Photographers I need your help buying a camera!

My fiance has in charged me with buying a good camera, around $500 dollars. Not to big, not to small. What would be a good choice? Cameras and taking pictures in general just are not my thing, and I am tired of researching. Photography is a world as diverse as the brewing world. If you have the patience to brew, and you like photography then I have no one to ask but a brewer!

What would you get with that budget?

I got my fiancee one of these not too long ago. Not a bad starting point for cameras to look at. I like Canon's products more than Nikon's as a whole.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CBKJGG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Get Canon Eos rebel. Comes with a 18-55 mm lens which will cover most situations for general picture taking. If you want to a Zoom at some point you can easily pick up a longer lens later.

In auto mode it takes good pictures with the push of the button. On mine the settings are pretty self explanatory, (from memory) a guy running for action, Mountain for landscape, person for portraits, and a flower for closeups and a green box for everything. The camera makes all adjustments and takes a good picture. Your wife wont carry it in a purse, but I'm sure she has a cell phone camera, for that.

Between Canon and Nikon its really what brand you started with, as the accessories are not interchangeable brand to brand but are from older canon to newer canon. When you get into high end cameras there are some differences.

FYI I have the first Digital Rebel that came out about 10 years ago. I have taken probably 15K photos. It has never failed me in 10 or so years. I backpackes thru europe with it, left it out at partys for my friends to use etc. Never a glitch.


A 10 Megapixel camera will give you prints Good 20" x 30" Better 17" x 22" Best 11" x 14

Looking for a DSLR or a point and shoot? Both have advantages and disadvantages. I'm a Nikon fanatic, and have been for years. I'm not a big fan of Nikon's lower end DSLR's however. Canon makes a much better DSLR at the price point that you're looking at. Canon also makes slightly better point and shoot cameras.

Take a look at my friend's website. Ken Rockwell.com. This is a link to his "recommended camera" page. Take some time to familiarize yourself with what's out there and then you can make an informed decision. You'll be glad you did. Ken has so much info that can help you as you get into photography.

Thank you so much guys, you have really demystified a lot of noob questions.

We are liking both of those, the EOS we are leaning to more. Where would be a good place to buy it. Online no doubt?

+1 on Canon EOS

Just guessing Amazon will probably be your best bet. They had some under your price point. and had some packages as well, that were slightly over. The online camera retailers are andromana, B&H, and calumet, but they are going to cater higher end pro grade stuff. I would check best buy, amazon, ebay if you want to go that route.

Starting out some extras I would buy are a extra battery, case, and a extra chip or two. Battery life is good, but you can't always find a place to charge up when you need to. I have a couple ebay batterys and chargers, they work great for the price, vs a Canon name brand battery and charger. I stick with Canon lenses, but as for accessories most of mine are not canon brand.

Note if it says Body only there is no lens with it. As I said lens's are somewhat interchangeable among canon cameras so for me I would just buy a body since I already have a selection of lenses.

Set an e-mail alert on slickdeals.net for a few camera brands.

When a great deal happens on a major site like Amazon it usually gets posted on there pretty fast.

GodsStepBrother said:

Thank you so much guys, you have really demystified a lot of noob questions.

We are liking both of those, the EOS we are leaning to more. Where would be a good place to buy it. Online no doubt?

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I get all my gear from either Amazon or Adorama Camera in NYC. Amazon is almost impossible to beat for price, and their customer service is awesome, but you won't be able to get any technical support from Amazon if you need it. Adorama on the other hand, is second to none with technical expertise and their customer service is on par with amazon. Adorama also has a great trade in program for when you're ready to trade up to higher end equipment. They've always paid me top dollar for my used equipment.

IMO if your not going to be messing with settings or take a class dont get a DSLR i did it was way more advanced than i needed ... get a good point and shoot like that new one ashton kutcher has a commercial for .........

no sence getting a dslr and shooting on auto IMO

I've used BH photo to purchase gear.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

There was only one kit under $500. Remember, in a digital camera body, it's the sensor that does all the heavy lifting. You won't get a full sensor in an entry level camera, but the entry level DSLRs are still a bunch better than a p/s.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/753766-REG/Canon_5757B002_EOS_Rebel_T3_Digital.html

If you bump your price a bit, you have a few more options:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Price_$500+to+$749.99&ci=6222&N=4288586280+4293918093

I have the T3i w/this lens:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/758979-REG/Canon_5169B005_EOS_Rebel_T3i_Digital.html

I've found that there are times when the lens is too slow for certain situations. In Ohio in the winter, the lighting is very poor. With kit lenses, the camera has limited options for shooting quality pics. For these situations, I'm going to purchase a "nifty fifty" lens.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12140-GREY/Canon_2515A003_50mm_f_1_4_USM_Autofocus.html

It has a larger aperture for lower light situations.

There's a lower cost alternative in the "thrifty fifty"

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/12142-GREY/Canon_2514A002_Normal_EF_50mm_f_1_8.html

Slightly smaller opening but for the cost, it seems like a no brainer if you're on a budget.

good luck with your choice.

For what it's worth...I have had great luck with the Panasonic Lumix line.

Leicia Lenses
Image Stabilization
Variety of Choices
Ease of Use

I currently have a DMC-LX2 with 10 megapixel Point and Shoot with Wide Angle Lens and ability to do auto or manual settings. Does everything I need in a compact form factor.

Fuji finepix. I wish I could put their sensor in my Canon. Beautiful color reproduction. Best I've ever seen.

davis119 said:

IMO if your not going to be messing with settings or take a class dont get a DSLR

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My Sams Club has a 3 book series on using DSLR Camera, I believe they use the Canon EOS thru the series for demonstration. I believe the books are $4.99 each, I flipped thru them once while SWMBO looked at clothes and they do a great job explaining various settings, terms, etc. in beginner terms.

FTR I shoot bunches of pics on the automatic action setting, because the camera can compute a setting much faster than I can, and I can edit in post processing (aka photoshop)

Yeah I think the Canon EOS is what we are going to shoot for. Once we got the camera I do not mind learning everything about it.

Thanks again to all of you!

with the Canon T4i coming out soon, expect some price drops on T3i soon, I've seen it for $600 with lens a couple times in the past month...

The regular T3 is eBay's deal of the day for $390

I suggest the new Canon 5D Mark III.


Here's everything you need to know about digital cameras.
http://www.dpreview.com/

passedpawn said:

I suggest the new Canon 5D Mark III.


Here's everything you need to know about digital cameras.
http://www.dpreview.com/

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I'm sure that the 5D Mark III will be an awesome camera, but a $3500 (body only) pro grade dslr for someone who is asking for camera advice on a homebrew forum is just a bit of a stretch, LOL!

Having said that, I've got a new Nikon D800 on pre-order! Can't wait to get my hands on it!

I still miss my mamiya rb67 and my 4x5 cameras from a time gone by. Today, I'd go with a nikon d series or cannon dslr, plenty of room for growth in both.

johnsma22 said:

I'm sure that the 5D Mark III will be an awesome camera, but a $3500 (body only) pro grade dslr for someone who is asking for camera advice on a homebrew forum is just a bit of a stretch, LOL!

Having said that, I've got a new Nikon D800 on pre-order! Can't wait to get my hands on it!

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Yea, I know, I was just messing. A buddy of mine is buying one and rubbing it in right now. I'm very jealous.

But that site I listed is THE site for reviews of digital cameras. I would hope anyone considering a new camera would use it as a reference.

Cheers!

LabRatBrewer said:

I still miss my mamiya rb67 and my 4x5 cameras from a time gone by. Today, I'd go with a nikon d series or cannon dslr, plenty of room for growth in both.

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I would still use my 645 occasionally if I could find a place to have it developed

Airplanedoc said:

I would still use my 645 occasionally if I could find a place to have it developed

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It's getting more difficult all the time. Kodachrome gone, E6 slides almost gone,
and c-41 (normal 35mm film) is even getting hard to process. I realize I'm just old but digital feels like cheating. You need the acid to burn your stomach for a week before you see if your about to be fired for missing the shot to really love a great photo. Or not. Maybe the "it does cost anything to hold the button down" approach is better. Wow, where my brew, i'm way too bitter.

Check www.dpreview.com, the best site for camera and lens reviews.

I just sold my Canon Xsi, now looking for a camera that also takes video, a great new combination made available in the last few years at a higher quality
Level. Another recent develment is the micro 4/3 camera and the new Sony line of full-size sensor models in a much smaller body.

If you are looking for a compact, portable and high quality overall option, go for the Sony NEX 3, 5, or 7. They have a full size sensor (same as a DSLR) and have great video capabilities. If you want a full size DSLR, good luck picking the best... I have been researching the same question for the last few days. The Canon T3i comes from dependable heritage, but appears to be falling behind both Sony and Nikon in terms of taking video. Additionally, both Sony and Nikon rate higher for for image quality and low-light (high iso) quality.

I am going for the Nikon D5100, but because I am upgrading for video... If I wanted a really, really nice camera at a great price, I would have bought my own Canon XSI on Ebay for $250.00

Unless you're really into tweaking settings, using a true macro lens, or want a super-long telephoto, I'd seriously bypass the DSLR right now. The new rangefinder cameras take awesome pictures, are easy to use, and are much, much smaller and lighter. The Nikon J1 is a little out of your range at $600, but the Sony alpha is right there.

Call it my old-school preference, but I've had a Sony Cyber-Shot for 6 years and it's been a beast of a digi-camera. I should note that mine has the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens, so that might have something to do with it...

Point and shoot: Panasonic DMC-FZ150
DSLR: Canon t2i though with the kit lens it's a hundred or so over budget.

Sensor size matters

FYI, while optics can have a big effect on your pictures, if you buy a body you should get as large of a sensor as you can afford. The 5D3 I posted above has a big one- it's "Full Frame".

Didn't want to get into it too much, to keep from overwhelming the OP, but sensor size is only one factor. A larger sensor size essentially gets you the ability to take photos in lower light with less noise, and that's it. More pixels lets you make bigger prints and have them stay sharp. A better lens will make your pictures sharp, and sharpness is what separates the pros from the rest.

Couldn't wait to order the camera so we went and got the bundle at best buy. We got the Canon Rebel EOS T3. It came with the padded case, an 8GB San Disk Ultra card and HDMI cables. All together it came out 560 or so. Check out what we did after it was out of the box! So cheesy, this is Sir Collin and Lady Ludwig.



Look at that neck Ludwig is sporting!

Thanks again guys

Looks good, I think over the long haul you will really be happy with that camera. Below is a link to one of those books I mentioned. Evidently there are at least 4 in the series, and if you can check Sams Club, Mine has them about 5 bucks cheaper, and you can browse thru them first.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321773020/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_g14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=19A12CPJ6YEV3XXANKGT&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

GodsStepBrother said:

Couldn't wait to order the camera so we went and got the bundle at best buy. We got the Canon Rebel EOS T3. It came with the padded case, an 8GB San Disk Ultra card and HDMI cables. All together it came out 560 or so.

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Did you make sure to pick up the filing documents that Best Buy puts out for starting the pro wedding photography business?

GodsStepBrother said:

Couldn't wait to order the camera so we went and got the bundle at best buy. We got the Canon Rebel EOS T3. It came with the padded case, an 8GB San Disk Ultra card and HDMI cables. All together it came out 560 or so. Check out what we did after it was out of the box! So cheesy, this is Sir Collin and Lady Ludwig.

...

Look at that neck Ludwig is sporting!

Thanks again guys

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The T3 looks like a great camera. I'd probably splurge and get the T3i since it has better video resolution, but then for $500 clams I would have a very hard time passing up the deal you got at BB. Great job.

Gah, missed posting before you purchased. Looks like a nice rig!

I was going to add, if you were after a point and shoot, we like our Lumix. Waterproof, cool color, shoots 1080i video. As for DSLR, I shoot a low-end Nikon and will stick with that brand- because it's what I started on and am familiar with. Like cars, canoes, and brew kettles, all the major brands are pretty much equal.

Nice shots, by the way. Kyle