Hi there! (photos included)

[Bitter Jeweler]

I'd have to agree with getting the 18-55 to start. Use it for a while, and you will learn what your next lens should be. You'll learn when you are frustrated by not enough reach (zoom), or the desire for going even wider, among other things.

 

[JPmkV]

Yeah, you make an excellent point. I guess I am getting a little ahead of myself.

 

[TamiAz]

I love #1..I have cats, so it cracks me up. Personally, I don't think it's necessary to show the entire subject ALL the time. I also like the picture of the dog..It's a different perspective, which is cool. I'm very new at this and I'm still learning, but I wanted to let you know I like your pictures!!

 

[brush]

The cameras with full frame sensors are pretty expensive, someone correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know all the Canon bodies from the 7D on down to the rebel line are crop sensors at the same 1.6:1 crop ratio. I shoot with a 60D and the crop doesn't bother me at all, except you have to keep in mind that a lens of a given focal length will appear zoomed more than it would on a full frame like a 5D mk ii. Like the "nifty fifty" everyone talks about, on a crop sensor your zoom will be similar to what an 80mm focal length would give you on a 5D. Not a big deal, just something to keep in mind when selecting lenses. If your budget permits it, I recommend the 60D...I love mine, it's a killer camera. Plus, the kit lens that comes with it is an 18-135 instead of 18-55...so you'll have a broader zoom range to play with & find out what your shooting style is. Then once you're ready for a 2nd lens you can look through the metadata of the photos you've taken up to that point & see what focal length you tend to shoot at most often & choose your next lens accordingly. That 50mm 1.8 is awesome because of how cheap it is, unless you find that you're never shooting at 50mm and would never use it then you should spend the extra for a 30 or 85 or whatever lens ends up suiting you best.

 

[JPmkV]

I love #1..I have cats, so it cracks me up. Personally, I don't think it's necessary to show the entire subject ALL the time. I also like the picture of the dog..It's a different perspective, which is cool. I'm very new at this and I'm still learning, but I wanted to let you know I like your pictures!!

Haha, my animals are great models!
I really appreciate the kind words!!

 

[JPmkV]

The cameras with full frame sensors are pretty expensive, someone correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know all the Canon bodies from the 7D on down to the rebel line are crop sensors at the same 1.6:1 crop ratio. I shoot with a 60D and the crop doesn't bother me at all, except you have to keep in mind that a lens of a given focal length will appear zoomed more than it would on a full frame like a 5D mk ii. Like the "nifty fifty" everyone talks about, on a crop sensor your zoom will be similar to what an 80mm focal length would give you on a 5D. Not a big deal, just something to keep in mind when selecting lenses. If your budget permits it, I recommend the 60D...I love mine, it's a killer camera. Plus, the kit lens that comes with it is an 18-135 instead of 18-55...so you'll have a broader zoom range to play with & find out what your shooting style is. Then once you're ready for a 2nd lens you can look through the metadata of the photos you've taken up to that point & see what focal length you tend to shoot at most often & choose your next lens accordingly. That 50mm 1.8 is awesome because of how cheap it is, unless you find that you're never shooting at 50mm and would never use it then you should spend the extra for a 30 or 85 or whatever lens ends up suiting you best.

I'm Looking to spend no more than $800.
Looking around on ebay I found a 550D with a 18-135 lens for $780 (cheapest), and a 60D with a 18-135 for $930 (cheapest).
I would be willing to spend the extra $150 if it was really worth it. what do you guys think?

 

[nmasters]

Have you considered a Nikon D5100? It's around your price range. Fantastic beginner DSLR!

 

[JPmkV]

Have you considered a Nikon D5100? It's around your price range. Fantastic beginner DSLR!

I have not, but I'll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[nmasters]

I have not, but I'll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion!

Your welcome. I just got one as my first DSLR.

 

[brush]

The cameras with full frame sensors are pretty expensive, someone correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know all the Canon bodies from the 7D on down to the rebel line are crop sensors at the same 1.6:1 crop ratio. I shoot with a 60D and the crop doesn't bother me at all, except you have to keep in mind that a lens of a given focal length will appear zoomed more than it would on a full frame like a 5D mk ii. Like the "nifty fifty" everyone talks about, on a crop sensor your zoom will be similar to what an 80mm focal length would give you on a 5D. Not a big deal, just something to keep in mind when selecting lenses. If your budget permits it, I recommend the 60D...I love mine, it's a killer camera. Plus, the kit lens that comes with it is an 18-135 instead of 18-55...so you'll have a broader zoom range to play with & find out what your shooting style is. Then once you're ready for a 2nd lens you can look through the metadata of the photos you've taken up to that point & see what focal length you tend to shoot at most often & choose your next lens accordingly. That 50mm 1.8 is awesome because of how cheap it is, unless you find that you're never shooting at 50mm and would never use it then you should spend the extra for a 30 or 85 or whatever lens ends up suiting you best.

I'm Looking to spend no more than $800.
Looking around on ebay I found a 550D with a 18-135 lens for $780 (cheapest), and a 60D with a 18-135 for $930 (cheapest).
I would be willing to spend the extra $150 if it was really worth it. what do you guys think?

Don't know much about the 550D to be honest but I'll tell you the reasons I went with a 60D anyway & that may help in your decision...the 550D probably shares a lot of these qualities too, make sure you do your homework on it.
-the lens. 18-135 is a huge range for a walk around lens. On a APS-C crop sensor about 28mm is what the human eye sees, so 18 is a good wide angle shot and 135 zooms 5 times closer to the subject than your eye. (Note that this isn't the same as the 2x or 5x or whatever ratings that point & shoot cameras give. Those can be misleading & confusing if you ask me). If you get an 18-55 you have no telephoto for all intents & purposes, it zooms from a wide angle to slightly closer than your eye. Not much range IMO.
-The swivel screen. While I don't use it often and live view is a joke for anything other than roughly framing up your shot, it's super handy when I'm trying to get pictures of cars from extreme high or low angles to swing that screen out & put it at an angle I can see easily. Also, when working on a tripod with weird angles I've found it useful to dial in the manual settings referencing the quick menu on that screen instead of contorting myself to look through the viewfinder.
-5.3fps continuous shooting - if you like action shots, being able to shoot a bunch of 'em & throw away the bad ones is nice.
-The body. Fits my hands REALLY well. The smaller DSLRs like the rebels & most nikons I've looked at just feel too cramped & the controls aren't where I personally would expect 'em to be. For the 60D it's all right there for my left thumb & laid out right where my hand wants to be. Good balance to it also. I can't remember if it's magnesium or some other kind of metal or what but it's a ton more beefy and substantial than a rebel body...it's a step towards professional grade cameras like the 5D & the build quality is really evident. And as a happy accident that I didn't plan on at all (and wouldn't really recommend basing a purchase decision on), while shooting for fun at 2 car shows I got hired by people to photograph their cars for 'em based solely on "I was looking for someone who looked professional & noticed your camera." Between those 2 gigs and 2 referrals I got from their friends that liked the shots...my 60D was free.

 

[Smitty91]

The first two are my favorites. However I like the first four for they seem to have a vintage look. Did you do any editing to these to make them look like they were taken in the 60s/70s? Or did you use a setting on the iPhone for the look?

 

[JPmkV]

Don't know much about the 550D to be honest but I'll tell you the reasons I went with a 60D anyway & that may help in your decision...the 550D probably shares a lot of these qualities too, make sure you do your homework on it.
-the lens. 18-135 is a huge range for a walk around lens. On a APS-C crop sensor about 28mm is what the human eye sees, so 18 is a good wide angle shot and 135 zooms 5 times closer to the subject than your eye. (Note that this isn't the same as the 2x or 5x or whatever ratings that point & shoot cameras give. Those can be misleading & confusing if you ask me). If you get an 18-55 you have no telephoto for all intents & purposes, it zooms from a wide angle to slightly closer than your eye. Not much range IMO.
-The swivel screen. While I don't use it often and live view is a joke for anything other than roughly framing up your shot, it's super handy when I'm trying to get pictures of cars from extreme high or low angles to swing that screen out & put it at an angle I can see easily. Also, when working on a tripod with weird angles I've found it useful to dial in the manual settings referencing the quick menu on that screen instead of contorting myself to look through the viewfinder.
-5.3fps continuous shooting - if you like action shots, being able to shoot a bunch of 'em & throw away the bad ones is nice.
-The body. Fits my hands REALLY well. The smaller DSLRs like the rebels & most nikons I've looked at just feel too cramped & the controls aren't where I personally would expect 'em to be. For the 60D it's all right there for my left thumb & laid out right where my hand wants to be. Good balance to it also. I can't remember if it's magnesium or some other kind of metal or what but it's a ton more beefy and substantial than a rebel body...it's a step towards professional grade cameras like the 5D & the build quality is really evident. And as a happy accident that I didn't plan on at all (and wouldn't really recommend basing a purchase decision on), while shooting for fun at 2 car shows I got hired by people to photograph their cars for 'em based solely on "I was looking for someone who looked professional & noticed your camera." Between those 2 gigs and 2 referrals I got from their friends that liked the shots...my 60D was free.

Thanks for taking the time to write that the review!

The first two are my favorites. However I like the first four for they seem to have a vintage look. Did you do any editing to these to make them look like they were taken in the 60s/70s? Or did you use a setting on the iPhone for the look?

Thank you very much!
All the editing done on these pictures were done using the iphone. Two different application called snapseed and instagram.

 

[DOUGCLOUD]

Creative. Awesome job. I actually love #1 and #2 makes your dog look incredibly large.

 

[JPmkV]

Creative. Awesome job. I actually love #1 and #2 makes your dog look incredibly large.

Thank you!
Daisy is one big fluff ball!

 

[jowensphoto]

You'll love the 550d/T2i. I had my 35mm SLR before the T2i, and it's a great way to get into digital photography.

I love #1, btw! At first I was like, okay, another cat photo. But it's got a little something that the other cat photos that have popped up lately do not

Great job with the iPhone, good luck with your purchasing!