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Need advice
- Thread starter ChibiJoe
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For camera+lens, that's also a good setup to start with.
The rest is really your call. Nothing you described requires super-high-speed shooting, so I might take a $12 memory card over a $70 one (Transcend 8GB class 6 is about that), and upgrade if it's limiting (if you want the $70 card, you'll want a $12 backup card anyways). Most things like bags and tripods, I buy in person, just so I know if they'll work for me, but that may matter less to you.
The effect of some of the light not making it to the sensor is negligible and purely academic -- that's not a downside to the a35. The key downsides of the a35, in my mind, are:
The rest is really your call. Nothing you described requires super-high-speed shooting, so I might take a $12 memory card over a $70 one (Transcend 8GB class 6 is about that), and upgrade if it's limiting (if you want the $70 card, you'll want a $12 backup card anyways). Most things like bags and tripods, I buy in person, just so I know if they'll work for me, but that may matter less to you.
The effect of some of the light not making it to the sensor is negligible and purely academic -- that's not a downside to the a35. The key downsides of the a35, in my mind, are:
- Some people hate EVFs. Personally, I prefer good EVFs to OVFs (and the a35 has a very good EVF), but it's a personal call.
- It's actually kind of sluggish in some ways, but it's no worse than other cameras in the same class (although way it's sluggish is different). This bugs me a lot, but doesn't bother most other people (and you probably won't be using it for the same types of uses where it bugs me).
- Manual focus is slightly cumbersome (but ultimately more accurate)
It specializes at nothing. It's a kit lens -- it's designed to be general-purpose. It's not bad for landscape.
I always find kit lenses slightly too short to be useful. 55mm just doesn't reach that far. I gave my kit lens away once I got real lenses.
Personally, I think an 18-200mm Tamron ($240 with rebate) is more useful overall (or a Sony 18-250mm for slightly better image quality at double the price). The image quality is a little worse, but it's a lot more versatile. It also stays useful in the long haul, whereas the kit will get obsoleted if you ever get an f/2.8 zoom ($400-$500), or a 16-80mm Zeiss, or any of a variety of other lenses. It also complements the 50mm well -- that way, you've got one lens with excellent image quality and low light performance, and one with a very versatile zoom range. But many reasonable people disagree with me here.
It's really your call. If you're in no rush, you could get the body-only, and then buy the kit on eBay once you have a better feel for whether 55mm will be adequate for you. The kit lens on eBay sells for $100, which is exactly the price difference between the body-only and the kit.
I always find kit lenses slightly too short to be useful. 55mm just doesn't reach that far. I gave my kit lens away once I got real lenses.
Personally, I think an 18-200mm Tamron ($240 with rebate) is more useful overall (or a Sony 18-250mm for slightly better image quality at double the price). The image quality is a little worse, but it's a lot more versatile. It also stays useful in the long haul, whereas the kit will get obsoleted if you ever get an f/2.8 zoom ($400-$500), or a 16-80mm Zeiss, or any of a variety of other lenses. It also complements the 50mm well -- that way, you've got one lens with excellent image quality and low light performance, and one with a very versatile zoom range. But many reasonable people disagree with me here.
It's really your call. If you're in no rush, you could get the body-only, and then buy the kit on eBay once you have a better feel for whether 55mm will be adequate for you. The kit lens on eBay sells for $100, which is exactly the price difference between the body-only and the kit.
I actually changed the 16g extreme pro 45mb/s for 2x 16g extreme 30mb/s for $62.98 instead of $69. seems like a better deal. 
in your opinion the 18-55mm SAM kit lens is worthwhile for an extra $100?
also I think I'll change the tripod I took for a Monopod it seems more versatile and easier to carry around and handle. do you have any recommendation for a cheap but good monopod? also I think ill also buy it locally and test it first.
should I invest a little more in another battery? 440 shots per charge sounds right know like quite a bit especially because that 440 shots are factored with flash on so it's probably more but I don't know how demanding is the video mode...
If you do recommend on a spare battery which one in your opinion is the best to get?
Thank you!
in your opinion the 18-55mm SAM kit lens is worthwhile for an extra $100?
also I think I'll change the tripod I took for a Monopod it seems more versatile and easier to carry around and handle. do you have any recommendation for a cheap but good monopod? also I think ill also buy it locally and test it first.
should I invest a little more in another battery? 440 shots per charge sounds right know like quite a bit especially because that 440 shots are factored with flash on so it's probably more but I don't know how demanding is the video mode...
If you do recommend on a spare battery which one in your opinion is the best to get?
Thank you!
Ok so I think I'll pass on it for now. I'd rather save that 100$ for a better lens like the Tamron one you suggested here.
thank you for being so helpful.
thank you for being so helpful.
The a35 will burn through batteries pretty fast. That is a downside of EVF -- it burns power when it's not shooting. You definitely want a spare battery. You probably don't want to pay Sony prices, but get a cheap knock-off on eBay. The quality generally isn't on-par with Sony, but it's good enough for a backup.
I recommend a tripod if you're doing jewelry photos, not a monopod. I don't have specific recommendations. I first used a $20 tripod, which is definitely not good enough. I have a pretty decent tripod which does everything I need. I haven't used enough other things to know the difference. For any kind of macro photography, the tripod is there not just to stabilize the lens, but also to help you position everything how you want it. If a shot doesn't come out the way you want it, you can move the jewelry, adjust positions of the lighting, etc., and when you come back, the camera hasn't moved. The tripod also lets you do self-portraits, videos (where the camera has to be in the same position for 30 minutes), and all sorts of other things. Owning a decent tripod is essential, but it doesn't matter that much whether you buy one now or in a couple months.
For places where most people use a monopod, I use the string-and-bolt trick ( http://wiskerke.home.xs4all.nl/artikelen/string.html ). The hardware to make it costs $2 at a hardware store. It's tacky, and it doesn't do vertical shots, and the string sometimes gets tangled in my camera back, but it works surprisingly well, and it's always there in my camera bag, where my tripod usually gets left at home.
Speaking of essential things, I don't know if you're on a fixed budget, you should eventually budget for a good off-camera flash. You can hold off a good year or two before you buy one (you'll have enough things to master for now without a flash complicating things further).
I recommend a tripod if you're doing jewelry photos, not a monopod. I don't have specific recommendations. I first used a $20 tripod, which is definitely not good enough. I have a pretty decent tripod which does everything I need. I haven't used enough other things to know the difference. For any kind of macro photography, the tripod is there not just to stabilize the lens, but also to help you position everything how you want it. If a shot doesn't come out the way you want it, you can move the jewelry, adjust positions of the lighting, etc., and when you come back, the camera hasn't moved. The tripod also lets you do self-portraits, videos (where the camera has to be in the same position for 30 minutes), and all sorts of other things. Owning a decent tripod is essential, but it doesn't matter that much whether you buy one now or in a couple months.
For places where most people use a monopod, I use the string-and-bolt trick ( http://wiskerke.home.xs4all.nl/artikelen/string.html ). The hardware to make it costs $2 at a hardware store. It's tacky, and it doesn't do vertical shots, and the string sometimes gets tangled in my camera back, but it works surprisingly well, and it's always there in my camera bag, where my tripod usually gets left at home.
Speaking of essential things, I don't know if you're on a fixed budget, you should eventually budget for a good off-camera flash. You can hold off a good year or two before you buy one (you'll have enough things to master for now without a flash complicating things further).
wow that cord trick for stabilization is pretty creative! I like it. the only thing it's missing is something to lay your camera on so you won't get tiered as fast.
one thing I didn't understand is what is that metal piece attached to the other end of the cord(not the bolt) is used for?
my budget will grow as I get more into photography but for now it stands at more or less $1300.
another question regarding lighting for my improvised shooting set...
currently I am using 2 big hot yellow light projectors I had laying around for a different purpose. they give good light but I am not sure if they are good for shooting stuff since with my phone camera I've seen straight black lines crossing the screen upward I think it is caused by the heat but I'm not sure...
will I be seeing these lines on the a35 as well? what cheap lights are recommended for jewelry shots? I heard something about 5500k light...
thank you!
one thing I didn't understand is what is that metal piece attached to the other end of the cord(not the bolt) is used for?
my budget will grow as I get more into photography but for now it stands at more or less $1300.
another question regarding lighting for my improvised shooting set...
currently I am using 2 big hot yellow light projectors I had laying around for a different purpose. they give good light but I am not sure if they are good for shooting stuff since with my phone camera I've seen straight black lines crossing the screen upward I think it is caused by the heat but I'm not sure...
will I be seeing these lines on the a35 as well? what cheap lights are recommended for jewelry shots? I heard something about 5500k light...
thank you!
In my case, I have a hex head bolt on one end, which screws into the camera. I have a washer on the other end. This gives something to stand on with my right foot which won't slip. My left food stands on the cord itself, so I can adjust height by moving it left and right.
I don't know whether the black lines are from overheating. I don't recommend overheating electronics, but if you do overheat the a35, if it's like the a33/a55, it won't give black lines -- it'll give an overheating error and shut itself off.
5500k refers to the color of the light. A $2 alternative to controlling light color is a gray card. This works if you have time to use one and if you're planning to post-edit the photos anyways.
The recommended equipment for shooting jewelry is called a light box. I've never used one, so I can't recommend what to look for. Having some extra lights on hand is also useful -- you can set them up to give appropriate sparkling. One good lighting trick you may not know:
In the long term, for very small jewelry, you may also want a macro lens. They're expensive. The macro capability of a lens is specified in terms of magnification factor. A 1:1 lens will focus down to the size of the sensor (21.5mmx14.4mm or so). A 1:5 lens (like the prime you're getting -- and 1:5 isn't bad) will focus down to 107.5x72mm. They're expensive, especially at the most useful focal lengths (around 100mm is considered optimal). When used for normal (non-macro) photography, most are razor sharp, but focus a little slowly. Again, I mention this for budgetary planning purposes. I'd crop for now if you need to get closer than 1:5, and only buy one if it turns out to be necessary.
I don't know whether the black lines are from overheating. I don't recommend overheating electronics, but if you do overheat the a35, if it's like the a33/a55, it won't give black lines -- it'll give an overheating error and shut itself off.
5500k refers to the color of the light. A $2 alternative to controlling light color is a gray card. This works if you have time to use one and if you're planning to post-edit the photos anyways.
The recommended equipment for shooting jewelry is called a light box. I've never used one, so I can't recommend what to look for. Having some extra lights on hand is also useful -- you can set them up to give appropriate sparkling. One good lighting trick you may not know:
- Set the camera on a tripod.
- Take many shots, each with a different lighting configuration
- Combine in your photoediting program
In the long term, for very small jewelry, you may also want a macro lens. They're expensive. The macro capability of a lens is specified in terms of magnification factor. A 1:1 lens will focus down to the size of the sensor (21.5mmx14.4mm or so). A 1:5 lens (like the prime you're getting -- and 1:5 isn't bad) will focus down to 107.5x72mm. They're expensive, especially at the most useful focal lengths (around 100mm is considered optimal). When used for normal (non-macro) photography, most are razor sharp, but focus a little slowly. Again, I mention this for budgetary planning purposes. I'd crop for now if you need to get closer than 1:5, and only buy one if it turns out to be necessary.
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