$1000 dollar budget and need some input!

[Madmartigans]

Hello all, I'm new to the the forums and I'm looking to get into Photo Photography! I have a $1000 budget and would like to get preferably a Canon! Now I've done some research on cameras, but I'm at a point where I could use some input from others to help me decide on a camera. The guys at the local shop are not much help......

(Q. "whats the IQ of this camera, compared to this camera") (A. " Sir. Cameras do not have IQs, only the users do")

:raisedbrow: So any input you all could give me to help decide on one would be great! :hail:

Some of the things I would most likely be taking photos of would be

Sports, Landscape, Wildlife, and Night Photography photos (Moon,Stars,sky, all that good stuff)


was looking at

EOS Rebel T5i EF-S 18-135mm IS STM Lens Kit $1099.00

EOS Rebel T5i 18-55mm IS STM Lens Kit $899.99

EOS Rebel T4i EF-S 18-55mm IS II Lens Kit $749.99

EOS Rebel SL1 EF-S 18-55mm IS STM Kit $799.99


again any help would be great! Thanks guys!

 

[TCampbell]

Image quality is a combination of a lot of factors... most of which have to do with the lens and a few have to do with the camera. You can get lost in the weeds on this topic... it's not just about how "sharp" something is. Lenses are measured for contrast and ability to resolve fine detail. Lenses can have several types of distortions. Colors naturally want to separate (disperse) when passing through transparent surfaces at an angle and this tends to split light into it's constituent wavelengths -- technically it's becoming a rainbow but as it's just "starting" to split, it shows up on the image as color fringing around the edges of an object that should be solid. Aperture shape and size, size of the sensor, size of an individual photo-site on the surface of the sensor... it all adds up.

The T4i, T5i, and the new SL1 all have the same Canon 18 megapixel APS-C size sensor. They also all use the same Canon EOS lenses. So the differences are really all about the the body size and features.

The main difference with the new SL1 is that it's the most compact APS-C DSLR Canon makes (and also the most compact on the market). For some people that's perfect... there are those (myself included) with large hands who prefer a larger camera body.

As for T4i vs. T5i, there is almost no difference between these two cameras. The tweaks are hard to find. The bodies look identical (actually they are identical) except the mode dial is very slightly different, there are some in-camera special effects.

All of the real differences in the images you can capture will depend on your skill, lighting, and the lenses you choose to use.

 

[jaomul]

There are a few 18mp canon cameras on the market at the moment. They mostly all have very similar image quality. The cameras you mentioned are good but I would recommend if you can look at the 60d as well it is a nice camera. It is slightly bigger and more robust than the models you mentioned and slightly more expensive but there are good deals to be had on this camera if you look around

 

[Tiller]

Used 60d - $500

Used Canon 15-85mm - $540ish

This is your best bet IMO.

 

[Derrel]

Nikon D3100, with 18-55 zoom plus 55-200mm VR telephoto zoom lens. And a Nikon USA warranty on all three items. Price??? JUST UNDER $500 for the camera and two zoom lenses, plus some nice accessories.

PLUS, get three free Tiffen 52mm filters: Ultra Violet lens for UV filtration and lens protcetion.

Circular Polarizer for increased contrast and color saturation. Polarizer also eliminates glare from highly reflective surfaces such as water and glass.

Tiffen's exclusive 812 Warming filter for improve skintone, and to restore color warmth on overcast days.

PLUS, get a free spare camera battery.

Plus, get some extra software.

And....you get a Nikon.

And the best part??? You will have saved three to five hundred dollars; enough to buy a VERY nice flash, like a Nikon SB 700 speedlight.


Nikon D3100 14.2 MP Digital SLR Camera w/18mm-55mm & 55-200 NIKKOR DX Lenses 13284

 

[Juga]

Image quality is a combination of a lot of factors... most of which have to do with the lens and a few have to do with the camera. You can get lost in the weeds on this topic... it's not just about how "sharp" something is. Lenses are measured for contrast and ability to resolve fine detail. Lenses can have several types of distortions. Colors naturally want to separate (disperse) when passing through transparent surfaces at an angle and this tends to split light into it's constituent wavelengths -- technically it's becoming a rainbow but as it's just "starting" to split, it shows up on the image as color fringing around the edges of an object that should be solid. Aperture shape and size, size of the sensor, size of an individual photo-site on the surface of the sensor... it all adds up.

The T4i, T5i, and the new SL1 all have the same Canon 18 megapixel APS-C size sensor. They also all use the same Canon EOS lenses. So the differences are really all about the the body size and features.

The main difference with the new SL1 is that it's the most compact APS-C DSLR Canon makes (and also the most compact on the market). For some people that's perfect... there are those (myself included) with large hands who prefer a larger camera body.

As for T4i vs. T5i, there is almost no difference between these two cameras. The tweaks are hard to find. The bodies look identical (actually they are identical) except the mode dial is very slightly different, there are some in-camera special effects.

All of the real differences in the images you can capture will depend on your skill, lighting, and the lenses you choose to use.

Actually the T5i has worse low light performance although only slightly.

OP, if you insist on going Canon I would get the 60D then buy a lens separate from the body. On Amazon the 60D body is only $700 and you can get a decent lens used and be under your $1000 budget.

 

[hirejn]

Get the cheapest entry-level DSLR and put the rest of the money into lenses or education. There's no correlation between how much you spend on gear and how good your pictures are. Photography is about you controlling the equipment, not the other way around. If you just want the fun of a big expensive camera, you can do that, but then your hobby isn't really photography; it's owning big expensive gear you can't control. Will spending a little bit more up front on a better camera make a difference? Only to your bank account.

 

[brunerww]

Hi madmartigans - if you are already committed to Canon and the kit lens, I agree with the consensus that you should get the more robust 60D ($809 with the 18-55 kit lens).

A few caveats, however, not mentioned by earlier posters:

- If you ever plan the shoot video, the $733 T4i and T5i have video autofocus, something the 60D lacks.

- The 60D has a 12 minute continuous video recording limit

- The T4i has a 22 minute continuous video recording limit

- The T5i has a 29 minute 59 second continuous video recording limit

- The T5i has a "sensor crop" mode (a loss-free 3X "zoom") - something the 60D and T4i lack.

None of these features have much to do with still image quality. These cameras all have the same sensor with pretty much the same IQ.

Unlike Nikon, Canon crop mode cameras have made no sensor advances in the 3+ years since I bought, then sold, my T2i (if you really want to save money, you can get a new T2i with the 18-55 kit lens for $679 ). You won't have the fancy new articulated LCD, but the IQ will be the same.

Good luck with your decision!

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

 

[sjqchill]

I think your question on what you should buy should really center more around lenses than bodies.

As far as bodies, the t3i, t4i, t5i, 60d, 7d, and SL1 all have essentially the same sensor and very similar IQ. There are minor variations in super high ISO performance, but they're all on par with each other. They also all do 1080p video and the rebels and 60d have articulating screens (can be very useful). Pricewise, here's where you're at for a new body from a reputable seller on ebay:

t3i: $470 ($352 refurbished directly from Canon)
t4i: $570
t5i: $720
60d: $600

The kits you mentioned you were interested in had the STM lenses which sound great, but it depends on how you'll use your camera for video. If you're planning to use it like a camcorder and walk around with it, the silent continuous focus would be important. If you're going to use the video like a photographer/filmmaker and plan out your shots ahead of time, you don't need to be focusing while filming and you don't need STM lenses. The 60d is by far the best build quality and feel of those 4 bodies, and gives you little extras like manual incremental white balance adjustments in live view that the rebels don't offer.

If you're at all interested in video, I think the t3i is the way to go because it has a video crop mode which gives you 3x extra on your lens just by cropping down the 18mp sensor to the 2mp of 1080p video. This is an incredible feature that doesn't exist on the t4i, t5i, or 60d. There's also a zoom that keeps cropping and begins interpolating up to 10x. I think at just under 5x you're still just cropping and keep clean video but after that it gets into ugly "digital zoom."

You said you are interested in Sports, Wildlife, and Night Photography. You will want as long and fast a lens as you can get for those applications. For landscapes, you want to be wide. You'll have to decide if an 18-55 in a kit is wide enough for your purposes. I'd also recommend the nifty fifty 50mm f/1.8. It's fast, light, and sharp. What I would recommend really sinking your money into is a long L series lens, because that seems to best fit your needs. If you pick up a cheaper body, you'd be in the range of a (maybe used) 70-200 f/4L. I used to have that lens and really liked it (I did go for the 2.8 when I could afford it though). With the video crop mode on a t3i, you're looking at 200mm x 1.6 sensor crop factor x 3 t3i movie crop = a 960mm f/4 lens for video. That's not bad for $1,000.

If it were my $1,000 and I was just getting into photography I'd get:

t3i = $352
18-55 or 50 1.8 = $100
70-200 f/4L = $629

But that's just my 100,000 cents.