i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (Full Version)

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LittleGirlHeart -> i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 5:01:23 AM)

On top of regular therapy, i think it would be good, get me out of the house, get me into.the world, itd calm me down and focus me, plus i love it.

I will use my own camera i have now, but in the future i want one geared more towards what i want. Which types r super silent, and not just in their click click type noises, but in all their sounds. And which ones are super fast, in how fast they take pics, and how fast they capture motion.

And which ones do best for heavy, heavy use so they r tripod compatible, or have timers, or filmmaking. Capabikities,

And lastly but not least. Which ones are best for water resistant n drop resistant, with seriously long lithium cell batt life, n capable of insanely big sd capabilities?

I dun want any that use tripples or those, i want specialty rechargeing.



TahoeSadist -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 6:16:32 AM)

What camera is the "best" depends largely on what kind of photography you are looking to do, and what your expectations and requirements are. I shoot landscapes almost exclusively, and so my equipment is geared towards that, and would certainly not be "the best" for say, underwater photography, or fast indoor low light action.

Take your photography class, and the things you learn in it, both about photo equipment and more importantly about what you want to photograph, will help you to decide on what cameras you want to then pick.

TS



angelikaJ -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 7:48:00 AM)

I would get into the course and then ask your instructor.


Really, getting something basic without a lot of the bells and whistles and that is reasonably priced, should be your goal.

Bells and whistles won't turn you into a better photographer.
Practice is what will turn you into a better photographer.
Learning skill from your instructor and practice.



MasterCaneman -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 8:18:53 AM)

What the people above said. I had a friend who decided one day he was going to be a photographer. Went out and dropped major $$ on cameras, tripods, lights and all that other crap. He even went so far as to make a dark room in his basement(this was the pre-digital 35mm era). After all that, we (his circle of friends) unanimously decreed he'd have been better with a drugstore 110. He sucked hard. No sense of composition, lighting, zip. Constantly used the wrong lenses, films, exposure times, you name it, he did it and did it wrong.

On the other hand, I attended a showing by one of the people in my voice-acting group, and the young lady used a digital she bought at a drug store, and her images were first-class. She 'got it'. Angles, lighting, perspective, everything. They weren't just pictures, they were art. And all done with a camera that cost less than fifty bucks. If I find the link to her site, I'll post it, but I lost it the last time this computer crashed. Oh, and on that, hit Tumblr and see what the starving artist types are doing. There's some amazing photography up there.

Let the course and your interests guide your purchasing decisions. If I were to give any technical advice, I'd say get a camera that bridges the gap between a casual picture-taker and one that has professional features. That way, if you decide later that it isn't your forte, you're not stuck with a couple thousand bucks worth of gear no one wants to buy. If you do buy, stick with major makers like Canon, Nikon, etc. Get one that you can expand with (different lenses, etc). Another thing to consider is, your future instructor may want you to get a certain type/level of camera for the course as well. Keep that in mind.



servantforuse -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 8:29:40 AM)

If I may ask, how do you intend to pay for this equipment ?



peppermint -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 9:04:10 AM)

Gary is a retired professional photographer. We have all the fancy cameras and lenses you could imagine. The camera he uses most often is a little one he got for $100. It takes great pictures.



JeffBC -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 9:53:13 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: LittleGirlHeart
I will use my own camera i have now, but in the future i want one geared more towards what i want.

A good choice since pretty much all of the super-high end photographers agree with the statement, "The absolute best camera is the one you have with you when the moment happens." I've seen a wide variety of stunning photographs taken with pocket cameras. In the end, it is not the tool which makes the photograph, it's the eye behind the camera.

quote:

Which types r super silent, and not just in their click click type noises, but in all their sounds.

Most single lens reflex cameras (read that as 'good' cameras) make noise when the mirror flips. There are some new "mirrorless" cameras out but I know little about them. Most of the shirt pocket cameras I've run across are absolutely silent except for a beep which can be turned off.

quote:

And which ones are super fast, in how fast they take pics,

Pro cameras are the fastest. "Pro-sumer" cameras second fastest. Everything else a distant third. By "fast" here I'm referring to shutter lag. I'm trying to remember but the shutter lag from a standby state (almost entirely powered down) to "click" on my camera is less than half a second.

quote:

and how fast they capture motion.

This is entirely a function of the effective ISO. In a digital camera it's a function of the sensor's sensitivity and the lens' aperature. I use f2.8 lenses which are "continuous" (that is to say the aperature remains at f2.8 throughout the zoom continuum). My "good" lense cost about $3000. My "bad" lens cost about $500. My camera body cost about $800. That's as of a decade ago.

And which ones do best for heavy, heavy use so they r tripod compatible, or have timers, or filmmaking. Capabikities,
Almost all cameras can be mounted on a tripod. Pro models are built of much more rugged materials and are sealed against dust & moisture.

quote:

And lastly but not least. Which ones are best for water resistant n drop resistant, with seriously long lithium cell batt life, n capable of insanely big sd capabilities?

Hrrrm, I've seen some cheap cameras that were good for snorkeling... some degree of water-proof built right in. But the specs don't align with other things you've asked for.

My advice overall? You are worrying WAY too much about the equipment. Carol has a $60 pocket camera that I use all the time. To give you an idea, one of my favorite exercises is to pick a totally bland, empty spot. Say, for instance, a 2 square foot area in the middle of an asphalt parking lot with nothing interesting in it at all. Now, find the great picture.

It isn't the camera. It's the eye looking for that picture. It is ALWAYS there... if you can find it.



kdsub -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 10:08:04 AM)

I think you are asking these questions too soon. You should enjoy the introductory classes and then see where your interests take you. I would only advise using a camera that has easily accessed manual modes and controls so you can learn the basic nuts and bolts of professional photography.

Then... when you have a clear idea of what you want to do get advice on the type of camera and lenses you should buy. Good professional cameras will most likely start at $700 or so and the better , and water resistant, will range to a few thousand. Then keep in mind that good lenses range from a few hundred, for used, to $10,000 or so. But like most I believe you will at least spend a couple of thousand on lenses.

So bottom line for entry level professional photography expect an outlay of $1,500 or so for a decent camera and a decent walk around lens.

Ps you can't go wrong with either of the two main brands, Nikon or Canon...but keep in mind once you pick you are stuck with them because lenses are not interchangeable on the whole.

Butch



LittleGirlHeart -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 4:01:02 PM)

Yup, that's true but every one that's a professional photograpger i talk to says i have a natural eye for photography and have a very wonderful talent.


course it's raw, and it needs developing an nutrtuing.
quote:

ORIGINAL: angelikaJ

I would get into the course and then ask your instructor.


Really, getting something basic without a lot of the bells and whistles and that is reasonably priced, should be your goal.

Bells and whistles won't turn you into a better photographer.
Practice is what will turn you into a better photographer.
Learning skill from your instructor and practice.





angelikaJ -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 4:05:06 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: LittleGirlHeart

Yup, that's true but every one that's a professional photograpger i talk to says i have a natural eye for photography and have a very wonderful talent.


course it's raw, and it needs developing an nutrtuing.
quote:

ORIGINAL: angelikaJ

I would get into the course and then ask your instructor.


Really, getting something basic without a lot of the bells and whistles and that is reasonably priced, should be your goal.

Bells and whistles won't turn you into a better photographer.
Practice is what will turn you into a better photographer.
Learning skill from your instructor and practice.





There was nothing negative implied in what I said.
I only suggested that you may not need an expensive camera to take great photos.



LittleGirlHeart -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 4:15:51 PM)

I didn't take it that way:) i took it as helpful.



quote:

ORIGINAL: angelikaJ



There was nothing negative implied in what I said.
I only suggested that you may not need an expensive camera to take great photos.





angelikaJ -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 4:16:47 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: LittleGirlHeart

I didn't take it that way:) i took it as helpful.



quote:

ORIGINAL: angelikaJ



There was nothing negative implied in what I said.
I only suggested that you may not need an expensive camera to take great photos.





Oh good [:D]



LittleGirlHeart -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 6:29:19 PM)

Well, i already know i love photography, and i know i wanna photograph everything under the sun, and i love , but don't do very ofen it's true walks with the camera to see what inspires you.


A guy that does prefessional photo's with SLRs an stuff he said those super professional ones had a very hard learning curve and if you don't like difficult learning curves you won't like those.
quote:

ORIGINAL: kdsub

I think you are asking these questions too soon. You should enjoy the introductory classes and then see where your interests take you. I would only advise using a camera that has easily accessed manual modes and controls so you can learn the basic nuts and bolts of professional photography.

Then... when you have a clear idea of what you want to do get advice on the type of camera and lenses you should buy. Good professional cameras will most likely start at $700 or so and the better , and water resistant, will range to a few thousand. Then keep in mind that good lenses range from a few hundred, for used, to $10,000 or so. But like most I believe you will at least spend a couple of thousand on lenses.

So bottom line for entry level professional photography expect an outlay of $1,500 or so for a decent camera and a decent walk around lens.

Ps you can't go wrong with either of the two main brands, Nikon or Canon...but keep in mind once you pick you are stuck with them because lenses are not interchangeable on the whole.

Butch




LittleGirlHeart -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 6:38:43 PM)

i wanna photograph everything under the sun, including the sun an the moon. but mostly it's animals and scenery an nature shots.
quote:

ORIGINAL: TahoeSadist
what you want to photograph, will help you to decide on what cameras you want to then pick.

TS




kdsub -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 7:35:19 PM)

He told you wrong in my opinion... Yes they can be complicated but they have auto modes that can take wonderful pictures until you learn all your camera can do in different situations and how to set them up.

Despite what he said the hardest part of photography is not the camera operation but knowing what and when to take the photo. It would be silly to go to all the trouble of getting into position for the perfect picture only to find your camera can not match the scene.

Butch




lovmuffin -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/20/2013 9:53:43 PM)

I'm going out on a limb and suggest a Canon Rebel T5i(700D). They just came out in June. You should be able to find a camera and lens package deal for around $900 - $1,000. The lens won't be top of the line but likely very good to start with. It's the lower priced Canon prosumer model. Better yet you should still be able to find a brand new Rebel T4i(650D) and lens for much less (used ones even less). There are few differences in these 2 models and image quality is the same. They are 18 MP's and will shoot 5 frames per second. They have all the features you specified except I don't know of an SLR that doesn't have an audible click when the shutter is actuated. Battery life should be good though you will want a spare. A comparable Nikon model is good too but IMO the Canon interface is simpler.
This way you have a camera to take to class.

The biggest reason to go to a more expensive pro or prosumer model is for a faster and more precise auto focus but you really don't need it starting out. When you're ready to upgrade you will have your rebel for taking where you don't want to risk taking a more expensive camera. I still use my old 6 mp silver body Rebel for such things.

Many of the popular models have underwater camera housings but I'm not familiar with them. The other thing I will mention is for video, the T5i has continuous focus and stereo micraphones if that's important to you. It's not important to me so much as the primary purpose for my cameras are still photography.



LittleGirlHeart -> RE: i want to take photography courses as mental health therapy. (9/21/2013 8:21:09 AM)

yup, cuz this weekend using our existing camera i walked up on one of our turkies and it was preening an the expression was so funny, and I wanted rapid fire shots and by the time i selected that, she was still preening yes, but she was now onto me.


i need to know what i want before i know what i want, so to speak and have that feature prepaired, and ready if that makes any sense
quote:

ORIGINAL: kdsub

He told you wrong in my opinion... Yes they can be complicated but they have auto modes that can take wonderful pictures until you learn all your camera can do in different situations and how to set them up.

Despite what he said the hardest part of photography is not the camera operation but knowing what and when to take the photo. It would be silly to go to all the trouble of getting into position for the perfect picture only to find your camera can not match the scene.

Butch






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