buying my first dslr camera.

[tdd2448]

hi, im 16 years old and quite new to dslr cameras. if you guys could help me out it would be awsome. im looking for a camera that can take outdoor/traveling photos as well as action shots. with an emphasis on the action part. not worried to much about price but under 1k though. any general tips would be awsome. thanks.....

[Frog]

I do not have enough experience with all the different new cameras to make a recommendation but can say for action shots that is more a matter of what lens you have on the camera. All the dslr cameras can do outdoor and sports so you should really investigate them all with an eye toward what lenses are available for them.
What kind of action shots? Team sports? Auto racing? Mountain biking? We have afficionados of them all in the sports forum.
Keep asking questions and you'll get lots of help from the friendliest bunch of photographers in any photo forum.
Welcome and will be watching as you make your choice.
One word of advice is to pay no attention to those that say only such and such a brand is any good.

[daq7]

Well, action will require a fast shooting time as well. I suspect most dlsrs available in your price range will be ok, but fast shooting is not my thing. I need to sneak up on the shot as it is feeding or suckling its young. I have to surprise it if you know what I mean...

[Anbesol]

As Frog said, the key major component to how fast you can shoot will depend significantly more on the lens you use than anything else. When 1/120th shutter works on f/5.6, 1/500th can be achieved at f/2.8. Hence, f/2.8 and faster only for action shots.

The other factor you should consider is focus speed, which has a variety of contributing factors depending on system and lens. Faster lens will always offer faster autofocus, they let more light in, the sensors can find contrast quicker.

Anyway, bottom line, get a fast lens, and pay attention to AF performance in the DSLR bodies you look into.

[tdd2448]

ive done some looking around and found this PENTAX package deal from best buy, it seems like a good buy to me but i would like some feedback.


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/PENTAX+K...636198&count=1

[Anbesol]

The lens it comes with are very slow. For fast shots, f/2.8 zooms and faster are much better, even f/4 zooms are better than these. These are not the kind of lens you will likely find at best buy, usually require a pro photo store nearby. I can't emphasize enough how superior faster aperture lens are over ordinary consumer lens, especially with specific interest in 'action shots'.

Some lens you may want to look into: 17-50 or 24-70 f/2.8, and a ~ 70-200 f/2.8 or f/4. Fitting those lens with a camera body under $1k is a tough fit though, but with careful selection its almost possible.

The f/4-5.6 and f/3.5-5.6 lens are as slow as they come, and are at a severe disadvantage for faster action shots.

[tdd2448]

17-50 or 24-70 f/2.8, and a ~ 70-200 f/2.8 or f/4 could you explain what all this means?

[Anbesol]

Those are lens that I mentioned. Tamron makes one that is a '17-50mm f/2.8' that is excellent optically, and excellent range. The 24-70 f/2.8 is a common variety that all manufacturers produce. The 70-200 f/2.8 is another one manufactured by all brands, but the only 1 that is even close to your budget is Tamrons, which is about $700. For a total price point under $1k, you don't have a lot of options, but it is possible.

The lens in the kit you linked to are 18-55 f/3.5-5.6, and 55-200 f/4-5.6. They have nearly the same focal range, but their aperture range is much much smaller, so fast action shooting is strongly inhibited.

The first numbers - 17-50mm, represent the focal range, which represents the field of view. On an APS body (most cameras) 17mm is very wide, 50mm is a mild telephoto, 100mm is telephoto, 200mm is strong telephoto, 300 is super telephoto.

The second numbers - f/2.8, represent the relative diameter of the lens aperture diaphragm, namely, how much light a lens will let pass through. f/2.8 lets in 4 times the light of f/5.6, and twice the light of f/4.

Depending on what kind of action you want to freeze, a single fixed focal length lens (aka slang: 'prime') may suffice. All systems have a 50mm f/1.7-1.8 at a very low price of about $100. They are even faster than the f/2.8 zooms I mentioned, but they have no zoom, so you use your feet to move in and out.

I dont think you can reasonably put the whole range in one purchase under $1k, I think your best option is deciding which lens range is more important for the type of action shooting you want, and get that along with a camera body.

17-50 f/2.8
70-200 f/2.8
50mm f/1.7

Hope that helps.

[Frog]

Not only does your lens have to be fast but you need to know how close to your subject you will be. If you are shooting race boats on a lake, it will require a larger telephoto/zoom lens.
If you can get set up next to a cool spot on a bike race track, then the 50 or wider will do.

Anbesol explained about aperture. The reason we say f/2.8 is faster is because since it lets in more light, you can use faster shutter speeds to freeze action.
Apertures with small numbers are larger....big numbers are smaller.

[havana_joe]

An important factor with "action" shots is lighting. If you are taking pictures outdoors in bright sunlight, you will get fast shutter speed with even the kit lens. However, if you are taking pictures indoors (sporting events) or at night, a fast lens is a must, otherwise you will only get blurry pictures.