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Camera Experts: New DSLR Camera

Crissytal

What is and what should never be
I'm finally taking the plunge and getting a DSLR camera. I can't afford the top-of-the-line and most of this stuff is ridiculously over priced in my opinion. I've done a fair amount of research and plan to get the Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.10 MP. The kit lens seem to be pretty much junk, so I may decide to opt out on the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens and just get the body only. It's roughly ~$100 in cost between getting the lens or just getting the camera body.

Lens wise I want to get a zoom and a macro. I know most zoom lenses have the capabilities of taking macro shots. I want a true 1:1 macro, the zooms can't do that.

These are the lenses I picked out:
Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD
Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di 1:1 AF Macro Auto Focus Lens

As you can see, I don't care about the Canon name when it comes to lenses. These two seem to be decent, but would like some thoughts and opinions from those that are more experienced than myself.

I am getting the SanDisk 8GB Extreme III SDHC memory card to be used as my primary card. A 16gb would be nice, but it's about triple the cost. I can always pick up another 8gb later on (a Class 6 memory card is recommended for the camera I have selected).

I have picked out the Tiffen 55mm filter kit that includes a UV filter, Circular polarizer, and a 812 color warming filter. I might pick up a skylight filter as well, maybe. I have selected a step ring to convert the filters to work with the zoom lens (macro is 55mm, zoom lens is 67mm) so I will not have to purchase two lens kits. The 55mm kit is the cheaper of the two, that is why I went with 55mm.

I have selected an extra battery (Canon brand) and am going with a Lowepro Slingshot 200 camera bag.

I think that about does it. I'm not too worried about flash right now. A decent one puts me well above my budget. I can throw a little light box together lined with black fabric for macro shots. I may look into getting a remote shutter release. I haven't decided on that yet. I will most likely get some kind of book to help teach me how to use the camera as well.

I would very much appreciate any thoughts, opinions, and recommendations.

Thanks everyone,
Crystal
 
sounds like your line of thinking is fine......the low end Canon lenses, especially kit lenses suck.....but so do Nikons....high end Canons are good though but Tamron and Sigma make good glass aswell.....read up all the reviews you can find on every lens you look to buy, every maker has dogs in their line up.....and only pay attention to the reviews where ppl spend time comparing them to similar priced glass......drives me nuts when ppl complain it aint like their Canon L class lens....yah think? it costs 1/3 as much, it likely aint gonna be the same quality.....but you can take some great photos with it if it is decent glass....granted you rarely hear someone complain that they spent the extra $$ and bought better glass..

as far as the body, havent messed with that one but a quick look online shows it should do most anything yah want.....its got all the manual settings....

BTW on a 2 meg card with a 10MP camera you can get a several hundred photos on it if your not shooting raw.....a couple 4 or 8 gig cards are generally better than one huge one.....never know when your gonna misplace one, best to have an extra....most the photos you take will not be 15 megs......most i take with the 10MP wind up 5 megs and under due to the settings i use...
 
I am on the Nikon end of things but -- in any case -- I would recommend a set focal length macro lens of some sort -- something in the 60mm range (Canon or Tamron); the altered DX format will make it the equivalent of, say, a 90mm lens with that added magnification. Not only are they fast-focusing, intended for tiny subjects; but they are also great for portraits . . .
 
In general, I have only heard good things about the rebel cameras - both from reviews & friends who have them. Also, buying a system from a company who is unlikely to obsolete the lenses is a good approach (all of my old lenses are toast because Olympus changed their 'standard'.)

I have selected a step ring to convert the filters to work with the zoom lens (macro is 55mm, zoom lens is 67mm) so I will not have to purchase two lens kits. The 55mm kit is the cheaper of the two, that is why I went with 55mm.
Doesn't getting the smaller filters leave you with the risk that they will truncate the edges of your pictures (or hinder the light entering the lense) when using the zoom?

I have selected an extra battery (Canon brand) and am going with a Lowepro Slingshot 200 camera bag.
A few years ago, I purchased a cheap, non-name brand backup battery for my camera (Olympus P&S) and it became useless after ~1.5 years. Apparently there is some truth to the quality of the imitations / knock-offs...

.....its got all the manual settings....
When I was taking pics fairly regularly, one of the manual buttons that got used a lot was the depth-of-field preview. Depending on the particular photo composition, sometimes I wanted the background blurry & other times I wanted it as sharp as possible. The depth-of-field preview button allowed me to check on this. This is also a feature camera manufacturers cut out of their rigs when they were cutting back on features for the masses (although I don't know if that's true any longer). If you have any intention of doing fairly long, tripod-held exposures, you may want to see if the rig has a mirror-lockup. Having it held up prior to the exposure can reduce vibration. (although I didn't use this much).
 
Even though it's beyond your budget if you're going Canon the macro you want is the MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x. That's the lens that Larry has and is the only digital macro with greater than 1x optical magnification (up to 5x).
 
Im a "camera nerd" from way back..
picked up my first SLR at the age of 14 in 1983..
Was a photo major in college, and have worked in Digital research at Kodak since 1994..
I have been shooting with a Canon Elan II (film) SLR for ages..but for digital I have only used point and shoot digital cameras..I have used DSLR's at work, but have never owned one myself..

The time has come for a new camera..my wife and I both have film SLR's (me, the Elan II, her, a film Rebel)
we both still shoot some film, but mostly digital these days..
she wants close-up for flowers and bugs in the garden..I want both telephoto and wide angle for railroad photography..with all those "advanced amateur" requirements..

We are NOT going to get a digital SLR!

I have done some serious shopping the last few weeks..on-line research and looking at cameras in stores..
I have come to the conclusion that the Canon SX20:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-reviews/canon/powershot-sx20-is/physical-views-16.html
(it sells for $350)

Will do everything a digital SLR will do for us, 99.5% of the time..
great zoom range, great tele, great wide angle, excellent close-up capabilities built in..
the lack of interchangable lenses is pretty much a non-issue..
this camera will do everything we would want from a digital rebel!
at half the price..

I can see no real benefit to the DSLR that warrants the extra price..
and I already have a supply of quality Canon lenses too!
even so..dont see the need for the DSLR right now..
just thought I would throw that out there! ;)

Im probably going to buy the SX20 in the next few weeks..

Scot
 
Thanks for the opinions everyone.

Thanks rattler: I've done hours of reading. When I'm getting something new I can't leave it alone until I'm absolutely sick of research. Unfortunately I can't afford the cost of the 'good' range Canon lenses. It looks like the Tamron's I picked are better quality than the Canons from the same range. I agree, I had to weed through quite a few reviews comparing the $1-2K Canon lenses to the two Tamrons I picked. Of course the $450-580 Tamrons aren't going to be up to that quality. It's frustrating. I had trouble too with comparisons of Canon and Nikon cameras not in the same range. I'm firm on the Canon camera though. I'm going with it. That's true about the cards. Thanks. I'm going to go with one 8gig for now, and get another 8gig later on.

BB: Tamron has a 60mm f/2.0 lens but it's too new. There's not much on the net about it. I'd rather go with the 90mm f/2.8 that has plenty of information and reviews. I'm not sure what you are getting at regarding a 'fixed lens'? The one I selected for macro is fixed, it's a non-zoom 90mm.

RL: Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't thought about the consequences of using a small filter on a large lens. I'll go with the opposite, get a larger filter kit and a ring to step it down to fit the 55mm. That should work better. If not, I can always pick up another kit later on. I found some deals on batteries that are really too good to be true. I found one for around $10. I'd rather spend the $40 and get the Canon brand. With my luck one of the cheapo off-brands would bust and ruin my camera. I'll have to look into it and see if the T1i has the particular options you've mentioned. This is my first SLR, so I really have no idea what I will like and not like feature wise.

NaN: That is an awesome lens! I remember some very good macro shots from Larry, I didn't know it was that lens. If I could afford it, I'd certainly get it. As it is, I'm at the far end of my budget. It just won't fit.

Scotty: You could always donate your high end Canon lenses to me since you don't have a need for a SLR right now...;) No, I want the interchange lenses and more control over settings. Being able to take a photo of a bird in a fairly close tree would be nice. I can't do that with my point and shoots. Most of the time I'll have a photo of a tree and can't find what I was shooting because the bird is too small and soft. I already have a point and shoot Canon A590IS. I love it, I just want something to take better wildlife pictures with. Improved macro will also be a plus, though I have to admit the A590IS does a great job with their add-on 'macro' lens.
 
Slight hijack:

Scotty, you just found me my new camera. Thanks!!!
 
Crissytal,
I just purchased a macro lens for for my camera a few weeks ago. I looked at the Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di 1:1 AF Macro Auto Focus Lens but went with the Sigma lens. Sigma Telephoto 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Autofocus Lens. It has a high f-stop range (45) compared to the Tamron (32). When shooting macro the extra depth of field is nice to have.

Link for the Sigma lens.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...7101_105mm_f_2_8_EX_Macro.html#specifications
 
  • #10
Thanks elgecko. Do you happen to have any photos you've taken with this Sigma lens? I'd like to see how it performs if you don't mind.

Are you satisfied with the quality of the pictures it takes? Are the macros sharp and clear?
 
  • #11
Scotty.....95% of the time i run a Canon point and shoot the size of a deck of cards cause most the time out in the hills and river bottom im also toting a rifle so carrying the Canon 40D with its lenses is like carrying a second rifle, and most the time dont care to have the extra weight....actually i do have a rifle ready to hunt that weights less than my DSL-R camera and bag....that said, i do like running a DSL-R that Sx20 looks neat and would prolly do the majority of what a person would want but i already have the 40D....
 
  • #12
I have the sigma lens. I use it with a Nikon D40. Auto focus doesn't work, due to the changes with the D40's mechanics. I like it though. I cant see using auto focus for taking really close up shots anyway. It also works nice for portraits. Will try to shoot some pygmy drosera when I get home. Tripod is an essential.
 
  • #13
Will do everything a digital SLR will do for us, 99.5% of the time..
great zoom range, great tele, great wide angle, excellent close-up capabilities built in.
I used an SLR for many years until digital became ubiquitous. Since then, I've switched to using an Olympus point & shoot w/ decent macro capabilities. While I like the light weight & pocketability, I will be investing in a decent DSLR in the near future. Here's why:

- quality of lenses
- option of manual focus (ever try to take a pic of a bug on a weed stem with auto-focus?). Having the option of choosing what I want in focus with my macro shots (vs what the camera decides) would also be a really nice change...
- variety of lenses. I really miss my 400mm (8x) telephoto for shooting wildlife. I have a 'gunstock' I made specifically to shoot birds & animals in motion. I have some interesting action pics of an osprey diving for fish in the Everglades that I can't imagine ever getting with a handheld or with a tripod. The macro lens everyone mentions would also be an interesting option...
- controllable depth-of-field & speed. For many creative shots, having this ability is crucial.
 
  • #14
I agree with you RL. I have gone through three point and shoot cameras in the last few years. I'm simply not satisfied them them. I have to fight the camera to focus on what I want; what I want usually never happens. I can't take decent photos of wildlife, even with 10x zoom point and shoots. The zoom is just crap simply put. So much more can be done with SLRs. Yes they are much heavier, perhaps difficult/time consuming to use, but it is worth it to me to take the kinds of photos that I want to take. Believe me, I've tried and tried with point and shoots. Point and shoots are NOT what I want ;).

I'm looking forward to your photos Mach if you get the chance. I may be ordering my setup tonight. The lens I picked out is rated slighter better than the Sigma. I would like to see how well it performs before I go one way or the other (I've already done hours of research on the Tamron).

Crystal
 
  • #15
DSC_00010001_2.jpg

DSC_00040001_2.jpg


D. "Lake Badgerup"

DSC_00050001_1.jpg

D. pulchella

DSC_00060001_2.jpg

D. rotundifolia baby


DSC_00090001_1.jpg

D. graminifolia flower

Photos at:
http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn35/kulamauiman/
 
  • #16
Thank you Mach!! Sigma it is :).
 
  • #17
Also, get the Canon 50mm f1.8, it's the best bang for the buck at under $100. Mount that onto some Kenko extension tubes and you can go beyond 1:1 macro.
 
  • #18
Thanks Larry for the suggestions. I'd like to pick up the 50mm canon lens for the heck of it. I don't know about the Kenko extension tubes. They are upwards of $200 almost. Are auto focus tubes really necessary? I'd rather spend $10 for manual focus on ebay.

Considering I have no idea what I'm doing (been too sick to play much) I think this turned out fairly well with all auto settings, manual focus. This is with the Sigma 105mm lens.
Pinguicula filifolia flower:
c1.jpg
 
  • #19
Wow. Great thread. I have been camera hunting myself. I've been reading and reading reviews. I swore I'd never get another Nikon after my 8800 broke twice. (Personally I believe that model was defective but they never did a recall.)

I loved my old film Canon FTB QL. I still have it but...the convenience of digital took over. So I think after reading this thread, I will forget considering the Nikons. I have heard good numerous comments about the T1i....so I might just give that another look-see.

I have been cameraless for probably a year or more now but I must say, my iPhone does an amazing job considering its a camera phone. It's allowed me to at least capture some images (many posted on FaceBook).

Thanks y'all! :)
 
  • #20
Very nice macro Crissytal. I guess you really don't need extension tubes that allow auto focus. Most people use manual focus anyways when taking macro shots. If you mounted your Sigma 105 onto extension tubes, you'd get some incredible magnification!
 
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