kann123air From United States of America, joined Jun 2009, 333 posts, RR: 0 Posted (1 year 9 months 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 2893 times:
I am a beginner photographer who has still has not gotten a picture accepted on a.net (12 rejections) . For all 12 pictures, I used my cheap, family P&S camera. A few days ago, I rented a Nikon D60 twice (for trips to DFW Founder's Plaza and XNA Regional Airport) and really liked it. Now I am ready to buy a DSLR camera, especially for airliners.net. Should I just buy a used D60 for about $300, or should I invest the money and buy a brand-new D3000 and a 55-250 mm lens for about $700? I intend to do this as an amateur for the rest of my life, and considering I am only 13 it will be a while.
RonS From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 761 posts, RR: 25 Reply 1, posted (1 year 9 months 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 2884 times:
Real quick. Buy the cheapest used or new DSLR and buy the best lens you can afford. Really.
I don't shoot Nikon, but if I was looking for something used, I would look for a D90. But it's the lens that matters and that you will have alot longer than the camera.
All opinions expressed by me are my own opinions & do not represent the opinions in any way of my employers.
megatop412 From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 251 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (1 year 9 months 6 days 15 hours ago) and read 2884 times:
If your goal is to have shots accepted here, either camera will suffice, although I think the D3000 has a more advanced sensor with more dynamic range. The D60 has the same sensor as my D40x, with more than enough resolution. It's basically a D40x with a sensor cleaner and the ability to stitch together images to make little jpeg movies. The real trick here seems to be in the post-processing of images rather than the camera used, especially when it comes to things like selective sharpening and noise reduction.
I stopped trying to upload here a while ago because I found myself struggling with things that had nothing to do with photography. If all you want is great images, the used D60 might be your best bet(depending on how used it is).
Baumy From Australia, joined Aug 2009, 14 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (1 year 9 months 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 2845 times:
Quoting kann123air (Thread starter): I intend to do this as an amateur for the rest of my life, and considering I am only 13 it will be a while.
I'm in the same situation; I'm 15 and don't do to much aviation photography at the airport. I have the Canon 1000D and that does a good job. I use the 75-300mm lens for long range stuff and it works a treat.
With my experience I agree with RonS:
Quoting RonS (Reply 1): But it's the lens that matters
It's so true, it's about the lens and the person behind the camera. You can have a cheap SLR but still shoot some amazing photos, compared to someone who has an expensive SLR but can't take photos to save themself.
RonS From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 761 posts, RR: 25 Reply 4, posted (1 year 9 months 6 days 4 hours ago) and read 2825 times:
Quoting Baumy (Reply 3): I have the Canon 1000D and that does a good job.
Yes, my first 100 or so photos are with the Canon 1000D, including my most viewed photo. It works well when paired with a good lens. Mostly I used the 70-200 f/4L non-IS.
Quoting megatop412 (Reply 2): I stopped trying to upload here a while ago because I found myself struggling with things that had nothing to do with photography.
I assume you mean the editing stuff. Yeah, it's a pain. But I really knew nothing of PS before Anet. I follow the basics and taught myself by reading the editing guides here. It has come in handy with alot of other things like photo sales, work related projects, etc. It's not THAT bad and a good skill to learn, even if you just follow the basic routine of level, crop, resize, light Levels, contrast, saturation, masking out the sky, sharpening, and erasing jaggies and dust spots. Crap that does stink lol... nah its not that bad.
[Edited 2011-08-18 05:35:48]
All opinions expressed by me are my own opinions & do not represent the opinions in any way of my employers.
viv From Ireland, joined May 2005, 3106 posts, RR: 32 Reply 5, posted (1 year 9 months 6 days 2 hours ago) and read 2805 times:
Before you start buying stuff, learn the basics of photography, either from an experienced photographer or from books.
Unless you understand colour temperature, sensor sensitivity, aperture, shutter speed - and how all of these interact and affect each other and the final image - your photographic results will be hit or miss, more error than trial.
Nikon D700, Nikkor 80-400, Fuji X Pro 1, Fujinon 35 f/1.4, Fujinon 18 f/2
alevik From Canada, joined Mar 2009, 804 posts, RR: 8 Reply 6, posted (1 year 9 months 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 2729 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW HEAD SCREENER
Quoting viv (Reply 8): Therefore, uploading to a site such as this should be a leisurely sideline to your hobby, and not the be-all-and-end-all.
So getting a rejection shouldn't be an issue then. Because you would only care about an image being rejected if anet was the sole purpose you were shooting, and not for the pure joy of it. Good note for future reference.
Getting on topic again. Ron's advice is very good regarding choosing and spending money on the lens. I have 10 year old lenses that I use on my newest digital SLR and on my film cameras. You will change the body before any good quality lens.
Nikon/Canon no matter, pick a body that feels good to hold. Although you talk of buying a camera for anet, you will likely end up using it elsewhere. The bulk of my photography is of my family and sports. But in the end, I still need to focus, pan, set white balance, exposure, etc. So the advice given also to read up and learn photography basics is also very good.
Best of luck. There is lots of helpful, positive and progressive advice in this forum, you just have to pick out the pearls.
Baumy From Australia, joined Aug 2009, 14 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (1 year 9 months 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 2728 times:
Quoting RonS (Reply 4): Yes, my first 100 or so photos are with the Canon 1000D, including my most viewed photo
Can you put up a link to the photo? I'd be interested to see. I've got some good photos I'm going to edit and put up. All my photos are 36xx by 27xx and I have to make them smaller. But I'll put them up, all taken from the 1000D with the 75-300mm lens.
ohiospotter From United States of America, joined Feb 2010, 2 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (1 year 9 months 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 2643 times:
I am 14 and I use my families D3000. I have gotten 4 pictures accepted so far. I had no luck with the 55-200 lens it came with so I bought an 18-270 Tamron lens for around $400 and had some luck with that. You might also want to take a class to learn how to use the camera too. I did that and I learned a lot.
RonS From United States of America, joined Feb 2009, 761 posts, RR: 25 Reply 11, posted (1 year 9 months 4 days ago) and read 2599 times:
Quoting Baumy (Reply 7): Can you put up a link to the photo?
Sure. If I had to do it all over again, I would have applied some noise reduction. I really just did a quick edit, had no idea if it would get accepted.
FinalCut747 From United States of America, joined Aug 2011, 31 posts, RR: 2 Reply 13, posted (1 year 8 months 3 weeks 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 2354 times:
Find a cheap used nice conditioned DSLR online, and invest in good lenses. Try Craigslist locally. Good beginner DSLR would be a used Canon 20D or 30D, or even a Rebel would be good. If you want, even look at what used Nikons are available. Whatever camera feels comfortable to use is the best one for you. Don't be afraid to shop around and see what is available locally for you. Good Luck!
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From United States of America, joined Jun 2009, 333 posts, 
. For all 12 pictures, I used my cheap, family P&S camera. A few days ago, I rented a Nikon D60 twice (for trips to DFW Founder's Plaza and XNA Regional Airport) and really liked it. Now I am ready to buy a DSLR camera, especially for airliners.net. Should I just buy a used D60 for about $300, or should I invest the money and buy a brand-new D3000 and a 55-250 mm lens for about $700? I intend to do this as an amateur for the rest of my life, and considering I am only 13 it will be a while.
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