
You can also try the one focal length game… Next time you go out to shoot you randomly pick a focal length and shoot with that the whole session. It will make you have to move more and you can start to see the situations where you want a different length.
i like that. might give it a go next time i’m out. Managed to drop my only ex-decent camera (lumix FZ7…. yes that old) and now it’s just dead. it had a great lense but it was so stuffed & old we timed it at 9 seconds to start up…do i get a prize for that? Probably had something to do with the amount of salt water it had swallowed over the years. so now i’m stuck with nothing until a few more fortnightly pay cheques.
I do a fair amount of DSLR filming with my Canon 550D / 8mm fisheye / 24-105L setup.
I find this setup allows me to use a fairly light body and wide lens while maintaining high image quality. The video quality is exactly the same as the 7d, while the FPS is lower. Although the 7d would be better for your photog side of action sports, if video is your game, understand dropping all the money for the 7d isnt nescessary to achieve high quality.
Furthermore, the Canon 60d coming out is going to revolutionary in terms of DSLR filming. It will have an articulating screen (similar to Sony’s alpha series) and increased image stabilization in the camera body. It will come in at a lower price point than the 7d , but higher than the 550d (~ $1200-$1500 CAN).
I mainly use my 7D for stills. I believe you can record in 9K format.
Another good way to progress is get out and shoot with other photographers. You will see what they do, how they set up a frame. How they use light and other great things. If you are in the Syd area feel free to pm me and I will meet up with ya and we can do a photo walk (that goes for anyone around the Syd area)