Looking for my first DSLR? under 1000

[arctyler]

i was actually leaning towards the t4i until i came across a d7000 on ebay for $888, but its body only, can someone recommend a lens that i should look into for it, looking for one that i can do easy close ups with and far away shots so maybe somthing like 18-135? what do you think, can someone recommend me something?

 

[Snakeguy101]

go with the d7000 and a 50mm f/1.8 lens. You have feet for zoom and you will really learn how to compose a shot with this lens rather than pointing and shooting like a lot of "photographers" with the huge zoom ranges. Also the quality of a lens with that much zoom would leave something to be desired. It cannot possibly remain as crisp as a prime lens over that range.

 

[arctyler]

tbh i really dont understand the mm... im kind of a newbie... i dont take a photograph class but im taking tv and broadcasting... and usually im filming most of the stuff, but on a dslr what does the mm mean? is it like the lower the number, the less the zoom, then when you have a higher number, the farther u can zoom? so like 18-135 would mean u can do 18mm all the way to 135mm? as zoom? or what it mean, can someone give me a simple definition...

 

[arctyler]

also if u have a 50mm lens, does that mean it cant zoom? god i feel stupid..

 

[TCampbell]

If the lens is a zoom lens then the focal length (list in millimeters) will be stated as a range: e.g. 18-135mm -- which means it can be as "short" (the wide angle range) as 18mm and as "long" (the telephoto range) as 135mm. If the lens only has one value (e.g. 50mm) then the lens does not "zoom" (it still focuses.... it just doesn't zoom.)

To give you a rough idea, a focal length of about 30mm (give or take a few millimeters) will seem "normal" (those images will not seem to be wide-angle nor telephoto. The images will comfortably see in the field of view of the camera roughly the same that your eyes can comfortably take in without moving your eyeballs or head to look around.

All lenses are trade-offs. There is no "best" lens. Most people want a "standard zoom" meaning it has a bit of wide angle capability and a bit of telephoto capability but nothing too extreme in either direction. That means the lens is a good "walking around" everyday lens for most situations. When you get into specialty situations there are other lenses but that's why these cameras give you the ability to swap lenses (if there was a "best" lens, it would just be built in and there would be no capability to swap lenses.)

There are many other important attributes w.r.t. lenses -- not just the focal length or zoom range. If you're a beginner then these wont make much sense to yet.

Generally speaking, lenses that are less ambitious about their zoom ranges tend to have better optical performance. Lenses that have fantastically big zoom ranges tend to sacrifice some optical quality. Lenses that don't sacrifice very much on anything tend to be really expensive.

Don't go crazy buying stuff. Get a standard zoom and/or maybe a single "prime" lens (a prime is a lens that does not zoom) -- something around 30 to 50mm.

Buy a good beginners book. E.g. "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson is one of the most popular just to get you started in understanding how to shoot. I think it costs all of $15 (give or take) and is money well spent. Knowing how to shoot is far more important than any equipment you could own at any price. I could always buy a Steinway piano, but since I've never taken any piano lessons and I don't know how to play, I doubt having a really high-end musical instrument will do much to make the music sound good. The same applies to photography.

READ THE MANUAL. READ THE BEGINNERS BOOK. A few hours reading will save you countless hours of frustration.

 

[StandingBear1983]

OP - *puts on canon fanboy flame suit with extra heat protection* - the canon stm system is pretty gimmiky to say the least....if one wants to shoot video on a DSLR one needs to do it still manually, ask all the pro's...that's why folks say its just gimmicks to draw noobs in...same with the touch screen, how the hell can you focus quickly like a pro by touching the screen....that's bullsuger, so don't get a camera only for a touch screen and a stm system that don't actually work properly, listen for a sec to people here, go for the Nikon D3200/D5100 or the D7000 if you have enough cash, and you'll have a better CAMERA not a better gadget toy. - sorry canon fans, that how i feel, without being a Nikon fanboy, i think they took the cake these past 2 years, with better sensors , IQ and low light...and things that actually work sorry canon, maybe next round...