i'm looking for a camera to shoot "shallow focus" pictures - what do i need?

[ashbornangel]

Can you explain in what ways you were not impressed with the Rebel T3? That could be hints for camera recommendation.

mostly the way the camera operates seemed "clunky."

the menus and interface didn't seem to have a good flow/difficult to navigate, it was hard to change settings even after i had done it a few times and knew what to do.

enzodm might be right, maybe i just don't know the camera well enough.

i guess it just didn't feel like it gave me $530 dollars worth of better camera than just my phone would provide.

 

[Dao]

Can you explain in what ways you were not impressed with the Rebel T3? That could be hints for camera recommendation.

mostly the way the camera operates seemed "clunky."

the menus and interface didn't seem to have a good flow/difficult to navigate, it was hard to change settings even after i had done it a few times and knew what to do.

enzodm might be right, maybe i just don't know the camera well enough.

i guess it just didn't feel like it gave me $530 dollars worth of better camera than just my phone would provide.

As for "it was hard to change settings even after i had done it a few times and knew what to do." You are correct in that aspect. From what I learn, most of the entry level DSLR behave like this, regardless of brands. When you take a look at the professional or pro-sumer type SLRs, you may notice they have a top display. And that is one of the main reason I do not want to get the entry level DSLR anymore.

The 2 wheels system with top display allow me to change settings pretty easy. Just dial the wheels or hit one button and dial the wheel if you want to change ISO, Shutter speed, Aperture, WB, AF mode, meter mode etc. I do not need to look at the back LCD to change settings. In fact, for some operation, I can change the settings while I am still looking through the viewfinder.

Maybe a used 40D or something similar.

 

[ashbornangel]

as far as not being impressed

it just didnt feel good? i dont know i'm kind of touchy feely about things.

it feels very plasticky (it's made of plastic after all) and fragile

when i rotate the lens to zoom in/out it feel cheap like it might break easily. its not very smooth and again feels like plastic scraping against plastic. the manual focus mode doesn't feel very precise, its too sensitive, no resistance (maybe people dont use manual anymore?)

in comparison im holding my father's old asahi pentax ME and it feels solid. the lenses i have for it rotate really smooth (they feel almost oiled) and when they reach the end of the rotation their is a satisfying metal click. the manual focus feels very controlled. the camera/lenses have nice textures and it feels heavy (which i like for some reason).

theres nothing really awful about the T3 it just doesnt feel like a well crafted product to me.

hope that made some sense. again i really don't know much about cameras

 

[Solarflare]

Yep, they dont make them like they used to.

But I'm fairly certain if you ask your father for what he paid for his camera and correct for inflation, you'll find your new camera is extremely much cheaper than your fathers. And it contains a lot more functionality, on top of it, like autofocus, digitally controlled aperture and shutter speed, image stabilization etc etc.

 

[enzodm]

as far as not being impressed

it just didnt feel good? i dont know i'm kind of touchy feely about things.

it feels very plasticky (it's made of plastic after all) and fragile

when i rotate the lens to zoom in/out it feel cheap like it might break easily. its not very smooth and again feels like plastic scraping against plastic. the manual focus mode doesn't feel very precise, its too sensitive, no resistance (maybe people dont use manual anymore?)

in comparison im holding my father's old asahi pentax ME and it feels solid. the lenses i have for it rotate really smooth (they feel almost oiled) and when they reach the end of the rotation their is a satisfying metal click. the manual focus feels very controlled. the camera/lenses have nice textures and it feels heavy (which i like for some reason).

theres nothing really awful about the T3 it just doesnt feel like a well crafted product to me.

hope that made some sense. again i really don't know much about cameras

it is true that construction is not as in the past, but do not be much worried. If you want something more robust, you have to spend... 5-10 times, lens included (solarflare is right on adjusted price). And kit/cheap lenses are not made really for manual focus, 18-55 in particular. Maybe even 50/1.8. Again, budget dictates some features - you can do what you want, at the expense of some difficulty.

 

[o hey tyler]

Oh, Nikon has autofocus on all bodies

No it doesn't. For example, your camera does not have an AF motor in the body.

Solarflare, you have a real knack for posting information that you claim to be true, that clearly isn't. This has to be the seventh time you've posted something that was wildly inaccurate, and a simple google search would reveal the answer.

First you were telling me that you need to use a wider aperture with a longer focal length, because the light has to travel farther to hit the lens.

Then you told us that the AF system should work properly with the mirror down, when in fact it can only use the contrast detect AF system that the sensor is capable of.

You posted your thoughts on an 18-300mm lens that you have no experience with and didn't read any reviews for.

There was also a thread where you said that aperture doesn't have anything to do with focus.

Just refrain from commenting on stuff that you have no idea about. It's really laboring to reply to each one of your posts that spews incorrect information. You're a beginner in photography, take it one step at a time please.

 

[enzodm]

so i found this
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-6-3MP-D...=UTF8&qid=1340800037&sr=1-2&keywords=canon+xs
and this
Amazon.com: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Standard AutoFocus Lens - Gray Market: DavisMAX

could i really do any better for that price?

thanks

edit: the nikon d70 is basically the same price - is one better? or just a matter of preference

to add complications, both do not have live view - it is not needed in a reflex, but sometimes might be useful, e.g., macro using a tripod. However, if your only aim is to shoot some picture with shallow DoF, they do it. However, the cheap 50/1.8 will autofocus on the Canon, but the equivalent on D70 will not.

The cheapest Canon you can find with live view, as I told previously, is Xs/1000D.

Regarding interface, you will become used at everything after some shooting. Fact is the phone has no options to choose, so that is easier to do a simple interface.

 

[sovietdoc]

i ended up buying a canon eos rebel t3 with kit lens
its pretty cool, but honestly not that impressed for $530
i think im going to return it and try and find something older/cheaper with a better lens

any advice on a cheaper camera body that would work with a canon 50mm f/1.8?

edit: there was a link in this thread earlier but it's not available anymore - and i have no idea where to look

thanks again

edit 2: just saw above post

edit 3: any other suggestions besides that nikon d70? i found on amazon the body for $140/50mm f1.8 for $109

also there are a few different 50mm f/1.8 lenses with slightly different prices - is there a difference? what am i looking for in a lens

I just handled a 1DX with 600mm II and I wasn't that impressed. Rebel t1i with 100-400mm + 2x extender with Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 4 takes better pics for the price. Some cheap gear + software gets the same results as most expensive hardware, at a fraction of the cost.

 

[sovietdoc]

Oh, Nikon has autofocus on all bodies

No it doesn't. For example, your camera does not have an AF motor in the body.

Solarflare, you have a real knack for posting information that you claim to be true, that clearly isn't. This has to be the seventh time you've posted something that was wildly inaccurate, and a simple google search would reveal the answer.

First you were telling me that you need to use a wider aperture with a longer focal length, because the light has to travel farther to hit the lens.

Then you told us that the AF system should work properly with the mirror down, when in fact it can only use the contrast detect AF system that the sensor is capable of.

You posted your thoughts on an 18-300mm lens that you have no experience with and didn't read any reviews for.

There was also a thread where you said that aperture doesn't have anything to do with focus.

Just refrain from commenting on stuff that you have no idea about. It's really laboring to reply to each one of your posts that spews incorrect information. You're a beginner in photography, take it one step at a time please.

Ouch buuuuuurn.

 

[jake337]

The biggest difference between nikon and canon is the lens mount. Almost all nikon F mount lens can be mounted to almost all nikon F mount bodies. The few issues are invasive fisheye lens and pre AI lens. Although pre-ai lens can be modified to fit certain bodies for relatively cheap.

There are some bodies that can mount pre-ai lens without issue like the D40, D40X, D60, D3000, D3100, D5000 and D5100.

Here is a link to nikon lens mount compatibility.
http://www.nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html

So if your looking for dirt cheap, check out a d40/d40x and a pre-ai 50mm f1.4.


http://www.keh.com/camera/Nikon-Digital-Camera-Bodies/1/sku-DN029991003310?r=FE

http://www.keh.com/camera/Nikon-Manual-Focus-Fixed-Focal-Length-Lenses/1/sku-NK060090123490?r=FE


Here is a nikon lens list as well.

Nikon Lenses

 

[djacobox372]

i ended up buying a canon eos rebel t3 with kit lens
its pretty cool, but honestly not that impressed for $530
i think im going to return it and try and find something older/cheaper with a better lens

any advice on a cheaper camera body that would work with a canon 50mm f/1.8?

edit: there was a link in this thread earlier but it's not available anymore - and i have no idea where to look

thanks again

edit 2: just saw above post

edit 3: any other suggestions besides that nikon d70? i found on amazon the body for $140/50mm f1.8 for $109

also there are a few different 50mm f/1.8 lenses with slightly different prices - is there a difference? what am i looking for in a lens

The d70 is the cheapest dslr worth buying, $140 is about the going price, but u can sometimes find them bundled with a lens for $150-200.

All the "af" 50 1.8 lenses have similar performance, the "d" versions collect distance info which may improve auto-exposure when using a flash. $90 is a good price for a used 50mm f1.8 af, but you can sometimes get them cheaper.

The new af-s "g" 50mm 1.8 is significantly better wide open and costs twice as much.

The thing about buying used lenses is that u can usually resell them a year or two later for what u pay for them--cameras are a different story.

 

[AaronLLockhart]

I'm not exactly sure what you want here. You just said that the Canon T3 was too "clunky" and "plastic" feeling, yet you posed questions about the Nikon D70, which is ALSO made of plastic.

The D70 is junk. I've owned one, had it for about 3 weeks, and sold it. The image clarity from the sensor is very sub-par. If you want a great camera for very little money, invest yourself in a nice used D40 and call it a day. It takes very clear images, it's inexpensive (you can get them for about $250-$300 now with a kit lens), and learning to use it is very simple, even if you simply use it on auto all of the time. It will do everything you are looking for, and more.

It's obvious at this stage that we are all trying to complicate a bowl of cereal, and we are neglecting that your photographic knowledge is slim.

 

[Solarflare]

Oh, Nikon has autofocus on all bodies

No it doesn't. For example, your camera does not have an AF motor in the body.

You are really creative in your way of citing people.

 

[bunny99123]

I used a P&S for years then bought a DSLR. It was an adjustment from a P&S to to a DSLR. It felt bulky, and I felt like I had all thumbs. I have live view and can switch from M to AF while viewing a subject. It has wheels that you and you can see your adjustment on LCD or Viewfinder. I use the viewfinder, because it gives the camera a steady and solid feel. I agree you need to practice with a camera to be able to adjust modes quickly. Each brand I tried felt bulky. It was me being use to a different style camera. Good luck.

 

[o hey tyler]

Oh, Nikon has autofocus on all bodies

No it doesn't. For example, your camera does not have an AF motor in the body.

You are really creative in your way of citing people.

You're really creative in how you post inaccurate information.