Camera, Recommendations?
BestBuy is having a sale, and since I know next to nothing about camera's I'm hoping you guys can help me out. I was going to wait a bit longer before getting a camera, but with my upcoming vacation and this sale, I figured now might be a good time.
Right now I'm using a Canon Powershot S5 IS. It's my mothers camera, which is why I'm looking into one of my own. My price range is $400-$800. Since I was using the Canon Powershot S5 IS for my previous shots, I'm looking for this camera to be a bit better. Definitely need it to shoot in RAW. The Canon Powershoot S5 IS didn't shoot in RAW, so I was quite disappointed when I found that out.
From some quick looking I think the best options would be the Canon Rebel T1i, Canon EOS Rebel Xsi, and the Nikon D5000.
The sale link is here. Good deals? Good camera's? I appreciate any help. Hopefully by next Thursday I'll have my first camera. :)
For choosing one of the 3 you mention I would go for the Canon Rebel T1i which includes a accessory kit.
If you are new to the DSLR I would go for the Canon 450D ( got this myself ) or 1000D for starters and then go from there with new lenses, external flash etc.
The Canon 500D Rebel T1i is a very good camera also they have wide selection of lens, i would go fot it! plus it meets your raw photo taking as well. However if you want to do some HD video as well the Nikon D5000.
DigitalRev do some good reveiws on cameras.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalRevCom?blend=2&ob=1
I don't know much about the other cameras but I'm lovin my Nikom D5000!
D5000 is a fantastic camera, in fact, its prob my favourite DSLR right now
I have a nikon d5000 and it's great. I don't know about the other cameras but look here http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d5000.htm
He really knows what he is talking about.
It depends on how deep you wanna evolve in photography.
Anyone can suggest a Nikon, Canon, Sony, Oly, Pentax yada yada.. but its best for you to go out and test the camera body feel on your hand and narrow down which one is more confortable.
I'm a Sony user. Sony has Zeiss/G as Nikkor to Nikon and L to Canon. Sony has the best LiveView among the rest, but in lens selection department, its CaNokin leads the game.
From the list, i wonder why they only list a330.. If you were to get a Sony, go straight for a5xx. Its like heaven to desert compared to my a300.
I agree, with e-jump. Go test it with your own eyes and it all comes down to which one you prefer. I personally go for Nikon because i prefer the colour produced by Nikon. This is just my personal preference but if you are going for Nikon i would suggest D90 and above unless you just want a basic DSLR (D3000/D5000).
For more lens choice, you will never get wrong with Nikon/Canon
I wouldn't agree with your comment about jumping up to the D90. I'm a D90 owner, and I've had a D50 in the past. It served me well, and when I finally decided to upgrade to my D90, it was 3-4 years after I'd bought my D50. The key is to get an SLR and get used to using it on the different settings (i.e. not on the newbie auto setting) - and that's what you get to do with the cheaper, lower spec models - you don't get distracted by the tricks and gimmicks and extras.
Yes the D90 has all sorts of neat tricks (I love the movie mode and GPS-1 attachment on mine for example) and it's a starting point on the road from consumer to pro, but with someone new to SLR photography, it's a hell of an outlay for a beginner.
To the OP, I'd suggest: get a cheaper SLR, and spend any money you have left over on lenses instead. They'll give you far more flexibility and scope than the difference between one body and another 'better' body. For example, I've had the kit 18-55 lens, moved up to the 18-200 and sold the kit lens, got and sold the 16-85, and tried out a friend's 50mm prime, and basically had to have one for myself. That way you've got a good set of lenses and you know from playing with them what situations you want to use them in. You also find out what doesn't suit your style. Then when you come to outgrow the body, eBay it, and you'll get a decent amount for it, and have a good set of glass for the new camera that you grow into... ;)
Go for the 550D (T2i). You will not regret it.
The T1i is a great camera, it's my pick of the ones you suggested.
I'm a Nikon shooter, but the D3000/5000 aren't good buys. If you can afford a D90, go for it and you'll love it, but otherwise I'd go for the Canon.
Sony is OK, but as e-jump said, I wouldn't buy any Alpha below the a5xx series. I prefer Nikon/Canon though, because I use external flashes and the remote triggers won't fit in the non-standard Sony hotshoe.
Max has a point on hotshoe and Sony compatibility.
While all alpha (except a8xx n above) has the capability to trigger F58 external flash in WireLess with just using popup flash, but the flash mount is not lighstand friendly. You can still mount the flash on tripods anyway. Once you play with wireless strobes, theres no turning back LOL.
Heres how Canon, Nikon and alpha put their tier from beginner to pro level:
Nikon : 4digit -> 2Digit -> 3Digit > 1Digit
Canon : 4Digit -> 3Digit -> 2Digit -> 1Digit
Sony : a1xx/2xx -> a3xx -> a5xx/7xx -> a8xx/9xx
I have a Canon 1000D and its a great basic camera.
shop around... best buy may not be best prices. How about amazon? pay shipping save on taxes (not sure about Canada though). If your going to spend like $700US on a Nikon, might as well go a little higher and get a the D90 body & ad whatever lens you like to it. Most of lower cost Nikons are limited to AF-S lens's.
all-in-all depends on your budget and how much more you want to do with photography.
Best Buy typically doesn't have the best prices, and usually the "sales" are about on par with what you find online. That being said, most serious photographers will probably agree that the camera body isn't the most important piece.
If you plan on sticking with the hobby and growing your skills, spend your money on good lenses (aka glass). As my uncle has told me, you'll probably change camera bodies once every few years as you develop and grow, but good glass will stay with you for life.
He'd even go so far as to recommend buying a body only instead of one with a kit lens, since you'll likely step up to new glass very soon. I actually went that route, shortly after I got my D50 kit, I obtained a nicer lens to replace the kit parts. I then recently ordered another lens to compliment other things that I want to shoot.
same here with my old D50. I think the route is better to get a cheaper camera and have some lenses to play with, than stretch the budget and have a great body, but a kit lens...
forgot to add... beware the most popular D90 kit with the 18-105mm lens. Some of those lens's have an issue with auto focus, once zoomed out right when the auto focus locks it may shift about 1px up and to the right. I don't think this is wide spread but you may want to investigate if you go with that kit.
Having the Canon EOS 20D, I currently have two lens sets: An EFS 18-55 for close shots, (does OK, I won't complain) and a 75-300 for some awesome zoom shots. Best bet, IMHO, look at the controls on the body of any camera you're thinking of, and find what feels comfortable to YOU. The lenses can be gotten later along with a new body once you get more experience with DSLR's as a whole.
o.O
I'm a Canon Rebel T1i ( Canon 500D ) user. I've been very satisfied with the purchase. Long battery life, crisp images, nice response time etc. Overall for me getting this camera is a good thing. After around 2 years or a year i may switch to higher entry D-SLR since this one is an entry level.
If you want to know which camera is the best for you visit this site.
http://www.dpreview.com/
Just bought a Nikon D5000. Love it so far, the price is just right for the awesomeness you get, I'm no expert in DSLRs so i had a thread here in figure.fm just like this one, just a week ago what DSLR camera to get. Got a lot of advice and bought my Nikon. As a newbie, The Nikon is just a blast, having so much fun with it so far x]
Thank-you for all the replies. Spent the last hour and a half on dpreview.com taking a look at the different camera's and reviews.
I'll have to ask around to see if there are any local shops. The only other one I know of other than BestBuy is Blacks Photography, but looking online, their prices were the same as Best Buy's. Both are having sales right now, and surprisingly Best Buy is actually cheaper than Black's.
Unless it's from Amazon itself, and not user sellers, I'll be avoiding Amazon and eBay. I'd rather purchase the camera from a reputable store since it's a big purchase.
From taking in what you've all recommended and from what I've read on dpreview.com, it seems like it'll be the Canon 500D vs the Nikon D5000. Possibly the Canon 550D, though that is getting a bit expensive.
Some of you mentioned goals and use of the camera. My main goal once I get the camera will be to master it until I can no longer improve the quality without a better lens, without better specs, etc. So with this camera I'll be learning as much as I can about exposure, about lighting, etc. Once I'm satisfied I'll start looking into better lenses, etc. So I imagine it'll be quite some time before I venture into that category. Hence, I don't really want to cheap out on the camera now.
I'll be using the camera as a hobby, as I don't ever plan to do professional work or sell anything. Mainly for taking shots of my figures and when going on vacation taking nice photos. When I see some of your photos posted on this website, the quality of the shots really makes me want to learn. I one day dream of being able to shoot some quality photos, so this isn't just something I want to go through quickly.
Thanks again, and I look forward to more recommendations/opinions.
You may find that you want to get into different lenses rather than a better body sooner imho.
One word of advice: Get a daylight filter or something similar for your lens. My fiancee dropped my 18-200mm lens 2 feet when she was tidying, and if I didn't have a filter on it, the £500 lens would certainly have been toast. Instead, it was a £15 of glass that took the brunt of the fall. Also good if you plan to just pocket your camera lens, as a bad scratch can write off a lens, even with the modern coatings and stuff they apply to the 'business end'. It's far cheaper to just replace a filter. ;)
Consider getting a pre-owned/used camera. That way you can get a good camera for a lot less money. I did a quick search on ebay and saw that you can get a Nikon D200 in your price range with some money left over for a nice lens. Yah, I know you are avoiding ebay but let me try to convince you. Last year I got my current camera and lens from ebay (Nikon D80 + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8). They were both used so I was very nervous about purchasing them at first. However, both the camera and lens turned out to be great and cost a lot less than buying new equipment. It turns out a lot of reputable camera stores use ebay to sell their pre-owned items so it is worth taking a look.
Thanks for the advice, definitely getting protection would be worth it. I don't drop devices often, but when it happens, definitely want things to be protected.
I went to the shop on Tuesday, will be going back tomorrow and hopefully be coming home with the new camera. Felt both the D5000 and the 500D and they were both pretty similar. Was definitely liking the Nikon menus though. Everyone I spoke to was right, Nikon is more user friendly.