Sorry, this is a long winded post, but I want to provide some background info so yall can help with camera choice feedback.

I know little to nothing about "nice" cameras. My boss took us to lunch yesterday and surprised our team with a decent bonus so decided I was going to get my wife a nice camera. She's hinted at wanting to get into photography and I want to help her get into a hobby outside of the house. She's a SAHM. Two kids, 7 and 5. We all love going to the Detroit Zoo whenever we can, so I was thinking smallish camera we can throw in a backpack. Maybe capable of doing 80% of what a legit "pro" quality camera can do I guess? I'm also gonna buy tickets to the Columbus Zoo's "The Wilds" tour and we'll go this summer. That's something we've wanted to do since it was shown on TV. So they'll all be super pumped about that. I'm so excited to surprise my wife and the kids with an actual nice Christmas. We're not exactly rich so I want to make a good choice here overall for her first starter camera.

On to my point for this post... Just so I have something ready to go on Christmas morning, I went ahead and bought a Canon EOS M6 Mark II at a local shop. It's mirrorless, and comes with a 15-45mm lense plus a viewfinder "accessory" which I guess is not absolutely necessary if someone will use the back screen for most shots. One of the Youtube videos I watched mentioned it can be good creative focus. No idea what that means exactly, but sounds nice.

My budget ~1,500 including tax. Ended up paying $1400 after tax with also purchasing a small protective "case" that can easily fit in a backpack, UV lense, and 4 year warranty - if it drops and shatters into a million pieces, they'll replace it free of charge. Thought it might be necessary with small kids running around and potentially getting their sticky little hands on it.

Before she opens it and we're locked into the purchase (high restocking fee if we do and she doesn't like it) I want to ask if people who are into photography think it's a decent starter camera for what I've described. She might also use it (guessing) for small business when she gets more comfortable with her ability; prom shots, headshots, baby pictures, etc.

Thanks and again, sorry for the LONG post. Appreciate any and all feedback before the 24th!

May want to bump this thread as well:

https://texags.com/forums/30/topics/2821283

Got some pros on this site.

Thanks! Posted to that thread. Appreciate it.

Amazing response. Thank you.

Should I consider the R body if Canon's proprietary lense mount options are limited with the EOS line?

I don't want her to have to buy a new camera body style when she needs to (at least for a few years). Then again, maybe full-size cameras are more suitable for professional photography so it will be necessary either way if she goes that route? Or are full-size cameras only necessary if you're doing huge prints?

Epic reply... and now i kind of feel bad because you just gave such an in depth and thoughtful response trying to help me out.

Got a little bit of anxiety about being able to pick up something nicer if i changed my mind so I upped my budget for the camera and will just book the trip later.

Went with a Fujifilm X-T5 and XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR lens. I wanted this to be a slam dunk with setting her up for years of use no matter what she decides. This thing should cover all bases.

Thank you so much for your responses and help.

If you want to watch your budget be careful with canon because they are anti third party lenses. Panasonic, Sony or Olympus would be better options. And if you want to have wide variety starting off but on a budget just get one sigma or tamron super zoom (18-270). You want that long range for the zoo.

EW2 said:

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Epic reply... and now i kind of feel bad because you just gave such an in depth and thoughtful response trying to help me out.

Got a little bit of anxiety about being able to pick up something nicer if i changed my mind so I upped my budget for the camera and will just book the trip later.

Went with a Fujifilm X-T5 and XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR lens. I wanted this to be a slam dunk with setting her up for years of use no matter what she decides. This thing should cover all bases.

Thank you so much for your responses and help.

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Good choice with the Fuji...I guess I'm the resident Fuji fanboy lol. I've got an X-T3 and and X-H2 (recent addition) and many lenses although not that zoom. With the APS-C crop factor that 16-80 has some legs on it. If you want longer consider the 50-140 for next years stocking stuffer.

Fuji just has some amazing lenses - especially the primes. And the build quality is top notch. Probably my favorite is the 56mm which I just replaced with the newer version of it.

I'd hold off on anything more until you find out if she really loves it. Then she will spend all the money on gear!

As to your question about the Canon R line then you are talking $$$$$. Again, i would not venture down this path until you are sure it is a fit. Many buy cameras and then within a few months don't use them.

Just got a XT-5 and 35 mm F1.4 a couple of weeks ago. Looking at the 55-200 mm F3.5-3.8 for son's basketball this spring and football games next fall.

Now that you got your camera, I would add a couple things that helped me out.

Really learn how to use your camera. Get in there and tweak settings, try things out and put the camera through its paces. Pal2tech is a YouTuber who does a lot of Fuji tutorials. Its a good place to get a good starting point for your settings and also learn more advanced settings, menu's, etc.

Get organized. Create a filing system and also back up your stuff. It is easy to create a mess when you take a bunch of photos and do not organize them. Popular editing software like Lightroom and Capture One can help with this.

*** Side note - do not store your only copy of photos on a portable hard drive. That is asking for trouble.

I wanted to get into photography and wasn't sure if I would end up with a backpack full of expensive camera gear sit in the closet and collect dust. I found out GI Bill will pay for a degree lower than one you already have. I signed up for classes and used the housing allowance to buy all my camera gear.

I now have a Fuji X-T4 (looking at the X-T5 for a second camera). I just love old school dials for setting exposure. Taking classes was the best thing. Taking Lightroom and Photoshop classes has really allowed me to do some cool stuff. I have really learned a lot about photography and have had to do shoots way outside my comfort zone. I am a more patient photographer now and dial in exposure. I also do not feel like I have to take 80 million photographs and search for the few good ones.

Getting a new camera is exciting and fun. I hope you get to have many opportunities to get great shots.

javajaws said:

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Probably my favorite is the 56mm which I just replaced with the newer version of it.

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That Fuji 56mm lens is portrait magic. I love shooting RAW + jpeg with that lens while using film simulations; especially the film simulation bracket.

Those jpegs with a film simulation and the 56mm 1.2 are awesome right out of the gate. I will transfer unedited jpeg with a film simulation right off the camera and they are usually amazing. Its great for an event where you may want to fire some shots out online right away

Return the Fuji and buy a Nikon Z5 kit or a Sony mirror less. There's a reason Nikon, Canon and Sony have held 75% of the market share for so long.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1633028-REG/nikon_z_5_mirrorless_digital.html/overview

With the Nikon FTZ adapter you can use any legacy Nikon lens.

Koko Chingo said:

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Now that you got your camera, I would add a couple things that helped me out....

I found out GI Bill will pay for a degree lower than one you already have. I signed up for classes and used the housing allowance to buy all my camera gear.

I now have a Fuji X-T4 (looking at the X-T5 for a second camera). I just love old school dials for setting exposure. Taking classes was the best thing. Taking Lightroom and Photoshop classes has really allowed me to do some cool stuff. I have really learned a lot about photography and have had to do shoots way outside my comfort zone. I am a more patient photographer now and dial in exposure. I also do not feel like I have to take 80 million photographs and search for the few good ones.

Getting a new camera is exciting and fun. I hope you get to have many opportunities to get great shots.

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I only have 4 months or so of my chapter 33 benefits remaining and my wife isn't a veteran - she would be the one taking classes. On that topic, I want to take some cabinetry classes so I can redo our kitchen but i wouldn't be going for a certificate or additional degree so I'm not sure if it would cover that sort of thing. Probably have 10k worth of wood working equipment in my shop. Even though I am very comfortable with my equipment and skills, I have never done a legit cabinet build -- only shop cabinets...

Pal2Learn's channel did help me with the xt5 settings, etc. It was probably my main resource for learning the absolute basics so I could set up the memory cards and camera firmware after deciding on the xt5. I wanted the Mrs to be able to use it right after opening on Christmas morning.

The bundle box (camera and lens) came with free editing software, but I'm not sure if it is Lightroom or another program.. Or if it's just a trial or something. We haven't gotten that far. Kids.

MonkeyKnifeFighter said:

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Ok, EW2, we need a follow-up on how it all went on Christmas morning!

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Went very well. We were dirt poor when we met right before I separated from the Navy and then I worked a full time job and went to school full time when i found out she was pregnant with our first. Never really been able to give her anything nice on christmas so it was really amazing to see her light up and look over at me... while the kids were screaming about their stuff. Very good christmas! She is extremely happy with the camera.

I think I know her pretty well. She immediately talked about getting into the stuff I was considering when choosing a camera... zoo, getting out of the house more so she can have "me" time, and then also talking about maybe doing her own photo shoots in the future.

Thank you to everyone who helped with the selection. Advice and feedback proved to be tremendous. I think she'll be set for many years.

EW2 said:

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I only have 4 months or so of my chapter 33 benefits remaining and my wife isn't a veteran - she would be the one taking classes. On that topic, I want to take some cabinetry classes so I can redo our kitchen but i wouldn't be going for a certificate or additional degree so I'm not sure if it would cover that sort of thing. Probably have 10k worth of wood working equipment in my shop. Even though I am very comfortable with my equipment and skills, I have never done a legit cabinet build -- only shop cabinets...

Pal2Learn's channel did help me with the xt5 settings, etc. It was probably my main resource for learning the absolute basics so I could set up the memory cards and camera firmware after deciding on the xt5. I wanted the Mrs to be able to use it right after opening on Christmas morning.

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It sounds like you had an awesome Christmas. I love it. My first year after leaving the military was tough and I remember Christmas being really lean in the gift department. My wife and I did not exchange gifts and I was happy my kids were little and things like bats, balls, and foam swords were at the top of the list.

Good move on looking at pat2techs channel and getting things setup first.

4 months should give you a complete semester (or darn close like 90%+). See if a local community college has something to do with wood working. It might be part of a machining program. Nothing wrong with taking a little metal courses too. A lot of how you approach the work and plan a build is similar.

The loophole is that the GI Bill will pay for a degree; however, there is no penalty (from anyone) for simply not enrolling in additional coursework. So if your local community college has a 1 year certificate in machining and you just want to take a welding class; its paid for. If you want to take the same course but its not applied toward a certificate/degree plan then you will have to pay out of pocket - - even if its the exact same course. Also you can change your major & degree plan every semester; the VA doesn't care. It will pay as long as the forms are filled out correctly.