New to this and wanting to buy a camera...

piper_pics · May 14, 2012

Hi everyone, this is my very first post here, and I am here because for mothers day, I was given the chance to buy a new DSLR!

I have no idea where to start though... What brand, what kind of lens, etc. I was looking at a Canon, but also like Nikon's. I was thinking maybe a Canon T3i might be a good place to start, as I hear they are more user friendly. But I also want to make sure I get something that is good quality... Is it better to buy just the body on it's own and get a lens seperate?

I want to practice taking pictures of wildlife, as well as plants, objects, and my little 22 month old... So, something that takes clear pictures of fast moving objects lol

What should I look for? Is a T3i a good idea to get my toes wet? I am looking at eventually getting into photography part time as well, as I have a great eye for it... I'm just not up and up on the terms and model numbers, and what they are good for... Does that make sense?

Thanks so much for all your help!

Buckster · May 14, 2012

Any of the modern entry level DSLRs are a good place to start, and very capable. You really can't go wrong or make a bad choice. I suggest getting a kit lens with it, whichever one it comes with is a good start.

The thing to remember is that it's almost like getting married. Once you start to make a committment with a particular brand, you're going to be buying things to use that are specific to that brand. Eventually, you're likely to have a LOT of stuff that only really works with that brand. You may have several lenses, flashes, a grip, batteries and more. At that point, you need to be pretty happy with it, because it's gonna be a little late to change horses mid-stream, as they say.

So, a good thing to do is to go to a store where you can hold any brands and models in your budget that you're thinking about buying. Get the saleperson to show you the basics of how it works, where to access the controls for shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and so forth. Feel it in your hands, and see how it feels to move your fingers to those places to access those controls. Do that to find out which one feels right to YOU. Then you know which one to get.

WesternGuy · May 14, 2012

What Buckster said, and there is nothing wrong with getting a Canon T3i - but follow his advice. I would also add to his point about going to a store and getting your hands on to several different models - I would suggest that you make that a camera store where the folks are liable to be more knowledgeable than those you might encounter in a "big box" store. My 0.02¢ FWIW.
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WesternGuy

camerateur · May 14, 2012

I was looking at my cousin's t3i over the weekend, it is really nice

he doesn't know how to use its full potential, but he still gets great pictures out of it..
so I'm sure you would like it.
I know when he decides to learn more about it and photography, he will get much better pictures.
so it should work nice for you in any way that you're using it!!

belial · May 14, 2012

I have a canon t1i which is just a Couple generations behind the t3i and find it very capable. Seems to do almost all of what I need.

piper_pics · May 14, 2012

Thanks so much for your responses!
I might buy this T3i while it's on sale... I can always return it if I change my mind, right?

Is it better to buy a body on it's own? There are two kits that are on sale...
Here is one, is this a good deal? Are tese lenses worth the extra $$?
Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR With 18-55mm & 55-250mm IS Lens, & SanDisk Extreme 8GB Class 10 SDHC : DSLR Packages - Best Buy Canada

And here is the one I was looking at originally...
Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18MP DSLR Camera With 18-55mm IS Lens Kit : DSLR Cameras - Best Buy Canada

Should I stick with the one with just the single lens and pick up a second one later? Is the 18-55mm lens good?

jrizal · May 14, 2012

@piperI am no pro but here's my take it is worth the extra dollars as a kit lens plus a zoom lens is a great combination plus you get a significant discount if you buy them together. The next lens you may want to consider a f2.8 50mm prime lens.The T3i is the Canon equivalent (more or less) of the Nikon D5100. But you may want to wait for a couple of months as there are rumors that the T4i is about to be released. You may want the newer model or the T3i may have a significant price drop.

belial · May 15, 2012

I like the 56-250. It's no pro lens but will get you by. It's actually fairly capable lens especially for its money. Here's the photozone review (the site I usually go to for my lens reviews)

"The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is a tiny tele lens with a comparatively impressive performance potential. The resolution is very good across the range. Chromatic aberrations are almost a non-issue in field conditions. The level of distortions remains moderate. The most obvious flaw is, unsurprisingly, vignetting at large apertures. The build quality is fine for a lens in this class and it is one step up from the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS that we've seen here recently. Regarding the target market you may surely forgive the plastic mount. The AF (micro-) motor is pretty fast and silent and when used on the EOS 50D the focus accuracy is also spot on (it wasn't on the old EOS 350D though). The image stabilizer works are designed although probably not as good as specified for us average coffee junkies."

And they gave it 5 stars for cash value.

And now the 18-55

"The resolution capabilities of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is amazing even based on the EOS 50D. The lens resolution may no longer reach the limits of the sensor resolution (as it did on the EOS 350D) but the quality level remains very high throughout the zoom range. Even more surprising is the evenly high corner to corner performance. So is it a perfect lens then ? No, naturally not. It has its weaknesses - notably strong barrel distortions at 18mm and very high vignetting at 18mm @ f/3.5. Chromatic aberrations are well controlled at the extreme ends of the zoom range but quite pronounced around 28mm. In the field the lens struggles in contra light situations whereas the bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is pretty good within the limits of its depth-of-field capabilities. All-in-all the optical aspects are impressive and that's not only regarding the low price tag. The image stabilizer is quite efficient with a real world "gain" equivalent to about 3 f-stops. On the mechanical side things aren't so rosy. Canon changed the cosmetics of the lens and it certainly "looks" better now but the actual implementation has only been marginally improved compared to the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II. The plastic quality (down to the lens mount) spoils the subjective quality perception quite a bit. The inner lens tube does still wobble significantly and accurate manual focusing remains next to impossible. However, the AF speed and accuracy is very decent and that's probably good enough for most users anyway. The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is certainly a value king with a price tag of around 160€/US$."

Also ranked 5 stars for cash value. Do keep in mind that these reviews are for an older midrange camera with a lower resolutions sensor however and may not be able to fully resolve on an 18 mp sensor but they are still great starter lenses that'll get you going for sure

DiskoJoe · May 15, 2012

piper_pics said:
Hi everyone, this is my very first post here, and I am here because for mothers day, I was given the chance to buy a new DSLR!

I have no idea where to start though... What brand, what kind of lens, etc. I was looking at a Canon, but also like Nikon's. I was thinking maybe a Canon T3i might be a good place to start, as I hear they are more user friendly. But I also want to make sure I get something that is good quality... Is it better to buy just the body on it's own and get a lens seperate?

I want to practice taking pictures of wildlife, as well as plants, objects, and my little 22 month old... So, something that takes clear pictures of fast moving objects lol

What should I look for? Is a T3i a good idea to get my toes wet? I am looking at eventually getting into photography part time as well, as I have a great eye for it... I'm just not up and up on the terms and model numbers, and what they are good for... Does that make sense?

Thanks so much for all your help!

Do you have any photographer friends that have lens collection? If yes then go with what your friends shoot. You can borrow lenses and they will be familiar with the lay out of the camera and could help you learn.

If the answer is no then just get what you can afford.

Personally I shoot Sony. I have a alpha 580. Love that camera. Its about $250 cheaper then the t3i youve been looking at and has one of the best sensors made for any aps-c camera. ISO capabilities would shadow that t3i and with all the money you save you could go get some good quality glass. Like a 50mm f1.4.

Sony a (alpha) DSLR-A580L Digital SLR Camera with DT 18-55mm lens