What dslr should I buy?

rwiz12

Member
Basically I want some sort of starter type dslr, and from the research I've done so far I think I would either want the canon t3i, or nikon d3300, but I'm open to new suggestions. I also don't know how much of a price reduction there is for used cameras, but I think it's a good idea to buy used. Again input is more than welcome

1) What is your budget? How much money can you spend right away, and do you think you can get more money to invest in the future?

I want to keep it under $400, I will pay up to $450 though if it makes sense. I will be able to invest more money in the future, not exactly sure how much though. less than $200 I would assume.

2) What experience do you already have with cameras? Have you ever even used one before? Have you helped your friend out with his camera? Have you owned your own?

In terms of photography, I've taken the photo1 class (we worked with dslr) at my school so I know basic techniques (aperture, shutter speed, composition). I've used a mix of camera's, mainly my friends t5i and mom's canon powershot. In terms of film, I don't know as much. I've looked at tutorial videos and such online and experimented with both previously listed cameras. I want to learn more though.

3) What gear, if any, do you currently have? (tripod, old camera lenses, mics, etc)

A tripod, and many sd cards.

I want to get a mic and stabilizer.

4) What are you planning to shoot and how do you want to use your camera? Are you going to use this with the sole purpose of shooting skiing? or do you think you might try other stuff as well (movies, documentaries, short films, etc)

I will mainly use it for skiing, probably 50/50 filming and taking pictures. I will do other photography besides stop action, but all of my filming will most likely involve movement.

5) Do you want a camera that you can hand to your friends, that could or could not have film experience, and let them shoot you? or will you be doing all the filming?

It will most likely be only me.

6) When filming skiing, how do you tend to shoot? (follow cams, leave it on record on a tripod and hike, film from a tripod, etc)

I want to try to use both a tripod and stabilizer at some point.

7) What computer do you currently have/use to edit (if not currently editing, what would you most likely use)? If you can provide specifics, such as hard drive space, RAM, processor size, that would be great.

I right now have an hp envy m6, but am getting a better computer for college.

http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03489413

7) What program do you currently edit on? How familiar are you with it (1- just learning; 10- I can make tutorials and know the keyboard layout)

I know nothing about editing. I think I have cyberlink media suite or something like that on my computer? I'm decently well versed in computer science and technology in general, so I think I can figure it out. I also have friends who can edit. Suggestions for software are welcome.
 
the best move you can make in terms of your camera is invest in some really nice glass, and buy a body will do the job, and when you want to put more money into it, look for a higher end body.

 
13576836:Huck-e-Cheese said:
the best move you can make in terms of your camera is invest in some really nice glass, and buy a body will do the job, and when you want to put more money into it, look for a higher end body.


Fair enough. In that case, what body/glass combo would be best? Also, would this combo hurt film quality?
 
I mean, having good glass is important because things like chromatic aberration, distortion, and vignetting will happen, but obviously your body controls the frame rate and focus, so a body like the T2i would be great for your price range, which if you're lucky you can get for around $200 on eBay, and the glass really depends, if you are only going to buy one lens, i probably wouldn't suggest prime, maybe something like a canon 17-40 L glass, which goes for around 400 if you're lucky, but the thing is, the body drops in price every year, but the lens keeps its value, not that you would want to sell it, that is something you could keep your entire photography career.

TL;DR: T2i, Canon 17-40 F4/L
 
13576895:Huck-e-Cheese said:
I mean, having good glass is important because things like chromatic aberration, distortion, and vignetting will happen, but obviously your body controls the frame rate and focus, so a body like the T2i would be great for your price range, which if you're lucky you can get for around $200 on eBay, and the glass really depends, if you are only going to buy one lens, i probably wouldn't suggest prime, maybe something like a canon 17-40 L glass, which goes for around 400 if you're lucky, but the thing is, the body drops in price every year, but the lens keeps its value, not that you would want to sell it, that is something you could keep your entire photography career.

TL;DR: T2i, Canon 17-40 F4/L

Ok sounds like a good idea. My next question is why the t2i over a d3100, d3200, or d3300? I get that you could probably find it for slightly cheaper, but from what I've read the nikon seems like a better body. Are nikon lenses worse or am I wrong about the body?
 
You are talking to a canon guy, i have owned around 10 canon dslrs, and a gh3, and i swear by them, canon offers much higher quality than nikon lens-wise, L glass is top notch, although i don't know a ton about nikon, i know that no matter what the application or budget, canon will always have a camera that fits your criteria. A lot of your final products will mainly just depend on your shooting skill honestly, any dslr will do the job. This is just the best route for someone looking to build up their rig over the years.
 
13576970:Huck-e-Cheese said:
You are talking to a canon guy, i have owned around 10 canon dslrs, and a gh3, and i swear by them, canon offers much higher quality than nikon lens-wise, L glass is top notch, although i don't know a ton about nikon, i know that no matter what the application or budget, canon will always have a camera that fits your criteria. A lot of your final products will mainly just depend on your shooting skill honestly, any dslr will do the job. This is just the best route for someone looking to build up their rig over the years.

You sound like a canon rep
 
I have a t3i, I've been using it for just over a year now. It is more than enough if you're just starting out, and unless you plan to run a business taking photos I would go much further than it at all. I can't speak for the Nikon side, I've never used them, but I've never had s problem with any of the canons I've used. I'm pretty sure the t2i offers the same video and almost the same photo capabilities. There a great starting point. I do a lot of night photography with my buddy who has a 5d mk3 and unless you go pixel peeping for resolution, I don't find much of a difference between our shots. (I'm talking long exposure, I know the mk 3 kills the t3i in point and shoot at night)
 
13577015:Huck-e-Cheese said:
Nikon and Canon are coke and pepsi, you just pick a side and stand behind it, thats how photography works

What about panasonic and sony?

Mountain dew and Sprite?
 
13576916:rwiz12 said:
Ok sounds like a good idea. My next question is why the t2i over a d3100, d3200, or d3300? I get that you could probably find it for slightly cheaper, but from what I've read the nikon seems like a better body. Are nikon lenses worse or am I wrong about the body?

Are you talking photo of video? If photo it's really your choice but if your talking video hands down Canon, Panasonic or Sony all day. Nikons are horrible for video and if you bought one you would find that out pretty quickly.
 
13577556:ben_collins said:
Are you talking photo of video? If photo it's really your choice but if your talking video hands down Canon, Panasonic or Sony all day. Nikons are horrible for video and if you bought one you would find that out pretty quickly.

Funny you would mention that when I would have to say Nikon beats canon for video. Nikon at least gives you 1080P, canon doesn't even give you true 1080p.
 
13577599:Michael_Thatcher said:
Funny you would mention that when I would have to say Nikon beats canon for video. Nikon at least gives you 1080P, canon doesn't even give you true 1080p.

Nikon you can't get magic lantern, or cinestyle or any other flat profile. Honestly that matters more than resolution imo. Also since when does canon not give you 1080p? I shoot 1080p all the time and it's perfectly fine
 
13577638:ben_collins said:
Nikon you can't get magic lantern, or cinestyle or any other flat profile. Honestly that matters more than resolution imo. Also since when does canon not give you 1080p? I shoot 1080p all the time and it's perfectly fine

Nikon has better bitrates, dynamic range, audio control, and you can install a flat colour profile just like canon. As far as the poor down sampling to 1080p there is some stuff on EOSHD you can read up on. Nikon initially wasn't as strong as canon with video but their newer cameras are beating out the txi which haven't changed much in the past few years.
 
13577638:ben_collins said:
Nikon you can't get magic lantern, or cinestyle or any other flat profile. Honestly that matters more than resolution imo. Also since when does canon not give you 1080p? I shoot 1080p all the time and it's perfectly fine

cinestyle is just a manipulation of what's already there, you aren't getting any more stops of dynamic range from your "cinestyle" or ultra flat profile. So please tell me how in the world some placebo matters more than resolution?

And do a little bit of research, crop sensor canons aren't true 1080p, it's upresed 1080p, nikon has the d5300 which does 1080p at 60fps which I'm pretty positive canon doesn't have beat yet.
 
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