DSLR advice
 

Hey guys, I'm looking to pick up a DSLR in the next week or so, and was just hoping for some advice on what I should be looking at. I'm currently looking at a Canon T3, since my brother has an XSi that he has been pleased with, but was curious if you had any other recommendations.

I'm not planning on doing anything too serious in terms of shooting, and I'm not a terribly talented photographer, but I would like something that will turn out some decent quality pictures. I'm looking to spend less than $600 on the camera with a lens.

Thanks for the help.

Just get Nikon 3100

I have a Canon T1i and i love it. It also shoots HD movie with audio, but its not the best for everyday pick up and film type situations, due to the focusing

The T3 is an ok choice, but with your budget you may want to consider an Olympus E620 two lens kit. You give up a little in low light coverage for more flexibility in lens zoom coverage.

The Canon 18-55 is a good lens for a kit lens, but the Olympus kit lenses are considered some of the best. With the two lens kit, you get a pretty good zoom to cover some more distant shots. If you are mainly interested in indoor / landscape / local scenery shooting, the 18-55 is probably fine.

Of course, if you can borrow some stuff from your brother, that makes the Canon more attractive.

Don't forget that you may want to purchase some accessories in addition to the basic kit - at least a couple of memory cards, possibly a spare battery, and a card reader for your computer if you don't already have one.

in response to the post above^^ i've never been a big fan of olympus DSLR's, they aren't bad, i would just go with a nikon or canon personally. the T3 is a really nice rebel camera, and it's great bang for buck. that's what i'd recommend regardless of my personal brand preference

You do want a nice camera but the real results are in the lens.

If you could save up a little more, I'd go with the canon t2i kit. Any beginner kit from either canon or nikon should be good enough.

Expensive bodies/lens are useless if you don't know how to use them to the best of their abilities.

I've had an old sony a350 for a long time and that was the camera I basically learned on before swapping out to a canon 7d.

Also, don't be afraid of buying used equipment - as long as you can test it in person, this is a real good way to get some decent stuff for less.

My vote is for the canon t2i kit:
Amazon.com: Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens: Camera & Photo

or if you really want to stay within your budget, the nikon d3100 kit.
Amazon.com: Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens: Electronics

:iagree:

OP,
The best DSLR won't give you the result you want if you don't know how to use it. My uncle for example, just got the Canon 60D with a nice lens and acc. He comes up to me and says he spent over $1,600 on his set-up and his pictures don't look any better than his point and shoot. He had no clue what any of the controls meant and just bought it because it was expensive. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you don't need a $600 camera to take great pictures...but it does make it easier if you know what your doing. Use a tripod anytime you want sharp pictures and take outdoor pictures only at dawn or dusk. Two simple advice that will make dull, flat and blurry pictures look 10x better.

I was personally thinking about getting a non-DSLR Nikon P7000, P300 or the Canon G12 to add to my library. There are times when a DSLR is just too cumbersome to lug around all the time. The ones I mention give you manual controls, portability and you can still be creative.

If you want to jump into a DSLR, be prepared to have a lighter wallet. You'll be wanting better glass before you know it. The Canon T3 or Nikon D3100 are my top choices if you want to buy a new entry level. A Nikon D90 or Canon T2i if you want to go used. Absoulutely nothing wrong with going the pre-owned route. I would buy it from a reputable camera store like B&H or somewhere local though.

Get a Canon and then immediately get the Canon f/1.4 50mm lens for your camera.

Totally agree with cmike2780. I don't think you're actually looking for a dslr unless you truly need high ISO and high control of your DOF. If you're not interested in those and just want high contrast and high res pictures then a high end digital cam will be easier to use, easier to carry around, less conspicuous and probably give you better pictures because you're not spending so much time fideling with it.

Most people who have dSLRs use it for specific purposes. Having an interchangeable lens system gives a high level of control at the expense of practicality. If you want to take your camera for vacation or just get a couple shots of your car every once in a while, grab a p7000 or other brand equivalent.

It's a daunting choice with new bodies being relased so frequently these days.

If I were in your shoes and starting on a lean budget....I'd look at getting a body second hand (but almost new, someone who didn't have it long, is still in mint condition), skipping the crappy kit lenses that come with them, and then seeing what you have left over for one of these....

- 50mm (75mm on a Nikon DX crop body, 80mm on Canon EF-S)
- 35mm (~52mm on a Nikon, 56mm on Canon)

Not sure what your level of knowledge is, so skip past this bit if you're already up to speed. Nikon and Canon have 'cropped' sensor camera bodies, and full frame. At your budget you're definitely in the former category. This means that whatever lens you see (35mm, 50mm etc) you need to multiply that by the 'crop factor' which varies from brand to brand. Nikon = 1.5x (50mm = 75mm), Canon = 1.6x (50mm = 80mm).

In general terms a 45mm to 50mm lens is roughly what your eyes see. It's a good compromise between wide angle and telephone lenses. At 80mm (a 50mm lens on a budget Canon body) you'll be at a great focal length for doing portraits, but will suffer big time if you need wide angle shots. So what to do? Consider the 35mm which then becomes ~52mm/Nikon and 56mm/Canon.

Why bother with one of these lenses? They're dirt cheap. Both Nikon and Canon produce a 50mm f1.8 lens for around $140-$150. Bad timing though - photography prices have leapt up big time lately. You could pick up that lens for $99 six months ago. If you're patient, the prices will settle down again at some point.

Why get a cheap 50mm lens? It'll free up some budget to get a zoom lens for one thing (another topic entirely). But the big advantage is having that f1.8 (or the f1.4 version if you can stretch it - I have the f1.2L but that's almost $2K) which allows you to 1) shoot in low light, and 2) produce the great out-of-focus (bokeh) effect that you see in 'good photos'. Right off the bat you'll be able to take photos of people or cars and isolate them in the image by blurring the background. For only $99-$150? Bargain.

Feel free to ping me directly. I don't log-in that often but I'll pick up your messages when I do. Cheers.

Thanks for all the thoughts guys. I just placed an order for a Nikon d3100 and the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G, and 55-200mm f/4-5.6G VR lenses. Hopefully it will provide a good start for me getting into photography.

congrats! be sure to post pics frequently and put on your thick skin and listen to advice. we're here to help! :tup:

Haha, I'm ready for the humbling.

fixed :hello:

haha, I did 4 years in engineering undergrad. I think I can handle it.

Since you have a DX nikon, I would also suggest picking up the 1.8 35mm. I've heard good things out of it, but since I'm on FX I haven't ever used it myself.

Thanks, I will look into that once I start to get the hang of shooting :tup:

Rain finally stopped, managed to take a few pics. Flame away. The light wasn't very conducive to taking pics...



http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...1/DSC_0110.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...1/DSC_0095.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...DSC_0084-1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...1/DSC_0120.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...DSC_0095-1.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...1/DSC_0126.jpg

Just wondering, what makes you say that?

Flat light from cloud cover generally doesn't lend itself to the best pictures.

Your white balance looks a little off to me - the red looks quite orange. I think a little Topaz Labs processing could help the pictures though.

The only time the rain stopped was right in the middle of the day, and so I was dealing with the sun pretty much overhead.

Please tell me more. I'm a complete noob when it comes to this:rofl2:

Ahh, I gotcha, yea.. Mid day shooting blows.

but, as far as overcast/cloud coverage, its actually one of the best times to take pictures due to it being a gigantic diffuser, which will help in making the lighting much less harsh.

Yeah, I did notice that it helped-- it was the only reason the midday shots turned out at all, but the sun was still peeking around the clouds, and I got some funny reflections on the paint as a result.

It's not the light, overcast "diffused light" is actually better than harsh direct sunlight. The problem is that objects reflect color, in this case grey. Red is such a vibrant color and the greys (from the clouds) reflecting off the surfaces washes out the color.

If you want a great photo shoot, grab a tripod and shoot 30 min before sunset. Also, use the cloudy setting on your white balance or custom with a grey card. Good start though. Composition is good. Next time shoot from perpectives you normally don't see. Also, don't try to capture everything in one picture. You want to show the car off, not sell it on Ebay :) Take a few steps back and zoom in on details.

My other suggestion is to work on composition.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3...1/DSC_0110.jpg

With this picture there is more negative space between the rear of the car and the edge of the picture rather than the front and the edge, it makes it feel a bit cut off. Think of the front of your car as a face and you want to know where it is looking. It creates a leading line in which your eyes will follow. Currently it follows that line and meets the edge of the picture.

makes sense.

grab a low aperature lens.... the 50/1.8 cannon lens was the best 100 dollars I ever spent ..... im sure nikon has a comparable lens... the crispness of the shots are incredible... also a tripod is a good investment...

and dslrtips.com

guys voice get to you but you will learn a lot

Yeah, a lens like that is my next purchase, once the prices come down a bit.

My tripod just showed up today :tup:

prices on that lens have only been going up, i got mine for $90 new a few years ago when i got into photography. now it's more :\

As I said, you should go with the Nikon 35mm 1.8 when you do decide to buy a new lens. The reason I suggest it over the 50mm 1.8 is that you can get it in AF-S, where as with the 50, you would have to get the 1.4 version which is near $500.

With the D3100 you have no focus motor in the camera, so all lenses if you want them to auto focus have to have an internal focusing motor.

What tripod did you go with, and how much did it run you?
I'm in the market for one too

keep an eye out on craigslist and photography forums for things for sale. i picked up a carbon fiber tripod that was normally $300 for $100 barely used

The t3 is a great dslr!

Go for it you wont be disapointed at all its a Canon bro :tup:

Girlfriend and I just bought a Canon T3i, coming from a rebel XS and XTi -- this thing is pretty awesome! It's got a swivel screen (for HD video, it's great) and triggers my 430EX-II speedlite flash wirelessly (camera acts as master). It also has some 'creative filters' for noobs who don't want to deal with Photoshop - vignettes, tiltshifting, fisheye --- they're are all built into the camera.

It takes XCSD cards which is a nice change from the compact flash cards I was used to -- most computers have a slot for SD unlike CF.

My 50mm f/1.4 is in the repair shop under warranty.. i Can't wait to get that back!! the 1.8 has been holding up for the time being, though.

some of the most recent photos on my flickr (link below) are from the T3i.

I figured he was just referring to an effective 50mm lens. I'm getiing the 35mm :tup:

Also, I just noticed you were in Huntsville. I'm going to be moving down there at the end of June for work. Will be nice to have another Z around :tup:

I just bought a cheap-o generic one for now.

I bought a -Vanguard Alta+ Tripod with SBH-50 Ball Head for $140 at B&H. Great compact tripod pretty light. Not CF, still pretty light and sturdy. I love the ball head. You won't find a better one at this price range.