Camera Help

[TMA-1]

I run a Canon 50D here, and would be just as happy with a 60D. Canon's middle tier line sits between the Ti consumer series and the single digit (5D, 6D) professional models. They have decent durability, and have enough heft to feel like a real camera (with the stability that comes from a solid size and weight), a set of controls that makes both automatic and manual use accessible and easy to adjust. And the price will leave you plenty of room in your budget to accessorize.

This last fact is vitally important for the reason others have already given - spend the money on good glass! A Ti3 and an L lens gives much more potential than a more expensive body and a stock 18-55 zoom. I don't run very high quality lenses (yet), and it shows in some of my images. The cheaper lenses lack the aperture for low light or indoor situations, which means I have to crack out the flash more often. (And by the way, get a good shoe flash - don't rely on the built-in pop up unless you have no other choice). Outdoors in good light, a larger aperture gives you more flexibility for depth of field effects, and faster shutter speeds for action shots. For many amateurs, the value of a wide aperture isn't stressed nearly enough.

Major agreement on getting the 50mm 1.8 lens. At around $90-100, it's a bargain! it takes great indoor shots and portraits. Just be willing to stay mobile to compensate for the lack of zoom.

 

[Perplexed]

Just be willing to stay mobile to compensate for the lack of zoom.

 

[BlackRifle]

Personally,I would stay away from Sony.Nothing but problems for me.Then i got a Nikon P100.26xzoom,1080p video.No problems at all.Instructions very easy to understand.

 

[71buickfreak]

When it comes to light, I find the 5Dm3 and the 6D are friggin' incredible in the upper ISOs. In my shop, I run my 5D3 up to 16000 (yes, 3 zeros!) and still get magazine quality shots without noise. It is damn impressive. My T1i can't go above 1600 without getting noisy. I hate running a flash, I only use a flash when I absolutely have to. Car parts don't cooperate with flashes, no matter how you set them up. External lights don't work well for me either, as it is tough to get an umbrella under a dash...

For the money, starting out, I would probably buy a used 60D and some L glass. If you have $2600, you get a new 6D kit with the 24-105 L lens, which is on my camera right now. Other major difference between the rebel and pro series- weight. The rebels and crop lenses are lighter, so it is easy to carry around. My 5D3 with the 24-105 weighs about 5 pounds, my 70-200 telephoto weighs 5 pounds by itself.

If you are not going to be making money with it or you a serious photog hobbyist, I say start with something like a 60D and a nice general use lens. Get used to it and then step up when you outgrow that camera. The most important piece of photography equipment is the 6 inches behind the viewfinder (that's you brain for the slow ones). A good photographer can make a cheap camera look great, but a great camera won't elevate your skill, in fact, it makes it look worse. For the 5d/6d bodies, I actually don't like the auto features. I run mine full manual, but if I need to hand it to the wife or one of my techs to grab a shot, it always focuses on the wrong thing because you can't control the autofocus in full auto mode. The rebel series are much better in the regard, as most of them are kept in auto mode. I suggest running your camera in auto for real photos and switch to manual for learning and practice until you get the hang of it. No sense blowing the one shot to get your kid's first smile because you had the wrong shutter speed. Both series of cameras do video. In fact, the 5D/6D are being used in major film production all over the world, they are that good.

Another note, the 5D/6D series DO NOT have a built in flash at all, so you have to have an external if you want to use one. I have a Canon 430Ex, but I like I said, I rarely use it, but it's better have and not need than to need and not have.

You can learn a lot more at DPreview.com for gear reviews and http://photography-on-the.net/ I buy a lot of used gear off that forum, it is an excellent resource. Plus, you can find hacks for the camera software. I took my original 10D (about 8 years ago), ran some hacked software off that site and opened it up to do so much more. Canon tends to dumb down their new cameras by locking the software. These guys go in, unlock the features and it makes them capable of features from the next one or 2 cameras in the lineup. Just a thought. I usually only do that after the warranty is up.

 

[TerryMiller]

The link Nightshade gave you is a good link. With respect to the camera, a lot depends on how large of a camera you want to carry around. With that in mind, and especially with kids, you may want something small, just in case you need to be carrying a child as well. Go to the link mentioned on the second page (post number 26, I think) where I speak of optical zoom being a better deal than digital zoom. Also, look for any mention of what the shutter reaction time of the camera is, because there is nothing so aggravating as going to take a picture of a child and they already be out of the picture before the shutter reacts to the push of the shutter button.

That is part of the reason I went with my camera below. That camera is capable of 6 shots per second, but for many folks, that would be overkill.

If you go with SLR (Single Lens Reflex), you can't go too wrong with either Canon or Nikon. I prefer the Nikon myself.

Good luck with your research and purchase.