digital SLR's...

ogre

ogre

Call me Liberace!
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i want to do hdr photography, priced around 500 bucks, entry/mid level camera. right now, it's between a nikon D5000 and a canon T2i. the canon is a better camera, yes, but the D5k is already out of my price range (after a lens). any tips, besides "dive in"?:thumbsup:
 
I got the Nikon D3000 for Christmas. Not sure how much it cost but I think it's a good starter camera. It's easy to operate and I've had a great time playing with it.

Here is a pic I took this past weekend of my "lumber jack" son

DSC_0022.jpg
 
Buy a used Nikon D80. It will do anything you ever want it to, plus you can use older lenses on it and still autofocus. You can't do that with the D40, D60, D3000 and D5000.
I have a D60 and had the extra money for a D80 when I bought it. Have regretted it ever since. Also, if you haven't bought anything yet, and aren't brand loyal, the Canon's seem to have "cheaper" lenses. However they "feel" cheaper too..

Good luck whatever you do. If you don't think you will get "heavily" into it, either of your choices will be just fine for HDR photography.
Let me know if you have any other questions, I've been toying with these things for a few years. :thumbsup:
 
I have aCanon T1i, and i am very happy with it. You can't go wrong with either Canon or Nikon. Do you have friends that have DSLRs? If so, think about buying the matching brand. You can buy different lenses, and share the more specialized ones. Helps keep the cost down. The same aftermarket companies sell lenses for both cameras(some are better and cheaper than either Canon or Nikon), so don't let that deter you from either.
 
The Canon T1i is just about the same camera as the T2i. The biggest diff is the video mode (not something I care about). When I priced it out, the lowest I could get the T2i to the T1i was $150 more.. wasn't worth it to me.

I used the autobracketing to make a HDR photo of my new 1911:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/5659/1911hdr2.jpg


Taken with the cheap 1.8 50mm prime lens. This is the finest lens you can get for the price! I think Canon sells them cheap to get you to buy Canon.


Anyway, I just bought the camera from newegg last month. Here's the price break down from my shopping cart:

1 x ($149.99) DC KIT DOLICA | K4GB1.5TBWB3591 RT
1 x ($210.00) LENS CANON|EF-S 55-250MM F/4-5.6 IS
1 x ($564.00) DSLR CANON | EOS REBEL T1I BODY R
1 x ($-150.00) DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #537176
1 x ($-149.99) DISCOUNT FOR AUTOADD #25310

That's $560 for the camera body, $60 for the 55-250 lens, and I got the 50mm prime off amazon for $99. Newegg threw in a 1tb hard drive, 4gig sd card, and a camera bag all for free.

Here's a nice list of HDR capable cameras:

DSLR Cameras for HDR » Before The Coffee
 
We've got an almost new D80 I could make you a deal on (body only-no lenses) with a case, charger, etc. $400! Let me know... :beerchug:
 
Not to be totally dumb, but can't you do hdr photos with any camera that will capture a "raw" image, then do the hdr in post process?

Sent from my HTC EVO using Tapatalk.
 
Hdr's layer three or more pictures to get a single picture where nothing is over or under developed. Some point and shoots will do it, but dslr's make it so nice and easy...bracket the shot, and press the shutter three times. It allows you to wait for a clear shot each time if the area has people walking around.
 
I have nothing against nikon, first camera was canon so thats where i have stayed. as stated above either t1 or t2, or if you are like me and dont need video built in even an older xs/xsi is still a very competent camera and can be had for very reasonable. just remember, you better glass better photo's, that is what should be upgraded more so than the body.
 
GsxrBots said:
Not to be totally dumb, but can't you do hdr photos with any camera that will capture a "raw" image, then do the hdr in post process?

Sent from my HTC EVO using Tapatalk.
Click to expand...

You don't need raw or DSLR! Any camera can do it. It's just about convenience. However, if you have to touch the camera to adjust exposure settings, you can mess up the shot because the camera will move. It also takes time to manually adjust and that means things like trees, water, etc, all move.

Here's an example of my Iphone 3GS taking a HDR photo. All I did was snap the first photo, then touch the shadow area to get an underexposed, and then the sky for overexposure. No tripod or anything, hand held:

ImageShack Links Do Not Work

Here's another, but with a bunch of photoshop filters:

http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/691/73826882.jpg




Manitobusa said:
Hdr's layer three or more pictures to get a single picture where nothing is over or under developed. Some point and shoots will do it, but dslr's make it so nice and easy...bracket the shot, and press the shutter three times. It allows you to wait for a clear shot each time if the area has people walking around.
Click to expand...

On the T1i you can hit it 3x in manual mode for it, or if you put it on a 2sec timer, one click will issue all 3 as quickly as it can. I assume continuous mode would let you do it right away too.
 
As Scott Kelby said, "Nikon...Canon...there both the same...buy what your friends have so you can borrow there lenses".

And yes HDR is post processing.

Cheers,

Tony
 
Ok, how do you do that effect? I got some pics that would look awesome like that.

mysql said:
You don't need raw or DSLR! Any camera can do it. It's just about convenience. However, if you have to touch the camera to adjust exposure settings, you can mess up the shot because the camera will move. It also takes time to manually adjust and that means things like trees, water, etc, all move.

Here's an example of my Iphone 3GS taking a HDR photo. All I did was snap the first photo, then touch the shadow area to get an underexposed, and then the sky for overexposure. No tripod or anything, hand held:

ImageShack Links Do Not Work

Here's another, but with a bunch of photoshop filters:

http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/691/73826882.jpg






On the T1i you can hit it 3x in manual mode for it, or if you put it on a 2sec timer, one click will issue all 3 as quickly as it can. I assume continuous mode would let you do it right away too.
Click to expand...
 
toastman said:
As Scott Kelby said, "Nikon...Canon...there both the same...buy what your friends have so you can borrow there lenses".

And yes HDR is post processing.

Cheers,

Tony
Click to expand...


+1000

( psst!! .. if your friends don't have dslrs then go canon! sounds like you're on a budget, and canon is just as good but more budget friendly. )
 
ogre said:
i want to do hdr photography, priced around 500 bucks, entry/mid level camera. right now, it's between a nikon D5000 and a canon T2i. the canon is a better camera, yes, but the D5k is already out of my price range (after a lens). any tips, besides "dive in"?:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

What do you plan to do with your future HDR images? I ask because if it doesn't go beyond viewing on computer monitors or printing 8x10, you might be better off just spending your budget on software. Do you already have Photoshop or other software to do HDR processing with? If not, you might want to price this before you get too far into a camera purchase.

The reason I write this is because a HDR image is usually manipulated so much in post-processing that the original image quality is not so important - particularly if the work won't be seen anywhere except a computer monitor. Many of the awe-inspiring HDR images one sees on the web would look like crap if they were printed at a decent size and displayed as art on a wall.

I'm a fan of dSLR's, but I wouldn't recommend a sledgehammer to you if you just want to drive a finish nail. If you do want to explore the creativity dSLR's allow on a budget, I'd recommend looking for a used model a couple of generations old (Canon Xti, or Nikon equivalent).


theskaz said:
I would send a pm to F=MA
Click to expand...

Thanks for the mention.
 
so maybe learn to process with a point and shoot, then bring out the big guns if i want to take it to the next level?
 
ogre said:
so maybe learn to process with a point and shoot, then bring out the big guns if i want to take it to the next level?
Click to expand...

My personal philosophy is opposite...learn to take great photographs that don't need heavy processing to look good...then explore the subtle, and not so subtle impact computer software can have on an image.

That said, if you follow your personal interest you'll travel much further than you will if you follow mine or anyone else's. Your artwork need answer only to your ambitions.

Mostly the point was to encourage you to look at the prices of software before you commit your entire budget to a good entry-level camera. The latest version of Photoshop runs $300 - $500 depending on options, and there are a number of seperate HDR programs out there.

I think you'd get a lot out of an entry-level dSLR. I'd hate for you to spend your budget on a camera though, then find out you don't have resources available to obtain software.

Best wishes. I log in pretty infrequently anymore, but if you have specific questions (and patience) PM me.
 
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