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I currently use a Canon S110 for my photography and love it for its portability. I'm now looking to upgrade. Any recs on another camera (DSLR) to look at that are still light or small enough to hike with but take better pics, especially zoomed in shots. Like the S100, I'm looking for something at a good price point.
Also, are there any good online geartrades to pick up a used camera, similar to ours?
Thanks.
The first question has to be: what's your budget? Remember, when buying a DSLR, you need a budget for the camera AND lens(es). Since you're just moving to a DSLR (if you choose that route), I'd recommend something more compact like the T5i, or even the much smaller SL1. The T5i is a more capable camera than the SL1, but it depends on how much you're willing to sacrifice in terms of size for performance.
Watch this website, they monitor all the good deals out there: http://www.canonpricewatch.com/
I've seen the T5i with the Canon 18-135mm STM lens (very good lens) for around $550, which is a killer deal. If that pops up again, I'd jump on it.
Some deals here:
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/ca...al-slr-cameras
SL1 with the 18-55 STM and 40mm pancake for $481.
T5i with the 18-55 STM and 55-250 STM for $649.
I have an SL1. I dig the size. But I do find things being buried in menus somewhat annoying/limiting. Limits are more with me than the camera though.
What about a micro four-thirds mirrorless camera? A Sony a6000 body with MFT lenses might be an option.
X2 on a mirrorless camera if you are looking for something smallish. I'm loving my MFT Olympus EM10. If you like Canon you could look at the EOS M3; I haven't played with it, but it is on the small side.
I've been looking at either the EM10 or EM5 and they both look pretty solid. Are the small buttons much of an issue when out in the field?Quote:
Originally Posted by Todds
Never had a problem with bare hands. I think the buttons might be a problem with gloves on. Did you know they release EM10 mark2 and EM5 mark2 also?Quote:
Originally Posted by snowsnowsnow
I saw on a site I could get the older T2i body and 18-55mm lens for a total of $229.
Will I see a noticeable difference in my pics compared to the S110? (Esp. Zoomed)
Here is another question: what are you taking pictures of and why is portability important?Quote:
Originally Posted by Todds
I am all MFT now and like it a lot. I have friends on SONY and Fuji that take great photos as well it is a balance of needs in these systems.
It would be for taking pics while hiking or backpacking, and of my family. The S110 is for mtn biking and skiing.
Once you go DSLR, you never go back. Especially for action shots- that S110 won't hold a candle to the T5i, or even the T2i.Quote:
Originally Posted by The SnowShow
i think I'd go older body and better glass. kit lenses are great for what they are but you'll hit your limits there before the body IME.
^^^ Yep, that 18-55 lens is pretty much garbage, for the most part- especially if it's the older non-IS version. The newer STM lenses are much better, but I doubt that's what is included with the T2i.
What Canon EF or EFS lens should I look at that would be better?
The 18-135mm STM is the best "all around" budget lens, IMO. It's typically packaged with the mid-range DSLRs, or you can find them used for $250-300. It's got solid IQ, fast focusing, and covers a nice, wide range. The 15-85mm is also a killer lens, but you're getting up around $450+ for that one used.Quote:
Originally Posted by The SnowShow
Didn't know about the mark2s, I was scouting some of the refurbs direct from olympus. What lens(es) do you run?Quote:
Originally Posted by Todds
Thank you all.
Now a quick off topic question: when my S110 is in auto mode and I take a landscape pic, if I focus on the mountains or forest, the sky washes out. If I focus on the sky, the forest/mtns are dark. What manual settings can I play with to avoid that?
When I do the same with my iPhone, it's way more even (ie. The forest/mtns and sky all look good). Why is that?
[i believe] auto exposure will be based off of the focus point, so if you focus on the dark forest, the forest should be exposed somewhat accurately automagically, and the lighter sky will now be washed out / further exposed. your iPhone will do the same thing. a DSLR will be fun for you to throw on full manual and experiment & learn a bit. that's how I roll.
Right. However the iPhone camera doesn't do that. My iPhone landscape pics, while obviously not as good, always look more "even" in exposure than my P&S.
The S110 has settings like aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, etc.
Is there a way to play with those settings so that if I'm taking a landscape shot like I described, I can capture the rich blue sky along with the dark forest?
im feeling lazy, sorry
http://improvephotography.com/photography-basics/
The iPhone exposes for the overall scene brightness... your camera is set to expose using the focal point (or at least it biases based on the focal point), so it's very specific.
Here's a good article explaining the different metering modes you have on your camera, you can adjust your setting accordingly:
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/20...n-to-use-them/
There's also a good chance that your iPhone uses an HDR setting, which essentially combines multiple exposures and balances the scene by removing highlights and dark shadows.
just $.02, if you're coming from a p/s, a t/5,4,3/i with the kit ~18-55 will be a ton of fun.
Will read up. Thank you all!
My recs for quality and speed:
Get a used canon 7d for $600 to $800 plus a used 24-105 F/4 lens for $600
Get a used Panasonic GH3 for $300-400 on EBay, plus a used 12-35 LUMIX f/2.8 for $600
Both setups would get you in the game taking great action photos
This. I seem to recall the newer iPhones use HDR automatically unless you turn it off. Excellent HDR too, for what it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by smmokan
If you are on the Canon fall sale list they have the refurb 7D Mark 2 on sale today only for $999
^^^^ Good deal
Another plug for a mirrorless setup. My a6000 autofocus blows the 60d out of the water
I agree. It's perfect for people who just want to point-and-shoot, and really that's what you want to do with a phone camera.Quote:
Originally Posted by LightRanger
+1 That is what I started with for my T3i (along with a EF 75-300 kit lens) for my first year. It was a great setup for learning.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tye 1on
Now I have a EF 2.8 70-200mm IS lens an EFS 15-85 IS USM, and a Tokina 2.8 11-17mm lens.
I really like my setup but am restless to upgrade my body now that I have 2 years under my belt.
I'm on the same timeline with my T3i, but am still refining the lens collection but will also eventually upgrade body to something like the 70D once it's been out a couple years. Going to sell the kit 18-55 and 28-135 and get a 15-85.Quote:
Originally Posted by From_the_NEK
Bumping this back up for some recommendations. Been looking at getting into an entry level DSLR camera and it looks like there are some pretty good deals from Nikon right now. The package that I'm looking at is a D3300 with an 18-55 and 55-200 lens with a bag for $500. (Don't really want to spend any more than that right now) I've read plenty of reviews and the consensus seems to be that in this entry level price range this is the camera to go with when compared to Canon, etc. I know this is an entry level camera and that's what I'm looking for. Something I can get into relatively inexpensively and learn and experiment with until I see a need to upgrade to something better. Am I fooling myself? Will the D3300 be adequate or will I wish I had gone with something like the D5XXX. Also, is the 55-200 lens something I'll use? The other package option that's appealing is just the D3300 with 18-55 lens for $400. I read on one article to start out with a 18-55 lens and just use that for a year before playing with other lenses. Obviously I know almost nothing about cameras and I'm just looking for a little hand-holding to make sure I'm on the right track here. Thanks in advance for any help.
3300 is a good starter system, I took some great shots with my 3100 before upgrading. The 18-55 and 55-200 are very competent starter lenses, but will struggle in low light. Get a 3300, make sure you like the Dslr thing, then sell it and upgrade to a refurbed 7100 down the line. I think I paid 399 for my 3100 a long time ago and just sold it for 250 with the 18-55, so it wasn't a huge hit.
StormyMonday, If you are interested I have a D5100, 18-55, 18-200 (not 55-200) and a lowepro slingshot 100AW that I was planning on putting on ebay. Make me an offer on all or part of the above
Just picked up the Olympus OMD EM5 mkii from factory refurb to replace my stolen mki. It is like a completely different camera. The image quality is markedly better and the build quality is a lot higher. Great for those wanting small, portrait or landscape camera with interchangeable lenses. The one notable feature everyone should consider is the live view bulb mode. Perfect for a number of situations and the only camera I know of that offers a live preview of a bulb mode.
Thanks. That was basically exactly what I thinking. Give it a try and upgrade if/when necessary.Quote:
Originally Posted by snapt
@Todds-thanks for the offer. Did some research and "I think" the new smaller and lighter body in the 3300 appeals to me more than the additional features in the 5100.
@stormyMonday, I understand about smaller cameras. I switched to the Olympus EM10 and will be upgrading to the EM5mkii at some point. You may want to take a look at the m43 cameras if small is important to you. There are some great deals on the EM10 and EM5 right now.
I've never used any of the D3xxx series cameras, but they don't look much smaller on paper. They are considerable lighter.
http://www.dpreview.com/products/com...tDir=ascending
I will definitely take a look at those. Appreciate the suggestion @jcolingham.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todds
No sweat. Lots of deals on the Sony alpha6000 with two lens kit right now. It is a similar camera with some trade offs for photos and video. It may resonate with you and the size is smaller.
In addition to size, another selling point for M43 is the ability to use vintage manual focus lenses using an adapter. You can get cheap adapters for many different lens series. Manual focus lenses are actually a lot of fun to use if you're used to just letting the autofocus do all the work. Last year I bought a used Canon FD 135mm f2.8 in excellent condition for $45 on eBay. With the m43 crop factor it's like a 270mm lens. Imagine what you'd need to spend for a fast prime like for a DSLR mount. In addition the Olympus m43 bodies have in-body image stabilization so even these old lenses gain the advantage of stabilization. I think this is a big plus for Olympus.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todds