DSLR Recommendation

[hammer03]

http://dealsea.com/view-deal/80651

I bought a t3i this weekend, same lenses as the above deal, but with a free bag/filter/memory card. I'll probably sell the non-IS lens to bring my total investment down a little, as I probably won't use a 300mm lens with no IS all that often if I have a 250 that is stabilized.

There have been some deals for the t4i with an 18-55 IS lens for around your budget OP.

[kwando]

kwando - if you dont mind me asking, which Cannon did you go with?

I'm a gear whore... Started with a rebel and now I have a 5d mark 3 with 2 L lenses. WAY more than I need but glass keep value unlike rifle scopes. I can sell the lenses for the same if not more that I bought it for.

Camera wise i had the 7d because I take pics of my son and kids move a lot so you need a good focusing system. I recently upgraded to full frame, but I had to buy a lot of gear online cheap and flip them. For instance I bought a 5d with bag and filters for $500, sold the camera for $750 and the misc gear for $100. My 7d I bought for $750 on CL and sold it for $1050.

CL has some great deals, same with forums. POTN (photography on the net) is a canon forum and you can get a very capable camera for that price. It's addictions like firearms, you always want more and the best.

Good lucky, if you want to see how a canon works PM me since you are in aurora


Remember a $8000 camera is not going take the best pics, I've seen awesome pics from great photographers with basic rebels.

[kwando]

I think i'm just going to have to go into bestbuy or something today and pick a few up and see how they feel in the hand.

Rebels are small if you have big hands

[meatman]

I did the Nikon D5100 from Costco with the 18-55mm and 55-300mm lenses for $799.99 to replace my old D100. I'm pretty happy with it. I'm not a great photographer and use a lot of the auto modes. The video is pretty good on it too.

[kwando]

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/8422...hc-memory-card

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs...0051_313201_-1

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs...0051_276389_-1

Or get these for way cheaper and if you don't get into it you are not loosing much

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs...0051_283207_-1

http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs...0051_283215_-1

[One Shot]

Sounds like I have alot to learn, not sure the difference between a non IS lens and an IS lens. I'll have to do some reading and some more research. I'm thinking that's Image Stabilizing?

I'm thinking the smaller Rebel T3i would be a good starter since its smaller(wife might appreciate that too) and to get some of the basics down and then I can always sell it and get a different body or upgrade at another time. I'm wanting something that will do HD video as well. I just dont want to limit myself and wish I would of gotten something alittle better.

I've gotten some good responses from everyone, I appreciate the input from everyone!

[Aloha_Shooter]

1. The advice about getting a decent body but saving your money for the lenses is very good. It's all about how you get light on the imaging sensor (film or CCD). The rest of it is shininess.
2. Can't go wrong with Canon or Nikon but I've seen some very good results from Sony as well.
3. Look at Craigslist for people who are upgrading to the latest models. You can find very very good cameras for less than half the cost of new. Ask them the last time the camera has been serviced or cleaned -- a lot of people ignore this and you get crud buildup on the sensor which will affect image quality.
4. I use the Canon XSi and T2i. I bought the XSi nearly 4 years ago and took wonderful pictures with it in Africa, Greece and Scandanavia. However, I didn't like the kit lenses (17-55 and 55-200) because that 55mm transition point is a pain -- I was swapping lenses like a madman sometimes. I LOVE Canon's 100-400mm IS USM L-series lens -- used it on both cameras in places ranging from Africa to Antarctica. The new sensors on the T2i and up (T3i and T4i) are fantastic at low-light photography. I got simply spectacular photos of night lights reflected on the water in Dublin and got amazingly fast (ISO 6400) low light shots. I keep the XSi as a backup just because I couldn't get much for it today and it's handy to have another body "just in case". I have nothing against Nikon, they're fabulous cameras, it's just that my family has always been Canon ever since my father bought his first F-1 decades ago.
5. Take some classes. I joined the Colorado Photography Learning Group through Meetup and have had some great seminars as well as "expeditions" to take photos. They have a "North" chapter in Denver.
6. My favorite all-around lens right now is the Tamron 18-270. I rarely ever need to swap lenses with that puppy on. It runs around $600-700 on sale at Amazon or Adorama but really is a great all-in-one. My next favorite lens is the 100-400 for long-distance wildlife shots but it's a heavy beast and very very expensive so best you work on skills using something like the 18-270 (Canon and Nikon have equivalents but you'll pay through the nose for them).

[Aloha_Shooter]

Sounds like I have alot to learn, not sure the difference between a non IS lens and an IS lens. I'll have to do some reading and some more research. I'm thinking that's Image Stabilizing?

I'm thinking the smaller Rebel T3i would be a good starter since its smaller(wife might appreciate that too) and to get some of the basics down and then I can always sell it and get a different body or upgrade at another time. I'm wanting something that will do HD video as well. I just dont want to limit myself and wish I would of gotten something alittle better.

I've gotten some good responses from everyone, I appreciate the input from everyone!

IS is Image Stabilization. I think Nikon calls it VR (Vibration Reduction). Other manufacturers have different names for it but the bottom line is some in-line image correction in the lens to correct for jerkiness in holding the camera. One thing I forgot -- learn to hold your camera like a rifle -- support the lens with your off-hand since it usually weighs more than the camera body these days. Then all you have to worry about is your trigger finger on the button. ;-)

[RJLou]

I have some photography videos I downloaded. If you like, pm your email and I'll see if I can send them. (Might be too large of a file). The go over the basics of photography and lighting. How to use the different settings to get the correct exposure etc. Also, basic picture taking (where the subject should be) and how to get different effects. Wish I would have watched it before I bought my camera.

[hatidua]

Try to get into it without getting suckered into buying the "kit" lens - all of which are junk. A lens, which has a range of 17-55 or 55-300, is like buying a rifle that claims to shoot both .22LR and .338LM down the same barrel...it's not going to do either one very well. There is no such thing, in photography, firearms, or anything else, in which one single piece of gear does all things well. There never has been, there never will be.

While not a popular suggestion nowadays, I'd strongly suggest buying one single focal length lens and actually learning how to shoot that one lens. Start with a 50mm 1.8, they are inexpensive and you can actually learn about depth of field, how different shutter speeds can be utilized to convey what you are after, Etc. Handing a couple of top cameras and a half dozen lenses to someone that doesn't really know what they are doing is not going to serve any purpose whatsoever.

Don't get caught up in the Nikon vs Canon debate, in 2012, it no longer matters. One of those two adopted FF sensors first but your budget isn't going to access those sensors anyhow so it's a non-issue. It's the Indian, not the arrow.