Thinking of getting into photography as a hobby

[Jewny]

So my main question on this topic is what camera to buy. As of now I have 2 options in mind:

1. My friend is willing to sell me his Canon 50D for around $800, he said he would include 2 lenses with that price.

2. Thinking of buying the Canon Rebel T3i for about the same price, I think.

So which one should I buy for starting Into photography? Right now I'm leaning more towards the T3i because it also has video recording which I would love to do as well as taking photos.

Any suggestions or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[camerateur]

that sounds like it could be a good price, depending on which lenses he is including!

I would take the 50d if I were you! although either one (really any dslr) is going to be a good choice if you're just starting and it's going to be a hobby.
good luck with your choice

 

[fokker]

Personally I would take the 50d, but for a beginner I think the T3i is a better choice simply because the extra weight and size of the 50d might put you off taking it with you everywhere you go, which you'll want to do, believe me.

 

[macpro88]

depending on the lenses, I would go with the 50D, older camera but still a heck of a workhorse, also ask what the shutter count is on it (if this even matters? let the pro's chime in on here)

Just because the T3i is "new" does not make it better, the 50D is still a solid camera.

 

[Carny]

I've had a 50D and a T2i which is about the same as a T3i, and there are pros and cons to each. The T3i will be better in low light, but the 50D has better controls and handling. The T3i has built in wireless to control flashes, if you ever get into that.

I would see what lenses he is offering first. Lenses can be quite expensive.

 

[Jewny]

thank you for all the responses so far! pretty much the only reason I'm thinking of the T3i is because of the built in movie recording aswell as the photogrophy stats.