Railfan Technology > Buying a camera...options/suggestions

I'm looking to purchase my own DSLR for photography. Was borrowing a buddy's Nikon D3100 for a while, which did great (and took some pretty good shots) but I'm looking to buy one for myself (so I don't have to constantly borrow it)...most all of my friends are Canon people and recommend Canon. Been looking for a good deal on B&H, and have seen a couple combos with the EOS Rebel SL1, T3i, and T5i. Any other options I should look at? I don't want to spend way too much more, but I'd rather pay a little more for a slightly better body, as I have a friend who would let me use his lens.

(And if allowed, this does open up messages for those looking to sell their cameras)

Mike

If you decide to get Canon, call Canon and get a refurb via the loyalty program. You have to call, They will also change sales tax. And to get the loyalty discount, you will need to send in a canon camera. doesnt need to work, a p/s from goodwill will do.

If it were me, I'd consider Nikon because of the lenses. Probably your most
important consideration is how does it fit in your hand, and how easily can
you use the controls.

John.

You might try visiting a good camera shop for expert advice. And then buy your camera there, vs. on-line. Costs slightly more but worth it. Or soon there might not BE any camera stores!

Ed

If you can, hang on for a couple more weeks and you're sure to find a potentially killer deal during the "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" sales after Thanksgiving.

My method was to shop around on the refurb pages of the well-known camera sites. They usually have a short return-if-broken grace period.

Read through the Ken Rockwell dot com pages pretty thoroughly, also DPReveiw and what ever other sites I could find, blogs, etc. Not so much what I wanted in a camera but what was available and knowing what it was going to do, or not do. Going from Manual film to everything Auto-digital was very awkward. Lots of knob twirling and menu punching until I found what I was comfortable with.

After reading other posts: Nikon D5000; body and long lens then went back for a wide angle when the new version came out.

I had hoped to experiment with my manual film-era lenses on a new digital body. It's not really practical, I really miss working with the depth of field adjustment as opposed to the Auto-focus taking care of it. I did bump up my ISO setting (now 400) which allows better results from the auto-everything.

Stablization is kinda cool, had to wait for it to mature though.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/14 17:32 by TCnR.

I have no experience with either Canon or Nikon. I went from Minolta to Sony due to the lens mount compatibility. I have been very satisfied with both of my Sony cameras (a700 & a99). I like having the image stabilization built into the camera body so that every lens that I put on is stabilized.

Old Bob out in Lost Wages

After 5 years with my Nikon D5100 taking still pics I am now re learning the same camera and taking Video's with it, kick myself in the butt for not doing it sooner !

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

I don't know if you have a Sams Club in your neighborhood but they have a Canon EOS Rebel 70D for $1299. That might be out of the range you are looking for. Normal price was $1649. Sale price goes to near the end of the month. It comes with an 18-55mm STM and a 55-250mm STM lens. Has the bag, 32MB memory card, a few other odds and ends. If you don't have a Sams near you I think you can order on line. The only thing I would prefer would be overlapping focal lengths on the lens... 18-85 with maybe 55-250mm for example. The camera has a 20.2MP sensor. They have a similar deal with the ESO T5i for $849.

It's sometimes hard to compare Sams prices with other vendors. Sams is big enough to order special packages with combinations that no one else has. You can't find the exact same package somewhere else with a lower price. You might get another vendor to package up something like it but not all in one box. I looked at B&H and couldn't find the same package. I was looking at a chopsaw package a few years ago and when I searched the internet for the number on the box, the only thing I could find was the reference to Sams. Other packages were similar but not the same.

John

I would look at Canon and Nikon camera only. Both cameras are good products, but depends on cost, what options you want on your camera, availability, full frame or non-full frame, etc. Also to Canon has better glass then Nikon, but Nikon lenses are not that far behind Canon with lenses in quality. Also I would look at Adorama as well or B&H for deals and expertise from both places. I know B&H their staff are very knowledgeable and they use cameras in general or just know their products they sell very well and will help you. I have used B&H many times and always excellent dealings with them. For good reviews of Canon and Nikon and other cameras go to www.steves-digicams.com, www.dpreview.com or www.kenrockwell.com. If have any other questions you might have on deciding new camera, lenses, other equipment you can respond to me and I will give any help I can give you. Hope this helps you.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/14 20:55 by MrTransportation.

Among gearheads, Ken Rockwell is considered a joke.

NormSchultze Wrote:
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> Among gearheads, Ken Rockwell is considered a
> joke.


Indeed! While SOME of his information is valuable he comes across as being fairly full of himself. dpreview.com is much more thorough and unbiased in their reviews.

As for the thread's topic, for my first serious foray into digital SLR's I purchased a second-hand Nikon D90 in MINT condition for $375 (three years ago now) on Kijiji and added a Nikon 40mm prime lens and Sigma 400mm zoom, also off Kijiji. So you might consider purchasing a used DSLR (from a dealer if you want a warranty and exchange policy) for a lower price and jump into a new (or full-frame) camera later on.

Other threads on this same subject included suggestions noted here as well as possibly renting a camera to get the feel of it.

Good luck!

NormSchultze Wrote:
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> Among gearheads, Ken Rockwell is considered a
> joke.


I can see how that could be said. But he's putting out there something to talk about and details to look for, some clean photos and examples. There's some links there with a little kick-back for him, so it's good for the price.

Any self-respecting gear-head is not going to point out all the little details and tricks to anybody that's not going to buy the next round, so once again it's good for the price of admission.

You get what you pay for, which is the monthly price of the DSL.

You could always rent a camera and see how it works for you. I have always used Canon products, but Nikon makes a good camera as well.

Ted

At this time, go Canon or Nikon for DSLR. They have the fullest lines of cameras, lenses and accessories plus the greatest 3rd part support. Go elsewhere only if you love being different.

Each of these two brands has pluses and minuses. And therefore, it's a wash as to which is "better."

While Canon has great image quality and ease of use, I find Nikon equally so. Furthermore I find Nikon is really able to get into a still shooter's way of thinking.

What is coming in the future is mirrorless. The issues are being worked on. The Fuji XT-1 is perhaps the best at this time. I do not like most electronic view finders for I find them slow and have a jumpy image. The APS-C Fuji XT-1 has a huge EVF with unique retro split-image focusing aid that is supposedly amazing. Fuji makes $70,000 video lenses so they know how to make quality still lenses as well.

The big advantage of mirrorless is how little the system is. By doing away with the flipping mirror, not only is the camera smaller but so are the lenses. Your bag will be about 2/3's the size and weight.

Dennis Livesey
New York, NY

I'd look at the Canon line of cameras. Why? When I was at the point where I wanted a good camera to tackle a small project, rather than call Canon, I wrote to them a 2 page letter with a list of questions and shockingly, they wrote back and gave the "pros & cons" to each question which helped me to make the decision. But it gets better. Because I have several Canon products, when I go to buy another Canon product like I've done in the past, whatever I'm set to buy is way less expensive due my loyalty to Canon.