Reddit reviews JOBY GorillaPod SLR Zoom. Flexible Tripod for DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras Up To 3kg. (6.6lbs).

I'm insanely jealous of you both. Is it BAS or something?

Mirroring cteslbius - an older entry level dslr would be a better move. Anything over 6mp will be fine. A D50 would do, I also see a lot of old D70s - they are a bit long in the tooth but not bad at all.

SOme I found second hand at LCE (small chain that does 2nd hand)

D40 with a kit lens for 200 - http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-D40-+-18-55mm_59933.html

D50 with a lens for 149 http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-D50+18-55MM_59260.html

D50 with a lens 169 http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-D50-+-18-55mm-ED-_59745.html

Then for nature you need a zoom lens - the good news is the older nikon ones are pretty inexpensive. Nikon 70-300 zoom for 55 http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Used/Nikon-70-300G-was-89.99_57072.html

The zoom isn;t as good as a new one and doesn't have clever tech to make you picture more stable, but in good light it will work ok - my friend uses it without a tripod out to 200mm which is not bad. On a tripod you can use it to 300 and get decent shots. You can always go for something like a gorillapod http://www.amazon.co.uk/Joby-Gorillapod-Canon-Panasonic-Series/dp/B000KFRSG4 as a lightweight and cheap way to get a tripod.

This way you could get a body, standard lens (the 18-55 one) and a cheaper zoom for 200-250.

Hey dude, I live not too far away in Northern Ireland. Same as in Scotland, not so much urbex but plenty of rural sites to explore. I've a couple of tips for you, PM me if you fancy a longer chat.

Generally, because of where you are, you might want to think about shooting abandoned cottages and houses instead of looking for factories or whatever.

A tripod is pretty essential, as the other poster said. It will allow you to eliminate the shake in your images. See if your school has one to lend you or you could buy up a cheap one for not too much. If stuck you can pick up one of these for around £30, not perfect but would work well enough.

Get closer. Get inside the buildings if possible. Look for personal details of the lives that once lived/worked in the place you are photographing.

I guess you are shooting on auto so I don't want to blind you with technical stuff, but if you can work out how to use your camera's exposure compensation you should underexpose your shots by 1/3 or 2/3s of a stop when you are shooting in low light indoors. Your camera wants to expose every shot like it was in normal daylight so the underexposure negates that.

Finally, and this is super important, always go with somebody when exploring these places, especially in rural areas with dodgy mobile coverage. You are one broken leg away from serious trouble. These buildings are dangerous and will kill you if you let your guard down. Always tell somebody where you are going and when you will be back, too.

Rain covers are always welcome, you can never have too many.

If he doesn't have a Gorilla Pod, those rock.

I can't imagine he doesn't have a monopod but if he doesn't that's a great gift.

That looks like a heavy, large tripod. Ever considered getting something smaller like a Joby? You can set them up any where and they are super durable. You can even wrap them around small trees and other objects.

For reference
http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GorillaPod-SLR-Zoom-Flexible-Tripod/dp/B000KFRSG4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1348261578&sr=8-2&keywords=joby+tripod

Gorillapod: http://www.amazon.com/JOBY-Gorillapod-Zoom-Tripod-Cameras/dp/B000KFRSG4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1452377193&sr=8-5&keywords=gorillapod

Every photographer should have a Gorillapod.

For reference, it's these:

Poles: http://www.amazon.com/FastCap-Support-System-144-Inches-3HAND5/dp/B000067S12/

Pole mounts: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E5M39AW/

I do like the 2 points of contact. It's something I've been considering. I plan on, at least initially, taking my setup all over (my own personal 'world tour') to show people, so I've been looking for portable equipment that could also be used in my own 'permanent' setup. (One issue with the poles might be if you're somewhere with drop ceilings.)

My other thought is to get a couple GorillaPods (note re: weights, I know the lighthouses are light, but I figure the beefier the Pod, the less likely it'll move over time or allow vibration):

http://www.amazon.com/JOBY-Gorillapod-Zoom-Tripod-Cameras/dp/B000KFRSG4/ (6lbs)

http://www.amazon.com/Gorillapod-Focus-Camera-Tripod-Black/dp/B001GCU0MY/ (11lbs)

That way if someone has a lamp, shelf, or curtain rod, I'd be set. There might be scenarios where it wouldn't work, though.

well it was from my mum so I can pretty much guarantee it was from amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Joby-GorillaPod-SLR-Zoom-Tripod-Cameras/dp/B000KFRSG4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451176719&sr=8-2&keywords=slr+zoom+joby

here is a link to amazon reviews

For portable stuff I have a set of "Gorrilla pods", that I can use to put them up on say the curtain rail or other odd places without the worry of damaging furniture.

I was about to recommend a gorillapod, but its over your budget by about $10 bucks. If you really like this person then this is something that they might not have but its a cool gift http://www.amazon.com/Joby-Gorillapod-SLR-Zoom-Flexible-Tripod/dp/B000KFRSG4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323887871&sr=8-1

another thing you can get is memory, us photographer are always in the need of more memory and they're now cheaper than ever. do you have an idea of what memory does he/she uses?

I'm no expert when it comes to DSLR's, but as someone who started with a 700D then moved up to a 70D after three years learning the basics, go for the 70D first. The auto-focus is phenomenally better, higher megapixel count and wifi connectivity. In terms of quality they're all pretty much the same and a beginner such as yourself wouldn't really be able to notice many of the main differences, but if you're going to throw some cash at a starting line I'd make sure you're in the perfect place rather than wanting to upgrade later down the road. :)

Another pointer from my experience would be to get a variety of glass, best quality you can afford. It doesn't really matter which camera you go with when you're starting out if you have some decent lenses to mix up your shots. Get yourself a wide angle, a prime and a zoom; 10-18mm, 50mm/35mm & 75-300mm. That's your starter kit, then upgrade to better quality lenses and cameras as you go - worth noting that the ones I linked are all the lowest quality (except the 35mm) considering you're probably on a tight budget, but you'll still get some sweet footage. It simply means you'll be able to get a wider variety of shots and you'll be prepared for most occasions - the beautiful city skyline scene, the crispy portrait with a bokehed out background, and the "Oh! There's a deer 50ft away! Let's capture it on video rather than running up to it and being kicked in the balls!".

One other thing that might be worth mentioning is that I always carry a point-and-shoot with me. My choice is the Sony RX100 IV - shoots in 4k, incredible slow motion (up to 1000fps), slog2 recording (higher dynamic range to make your scenes look incredible after colour grading), no hassle with interchangeable lenses and in my opinion is generally more convenient than lugging a DSLR around with you when you're on holiday somewhere.

Throw me a message if you have any questions, or just leave a reply and I'll check it when I can. Here're a few video samples for you to compare your possibilities: Canon 70D Auto-Focus, Sony RX100 IV Sample.


EDIT: Fixed up some grammar & wanted to throw you a few accessories incase you hadn't thought that far ahead:
• Gorillapod: Your trusty ol' wrap-around-a-tree tripod. Way more versatile than your traditional kit and easier to travel with.
• Røde Shotgun Microphone: The best quality microphone you're going to be able to find for the price. Canon's default mic sucks balls, so grab one of those if you run with the DSLR.
• Class 10, 64GB SD Card: If you decide to grab the Sony RX100 IV, you'll want one of these to shoot in 4K otherwise your camera will just give up after a few seconds. If you run with the Canon, grab this anyway for faster transfer speeds, but it's really not necessary.

You can get a mini tripod like https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000KFRSG4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527021774&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=joby+gorillapod&psc=1

I currently have 2 camera tripods on my wishlist, 1st tripod and 2nd tripod, they will help advance my photography and I will share my photos with my family, friends, reddit, the internet and the world!

If size is an issue, a dslr gorillapod appears to fit the bill.

http://www.amazon.com/Joby-Gorillapod-SLR-Zoom-Flexible-Tripod/dp/B000KFRSG4

I'm going to have to vouch for the original Gorillapod here. It held up just fine in my europe trip, I ended up getting shots that I couldn't have had with a normal tripod. (setup and result) It was able to hold up a 20D and tamron 17-50mm with no problem.

You can simply screw the ballhead onto the legs of a Gorillapod with 1/4" to 3/8" screw adapters.

The Joby Gorillapod is a fun option also. It offers an array of topside shootin' options.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KFRSG4

Gorillapods seem to work well for temporarily attaching the sensors in various places.

JOBY Gorillapod SLR Zoom Tripod for DSLR Cameras - Perfect for Telephoto Lenses Lightweight, Portable and Flexible https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KFRSG4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_OVXlxbQ2E30R5

As promised:
The gears in my watch

Transistors on the PCB in my HDD housing

Here's the watch and housing regular shots for comparison.

I just used a $2.19 reversing mount (sort of like this, can't find the exact one i bought) on my [35mm prime] (http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-35mm-1-8G-Digital-Cameras/dp/B001S2PPT0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370182258&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+35mm) while it was on Gorillapod DSLR Zoom

The gorilla pod by Joby, I would link the one I used but it's from when they first ever released them so here's an amazon link to the most recent version - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Joby-GorillaPod-SLR-Zoom-Tripod-Cameras/dp/B000KFRSG4

I also used their GripTight XL tripod mount to hook the Nexus to it but wouldn't recommend this as you can't connect it to the center of the phone due to the volume and power buttons being where they are!

Joby Gorillapod at Rs. 2299 (Rs. 500 off) - https://www.amazon.in/Joby-Gorillapod-ZOOM-Flexible-Tripod/dp/B000KFRSG4