Fixed lens...my first camera was a box camera 620 film 1/60th shutter f8...as a kid could only afford b&w film (no flash) ... great to learn composition and lighting. First "real" camera was another fixed lens...used twin lens Rollieflex (no flash) which came with all the b&w filters...totally manual ... great to learn exposure triangle. The point is...you can learn on any camera, bcs the person behind the camera has more impact on the photo. Love that you folks are pointing this out with today's options.
Thank you for all you are doing for us beginners. Im learning so much through your course. It’s taking me awhile to get through it because I’m taking notes and doing all the exercises you recommend. A wealth of information. Thank you Leigh and Raymond.
What a wonderful presentation! I just want to thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge and experience with us beginners. The information for considering not only operating a camera, but also purchasing a camera is so overwhelming and potentially confusing. I am very grateful to you two for offering an extended hand :)
Thank you for your video. Although I am an older photographer, I started photography in 1973... Following your channel for several years now. This first iteration of the series is interesting and brought in a very compelling way. Decent "real" fixed lens cameras are hard to find nowadays at a decent price point, although the used route is compelling. I am of the opinion that someone who starts with photography does not know if he/she wants to pursue that route, and as you noticed you have to go into some niche products like the X100V or the Q2 or the Sony RX1r. New those cameras are expensive and used, at least in my country, they are still expensive. You can of course pursue the route of a (smart)phone. The camera industry moved to expensive "point and shoot cameras". In older days we had a choice of fairly good fixed lens cameras. I remember particularly the Yashica 35 viewfinder camera with a decent fixed lens. Not to expensive and an upgrade to a Kodak Instamatic 126. Having used the X100V and Leica Q/Q2 these are great cameras but the price point is steep and the cheapest one the X100v is out of stock for the last 6 months on the major camera websites in my country. Looking forward to the next iteration of your series. With Regards,
Great video “Snappy” and Raymond!! I think a great starter camera is the Nikon P900 or P950. Whilst I understand the value of knowing about the exposure triangle is important, the modern person coming to cameras from smart phones is into “modes”. These Coolpix cameras from Nikon have oodles of modes plus a fixed lens with massive focal length, enough to bring tears to the eyes of Astronomers and such like. The massive zoom on these cameras, I believe, helps to train the “photographic eye” by allowing amazing optical cropping so you can get the picture just right, maximising your pixels into the shot that you really want. But the real thing with these cameras is that they are so much fun to use because your focal length restrictions are just virtually non-existent. Because everything you need is in the one package it is also a budget facility to begin engaging in photography.
Thank you both for another wonderful video and I am looking foward to your courses. I am using my trusty Nikon Z6ii, with the zoom lens from the Nikon Zfc, i am keeping the zoom mostly on 50mm. thanks again. Steve In Connecticut
I think the best for a total beginner could be an used old Sony Nex or Canon M lineup. There is good availability of cameras and lenses (Sony E and Canon EF with a cheap adapter), at cheap price and one of the best price / image quality ratio.
I use 2 wonderful phone apps: Camera+, which has excellent controls. ProCam, which has less intuitive controls but gives you RAW files for development later.
I shoot with multiple brands - Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus and Sony - so I consider myself agnostic in my approach to gear. That said, I have a couple of cameras in the fixed-lens category that I think deserve mention. These are gear I use and they have both manual and automated controls. Much depends on what one is going to shoot and what one is going to produce. The Canon PowerShot G1XMkIII and the Canon G5X (I or II). Like Lee, I prefer a camera with a viewfinder, and I personally prefer a zoom. I like image-stabilization and some kind of weather-proofing. These two units provide all of those, along with a fully-articulated touch-screen LCDs and handy help interfaces. The G1XMKIII is the flagship, having a larger APS-C sensor (I'm assuming viewers know what that is, but you are doubtless exploring that at some stage) and an effective focal range of 24-72mm. The G5X (MkI and II) are similar in size but have a 24-120 effective focal range, but a smaller 1" sensor. While I have a huge investment in DSLRs and FF MILCs, I still use these cameras when I don't want to have bulk or don't want to be noticed. Another fixed-lens camera, but in a different league to these, is the Sony RX-10MkIV. This is a bridge camera: basically, a cross between compact fixed-lens camera and a larger DSLR - and while this category have smaller sensors (often not much bigger than that of cell phone), they have enormous zoom ranges. The Sony is arguably the finest bridge camera in the world: it has a 1" sensor (which is very large for this class), image-stabilization, weather proofing and the fantastic Zeiss optics that render an effective range of 21-600mm: truly a camera that can do almost everything. I have taken mine of hikes and trips where bulk and weight are a premium.
A fixed focal length “point and shoot” body is, as you suggest, a good 1st camera. I stated off with the discontinued Panasonic LX3. Very small(pocketable), lite, zoom from 24-70mm lens with a bright f1.8 lens. Also a 1” sensor. These cameras you mention can be put into full automatic, semiautomatic ( as in aperture priority) or full manual. As you learn and grow you have more options. It is good to know that advanced amateur and professionals use semiautomatic modes all the time. As Ramon suggested, the more you trust to the camera ( the engineers spent a lot of time on these features so why not use them) the more time you have to concentrate on composing. By the way, I know you can’t mention all the point and shoot bodies (including the Panasonic body I mentioned) that are out of production, the GR iii or iiiX are good options. Also highly pocketable. Some of the older discontinued bodies that aren’t being produced because of cell phone cameras can be purchased for between $50 and $250. Old technology is a viable option. Just because the technology is old doesn’t mean the camera doesn’t take good pictures. Oh course, it is the photographer that makes the pictures. So as Ramon suggests, download the SnapChick’s class and learn about the exposure triangle. This is the basis of all photography. Learn this and then you can forget but still use it. A valuable introduction to the question, “What camera should I start out with?”. In the next three videos you’ll share other options. As long as the camera body has fully automatic, semiautomatic, and manual options any camera could be your 1st camera. The more sophisticated (expensive) the camera and lenses you purchase the more choice you have as your knowledge and experience expands. Mask On Nurse Marty
I think giving some considerable budget to a first camera makes a lot of sense. Good cameras inspire, and it's like a commitment to taking this new hobby or skill seriously. And fixed prime is the way to go for most I think; a fixed 28, 35 or 40mm really helps beginners avoid the trap of spending too much on lenses or getting lazy with framing and composition. My first serious camera was the Sony RX10IV, which was an amazing camera, but I consider my first real starting camera a used RX1 I got after the RX10. A simple formula of great sensor and great lens, combined with slightly outdated AF, got me excited and really thinking about what I'm doing with my photos. I still strongly recommend the original RX1 to this day. Love the discussion on phone cameras! The before getting the RX10IV, the "camera" that actually inspired me to start consciously shooting photos was the iPhone 7Plus. The introduction of portrait mode and DNG support in 3rd party apps got me thinking and enjoying taking photos in ways I'd never experienced.
One other argument for a fixed focal length is that it helps train your eyes to see how things “frame up”, which aids greatly in learning and practicing composition. And it teaches you the limits of that length so that you know when you are needing something tighter or wider - which is the sort of knowledge that informs smarter buying when you are ready (no point in buying some expensive lens if you have no idea how to use it yet).
Guys, I love you. But a Leica Q2 for a beginner? Perhaps for a millionaire but otherwise... never something that I would recommend. If money is an issue, which it is for most people, and if they are relatively serious about photography as a hobby, having outgrown their phone, then I would steer them towards a secondhand full-frame mirrorless camera. Perhaps an old Sony A7 with a cheap vintage 50mm, together those can be had for around 350 euros. Another favorite is the Olympus E-M10, that one costs 150 euros these days. The E-M10 with its awesome IBIS and ease of use is a great beginner camera. It is the camera I gave to my atechnical friend; who is now a fervent photographer. Why mirrorless? I like cameras that can grow with a person, that say: yes, we can try that. This is not the case with fixed-lens cameras.
Thank you for calling that out. I think they're out of touch, I know they have money, but $5000 is not an investment *anyone* should be telling a beginner to make. I know a lot about telescopes and astronomy. Last thing I'm going to tell a newbie who has never used a telescope is to drop $6500 on a 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain.
@@MikeLikesChannel Exactly, I make some money trading secondhand cameras. Every day I see at least twenty adverts of people offering their cameras for sale again, after having found out that photography was not for them. Or words of similar content. And I operate in a tiny area. Photography is a temporary fascination for most people, only a few stick with it. Much like astronomy, I fancy. And then I get to buy their cameras and lenses for cheap, if they bought something decent.
@@Kelkschiz I have never bought a new lens or camera body in my life. Too many are unloaded with less than 1000 clicks (often less than 200) and not one shred of evidence they’ve ever been used at all. The Q2 recommendation irrationally upsets me on this video. It’s so far off the mark and tone deaf to beginners.
Instead of a fixed lens compact I'd advise people to get an MFT camera like the Olympus E P1 with a used 14-42 mm lens. That will get people started. If they think the camera is 'too complex' you know they will never like a Nikon or Canon DSLR. If they like what they have, they can expand to an OMD, a Lumix or a bigger DSLR.
Phones - the Xperia range gives you many of the high-end features of Sony cameras and pro-mode allows you to alter settings to your needs. Also you get a shutter button as well.
A great video! Thank you, Raymond, for not wearing the glasses :-). I love my Sony RX100V as a pocket camera, just as I love my A6500, with much more respect to the "trucks", the Nikon family (D7100, D500, D850, Z50, Z6II). I believe they all have a purpose, and even after 45 years of capturing, every image is a story, either taken by the oldest camera, or the latest phone cameras (which are getting "too good"). Keep up the great work. Much appreciation from Tucson.
Maybe include the Ricoh GRIII in this discussion - especially instead of the Q2, unless you’re a beginner who also is a dentist or have won the lottery
It's a terrible recommendation for a beginner. That's a $5000 camera. It's negligent to recommend a fixed prime lens camera to a beginner... don't care how much more they have to burn. Your GRIII is a good suggestion, so is the X100V. Leica's aren't "beginner" anything.
@@MikeLikesChannel I have a Leica M10, Fuji X100V, and Ricoh GR3 right here and the M is by far the most straightforward of the three to shoot. Qs even autofocus (!!). It's certainly not a beginner-friendly budget, but I could easily consider the Q2 to be the most beginner-friendly camera in existence.
@@astrostl I’d argue that a significant part of starting a new hobby is the initial cash outlay needed to get started. Even for a fairly wealthy person, a Leica is a huge financial commitment. For me it’s 2 mortgage payments… in other words, not in the realm of responsible purchasing. We can assume a portion of those interested in a hobby today will not be pursuing it a year from now. I talk to budding astronomers all the time. I try to keep their startup costs under $1000, because it’s well known that most people don’t stick with it for the long haul. Not their fault, but at the end of a long day, it’s not always ideal to schlepp a 80 pound $4000 setup to the backyard when a 25 pound $800 one will do brilliantly. I believe Leigh is out of touch on that recommendation, and either doesn’t understand her RUclips audience or is numb to the sobering amount of money the red dot costs, because for her, it’s a justified business expense she deducts and uses to make money, not a hobby toy. There was no need to mention the Leica, she could have recommended Fuji X100F/V or GRiii and hit the mark.
I think the phone is better than the compacts now. They have multiple prime lenses, the sensor sizes are 1/1.3 and 1 inch for samsung s22 ultra and xiaomi 12s ultra, and the apps are much easier to learn with than camera interfaces. The screens are much brighter, serving as better monitors with advanced apps. Samsung pro raw allows you all the controls available including white balance and exposure, and produces raw. You can do editing in the phone, and then transmission and uploading is seamless. And the phones are better at stabilization.
What camera would be best for a beginner who wants to shoot birds? I have only ever used a point and shoot or my phone. I have become interested in birding. I need a fast enough shutter speed and decent zoom on a camera simple enough for someone with no real photography experience.
Hi Leigh and Raymond! I enjoyed this video! It was a very well thought out and informative video! Very sound advice for beginners in photography!! I am curious in regards to your Sony cameras on the color profiles. I have read where some photographers are having to correct the color in post editing. Curious if you are experiencing that same issue compared to the Fuji's colors? Best wishes Duane
Hello, I have been taking photographs on my smartphone for sometime and I want to start taking photographs with a camera. Please suggest a camera that I should invest in as a beginner.
I think there are two evolutionary changes occuring in photography and camers currently. The first one is the requirement for easy seamless transfer of files from camera to phone. I have the Fujifilm app and with my Fuji X 100f, it isn't too bad, but not great, but with my X T1 Fuji it is horrible. The future of camera development will have to include blue tooth and WiFi transfer capabilities. I think recommending a camera in 2022 should include a discussion on electronic transfer of files. The other is the colour science of cameras. There is a trend among photographers to want to ditch or minimize Photoshop and the like. And indeed not shooting in RAW but JEPG instead. I know Leigh touched on this in her X 100 f review.
Why can't Leica get the Q right. Long exposure's at high ISO. My Q has a great 28mm f1.7 lens but i can't shoot at F1.7 for 20 seconds at iso 3200. For the price i would of thought Leica could easily do this. The trouble is with the Q there is a lot of noise when you go above iso 1600. Shame
First camera……go get a Nikon,Canon or Sony crop sensor camera with a kit lens.Fuji x100 v is a fixed focal length which isn’t ideal to start and is expensive for starting out.Leica 😂😂 wayyyy too expensive.Why would a beginner want to spend thousands on a first camera….Go get a small backpack or sling,a cheap tripod,put your new/used gear in the bag,go out and about and see if you like photography.If you don’t you haven’t lost an arm and a leg.I think a person needs to see if they have soul for photography before they worry if a camera has “soul”….
Leica Q2 for beginner photographers? The world (or RUclips) has gone mad. And when heavily promoting KEH, please bear in mind the internet and RUclips is global. With shipping, import duties etc buying from KEH is a less viable option for many of your non-US followers.
I wouldn't ever recommend Leica cameras to beginners. They cost a bloody fortune, and don't offer notably different outcomes to the Canon/Fuji/Nikon/Sony results. It's like saying a first car ought to be a Maserati. A Leica Q2 is $5000... that's not a beginner.
People like to carry a heavy ball on their foot... For instance, Nikon Z50 with a 16-50mm lens is so much better and even lighter than an old cliche, don't use Zoom lenses.. It can't be erased from that old thinking perspective... I had film cameras for 20 years and started with these fixed focal ( no Zoom) lenses, because they were light and much cheaper and today the digital cameras are small even with a Zoom lens... The old SLR cameras were heavy... And I learned the Tokina 28-110mm was good for at least 80% of all of my photos.... And now these so called Photographs, that never convinced me with their photos, go to Viewbug or Flickr you will be disgusted with that Photographs that are teaching on RUclips...; I have paid for the best photographs as my teacher and I have a cheap camera (Nikon D7200 and Nikon Z50)... And I will continue to spend my money on courses from the best Photographs and not that lousy RUclips photographs...
Cameras to get started. Leica in the thumbnail. Lol
So tone deaf. I'm actually offended they'd put it in a "your first camera" video. Speaks to being out of touch with common people.
Fixed lens...my first camera was a box camera 620 film 1/60th shutter f8...as a kid could only afford b&w film (no flash) ... great to learn composition and lighting. First "real" camera was another fixed lens...used twin lens Rollieflex (no flash) which came with all the b&w filters...totally manual ... great to learn exposure triangle. The point is...you can learn on any camera, bcs the person behind the camera has more impact on the photo. Love that you folks are pointing this out with today's options.
The course is brilliant, I learned so much … and I started out with an Olympus trip!
Thank you for all you are doing for us beginners. Im learning so much through your course. It’s taking me awhile to get through it because I’m taking notes and doing all the exercises you recommend. A wealth of information. Thank you Leigh and Raymond.
What a wonderful presentation!
I just want to thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge and experience with us beginners. The information for considering not only operating a camera, but also purchasing a camera is so overwhelming and potentially confusing. I am very grateful to you two for offering an extended hand :)
Thank you for your video. Although I am an older photographer, I started photography in 1973... Following your channel for several years now. This first iteration of the series is interesting and brought in a very compelling way.
Decent "real" fixed lens cameras are hard to find nowadays at a decent price point, although the used route is compelling.
I am of the opinion that someone who starts with photography does not know if he/she wants to pursue that route, and as you noticed you have to go into some niche products like the X100V or the Q2 or the Sony RX1r. New those cameras are expensive and used, at least in my country, they are still expensive. You can of course pursue the route of a (smart)phone.
The camera industry moved to expensive "point and shoot cameras".
In older days we had a choice of fairly good fixed lens cameras. I remember particularly the Yashica 35 viewfinder camera with a decent fixed lens. Not to expensive and an upgrade to a Kodak Instamatic 126.
Having used the X100V and Leica Q/Q2 these are great cameras but the price point is steep and the cheapest one the X100v is out of stock for the last 6 months on the major camera websites in my country.
Looking forward to the next iteration of your series.
With Regards,
Great video “Snappy” and Raymond!! I think a great starter camera is the Nikon P900 or P950. Whilst I understand the value of knowing about the exposure triangle is important, the modern person coming to cameras from smart phones is into “modes”. These Coolpix cameras from Nikon have oodles of modes plus a fixed lens with massive focal length, enough to bring tears to the eyes of Astronomers and such like. The massive zoom on these cameras, I believe, helps to train the “photographic eye” by allowing amazing optical cropping so you can get the picture just right, maximising your pixels into the shot that you really want. But the real thing with these cameras is that they are so much fun to use because your focal length restrictions are just virtually non-existent. Because everything you need is in the one package it is also a budget facility to begin engaging in photography.
The AT-AT shirt is my favorite part of this 😂
Thank you both for another wonderful video and I am looking foward to your courses. I am using my trusty Nikon Z6ii, with the zoom lens from the Nikon Zfc, i am keeping the zoom mostly on 50mm. thanks again. Steve In Connecticut
I think the best for a total beginner could be an used old Sony Nex or Canon M lineup. There is good availability of cameras and lenses (Sony E and Canon EF with a cheap adapter), at cheap price and one of the best price / image quality ratio.
I use 2 wonderful phone apps:
Camera+, which has excellent controls.
ProCam, which has less intuitive controls but gives you RAW files for development later.
I shoot with multiple brands - Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus and Sony - so I consider myself agnostic in my approach to gear. That said, I have a couple of cameras in the fixed-lens category that I think deserve mention. These are gear I use and they have both manual and automated controls. Much depends on what one is going to shoot and what one is going to produce.
The Canon PowerShot G1XMkIII and the Canon G5X (I or II). Like Lee, I prefer a camera with a viewfinder, and I personally prefer a zoom. I like image-stabilization and some kind of weather-proofing. These two units provide all of those, along with a fully-articulated touch-screen LCDs and handy help interfaces. The G1XMKIII is the flagship, having a larger APS-C sensor (I'm assuming viewers know what that is, but you are doubtless exploring that at some stage) and an effective focal range of 24-72mm. The G5X (MkI and II) are similar in size but have a 24-120 effective focal range, but a smaller 1" sensor. While I have a huge investment in DSLRs and FF MILCs, I still use these cameras when I don't want to have bulk or don't want to be noticed.
Another fixed-lens camera, but in a different league to these, is the Sony RX-10MkIV. This is a bridge camera: basically, a cross between compact fixed-lens camera and a larger DSLR - and while this category have smaller sensors (often not much bigger than that of cell phone), they have enormous zoom ranges. The Sony is arguably the finest bridge camera in the world: it has a 1" sensor (which is very large for this class), image-stabilization, weather proofing and the fantastic Zeiss optics that render an effective range of 21-600mm: truly a camera that can do almost everything. I have taken mine of hikes and trips where bulk and weight are a premium.
A fixed focal length “point and shoot” body is, as you suggest, a good 1st camera. I stated off with the discontinued Panasonic LX3. Very small(pocketable), lite, zoom from 24-70mm lens with a bright f1.8 lens. Also a 1” sensor. These cameras you mention can be put into full automatic, semiautomatic ( as in aperture priority) or full manual. As you learn and grow you have more options. It is good to know that advanced amateur and professionals use semiautomatic modes all the time. As Ramon suggested, the more you trust to the camera ( the engineers spent a lot of time on these features so why not use them) the more time you have to concentrate on composing.
By the way, I know you can’t mention all the point and shoot bodies (including the Panasonic body I mentioned) that are out of production, the GR iii or iiiX are good options. Also highly pocketable. Some of the older discontinued bodies that aren’t being produced because of cell phone cameras can be purchased for between $50 and $250. Old technology is a viable option. Just because the technology is old doesn’t mean the camera doesn’t take good pictures. Oh course, it is the photographer that makes the pictures. So as Ramon suggests, download the SnapChick’s class and learn about the exposure triangle. This is the basis of all photography. Learn this and then you can forget but still use it.
A valuable introduction to the question, “What camera should I start out with?”. In the next three videos you’ll share other options. As long as the camera body has fully automatic, semiautomatic, and manual options any camera could be your 1st camera. The more sophisticated (expensive) the camera and lenses you purchase the more choice you have as your knowledge and experience expands.
Mask On Nurse Marty
I think giving some considerable budget to a first camera makes a lot of sense. Good cameras inspire, and it's like a commitment to taking this new hobby or skill seriously. And fixed prime is the way to go for most I think; a fixed 28, 35 or 40mm really helps beginners avoid the trap of spending too much on lenses or getting lazy with framing and composition. My first serious camera was the Sony RX10IV, which was an amazing camera, but I consider my first real starting camera a used RX1 I got after the RX10. A simple formula of great sensor and great lens, combined with slightly outdated AF, got me excited and really thinking about what I'm doing with my photos. I still strongly recommend the original RX1 to this day.
Love the discussion on phone cameras! The before getting the RX10IV, the "camera" that actually inspired me to start consciously shooting photos was the iPhone 7Plus. The introduction of portrait mode and DNG support in 3rd party apps got me thinking and enjoying taking photos in ways I'd never experienced.
One other argument for a fixed focal length is that it helps train your eyes to see how things “frame up”, which aids greatly in learning and practicing composition. And it teaches you the limits of that length so that you know when you are needing something tighter or wider - which is the sort of knowledge that informs smarter buying when you are ready (no point in buying some expensive lens if you have no idea how to use it yet).
My favourite fixed lens digital camera is the Olympus TG-5, and I would recommend it to any new user.
Hi Leigh I remember giving me a clip that I was in love with an X100.... F I suppose, a big hug to the couple
Guys, I love you. But a Leica Q2 for a beginner? Perhaps for a millionaire but otherwise... never something that I would recommend. If money is an issue, which it is for most people, and if they are relatively serious about photography as a hobby, having outgrown their phone, then I would steer them towards a secondhand full-frame mirrorless camera. Perhaps an old Sony A7 with a cheap vintage 50mm, together those can be had for around 350 euros. Another favorite is the Olympus E-M10, that one costs 150 euros these days. The E-M10 with its awesome IBIS and ease of use is a great beginner camera. It is the camera I gave to my atechnical friend; who is now a fervent photographer.
Why mirrorless? I like cameras that can grow with a person, that say: yes, we can try that. This is not the case with fixed-lens cameras.
The same goes for the Sony RX100. It definitely is a fantastic camer but it costs over $1000...
Thank you for calling that out. I think they're out of touch, I know they have money, but $5000 is not an investment *anyone* should be telling a beginner to make. I know a lot about telescopes and astronomy. Last thing I'm going to tell a newbie who has never used a telescope is to drop $6500 on a 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain.
@@MikeLikesChannel Exactly, I make some money trading secondhand cameras. Every day I see at least twenty adverts of people offering their cameras for sale again, after having found out that photography was not for them. Or words of similar content. And I operate in a tiny area. Photography is a temporary fascination for most people, only a few stick with it. Much like astronomy, I fancy.
And then I get to buy their cameras and lenses for cheap, if they bought something decent.
@@Kelkschiz I have never bought a new lens or camera body in my life. Too many are unloaded with less than 1000 clicks (often less than 200) and not one shred of evidence they’ve ever been used at all. The Q2 recommendation irrationally upsets me on this video. It’s so far off the mark and tone deaf to beginners.
You don’t have to be a millionaire to buy a Leica. If that is going to make a person happy then enjoy.
Instead of a fixed lens compact I'd advise people to get an MFT camera like the Olympus E P1 with a used 14-42 mm lens. That will get people started. If they think the camera is 'too complex' you know they will never like a Nikon or Canon DSLR. If they like what they have, they can expand to an OMD, a Lumix or a bigger DSLR.
Very cool. Thanks
for me the old fuji X-M1 is just fantastic; great colors, flippy screen and durability of hardware
Phones - the Xperia range gives you many of the high-end features of Sony cameras and pro-mode allows you to alter settings to your needs. Also you get a shutter button as well.
But you still cannot change the aperture, which is the most important parameter.
A great video! Thank you, Raymond, for not wearing the glasses :-). I love my Sony RX100V as a pocket camera, just as I love my A6500, with much more respect to the "trucks", the Nikon family (D7100, D500, D850, Z50, Z6II). I believe they all have a purpose, and even after 45 years of capturing, every image is a story, either taken by the oldest camera, or the latest phone cameras (which are getting "too good"). Keep up the great work. Much appreciation from Tucson.
Maybe include the Ricoh GRIII in this discussion - especially instead of the Q2, unless you’re a beginner who also is a dentist or have won the lottery
Seconding. Fantastic camera, and despite having way too many bodies and lenses I could get by with it alone.
It's a terrible recommendation for a beginner. That's a $5000 camera. It's negligent to recommend a fixed prime lens camera to a beginner... don't care how much more they have to burn. Your GRIII is a good suggestion, so is the X100V. Leica's aren't "beginner" anything.
@@MikeLikesChannel I have a Leica M10, Fuji X100V, and Ricoh GR3 right here and the M is by far the most straightforward of the three to shoot. Qs even autofocus (!!). It's certainly not a beginner-friendly budget, but I could easily consider the Q2 to be the most beginner-friendly camera in existence.
@@astrostl I’d argue that a significant part of starting a new hobby is the initial cash outlay needed to get started. Even for a fairly wealthy person, a Leica is a huge financial commitment. For me it’s 2 mortgage payments… in other words, not in the realm of responsible purchasing. We can assume a portion of those interested in a hobby today will not be pursuing it a year from now. I talk to budding astronomers all the time. I try to keep their startup costs under $1000, because it’s well known that most people don’t stick with it for the long haul. Not their fault, but at the end of a long day, it’s not always ideal to schlepp a 80 pound $4000 setup to the backyard when a 25 pound $800 one will do brilliantly.
I believe Leigh is out of touch on that recommendation, and either doesn’t understand her RUclips audience or is numb to the sobering amount of money the red dot costs, because for her, it’s a justified business expense she deducts and uses to make money, not a hobby toy. There was no need to mention the Leica, she could have recommended Fuji X100F/V or GRiii and hit the mark.
I would pick a Nikon D3. In expensive to buy, very straight forward to use, lenses are in expensive, plus they are a good defensive weapon.
I think the phone is better than the compacts now. They have multiple prime lenses, the sensor sizes are 1/1.3 and 1 inch for samsung s22 ultra and xiaomi 12s ultra, and the apps are much easier to learn with than camera interfaces. The screens are much brighter, serving as better monitors with advanced apps. Samsung pro raw allows you all the controls available including white balance and exposure, and produces raw. You can do editing in the phone, and then transmission and uploading is seamless. And the phones are better at stabilization.
My first camera was an X100v. Sold it last month and bought my Q2.
Thank you
What camera would be best for a beginner who wants to shoot birds? I have only ever used a point and shoot or my phone. I have become interested in birding. I need a fast enough shutter speed and decent zoom on a camera simple enough for someone with no real photography experience.
Hi Leigh and Raymond!
I enjoyed this video! It was a very well thought out and informative video! Very sound advice for beginners in photography!! I am curious in regards to your Sony cameras on the color profiles. I have read where some photographers are having to correct the color in post editing. Curious if you are experiencing that same issue compared to the Fuji's colors?
Best wishes
Duane
Hello,
I have been taking photographs on my smartphone for sometime and I want to start taking photographs with a camera.
Please suggest a camera that I should invest in as a beginner.
I think there are two evolutionary changes occuring in photography and camers currently. The first one is the requirement for easy seamless transfer of files from camera to phone. I have the Fujifilm app and with my Fuji X 100f, it isn't too bad, but not great, but with my X T1 Fuji it is horrible. The future of camera development will have to include blue tooth and WiFi transfer capabilities. I think recommending a camera in 2022 should include a discussion on electronic transfer of files. The other is the colour science of cameras. There is a trend among photographers to want to ditch or minimize Photoshop and the like. And indeed not shooting in RAW but JEPG instead. I know Leigh touched on this in her X 100 f review.
Another great video. I do hope you have your videos on automated release instead on manually publishing it at O dark thirty. 😉
You are the best teacher
Why can't Leica get the Q right. Long exposure's at high ISO. My Q has a great 28mm f1.7 lens but i can't shoot at F1.7 for 20 seconds at iso 3200. For the price i would of thought Leica could easily do this. The trouble is with the Q there is a lot of noise when you go above iso 1600. Shame
First camera……go get a Nikon,Canon or Sony crop sensor camera with a kit lens.Fuji x100 v is a fixed focal length which isn’t ideal to start and is expensive for starting out.Leica 😂😂 wayyyy too expensive.Why would a beginner want to spend thousands on a first camera….Go get a small backpack or sling,a cheap tripod,put your new/used gear in the bag,go out and about and see if you like photography.If you don’t you haven’t lost an arm and a leg.I think a person needs to see if they have soul for photography before they worry if a camera has “soul”….
who is raymond
Leica Q2 for beginner photographers? The world (or RUclips) has gone mad. And when heavily promoting KEH, please bear in mind the internet and RUclips is global. With shipping, import duties etc buying from KEH is a less viable option for many of your non-US followers.
I wouldn't ever recommend Leica cameras to beginners. They cost a bloody fortune, and don't offer notably different outcomes to the Canon/Fuji/Nikon/Sony results. It's like saying a first car ought to be a Maserati. A Leica Q2 is $5000... that's not a beginner.
People like to carry a heavy ball on their foot... For instance, Nikon Z50 with a 16-50mm lens is so much better and even lighter than an old cliche, don't use Zoom lenses.. It can't be erased from that old thinking perspective... I had film cameras for 20 years and started with these fixed focal ( no Zoom) lenses, because they were light and much cheaper and today the digital cameras are small even with a Zoom lens... The old SLR cameras were heavy... And I learned the Tokina 28-110mm was good for at least 80% of all of my photos.... And now these so called Photographs, that never convinced me with their photos, go to Viewbug or Flickr you will be disgusted with that Photographs that are teaching on RUclips...; I have paid for the best photographs as my teacher and I have a cheap camera (Nikon D7200 and Nikon Z50)... And I will continue to spend my money on courses from the best Photographs and not that lousy RUclips photographs...
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