Once in a while I get a question or two about photography, so I figured I may as well answer them in posts so the masses (all two of you) will get to read my words of recently acquired (and usually quite plagiarized) words of wisdom.

Question (not the exact words):

Dear photographer of extreme talent, much humility, and understated elegance,

I am interested in getting into photography a bit (or upgrading to a DSLR). What does the great moment capturer and pontificator have to recommend?

Yours truly,
Bobby Dooley

Answer:

That is a wonderful question Mr. (Mrs.?) Dooley, although I do take issue with some of your accolades, if you would be able to see my face (no one has since I was 15) you may see a hint of a blush.

Being that I have the (mostly) unhelpful tendency to read way too much (instead of just going out and shooting), I do end up knowing more about photography and cameras than I know how to actually take pictures.

I could go through all the pros and cons of different cameras and camera companies, but that would be boring and the end result will be the same.

So here's your answer Bobby: Buy yourself a used Nikon D90 (for around 500 buckaroos), a used Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 DX ($170), a used Nikkor 18-70mm (around $140) and a used Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens ($80). If you could only get one lens, get the 35mm.

A great place to buy used camera gear is Fredmiranda.com. You have to register (free) but it's worth the time. Do not buy a used camera body on craigslist unless you know what to look for. Lens are cool though.

Why buy used you ask? Cameras (especially lens) hold their value extremely well, and if you don't like what you got or want to upgrade you could always sell for the price you paid.

Why Nikon? Good question. I'll answer that in another post. (Basically better autofocus, better ISO (sometimes), better build, and more lens to choose from (including a whole slew of awesome and cheap manual focus lens))

Why the D90 and not one of the newer Dx000 series? the D90 has a built in focus motor so it works with a much larger variety of lens. The dx000 only work with the newer AF-S, which cost a lot more and many times are not any better.

Whats a post without pics (you ask)? Another good question. So here are some photos from a wonderful session we had in Agoura hills (I think).