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jbuyske
1
Nov 5, 2016
@climbrocks I appreciated your honest review of the camera and lenses here. I am a very novice photographer looking to purchase his first DSLR and am going to take some online photography classes. Packages like these are appealing to me because you get a lot of bang for your buck. Obviously, Canon is a name synonymous with photography so I'm drawn to them. Would you have any recommendations of a good starting point for someone in my position who is just starting out? Things like brand, camera type, what is too much to spend initially, which lenses do I really need at first, etc? I would appreciate some direction. Thanks!
climbrocks
124
Nov 6, 2016
jbuyske@jbuyske Great to hear that you're taking up photography. Getting a package makes sense, for sure. The Canon T5i is a decent starter camera, I simply advocate getting the right lenses. I searched on Amazon for "Canon T5i bundle 55-250" and the top result was one for $735, one that included the following, in addition to the camera: --Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens (Note: this is important. You want the STM version, which is the latest kit lens, not the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens, which some bundles include. I'm not going to go into the details, but the STM versions are superior, mainly for video.) --Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM Lens Telephoto Zoom Lens (a far superior zoom to the one offered in this drop by MD) --essentially everything else included in MD's drop (Wide Angle & Telephoto "lenses," which are actually filters that screw onto the end of the lenses and which will be fun to play with but are not actually "lenses" by themselves), Filters to protect the lenses, 32 Gigabyte SDHC Memory Card, USB Memory Card Reader, Memory Card Case, extra Battery, camera Bag, Remote Control, 60-Inch Tripod, HDMI Cable, Lens Cleaning Kit, LCD Screen Protectors (I deleted a bunch of the nonsense (none of this is "pro" grade stuff, but whatever)). That's a great kit. I don't know who or what HeroFiber (the seller via Amazon) is, but the Ritz Camera deal is essentially the same (I think Ritz went bankrupt/out of business but someone bought the name). Focus Camera is another one, renowned for splitting up lens bundles and selling the cameras and lenses separately; I bought my Canon 5D Mark III from them on Black Friday 3 years ago for $2500 and it's still going strong. My point simply is do your own homework, and I'm not endorsing any of these sellers! But, again, that's a fine kit. You want to double and triple check to see that you're getting the STM versions of the two lenses. This will give you a 135mm equivalent lens range of about 28mm to 400mm, all of it image stabilized, all of it relatively lightweight and capable of rendering very good photos. (28mm is a wide angle; the human eye sees things at around 43mm; 400mm is a very long range zoom lens; all of these numbers arrived at by multiplying 1.6 times the focal distance above.... OK, I'm not going into that any further.)
Would I spend another $150 to get the T6i? For wifi connectivity, better video, slightly higher resolution and slightly better exposure compensation (with every iteration the camera companies come out with, all of the above generally improve), yes, I might. The T6i has more focal points, which I like to see. Note the "i" versions signify a fully articulating screen; the T5 and T6 are cheaper without that screen; no pro cameras have that screen... It's a matter of what you want, what you're going to shoot. I'd say if you hope to shoot a bunch of video, low angle macro shots, or anything that requires a tripod, get the "i" version.
Finally, what lens to get IN ADDITION to the above? The other lenses MD has available! The Canon EF 50 f/1.8 STM is a great starter lens to show you what is possible with a faster, wider aperture (the "f/1.8" of the name). It can shoot in darker situations, but (1) is not a zoom, and (2) won't be a 50mm on the Canon T5i--it will be an 80mm, which is perfect for portraits but too "close" to use as a walk-around lens. But for 110 bucks you cannot go wrong with this lens. I'm sure you can even find a bundle on Amazon with it, or even contact the sellers and get them to put a bundle together for you.
Once you have all of the above, and have shot 10,000 photos and know you're ready for an upgrade, let me know and I'll tell you how to spend your next $1,000, $2,000, $5,000, etc....... But seriously, if you have specific questions, let me know.
Cheers.
climbrocks
124
Nov 6, 2016
jbuyskeJust re-read your post. Here's a short but very specific reply. Brand: Canon (Nikon also good, but I find Canon's user interface to be superior; Olympus makes great cameras and lenses, and I love their OM-D series, tho the user interface can be baffling); $750 is about the best you're going to do in the "bang for buck" category. Anything less, you're missing out on the benefits of the bundle (all the extra stuff is crap, but useful crap, and stuff you'd end up spending $50-$75 more for otherwise); you NEED the kit lens, which is a "walk-around" lens (something you will use to shoot 85-90% of your photos), but a decent zoom is also nice (NOT the zoom included in this drop, which is garbage); once you understand depth of field, you'll want to get a "nifty-50" with a wider aperture. A bag, a tripod, an extra battery, filters card cleaning kit, all of that is great. But you can't go wrong with the above line-up.
jbuyske
1
Nov 6, 2016
climbrocksThank you for the detailed response. I have to admit that a lot of that is over my head at this point but will hopefully make sense soon. I was reading an article about the best starter cameras and it seems there's a lot of folks who really like the Nikon D3300. I don't foresee myself doing a lot of video (I'm not going to be vlogging or anything) so this camera is pretty appealing to me. There are also package deals for this unit on Amazon as well. I also read an article on wirecutter.com about the most affordable and best lenses to replace the kit lens on this camera. (Here: http://m.thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-first-nikon-lenses-you-should-buy/). Would you still choose the T5i/T6i over this one?
climbrocks
124
Nov 6, 2016
jbuyske@jbuyske I honestly know very little about Nikons except that their higher end lenses tend to be more expensive than Canon's. I'm a Canon shooter, have been for more than 20 years (my first real camera, picked up in Hong Kong in 1995, was a Canon EOS 100 that I dragged and dropped and somehow couldn't destroy over many 1000's of photos), and happy with the results. I can't say much about Nikons, though people seem to be happy with them.
If you're going to quote thewirecutter.com, however, I'm going to point out thiter.com/reviews/best-mirrorless-camera-under-1000/ As I mentioned in my original post and above, I have the Olympus OM-D EM-http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-mirrorless-camera-under-1000/
climbrocks
124
Nov 6, 2016
jbuyskeSomething got screwy there so I just hit submit. As I was saying, I have the Olympus OMD-EM10 and the EM5 II, and LOVE them.
I wouldn't actually get a bigger DSLR! Why bother? It's bigger, heavier, and the image stabilization is in the lenses, not the body! Additional lenses for the OMD's (micro four thirds lenses) are excellent and in abundant supply--and are cheaper. Are you going to print billboards? Well, no, you're not, so you don't need a full frame sensor. But the micro four thirds cameras are shooting way better than the top of the line DSLR's from a decade ago. Anyhow, I'd say forget the D3300 or the T5i and get the OMD EM-10 II!!! Get it in all black, with black lenses. You can pick up other great lenses on Craigslist. Check this out, scroll down, and see what conclusion they come to for much of the possibilities (get a mirrorless camera like the OMD!).
dylmye
0
Nov 6, 2016
jbuyskeHey there, I started photography 2 years ago so I'm quite an amateur too, however I started with that camera's previous iteration (D3200). I got it for super cheap on Black Friday, with an 18-55mm lens kit and a free camera bag. Based off my experience of the D3200, I'd totally reccomend it for a first DSLR. The interface is easy to use and the photos have been marvelous. I agree with most of this review: http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3200.htm . Check out Ken's review of the D3300 here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d3300.htm
jbuyske
1
Nov 6, 2016
dylmyeThanks for the references. I'll check them out.
jbuyske
1
Nov 6, 2016
climbrocksI will check out that article and defini look into the Olympus cameras. Thanks!
MichaelYT
0
Nov 23, 2016
climbrocksHey I'm looking for good cameras because I'm a YouTuber. Can I get a camera for $100. I'm not in my teens yet so ya.
dylmye
0
Nov 26, 2016
MichaelYTYou wouldn't be able to get a good new camera. Check out these: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000O19JF2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000DZDTKU/
climbrocks
124
Nov 28, 2016
MichaelYT@MichaelYT If you're looking to do YouTubing, I'd say look for a good used Canon G10 or G12 on ebay or Craigslist. If you buy anything used through Amazon or a store and not directly from a person, you will pay more. $100 is kind of tough to get decent (or any) video with actual controls, but that's one place to start. Alternatively, get one of the hundreds of GoPro knockoffs available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Vikeepro-Waterproof-Ultra-Wide-Batteries-Accessories/dp/B01HI8RT0U/). You can zoom in with these for them to work more like a regular camera. You won't have much control over the camera, but the video can be great. Good luck.
johnsdc
6
Dec 5, 2016
climbrocks24mm 2.8 "Pancake" is also a great option at around $130 (on sale)-$170. I have the Canon T5i and the 50mm 1.8 and I can tell you its not a "beginners" lens with this camera. Focusing with the 50mm at lower f-stops is really difficult if you don't know some basic tips and tricks on fooling your camera to get the right focus plane. Also without live magnification manual focus is near impossible (for me).