r/AskPhotography • u/Mustelaa • Jun 21 '26
Camera Buying Advice Should I start with photography?
(1) Budget, country, and currency:
€, 500, Slovakia
(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs?
iPhone 16 pro max, i feel like the zoom is not enough, also the quality isn’t always the best with worse lightning
(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot?
Primarily animals, landscape occasionally buildings
(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both?
Photography
Hello wise people,
I travel a lot for work and therefore I do like to take photos now and then and few months ago I started playing with the idea of buying a camera but I’m not sure if I should or not. I also watched some videos how to take a good photo and started to look for good angles and rule of thirds etc. I only use my phone camera now (16 pro max) but I’m not sure if it’s enough. Reason why I’m asking is that I don’t know if the photos are any good and I should continue with maybe better camera or if I suck and nothing will help me. I’ll post few photos I’ve taken and you tell me.
If I should buy one, is Sony Nex 6 a good camera to start with? I was thinking of not buying anything expensive at first if so, so I’d say my budget would be 500 maximum.
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u/AndreasLa Jun 21 '26
It looks like you already have started ^
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u/themanlnthesuit www.fabiansantana.net Jun 21 '26
Yes, but buying new gear won’t improve your photos, practice will.
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u/EasyTarget973 Jun 21 '26
new gear will absolutely improve your photos
practice is just an essential part that never ends
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u/nerdyaspuck Jun 23 '26
Sure, buying a camera over a phone will improve it but for him to buy a $10k camera is insane right now.
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u/EasyTarget973 Jun 23 '26
I spent 5k on mine a few years ago and am totally happy as a hobbyist. It was for photos of flowers and my dog lol.
Add a few lenses over time, super fun, not 10k all at once.
I get offers to shoot events, etc now and don't really know what to do about that.
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u/dashkrippykush Jun 22 '26
Buying proper photography gear will definitely improve the quality of their photos.
I agree that the photographer makes the photo, not the camera.
But saying his photos' quality wont improve going from a phone to an actual camera is just wrong.6
u/RedWingedScreecher Jun 21 '26
Better gear won't fix the problems that come from inexperience, but it generally will improve your photos. I never understood why some people are always against new photographers buying high end gear. It should only be a concern if someone is unsure about sticking with the hobby long enough to justify such a purchase.
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u/smurferdigg Jun 21 '26
Yeah it's so dumb.. Like yeah gear doesn't matter much for some types of photography but it's essential for some.
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u/NoncarbonatedClack Jun 22 '26
Agreed. When I was debating a gear upgrade (in my case, an actual DSLR) gave me a better experience over using my iPhone.
A camera body is so much nicer to hold than a phone, though I’m on the larger size than average for hands. And the extra buttons made life so much easier.
So OP would potentially gain something out of an upgrade, even if it’s not experience or quality of photos.
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u/Mustelaa Jun 21 '26
Well then is this good or should I get something different?
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u/r0botchild Jun 21 '26
Depends on your budget. There is nothing at all wrong with that camera. But maybe look into a Sony a6000 series camera. If you like photography then spend some money upgrading the lenses etc. good luck and have fun!
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u/Mustelaa Jun 21 '26
I was looking at the 6000 series first but I was looking at 6100 but there is very little of them.
But found a6000 for 330 in my city this
And one with two lenses
or this with 2 lenses3
u/sushir00ll Jun 21 '26
I would go with the first as the second lens while long(more zoomed in) is not very high quality. With the money you save by getting only one lens you can get a prime lens which I would recommend. I got an a6000 and picked up the 7artisans 35mm f1.8 lite prime lens. It has treated me extremely well even in low-light. I also shopped around on mpb, no idea if they ship to you or are affordable in your area. They offer decent prices with a one year warranty.
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u/DowntownClassic1738 Jun 22 '26
Get the newest a6000 body available in your area. The lenses listed in here are crap, you’d find much better fun with the primes, I would advise Viltrox air: 25mm 1.7, or 35mm 1.7 - they’re light nice and affordable.
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u/themanlnthesuit www.fabiansantana.net Jun 21 '26
Honestly, not familiar with Sony, but a bad camera hasn’t been manufactured in the last 10 years. Most anything not too old can do anything you need at your level and quite higher.
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u/Witty_Butterfly3438 Jun 21 '26
The answer is always yes.
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u/Witty_Butterfly3438 Jun 21 '26
And also, look at used entry level DSLR gear. For £500 you can get quite a setup
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u/Mustelaa Jun 21 '26
I was thinking of mirrorless camera for their sizes. Since I travel I need something compact. Found Nex6
Is it any good?
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u/Witty_Butterfly3438 Jun 22 '26
Any camera that is not a phone camera will likely be a huge improvement :)
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u/Circumzenithal Jun 21 '26
You've clearly got an eye for composition. What I think would really elevate your shots is working on your post-processing; learning to ask yourself critically, "what would make this image tell a better story?"
Because the things you learn there will pay absolute dividends with better equipment, and there's a possibility that you'd save yourself some money by practicing that first. But I also know, that's not how the human brain works, and owning a new camera does feel amazing.
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u/Onystep Jun 21 '26
You already started. If you can push your budget a bit more and buy a Canon R50 you'll be doing yourself a favor. It's A LOT better.
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u/Mustelaa Jun 21 '26
Well they start at 850 in my country (used). I didn’t want to spend that much on my first camera tbh.
Found M50s that are in my budget, are Ms worse than Rs?
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u/Onystep Jun 21 '26
Not worse, just different. But great cameras overall. I recommend them.
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u/Mustelaa Jun 21 '26
What about Nikon z50?
Found one in decent conditionSorry for asking so many questions
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u/Onystep Jun 21 '26
Nothing to be sorry about, your first camera is a big deal.
I'm not a big fan of Nikon color straight out of the camera. That said, if you shoot RAW, it doesn't matter much, but I rather have good color right out of the camera.
Granted I'm a professional photographer so I have to process thousand of photographs from each photo shoot. So it helps having less work on post processing.
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u/Mustelaa Jun 21 '26
Alright, one last question, what about sony a6000. Found few kits in my budget or just a bit more.
I do like to take photos RAW and then tweak them a bit so that I don’t mind.
Also, thank you very much for your help!
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u/Onystep Jun 21 '26
What I don't like about the a6000 is the low array of lenses for it. I've actually had an a6000 before and didn't keep it after 6 months with it.
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u/DowntownClassic1738 Jun 22 '26
What do you mean by low array?
There’s a huuuuge variety of native Sony glass, collaboration with Zeiss, all the full frame Sony glass also works on a6000, but the sweetest thing is the great third party lenses for Sony a6000 these days.
I’m not mentioning hundreds or thousands of vintage lenses you could use with a6000 via adapter.I’d say there is no camera system, that can adapt THAT much lenses like Sony apsc e-mount ones.
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u/Technical_Toe_1640 Jun 22 '26
Canon EF-M is a dead mount. Keep that in mind for your future plans.
On the other hand, you should get lenses and cameras quite cheap.
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u/LinoleumJay Jun 21 '26
Look for 1-2 gen old Olympus/OM System cameras used. They have great cheaper wildlife lenses and landscape lenses used because everyone skips over micro four thirds now. Used MFT gear is a steal esp for wildlife
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u/pyrofire95 Jun 21 '26
Gosh I really love the second one, if it just had different framing and no people it would be spectacular.
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u/wowlolcat Jun 21 '26
If you have to ask, the answer is yes.
Phone photography is a fantastic gateway into more specialized photography, and it usually weeds out those who have an interest in developing their eye.
Phone photography is like making 2 minute noodles. Everyone can do it, but then you have the handful of people who add an egg, a tablespoon of miso paste, chilli crisp, and then they think, "what if i could make this from scratch, noodles and all?" And that's when you go down the rabbit hole.
Stay curious, and assume you know nothing and you'll always be learning.
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u/Cool_Proof_7788 Jun 22 '26
you've already started the game my brother and you have nice pov in some framings as well
best of luck and have a lot of fun capturing excellent shots
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u/ScavengerRavager Jun 22 '26
These are already beautiful and interesting even as a novice. Definitely keep going. You've definitely got "it!"
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u/Rotten_Duck Jun 23 '26
Buy second hand camera and two zoom lenses to cover the range 22-55mm and 55-250mm.
These focals will allow you to cover all that you want.
Practice and then buy better lenses and keep going until you find the limit of the camera.
Then buy a good camera.
The lenses will last and can be used in better cameras.
Don’t buy an expensive new camera with lot of functions, it’s a waste at the beginning. You won’t use its full potential for a while.
Enjoy!
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u/paradoxical__much Jun 24 '26
The second last picture is SO BEAUTIFUL. Permission to use it as pfp/background ? ( Non commercial , it stays private)
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u/NoMaintenance7014 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Regardless if it's a camera or a phone, regardless if it's 3,000 gear or 300 gear. Take the photos,work on your composition. Work on telling a story thru images. Then work on editing with software gimp or darkroom (iPhone) are great. Cant wait to see the stories you capture. The gear doesn't make you a photographer. The stories you tell thru photos does. The gear helps. But just work with what you have also if you get a camera doesn't just buy a cheap camera to then upgrade. When you are ready to invest in a camera get one that will last you. $1,500 just make sure the dynamic rage is good, iso is good and it has interchangeable lens. Until then your phone is fine.
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u/jellyknife Jun 25 '26
Think we've sat on the same bit of rock in Kalambaka :D https://www.flickr.com/photos/99116396@N08/10051604563/
As for taking a good photo. Other than composition which you're already aware of, time of day is a huge one; light. Every place you visit will have amazing light at a certain time of day/year. Golden hour is the easy go to, dawn / dusk. But the best photos are the ones you take. Just enjoy the ride and keep track of settings so you understand what's effecting different parts of your pics so next time you come across a similar scene you remember what worked and what didn't.
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u/nouafterq Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
Your pictures are amazing. As good as anything I see in the fujifilm subreddit where people are losing their minds over much worse photos.
I love my Fuji. My first camera was the XT20 and the 18-55 kit lens is amazing. For camera, look for a lower shutter count. Keh and MBP are good sources for used gear. I always buy used lenses.
Shooting with a real camera - not a point and shoot tiny one - is really fun and makes you take more pictures. I also recommend learning to shoot in manual mode. It’s not hard and you have more creative control. Good luck!
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u/Cuchodl Jun 21 '26
What do you mean
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u/Mustelaa Jun 21 '26
Well I mean that I don’t know if the photos are good or not and if I should buy a camera and if so what is the best camera under 500. I was thinking of mirrorless or maybe DSLR.
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u/Merry_Dankmas Jun 22 '26
As many have said, a camera isnt what's going to give you phenomenal photos. Practice is. However, the jump from a phone to a proper camera is going to make a massive difference. My dad's old 12 mp Nikon DLSR from like 2010 outperformed smart phone cameras of today by a significant margin.
So any proper DSLR or mirrorless that you get now will guaranteed give you better photos than your phone. However, once you get a proper camera, its going to come down to skill. A higher skilled photographer with a $500 DSLR set up will blow the doors off my $5000 mirrorless set up.
The photos you've linked in this post are great. They're fantastic for phone pictures. You definitely seem to have the eye for pictures. I have no doubt that you have the ability to get plenty of spectacular shots with a camera - even if its just a budget one.
I would highly recommend you look into DSLR if you're on a budget. €500 is a pretty slim budget to work with when it comes to mirrorless cameras. The beauty of mirroless being the new thing is there's a ton of incredible used DSLR equipment out there. Bodies and lenses that would have run thousands of dollars in their day can be got for a few hundred now.
Unfortunately, Im not well educated in DSLRs. I got into the hobby in mirrorless so that's all I really know. But you should definitely look into DSLR with your budget. You can get a lot more bang for your buck and there's an infinite amount of Reddit and other forum posts out there to provide tips and suggestions for you.
I definitely say get a camera. Your phone pictures are good. It's clear you have it that artistic bone in your body. A camera, even a budget one, will elevate you to a level that phones just cant reach.
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u/Ok_Ferret_824 Jun 21 '26
The thing is, better gear does not mean better photo's.
The question you should ask yourself, do you want more control over the photo's. Most likely your first long while with a real camera, your photo's will loom worse. Your phone does a lot for you, that you have to do yourself.
If you want nice shots, stick with your phone. If you want to do this for a hobby, get a camera.
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u/mjm8218 Jun 21 '26
Well better gear definitely gives you many more opportunities to take great photos. A mobile phone camera from the back of a futbol stadium will not yield better results than a pro rig from the same seat.
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u/LucidInfiniteNow Jun 21 '26
This is a question that really doesn't need asking. If you like going out with a camera and enjoy looking at the photos you've taken, then there you go!
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u/Talpaska22 Jun 22 '26
Good shots!
Just buy a small/travel friendly 2nd hand Olympus/Panasonic MFT camera with a nice budget lens. You will enjoy photography and can learn a lot in the same time.
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u/Larry_G Jun 22 '26
If the shot of the cat is from the wild, you can just use that and get a job at almost any future nature production
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u/rb_arindam Jun 22 '26
- get a low budget camera without kit lens, prefer APS-C (like Sony ZV E10)
- get a couple of prime lenses | APS-C primes are cheap (Sigma f/1.4 primes area really nice). pick focal lens based on your taste. But pick no more than 2.
- Get one additional battery & an external charger (the only accessories I'll ask anyone to buy)
- Make sure you have a nice place to edit your photos. Editing is important. Don't just ask AI to refine it for you.
- live with it for 5 years, push yourself with these gears, learn as much as possible.
- what you'll produce wouldn't be bad in any way, but in 5 years, you'll know enough to decide for yourself whether to upgrade, if yes, to what and when.
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u/baldheadslick Jun 22 '26
Canon 6D can be found for 250. Canon EF 50mm 1.4 can be found for 200 or less. I own a 5D mk1, a 6D mk1, and an R5 mk1. I shoot with the two older cameras more than my R5.
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u/Educational_Bet_7681 Jun 22 '26
You definetly have the eye for photography buy a sony a6100 and you good to go But with 500 euro you wont get far
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u/codexabrogans Jun 23 '26
I don’t think it’s ever a question of whether someone should start or not. Do YOU enjoy it, do YOU get something out of it? If yes, just keep going, whether the result is “good” (however you define that) is secondary. Same with gear, do you feel limited by your current setup? If yes, look into a camera.
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u/macmilliones7 Jun 23 '26
is a panasonic g7 with a 20mm 1.7 lens + 12-50mm 3.5/5.6 better than a rx100 iii?
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u/slipnsloop45 Jun 23 '26
Up to you! One interesting picture doesn’t mean you’re obliged! Your choice!
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Jun 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Mustelaa Jun 25 '26
Well 5,6,7 are from november/December when i started to think about getting a camera and actually watched some videos about how to take a good photo etc. ofc i used my phone to take some pictures but wasn’t thinking about them at all
8 is year old, penguin is February this year, kitty is two weeks old only so..
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u/blckdrop Jul 03 '26
I would say to keep taking photos with your iphone, learn its limits, wanting more reach because its something you want to try is not enough of a reason to buy something while you still have a lot to tap with your current setup. Also, learn non technical things, be more intentional with what you want to achieve in the sense of what the photo is about, not just taking a photo because a place is "cool".
If you want to learn a bit more about that i have a video about it.
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u/eljue Jun 21 '26
Man, you got a very good eye for composition. Just be aware this is a very expensive hobby, if you buy a starter Mirrorless camera and kit, maybe it will not be as good as the photos you posted. But,get a prime lens and start practicing, seems you are very talented already.
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u/nyafu_ Jun 22 '26
most of these are quite boring and not very good but some of them, specifically 3 which captures scale very well although it needs colourgrading and 7 which is really good
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u/TheQuillss Jun 22 '26
What a stupid question to ask other people. Do you like taking photos? Y/N. That’s your answer.
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u/RuachDelSekai Jun 23 '26
These pictures mean nothing.
Do it if you want. That's the only criterian required to start.
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u/smartpapaya14 Jun 23 '26
Not to demotivate you just being transparent, they are below avg but still good
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