Compact System/Mirrorless or DSLR?

dave_o_brien

Hi all,

So essentially this is another which camera thread, and I hope you can help me.

I'm a practicing architect and sometimes graphic designer with plenty of experience with Photoshop and the array of Adobe software. I take photographs of my offices work and am well used to post-editing them for publication, or photoshopping them to show clients what they could expect out of proposed changes.

I have a growing interest in photography as a past time, with a particular interest in works like Joby Hickey's stuff. I would like to produce photographs for my own personal records, and would imagine I would be printing them to perhaps A3 size.

So I feel the need to invest in a camera for myself, given I can't take our office's one! My questions are twofold:

1. What camera should I get, or at least what type of camera?

Our office camera is a Canon Eos 1100d, which is great, and I don't even know how to get the full use out of it. From what I've read here (thanks for the advice, by the by!) and online, current mirrorless cameras are a great tool, particularly for newcomers, and produce excellent quality shots, and allow for adequate user control.

2. What introductory books can you recommend?

My knowledge of manual control is limited, but I'm willing to learn! What books would people recommend that I get to teach me the basics and bring me up to a level where my knowledge is adequate?

Thanks in advance!

draiochtanois

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dave_o_brien

draiochtanois wrote: »

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Thanks, although I can't take the office camera home with me. I want something for personal use, not just photographing our work.

Those books look good, thanks for the advice!

Nerro

Knowing your budget would be nice...

dave_o_brien

Nerro wrote: »

Knowing your budget would be nice...

Fair enough, it probably would help! Ideally, I wouldn't like to spend more than €250. I am smart enough to know that you get what you pay for, but as a starting point, that's the figure I have in my head.

Nerro

dave_o_brien wrote: »

Fair enough, it probably would help! Ideally, I wouldn't like to spend more than €250. I am smart enough to know that you get what you pay for, but as a starting point, that's the figure I have in my head.

You are probably looking at compact at this price point, and there are loads to choose. Unless you are willing to go second hand and troll adverts.ie (there are cracking deals from time to time if you are patient).
In your shoes I would save more tbh. These days you can get canon 5D for under 500 Euros and its a brilliant camera to have!

dave_o_brien

Nerro wrote: »

You are probably looking at compact at this price point, and there are loads to choose. Unless you are willing to go second hand and troll adverts.ie (there are cracking deals from time to time if you are patient).
In your shoes I would save more tbh. These days you can get canon 5D for under 500 Euros and its a brilliant camera to have!

I guess my question boils down to this:

Is it really necessary for someone who has little camera knowledge, and only intends on use for hobby purposes, to get a DSLR given how good compact systems seem to be these days?

A canon 5d would be lovely, but would it be overkill?!

Nerro

dave_o_brien wrote: »

I guess my question boils down to this:

Is it really necessary for someone who has little camera knowledge, and only intends on use for hobby purposes, to get a DSLR given how good compact systems seem to be these days?

A canon 5d would be lovely, but would it be overkill?!

It really depends if its an overkill, I can say the same about compacts as well. Was at an event recently and one of my friends had a compact ( can't remember the model) and my wife had Samsung s5. Didn't pixel peeped but couldn't find much difference in quality of pictures when viewed on PC.
If you are not thinking about any kind of post processing and only going to shoot on auto then yes by all means get a compact. If not then its definitely not an overkill.