Looking for Camera Suggestions

2011-08-31 08:34:31

#1

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6701|Oklahoma City

Hey all,

I am in the market for a new camera...

I grew up on a 35mm Canon AE-1 Program and had about 12 different lenses for it by the time I went digital. My parents owned a photography studio and I bought this camera to use there. When they sold the studio, the people buying it had understood that the "all equipment included" also included that camera. I ended up letting it go, as I was a naive 18 year old at that point.

I played around with a lot of digital cameras, and could never really get one I was happy with. I actually ended up loving a non-SLR "Performance Camera" in the Canon S5IS. It wasn't the most awesome thing out there in quality, but it handled great and was very well rounded.

Last year, I bought a Nikon P100 in an emergency (The Canon broke, and I was going on vacation). I did some spelunking and climbing on vacation, and the Nikon put out AMAZING pictures. But... I broke it on this trip. Cave walls are not forgiving when you climb them with a camera poorly secured, plus the glass of the lens actually sticks out significantly further than the rest of the lens. It was under warranty, but they replaced it with a new one. I used it for several months and had some mixed results. Greens are amazing. Other colors extremely nice. Shots of landscapes are very good. Shots of kids though, just ok. Indoor shots, not very good. Low light shots, pathetic. My wife hates it, because you have to baby all the settings to get good pictures indoors. The view screen is not accurate (A picture that looks perfect on the view screen may be nearly solid black by the time you get it on the computer).

So here I am... I am unhappy with most of what I shoot right now, and want something balanced between:
Kids
Pets
Nature
Landscapes
Buildings
Macro
Low Light (I shoot a lot of local concerts)
Action/Sports
With an easy for the wife to use "Auto" type of setting would be nice... Otherwise I will buy her a little point and shoot.

The Rebel T3i was my dream camera and I was set to buy one early next year... But after a lot of research, a lot of people are complaining about the quality when shooting kids, indoors, and low light. Everything I look at, someone has one major complaint in one of my normal areas of shooting.

I am wanting to spend around $1000. This would have gotten me the T3i with an 18-55mm lens and either a 55mm-250mm OR a 75mm-300mm lens... (Will buy more lenses later).

But I wanted some opinions from some real people with real hands-on experience shooting a variety of different things. Any ideas/suggestions are appreciated.

2011-08-31 08:57:26

#2

13urnzz: Banned; +5,830|6489

the T3i is basically a 60D.

"a lot of people are complaining about the quality when shooting kids, indoors, and low light. Everything I look at, someone has one major complaint in one of my normal areas of shooting."

There is no single camera that will do everything right on Auto mode. for shooting kids, i'll assume it's an action shot. indoors, low light - you will have to open it up, and kit lenses are typically f/5.6 full open. Major complaints come from people who expect the camera to be smarter than they are, when today's camera can meter and autofocus better than anything before, you still have to know something about photography to help the camera out.

because as good as they are, cameras don't read minds yet.

2011-08-31 09:56:12

#3

Wallpaper: ☺; +303|5985|The pool

The T3i has a very nice sensor, even in terms of ISO and low light performance. The real difference in quality for low light will come from fast lenses like a 50mm 1.8. Basic landscapes should be fine with the kit lens, although it doesnt have a particularly wide FOV. For macro you can buy some cheap reversing rings for your kit lens and get tons of magnification.... You might also consider getting an older midrange model (like the 30D or 40D), as it will save you money for lenses and will give you more FPS for sports, and possibly a more solid AF system.

If you are looking online, every camera ever made will get bitched out by someone because they either A) dont know how to use it, or B) are pixel peeping too much.

My flickr

2011-08-31 11:31:51

#4

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6701|Oklahoma City

Wallpaper wrote:
If you are looking online, every camera ever made will get bitched out by someone because they either A) dont know how to use it, or B) are pixel peeping too much.

Or C) They are a fanboy of another brand...

I went up and played with a T3i on my lunch break. The auto setting did almost exactly as I would expect from a camera. Anything outside of that I was able to quickly and easily change a setting to compensate for.

I also played with the "equivalent Nikon" (I forgot what it was called). It shot slightly faster (4 vs 3.7 I think) but it auto focused much slower.

I also played with the Nikon D7000. It shot MUCH faster. (I think it was 8?). I think the color quality was slightly better on this camera. Shockingly, it auto focused slower that the T3i also though. I also think the controls on it were complicated and not intuitive to me. I am not saying they were bad or wrong, just saying they didn't seem to be set up logically.

I also played with the Canon EOS 7D. It was nice, 8 shots a second, but was $1,000 more than the T3i without offering much more than shooting speed. (Same processor, and CMOS sensors). I think the 3.7 would be plenty for what I need.

I think the T3i is back in the lead for me. I won't be able to buy for a month or so if all goes well, so I am still (and always) open to opinion and suggestions and would love to hear more from you. And thanks to those that have already commented.

2011-08-31 14:12:30

#5

Kimmmmmmmmmmmm: ©; +1,811|5988

the focus slow thing is a lens issue. si?

Last edited by Kimmmmmmmmmmmm (2011-08-31 14:12:54)

2011-08-31 19:13:23

#6

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6701|Oklahoma City

I don't know Kim... That is one of my main complaints with my P100 vs my old S5IS. Side by side back and forth between several cameras, and it was pretty consistent. I think the place had the kit lenses on all of them, but if so, the Canon kit lenses are much nicer than the Nikons... I didn't get to play with different lenses though, so that could be the issue.

2011-08-31 19:16:56

#7

Kimmmmmmmmmmmm: ©; +1,811|5988

apples to apples, yo. i prefer nikon.

2011-08-31 21:02:10

#8

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6701|Oklahoma City

I still think the Nikons have better color quality. Particularly with nature greens. But I'm not smart enough to use a Nikon... Lol

2011-09-01 01:10:08

#9

Wallpaper: ☺; +303|5985|The pool

You really cant go wrong with either brand; they both have their own strong-suits. I only use Canon because of the options they offer for macro that no other company has (like the MPE 65 lens, for example) that I would like to get in the future. Canon is also a little cheaper for basic setups, but in the end once you build up a nice kit both Nikon and Canon will end up costing you about the same.

My flickr

2011-09-01 02:35:40

#10

Dilbert_X: The X stands for; +1,810|6097|eXtreme to the maX

Just remember, its the lens which produces the picture.
Pick the lens system, good availability of quality second-hand lenses etc.

Nikon used to be good as they were backwards compatible for decades - you could pick up pro lenses for the price of new amateur lenses, not sure where they are now.

Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй!

2011-09-01 07:46:00

#11

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6701|Oklahoma City

Most of my issue is familiarity, I think. I have shot a Nikon for about 18 months now, and if I want to change to some more complex settings, I have to think about it and hunt around a little. I picked up the Canon in the store and was able to adjust everything exactly how I wanted, very quickly, after not using one in almost 2 years.

But like I said, my LIMITED KNOWLEDGE O-P-I-N-I-O-N:

Nikon Pros: Slightly faster shooting, slightly better colors, Seems better for nature shooting, Most of my friends shoot Nikon, and frequently swap lenses back and forth.
Canon Pros: Slightly cheaper, Slightly faster autofocus, Easier for me to use, Seems slightly more well-rounded

The biggest selling point for Nikon, for me is this scenario:
Three of us at an air show. One friend tells the other "Hey, gimme your fish eye lens for a minute, I want to try something..." The other friend pulls out his Nikon fish eye lens and hands it to him. They talk in advance about what they are going to buy and they try to always buy different lenses, so they have a bigger overall pool. Meanwhile, I sit there with my 2 Canon lenses and have no extra options until I buy more lenses.

2011-09-01 08:03:27

#12

Kimmmmmmmmmmmm: ©; +1,811|5988

i say stick to what you know. don't be mean to yourself! just do canon. boom.

can you use a nikon lens on a canon body?

2011-09-01 08:10:44

#13

13urnzz: Banned; +5,830|6489

Kimmmmmmmmmmmm wrote:
i say stick to what you know. don't be mean to yourself! just do canon. boom.

can you use a nikon lens on a canon body?

i'd rather be able to use Canon lenses on a nikon. L series glass is pretty awesome.

2011-09-01 08:14:46

#14

Kimmmmmmmmmmmm: ©; +1,811|5988

i ask becuase"The biggest selling point for Nikon, for me is this scenario:
Three of us at an air show. One friend tells the other "Hey, gimme your fish eye lens for a minute, I want to try something..." The other friend pulls out his Nikon fish eye lens and hands it to him. They talk in advance about what they are going to buy and they try to always buy different lenses, so they have a bigger overall pool. Meanwhile, I sit there with my 2 Canon lenses and have no extra options until I buy more lenses."

borrow their lenses

Last edited by Kimmmmmmmmmmmm (2011-09-01 08:15:20)

2011-09-01 08:16:25

#15

13urnzz: Banned; +5,830|6489

http://www.borrowlenses.com/

2011-09-01 08:26:01

#16

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6701|Oklahoma City

I honestly don't know what is compatible with what. Talking to them, it is like a little Nikult. I think I have to sacrifice a photo of a goat once a week just to stay in the club.

Interesting site 13urnzz... Gives me some ideas on what to look forward to.

2011-09-01 08:29:19

#17

13urnzz: Banned; +5,830|6489

i've used them before, rented 100-400mm, 70-200mm and others, to give me an idea of where i wanted to go. i bought a 17-40mm after trying it out.

2011-09-01 08:32:51

#18

Kimmmmmmmmmmmm: ©; +1,811|5988

ok i googled

Are canon lenses compatible with Nikon camera body and vise versa ...
answers.yahoo.com › ... › Consumer Electronics › Cameras - Cached
7 answers - Apr 27, 2007
Top answer: No. There are adapters that you can buy, but the Canon lens mount is different to the Nikon mount.

burns, i need to try that site.

2011-09-01 08:45:25

#19

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6701|Oklahoma City

borrowlenses wrote:
Note: This lens is only compatible with the 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 60D, 7D and Digital Rebel series digital cameras. It is not compatible with the 1D or 5D series digital cameras nor 35mm film cameras.

So I figured if they were not even compatible with themselves, they probably weren't with other brands...

Like Dilbert was saying, I used to hear a lot about how Nikon was backward compatible and that was a really big deal...

2011-09-01 09:14:16

#20

13urnzz: Banned; +5,830|6489

the difference is the sensor. most of those cameras have an 'APS-C' or cropped to 1.6 sensor, the 5d and 1d have full-frame (35mm equivalent) sensors.
nikon lenses will mount on both full frame and crop sensors, what changes are the effective focal points. a 10-20mm lens on a crop becomes effectively a 16-32mm lens, comparably.

this was the issue i faced with my last camera body upgrade - i bought a Canon 7D because i had no EF lenses compatible with a 5D. today i have a few.
in my opinion, Canon bodies track motion better (it's why you see alot of white lenses at sporting events) and their L series glass is better. nikon lenses are compatible through the camera line, and you will find more nikons in studios, doing portrait work.

i won't knock nikon, and would love to own a D700. my first dslr was a digital rebel (300D) and as i got into it, stayed with Canon.

you should consider 50%-40%-10% if you are just starting out. 50% of your budget for a lense, 40% for a body, and 10% for supplies (CF card, extra battery, filter(s), camera bag.

2011-09-01 09:55:32

#21

Wallpaper: ☺; +303|5985|The pool

Only problem with low end Nikons (eg. D3100, D40, etc) is that they only work with a specific set of lenses. The older/pro lenses like their AF line (I think thats the name) wont autofocus on the low end bodies.

My flickr

2011-09-01 11:23:35

#22

HITNRUNXX: Member; +220|6701|Oklahoma City

13urnzz wrote:
you should consider 50%-40%-10% if you are just starting out. 50% of your budget for a lense, 40% for a body, and 10% for supplies (CF card, extra battery, filter(s), camera bag.

I like that... I am putting a bigger % on the body right now, but I am still getting a couple lenses with it, and figure I can add to my lens collection later in less expensive chunks (It is much easier for me to come up with $250 here and $300 there as opposed to $1,000 all at once). I also have a lot of the other gear built up, but figure I will be investing a lot into new stuff within the first few months of owning the camera.

2011-09-01 21:51:47

#23

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6592|132 and Bush

Kimmmmmmmmmmmm wrote:
apples to apples, yo. i prefer nikon.

Except when it comes to anything other than dlsr's... just throwing that in.
Otherwise they are pretty evenly matched.

My buddy shoots a Rebel T3i and he's happy with it. Just remember how much the glass comes in to play in those situation mentioned in the op.

If the t3i is in your budget I recommend it for anything sub 1k.

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2011-09-01 21:54:30

#24

Kmar: Truth is my Bitch; +5,695|6592|132 and Bush

13urnzz wrote:
http://www.borrowlenses.com/

They actually have an interesting facebook page that they update. One of the few business worth following on fb
https://www.facebook.com/borrowlenses

Xbone Stormsurgezz

2011-09-01 22:10:08

#25

lenses have been around for a long time.. you could go get some unknown shit brand and make wonderful sharp* photos. you prolly jus need to increase shutter speed. the 18-55 lens you mentioned at thread start looks like a good range for lens #1

Last edited by Kimmmmmmmmmmmm (2011-09-01 22:10:29)

BF2S Forums Looking for Camera Suggestions

Wallpaper wrote:

Kimmmmmmmmmmmm wrote:

borrowlenses wrote:

13urnzz wrote:

Kimmmmmmmmmmmm wrote:

13urnzz wrote:

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