DSLR help?
Hi' i'm looking to take photos for textures for both games and film and I am a total noob when it comes to cameras.
Found a Nikon D3200 in a kit with I think they said an 18-55 lens for $400.
Thing is I have no idea if a 18-55 lens is good for texture photos or if i'd be more wanting a different one (idk if theres more than one type of 18-55 either). Can anyone offer insight into if this is a good purchase for beginner texture photos and also if the lens it comes with is what I need?
I also want to be able to use it when I go to the Jenolan Caves and just general family photo type things.
Found a Nikon D3200 in a kit with I think they said an 18-55 lens for $400.
Thing is I have no idea if a 18-55 lens is good for texture photos or if i'd be more wanting a different one (idk if theres more than one type of 18-55 either). Can anyone offer insight into if this is a good purchase for beginner texture photos and also if the lens it comes with is what I need?
I also want to be able to use it when I go to the Jenolan Caves and just general family photo type things.
Replies
Should probably explain why its better... Spec wise it comes in at an unheard of 41 megapixels (1/1.5 inch sensor), xenon flash, f2.2 Carl Zeiss lens... has that wonderfully patented PureView integrated into it. Tops it off with image oversampling. So its pretty much a beast with a small form factor.
What it allows me to do (due to its form factor and hardware specs..aka mini computer) is take highly detailed photos, zoom in with practically little to no visible loss in quality (even after the photo is taken), edit on the phone, auto upload shots to OneDrive (meaning I can take photos where ever, and delete the after a few minutes because they will already be uploaded on the cloud and accessible from my home PC). RAW images are also bundled with the shots, so you can get a quick jpeg and a raw image in one shot. You have full manual control via the phone app...and here's the best part, battery life is long because its a phone. Just have a couple of those usb battery chargers on hand and you wont really worry about battery at all.
It is literally the perfect device for artist who need to grab textures on the go or take general photos. DSLR is overkill, and its a major pain in the arse to lug something like that around everywhere you go.
Anyways, really enthusiastic about this particular device. It has made my life so much easier when it comes to photography on the go.
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You'd want an opposite of what expensive cameras offer. Not a cool background softening but rather a crispy picture with maximum depth of field/focus with low aperture values.
Only thing important is shot-to-shot speed. Thus I am not sure a huge mpix count would do so very speedy and you can always come closer to make more pictures and stitch them afterward.
If you are going to use phogrametry the last is even preferable since you would need eternity to work with too hi res images.
In a word nice modern phone could be well enough imo or maybe I am too lazy to take even micro4/3 with me. My old DSLR collecting dust somewhere many years already and I do shot textures almost every day
I will say one thing though, the OP is concerned with not only texture reference but using his camera for general purpose photography, in which case a DSLR, mirrorless, or a high end point & shoot like the Sony RX100 line makes perfect sense. The 18-55mm kit lens an entry level Canon or Nikon camera comes with with be suitable shooting in daylight, for lower light you will probably want a fast prime. Nikon 35mm 1.8 and/or 50mm 1.8 are very good budget options. A 50mm 1.8 will also be good for portraits, narrow depth of field shooting and general artistic purposes.
Here is a thread specifically about texture reference: http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=153940
All of that priced separately would be $607 and I got it for $420
Need to go to Teds and get a $50 lens hood and maybe a better bigger carry bag that can hold the camera while the lens is attached and maybe a better strap.
So far i'm happy with it even if I don't know what stuff does, so many knobs and buttons haha.
Also, read this book: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390"]Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera: Bryan Peterson: 0884798534707: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
It will teach you the basics of the exposure triangle, or how aperture, shutter speed and ISO work together.
They didn't have stock and I already put a $10 deposit on to order it in. Add to that the fact that I originally was gunna buy the red body in a kit from them for $400 and had them put it aside for me and then backed out and I kinda am obligated.