Entry-Lvl Gear suggestions for Concert & Product/Model Photog - Detailed Questions!

[DukeBoom]

OK, I've done this using my prosumer P&S, but the results haven't been as great as I would like, especially in low-light concert photography. So I'm taking the jump to DSLR.

What I do:

1) Concert Photography
2) Product Photos & Basic Model photos (t-shirts) for my small business

I have a budget of about $1000 for the body + glass, and $500-700 for lighting equipment. I really prefer to buy factory-refurb gear and/or excellent-condition used gear. I've noticed that on Canon & Nikon sites, the factory refurbs are only about $50 cheaper than something new from B&H or so, which is kind of disappointing since I was hoping they would be a better deal. I've always bought used music equipment/cars/etc, and would rather save money buying a few-years old body and invest that extra in some high-quality glass.

I'm a big believer in processing in Photoshop, and am pretty handy with photoshop to tweak things, as I know this sort of processing is very important.

What I'm looking at:

Canon T2 OR the T2i - I can pick up a great condition T2 body for $100. What's the difference between a T2 and T2i?

Nikon D3100 vs Canon T2 - specs are VERY similar, except the Nikon seems to NOT have a feature called "auto back focus" Is this particularly important?

I can also get a Canon EOS 20D body (8MP) ~ $300 - It's quite easy to find comparisons of new vs new gear on the net, but impossible to find how the older stuff stacks up against the newer stuff. Sure there's the argument that the newer stuff is better, but the fact remains that many pros still use the older stuff without upgrading.

Alternatively the Canon EOS 20D and the Nikon D80 (both used) bodies are about the same price. Preferences?

Now for a lens kit, I'm thinking a 50/1.4 is good for getting up & running with concert photography, and for the product shots/t-shirt models, something like a 24-88/2.4 would be OK?

Haven't even begun to research the light setup, so any starting input is appreciated.

Thanks,
Duke

 

[Derrel]

I know the T2i has that cool "i" in the name of it. Between an EOS 20D and a Nikon D80....hmmm....maybe the D80....I still own a 20D and shoot it for knockaround snaps that are very low-priority, or where the camera might get trashed. I think I would rather have a NEW-generation Canon or Nikon body than either a 20D or a Nikon D80.

 

[e.rose]

The difference between the T2 and the T2i is that the T2 is apparently a film SLR. I didn't even know there WAS a T2 until I just Googled it to see what the he'll it was, haha

 

[osirus]

lil bit more pricey than your body budget, but id recommend a nikon d7000 ( 1400ish) as the iso perfomance on that is great for low light concert photograhy.
get a used 50mm f1.8 for about $75-$100 ( or new for 150)
then get yourself 2 used nikon sb600 flashes. i picked 2 used ones up off of kijiji for $245
and spend another $100 or so to get some lightstands/ diffusers ect on ebay.

so all that will still only come to $1845, only $145 over budget

 

[o hey tyler]

OK, I've done this using my prosumer P&S, but the results haven't been as great as I would like, especially in low-light concert photography. So I'm taking the jump to DSLR.

What I do:

1) Concert Photography
2) Product Photos & Basic Model photos (t-shirts) for my small business

I have a budget of about $1000 for the body + glass, and $500-700 for lighting equipment. I really prefer to buy factory-refurb gear and/or excellent-condition used gear. I've noticed that on Canon & Nikon sites, the factory refurbs are only about $50 cheaper than something new from B&H or so, which is kind of disappointing since I was hoping they would be a better deal. I've always bought used music equipment/cars/etc, and would rather save money buying a few-years old body and invest that extra in some high-quality glass.

I'm a big believer in processing in Photoshop, and am pretty handy with photoshop to tweak things, as I know this sort of processing is very important.

What I'm looking at:

Canon T2 OR the T2i - I can pick up a great condition T2 body for $100. What's the difference between a T2 and T2i?

Nikon D3100 vs Canon T2 - specs are VERY similar, except the Nikon seems to NOT have a feature called "auto back focus" Is this particularly important?

I can also get a Canon EOS 20D body (8MP) ~ $300 - It's quite easy to find comparisons of new vs new gear on the net, but impossible to find how the older stuff stacks up against the newer stuff. Sure there's the argument that the newer stuff is better, but the fact remains that many pros still use the older stuff without upgrading.

Alternatively the Canon EOS 20D and the Nikon D80 (both used) bodies are about the same price. Preferences?

Now for a lens kit, I'm thinking a 50/1.4 is good for getting up & running with concert photography, and for the product shots/t-shirt models, something like a 24-88/2.4 would be OK?

Haven't even begun to research the light setup, so any starting input is appreciated.

Thanks,
Duke

As far as I know, there is no lens that is a 24-88 f/2.4. I'd do some more research on the difference between film and digital cameras. It's pretty important.