Finally a DSLR owner

[subzali]

My wife's birthday is Wednesday. I've had a passive interest in photography since high school but never enough to save for a camera. My wife too is similar. So I've been noodling a canon rebel t3i or better for a while now.

So today I'm in Best Buy and decide to look at cameras. Mistake. They had a deal on a T5 that included a 18-55 lens and a 55-250 lens, tripod and bag for $600. Ended today. Pretty much an impulse buy so I'm not even sure what I bought. Going to learn about stuff quickly. Figured t3is still go for $350-$400 on c-list, the zoom lens was a $250 lens new and this way I get a newer (hopefully better) camera plus a couple gizmos for basically what that would cost to piece together. Plus one year warranty.

Y'all please tell me if I made a mistake. It was more than I really wanted to spend, but oh well.

Next will be to look for a nice portrait lens for my wife to take pics of our daughter. Recommendations?

 

[Hulk]

Congrats! I don't know anything about Canons, but Perry can chime in with his knowledge.

 

[subzali]

Dang. Did some research last night and this morning, and not sure I would have chosen a T5 had I done the research.

Snapsort rated the T3i above the T5:
http://snapsort.com/compare/Canon-EOS-Rebel-T5-vs-Canon-T3i

They also said the Nikon D3200 and D3300, which I think are direct competitors, have better image quality, if that is something that can be objectively defined.

No glowing reviews here:
http://www.cnet.com/products/canon-eos-rebel-t5/

Ho-hum here as well:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/digital-camera-reviews/canon-eos-rebel-t5-review/

Maybe I should take it back

 

[subzali]

Ah, so now I'm seeing a Nikon D3200 on sale for about $440 with an 18-55mm lens, tripod and bag...

 

[treerootCO]

I bought the Nikon D7100 (only difference between the D7100 and D7000 is stereo sound). My old camera was the Fuji S3 Pro and I really liked it. The only reason I switched to Nikon was that it seemed to be the standard. Canon is as well but their other imaging products have been hell (scanner and printer that won't work with newer Windows OS) so I passed on the Canons.

If you buy a Nikon, the focus is a pain in the a$$ You will find that the camera thinks it is smarter than you so if it wants to focus on the wall, when you want a shot of the person standing in front of the wall, you lose.

You can override it but only in the manual modes. Full auto nets you a picture of the wall.

**edit** bad example... it knows faces? I think... people are always in focus. Other objects are hit or miss on what it wants to focus on.

 

[Inukshuk]

Tough call. It should be a solid performer - I shoot Canon and my setup is a dinosaur by many people's standards (same lenses as you got) - but if you are unsure and can return, then do it and buy one you can feel great about. Its a large purchase you have thought about for a long time and you deserve to feel great about it.

 

[Romer]

There is a newer version Nikon 3300 that has a few more capabilities. Has me thinking now about getting a better Camera than my small compact one

 

[subzali]

Tough call. It should be a solid performer - I shoot Canon and my setup is a dinosaur by many people's standards (same lenses as you got) - but if you are unsure and can return, then do it and buy one you can feel great about. Its a large purchase you have thought about for a long time and you deserve to feel great about it.

That's good advice. I did touch a feel a little bit and it seemed like the Canon was a little more favorable from an operability point of view. But that was a long time ago. I'll try again tonight to make sure. The specs don't lie though, and the reviews are all more favorable to the Nikons in this price range. I will be satisfied with the D3200 for the money I'm willing to spend at this time to get into the hobby. Once I'm in I'll see where I want to go with it. Maybe some day I will want a $1000+ camera body, but until my wife and I get to using it and know for sure I/we like messing around with ISO settings and f-stops, I hate to spend that kind of money.

I spent a lot of money for my Yaesu FT-7800, but all I really know how to do on it is use 146.460 simplex. Shame.

 

[Romer]

I have been looking at the Sony DSC-RX100 M1 , M2 and M3 since I read this post today. Looks like DSLR quality in a compact form, but can't swap lenses. Only posting here in case you want to look at those. Your wife might want something that fits in her purse

The M1 is in the same price range and doesn't seem from examples that the picture and video improvements to the M3 are that significant

 

[subzali]

I have been looking at the Sony DSC-RX100 M1 , M2 and M3 since I read this post today. Looks like DSLR quality in a compact form, but can't swap lenses. Only posting here in case you want to look at those. Your wife might want something that fits in her purse

The M1 is in the same price range and doesn't seem from examples that the picture and video improvements to the M3 are that significant

We have a Sony Cybershot that has been working for her for a while, but I think we're both ready to step up to DSLR. She might do ok with one of those Sonys, but I see myself geeking out on lenses and stuff. Her parents have one of those and yes it is nice but this has been on my dream list for quite some time.

 

[mcgaskins]

I love my T3i, but I will be honest with you - I've never used the big zoom lens that came with the kit. I've heard time and again that the kits (which is what I bought last year at Costco) come with fairly "cheap" lenses which is how they can bundle so much stuff in for a low price. If you look at high quality lenses, you'll see that a nice fixed lens can run well into the 4 figures. Shoot even renting a nice lens will cost you anywhere from $50 to a couple hundred dollars per day!

 

[Fishy]

I have a Nikon D3300. Very happy with it, but I'm about to step up to the D7100 or possibly the Full Frame D810.

With that being said, I've quickly learned that the lens and the shooter are the most important factors for most quality shots. I shoot A LOT and that's the best way for me to learn.

I'll post up the D3300 for sale here soon.

 

[Rzeppa]

With that being said, I've quickly learned that the lens and the shooter are the most important factors for most quality shots.

X2 on that. A talented guitarist will make a cheap guitar sound great. In photography, lighting and composition are really key, equipment secondary.

All my pro friends fall into either Canon or Nikon camps. I'm really happy with my Nikon D5200. As Mike alluded to, you just need to know how the autofocus works to make it do what you want it to do (as in either go to manual or switch to manual control of the auto focus, if that makes any sense?).

But the glass, CCD and optics are really good, and that's pretty key. Changing lenses is a 15 second affair. And if it makes a difference, the battery lasts a crazy long time, like days between charges even when you forget to turn it off at night.

 

[subzali]

D3200 in hand tonight. Decided to not get the 55-200 lens that came as a kit item, will wait and learn more first. I think this will be a good first camera for us

 

[Rzeppa]

D3200 in hand tonight. Decided to not get the 55-200 lens that came as a kit item, will wait and learn more first. I think this will be a good first camera for us

Congratulations! I use the 18-55 about 80% of the time and the 55-200 about 20%. And some of that is because that's what's on the camera when that shot came up and didn't have time to change back to the shorter lens.

But there have been numerous times that I use all of the 200 and wish for a little more. With those lenses, the VR function is definitely your friend when you're not using a tripod or monopod.

 

[Fishy]

Agreed... Nikon's 18-55 kit lens is fantastic. I use it a lot. Lately I've been using a 17-55mm 2.8 about 75% of the time though. It's not a cheap lens, but worth the $$ I think.

A 35mm or 50mm 1.8 are relatively inexpensive and almost "must have" lenses for portrait/family type stuff. And don't forget to buy a good lens filter. A good CP filter will help with sunlight and protect your lens from damage.

 

[subzali]

Agreed... Nikon's 18-55 kit lens is fantastic. I use it a lot. Lately I've been using a 17-55mm 2.8 about 75% of the time though. It's not a cheap lens, but worth the $$ I think.

A 35mm or 50mm 1.8 are relatively inexpensive and almost "must have" lenses for portrait/family type stuff. And don't forget to buy a good lens filter. A good CP filter will help with sunlight and protect your lens from damage.

Can you explain this to me? I know Cardinal raves about these lenses as well. But some of what I've been reading indicates that a lot of portrait photographers like to have more focal length to work with.

 

[treerootCO]

Two items I really like:
Nikkor VR 18-300
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-300mm.htm

Hoya 77mm HD2 Circular Polarizer
Nets you an additional f stop for lower light. You need an adapter to run the 77 on the 18-300. I use the 77 to reduce vignetting.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...77mm_HD2_Circular_Polarizer.html/prm/alsVwDtl

 

[subzali]

Two items I really like:
Nikkor VR 18-300
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-300mm.htm

Hoya 77mm HD2 Circular Polarizer
Nets you an additional f stop for lower light. You need an adapter to run the 77 on the 18-300. I use the 77 to reduce vignetting.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...77mm_HD2_Circular_Polarizer.html/prm/alsVwDtl

I like that 18-200 VR that you've talked so highly about:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-200mm-ii.htm

One of the reasons I didn't go with the kit 55-200.

 

[Fishy]

Can you explain this to me? I know Cardinal raves about these lenses as well. But some of what I've been reading indicates that a lot of portrait photographers like to have more focal length to work with.

It's hard to beat a prime lens for portraits. Any of the 1.4's are top shelf, but unless you're doing portraits for pay, the 1.8's are more than enough. You'll learn how to compose the shot because you need to move around a lot to get the right depth and frame.

The 1.8 35mm or 50mm can be had for $200. The 1.4 is waaaay higher in price. The 1.4 85mm is over $1500

You can rent lenses for relatively cheap to see what you like the best.

As far as filters, I use B&W. Also, not cheap. But getting a step up ring that gets all your lenses up to 77mm helps. I get everything in 77mm and use step up rings so I don't need to buy 4 or 5 filters for each lens. Most high quality lenses are 77mm size, so I buy filters for my most expensive ones and use step ups for the others.