First DSLR -- T3i?? - Ducati.ms

Leary Blaine · Mar 18th, 2011, 9:58 am

@bwhip, @Aurelius, @Sock Monkey (from MTS board)

I wanna be able (someday) to make photos like the ones on bwhip's blog, Latebraker.com Photography | Roadracing | Motorsports. But my first subject won't be motorcycles; it'll be animals, etc, on an African safari (photographically speaking, not all that different?) in Sept. And I want to buy my first DSLR + lens(es) for this trip.

Background: I worked with a film SLR (Minolta X700) 25+ yrs ago, but now I shoot with a high-end ("superzoom") P&S. I understand the basics of photography and also the basics of digital technology.

For this trip, my wife will work the "snapshot" camera, liberating me to do what I want to do, which is take far fewer but far better and more interesting photos.

My immediate question concerns equipment. The new Canon T3i/600D seems to be a great choice, despite the cheesy (to me) "Rebel" branding. I love the video zoom and especially the articulated LCD screen. What do you think of it? I'd like to take 1 lens to Africa. Is this realistic? What lens might you recommend if I want to keep the whole kit under $1500?

Please, gentlemen, your thoughts?

**scott** · Mar 18th, 2011, 10:47 am

I think that would be a very good choice of camera. I use a T2i for underwater photography and get beautiful pictures. If you want a good lens for Africa I would highly suggest a Canon 70-200 2.8L. No need to buy a new one nor should you need newer models with Image Stabilization unless you are shaky or don't mind spending the extra money. You can probably find a used one for around $700-$900 and I promise you will get professional quality photos that will make you smile

. Here is a simple example using my pup.

bwhip · Mar 18th, 2011, 11:27 am

Thanks very much for the compliment. I sure have fun taking the photos, so it's always nice to hear when people like them.

While I'm not specifically familiar with the T3i, from what I've seen so far it seems like it would be an excellent choice for your needs and price range.

The 70-200 lens mentioned by Scott above would be a really good choice if you wanted to take a single lens for your trip. It's a very good all-around focal length, especially if you want to get a little closer in to animals and people and such, with good background blur (bokeh), like in Scott's photo example.

If you think you're going to be wanting pictures that are more of a grand landscape vista, you may want something wider angle. I've got this one:

Amazon.com: Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens: Camera & Photo

, which is outstanding, but not cheap. Another lens I have for a "walkaround" lens is this one, which is not as fast, but a decent lens and less expensive: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/397662-USA/Canon_0344B002AA_24_105mm_f_4L_IS_USM.html.

If you have a decent point and shoot with fairly wide angle capabilities, you could use that for the "landscape" type shots, and a 70-200 for portraits, animals, and so on.

**scott** · Mar 18th, 2011, 11:37 am

I too really like the 24-105 for an all round lens and use that one a lot on my 5D however with the smaller sensor size on the T3i you may want something wider for landscape shots. The 16-35 he suggested above is fantastic but way out of your budget so maybe just the kit lens to start or the 17-85 EF-S.

CrimsonCloak · Mar 18th, 2011, 11:46 am

I think a T3i or 60D with a 2 lens kit should be a fantastic start. I'd take the two kit lenses vs. getting an all-in-one superzoom. The kit lenses (18-55 and 55-250) are compact, very affordable, and actually have better image quality than they get credit for. And they are light which is nice for carrying. The 18-55 is equivalent to about a 28~88mm on the old film cameras. They will take about any photo you need while you explore the new world of variables that a DSLR has over a P&S.

Later when you are moving to faster action photos picking up a 70-200 would be a prudent move, but it may bust the budget right now, and it is a pretty hefty piece to carry if you don't need the focus speed or light gathering.

Bill_Anderson · Mar 18th, 2011, 12:54 pm

Check this thread for a discussion of our various photo arsenals.
What is your photo arsenal?

My current weapons of choice for bird hunting are the Canon 7D + 100-400 zoom. That is about the heaviest combo I would care to hang around my neck and hand hold using my preferred "walk & stalk" method of nature photography. Camera + lens will run about $3,500, which is a bargain when you start checking out the prices of Canon's really large, fast prime telephoto lenses (300mm on up) and their full frame sensor cameras.

My arsenal of the 7D/100-400 zoom + Rebel XSi/18-135 zoom covers the range of nature and landscape shots I currently take. I have found the 18-135 zoom to be a very versatile "walk around" lens.

A friend told me that Canon is now offering a rebate ($200 or $300, I forgot) on the 7D, which is a sign that a new model may be close at hand.

Speaking from experience, I recommend you only get lenses with image stabilzation for nature photography.

Please let us know what you end up purchasing.

CrimsonCloak · Mar 18th, 2011, 3:07 pm

Bill-

Do you ever use your 100-400L for motorsports? I have a 70-200 2.8 that I would normally use, but the extra range would be nice. I just don't know how late in the day I could shoot with the 100-400.

Sock Monkey · Mar 18th, 2011, 7:19 pm

There are a couple things to consider when starting out that you may not consider at first, but will become apparent later down the line (sort of like when you plant that cute little shrub in your yard and 5 years later you realize what you've done.....).

In the long run, you will spend a LOT more on lenses than you do on the body(ies). As you gain confidence and proficiency, you will likely want to move into the "Pro" lenses (big $$$), but you will probably want to keep your old favorite "consumer" lenses around too. Over time, you may have quite a collection! Decide up front what brand of camera/lens you like most, because they are not interchangeable, and it will be expensive to "start over" (see below for how I know this.....

).

DX "crop factor": Some folks have recommended lenses like the 24-105mm. While that's a great range, it's not so great for DX due to the "crop factor" (I won't call it anything else because, well, it's not

). This crop factor can make the low end of the 24-105mm more like 35mm. If this is what you want, that's fine, but you need to be aware of it. Personally, I would look for something a bit wider.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't recommend that you at least look at the Nikon D7000 w/ 18-105 VRII lens. While quite a bit more expensive than the T3i w/ its kit lens, this combo comes in right at your $1500 budget and every review I've read raves about it. I've shot a bit with one, and if I were to ever need a DX body (maybe as a backup), that's the one I would get.

For reference, I got into DSLRs when the original Canon Digital Rebel came out, and stayed with Canon for many years until switching to Nikon a few years ago when the Nikon D700 came out (hence my earlier "starting over" comment).

Happy shooting!

-SM

Sock Monkey · Mar 18th, 2011, 7:22 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott

I think that would be a very good choice of camera. I use a T2i for underwater photography and get beautiful pictures. If you want a good lens for Africa I would highly suggest a Canon 70-200 2.8L. No need to buy a new one nor should you need newer models with Image Stabilization unless you are shaky or don't mind spending the extra money. You can probably find a used one for around $700-$900 and I promise you will get professional quality photos that will make you smile

. Here is a simple example using my pup.

I've seen pictures of the infamous "Jackalope" before, but this is the first I've seen of the "Dogalope"!!!

-SM

Bill_Anderson · Mar 18th, 2011, 8:28 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrimsonCloak

Bill-

Do you ever use your 100-400L for motorsports? I have a 70-200 2.8 that I would normally use, but the extra range would be nice. I just don't know how late in the day I could shoot with the 100-400.

I have never shot motorsports. My 7D has regular ISO settings up to 6000 and can be specially set for 12000, so I can shoot when it is fairly dark, but the noise really shows up when the photos are cropped.