Help Requested in Choosing a New Camera

[Village Idiot]

Canon pwns video right now. A friend of mine just picked up a T2I body brand new for $700-$800. There's a local shop that had them for that cheap. I got to check it out and it's a neat little camera. The Rebels have come a long way from the 300D and 400D I started shooting with.

They're still missing the independent aperture control though.

 

[badfrog88]

Canon pwns video right now. A friend of mine just picked up a T2I body brand new for $700-$800. There's a local shop that had them for that cheap. I got to check it out and it's a neat little camera. The Rebels have come a long way from the 300D and 400D I started shooting with.

They're still missing the independent aperture control though.

Did you mean "owns"? If so, video is really something I'm not really interested in for a still camera. That is one of the reasons why the Rebel SX was listed as one of my initial choices.

 

[PerfectlyFlawed]

if you can get the D5000 over the D3000, then go for it.

i cant vouch for Canon as i shoot Nikon, have handed a D60, D90 and own a D200. but i do have a friend who owns a 7D (owned a 30D), great cam feature wise but i never quite liked the feel of the Canon body on either.

i also considered the Nikon system due to the consistent F-mount.

there are many things you should consider when picking which of the two systems to invest into but consider searching through old forum threads while keeping an eye on this one in case anyone else has more input...

+1

 

[emh]

...Why do you like the feel of the D5000 kit lens over Canon's 18-55mm IS kit lens?..

The Canon lens felt more "toyish" to me. I have hand a Canon F-1 film camera in the past. The kit lens really felt plastic. When turning the zoom ring and the focus ring when set to manual focus both felt somewhat "gritty".

On the other hand the Lens on the Nikons felt more like my old Lens'. Smooth rotation of the zoom ring and less gritty on the focus.

I'll take a look at the T2i and the D90, thank you.

Between the T2i and D90, I'd take the D90. But I'm biased since I already went through this decision and ended up with the D90

Some of my reasons for going with the D90:
- More dedicated buttons for quickly adjusting frequently used settings
- 2nd LCD on top
- Better viewfinder
- Feels more substantial and ergonomic (will depend on the size of your hands)
- Built-in support for wireless flash control
- Better low-light performance
- More focus points
- Faster continuous shooting
- Better focus tracking
- Longer battery life
- In-camera chromatic aberration correction

All of that meant that I wouldn't outgrow the D90 anytime soon and could continue to expand my photographic horizons with it for a quite a while.

The T2i has it's advantages -- vastly better video capabilities, lighter, phase-detect AF in Live View, better software included etc. but none of those were particularly important to me.

I also had issues with Canon's entry- and mid-level lenses that I was interested in. Canon's 50mm f/1.8 prime has a plastic mount, something that I plan to avoid. Nikon's has a metal mount (although it does cost a little bit more). Nikon also has a better lens in the 16-85mm range than Canon -- that range is my idea of a perfect walk-around lens. Canon's entry-level stabilized telephoto zoom (70-300mm f/4-5.6ish range) also has a bunch of usability quirks that I didn't like (rotating front element, no manual adjustments in auto mode, zoom creep).

Anyway, that was my reasoning... Standard caveat applies -- what I said may or may not matter to you depending on what your priorities are

 

[usayit]

* I see G11 and D3000, I'm thinking.. "hmm? They want something in the middle."
* $500 budget
* Since two P&Ss were listed, I'm thinking that building a system of lenses isn't high priority.
* Live view
* Family and Vacation photos suggest portability as photography will not be the primary reasons for excursions.

Since the TPF is populated with mostly DSLR owning enthusiasts, the responses will be understandably towards a a full DSLR. I'm going to suggest something different... something in the middle ground of P&S and DSLRs; the m4/3rd system

The Olympus E-P1 can be had for $499 (Costco) and less (Local camera shop has their demos for sale at $350).

- Small
- Bigger sensor and better IQ than typical P&S
- Interchangeable lenses. Ranging from ultrawide telephotos and a wonderful low light 20mm f/1.7.
- Small lightweight compact lenses
- Video capable
- Vintage manual lenses can be adapted to the system (including FD mount Canons)

To be honest, the lack of a viewfinder was a show stopper for me, but I am enjoying the G1 and E-PL1 which share many of the same aspects as the E-P1. There are Pros/Cons the system which I can elaborate more if interested.

 

[CW Jones]

Used Canon 30D. Mid level camera, still can hold it's own. Can be found for less than $400.

:thumbup: +1

 

[badfrog88]

* I see G11 and D3000, I'm thinking.. "hmm? They want something in the middle."
* $500 budget
* Since two P&Ss were listed, I'm thinking that building a system of lenses isn't high priority.
* Live view
* Family and Vacation photos suggest portability as photography will not be the primary reasons for excursions.

I'm sorry for the confusion. I didn't realize Canon made a SX P&S. What I meant was the Canon Rebel XS.

 

[Mike_E]

I'd say think really hard about the budget thing.

If you really won't be able to spend more than what you said then you need to come away with something that you can and Will use. Just because a lot of people keep telling you to spend up doesn't mean that you should. If you buy something that you can't afford to complete and then you won't use it then you have wasted all of your money.

Having said that, have you checked used cameras?

You take a chance with ebay and craig's list but there is a place called Buy & Sell New & Used Cameras ? Canon, Nikon, Hasselblad, Leica & More - KEH.com that has a return policy.

Do some research on Nikon's backwards compatibility too, you might find some help there.

 

[badfrog88]

...
... something in the middle ground of P&S and DSLRs; the m4/3rd system...

I appreciate the suggestion. but I'm not really interested in the 4/3rd system. I'm starting to lean to the dSLRs more now as I do more research.

 

[badfrog88]

Thanks to emh for the suggestion of the D90. After doing some more research I was pretty set on getting the D5000, but the pentaprism of the D90 vs the pentamirror of the D5000 had me curious.

When I went to the store they had both a D5000 and D90 on display. I picked up the D5000 and looked through the viewfinder then did the same with the D90. WOW! What a difference! I bought the D90 even though it stretched my budget more than I wanted. The brighter viewfinder made all the difference to my aging eyes.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and help.

 

[emh]

Thanks to emh for the suggestion of the D90. After doing some more research I was pretty set on getting the D5000, but the pentaprism of the D90 vs the pentamirror of the D5000 had me curious.

When I went to the store they had both a D5000 and D90 on display. I picked up the D5000 and looked through the viewfinder then did the same with the D90. WOW! What a difference! I bought the D90 even though it stretched my budget more than I wanted. The brighter viewfinder made all the difference to my aging eyes.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and help.

Congrats! You won't be disappointed -- I've had mine for a few months and love it.

 

[SrBiscuit]

Canon pwns video right now. A friend of mine just picked up a T2I body brand new for $700-$800. There's a local shop that had them for that cheap. I got to check it out and it's a neat little camera. The Rebels have come a long way from the 300D and 400D I started shooting with.

They're still missing the independent aperture control though.

Did you mean "owns"? If so, video is really something I'm not really interested in for a still camera. That is one of the reasons why the Rebel SX was listed as one of my initial choices.

no no...pwns.

i dont know canon at all but from what ive seen the t2i is def nice. the nikon d90 would be a nice choice as well. nice sensor in that badboy.