Photography lovers often encounter difficulties when choosing their first digital SLR, and many people have regrets after buying it. This is all caused by inadequate preparation for the selection work.
How to choose a suitable SLR camera is the first test for beginners to enter a photography shop. So before you buy, you must do your homework first. After all, you can't improvise your exam results. Buying a digital SLR camera is also a big expense for most novices. Before buying, you should be prepared mentally, materially and technically.
First of all, the psychological preparation needed to buy a SLR.
(1) First of all, I need to sort out my own problems. The correct problem is half solved. What problems should I solve through this investment? If the final answer can't be solved, or the cost is too high, I need to give up decisively or look for the optimal solution again;
(2) A correct understanding of the characteristics of the SLR camera and the problems it can solve is not to spend money to get the same works as the master;
(3) Make it clear whether the purpose of purchasing SLR is work needs, personal hobbies or part of family construction planning. The so-called children, lovers, pets and so on. The most unreliable thing is that this thing looks cool, but how to use it is very confused;
(4) Get the understanding and support of family members. Friends who are studying need funds from home, and married friends need the support of the other half. Without the support of family members, it will affect family harmony and it will be difficult to develop in the future;
Second, the material preparation for purchasing SLR
(a), the most important thing is how much cash.
I have seen some young friends ask me, what kind of SLR camera can I buy for 3000 yuan? Frankly speaking, this budget does not recommend buying a SLR camera. It's not that you can't buy it, but that you can afford a horse but not a saddle, which wastes precious money. It is even more undesirable to buy by installment.
(2) Planning of future life
To put it bluntly, what is the expected return? The so-called SLR is poor for three generations, and photography destroys life. It is not how harmful this hobby is, but whether we can grasp the relationship between interest and normal work and life.
(3) Have the space and time for this hobby.
Maybe money is not a problem, but other life problems will also bring trouble. For example, students facing the college entrance examination have no time to develop their hobbies, so it is not suitable to buy at this time.
Three, photography theory preview, the so-called familiar with 300 Tang poems, can sing without writing poems.
(a), the structure and working principle of SLR camera, the characteristics of different types of products, including the characteristics of the lens;
(2) The main shooting techniques and skills of SLR cameras;
(three), familiar with the main products, brands and models of the market;
(four), understand the market traps and misunderstandings that may be faced;
In the internet age, there are countless information for reference, which is much happier than previous generations. We must make full use of these resources.
After a strong ideological construction, if you feel that 80% of the conditions are met, then you can start buying digital SLR.
When you step into the market and replace hot money with a long-awaited SLR camera, you must keep a clear head.
Don't forget your initiative, it's always possible.
No matter what reason the store uses to recommend and suggest new choices, you can listen to them and refer to them, but you can't easily change the original plan, so you have to go back and study them again. Anyway, the SLR is there and won't leave you.
Second, if you want to know the taste of pears, you'd better taste them yourself.
Before buying, you can try it in a physical store, master the model characteristics, listen to what the merchants in the industry say, and then confirm it online. Once you buy it, you won't be in a hurry. You will calmly test every performance of the camera and lens and find possible defects and faults.
Third, unpacking and checking the code, meticulous, a little negligence, may lead to regret.
Digital SLR is mainly imported goods, such as Bank of China, Hong Kong Bank and parallel imports. Be careful. Choosing the goods imported from China Bank on a regular basis will depend on the warranty and after-sales service, and some goods sold in Hongkong can also enjoy the global warranty. Parallel imports are only guaranteed by the store, and the risk is relatively large. The e-commerce of a shopping website claims that the store has a five-year warranty, which is worth studying.
After you get the digital SLR, take photos with your mobile phone or other cameras, record the contents of the box, and keep all the original documents, manuals and accessories that are not used for the time being. These are all things that can provide great help at critical moments, especially the instructions, so you should study them often.
Some suggestions on equipment selection.
First, the choice of brand. It is said that Nikon is good at scenery and Canon is suitable for portraits.
This statement has some truth, but it is not absolute. Because Nikon and Canon use cmos sensors from different manufacturers, there are some differences in the arrangement of photosensitive elements and the algorithm of color reproduction. Therefore, it is often seen that the portrait taken by Nikon SLR is yellow, while the portrait of Canon SLR is pink.
Before 20 15, Canon's own cmos was upgraded slowly and the pixels were not very high, so it was ridiculed as ancestral cmos. Nikon's technologies such as higher pixels and no low-pass filter were applied for the first time, and the efficiency of low-end lens brought Nikon a high-precision reputation.
But this is not absolute. Skilled photographers can develop their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and control their cameras well. If they don't understand their characteristics, they may perfectly expose their defects and become pig teammates of SLR cameras.
Choose Canon or Nikon, or other brands, you can refer to the following aspects:
(A), the demand for shooting themes
Nikon can be considered for shooting landscapes, industrial products and electronic digital products. Portraits, weddings, women's wear, jewelry and other topics can be considered Canon. Canon's video function is used more, so many Canon machines in the second-hand market should pay attention to this depreciation factor.
(2) What model does the photographer nearby use?
Online social circles, what brands colleagues and friends use, or using public equipment will all affect their choices. Of course, we should learn from other people's experience, answer questions in time, and even experts can solve some maintenance problems. Second-hand equipment that knows the roots can also save a lot of money.
(3) Price factor
This article is actually very helpless. Everyone knows that the product at the same price is Canon Nikon Pentax, so try not to just look at the price. In Ge You's words, I believe in Volkswagen.
(4), personal hobbies
As the saying goes, money can't buy a kind heart. You can't help but listen to other people's advice. Even your personal hobbies are under the control of others, so why bother? Entertainment consumption, Yan value is also a performance.
Second, the classification of Quan Huafu and APS-C frames and SLR cameras.
(1) Quan Huafu refers to the sensor specification that the size of digital photosensitive element (36mmx24mm) is equivalent to the size of 35mm film, which can record more image information with lower noise and higher image effect. Because the fuselage and price have space, it increases endurance and some auxiliary functions, so it is widely used by professionals. It has unique advantages in making large-scale works and printed materials.
However, Quan Huafu digital SLR also has a very high price.
(2) Corresponding to the APS-C frame, the APS-C frame is generally the same as the whole frame, with an aspect ratio of 3: 2, a sensor specification of about 24mmx 17mm, and a focal length conversion of 1.5 times or 1.6 times. The advantage of APS-C is that it is cheap, and the weight and volume of the fuselage are generally relatively small. It is widely used and changeable. On a 20-inch computer screen, you can't see much loss of image quality.
If you are an ordinary home user or amateur photographer, if you have limited funds, you can choose a mid-range camera based on APS-C format. Compared with the performance improvement brought by a full-frame camera, the money paid is disproportionate. As for the vanity brought by high-end cameras, it is not worth filling by affecting family life.
(3) Classification of SLR cameras
Canon launched the 300D 20 days later, which can be said to be the first entry-level precedent, and thus the digital SLR has three levels: entry-level, mid-range and high-end. With Nikon joining the melee, product positioning has been subdivided with different emphasis. For example, Canon's entry-level small step running, many models are updated quickly, and in 20 15 years, dual models of 750D and 760D were introduced simultaneously.
Nikon has enriched the market of low-end and mid-range machines, including D7000, D7 100 and D7200. The entry-level ones are D3300, D5200, D5300, D5500, etc. Canon's mid-range machine is 70D, and it took over 80D three years later.
The so-called high-end product is Quan Huafu. Nikon's D3X, D4, D5, D6 10, D750, D800, D810 ... Canon's 1DX, 5D mark III, 6D…… ..............................................................................
Different grades of digital SLR are similar to cars. From 100,000 family cars to millions or even higher luxury cars, they are all four doors and five seats, with skylights and navigation, with larger displacement ... In fact, they have no absolute influence on basic functions, and you won't go to work for a few minutes just because you drive a million luxury cars.
Therefore, in the choice of SLR grade, it is also a personal hobby to do what you can, and to have the economy and physical strength to buy a full-size SLR. But unlike cars, SLR is a technical platform for photography. Although we don't pursue high-end, we should try our best to choose newer and higher products in the middle and low grades. Otherwise, if you can't play the role of SLR, you will lose the significance of buying SLR.
Third, about the choice of lens.
Many friends have chosen a mirror to walk the world under the temptation of the store. Actually, this is not a good choice.
(a), the lens is an important part of SLR cameras, SLR cameras can not do without the lens. One of the main characteristics of digital SLR is that it can change lenses with different focal lengths and performances to obtain different shooting effects. The idea of choosing a large zoom lens and trying to solve all the problems from wide angle to telephoto will eventually become that you can shoot anything, but nothing. Since we are not going to change the lens, why not choose a telephoto lens?
(2) The quality and cost of the lens are limited by the harsh requirements of the lens itself. For a large zoom lens, such as 18-200mm, in order to compensate for the refraction of light with different focal lengths, the cost is bound to be high, or the quality will decline at the same price. The price of lenses is high or low, which is determined by the manufacturing cost and performance difference of lenses. If you only look at the focal length and even the price, you will fall into a misunderstanding. Although we spend less money, we will lose more in performance.
Take Canon 18- 135mm lens as an example, from18mm-135mm f/3.5-5.6 yes to18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 II yes. To the latest release of18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 isusm, the same focal length, the same aperture, the price ranges from 7800 yuan to more than 3000 yuan.
At this time, it is necessary to look at the benefits of previewing the homework in front, and it will not blindly choose the lens, nor will it be shoddy by the merchants.
(3) It is not recommended to purchase Quan Huafu lens specially used for upgrading full-frame cameras in the future. APS-C camera uses Quan Huafu lens, so it can't give full play to its advantages. Moreover, most photographers have little prospect of upgrading to Quan Huafu. Even if they can afford to upgrade their full-frame cameras, they won't miss buying new lenses.
If you want to keep the upgraded APS-C format camera, you definitely need a lens. If you want to eliminate and sell, it is easier to find someone with a lens.
(4) Some shots commonly used by beginners
1, standard zoom lens.
The first shot for beginners is the so-called hanging head that is often hung on the camera. If there is no special need, it is a zoom lens that zooms around the standard focal length.
The so-called standard focal length is the focal length similar to the visual angle of human eyes, and the Quan Huafu SLR is 40mm to 55 mm.. Some people say that only 50mm is the standard lens, but it is not so accurate, and there is a gap between the human eyes. For example, Liu Bei and Liu Xuande, "the eyes can look after their ears", and the eyes can see their ears, which is super wide-angle.
For APS-C format cameras, that is, about 35mm is the standard focal length.
For Canon, the most common standard zoom is 24-70mm and 24- 105mm, which matches Quan Huafu. In Quan Huafu, because the sensor area is large, the corresponding lens magnification is small, so a wide angle of 24mm is enough, while in APS-C frame, because the sensor is small, the corresponding lens magnification is large, and the wide-angle end is from 18mm or even 650 mm. At the telephoto end, the focal length should be enlarged several times, for example, Nikon needs to enlarge 1.5 times, and Nikon's 50 mm lens.
Nikon AF-S DX18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6 g EDVR and Canon EF-S18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6 ISTM, which are commonly used by novices, are good hang-up options. Although limited by aperture and other reasons, the ideal effect can not be obtained, but it is suitable for beginners to master the composition under different focal lengths.
Please note that every letter in these models is meaningful. For example, Nikon's AF-S is an ultra-quiet focus motor, which is equivalent to usm at the end of Canon lens. DX is a special lens for Nikon APS-C format, which is usually marked as AF-S on Canon lens. The final VR of Nikon lens adopts optical anti-shake technology, which can achieve clearer effect when the shutter speed is low, while on Canon lens, it is marked as it is.
2, big light
It means large aperture, fixed focus lens. Nikon and Canon both provide cheap and high-quality 50mm F 1.8 for beginners.
The large aperture fixed-focus lens has bright field of view and high precision, and the depth of field can be controlled in a shallow range. When shooting portraits, you can see the obvious "background blur" effect. It can be used to take snapshots of portraits, landscapes and street scenes and train beginners' creative ability. Understand the significance of aperture to photographic works.
3. Choose telephoto, wide-angle or macro lens according to personal interests.
The telephoto lens can capture the viewing angle and magnification that the naked eye can't reach. Many beginners are fascinated by this, but it is rarely used in daily life. When there is no clear goal, the camera is not in a hurry to reach the goal in one step. First, choose the urgently needed coke segment, match it reasonably and eat a fresh peach. Instead of spending money on half an annual leave.
With the improvement of photography technology, the desire for lenses is growing. When buying, we should have enough budget for the lens. Generally, to achieve the price ratio with the fuselage 1: 1, the proportion of high-end SLR may be higher. A Quan Huafu fuselage of 20,000 yuan may be equipped with a large ternary lens of more than 30,000 yuan.
After buying a SLR, you should invest in the lens carefully, first fully tap the potential of the existing lens, thoroughly understand the performance, then synthesize various opinions, and then buy a new lens. From the consumer psychology, it is also an exciting point to accumulate the desire to buy and improve. Get more satisfaction and happiness.
Take a good photo, half by the head in front of the camera and the other half by the head behind the camera. With more brains, more study and more practice, you will produce excellent works.