[snr]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

A nice, but not necessarily good idea. Cameras are awfully personal.

Also, 50-60k doesn't go far in the camera world, I'm afraid.

What is he using now?

Oh ok. He has an old Canon 40D. But rents from a camera rental company. The 40D seems dated.

What would be a good budget to work with?

[amvj]

Originally Posted by snr

Oh ok. He has an old Canon 40D. But rents from a camera rental company. The 40D seems dated.

What would be a good budget to work with?

I don't know about the prices today. I bought my Nikon D7000 with 18-55mm and 70-300mm lenses. I spent Rs: 1+ Lakh for the camera and lenses around 2011 - 2012. I find Nikon 70-300mm lens is mediocre for wildlife photography. The 70-300mm lens costed me around Rs: 30000 if my memory serves me correctly.

May be I don't have the capability to use the camera and the particular lens, but what I suggest is, you better spend that much money on a camera than Camera + Lens combined. Another option is to buy a high end point and shoot camera, but if your husband shoots with DSLR then he may or may not like Point and shoot cameras. Photography is an expensive hobby.

[JoeTheWanderer]

Originally Posted by snr

Oh ok. He has an old Canon 40D. But rents from a camera rental company. The 40D seems dated.

What would be a good budget to work with?

Purchasing new camera equipment is a fairly complicated process. By complicated I mean there are so many factors to consider that one needs to be absolutely sure of what they want.

If you really want to surprise him, then find out what equipment he would like; looking at what he normally rents may be a starting point.

A good starting budget for a decent camera + a lens for wildlife photography would be at least 1L - 1.5L.

If his 40D is working fine, then gifting him a good lens (Sigma 150-600mm, Canon EF 5.6 400MM, Canon 4.0 300mm IS) may also be an option you can consider. He can upgrade the camera body after some time based on his needs.

The last time I upgraded my camera body (4 - 5 years ago) I spent nearly 2 months going through all the reviews before finally deciding what I wanted.

[snr]

Originally Posted by amvj

I don't know about the prices today. I bought my Nikon D7000 with 18-55mm and 70-300mm lenses. I spent Rs: 1+ Lakh for the camera and lenses around 2011 - 2012. I find Nikon 70-300mm lens is mediocre for wildlife photography. The 70-300mm lens costed me around Rs: 30000 if my memory serves me correctly.

Oh I didn't know that. I think it's best I find out what he likes and then decide what to buy. Because I don't want to buy something and then realise he doesn't like it or thinks it's not sufficient!

Originally Posted by JoeTheWanderer

Purchasing new camera equipment is a fairly complicated process. By complicated I mean there are so many factors to consider that one needs to be absolutely sure of what they want.

If you really want to surprise him, then find out what equipment he would like; looking at what he normally rents may be a starting point.

A good starting budget for a decent camera + a lens for wildlife photography would be at least 1L - 1.5L.

If his 40D is working fine, then gifting him a good lens (Sigma 150-600mm, Canon EF 5.6 400MM, Canon 4.0 300mm IS) may also be an option you can consider. He can upgrade the camera body after some time based on his needs.

Makes sense. That's almost thrice my budget haha let's see! Thank you for the suggestions!

[CptSlow]

I wasn't much into photography but then last year my friend had to leave in my hands his Canon 7D MarkII along with Tamron G2 150-600mm lens which I got the chance to use on quite a few trips to various National Parks. This is when I was bit by the photography bug seriously enough to consider adopting this expensive hobby. I had used Canon 100D for wildlife photography before but 7D just blew me away with its features, AF capability, speed etc. So I have been contemplating buying a good camera for quite some time now.

Meanwhile, few weeks ago my fiance told me that her employer and Sony are running a promotion where she will get 20% discount on Sony cameras and lenses. This got me interested in the Sony's mirrorless offerings and based on what I managed to understand in last couple of weeks, the Sony A7III seems to be a decent camera within my budget - considering the 20% discount applicable (final price for the body - 1.35 lacs approx). But I have absolutely no experience buying cameras and no understanding of how the market is or where does Sony mirrorless stands against the DSLRs from Canon or Nikon. Hence I request the experienced folks here to help me with some of the queries I have before I spend my hard-earned money:

• How VFM is the deal? Is 1.35L a common selling price for Sony A7III? Like can I get the camera at this price at our usual festive sales? I checked various online portals like Amazon, Flipkart etc and haven't found it selling at such prices. If 1.35L is such a steal price then I need to make a decision before the promotion expires by end of June.
  
  
• Till now I have only done a little wildlife photography but I am very much interested in landscape photography as well. Is the 28-70mm kit lens which comes with the camera any good for landscapes? Or should I skip the combo and buy only the body for now? In that case any good lens suggestions for under 1L? Tamron 28–75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD seems to have really nice reviews and available at a good price as well (70-75k). If 1L doesn't get a decent landscape lens then expensive suggestions are welcome as well. Like I said, I have no idea what to expect at what price.
  
  
• Are DSLRs available at this budget more competent than A7III? Based on my understanding, apart from battery life Sony has more features and is overall a better camera than what Canon or Nikon offer at this price point.
  
  
• Sony FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G looks like a decent telephoto option for those wildlife photography trips but priced slightly more than what I was budgeting for. Any other good options from Sigma or Tamron maybe?

[swiftnfurious]

I am looking for some pointers to a good service centre in Chennai.

I have a Lumix DMC G5 mirrorless camera. I sometimes don't use it for long, so had some fungus issue. Also, the LCD screen is shot, especially around the edges giving a vignette effect to it while viewing the pics on the screen.

A couple of years back, I had given my camera to Lion camera service in Kodambakkam and they did a terrific job. I went again in Dec/Jan 2021 to them and this time, the job is below average. Not to talk about having to follow up 3-4 times and delayed deliveries. I am forced to think they did a half-hearted job and now I don't want to try them.

Would anyone know who can do a top class job with Panasonic cameras?

[vsathyap]

Originally Posted by CptSlow

I wasn't much into photography..... So I have been contemplating buying a good camera for quite some time now.

• How VFM .... end of June.
  
  
• Till now I have only done a little wildlife photography....what to expect at what price.
  
  
• Are DSLRs .... Canon or Nikon offer at this price point.
  
  
• Sony FE 200–600 mm .... maybe?

Let me begin by going all philosophical. Photography is a combination of "art and science". IMHO, the ART part matters more in the end as its the final result we get to see and share with others - its our "creation" or composition, so to speak and there should be some story/soul behind each picture (at least for the creator, i.e., yourself); else it just becomes snapshots and nothing else. This is the "what?" part of photography.

The SCIENCE of photography is the "how" part of the equation. How you took that shot - at what shutter speed, at what aperture, at what focal length, and there are a truckload of other parameters like white balance, ISO, etc. that affect the outcome of the final picture.

Your question is mainly related to the latter part , i.e., the SCIENCE where in equipment comes into picture (pun unintended )

To give you a simple analogy, one doesn't need a very expensive pen and paper (or a MacBook Pro in a Coffee Shop these days) to write a wonderful story or novel or a book or whatever it is they are planning to write. Its a creative process that can take time and is not dependent on the equipment, to some extent. All one needs is that creative mindset to get good photos in photography.

Based on this I will address your points one by one:

Now that you say that

• 1.35L for a Sony Mirrorless Body is decent and expected, given that its a full frame setup. Also remember that you are getting it directly from Sony and not from third party which means the genuine-ness of the product is almost guaranteed.
  
• If budget is not a problem, then better go for proper wide angle lenses for landscapes and the usual super telephoto for wildlife. There is no harm in having a mid range 28-70 lens. Its an all rounder and can give some amazing results when used appropriately. Again - its not necessary to lock oneself to wide angle lenses for landscapes as one can get amazing results using even 200mm lenses for landscape photography. As I said, its all about the composition and creative flow of the individual.
  
• DLSRs (used) prices are crashing month after month as everyone's keen on jumping ship to Mirrorless. Again, if you are getting consistent results with your existing equipment, there is no need to go for mirrorless. A Used DSLR like a Nikon D810 with the holy trinity of lenses will cost you under 2L (or even lesser if you get lucky) in today's market - depends on the condition of the equipment.
  
• The F stop on super zooms will play a BIG role in determining the price. If budget is not an issue, you can even consider 600mm f/4 which is priced around the same as a small hatchback. Else, you will have to bump up to higher ISOs, specially at f/6.3. But given the high ISO performance of the current Sensors, you should be good (still - nothing beats 600 f/4 - and add a teleconverter for further reach at the cost of closing down the aperture by the same factor).
  

So ultimately, TL;DR - if you don't know what you are getting into with photography, or have very little idea of what can be done with what equipment, I'd urge you to spend more time in getting composition and the "art" part of photography right, before you start researching the equipment and "science" part of it.

[Tgo]

Can someone help me out with Canon Service?

My dad had a Canon 7D DSLR which he dropped.

Mar 2021:

The camera was sent to the outlet locally which was then forwarded to Canon Service India Center (probably in Noida).

He got a call and email informing him of the damages and the cost of repair.

He approved the repair the same day.

Got busy in other stuff and this became less of a priority. Second wave etc. happened in India.

July 2021:

He gets a call saying that the camera cannot be repaired since it is more than 8 years old.

The guys on the phone say that's all they have to say. They're probably some call center employee who is told what to say and doesn't have the details or understanding of the repair process etc.

The local outlet guys says, we're sorry and will waive off the courier charges for shipping and return of the camera as a goodwill gesture.

Thoughts that go through the mind:
-Why were we told of the cost and parts requiring replacement and asked for an approval to go ahead with the repair?
-Didn't they already know the camera was 8 years old while taking it in for repair?
-Are they bluffing to cover up non-availability of spares due to delay in taking up the repair job?
-Is this the only option we have?

Is there anyway we can raise the issue to someone higher up from Canon Service.

[amvj]

I have a Nikon D7000 which is of similar age. Mine got lenses damaged by fungus and the LCD display getting black. Upon asking, they mentioned that the camera is old and asked me to use it without LCD. They don’t have replacement parts. They also mentioned that my lenses are also old (some of them) and they have just done some cleaning instead of replacing damaged parts. It seems the DSLR industry does not stock old items. In a way to force people to upgrade.

This is a dying industry and these people are letting down the people who are interested in Photography. Soon they will become “Kodak” of the industry.

You can find some unofficial parts on Chinese / Taiwan websites for parts, but you have to take it outside ASS route. Not sure here who can do it. Here I find that even the Nikon authorised service centre are not capable enough to handle complex repairs.

[Anees_Offl]

Team,

Sorry for posting this here, but yes its regarding analog camera.

This was a prized possession of my dad. He told me that he bought this in 1976.

Make : Yashica
Model : Minister D
Origin : Japan

This still has a cool click sound. I need to buy a film role sometime and see if it still works. Have a few B & W pictures which was beautifully taken by my dad. Have lots of memories with this camera.

Regards,
Anees

[Amrik Singh]

Originally Posted by Anees_Offl

This was a prized possession of my dad. He told me that he bought this in 1976.

All those big names of the yesteryear gone to the dust. Kodak, the leading name in Film manufacturing and processing is the biggest loss because they failed to move with the technology going Digital.

[dpaul]

Greetings everyone..

I have recently purchased Nikon D5600 DSLR camera. This is my first DSLR camera. I am not very familiar with the functions of a DSLR camera. I would like to request the esteemed members to guide me if possible towards any tutorial / photography forums from where I can learn the basics of photography and DSLR camera.

Regards
Debasish

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by dpaul

I have recently purchased Nikon D5600 DSLR camera. This is my first DSLR camera. I am not very familiar with the functions of a DSLR camera. I would like to request the esteemed members to guide me if possible towards any tutorial / photography forums from where I can learn the basics of photography and DSLR camera.

Regards
Debasish

1. The camera's user manual is your best, free resource to master your camera operations. There would be many other resources including free and paid. Just Google. You should strive to master camera operations so that things become intuitive.

2. Again, there are many free resources in the web. E.g.
https://photographylife.com/photography-basics
I would recommend you buy a good book, read, and start experimenting. E.g. David Busch's book on D5600 should be good.

I would recommend that you put the picture control mode to Standard and AF mode to AF-A and start experimenting. If you can take a good photo with a mobile you should be able to take a good photo with a DSLR. Practice makes perfect.

Which lens or lenses have you bought? And what do you like shooting?

[GeneralJazz]

Originally Posted by dpaul

Greetings everyone..

I have recently purchased Nikon D5600 DSLR camera. This is my first DSLR camera. I am not very familiar with the functions of a DSLR camera. I would like to request the esteemed members to guide me if possible towards any tutorial / photography forums from where I can learn the basics of photography and DSLR camera.

Regards
Debasish

You can try any of these:

https://www.udemy.com/courses/search...c=sac&kw=nikon

I had used a couple of them to learn the basics of my Canon DSLR. Quite informative and is basic enough for beginners. Helped me get off the Auto Mode

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by vsathyap

Your question is mainly related to the latter part , i.e., the SCIENCE where in equipment comes into picture (pun unintended )

To give you a simple analogy, one doesn't need a very expensive pen and paper (or a MacBook Pro in a Coffee Shop these days) to write a wonderful story or novel or a book or whatever it is they are planning to write. Its a creative process that can take time and is not dependent on the equipment, to some extent. All one needs is that creative mindset to get good photos in photography

True, but the writing analogy might not fully apply to wildlife photography, where gear is (can be) important And for any type of photography, mastery of gear is very important, whatever the genre, to do justice to one's creative juices. One needs to bridge the gap between conceptualization and execution. The latter also includes post processing.

I would recommend to the OP that he sticks to broader focal ranges such as 28-70 and 200-600 till he moves along the learning curve and has more budget. With limited budget, there is no point talking about (buying - one can always rent) long primes or specialist lenses that do one thing very well.

Btw, given a choice, I would prefer a 400mm f/2.8 over a 600mm f/4 95% of the time.